Artwork for podcast How to Be a Better DM: Dungeon Master Tips for the DM Newbie, the Hobbyist and the Forever DM
3 Questions To Determine a Combat Encounter’s Length
Episode 1698th August 2024 • How to Be a Better DM: Dungeon Master Tips for the DM Newbie, the Hobbyist and the Forever DM • Justin Lewis
00:00:00 00:25:05

Share Episode

Shownotes

When you are planning a combat encounter, do you know how to get it into the "Goldilocks" zone in terms of length? You don't want it so short that no one got anything out of it, but you also don't want it so long that all the players are secretly praying that it will be over after the next turn.

To help you plan the length of your encounter, whether beforehand or on the fly, here are 3 questions:

  • Question #1: Has each player had a chance to feel either useful, powerful, or seriously threatened?
  • Question #2: Has this combat encounter had at least one “story-worthy” moment?
  • Question #3: Does the length of this combat match its importance?

Learn how these questions can help you execute an appropriately-lengthy combat in today's episode!

Mentioned in this episode:

Brought to you by Session 0 Studios

Visit session0studios.com for more information.

Play D&D with Us

Did you know that you can have one of our hosts here at How to Be a Better DM be your dungeon master? That’s right. All of our podcast hosts are professional dungeon masters that you can hire for your private or corporate dungeons and dragons game. We can do one-shots or long-term campaigns. If you want to schedule your first session with us, go to https://session0studios.com/dungeon-master-for-hire/ and get started.

Dungeon Master for Hire

Give Us a Rating and Review

You obviously have really good taste, you’re listening to How to Be a Better DM after all. We thank you for your support. If you’ve ever gotten anything useful from our show, take a minute to give us a rating and a review. It goes a very long way to making it so How to Be a Better DM can help many more dungeon masters just like you. If you love our content, help others become better dungeon masters too.

Follow us on Instagram

Thanks again for listening to our show. If you like our content and would like to engage with more of our content, head over to our Instagram account, @howtobeabetterdm, and give us a follow. Make sure to watch some of our helpful Dungeon Master Rules videos to give yourself some structure and procedure as a Dungeon Master. Don’t forget to reach out with a DM and we can talk shop. https://www.instagram.com/howtobeabetterdmpodcast/

Links

Chapters

Video

More from YouTube