CommentI know this has probably been asked and answered before but do you have any advice for anyone looking into starting to try and write and publish adventures and campaigns?Educate yourself. Study the works of others, and learn from your own mistakes. Find ways to overcome your deficiencies, and be honest about your limitations. Writing is a skill that gets better with practice, so write. A venue such as the DMs Guild is a safe, easy way to share content with others, but before you commit a lot of time and resources, try to gain an understanding of what other people might want. You can write for yourself, but you publish for others. from discussion AMA with Chris Perkins (Today at 10:30 AM PST).

Howdy Chris. Thanks so much for your work on Curse of Strahd. As a longtime DM of Ravenloft campaigns I was ecstatic to see it’s the next WotC release. I have a few questions regarding CoS and understand if you can’t answer them.
1) Are there new rules for Powers Checks in the book?
2) Is there an updated map of the whole Barovia domain (including other towns like Vallaki and Teufeldorf)?
3) What is your favorite 2e Ravenloft module?
There are new rules in Curse of Strahd, specific to adventuring in the land of Barovia. For example, there’s a rule for “resurrection madness.” No “power checks” specifically, but CoS has something comparable in one of its chapters.
Yes. Vallaki is there. Teufeldorf is not.
The Created, by Bruce Nesmith.Comment from discussion AMA with Chris Perkins (Today at 10:30 AM PST).

Comment Hi Chris,
I originally got into D&D years ago after listening to the podcasts of you DMing for the Penny Arcade guys, Wil Wheaton and Scott Kurtz. Been completely hooked ever since and I wanted to say thanks for giving me the inspiration to DM my own games! I will be starting Curse of Strahd with my players as soon as it comes out we are really excited about it.
My question is what is your favorite twist/surprise that you have ever pulled on a group of PCs throughout a long campaign that really had them shocked?Wow, good question. Hmmmm … I once had a villain catch the party by surprise on a balcony. The characters were badly beat up, and their defeat seemed likely. The villain won initiative and, on its turn, delivered a brief monologue that was interrupted when part of the balcony collapsed. The villain fell to its death, allowing the party to escape. My players were quite surprised.from discussion AMA with Chris Perkins (Today at 10:30 AM PST).

Comment from discussion AMA with Chris Perkins (Today at 10:30 AM PST).

Comment from discussion I’m lawful good.
I can’t think of any rule I’d change. If I do, I’ll let you know.
Okay, here’s one. It’s more of a rules revision than a change, but I would fold the Intimidation skill into the Persuasion skill.AMA with Chris Perkins (Today at 10:30 AM PST).

CommentAs a DM, your players will do things you never expected. They will miss a hook entirely, or make a suspect out of a background fluff NPC and obsess over them. Even in a sandbox, they will force you to improvize wildly at times. Sometimes, your prep will have been insufficient to survive contact with the PCs.
When your players are pulling at the wrong thread (or just one you didn’t prepare for), how do you reward and steer them in a good direction, or improvise a secondary hook back into the original goal?I drop little “crumbs” in the direction I want them to go. These crumbs are intended to tantalize them. The nature of these crumbs depends on the players involved and what sort of bait I think is most likely to attract them. If they don’t take the bait, oh well. I try to be patient, and what for another chance to lure them “my way.” from discussion AMA with Chris Perkins (Today at 10:30 AM PST).

Hi Chris! I’m a big fan of your DMing style. Other than practice, what is your biggest tip for session preparation and improvisational DMing?Relaxation and deep breaths. I refresh my memory on what happened in the previous session and write a short recap that I can recite to the players. It helps me get “on the right page” and in the right frame of mind.Comment from discussion AMA with Chris Perkins (Today at 10:30 AM PST).

Two questions:
What is your favorite moment from any game you’ve been involved in?
You’re well known as a DM. Do often get to play a character, and if so, what was your favorite?
My favorite moments are when the players, through their own decisions and actions, make life 100 times more difficult for themselves. I like watching them dig holes and try to climb out of them. My favorite characters tend to be ranged combatants (wizards and rangers). I like playing things I’m not … so, humans mostly.Comment from discussion AMA with Chris Perkins (Today at 10:30 AM PST).

Comment from discussion We see a lot of posts and questions on /r/DnD about how to keep combat interesting for mechanically simple characters like Champion Fighters who don’t have a lot of cool active abilities, but have a really solid stat block. How can we help players enjoy these characters more?AMA with Chris Perkins (Today at 10:30 AM PST)Some character options are intentionally simpler than others. However, the DM’s Guild is a great place to share content that expands on material presented in the 5E core rulebooks..