Perfect Party Size? In 5th edition, it’s five.
I’ve been ruminating recently on an issue I haven’t seen a lot of discussion about: How many players are too few or too many? For most groups, this issue is more a matter of...
Tagged: GM Advice
Getting Started as a DM
The file embedded below was originally created as a guide for members of our Facebook Group, Dungeons & Dragons Round Table. As such, all of its links — I’m afraid — route through Facebook....
Cryptochecks Meta-Check Knowledge -- and What to Do about It
The party has arrived at a massive stone arch, through which only darkness can be viewed. A single fire rune appears on the keystone of the arch. Hemlock (Rogue): Before we step through the...
Fracture Your God Clerical Variety through Orders, Sects, & Schisms
You can jazz up the diversity of clerics in your world without adding pages and pages of gods — if you allow for multiple (even conflicting!) belief systems about the deities you already have. Deities in fantasy RPGs are...
Ancillary Justice Adapting the award-winning novel to your gaming table
In 2014, a novel titled Ancillary Justice swept the field, bagging the Nebula, the Arthur C. Clarke, and the Hugo. I have seen little discussion of it among fantasy RPG players, however. I can think...
Practical Magic Magic Items and Spells More Utilitarian than Miraculous
I’ll admit it. I love magic items. I’m having a bit of trouble adapting to the 5th edition’s new lean and mean magic item ratio. I get the rationale for avoiding the item bloat...
And Now For Something Completely Different Incorporating Tournaments and Contests into the Campaign
For the campaign I’m running, I wanted to try something a little bit different from the combat-heavy adventures that had dominated the last few sessions. I knew that the party had to head back to...
The Myth of Meta-Gaming
With each new edition of a role-playing game, the hobby gains new players, and that’s a good thing. But each new crop breathes new life into old arguments. Since 5th edition, I’ve been seeing,...
The Sins of Game Mastering, Sin #7: Gluttony “Everything in moderation, including moderation.” -Oscar Wilde
Gluttony is a rather peculiar sin, as it is arguably the most specific and least complicated of the lot. In simplest terms, gluttony traditionally relates to the over-consumption of food and drink, but it...
Breakthroughs & Setbacks: How and Why We Should Bring Back Skill Challenges. Kind of.
Some skill checks answer simple, immediate, yes/no questions. Do I see that goblin hiding in the bushes? A 15 — why, yes, I do. A simple yes/no die roll is appropriate and satisfying for...
