Challenge Rated: An Encounter-Building Website

Happy November! Got some quick updates - both about the workshops and about a new in-progress release.

First: after talking through the topic on the Patreon Discord, I've decided to shift the focus of the monthly workshops from "ad-hoc nominated topics" to "structured formal theoretical game/narrative design curriculum." It'll take me some time to get this curriculum together, as well as my lesson plans and drafted materials, so we'll be taking a month off from the Discord workshops this month.

Here's a preview of a (very very) rough draft of how the curriculum might be structured:

PART I: FOUNDATIONAL PRINCIPLES

CHAPTER 1: RESONANCE. Why we play D&D and how to make players care.

CHAPTER 2: PLAYER PSYCHOLOGY. Understanding why players do what they do.

CHAPTER 3: PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN. Player-focused & character-centric design.

CHAPTER 4: DRAMATIC QUESTIONS. Creating dramatic tension.

PART II: PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN

CHAPTER 5: ARCS & THEMES. Understanding the "why" behind the story.

CHAPTER 6: WORLD DESIGN. Weaving themes and core dramatic questions into the campaign.

CHAPTER 7: NARRATIVE STRUCTURE. The narrative structure and sub-parts of a campaign.

CHAPTER 8: SEEDS & SPROUTS. The role of foreshadowing and narrative scaffolding.

CHAPTER 9: NPC DESIGN. Understanding how to create engaging NPCs.

CHAPTER 10: NARRATIVE DESIGN. Using NPCs to craft narratives.

CHAPTER 11: LOCATION DESIGN. Using NPCs and dramatic questions to craft locations.

PART III: PRINCIPLES OF DEVELOPMENT

CHAPTER 12: AGENCY & FAILURE. Balancing player freedom and narrative structure.

CHAPTER 13: USING EXPOSITION. How to convey information through exposition.

CHAPTER 14: GAMEPLAY CHALLENGES. The six types of gameplay challenges.

CHAPTER 15: COMBAT MATHEMATICS. Understanding how D&D combat works.

CHAPTER 16: CREATING COMBATS. Understanding how to create engaging combats.

CHAPTER 17: CREATING MONSTERS. Understanding how to create engaging combatants.

CHAPTER 18: CREATING PUZZLES. Understanding how to create engaging puzzles.

PART IV: RUNNING THE TABLE

CHAPTER 19: THE DUNGEON MASTER'S ROLE. Your relationship with your players and the game.

CHAPTER 20: UNDERSTANDING YOUR GOALS. Maximizing your own enjoyment.

CHAPTER 21: UNDERSTANDING YOUR PLAYERS. The different types of players, and how to please them.

CHAPTER 22: SETTING EXPECTATIONS. How to run, use, and revisit Session Zero.

CHAPTER 23: TABLE MANAGEMENT. How to manage and mediate for your table.

PART V: RUNNING THE GAME

CHAPTER 24: RUNNING A SCENE. How to run a scene.

CHAPTER 25: DESCRIPTION. How to bring the world to life.

CHAPTER 26: ROLEPLAY. How to bring your NPCs to life.

CHAPTER 27: ADJUDICATION. How to adjudicate and react to player actions.

CHAPTER 28: NARRATION. How to narrate actions and events.

CHAPTER 29: PACING. How to pace and transition your scenes and sessions.

CHAPTER 30: IMPROVISATION. Adapting to unexpected circumstances.

PART VI: RUNNING THE CAMPAIGN

CHAPTER 31: PLANNING A SESSION. How to know what to prepare and how.

CHAPTER 32: TRACKING YOUR CAMPAIGN. How to stay organized and accountable.

CHAPTER 33: USING & SOLICITING FEEDBACK. How to use constructive criticism.

CHAPTER 34: NUTS & BOLTS. How to curate your play area.

Second: in lieu of this month's workshop, I'm excited to share a new encounter-building website: Challenge Rated! Built by the incredible @Dannyrb on the Patreon Discord, it's a fully functional webtool that implements the Challenge Ratings 2.0 algorithm to allow DMs to easily and quickly calculate approximately how many hit points their PCs will lose in a given encounter.

Here's a preview of the (beta) site in action:

We're not ready for a full public release yet, but hopefully you'll find it useful as you're working to prepare and balance your sessions! Feel free to leave comments with your thoughts, requests, and feedback on the site; any comments are welcome.

Thanks as always for your support, and enjoy the site!

Cheers,
Dragna