Dungeoncraft from Dragon Magazine by Ray Winninger
"Dungeoncraft" essay series.
From Dragon Magazine.
Issues 255-283, 1997-1999.
Ray Winninger. Forward by MadMaxwellP216:
Ray Winninger, the "Flumphmeister", heads up the D&D RPG team at Wizards of the Coast as of 2020 after the departure of Mike Mearls in 2019. Back in 1997, when D&D creator Gary Gygax's publishing company TSR was purchased by Wizards of the Coast, Winninger authored a 29 part essay series that was released over the course of two and a half years through the monthly magazine, Dragon. The first 22 installments of "Dungeoncraft" were written while second edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons was still the current system, and installments 23-29 were penned after the announcement of third edition from Wizards of the Coast. The vast majority of the content from all of his essays stand the test of time as an invaluable resource for novice and veteran dungeon masters alike who are searching for inspiration or for timeless words of wisdom. The core rulebooks of D&D provide a dungeon master with all of the tools, rules, and monsters they need in order to run a successful adventure or campaign, but they come up woefully short in teaching one how to actually play the game. They are better served more as reference textbooks than as how-to manuals, leaving it to you to decide how and when to use the imaginatively endless options they provide. "Dungeoncraft" fills in the cracks left behind by the core rulebooks and helps guide a dungeon master to write their own story that can include all available options without feeling overwhelmed. As Winninger himself puts it: 'Traditionally, the best way to learn how to DM is to play in a few games run by a veteran Dungeon Master. In many ways, the fine art of Dungeoncraft is a grand oral tradition passed from DM to DM that stretches all the way back to Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. If it works, the following advice will help you get up and running even if you don't have access to a veteran.' "Dungeoncraft" should by no means be approached as a checklist for your game, but rather as a resource for inspiration for when you're not sure how to glue pieces of the game together. Winninger's Rules of Dungeoncraft will save many dungeon masters from potentially hours of frustration, and his words of wisdom range from worldbuilding, NPCS, single adventures, ongoing campaigns, and challenging both the players and their characters. These are my notes taken from the entire essay series. Certain parts of the essays were obsolete due to the mechanics and structure of modern game editions, but about 75-90% of the series is pure creative gold for the dungeon master who wishes to hone their skills both at the game table and at the writing board. I've consolidated the parts I found applicable to modern gaming in the pages below.
From Dragon Magazine.
Issues 255-283, 1997-1999.
Ray Winninger. Forward by MadMaxwellP216:
Ray Winninger, the "Flumphmeister", heads up the D&D RPG team at Wizards of the Coast as of 2020 after the departure of Mike Mearls in 2019. Back in 1997, when D&D creator Gary Gygax's publishing company TSR was purchased by Wizards of the Coast, Winninger authored a 29 part essay series that was released over the course of two and a half years through the monthly magazine, Dragon. The first 22 installments of "Dungeoncraft" were written while second edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons was still the current system, and installments 23-29 were penned after the announcement of third edition from Wizards of the Coast. The vast majority of the content from all of his essays stand the test of time as an invaluable resource for novice and veteran dungeon masters alike who are searching for inspiration or for timeless words of wisdom. The core rulebooks of D&D provide a dungeon master with all of the tools, rules, and monsters they need in order to run a successful adventure or campaign, but they come up woefully short in teaching one how to actually play the game. They are better served more as reference textbooks than as how-to manuals, leaving it to you to decide how and when to use the imaginatively endless options they provide. "Dungeoncraft" fills in the cracks left behind by the core rulebooks and helps guide a dungeon master to write their own story that can include all available options without feeling overwhelmed. As Winninger himself puts it: 'Traditionally, the best way to learn how to DM is to play in a few games run by a veteran Dungeon Master. In many ways, the fine art of Dungeoncraft is a grand oral tradition passed from DM to DM that stretches all the way back to Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. If it works, the following advice will help you get up and running even if you don't have access to a veteran.' "Dungeoncraft" should by no means be approached as a checklist for your game, but rather as a resource for inspiration for when you're not sure how to glue pieces of the game together. Winninger's Rules of Dungeoncraft will save many dungeon masters from potentially hours of frustration, and his words of wisdom range from worldbuilding, NPCS, single adventures, ongoing campaigns, and challenging both the players and their characters. These are my notes taken from the entire essay series. Certain parts of the essays were obsolete due to the mechanics and structure of modern game editions, but about 75-90% of the series is pure creative gold for the dungeon master who wishes to hone their skills both at the game table and at the writing board. I've consolidated the parts I found applicable to modern gaming in the pages below.
- Rules of Dungeoncraft
- Introduction to Being a Dungeon Master
- Interesting NPCs
- Secrets & The Rumor Mill
- Mapping the Wilderness
- Challenging the Players
- Challenging the Characters
- Creating the Adventure Concept
- Starting the Adventure Maps
- Identifying the Sub-Goals
- Preparing the First Session
- Tools
- Action and Reaction
- Your Game's Voice
- I've Got a Secret
- Baiting the Hook
- Off to the Races
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