Unusually for me, I've spent most of the last six months not DMing but playing. And it's been fun! It's also been a useful reminder of what players love most about RPGs at the table.
Nine things to look for in a perfect D&D game
A new handbook to help you run a complete campaign?!
I have only ever run one homebrew campaign from 1st to 20th level, and it followed a very loose structure, one session at a time. I would love to write something that helps other DMs achieve the same thing.
Should you stop letting players get spell components for free?
How many spells are there with expensive material components? Answer: more than you think.
How to roleplay every NPC (almost!)
I recently came across the idea of a psychological gesture from Justin Alexander of the Alexandrian. This is a technique created by Michael Chekhov where actors use a physical action to capture and express their character's main emotional or psychological state. I've been trying it out a bit, and it's fun and really helps me get in character quickly.
How practical is raise dead?
Something goes wrong, a few dice rolls go awry, and then, all of a sudden, somebody’s character is dead. Not unconscious: dead. Now what?
Seven twists to make your D&D world unique
D&D diverges from our own world in seven major ways. How would our games be different if we moved away from these core assumptions?
The Great 2023 RPG Gift Guide
Here we go again! WELCOME to the 2023 Scroll for Initiative Holiday Gift Guide. A few things first. This is an independent blog. There are no affiliate links here, nor am I being paid in any way to endorse these products. (Believe me, I wish I were!) As always, please support your Friendly Local Game … Continue reading The Great 2023 RPG Gift Guide
So You Want to Be a Game Master: Review
If you're serious about DMing, you will know who Justin Alexander is. So what is his new book all about, and what did I make of it?
How to make Final Fantasy VII in D&D
A few weeks ago, I watched a video called ‘Why Final Fantasy VII Matters’ made by YouTuber ‘Mr Itchy Wrath’. It came out a year ago and has 644k views, 7.5k likes, and well over a thousand comments – which is pretty remarkable, considering this is a video which is longer than two of the … Continue reading How to make Final Fantasy VII in D&D
What Are the Best Dungeon Denizens by Level?
According to Appendix A of the 2014 Dungeon Master’s Guide, around half of the chambers in a given dungeon will be inhabited by ‘monsters’, and of these, around a third will be the dungeon’s ‘dominant inhabitants.’ My question: who are these dominant inhabitants? For the purposes of this article, I am thinking mostly about humanoids. … Continue reading What Are the Best Dungeon Denizens by Level?