Category: D&D at Work

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The Downside of Darkvision: It Takes the Fear Out of D&D

Darkness has always been a powerful storytelling tool, evoking mystery, fear, and uncertainty. It limits perception, raises tension, and forces players to make choices based on limited information. However, in Dungeons & Dragons, Darkvision—a trait possessed by many races—often removes that tension entirely, making darkness little more than a minor inconvenience. I believe that the prevalence of characters with Darkvision greatly diminishes the immersive horror and suspense that darkness is meant to bring to the game.

The Problem with Darkvision

Here are a few of the issues I have with Darkvision.

  1. Eliminates the Fear of the Unknown – In a game where exploration and mystery are key elements, darkness should be a real obstacle. When most of the party can see in the dark, the natural fear of the unknown is drastically reduced. Instead of inducing tension at the table, entering what should be a forbidding cavemouth becomes rather meaningless.
  2. Renders Torches and Light Spells Unnecessary – Traditionally, adventurers needed torches, lanterns, or spells like Light to navigate the depths of dungeons. But when the majority of the party has Darkvision, these become redundant, reducing strategic planning and logistical concerns. The decision to risk going deeper with a limited number of light resources is now completely gone.
  3. Breaks Immersion in Horror and Survival Themes – Darkness should be oppressive and unsettling, especially in horror or survival-focused campaigns. When creatures lurking in the dark can be seen as easily as those in daylight, that eerie sense of tension disappears. Think of the film Alien. You hardly ever see the monster, instead only suggestions of it. This keeps the sense of fear really high. Fully revealing the monster evaporates the fear.
  4. Unfair to Humans and Other Non-Darkvision Races – In most campaigns, humans and other races without Darkvision are at a clear disadvantage. This often leads to everyone choosing a Darkvision-capable race to avoid being the only one struggling in the dark.
Alien uses the dark to great effect. Use films like this for inspiration for your own games.

How to Restore the Fear of the Dark

If you want to bring back the eerie uncertainty of darkness in your D&D game, consider the following house rules and strategies.

  1. Make Darkness More Than Just Visibility – Even with Darkvision, creatures might have trouble distinguishing details, reading text, or perceiving color. Enforce these limitations more strictly to make darkness feel more oppressive.
  2. Introduce Supernatural Darkness – Spells like Darkness create magical darkness that Darkvision cannot penetrate. Incorporating such effects more often makes light sources necessary.
  3. Limit the Effectiveness of Darkvision – In my home games we house-rule that Darkvision only allows creatures to see in grayscale, with reduced clarity and range. This forces players to rely on additional light sources for full visibility.
  4. Use Monsters That Thrive in Darkness – Creatures like Shadow Demons or Underdark predators (e.g. shadows, darkmantles and ropers) may have advantages when attacking creatures relying on Darkvision alone. Using ambush tactics and stealthy enemies can make darkness truly threatening again.
  5. Encourage Light Sources for Roleplay and Strategy – Give players reasons to carry torches or lanterns. Maybe certain symbols or texts are only visible under torchlight, or enemies are repelled by bright flames. Reward creativity in using light as a tool, rather than letting Darkvision replace it entirely.

Final Thoughts on Darkvision

Darkness should be more than just a mild inconvenience—it should be a challenge that adds depth and immersion to your D&D game. Darkvision ruins this. By reintroducing the unknown, enforcing visibility limitations, and making darkness more than just a lack of light, you can bring back the tension and excitement of exploring the shadows. After all, what’s an adventure without a little fear of the dark?

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Launching the Promethium Wars: Designing a Narrative Kill Team Campaign

Those who have been reading this blog for a while will know that I love the idea of stories emerging from game play. While this is obvious in games like D&D, I’m also interested in trying to create similar emergent experiences with other game systems. I’m a member of a local wargaming club where we play games of Kill Team and 40K on a weekly basis. I think there’s something special about a wargaming campaign that tells a story. Not one written in advance, but one that emerges—slowly, chaotically, gloriously—from the dice rolls, the table banter, and the narrative fragments players build together. With that in mind I volunteered to run a narrative campaign for the group. As a result, Promethium Wars, a narrative Kill Team campaign, was born.

I wanted something simple enough to run with minimal admin, but rich enough to spark real engagement amongst the participants. Something where a quick game on a weeknight could feel like part of a bigger war. Games would no longer be transactional affairs, but rather threads forming a larger narrative. And with twelve players already signed up—divided evenly across the Imperial, Chaos, and Xenos factions—it’s clear the idea has struck a chord.

Design Principles

Narrative and Emergent Storytelling were at the core of the campaign design. I didn’t want to script the campaign’s twists and turns. Instead, each week’s outcomes will steer the story. Players can dive in as much (or as little) as they want—whether that means writing full-blown battle reports, communicating in character or just rolling dice and watching the story evolve.

To keep things light and playable for everyone, I leaned into the principle of Limited Admin. No complicated map-tracking or bookkeeping for the campaign manager (me) or the players. Just clear weekly themes, short prompts, and a shared space for storytelling. Every game counts, but you don’t need to log three hours on a spreadsheet for it to matter. The minimum admin for each participant is to log game results and send them to me. Of course, if the players get really into the game the Discord server should begin to grow with narrative reports and banter, but it is not a requirement.

Each faction has its own win condition, giving players a reason to show up and push their agenda forward. The Chaos and Imperial factions want control of Pyrothis V and must win the most number of games. The Xenos faction, who can fight for either side, wants to grind both enemies down to an ineffective stalemate, wins if the Chaos and Imperial sides are effectively tied (two points difference). Regardless of the game mission being played, there’s always a motive. The stakes are casual but meaningful—exactly the balance I was aiming for.

My Imperial Navy Breacher Team, ready to help rescue Pyrothis V.

Structure and Themes

The last principle was Short Campaign Length. I don’t want the campaign to fizzle out. Keeping it short ensures that the high energy at the start can be maintained. Short, sharp, explosive. I hope that this will keep the players coming back for more campaigns in the future.

Therefore, the campaign unfolds over four weeks, with a new theme each week to guide missions and inspire storytelling. These themes won’t constrain players—they’re meant to be narrative fuel. Players are encouraged to run games when and how they like, as long as it fits the week’s vibe. The four themes are:

  • Week 1: Infiltration and Sabotage
  • Week 2: Open Conflict
  • Week 3: Firestorms and Disaster
  • Week 4: Final Gambit

Once reports begin trickling in from the front lines, I’ll be putting together a short newsletter each week to highlight key developments, turning points, and of course, the faction scores.

For more detail on the background, win conditions and campaign set up, you can download the players pack below:

Kill Team Narrative Campaign_Promethium Wars_Player PackDownload

A Living, Breathing War

Perhaps the most exciting part of any narrative kill team campaign is the player energy. Already, folks are crafting characters, naming squads, and giving them relevant back stories. And while there’s no pressure to write stories, every player is invited to contribute. These tales—written, spoken, or just shared at the table—are what will give the campaign its true shape.

Ultimately, Promethium Wars is a story we’re writing together. And the pen happens to be shaped like a bolter.

Final Thoughts on Narrative Kill Team Campaign Design

The campaign is started mid April and will run to mid May. I’m aiming to learn from this experience to hone the opportunity for emergent narrative play and see what comes out. Depending on the actions of the players I’m considering running a multiplayer finale to cement the end of the campaign. But the fact that this is an emergent experience I guess I’ll have to wait and see how the whole thing pans out.

Once the campaign has finished, I’ll post the results along with any lessons learned from the experience.

To find out how the campaign went and to read the weekly journals check out my summary post here.

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Managing Up: Successfully Lead from Below in Business and D&D

Managing up, or managing your boss, is an essential skill at work. However, it’s also a concept that can also translate to your Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) games. Learning how to manage up—both with your boss and your Dungeon Master (DM)—can improve your professional performance, foster collaboration, and make the experiences at work and the gaming table smoother for everyone involved.

What Is Managing Up?

In a business sense, managing up refers to the proactive approach you take in working with your boss. It involves understanding their needs, expectations, and communication style to ensure that you’re meeting or exceeding their expectations while maintaining a strong working relationship. It’s not about manipulating your boss, but rather aligning yourself with their goals and needs to improve both your performance and the work environment.

Likewise, in D&D, managing up means working in sync with your DM. The DM, as the storyteller and guide of the game, has a particular vision for the campaign, but as a player, you also have your own ideas and character development to consider. It is all about supporting the DM’s vision while also contributing to the narrative in a meaningful way, ensuring the game remains engaging for everyone.

Managing Up with your Boss

  1. Understand Their Priorities
    The first step to managing up is understanding what your boss values most. Do they care about hitting deadlines, creating innovative solutions, or fostering teamwork? Once you know their priorities, you can tailor your approach and contributions to support those goals. Regular check-ins and open communication can help you stay aligned.
  2. Anticipate Needs
    Being able to anticipate your boss’s needs before they’re asked is a sign of a proactive employee. This could involve preparing reports ahead of time, addressing potential issues, or presenting solutions to problems that haven’t yet been flagged. Proactively offering value makes you a reliable asset and shows initiative.
  3. Communicate Clearly
    Transparency is key in any professional relationship. Keep your boss updated on your progress, flag any obstacles early, and don’t be afraid to ask for clarification or feedback. This clear communication fosters trust and shows that you’re invested in the work.
  4. Be a Problem Solver
    Instead of bringing problems to your boss, try to present solutions as well. This makes you a problem-solver and not just a passive recipient of instructions. Managers often appreciate employees who can think critically and come up with actionable ideas.
  5. Support Their Goals
    Understand the larger goals and objectives of your department or company and look for ways to support them. Your success is tied to the success of the organization, and when you show that you’re aligned with the bigger picture, your boss will notice.
The Game of Thornes is full of leaders and their advisers with plenty of examples of managing up well, and badly…

Managing Up with Your DM

When considering your DM managing up is all about building a cooperative relationship that enhances the fun of the game. DMs put a lot of effort into world-building, crafting storylines, and creating challenges for players. When you manage up in a D&D game, you’re supporting the DM’s narrative while also helping to shape the adventure with your character’s choices.

  1. Understand the Campaign’s Tone and Style
    Every DM runs their game differently. Some favor a gritty, serious atmosphere, while others might lean toward humor and lightheartedness. As a player take time to understand your DM’s style and tailor your actions and roleplaying accordingly. If the campaign is dark and dramatic, try not to disrupt the tone with out-of-place humor or actions that could undermine the immersion.
  2. Contribute to the Story
    D&D is a collaborative storytelling experience. A great way to manage up at the table is to engage with the world the DM creates. Ask questions, develop relationships with characters, and tie your character’s backstory into the ongoing narrative. When you actively contribute to the world, the DM will feel like they’re building a shared story with you.
  3. Respect Their Efforts and Boundaries
    Your DM will appreciate it if you respect the effort they put into crafting the adventure. Don’t push too hard to bend the story to your desires. Instead recognize that the DM has a vision for the game. Work within the boundaries they set while finding ways to enhance the experience.
  4. Be Flexible and Adaptable
    Sometimes, things don’t go as planned in a campaign. A well-prepared DM may have to improvise due to unexpected player decisions. Being flexible and going along with unexpected changes shows respect for the DM’s creative process and keeps the game flowing smoothly.
  5. Give Feedback (Constructively)
    If something is working particularly well in the game, let your DM know! Positive feedback can go a long way in maintaining enthusiasm and improving the quality of the campaign. On the other hand, if something isn’t working for you, express it constructively.

Building Relationships, Both at Work and at the Table

Managing up isn’t just about making sure your boss or DM likes you; it’s about creating a healthy, cooperative environment where you can all succeed. In business, it leads to better performance, more opportunities for growth, and a stronger team dynamic. In D&D, it enhances the narrative, fostering a more engaging experience for everyone. Thereby ensuring that you’re contributing meaningfully to the collaborative story.