Shadowdark promises old-school danger with modern rules: fast character creation, deadly combat, limited resources, unpredictable magic, and a torch that burns for one real-world hour. But how does it actually feel at the table? After running Shadowdark for the Doctor’s Blades’ latest expedition, Tony, Chris, and Dave sit down to examine what worked, what surprised … Read more
“Yes, and…” is one of the foundational principles of improvisation and is a powerful tool for any DM or GM to encourage creativity at the table. But does a good DM always have to say yes? In this episode, Tony, Chris, and Dave sit down to discuss what happens when player freedom begins pulling against … Read more
To our incredible 3 Wise DMs community, As we chart a course toward our 200th episode (!!!) we’ve found ourselves reflecting on just how far this journey has taken us. Over the past six years, what began as three Dungeon Masters talking shop has grown into an amazing community of TTRPG players, GMs, worldbuilders, storytellers, … Read more
Few moments at the gaming table carry more weight than the death of a player character. Is it the ultimate consequence of failure, a dramatic turning point in the story, or simply an opportunity for the next chapter to begin? In this episode, Tony, Chris, and Dave tackle one of the oldest debates in tabletop … Read more
Happy Fourth of July from 3 Wise DMs! As we celebrate 250 years of American independence, we’re reminded that some of the best stories are built on adventure, camaraderie, and the courage to venture into the unknown. It just so happens that Dungeons & Dragons recently celebrated its own incredible milestone—50 years of bringing heroes … Read more
Books, movies, and television shows benefit from one major advantage: the entire story is planned before the audience experiences it. D&D campaigns don’t have that luxury. Players miss clues, chase unexpected leads, ignore carefully crafted plot hooks, and sometimes decide that the villain’s plan sounds surprisingly reasonable. As a result, even the most carefully prepared … Read more
Some listener questions come in and just HAVE to be answered. This was the case with a question that came in from longtime friend of the show, Dr. DM himself, Jason. His son’s school D&D club was planning a seriously epic finale to multiple campaign tables in a stupendous one-shot. Everything was gong well until … Read more
Birthday games are 3WDs specialty… and it has now begun to grow. New DMs are joining in on the fun and running new, unique, and exciting games in all types of systems and taking on the challenge of one-upping the Wise DMs. In this episode, Tony, Chris, and Dave sit down with returning guests, Bonnie … Read more
Greetings, 3WD-verse! DM Chris here. In our most recent podcast, we discussed an interesting question that one of our favorite DMs, Matt Colville, posted in a video. Most of you know the 8 player types (if not, hold tight) that we can use to help identify a player’s style and tune the game accordingly, but … Read more
Recently, Matt Colville of the Running the Game YouTube series and author of the new Draw Steel TTRPG, discussed the concept of “DM Style.” With someone who has been involved in all things tabletop for over 40 years, you would think that he would believe in developing a DM Style. However, his hot take was … Read more
