Tag Archives: Essentials

Six Reasons Why Madness at Gardmore Abbey is the Best

Posted on December 20, 2012 by Author Marc Allie

As an old school D&D player and DM, I have many fond memories of classic adventures from the past. Ravenloft, Isle of Dread, and many others were among my favorites. As far as 4E adventures go, my favorite was Cairn … Continue reading →

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What to Do When Players Go the “Wrong” Direction

Posted on November 26, 2012 by Author Marc Allie

When I first began blogging here at The Learning DM, most of my posts were basically session reports. In these writings, I pointed out things I had learned from the evening’s activities. I’ve not done one of these for quite … Continue reading →

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An Alternate Finale for Cairn of the Winter King

Posted on August 22, 2011 by Author Marc Allie

Of all the premade adventures I have run so far in my 4E campaign, I think Cairn of the Winter King is my favorite.  As an old schooler returning to D&D after a long hiatus, the Winter King’s lair was … Continue reading →

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What I Learned from “Cairn of the Winter King”

Posted on April 28, 2011 by Author Marc Allie

As the players reached fourth level, the campaign really started coming together.  Now that I was feeling more confident and experienced, I was looking forward to creating my own adventures soon.  But first, the module from the Monster Vault, Cairn … Continue reading →

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What I Learned from “The Die Is Cast”

Posted on April 19, 2011 by Author Marc Allie

After the Battle of Albrdge, the group was ready to tackle the rest of “The Die Is Cast”, the second adventure included in the DM Kit.  I was looking forward to concluding the first truly “epic” (for third level anyway) … Continue reading →

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What I Learned from “The Iron Circle” Part II

Posted on April 6, 2011 by Author Marc Allie

At this point in my DMing career, I feel like I have a good grasp of the basics.  Though it is still complex and overly long for my tastes, combat no longer feels like a chaotic mess that I can’t … Continue reading →

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What I Learned From “The Iron Circle” Part I

Posted on April 4, 2011 by Author Marc Allie

After the Red Box adventure, plus a short session with some heavy roleplaying and a couple encounters under my belt, the players were now level 2 and ready for more D&D.  Having just purchased the DM’s Kit, and being impressed … Continue reading →

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What I Learned From “Kill The Messengers”

Posted on April 2, 2011 by Author Marc Allie

After running the Red Box adventure, I downloaded a short encounter that was set immediately afterwards.  “Kill the Messengers” was brief, but I wasn’t looking for a long adventure for time’s sake anyway, and one encounter, some roleplaying in the … Continue reading →

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What I Learned from The Red Box Adventure

Posted on March 30, 2011 by Author Marc Allie

As was, I am sure, the intent, the cover alone sold me on the new D&D Starter Set.  It was just the thing for a long-relapsed DM like myself, who was nostalgic for the game I loved so much growing … Continue reading →

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