Read this!

This was a great read, especially in light of the dragon, and now, Audric getting energy drained. It summarizes well how I feel as DM (though not at all how you guys behave as players, thankfully!).

Randomness vs. control

This post does well to articulate how I see D&D as a game, and particularly how I approach D&D as a player. Sean did a great job DMing his inaugural session on Saturday, wherein I found myself continually leaning on the familiar mindset of minimizing randomness to maximize control.

As a player, if I'm being asked to make a die roll, it's because I've already exhausted all other available options. I've attempted (or at least thought through) alternate solutions, formulated tactics, and considered the possible contingencies as best I can. The core mechanics of D&D dictate that certain outcomes will always be decided by luck of the dice; your primary job as a player, to ensure your character's survival, is to minimize the impact of luck by maximizing the strategic approach and management of resources at every turn.

This is why I had Kaldric cast flaming sphere on the round before Kai took the scrolls from atop the pedestal, in anticipation that an enemy might present itself in response. As a player, I determined that, given our situation, the expenditure of one of my two 2nd-level spells for the day was worth the possibility of gaining a free round of fire damage against an unknown threat. It worked: three skeletons emerged from the debris surrounding the dais, and one of them was destroyed single-handedly by my spell, without costing anyone a single action in combat.

It doesn't matter, in retrospect, that none of our lives likely hung in the balance of the flaming sphere. Nor would it have mattered if no enemy appeared at all and the spell had been used to no avail. Evaluation of risk and assertion of control led me to the chosen path, and the decision could only be made with the information available to us at the time. It was the right one.

Advice in Dungeoneering

This kind of stuff is brilliant, and exactly why it's worth contributing to The Tao of D&D. The perspective outlined in the linked post is oft-overlooked by players in campaigns I've been a part of, whether from a desire for the PCs to act as solitary heroes or due to a general detachment from real-world thinking while playing (the players are playing in a game, after all). The sort of player mentality Alexis describes is why games like AD&D encourage the DM to run with minimal bias for the characters' choice of actions or the overall power level of the party. Leveraging resources and adventuring strategy in this way is one of the funnest aspects of the game, in my opinion, but one that's regrettably been lost to the ages as D&D as a product line has evolved.

The post was also exceptionally well-timed, since one of the things I'm most looking forward to in this weekend's game is seeing how the players elect to manage and interact with the resources at their disposal as they prepare the fiefdom of Brithem for a potential second assault from a pair of black dragons residing in the area. More than just "Charge in, roll initiative, make my attack rolls/use my spells, and hope everything works out," the party has before them a chance to show their stuff on a much grander stage - and with many more lives at stake than merely their own. How this next session unfolds will surely have consequences for a long time to come.

A Worthy Cause

I've expressed to most people I game with that they should read The Tao of D&D, and particularly the author's books How to Run and The Dungeon's Front Door. Alexis Smolensk's insight into the world of D&D and the art of DMing is nothing short of amazing.

Earlier this week, Alexis posted a crowdfunded proposal to help him complete the novel that he's working on presently, even going so far as to reach out to some of his blog commenters with a personal message. I don't doubt at all the quality of the rewards he's offering for donations, and am happily planning to contribute; I encourage others who see and appreciate the value of his work to do the same.

Good luck, Alexis!