If nobody in the game world wants anything, why even play? Player characters usually have some sort of motivation, whether that's "save the blacksmith's daughter" or "get treasure" or "seal away the ancient horrible evil before it can be unleashed upon the world". NPCs and monsters need to want things, too. What are the owlbear's … Continue reading NPCs with motivation and agency
Lately, I've been thinking about whether I should start publishing more stuff beyond my musings here and my game sessions. I wouldn't do this for the income stream ("monetize your hobby and make it a job" doesn't appeal to me) but rather for the fun of seeing other people use what I've made and hopefully … Continue reading Create the content you want to see in the world
What low-level monsters are both interesting and not problematic? The pendulum swing between tiers of play means that we occasionally want to focus on those early levels, as Matt Colville has talked about. And in D&D, that usually means undead, orcs, goblins, and kobolds. I won't worry about undead too much here; the major problem … Continue reading Thinking about low-level monsters
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 … Continue reading Success in RPGs and 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 … Continue reading Updates on upcoming streaming
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 … Continue reading D&D Player Wisdom
I've been thinking a lot about colonialism in D&D. How can we maintain the feel of exploration and treasure hunting without turning it into "taking stuff from 'evil races' because we are superior"? NB: This is an area where I have little to no expertise, so please understand that this only reflects my own growth … Continue reading De-colonizing D&D
