Defend a Viking lake town against an undead siege! An adventure for Tales of the Valiant and Dungeons & Dragons.

A dice-driven RPG, in a human and heartfelt sci-fi world. You are an escaped android, with a malfunctioning body, a price on your head and no memory of your past. Get a ship, find a crew, and take on ...

“Game design (related) pet peeve: imho, homebrew is game design that individual GMs make for their groups and/or share online. Homebrew is awesome and how many professional designers get their start, and it's not necessarily lesser in game design quality. However, a product that's the work of a larger team, with editors and five-figure art budget and dozens of playtesters, is NOT homebrew.

In a recent session, I needed to determine when a pirate attack would strike Neverwinter. My players were busy preparing for the inevitable, and I wanted the attack to occur at the most narratively satisfying moment. Instead of planning it in advance, I tried something different: I used a D20 roll to guide the timing. Each time the players completed a significant scene or preparation beat, I rolled the die.

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The title of this blog is obviously a joke—my players (and likely yours) are great. It’s actually a reference to a quote from an Eldritch Lorecast episode in May that often comes to mind when I prep: "Your players are unappreciative heathens, and it makes no difference whether I have scribbled a map in the moment or if I've taken like a full two days to draw the most beautiful watercolored map in the world.

Factions play a vital role in my D&D game, and as DMs, it's essential to create ones that are memorable and engaging for players. To achieve this, I’ve started taking inspiration from the RPG Stars Without Number. In that game, when creating locations, you roll twice on a large D100 table of "tags" to generate a base description. With two rolls on a D100 table, you can create up to 10,000 unique combinations, ensuring every location feels distinct and intriguing.

As a Dungeon Master, my go-to tool is the monster book. I can wing just about everything else in a session—NPCs, plot twists, you name it—but when it comes to monsters, I need the stat blocks ready to go. Over the years, I’ve built up a solid collection of monster books. After digging through the good, the evil, and the ugly, I’ve put together a guide to help you find the best monster books for your DM toolbox in order of experience level.

Many players are disappointed or upset when their detailed backstories are not used in service of the game, and many DMs wish that player backstories were more table usable. I have found myself in this position as both player and DM, and after many different trials and experiments with my players I have found a solution that allows players creative freedom in their backstory while also giving DMs NPCs, locations, and other things to draw upon in their game.

As I hit my two-year mark as a Dungeon Master, I’ve been reflecting on what has made the biggest difference in how I run games. Out of all of the media and advice I consumed, it was playing non-5e TTRPGs that made me grow the most. Trying new systems pushed me out of my comfort zone and gave me tools and ideas not offered in a normal 5e experience.