Running the Sandbox: Finding the Quest
Intro So here I am now writing the 3rd piece in what was supposed to be a one-off explanation of a useful game concept. I guess I have more to say about this than I originally thought. Once again we must go back to the first piece in this series wherein I discuss the shift … Continue reading Running the Sandbox: Finding the Quest
Revisiting the Clockwork Setpiece: Roguelikes
Intro So a little under a year ago I posted This Piece that discussed something called the ‘Clockwork Setpiece’. This is a convenient catch-all terms used to describe things like time loops and other resetting challenges. I’m incredibly proud of that piece. I would say it’s one of my best. I’ve recently re-explored the concept … Continue reading Revisiting the Clockwork Setpiece: Roguelikes
So You Want To Run A Bank
Intro Alright, it’s time for the last piece in this series. Or at least the last piece for the time being. As always I might revisit this if I find there’s more to say. So far we’ve broken down how currency was actually used in medieval societies and used that as a framework to more … Continue reading So You Want To Run A Bank
Managing Multiple Currencies
Intro It’s time to tackle this tricky topic I first talked about over in This Piece. If you haven’t read that one then it’s not the end of the world, but it is highly related. If you’re reading this piece because you want a better understanding of medieval economics then you’ll find that piece helpful … Continue reading Managing Multiple Currencies
You’re (Probably) Using Currency Wrong
Intro So this has been loosely on my mind for a while. In the endless strive to have my games feel more immersive I’ve started running up against a few problems when it comes to money. You may well have come up against these problems yourself. The PHB’s price lists relative to villager wages are … Continue reading You’re (Probably) Using Currency Wrong
Design Insights: Defining Success
Intro We’re continuing the Design Insights series with a bit of a different topic. It’s one that’s probably more fundamental than the ones we’ve covered off so far, but I wanted to get the other ones out first to set the tone of the series. Anyway, the whole point of this series is to help … Continue reading Design Insights: Defining Success
Design Insights: Power Budget
Intro We’re continuing to unpack various design concepts to make ourselves better at homebrewing and creating 3rd-party content for D&D 5e. In the last piece I mentioned Power Budgets, so this piece is going to focus on that concept. Before I dive in, this is going to be almost exclusively relevant for designing classes and … Continue reading Design Insights: Power Budget
Running the Sandbox: Overarching Narratives
Intro Well I wasn’t necessarily intending on following up my piece on Reactive vs. Proactive questing in the context of a sandbox campaign, but there was something contained in that piece that I think could stand to be elaborated on. I discuss in that piece how in a sandbox things will tend to start off … Continue reading Running the Sandbox: Overarching Narratives
Design Insights: Static Bonuses
Go into any homebrew community and post a non-item brew that gives a +1 bonus to something (like a subclass ability that gives a +1 to saving throws). You will get eaten alive. Why is this?
Running the Sandbox: Reactive vs Proactive Questing
Intro I’ve been thinking about this for a while, and for a good span of time I felt there was a concept missing from the subject I was trying to tackle. Earlier today (at time of writing) MCDM discussed something fundamental about how rewards drive player motivation and suddenly the final piece of this write-up … Continue reading Running the Sandbox: Reactive vs Proactive Questing
Memory and Longevity: Anomalies NOW LIVE ON PATREON!
Big Loud Link, Click Here to Read I’ve been promising since the founding of this blog that there would be Patreon-exclusive pieces, and I’m aware some of you then went and backed me on Patreon in anticipation of this content. Well I’m pleased to announce that the first of these pieces is now available! The … Continue reading Memory and Longevity: Anomalies NOW LIVE ON PATREON!
The Three Layers of Storytelling
IntroToday I want to talk about what I would say is one of your most powerful tools as a DM. In order to do that, I need to lay out what I call the Three Layers of Storytelling. I’ll be discussing what these layers are, how they combine to make a cohesive narrative, and how … Continue reading The Three Layers of Storytelling
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