D&D Initiative & The McDonald’s Problem
New initiative rules plus some theory about a counterintuitive way for speeding up your combat.
Shopping in D&D is Garbage, And How to Fix It
Don’t let shopping for gear be a chore. Make it part of the game with this Yahtzee inspired shopping minigame.
Humpty Dumpty Should Die: Fixing Falling Damage
The original rules for falling got changed (for the better) by an editing mistake, but I propose some rules that keep the simplicity while adding some of the realism that Gygax aimed for.
Posters, Posers and POSR(s)
A brief history of the OSR as an artistic movement and some thoughts on what comes after it.
How Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Proves Me Right
What can the latest entry in the Zelda games teach us about how to run tabletop RPGs?
Of Mysteries, Monsters and Mosquitillos
I reveal a new monster from the origins of the hobby. This monster languished while its siblings, like the Owlbear and Rust Monster, are being featured in major motion pictures. Life is unfair sometimes.
Barkeep on the Borderlands: Pub Previews
Previews of four pubs from Barkeep on the Borderlands!
Names on the Borderlands
A d100 list of fantasy names for humans, dwarves, elves, halflings, goblins, lizardfolk, orcs and more!
Lore! What Is It Good For?
RPGs shouldn’t blather about their lore. Hide your lore in something gameable like you’re hiding your pet’s medicine in a piece of cheese.
The Winners of the 2022 Bloggies
Announcing the winners of the first annual Bloggies, with some acceptance “speeches” from the top bloggers of 2022.
Bloggies 2022: Voting Begins
The inaugural Bloggie Awards, recognizing some of the great blog posts of 2022.
Here Be No Product Identity Monsters
File off the serial numbers, take what you want. Also, I talk about and rate some classic (some less so) monsters.
Hexcrawl Checklist: Part Two
The second part in a comprehensive guide for designing and running your own hexcrawl campaign, which focuses on random encounters, calendars, factions, history and rumors.
Hexcrawl Checklist: Part One
The first part in a comprehensive guide for designing and running your own hexcrawl campaign.
Doppelgänger Dos & Don’ts
Advice for bringing the fun of hidden role games to your doppelgänger encounters.
Shopping, Listing, Picking and Gambling
I evaluate the various methods of equipping starting characters based on the goals of player agency, speed and randomness.
Hey, You Got Commercialization In My Hobby (also ZineQuest 4)
Why commercialization doesn’t mean you aren’t a hobbyist, plus a look at this year’s Zine Quest offerings.
What Even Is a “Procedure”?
So a game has “procedures” but what does that mean? This post presents a basic definition for an aspect of TTRPGs that is garnering more and more critical attention.