XDM X-Treme Dungeon Mastery Audiobook By Tracy Hickman, Curtis Hickman, Sandra Tayler cover art

XDM X-Treme Dungeon Mastery

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XDM X-Treme Dungeon Mastery

By: Tracy Hickman, Curtis Hickman, Sandra Tayler
Narrated by: Mikael Naramore
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XDM: X-Treme Dungeon Mastery by Tracy and Curtis Hickman is oft hailed as "The Cure for the Common Game". This newly revised second edition now contains:

  • Tips for understanding and meeting the needs of your players
  • Techniques for addressing conflict at the game table
  • Diagrams for story structure, session flow, and adventure design
  • Enriching and amusing footnotes
  • DIY rituals for joining the secret society of XDMs
  • Instructions for the incorporation of practical effects, including lasers, holograms, and actual prestidigitation
  • The entire XD20 2e Roleplaying System, an RPG that lets you play in any setting you can imagine.
  • Twice as much content as the first edition, and over 240 new illustrations by Howard Tayler

Roleplaying games have come a long way since the 1970s. Possessed of this second edition of XDM: X-Treme Dungeon Mastery, you can become and x-treme dungeon master, and as an XDM you'll stand ready for the next 50 years of RPGs.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2009, 2022 Tracy Hickman, Curtis Hickman, Howard Tayler, Sandra Tayler (P)2022 Tayler Corporation Game

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Tracy Hickman, probably most well known as the one half of the dynamic duo (the other half being Margaret Weis) behind the central novels in the Dragonlance series, is also one of the earliest pioneers in table top roleplaying games. It apparently runs in the family as he and son Curtis take you on crash course amusement park ride of a book that is built around a single, central tenant: When you're the GM or DM, it's all about the players.

The Hickman clan's style of running a game is all about trimming away the fat and getting to the core of what makes gaming fun - fast, engaging play that's driven by an engaging narrative in a logically consistent world. The whole thing is written with tongue firmly planted in cheek and while the Hickmans take their fun very seriously, they never take themselves too seriously. The advice in this book is absolutely rock solid. I've worked professionally in the gaming industry for over a decade and been rolling dice for 35 years and found the advice in this book to range from a refresher of classic techniques and a few surprises I hadn't considered. While this book is absolutely worth the price of admission, it's not perfect. The advice and the minimalist XDM roleplaying game are gems that should be in every lifestyle gamer's bag of tricks, the Hickmans sometimes take their showmanship a bit too far. Incorporating a stage magician's tricks (such as sleight of hand, flash paper, and simple magic tricks) are certainly wonderful in principle,I have trouble thinking of more than a handful of GMs who have the time, inclination, and opportunity to use such tools at the table and this feels like wishful thinking on the part of the author. It's space that might better have been used discussing narrative technique, NPC or world design, or more of the other wonderful nuances of the hobby. I'm far less likely to use a coin on thin fishing wire trick at the gaming than I am to get use out of advice about what to do concerning things like interparty conflict or reconciling a campaign's plot when one or two players are unexpectedly absent.

In spite of all this, XDM is well worth the price of admission and whether you have yet to run your first RPG or you've been doing it for decades, this book should absolutely be in your library.

Experience and a Love of the Hobby

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As a friend of three out of four of the people involved in the creation of this book, I guess my review is a little biased. however, it was great to hear it done as an audiobook. as soon as I saw that it was available as an audiobook, I swooped it up. I am so grateful for what Tracy and crew are working on doing with role playing games in general to try and remind us that it is to be fun over bogged down by rules. even though I might not use the xd20 system, I will certainly be using bits and pieces of their suggestions to make my own game mastering better. I would highly recommend that everyone buy a copy of this book if they are serious about increasing their ability as a game master.

I did enjoy the narrator. I enjoyed that he worked at doing voices for characters. and I think that his overall performance was very good.

In the end, like I said before, I think everyone should have a copy of this book. maybe even if you're not a game master.

My friends have done it again

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Covers basics and advanced techniques of game mastering!(while you follow a group of characters) love the “show don’t tell method” of explaining! can’t wait to use with our group!

Must have

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the first 1/3 of the book was great, but the last 2/3rds are "The Hickman Simulator." Unless you're running games for in person audiences at a convention, this is not for you. Most presented "Xtreme" concepts are literal slight of hand parlor tricks or ambience setting. I made it through the entire book and I'm disappointed I did. Hard Pass.

Skip if you want value

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