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What Your Characters Know: Spinning Wool
Introduction Fantasy worlds mostly seem to be driven by gold: pockets, chests, and even hoards full of shiny, cold, golden coins. And silver, copper, mithril, and adamantine, too! (Find those last two on the periodic table, I dare you!) If you ever sit down to do the math, the average 20th level D&D adventurer probably…
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Book Review: Play Unsafe, by Graham Walmsley
TLDR My TLDR review: Play Unsafe is a very good book about becoming a better role-player. It’s a super quick read, less than an hour total. If you’re a player, definitely read it. If you’re a DM, it will be really helpful if you’ve got a bit of experience already. If you’re a novice DM,…
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Design Diary #002: The Haunting of Dresden Manor
The last few weeks have been busy, between summer vacation and work and life! However, I finally found time this morning to sit down and work more on The Haunting of Dresden Manor. I’ve now completed a first draft of my expanded list of clues, evidence, threats, and spooks (I’m not calling them dangers any…
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Design Diary: The Haunting of Dresden Manor #001
I’ve started a playtest draft of my next project, a gothic mystery scenario called The Haunting of Dresden Manor. I’m excited by this project because I believe that it pushes the boundaries of mystery scenario design in TTRPGs, because it will simultaneously be: If you’ve ever tried to run a proper investgative mystery scenario, you’ll…
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Game Review: Dungeons & Kittens
(In case anyone is wondering, I received no compensation for this post. I just played this game, enjoyed it, and wanted to tell y’all about it!) Last weekend, one of the players in my regular 5e Vecna: Eve of Ruin campaign (heavily modded, of course) was missing. Since we’re near the climax of the story,…
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Mystery Advice from a Master: Raymond Chandler
To help get me in the mindset for my new project, a mystery scenario called The Haunting the Dresden Manor, I spent a few days this month with one of the masters of the genre: Raymond Chandler, and specifically The Annotated Big Sleep, edited by Owen Hill, Pamela Jackson, and my esteemed colleague Anthony Rizzuto.…
