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 in … Continue reading Revisiting the Clockwork Setpiece: Roguelikes
Tag: Resources
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
Ready-To-Use Backgrounds
I have a pretty simple post for today. This is a bunch of backgrounds that I've developed for my campaigns. You may find them useful for your own games, flavour permitting. They're relatively setting-agnostic, but some may not be suitable for certain settings (such as Apprentice Golem Smith). The backgrounds are, in alphabetical order: - … Continue reading Ready-To-Use Backgrounds
Puzzles, Time Loops and the Clockwork Setpiece
You pull yourselves up the rigging and over the ship’s handrail. The mist hangs low over the deck. You think you can see figures moving about, but nothing is distinct.“Ah,” you hear from behind you, “I thought this might happen...”Captain Broadheart is looking at his outstretched hands as his fingers trail off into the mist. … Continue reading Puzzles, Time Loops and the Clockwork Setpiece
The Arcane Wonders of the World
This is a follow on from my Mortal-Made Wonders of the World post from a while back. If you haven't read it yet then check it out! The Loqiron Ice Springs Though this scholar argues they are more an arcane phenomenon than a wonder, the Ice Springs that appear around the Loqiron Plateau are undeniably … Continue reading The Arcane Wonders of the World
Where The F*** Are The Dungeon Crawl Rules?
This is going to be a bit of a strange one. It’s a part-rant, part-ruleset about dungeon crawling, because a few months ago I noticed something was horribly wrong with 5th Edition Dungeons & Dragons. Where The F*** Are The Dungeon Crawl Rules? Back in the day the D&D core books included very clear rules … Continue reading Where The F*** Are The Dungeon Crawl Rules?
Seasons of Adventure: Polar Climates
This is the third and (for now) final part in a short series I’ve done on how different seasons affect your DnD settings and inform the sorts of adventures that can take place within them. I’ve so far discussed the standard 4-season cycle most of us are familiar with as well as various tropical climates … Continue reading Seasons of Adventure: Polar Climates
Seasons of Adventure: The Tropics
This post is a direct follow-up to the Seasons of Adventure post here from about a week ago. I mentioned in the comments that I was going to do a piece on Tropical and Polar climates given that their seasonal cycles are profoundly different to the standard ‘4 seasons’ cycle discussed in the original post. … Continue reading Seasons of Adventure: The Tropics
In-Universe Burnout and the 3rd Rest State: ‘Standard Grit’, the Rest Variant Compromise
Intro Hi everyone, I’m back again with a continuation of my series on Rest Variants. Once again this post is building on the foundational concept outlined in the first post. You can read it Here. There are other posts in this series too, and I would implore you to check them all out, but reading … Continue reading In-Universe Burnout and the 3rd Rest State: ‘Standard Grit’, the Rest Variant Compromise
Seasons of Adventure
Often DnD exists in a kind of seasonal vacuum. The climate is always ‘generic adventuring climate’ and the weather is whatever the plot needs it to be. But there is an opportunity to get more out of the environment and the cycle of seasons in our DnD campaigns. This piece is going to go into … Continue reading Seasons of Adventure
The Mortal-Made Wonders of the World
Today's post is in the same vein as the Hire-A-Healer post from a few days ago in that it's more of a resource to provide inspiration for your own games. I started mentioning mortal-made wonders of the world in some of the setting guides I give to my players ahead of new campaigns, and I … Continue reading The Mortal-Made Wonders of the World
Apothecary Press 