The Tao of D&D

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Monday, July 7, 2025

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Posted by Alexis Smolensk at Monday, July 07, 2025

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About Me

Began playing Dungeons and Dragons at the age of 15, forty-two years ago. I am a steadfast AD&D gamer, but I have made so many changes to the original system that my present model is something of a Frankenstein's monster of role-playing design. I continue to make new changes every day to my game's structure and function.

The Net has described me as a 'mad scientist of RPG blogging,' and a 'Quixotic bastard' ... and also 'the most gonzo - and the grouchiest - old school DM.'

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How to Run

The Dungeon's Front Door

The Best Ten Posts, 2008-2016

How to Dungeon Master (the 10,000 Word Post). A discussion of narrative, momentum and goals in dungeon mastering a role-playing game.

How to Play a Character (the 10,000 Word Post). Discussion of strategies on how to increase one's involvement, focus, creativity and practical approach to role-playing games.

How to Start a Trading Town I, first of a series. How to organize and set up the fundamentals of a trading post in the game world.

The Trade Process, first of a series. Details how to build a trade framework that will vary equipment and services prices for a game world.

How to Tackle a Dungeon I - First Steps, first of a series. Strategies on approaching dungeon-delving with organized, rational planning.

8 Tips That Will Let Any Idiot Improve Their D&D Game. Wry, pragmatic discussion of basic matters pertaining to role-playing games and why they should not be overlooked.

24 Petards to Be Roasted Upon (or, How to Be a Player). A discussion of 24 motivations behind all human behavior and their use as motivations to determine a role-player's goals.

Art and Fall of Preparation, the. A frank discussion of problems and difficulties in planning and preparing games as a Dungeon Master.

Weather Generation Mark VI - Temperature, first of a series. A system designed to create weather effects in a game world.

Let's Try It From the Beginning Again. A primer for calculating the production value of goods and services in a game world.

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Monday, July 7, 2025

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