#dnd tip for encounter design: let's talk combat encounters. I start envisioning the location after I know the goal of the encounter. Location limits monster choice and other factors. I create a rough map too, which helps later when creating details. Graph paper is your friend.

— Shawn Merwin (or a poor clone) (@shawnmerwin) February 12, 2019

I disagree a bit. The flavor of the battle is who you choose to participate in it. The location is the 3 part test. Does it favor the heroes, the villians, or neither. If the location favors them both its not the location for this battle. I don’t use location to restrict monster. If you are in a tightly constricted space, you might not want to choose 20 giant crocodiles. If you are in a desert, water creatures might not be the best choice. That's what I mean by location dictating monster choice. 😀

— Shawn Merwin (or a poor clone) (@shawnmerwin) February 12, 2019

I normally approach from the other side: plan the monsters involved, then the location. Is it the lair and the PCs the intruders? Are the monsters hunting? Is it an ambush, and who laid it? Are they meeting in accident? All that influences the location details.Perfectly reasonable! I proceed like I do because, often, I am designing for publication. When that's the case, maps are often "more important" than monsters, so I start there. It's a process, though, where we add factors that incrementally bring the design into clearer focus.

— Shawn Merwin (or a poor clone) (@shawnmerwin) February 12, 2019

#dnd tip for combat encounters: we've talked encounter goal, consequences, place in adventure, and location. Next I think monsters. How'll they work with previous considerations? What are their goals and tactics? What else might be in the area?

— Shawn Merwin (or a poor clone) (@shawnmerwin) February 13, 2019