We’re only human and sometimes we make mistakes. DMs might muddle up initiative order or something just as easy but more serious like forget to act as a helpful NPC or confuse the effects of aggressive magic. It happens. As a rule players are generally good at coping when the DM fesses up to a […]
25 strange weather effects for your fantasy RPG
As a GM you might be populating a world full of magic, gods might battle in the skies and demons stalk the night. Despite all this magic, despite the strange elements and powers… the weather remains pretty much boring. In fact, it rarely rains and only when you remember! This post contains a bucket of […]
35 ideas for a non-musical bard
Bards are an important character class. They can make the difference between party success and party failure… but do they need to have some skinny character prancing around with a lute? No, they don’t. Here’s some ideas for a non-musical bard! Orators Your bard could be a storyteller, diplomat, motivational speaker, poet, philosopher, puppeteer, political […]
22 ideas for a spellbook that isn’t a book
Many tabletop RPGs have a spellbook as a necessary in-game item for wizards and spellcasters. The spellbook is generally used as a mechanical means to both limit and explain the spells the character has access to. However, some GMs might allow characters to use an item that has the same mechanical effect while giving off […]
How do you handle players who don’t act within their alignment?
Many games have alignments as mechanics or character sheet attributes. The alignment of the character should determine how they act and might impact the game in what abilities they have access to. It might also be important in systems with ‘detect evil’ and similar spells. What’s a DM to do if a character acts outside […]
47 gamers answer, “What are some humorous, yet wise, words of advice your characters would say to a new party of adventurers?”
Over in the Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition Facebook Group Carol Cox asked this killer question. Here are some of the highlights! Every Chest is both a mimic and not a mimic… until you open it. If you find a deck of cards, throw it in the nearest volcano. Stab everything. Stab a table. Stab […]
24 trap ideas for low fantasy dungeons and adventures
Dungeons filled with monsters, illusionary bridges or Mimics pretending to be cobblestones are all well and good in a high fantasy dungeon where there is plenty of magic. The challenge of trapping a dungeon in a low fantasy realm is a bit harder. There’s only so much you can do with hiding bear traps in […]
18 reasons Drow might leave the Underdark
This feels like a common problem for gamers and DMs to solve; why would the Drow be outside? Dark elves are a fun race to include as an enemy or as a quirky character (if you can avoid the cliches) but why would they be above ground for any length of time? Here’s some quick […]
A game designer’s perspective: Storytelling from computers to RPGs
Based on data from the US statista homepage the sales figures for computer and videogames in 2015 was staggering 16.5 billion US dollars, whereas a similar sales figure for tabletop RPGs in 2015, according to ICv2 correspondence letter #90, was a solid 35 million US dollars. From sales figures alone, the computer game industry is […]
The cost of light
As a GM do you go too easy or too hard on your players when it comes to light? Some games masters often have their caverns and dungeons filled with luminescent fungi or crystals so the characters can continue with an impromptu adventure without being thwarted by a lack of torch light. In other games […]
