Tips on Single-Player D&D

The new D&D Essentials Kits includes a simplified version of the sidekick rules with the idea that a DM could run a game for one player, and it will work out because they'll have a sidekick. I've been running the included adventure ("Dragon of Icespire Peak") for my son, and so here are my thoughts …

Di Rosalba Manor

The characters in "Gothic Brunch" recently visited the manor of the Di Rosalba family while tracking a necromancer in the city of Creedhall. Knowing they'd want to poke around a bit, I used Tramur’s Lakehouse by Dyson Logos as the map. My notes and additions follow. The home is owned by a brother and sister, …

Foreshadowing through treasure

When I want to set up a major villain or other danger, I like using treasure to signal some of their capabilities. "Khalni Gem" by Franz Vohwinkel Gems are popular treasure items - but they're also spell components. Players might initially think that you've given them these things because they can use them for their …

Progress clocks in Dungeons and Dragons

Dungeon Masters in D&D 5E don't necessarily have a lot of tools to manage factions, NPCs, and long-term dangers. The Dungeon Master's Guide provides lots of excellent advice on creating villainous NPCs, but I personally need more. I've used Fronts from "Dungeon World" pretty extensively as a way to organize various Dangers with their Grim …

Success in RPGs and Streaming

Illustration by Arthur Rackham What does "success" mean for you? Why do you create stuff for RPGs, or stream your game, or whatever you do? Growth "Success" looks different for different folks, in whatever area of life. We have varying purposes and principles as we go about whatever we're doing. In my case, playing RPGs …

Updates on upcoming streaming

I sat down this weekend and listed out the three games I currently have planned, then started thinking about what I want to do next. All of my current streams take place on the Variant Roles channel on Twitch, for what it's worth, and are archived on YouTube. "Jayemdae Tome" by Donato Giancola As I've …

Powered by the Analysis: 2d6+N

Many games based on (or "powered by") the Apocalypse engine use a core 2d6 mechanic: roll two six-sided dice and potentially add a modifier (usually between -1 to +3). If the result is 10 or higher, you succeed; if it's 6 or less, the GM ("MC" in many games) gets to make a hard move; …

D&D Player Wisdom

Not the stat - the received body of knowledge that everyone "knows". Whether or not they're actually correct, here are some bits of wisdom for new players. Don't split the party. Even when it seems harmless, just don't.Let the Bard do the talking.Keep an eye on the Rogue (and check your pockets).Take good notes. You …

Free Dungeon Starter: Caves of Hypnos

I learned an important lesson on Saturday night about open table games: consider carefully how much you want the world to change based on one session. In my ongoing Dungeon World community game, some players wanted to return to the Dreaming Wood. This location used a mix of two Lampblack & Brimstone Dungeon Starters: "The …