I Can't Explain: Does Your D&D Adventure Need To Make Sense?

I Can't Explain: Does Your D&D Adventure Need To Make Sense?

June 21, 2026 · 45 min · Episode 190

About this episode

The episode discusses the importance of narrative coherence in D&D campaigns versus the enjoyment of players at the table.

Books, movies, and television shows benefit from one major advantage: the entire story is planned before the audience experiences it. D&D campaigns don't have that luxury. Players miss clues, chase unexpected leads, ignore carefully crafted plot hooks, and sometimes decide that the villain's plan sounds surprisingly reasonable. As a result, even the most carefully prepared campaign can become a tangled web of stories, side quests, and unanswered questions. In this episode, Tony, Chris, and Dave tackle a question that arose during Chris's ongoing Lord of the Rings campaign: How important is it for every plot thread, mystery, and adventure to fit together into a perfectly coherent story? Along the way, the Wise DMs explore the balance between narrative consistency and table enjoyment, discuss when loose ends are worth tying up, and ask a fundamental question: Is it more important for your campaign to make sense—or for everyone at the table to have fun? 1:37 Our congratulations to The New York Knicks and New York city! 3:22 DM Chris’ question regarding his Middle-Earth campaign . 4:48 Continuity is important. 5:58 DM with a Day Job’s YouTube video: Stop Connecting Everything…

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