Loader image
Loader image
Back to Top

Author: Steven Partridge

Nerdarchy > Articles posted by Steven Partridge (Page 4)
Quest RPG Adventure Guild

Quest RPG is Perfect for a Live Roleplay Stream and You’ll Never Guess Why

Recently on Nerdarchy Live we completed Ingest Quest 2, hosted by our own beloved Nerditor Doug. Quest RPG was the system powering our romp through culinary weird space and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a bit skeptical of this new system. However by the end of everything, I think Quest RPG is one of the best systems out there for running an entertaining game stream. Let’s explore some takeaways from the game and what Quest RPG does really well to make itself an ideal system for roleplay heavy groups and thus, conducive to a great stream game.

5 Random Tables to Avoid Boring 5E D&D Characters

Too many times I’ve begun a fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons campaign with the phrase, “You meet in a tavern…” and given zero thought to what the player characters might be doing in the tavern in the first place. I never gave thought to why the druid who doesn’t drink would be in the tavern at all. Last night after our game of Ingest Quest 2, Nerditor Doug, Nerdarchist Ted and I had a conversation about gaming groups and how to make D&D characters more interesting.

mtg adventures in the forgotten realms bard 5E D&D

Knock ‘Em Dead in 5E D&D as a College of PUNishment Bard

Dungeons & Dragons games can be full of laughs and comedy. From wacky scenarios to moments where the dice have the greatest sens of humor at all there’s no shortage of silly D&D stories. When it comes to our own games, Nerdarchy Live is choc full of comedy gold, enough to sate the greediest of dragons. Whether it’s Nerditor Doug’s current game, Ingest Quest 2, or Dave’s homage to Thundarr the Barbarian with Moon Rises, we’ve got loads of live play campaigns with goofy premises. Through all the silly game sessions there’s one star who shines brightest in the Nerdarchy galaxy, and that’s Nerdarchist Ted with his plethora of puns. This got me to thinking about a way to show him how much we feel PUNished by his unique style of gaming — an homage to the maestro of word play. A set of fifth edition D&D subclass mechanics feels right at home and if the subclass in question were anything other than a Bard College I’d be truly remiss. Therefore ladies, gentlemen and otherwise I present for your players and Dungeon Masters’ pleasure the College of PUNishment bard.

Full warning: I will not hold back.

power gaming

Multiclassing Should Always be Allowed in a 5E D&D

Multiclassing in fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons always seems to polarize a Dungeon Master when it comes up. I’ll admit I’m no exception to this rule. In fact I’m so much in favor of multiclassing in 5E D&D I sometimes ask my players why they aren’t multiclassing. They say the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence but for my part, my grass is looking pretty darn green. Regardless of what side of the multiclassing fence you find yourself on I’m going to try to convince you my grass is clearly the greenest.

Animon Story RPG Zak Barouh

Animon Story is an RPG Love Letter to Pokemon, Digimon and Beyond

Animon Story is a tabletop roleplaying game love letter to fans of Pokemon, Digimon, Temtem, Monster Rancher and dozens of other monster raising games. This game lets players create a Kid Character and a partner monster and it’s everything I wanted in a Mon RPG! In fact I’d argue Animon Story is the best tabletop RPG you’ve never heard of.

Add Summer Fun to Your Next 5E D&D Game with 5 NEW Magic Items

Summer is in full swing, and with more fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons groups getting together in person by the day the phrase “sun’s out, fun’s out” has never been more apt. Going to the beach this past week for an all day event with my own gaming group reminded us how much fun it can be to take a break for a day and get outside. Incorporating seasons is a great way to ground your D&D world. And who doesn’t love a good beach episode now and again? There’s a reason that beach episodes are staples in anime.

Dreams of Fire

Adapting Dreams of Fire for 5E D&D Plus a New Feat for Sorcerers

Council of Geeks is a nerdy YouTube channel where Author Nathaniel Wayne discusses everything from Doctor Who to the Marvel multiverses, Netflix series, movies and general nerd-dom. But Nathaniel just couldn’t stop at talking about their favorite geeky stories — they needed to write their own! Enter the new electropunk fantasy novel with a fey twist: Dreams of Fire. Having shared my review of the book I feel it’s fairly apparent I enjoyed Dreams of Fire thoroughly. As such, of course my mind began swirling around how to adapt Dreams of Fire into fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons play.

viktra mordenheim 5E D&D Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft

Life Sucks By It’s Very Nature in Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft for 5E D&D

Ravenloft sucks! Or rather, I suppose I should say life in Ravenloft would suck. Now that I’ve got your attention let me explain myself. Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft is the official guide for twisting your fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons games with horror. When I say life in Ravenloft sucks, I’m specifically talking about how it sucks for the townspeople, the nobodies, the people with whom the main characters interact.

5E D&D Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft Horror Adventures Survivors

Experience the Horror Firsthand with Survivors in Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft

Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft offers a menagerie of tools to help Dungeon Masters and players of fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons sink their teeth into genres of horror. We’ve already written about preparing horror games, running horror games with atmosphere and pacing to enhance the experience of your 5E D&D group. However, if you really want to sell the horror flavor and show players how grim and unforgiving the world can be then Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft suggests the use of survivors.

Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft Preparing for Horror 5E D&D

Manage Fear and Stress in 5E D&D with Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft

Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft brings the trappings of horror to your fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons games. To aid Dungeon Masters with running horror with their own groups the book offers a step-by-step walkthrough of how to run a 5E D&D horror game. Thus far, we’ve talked about preparing for a horror game and running a horror game with atmosphere and skillful pacing using the steps in Van Ricthen’s Guide to Ravenloft as a framework. But what about after the horror is over? Fear and stress are staples of the horror genre. They’re the proverbial nuts and bolts of how it works. Experiencing fear and stress can leave players… well, stressed and fearful. Thankfully, Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft offers some advice for this as well.

Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft Preparing for Horror 5E D&D

Running Horror with Atmosphere and Accessibility in 5E D&D with Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft

Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft is Wizards of the Coast’s newest setting book for fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons and it’s arguably the best release we’ve had so far. Much how Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything officially sanctioned many flavor customizations Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft contains several sections empowering Dungeon Masters and players to make 5E D&D their own. Among these options chapter 4’s Running Horror Games section provides guidance for preparation, during the session and afterward. This horror guide was phenomenal and easily makes the book worth picking up. I loved this section so much I made a whole video about how Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft completely changed how I run D&D forever.

Play Your Next 5E D&D Game with Pride as a Rainbow Domain Cleric

Happy Pride Month! As a proud member of the Queer+ community and a Nerdarchy staff writer I really wanted to do something special for Pride Month this year — something that screams “I love Dungeons & Dragons and rainbows and all of that!” I kept wracking my brain of what we could do to offer some Pride positivity into the 5E D&D sphere. Chromatic spells are an obvious hook but they’re not quite potent enough for what I wanted to create. The more I thought the more the notion of a subclass surfaced in my mind.

Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft Preparing for Horror 5E D&D

Horror Pacing in 5E D&D with Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft

Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft for fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons is probably my favorite setting book to date from Wizards of the Coast. It has so many great resources for 5E D&D players and Dungeon Masters alike. Among my favorites is the section walking the DM through a step-by-step guide to running a horror game.

5E D&D Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft Ez D Avenir

Wrap Your 5E D&D Games in the Dark Embrace of Horror with Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft

Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft for fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons looks to be one of the best D&D books to date. With its horror elements steeped in a dark fantasy setting — the Domains of Dread — this book fills a whole new genre of fantasy for your 5E D&D group.

Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft Preparing for Horror 5E D&D

Preparing for 5E D&D Horror with Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft

Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft brings us a swarm of new ideas for fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons and among those are tips for running horror games. As an avid fan of horror and incorporating horror elements into my RPG sessions I felt like I probably had a fairly good grasp on what this book had to say. However some of the things I found in this section of Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft took me completely by surprise. Not only does this book give you a guide for how to run horror in 5E D&D it also offers step-by-step instructions to ensure you and your group have the most fun possible with a horror game. Before you can run a horror game there are some important steps to set up your 5E D&D horror campaign so it can be the most enjoyable for you and your gaming group.