That’s one of the key parts of good storytelling. When you can surprise those players, it feels like a win. This is really good for players who meta-game (using information their character wouldn’t know), breaking the mood. Tales From the Yawning Portal introduces dozens unique items, monsters, and NPCs which allows the DM to slip some tricks up their sleeve. When your players know what every monster, magic item, and trap is made of, it’s hard to challenge them with something new and bewildering. Many DMs, including myself, are faced with the challenge of their players having all the resources. We want to challenge (and surprise!) our players.

Add in the quirks of your world as you go-and it will be easier to bring your world to life, because the dungeons are already set up for you to start.ģ. Using the book gives your world a story to start with. Okay, I just made that last one up for effect, but my point remains. Tales From the Yawning Portal includes seven full adventures which can be set in any world-even the Plane of Bizorxiccs, Land of Cotton Candy. The challenge is in balancing the world with fun for your players. We don’t put hours into our world for nothing-we want to bring that world to life. Many new DMs want to put their extraordinary worlds on display. DMs shouldn’t have to reinvent the world to have a great game. Tales From the Yawning Portal starts at ground zero and helps you tell your story from the beginning.Ģ. The seeds of an infinite number of worlds are at your hands, but there’s no sapling. The Player’s Handbook, Dungeon Master’s Guide, and Monster Manual are full-up on theory, but lack story. New DMs start with very little story guidance. Durnan is the proprietor of The Yawning Portal. There are 10 reasons the newly-released Tales From the Yawning Portal is perfect for new DMs who wish to avoid some of the classic mistakes that sometimes destroy their first campaign. But it doesn’t have to be that way, does it? Now that I’m on the “parent” side, I prefer to give new DMs somewhere to start, a nudge in the right direction. My first campaign ended in literal tears with an accidental total party death, because I focused on all the wrong things. For most of us, it’s a matter of fumbling our way through things and making a lot of mistakes.

Tales from the yawning portal art