If you’re tired of 5e and really want something fun and fresh, then I cannot recommend this game enough.
Dragonbane review: the most exciting game I’ve played in years
I need a new RPG, and it isn’t D&D 2024: a wishlist
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.
The Complete Guide to Charms and Enchantments: Part Two
This is the second part of a series on charms and enchantments in 5e. I focus on five spells: suggestion (and its high-level counterpart, mass suggestion), compulsion, geas, and dominate person.
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.
Deeper character creation: dramatic poles revisited
One of the most powerful storytelling tools I’ve encountered this year is also one of the simplest: dramatic poles.
7 ways to hack your creativity
I’ve been doing a lot of adventure writing recently, and even though writing is something I enjoy doing, it isn’t always easy. Creativity is hard! Over time, though, I have picked up several tips and tricks that I thought I would compile in today’s article. I’m writing with D&D and tabletop roleplaying games in mind, … Continue reading 7 ways to hack your creativity
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?