•13 min read
War and Warfare in TTRPGs - How to Bring Epic Conflicts to Life
Practical guidance for crafting player-driven wartime stories: pitfalls to avoid, scenario types to run, tools to add tension, and moral nuance.
Posts tagged with “Mechanics”
50 posts found
•7 min read
Movement in Theater of the Mind for DnD 5e
Streamline combat by declaring intentions, using simple ranges, and resolving maneuvers with opposed checks to keep TotM battles fast, tactical, and fun.
•7 min read
Mounted Combat in Shadowdark TTRPG
Streamlined Shadowdark mount rules: melee bonus, charging with polearms, risks of bolting, gear and barding, mounts and costs, plus travel flavor.
•7 min read
The Roleplaying Origins of Early Dungeons and Dragons
Classic modules show early editions centered on negotiation and player ingenuity, contrasting with later skill-driven, performative approaches.
•10 min read
Foraging for Herbs in Shadowdark
OSR-inspired herbalism rules add strategic foraging, preservation checks, an expanded herb list, Ranger balance notes, and GM tips to your Shadowdark games.
•5 min read
Simplifying Runequest's Critical System
Proposes a universal 10s/5s critical scheme for Chaosium percentile games to speed resolution, add special failures, and reduce sheet-checking.
•5 min read
Experience Still Matters - The Benefits of using XP in 5e.
Argues for XP-based advancement in D&D, rewarding non-combat play, encouraging agency, easing pacing, and doubling as a memory log for your campaign.
•6 min read
Gritty DnD Injuries - Expanding Exhaustion
Revamps exhaustion in 5e with -1 per level, gains on crits and death saves, class Shake It Off, and clearer recovery, adding tension, stakes, and teamwork.
•4 min read
Unlocking the Magic of TTRPG Design
Applying Sanderson’s principles to tabletop RPGs, this argues for limits, costs, and risk over power creep, using subsystem interplay to enrich play.
•4 min read
The Statistical Mirage of Advantage in D&D 5th Edition
Advantage skews outcomes toward the mean, boosts easy checks more than hard ones, and its non-stacking design blunts creative tactics and tension.