TABLE TOP ROLE-PLAYING GAMES FROM BEGINNERS TO ADVANCED

WANT TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT D&D OR OTHER ROLE-PLAYING GAMES? THE DRAGON'S FLAGON CAN HELP

If you want to find out about how to use Roll20 to play Dungeons & Dragons or hot to get involved with one of The Dragon’s Flagon Fantasy Grounds Games, then get in touch. We present games that use API scripts, custom music and dynamic lighting. I can also provide literature to help with character development and have books for sale on Dungeon Masters Guild and Drive Thru RPG

FAQ - MY DM SERVICES


I have been playing and Dungeon Mastering campaigns for 25 years, so I have a lot of experience, and have learnt what does and doesn’t work. I love storytelling and improvisation, and have a real passion for playing Dungeons and Dragons.

I will always be on time for our sessions.
If there are any reasons games need to be rescheduled, I will let you know as soon as possible.
All sessions are prepared in advance.
All players are treated equally.
I will be fair and honest in sessions.
I will ensure all players get the chance to shine and have fun.
I welcome player feedback.
I always aim to create challenging and entertaining experiences.
Sessions are designed to suit the needs of players old and new, experienced and novice.
I am committed to ensuring gaming sessions can be fun and safe.
I will be understanding if you ever need to miss a session.
I will stay engaged with the story and other players throughout.
I will cooperate with the DM and as the DM.
I will not be rude or disruptive. Any major issues will be resolved after the session to avoid disruption.
Characters I create will have a need to adventure and fit the narrative.
For online sessions, I will use quality equipment to ensure a stable connection with players.
Most importantly, I aim to be fun and create a world for all to enjoy!

Dungeons & Dragons is best when players cooperate with each other, and are relaxed and comfortable while playing. I have a few expectations of players in my games to help ensure this.

Simply visit the contact page, and send me a message saying which of the open games you would like to apply for, or if you would like to book me for a new game or other service.

This is not a problem at all! You can learn during the game, or book a special learn Dungeons & Dragons session to get a head start. By hiring an experienced Dungeon Master like myself, you take the worry out of learning, and can see if the game is for you without investing in all the books needed to run your own adventure. For face to face games, I provide all the equipment needed, such as character sheets and miniatures. I’ll even give you a set of dice to keep! Over the years I have been running campaigns, I have taught many people to play Dungeons and Dragons, and many are still playing with me now.

Hiring a professional dungeon master avoids many of the common pitfalls of finding a good Dungeons & Dragons game, and has many additional benefits too.

  • Your DM won’t quit. You won’t need to worry about unfinished campaigns if you hire me. As a paid DM, I will not miss sessions, and I will not leave an adventure part way through. This is my full time job, and I take it seriously.
  • Committed players. It is my experience that players who invest financially in a game are committed to the game. You won’t suffer from a revolving cast of players as people drop in and out of games. The people who pay for a quality game love Dungeons & Dragons, and will want to play the best game possible, and see the campaign through from start to finish.
  • Get into a great game. There are many more players than DMs, so it can be difficult to find a game. Often, when you do find a game, it only lasts for a few sessions due to players or the DM dropping out, or scheduling conflicts leading to long delays between game sessions
  • A good DM, with a positive attitude and a love for storytelling. The experience of DMs varies greatly, as does their style and fairness. I am a very experienced DM, I don’t use weird or punishing house rules, or treat players differently. I want everyone to have a great time, I want all my players to have their time to shine, and I apply the rules fairly. If my players do something unexpected, I love to improvise and see how it turns out. With me, you won’t get a DM who railroads and can only deal with situations laid out in the adventure book.
  • Quality preparation. I always prepare thoroughly for a session, spending time thinking up fun encounters, making maps, weaving your characters goals and backstory in to the adventure, and selecting music for each scenario. If you hire me, I will be available outside of game sessions to answer any questions you have, and to discuss on-going character development.
  • Physical props and maps. For face-to-face games, I will bring everything needed, from maps and models for combat, to props and handouts to enhance the experience. New players will even be given a set of dice to keep.
  • High-quality online campaigns. Whether we play on Fantasy Grounds or on Roll20, I use the official modules that contain lots of art and maps. To these I add my own content. To make the games even more immersive, I add music and sound effects during the game session too.
  • Pro features. Whether we’re playing using Roll20 or Fantasy Grounds, I use scripts and extensions to enhance the game play, ensuring it flows smoothly, easily and as much is automated as possible. Pro features also include dynamic lighting and no adverts on Roll20, and shared source books.
  • Syrinscape. Music, atmospheric ambience and sound effects are provided by Syrinscape, the same software used by Matt Mercer on Critical Role.
  • Community. Join my Discord server and meet others who play in my games, and talk about all things Dungeons and Dragons! Each game has its own private channel too, where you can plan and plot with the other players in your party.

FAQ - ONLINE GAMES

Roll20 and Fantasy Grounds are virtual table tops used to play roleplaying games such as Dungeons & Dragons. They provide digital maps and handouts, a way to roll dice online, a way for players to communicate, write notes, track treasure, see items and treasure found in game, and help to automate many aspects of the game that new players can find intimidating.

I use the latest version of Fantasy Grounds, called Fantasy Grounds Unity, which I believe offers the best experience for players. It is a free program, and offers a great deal of flexibility in playing the game. To this, I add various extensions to further improve and automate the game for players, giving you a seamless experience. Roll20 is a browser-based online system that offers similar functionality to Fantasy Grounds, and is a good choice for players who do not want to install Fantasy Grounds. It doesn’t have as much functionality as Fantasy Grounds, but I use custom scripts to automate as much as possible. Both Roll20 and Fantasy Grounds are excellent choices for a virtual table top.

In addition to my computer and microphone, I use

  • D&D Beyond. Players in my games will have access to all unlocked content, including the players handbook, and source books for new classes, races, spells and items.
  • Syrinscape. This allows me to play atmospheric music and sound effects during the game.
  • Fantasy Grounds Unity Ultimate. This is my favourite virtual tabletop program. As I have a subscription for the Ultimate edition, players using the free version can join my games. I also use many extensions and additional modules to make the experience better for players.
  • Roll20 with Pro subscription. This is a browser based virtual tabletop. By having a pro subscription, I am able to provide players with advanced features such as dynamic lighting, scripts to automate play, and an advert free experience.
  • Map Making Tools. I use a variety of tools to make maps for the game, from Photoshop to more specific map software such as Wonderdraft, Campaign Cartographer and Dungeondraft.

Very little is needed for online play. You will need

  • A decent microphone.
  • A stable internet connection.
  • Discord. A free program used for voice communications during the game, and for chatting to other players outside of gaming sessions.
  • Syrinscape Online Player. A free program used to play music and sound effects during games.
  • If playing on Fantasy Grounds, you will also need the free demo version of Fantasy Grounds Unity.

FAQ - FACE-TO-FACE GAMES

I use printed maps and a dry-erase battle map, along with some 3D scenery. For creatures and player characters, I use both painted and paper miniatures. To provide an immersive experience, games are accompanied by a soundtrack of battle music, ambient atmospherics, and sound effects.

For the safety of all concerned, particularly for new groups where the players haven’t met before, games are played in one of Nottingham’s board game cafes, or in the private room of a pub or bar.

Just yourself, a pen and some dice! If you are a new player, I will give you a set of dice to keep in your first game. I will provide any other equipment needed, such as character sheets and miniatures to represent your characters. Of course, if you have a miniature you would prefer to use for your character, you are welcome to bring it. We play on a 1-inch square grid, so most 25-28mm models will be the appropriate size.

FAQ - REFUNDS AND ADDITIONAL SERVICES

It is understood that people may not be able to make it to all sessions for a number of reasons. Refunds are not available for missing single sessions, as that has already been factored into the price. However, I am happy to issue refunds in the following cases:

  • If the I am notified of absence over multiple weeks (such as vacation, illness, etc.)
  • Due to technical issues which cause the session to be cancelled
  • If I need to cancel sessions due to other reasons and unforeseen circumstances (e.g. venue closure)
  • If holidays would result in more than 1 missed session per month
  • For other agreed reasons (I fully understand that life brings many changes such as financial hardship, family matters and other issues; feel free to speak to me to discuss individual situations)

I reserve the right to accept, deny and remove players from sessions, as well as cancelling campaigns at any time; in these cases, outstanding balances will be refunded to everyone affected. The main exception to refund entitlement is when players have been removed from parties due to their behaviour (e.g. bullying, harassment, racism, sexism, aggression).

While I usually run published Dungeons & Dragons campaigns, I am happy to work with you to create a custom campaign.

I offer introductory sessions to teach you how to play. If you’re interested in learning how to be a Dungeon Master, or are looking to improve your Dungeon Master skills, I offer one to one sessions to help you. If you need help coming up with an adventure or campaign to run yourself, I can write a one shot for you, or help you come up with a world and over-arching story for a full campaign. I am also a commission miniature painter, and have painted character models for players in my campaigns. If you’re interested in any of these, please contact me.

I do! I have helped people learn how to be a Dungeon Master and to improve their skills, as well as providing support during their first sessions as DM. Many existing Dungeon Masters are hesitant about starting to run campaigns online, and I can teach you how to use systems such as Roll20 and Fantasy Grounds to their best. Contact me, and we can discuss your needs and arrange a one-to-one session.

I do. From birthday parties to corporate events, I can provide an engaging experience custom tailored to your needs.

Usually I don’t stream my games, but if that is something your group is interested in, I can certainly accommodate

ABOUT MY GAMING SESSIONS

I have a few house rules and guides I like to use, along with set character creation rules. I find this helps to ensure a fair game for all players, regardless of their experience with Dungeons & Dragons. I’m always willing to tailor games to the needs of the group, especially after we have been playing together for a while.

  • Have fun!
  • We will play using standard 5th Edition rules without changes, unless those changes are agreed at session 0.
  • No player vs player attacks. While characters can have disagreements, these should not lead to physical (or magical) attacks. To keep things fun and light hearted for everyone, characters should not seek to harm other characters in the party, be that physically, by stealing from them, deliberately trying to ruin plans. In short: don’t play like an idiot!
  • This game should be fun for everyone. There will be no bullying, racism, homophobia, sexism, or other intolerant behaviour. I have a zero-tolerance policy of this kind of behaviour, and players acting in this way will be removed from the game. No refund will be given, and you will not be welcome in future games.

I will help with character creation. Typically we will talk about the kind of character you are looking to make, and then either create a character together, or you can make it yourself if you prefer. To help ensure all player characters start at the same power level, I use these rules for character creation: All characters start at the same level, usually level 1 unless the campaign or one-shot we’re playing needs higher level characters Ability scores use 27 Point Buy or the Standard Array of 15, 14, 13, 12, 10, 8. Details of the Point Buy system are listed in the Player’s Handbook, or I can help you. Any alignment of character is allowed, as long as that character is a team player. I encourage characters that can cooperate and work together for shared goals, and who have a willingness to adventure as part of a group, even if their motivations are less than honourable. To offer an immersive world and a unique experience, it helps to have a bit of a backstory for your character, and some goals for them in game. I can use these to make your character truly a part of the world, and tailor parts of the story to your character. We can work on your backstory together to ensure it fits with the world.

There is a lot of source material available for 5th Edition Dungeons & Dragons, from officially published Wizards of the Coast books, to books from other publishes, to home brew created by players, and not all of it is created equally. I aim to provide a fun, balanced game, so I like to limit sources to well-tested and balanced ones. Currently these are:

  • Player’s Handbook
  • Volo’s Guide to Monsters
  • Xanathar’s Guide to Everything
  • Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes
  • The Tortle Package
  • Guildmaster’s Guide to Ravnica – races only
  • Eberron Rising from the Last War – races only
  • Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything
  • Mythic Odysseys of Theros – races only
  • One Grung Above
  • Officially published Adventures
  • Unearthed Arcana (run past me first)
I am able to offer a number of game options for groups and individuals, including:
  • All official Dungeons & Dragons campaigns. From Curse of Strahd Tales from the Yawning Portal, you can enjoy a session created from any of the current official campaign books.
  • Call From The Deep. Do you prefer a session with an other-worldly invlience? Call From The Deep combines swashbuckling, Lovecraftian horror and complex mysteries with the classic D&D formula.

Are you looking for a Dungeon Master to take your Dungeons & Dragons game to the next level or a DM that can guide you on how to get started?
Contact The Dragon’s Flagon today by filling in the form below:

Dungeon Master | The Dragon's Flagon | Nottingham

CONTACT THE DRAGON'S FLAGON