Latest Posts
War Hound
I am working on a grim dark novel called War Hound and I don’t know if I will finish and I wanted to share the prologue. I hope you enjoy it. Prologue Tydan hefted the sword, its grip worn from multiple generations of use. His father and grandfather had been leaders of the War Hounds,…
Getting ready for an online game.
I was preparing for an online game and I got to thinking I could share how I prepare for online games. The first thing I do is consider the time slot. A lot of games at conventions are given a time slot. I think it is rude to run a game that exceeds the time…
Future Plans for the Site
I have been thinking for a while what direction I want to take the site now that I am wanting to change up my content. My new plan is to focus the site on after play reports, reviews, and the occasional new monster. I have had some good success in using the site as a…
Campaign Dilemmas
With all the games out there, how do you decide which game to play? I am currently having that dilemma myself. I find myself wanting to stick with the traditional fantasy route. Dungeons and Dragons 5th edition seems like the logical choice to run a game in because it is popular and easy to get…
Review – Rules of Engagement – DCC Quick Naval Combat Rules
This is a great supplement if you are running a nautical game. Naval combat rules are usually clunky and not fun. I have traditionally just handled them in a narrative fashion in my game, but have always felt like I was missing out on an opportunity. This rules set helps solve the problem. This item…
Changing Things Up
I was looking over my notes this past week and realized that I was planning on using the same monster in several encounters. This seems a little boring and while it makes sense in an adventure where you might come across several of the same types of monster in a given area, it makes for…
Watchtower of Woe – The Courtyard Below – DCC Stats
As in the 5th edition encounter on Monday, the majority of the creatures in this encounter are the Winged Warriors detailed last week. I would handle the gem-encrusted lion in DCC as having its weakness exploitable by the mighty deed of arms precision shot (pg 90 DCC corerulebook) or a thief’s backstab. I would give…
Watchtower of Woe – The Courtyard Below – D&D 5e Stats
The primary monsters in this encounter are the Winged Warriors, detailed last week, and the gem-encrusted lion. My artists have started back to school, so you will just have to use your imagination this week on what the creature looks like. The gem-encrusted lion is an interesting monster. D&D 5e doesn’t have specific rules for…
Watchtower of Woe – The Courtyard Below
Once the party gets past the wall from last week, they have to deal with the possibility of more Winged Warriors (stats last week: 5e and DCC). Several groups of Winged Warriors patrol the courtyard by day, but at night there are giant gem-encrusted lion like creatures that patrol the ground. There are shrubberies and…
Walls of the Watchtower of Woe – DCC Stats
Dungeon Crawl Classics has some interesting choices for dealing with this week’s scenario. I would still have the falling rocks do 1d6 damage to the player characters. (I might roll a funky die to determine how many rocks fell. A d7 feels right, scattered across the characters of course) Instead of a Dexterity save, I…
Walls of the Watchtower of Woe – D&D 5th Edition Stats
The walls are patrolled by Winged Warrior Sentinels. If players attempt to climb up the wall but make too much noise, they will alert the Winged Warrior Sentinels who will pour down stones doing 1d6 damage to the players climbing the wall and require them to make a DC 15 Dexterity Save or fall off…
Walls of the Watchtower of Woe
Flavor Text: As you approach the watchtower, you notice that the walls surrounding it are more formidable than you had anticipated. The stone wall is filled with machicolations from which an enemy could easily reign down destruction. The northern and southern walls have gates with heavy portcullises preventing easy entry. This week is the start…
Kid’s Corner – Issue 2
Things have been hectic this week, as we dealt with illness and starting back to school in a hybrid physical attendance / virtual learning. I am still behind creating my encounter, I will probably have it up tomorrow as planned, but I am also running a game tonight on Zoom, (which you can still sign…
Kid’s Corner – Issue 1
I have 2 boys aged 8 and 6. You have no doubt seen their art work this week as they are my primary illustrators for the blog. Ever since they were born, I have had this dream of a home game playing with my wife and kids. Now that they are reaching an age where…
Review – Tales from the Smoking Wyrm No. 1
Tales from the Smoking Wyrm is a zine for Dungeon Crawl Classics and Mutant Crawl Classics, but there are several articles that could easily be adapted for many different games. This zine came out was released in early 2020 after a successful Kickstarter campaign by Blind Visionary Publications in November 2019. The book has 52…
Attack of the Sand Shifters! – Dungeon Crawl Classics stats
Dungeon Crawl Classics uses a much more fluid system of stats then D&D. Most of the monster design is about tweaking the encounter to make it feel right in my opinion. You have a lot more freedom in encounter design because you are not constrained by having to shoehorn the monsters into an encounter challenge…
Attack of the Sand Shifters! – D&D 5th edition stats
Fifth edition uses a scaling challenge rating system which is detailed in chapter three of the Dungeon Master’s Guide starting on page 81. The monster stats here are presented with their respective challenge ratings, but you get to do the work on selecting which challenge rating you wish to do for your game. Do you…
Attack of the Sand Shifters!
Flavor Text: Your party has made it across The Great Desert and is currently in the rocky foothills on its outskirts. Suddenly, arrows rain down killing the horses! A strange ball of flame bursts through the air, setting fire to the wagon carrying your supplies. On a ledge above the crest of the hill you…
The Adventure Begins
Hello, my name is Jim May and I am a Dungeon Master/Gamemaster/Judge, etc. I have had the great fortune to play in that role since 2007, when I started roleplaying with Dungeons and Dragons 3.5. When I first started, maybe like you, it was a confusing and sometimes difficult task. I used some preprinted adventures…
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