Results for: dice
Building Anticipation & Managing Expectations in Roleplaying Games
One of the most powerful tools at a roleplaying table isn’t a stat block, a plot twist, or even a perfectly balanced encounter. It’s anticipation. And given the time of year, I thought it an appropriate topic to discuss. Anticipation is what makes players lean...
Rebirth at the Table: What It Really Means for Characters and Campaigns
In tabletop RPGs, rebirth is often treated as a mechanical event. A spell is cast. A soul returns. Hit points are restored. The character sheet remains mostly the same, and the story moves on. But rebirth at the table can mean far more than cheating...
Daggerheart Review: A Fresh, Flexible Fantasy Ruleset Worth Your Table Time
First off, a huge thank you to Darrington Press for sending us a copy of the Daggerheart ruleset. Getting to dig into this system early has been an absolute treat—and after spending time with the mechanics, character options, and overall design philosophy, I can confidently...
Under the Dome: Winter Scarcity & Resource Tension
Cold months highlight shortages, rationing, and desperate deals. Winter under the Dome is different. There’s no snow. No frost. No ice crystallizing across rooftops.The temperature doesn’t drop because of weather — it drops because the Dome is dying. When the chaos storms intensify outside, the...
Winter Scarcity & Resource Tension in Aether Skies
When the Cold Months Reveal the Cracks Beneath the Clouds Winter in Aether Skies isn’t like winter anywhere else.There is no snowfall, no frost creeping across rooftops, no quiet hush that blankets the land. There is no land—only the endless storm sea below and the...
Pax Unplugged 2025: Limping, Laughing, and Loving Every Moment
This past weekend marked another unforgettable year at Pax Unplugged, my favorite board game and RPG convention—and even on a broken foot, there was no way I was missing it. Limping around the show floor may not be the most glamorous way to experience a...
Giving Thanks at the Table: A Thanksgiving Tribute for RPG Players and DMs
Thanksgiving is often a time for feasting, family, and trying to explain to your relatives what exactly you do during “that game with the dragons.” But for those of us who gather around the gaming table—whether physical, digital, or conjured by ritual casting—Thanksgiving is also...
Building Characters With Purpose: Giving Your PC Goals That Matter at the Table
Most players want to build a character who feels real—someone memorable, layered, and fun to roleplay. But the secret to a great player character isn’t just the cool backstory, the edgy aesthetic, or how many daggers you can hide in your boots. Purpose is what...
Feast Above the Clouds: Gratitude, Gluttony, and Survival in Aether Skies
A Reflection on Celebration and Hunger in a World That Shouldn’t Still Be Flying In the floating cities of Aether Skies, every meal is a miracle.Grain doesn’t grow in the skies. Livestock can’t graze on steel. Every loaf of bread, every strip of smoked skyfish,...
The Rise of Solo RPGs: Why Playing Alone Is One of the Fastest-Growing Trends in Tabletop Gaming
For decades, tabletop RPGs have been defined by groups around a table, bags of dice on hand, and the unpredictable chaos that happens when a party of adventurers tries to solve a simple problem in the most convoluted way possible. But in recent years, another...
“The Dream in the Glass — A Horror Adventure in the Mind”
There are dungeons made of stone and steel, and there are dungeons made of memory.The Dream in the Glass is the latter — a horror one-shot that takes place entirely inside your characters’ minds. There are no monsters in the traditional sense, no hordes of...
The Long Con: Designing Multi-Session Schemes
Any thug can swing a bat and any grifter can palm a pocket watch. But the true crown jewel of a Zoo Mafia campaign? The Long Con.This isn’t just one heist, one hustle, one “quick in-and-out.” This is the caper that unfolds over multiple sessions—layered,...
Subclass Spotlight: Chaosborn Ravager (Fighter)
Under the Dome – Balaria | Live Play Subclass Reveal #4 The fifth custom subclass revealed for Under the Dome – Balaria is raw, unbridled destruction. Where the Symbiotic Engineer bends adaptation, the Domain of Grinding Flame burns with the power of chaos, The College...
Heat & Headlines: Making Law Enforcement a Real Threat in Zoo Mafia
Every mobster in Zoo Mafia knows the truth: the job doesn’t just end when you split the loot. There’s always the long arm of the law—or in this case, the keepers—waiting in the wings, looking to put your crew back in the cages. Too many...
Faction Wars in the Skies
Playing Politics Between the Cities in Aether Skies The skies of Aether Skies are vast, but they are far from free. Every floating city survives not just on the strength of its Aether engines, but on the ambitions, secrets, and schemes of the factions that...
