Experience Points Vol. 1

Hey everyone,
Welcome to the first volume of my newsletter, Experience Points. My goal is to share tips, info, and news about D&D and TTRPGs to help you run better games.

You don’t need to DM for 20 years to be a great DM. You can start and be a great DM right away, if you make the focus of what you’re doing your players enjoyment at the table.
~ Brennan Lee Mulligan ~

My No. 1 Tip For New Dungeon Masters

Focus on the basics. Describe the situation, and have the players describe what they want to do.
Focus on the fun. Roll some dice and celebrate the awesome moments and the big whiffs.
Focus on the characters. What connects them to the adventure and the other PCs?
Give them something to explore and learn about. Provide a fantastic location for the players to engage with.
Give them someone silly to roleplay with. A fantasy creature with a silly voice goes a long way.
Give them something to stab with their sword. Most DnD players just want to feel heroic and kill some monsters. Give them that chance!

By including these basic ideas you will have the foundation for a fun session. As long as you are all having fun then you are doing it right.

Talking Daggerheart and DnD with Talking XP

In this episode of Inspiration Points, Jonny aka Talking XP and I talk top tips for new game masters, favorite monsters to use, and why we all love ttrpgs so much. Jonny also talks about his zombie horror Daggerheart live play, Bitten, a tale of community, tragedy, and survival.
Find Jonny everywhere here https://linktr.ee/talkingxp

Point of Inspiration

This weeks Point of Inspiration goes to the cast of Bitten. If you are a fan of the Walking Dead or the Last of Us go check out the Daggerheart actual Bitten by Talking XP. It’s about 7 episodes in right now and each one gets better than the last.

Meet the Cast:
Meadow (she/they) as Ilora: ‪@HowdyLoveDarlinGames-kz1hm‬
Daniel (he/him) as Roila: ‪@danielthedm‬
Kelly (she/they) as Crucible: ‪@thekellhop‬
Kujo (he/him) as Torin: ‪@crithitchronicles‬
Jonny (he/him) as Everyone and Everything Else

Find Episode 1 here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBtR_wpLZKU

Livestream Schedule

Find me live on Twitch and Youtube every Tuesday and Saturday at 12 pm pst talking about dungeons & dragons and/or playing video games.
TUESDAYS: Minecraft Summer School w/ @OhHelloMere teaching me how to play Minecraft
SATURDAYS: all about D&D and TTRPGS

Sales and Deals

Roll Big or Go Home RPG MegaBundle – 50+ titles for $40; rulebooks, resources, soundtracks, and more https://humblebundleinc.sjv.io/WyEQr3 (2 days left)
One-Shot Wonders: use code CRAIG10 at checkout to get 10% off One-Shot Wonders until the end of July 2025 https://rollandplaypress.com/craigoneshots

Reader Questions

Every month I make a post in Patreon and Ko-fi so that everyone can ask me a DnD or TTRPG related question. Once a week I answer every question on this post. Some questions make it to the livestream or inspire a tip video. Don’t be upset if your question doesn’t make it the show, only a handful do. Looking forward to helping out!

Reader Suggestions

Over on my discord server, the Dungeon of Inspiration, we have a channel called Stream Suggestions where you can recommend DnD or TTRPG products for me to look through while live on stream. This is not for homebrew or questions. This is for bogs, videos, products, kickstarters, events, etc. Let me know if you have any questions!

The Aechron Archive

The planet of Aechronea contains one supercontinent that has three different regions each with a variety of peoples and settlements. The realm of Everea the Ancestral Home, the Lands of Aechron, and Cadaramá the Tropical Crescent. Everea has some tribes in the Resu’suteppu domain. The Lands of Aechron are home to a large group called The Free Peoples of the Valley. In Cadaramá the Tropical Crescent you will find ancient tribes that call themselves the Ioka. Major gods of the area include the Iron Dragon, the Eternel One, and most of all Verona the Rootmother without whom the world and lands of Aechronea would not exist.

Verona the Rootmother is the world tree at the center of the world in the lands of Aechron. Her roots permeate the world and any place without a root coming from the ground is considered unlucky or worse. All peoples of Aechronea feel the heartbeat when they come in contact with even the farthest root. Special are those that can commune with her and more blessed are those whom she bestows the divine gift.

Poll No. 1

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