I know it’s not a particularly glamorous topic, but the rhythm of the adventuring day is key for establishing an appropriate sense of threat. If encounters are too easy, the game feels trivial; too hard, and every combat becomes a slog. Get the ratios right, and the players feel like badass heroes.
The Wild Beyond the Witchlight was released three and a half years ago in September 2021 and was something of novelty for Wizards of the Coast, especially coming on the back of Rime of the Frostmaiden and Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft, two quite dark and horror-themed sourcebooks. Witchlight promised to be the exact opposite, … Continue reading Almost great: The Wild Beyond the Witchlight (a review)
We had a fun session last weekend (a brief sojourn to Tomb of Annihilation via a fairy ring), and one of my players made a comment that stuck with me: ‘Sometimes, you just want a dungeon and a dragon.’ It made me think about tropes: the conventions of a genre that you see over and … Continue reading Tired D&D clichés: which ones need to go?
Is encounter-building that a big deal? In short, yes. So how has it changed in 2024?
My last post seemed to get a bit of interest, and a few of the comments asked if I could provide an example of its principles in action, perhaps using The Wild Beyond the Witchlight as a case study.
I’ve recently started DMing The Wild Beyond the Witchlight. I’m about four sessions in, and so far, it’s been fun. But it hasn’t been without its frustrations. And actually, the more I think about it, the more I feel my frustrations with the adventure are not just limited to Witchlight specifically. There are general issues … Continue reading Write Adventures Like Cookbooks: 15 Tips For Better Information Architecture
A few weeks ago, I tried Dragonbane for the first time. It’s a great game—full review here—but it’s the map that got me thinking about today’s article. Take a look at it. Gorgeous, isn’t it? Francesca Baerald’s work is outstanding, and without knowing anything about the system, it lures me in and makes me want to … Continue reading Plan better campaigns: the adventure site model
If you’re tired of 5e and really want something fun and fresh, then I cannot recommend this game enough.
Here’s a confession I never thought I’d make: I’m not excited about D&D 2024. In fact, I have serious misgivings about it. And I thought I’d write an article about it.
I thought it would be cool to have a kind of flowchart or checklist to help DMs design adventures around its principles. So: I made one!