10 Ways Chat GPT Can Help You DM Great Games

I have wanted to write a post like this for some time now but have been wary about doing so. AI is everywhere at the moment, and not all of it is good. In fact, a lot of it isn’t good. MidJourney is essentially just repurposed theft, yet sites like Drive Thru RPG are already … Continue reading 10 Ways Chat GPT Can Help You DM Great Games

How to stop D&D feeling like a video game

For many people, playing an RPG is about immersion, imagination, unpredictability, and collaboration – and if your game feels like a video game, maybe something is wrong.

Happy birthday, Scroll for Initiative: three years today!

Thanks for joining me along the way. Here are my top ten most read articles in reverse order! 10. How to run time travel in D&D This was one of the most ambitious and daunting sessions I've ever run, because time travel introduces all sorts of complications! In this article, I unpick some of the … Continue reading Happy birthday, Scroll for Initiative: three years today!

A new narrative template for cinematic one-shots

How can we apply the concept of ‘story beats’ to build a memorable single-session adventure?

What does a 20th-level dungeon look like?

That’s it. That’s the article. The simple truth: I was thinking about this earlier in the week and thought it would be interesting. If you don’t like this article, I have others! For most of us, this is essentially a thought experiment. Very, very few games get to 20th level. My Mad Mage campaign didn’t; … Continue reading What does a 20th-level dungeon look like?

Review: Dungeon of the Mad Mage (and a new ranking)

I overlooked this adventure for far too long. Now I rate it as one of my favourite 5e adventures so far.

How to add depth and drama to your character

Many, many gamers play D&D and nothing else. Some gamers will play anything but D&D. Others will play D&D for the most part but mix it up occasionally with other systems. I’m probably in this latter group. Even if you don’t play other systems, it’s well worth reading them. It’s a great way of sparking … Continue reading How to add depth and drama to your character

How to incorporate science fantasy into your D&D game

In this article, I am going to look at what defines fantasy as a genre, the long history of science fantasy, and how you can inject a bit of science fiction into your game without losing what makes it fantastical.

How To Homebrew Your Own Game Rules In D&D

Sooner or later, you are going to want to tinker with something in your game. The thing is, should you? What’s worth tinkering with, and what is better left ‘as is’?

Learning from the MCU to make your game epic

I’m probably the wrong person to write this because – whisper it – I don’t really like Marvel films. But you don’t have to love Marvel to appreciate how wildly popular they are. Since 2007, Marvel Studios have produced more than 30 films, and the MCU is now the highest-grossing film franchise of all time … Continue reading Learning from the MCU to make your game epic