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Charles HildebrandtCover to 'Covenant of the Forge', by Tim Hildebrandt (Volume 1 of the Dragonlance: Dwarven Nations Trilogy)<a href="https://wargamers.social/tags/fantasy" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#fantasy</a> <a href="https://wargamers.social/tags/fantasyart" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#fantasyart</a> <a href="https://wargamers.social/tags/dnd" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#dnd</a> <a href="https://wargamers.social/tags/dndart" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#dndart</a> <a href="https://wargamers.social/tags/dungeonsanddragons" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#dungeonsanddragons</a> <a href="https://wargamers.social/tags/dragonlance" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#dragonlance</a> <a href="https://wargamers.social/tags/ttrpg" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#ttrpg</a> <a href="https://wargamers.social/tags/rpg" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#rpg</a> <a href="https://wargamers.social/tags/roleplayinggame" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#roleplayinggame</a> <a href="https://wargamers.social/tags/tabletop" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#tabletop</a> <a href="https://wargamers.social/tags/hildebrandt" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#hildebrandt</a> <a href="https://wargamers.social/tags/timhildebrandt" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#timhildebrandt</a> <a href="https://wargamers.social/tags/hildebrandtart" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#hildebrandtart</a>

Charles HildebrandtCover to 'Hammer and Axe', by Tim Hildebrandt (Volume 2 of the Dragonlance: Dwarven Nations Trilogy)<a href="https://wargamers.social/tags/fantasy" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#fantasy</a> <a href="https://wargamers.social/tags/fantasyart" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#fantasyart</a> <a href="https://wargamers.social/tags/dnd" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#dnd</a> <a href="https://wargamers.social/tags/dndart" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#dndart</a> <a href="https://wargamers.social/tags/dungeonsanddragons" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#dungeonsanddragons</a> <a href="https://wargamers.social/tags/dragonlance" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#dragonlance</a> <a href="https://wargamers.social/tags/ttrpg" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#ttrpg</a> <a href="https://wargamers.social/tags/rpg" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#rpg</a> <a href="https://wargamers.social/tags/roleplayinggame" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#roleplayinggame</a> <a href="https://wargamers.social/tags/tabletop" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#tabletop</a> <a href="https://wargamers.social/tags/hildebrandt" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#hildebrandt</a> <a href="https://wargamers.social/tags/timhildebrandt" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#timhildebrandt</a> <a href="https://wargamers.social/tags/hildebrandtart" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#hildebrandtart</a>

Laidback DM<a href="https://dice.camp/tags/Dragonbane" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Dragonbane</a> session 34: the party battles Sathmog’s cultists for control of Outskirt! Zog the animist ogre makes short work of numerous cultists, but is finally defeated by an arduous hill climb! Orla and Kris finish off the cultists, but not before Aodhan almost bleeds out. The statue pieces are recovered as the party stands ready to enter the Crypt of Um-Durman… <a href="https://dice.camp/tags/ttrpg" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#ttrpg</a> <a href="https://dice.camp/tags/dnd" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#dnd</a> <a href="https://dice.camp/tags/osr" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#osr</a> <a href="https://dice.camp/tags/FreeLeague" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#FreeLeague</a> <a href="https://dice.camp/tags/fantasy" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#fantasy</a> <a href="https://dice.camp/tags/RolePlayingGame" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#RolePlayingGame</a> <a href="https://dice.camp/tags/roll20" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#roll20</a>

NidonemoI'll be starting my first game of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 this evening, at 8pm CST on Foxx Off tonight!Only on:<a href="https://www.twitch.tv/nidonemo" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank">https://www.twitch.tv/nidonemo</a><a href="https://cyberfurz.social/tags/clairobscurexpedition33" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#clairobscurexpedition33</a> <a href="https://cyberfurz.social/tags/RPG" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#RPG</a> <a href="https://cyberfurz.social/tags/roleplayinggame" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#roleplayinggame</a> <a href="https://cyberfurz.social/tags/Nidonemo" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Nidonemo</a> <a href="https://cyberfurz.social/tags/ZacharyFoxx" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#ZacharyFoxx</a> <a href="https://cyberfurz.social/tags/Relaxed" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Relaxed</a> <a href="https://cyberfurz.social/tags/Gaming" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Gaming</a> <a href="https://cyberfurz.social/tags/Furry" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Furry</a> <a href="https://cyberfurz.social/tags/Furries" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Furries</a> <a href="https://cyberfurz.social/tags/Comedy" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Comedy</a> <a href="https://cyberfurz.social/tags/Humor" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Humor</a> <a href="https://cyberfurz.social/tags/Silly" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Silly</a> <a href="https://cyberfurz.social/tags/Sass" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Sass</a> <a href="https://cyberfurz.social/tags/Sassy" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Sassy</a> <a href="https://cyberfurz.social/tags/Fun" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Fun</a> <a href="https://cyberfurz.social/tags/Funny" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Funny</a>

Laidback DM<a href="https://dice.camp/tags/Dragonbane" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Dragonbane</a> session 33: The return to Outskirt is arduous. Poor hunting, forest hobgoblins & a lack of sleep put the party on edge. Arriving back at Outskirt after months away, they find the village controlled by Sathmog cultists! Kris loses the recently recovered piece of Eledain’s statue to the cult… <a href="https://dice.camp/tags/ttrpg" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#ttrpg</a> <a href="https://dice.camp/tags/dnd" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#dnd</a> <a href="https://dice.camp/tags/osr" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#osr</a> <a href="https://dice.camp/tags/FreeLeague" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#FreeLeague</a> <a href="https://dice.camp/tags/fantasy" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#fantasy</a> <a href="https://dice.camp/tags/RolePlayingGame" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#RolePlayingGame</a> <a href="https://dice.camp/tags/roll20" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#roll20</a>

Phil EdwardsRavensburger very kindly sent over this review copy of Horrified: Dungeons & Dragons. I’m looking forward to playing and reviewing it soon.It’s due out at the end of July in the UK<a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/horrified" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#horrified</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/dungeonsanddragons" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#dungeonsanddragons</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/boardgame" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#boardgame</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/tabletopgames" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#tabletopgames</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/tabletopgaming" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#tabletopgaming</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/roleplayinggame" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#roleplayinggame</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/roleplaying" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#roleplaying</a>

DM TalesFree Your Game—Run Cypher SystemOne of my favorite systems to run is Monte Cook Games’ Cypher System. Cypher powers two of my current campaigns, Numenera and Super Heroes. Today I want to share some of the reasons I love running the game, as well as one aspect of the system which I think could be a roadblock for new players. And, while I did receive a small grant to product some content for Monte Cook’s realm over on Moonbeam, I have received nothing from the company to write this post. I just like the system.What I LoveThere is a lot to love about GMing a Cypher System game. And these three are my favorite.The LevelsEverything in Cypher System has a level, and I mean everything. These range from 0-10 in most cases, and the d20 target number for any check is the level multiplied by three. Astute mathematicians have already figured out the problem with this set up, because levels 7-10 are actually impossible to roll on a d20. How’s this work, then?It works because before the roll is made the player is able to manipulate the level. If the character has an applicable skill, they can reduce the level by one or two. If they are using a beneficial tool they may lower the level by one, it’s called an asset. If they are attacking with a light weapon they can lower the level by one since they aren’t as difficult to maneuver. If they decide they want to try extra hard at the task they can spend some ability points to put effort into an attempt. Each level of effort applied lowers the level by one, and the amount of effort you may apply is capped by the character’s tier. A character may assist in an action, even if that’s only to hold their flashlight up while someone picks a lock or reads a book, and that’s another asset which lowers the level by one. And characters can use terrain to their advantage to lower the level by grabbing the high ground or taking cover. By manipulating the level in these ways the target number can be dropped into a possible, or even likely, success.This may sound complicated, but I’ve not found it to be so. Any time I’ve run Cypher System things have worked fast. And they only accelerate the more comfortable people get with the game.IntrusionsIn Cypher System games the GM makes no rolls, which can be a bummer. On the other hand, a game master is able to alter the world by intruding on the narrative. These intrusions can occur out of the blue, or than can be a direct consequence of player actions (characters who throw their muscle around a settlement may encounter a patrol of guards who didn’t exist before that moment, for example). GM intrusions aren’t always by GM fiat, however, any roll that comes up a 1 triggers a GM intrusion which function much like a fumble in other system. When the GM does introduce an intrusion on their own, however, there is a reward to soften the blow. When triggering an intrusion the GM gives out an experience point to the player whose character will be impacted by it, and that player awards a second experience point to another player at the table.Experience points in Cypher System are a valuable meta-currency which have uses beyond advancing the character. An XP may be spent to refuse a GM intrusion. Experience may also be spent to trigger a re-roll on any roll except a 1. Finally, an experience point can be spent to introduce a player intrusion into the world which offers the party a benefit. This last is up to GM discretion, and can be refused if the proposed intrusion is overpowered or doesn’t make sense, but the option is fun because it makes the players part of the world building.In one game I ran I had a player action start a fire in an apartment building, which they needed to address. This led to some amazing antics. In another session two of the PCs stood near a standing stone I’d already described as being targeted by lightning. The two players made a poor assumption that the lightning had struck because the group had been messing with something and when I asked a player, “So, who do you want to give an experience point to?” He responded with, “Oops” just before seeing his character launched twenty yards as the next bolt hit.My players have used intrusions on me, as well. During the fire I mentioned above one player created an “aqueduct” (it was in the lowest part of the city so it was actually grey water management) to help put out the fire. In one of the few fantasy sessions I’ve run using Cypher System one player used an intrusion to establish a prior relationship between their character and a goblin who was trying to get them to pay a toll.Intrusions take the in-game narrative in all sorts of interesting directions. The guard the group was sneaking past can turn at just the right moment to discover a sneak and sound the alarm. A character can remember a contact they had in a settlement who might be able to provide information. Or a trap might be sprung on an over-cautious party. That’s only the start. Intrusions are a blast.Reduced Prep TimeRunning Cypher System doesn’t require a great deal of time copying out stat blocks or jotting down damage from traps. A dangerous area, or a dungeon crawl, can be as simple as mapping out the general locations out and then populating it with obstacles of specific levels. Level 2 kobolds,  for example, may block the entrance to their settlement with level 5 traps.Dealing with the traps is straightforward. If the players want to detect or disable the trap they will have default target number of 15 before any pre-roll modifications to the level. Since the trap is level 5, it does a base 5 points of damage.Dealing with the kobolds doesn’t require much more work, and a GM never even needs to look at a stat block. They’ve been given level, so the target number to hit the creatures is 6. They also, by default, have 6 points of health since that’s their target number. They are smaller creatures and probably use their claws or light weapons, which means their attacks are faster, so defending against them is a level 3 check. Light weapons do two points of damage. At that point the kobolds in the crawl are basically done but, because they are communal beings, they tend to attack in packs when their traps fail. So four of the creatures may be combined as a single entity for combat. This gives them a base level of 3, or level 4 when attacking, and their combined attacks do medium weapon damage—4 points. They’ll also get  health bonus based of their combined level, yielding 9 health. This is cool because a if a GM decides to throw 20 kobolds at the party, which could become cumbersome, they only show up as 5 distinct groups in the combat. Encounters can feel massive, while remaining mechanically simple.Once a GM gets used to assigning levels to NPCs, and inventing creatures on the fly, session prep for Cypher System is reduced to creating a compelling hook and a specific goal. More can be built in advance, but it isn’t needed if a GM is comitted to riffing off the player’s actions. Now, I love using pre-existing adversaries for both stock Cypher System and Numenera because they’re designed well and the artwork is terrific, but not using them doesn’t slow me down even a little bit.Potential RoadblockAs much as I love running Cypher System, and Numenera in particular, the game’s biggest roadblock is positioned at its on-ramp.Character CreationCypher System characters are formed from a sentence, “I am an [adjective] [noun] who [verbs].”The noun, or “type,” is the simplest of the three aspects—because there are only a few from which to choose. Numenera, which is a separate game powered by the system, has six types when using the two books from the box set, while stock Cypher System has four. These types cover typical archetypes like a mighty warrior, sneaky scout, enigmatic wizard, or charismatic bard. It’s straightforward, but then come the options.There are fifty adjectives, or “descriptors,” in the Cypher System rulebook. These reveal a bit about the character’s background, and grant a character some one-time benefits. These can boosts to stat pools, skills, or a combination of the two—and sometimes the benefits are offset by personality quirks and hinderances. Numenera has nearly as many descriptors, but they are split over two books, so searching through them to fit an envisioned character takes a bit of work.The verb, or “focus,” is even more overwhelming. A focus is a guide to what type of actions a character is driven toward, and they grant new benefits each time a character increases their tier. By my hand count there are just over 90 foci in the Cypher System rulebook. GMs are encouraged to whittle down the number of available foci to those which best fit their campaign, but even still the sheer amount of information is a lot. By contrast Numenera has only fifty-eight but, again, these are split between two hefty books.It’s a lot of data, and as players try to figure out what options they’d like to consider they will find themselves flipping back and forth between many pages. The potential to be paralyzed by the sheer number of options, or become lost while flipping between chapters, is significant. That’s not to say the character creation process is difficult, it is not, it’s just a lot.Having said all that there is a huge but coming up.First, Monte Cook Games has addressed the character creation data flood with an excellent character creation tool on their web site. The tool is not a starter option, nor is it pay-walled. It is everything that’s in the core rulebook plus all the options which are added through their “white spine” genre books. And Monte Cook Games does this because the entirety of their game and genre supplements is in the system reference document they make available for free. Creating characters using the creation tool is fast, fun, and clear. There is no page turning and GMs can ensure characters fit their campaign by inviting players to a group and limiting the options which can be used during the build process. But it gets better. After a character is built, players may use the flexible web interface as their character-sheet. Or they can export out their created characters to a PDF. Or they can be exported as a JSON file and imported into FoundryVTT. It’s well-done.At present you cannot build characters for other Monte Cook Games which use their IP, such as Numenera. Sort of. There is, after all, a great deal of overlap between the types, descriptors, and foci between Numenera and base Cypher System. If you are careful with the options you select you could probably get to a character who is very close to a Numenera equivalent—any differences can be fixed using the web-ui after the standard process is completed. Monte Cook Games is also hoping to bring their separate IPs to the character builder in the future. The additions will be behind a paywall, but the convenience might be worth it. At any rate, check out the Monte Cook Games’ character creation tool, it’s amazing.Second, Monte Cook Games has announced that they are revising Cypher System in a way which keeps folks’ current books usable but makes character creation easier. Now, people in the Cypher community are a tad anxious about this announcement because MCG fans tend to buy many MCG books for their shelves. For my part, and I have no inside knowledge regarding the upcoming shift1, I’m kinda of excited. I know how dedicated Monte Cook Games is to their community and screwing over their player base just isn’t their MO.Third, I have enjoyed the in person experience I’ve had helping my Numenera group build their characters. They loved using the prompts to see how their characters were linked, and the fiction they created during the build process has had a huge impact on how our campaign has evolved. So while the creation process is a lot, it’s also fun. And that’s cool.ConclusionCypher System is my second favorite game to run right now, second only to Dragonbane. And, to be honest, the difference between the two is a coin flip. I love how fast it is to create challenges for players, I think intrusions are fantastic, and the level system is fast and intuitive. If you have not checked out Cypher System or Numenera it’s very much worth a look. You can pick it up over at Monte Cook Game’s website. The books aren’t cheap. The Cypher System Rulebook is $76.99 for a book/pdf combo, and the two-book box set for Numenera is $129.99 for the same. But, Monte Cook’s SRD is available for free, and there are some excellent starter kits for both base Cypher and Numenera which are under $30. Check this one out.<ol><li>Since writing this, I was given a very small amount of information from Monte Cook Games, since I cover the system. I can’t go into specifics, beyond what has been revealed by <a href="https://www.montecookgames.com/cypher-design-diary-whats-in-a-genre/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">MCG already</a>, but I’m even more excited. ↩︎</li></ol><a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/dming/" target="_blank">#DMing</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/dnd/" target="_blank">#DnD</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/dungeons-and-dragons/" target="_blank">#dungeonsAndDragons</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/games/" target="_blank">#games</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/gaming/" target="_blank">#gaming</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/gming/" target="_blank">#GMing</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/monte-cook-games/" target="_blank">#MonteCookGames</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/role-playing-game/" target="_blank">#RolePlayingGame</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/rpg/" target="_blank">#RPG</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/ttrpg/" target="_blank">#TTRPG</a>

NidonemoWHATEVER WEDNESDAY IS IN 45 MINUTES.BG3 WITH ADRUIDINFAERUNOnly on:<a href="https://www.twitch.tv/nidonemo" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank">https://www.twitch.tv/nidonemo</a><a href="https://cyberfurz.social/tags/Nidonemo" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Nidonemo</a> <a href="https://cyberfurz.social/tags/calmgaming" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#calmgaming</a> <a href="https://cyberfurz.social/tags/calm" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#calm</a> <a href="https://cyberfurz.social/tags/relaxedgaming" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#relaxedgaming</a> <a href="https://cyberfurz.social/tags/relax" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#relax</a> <a href="https://cyberfurz.social/tags/smallstreamer" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#smallstreamer</a> <a href="https://cyberfurz.social/tags/smallstreamers" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#smallstreamers</a> <a href="https://cyberfurz.social/tags/BaldursGate3" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#BaldursGate3</a> <a href="https://cyberfurz.social/tags/BG3" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#BG3</a> <a href="https://cyberfurz.social/tags/RPG" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#RPG</a> <a href="https://cyberfurz.social/tags/RolePlayingGame" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#RolePlayingGame</a> <a href="https://cyberfurz.social/tags/furry" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#furry</a> <a href="https://cyberfurz.social/tags/furrystreamer" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#furrystreamer</a> <a href="https://cyberfurz.social/tags/fox" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#fox</a> <a href="https://cyberfurz.social/tags/foxstreamer" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#foxstreamer</a> <a href="https://cyberfurz.social/tags/streamer" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#streamer</a> <a href="https://cyberfurz.social/tags/funny" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#funny</a> <a href="https://cyberfurz.social/tags/silly" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#silly</a> <a href="https://cyberfurz.social/tags/comedy" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#comedy</a> <a href="https://cyberfurz.social/tags/sass" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#sass</a>

Jace 🔥❤️‍🔥💖❤️Coordinating RPG playtests means tackling the most difficult job of any game master... scheduling.It is remarkably hard. 😅<a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/roleplayinggame" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#roleplayinggame</a>

Laidback DM<a href="https://dice.camp/tags/Dragonbane" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Dragonbane</a> session 32: The party scours the caves for treasure. Naked Kalgrim (returned from the dead without clothes & loving it), Kris & Aodhan fall foul to meter-long poisonous albino centipedes. The party makes it back to Venge’s lair, where the dragon presents them with a magic sword & the final piece of Eledain’s statue. Red mists flood the valley, as the party returns to Outskirt… <a href="https://dice.camp/tags/ttrpg" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#ttrpg</a> <a href="https://dice.camp/tags/dnd" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#dnd</a> <a href="https://dice.camp/tags/osr" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#osr</a> <a href="https://dice.camp/tags/FreeLeague" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#FreeLeague</a> <a href="https://dice.camp/tags/fantasy" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#fantasy</a> <a href="https://dice.camp/tags/RolePlayingGame" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#RolePlayingGame</a> <a href="https://dice.camp/tags/roll20" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#roll20</a>

DM TalesMy Favorite Games (2025 Update)My best-performing video over the past year has been <a href="https://youtu.be/Nw7aHZIZlCk" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">My Favorite Games</a>. Well, I’ve played a number of new games since I posted that video, so I thought it was time for an update.IntroductionThe games included in this list are ones I have played over the past year since my previous “favorite games” video and they have to be available to pick up as physical copies. So, while I have played a session of a game called <a href="https://youtu.be/oEOJ_Ods20M?si=E0z1yCpDNEvfoQiR" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Nuts</a>, by Skrat from the A Squirrel Plays channel, it’s not eligible. I also haven’t played a session of one of my favorite games over the past year because I’ve been running other things, so <a href="https://youtu.be/Nw7aHZIZlCk" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Basic Fantasy RPG</a> doesn’t appear on it. Go check out those games, though, folks, they are way fun—and Basic Fantasy RPG has one of the best communities in the hobby.10. Monty Python’s Cocurricular Mediaeval Reenactment ProgrammeI was given a review copy of this game by <a href="https://www.exaltedfuneral.com/pages/monty-python-role-playing-game" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Exalted Funeral</a>, but was so impressed by it I went out and purchased the Head of Light Entertainment Screen for myself. I’ll also be purchasing another set of their odd dice.What can you expect in The Programme? You can expect Monty Python. The world is dangerous, the denizens will drive characters loony, and the mechanics are simple. But, the GM will play different personas, which impacts game play, and beshrewments can send the entire table into something completely different. Watch those demerits, and get ready for a good time! You can pick up <a href="https://www.exaltedfuneral.com/products/monty-python-s-cocurricular-mediaeval-reenactment-programme-sensible-middle-class-edition" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">The Programme</a> at Exalted Funeral for $50, but I recommend also picking up the <a href="https://www.exaltedfuneral.com/products/head-of-light-entertainment-gamemaster-screen" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">HoLE screen</a> for $33, as  well as a set of their <a href="https://www.exaltedfuneral.com/products/black-beast-dice-set" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">peculiar dice</a> for $25.9. Land of Eem<a href="https://landofeem.com" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">The Land of Eem</a> has mechanics which bear a kinship to Powered by the Apocalypse games, with narrative twists and fail forward obstacles so the game is always moving. The world looks like someone combined the Muppets and Lord of the Rings, and it’s as subversive as you’d expect from The Muppets. If you’d like a game that’s light hearted and fast, but still has a good amount of depth, give Land of Eem a try.There is a free <a href="https://www.exaltedfuneral.com/products/land-of-eem-quickstart" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">QuickStart</a> guide, but the beautiful <a href="https://www.exaltedfuneral.com/products/land-of-eem-core-rulebook" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Core Rulebook</a> will set you back $40. I’d recommend going for the <a href="https://www.exaltedfuneral.com/pages/land-of-eem" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Deluxe Box Set</a>—which includes a GM screen, a map, a terrific bestiary, and a mind-blowing setting book. That runs for $150.8. Forbidden Lands<a href="https://freeleaguepublishing.com/shop/forbidden-lands/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Forbidden Lands</a> has wild lore, robust exploration, fun stronghold building, and a meta-narrative that’s there if a group wants to use it. The game also runs off of Free League’s excellent Year Zero dice pool engine, so game play is fast and dangerous. I ran a crawl of this a few months back because we had an off week and I wanted to toss something from Forbidden Land’s “<a href="https://freeleaguepublishing.com/shop/forbidden-lands/book-of-beasts/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Book of Beasts</a>” at the group to see what they’d do. One character came out alive, mostly due to poor life-choices, but we had a blast getting to the end. This is a game I have not played enough.If you want to pick up Forbidden Lands, you can pick up its beautiful <a href="https://freeleaguepublishing.com/shop/forbidden-lands/core-boxed-set/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">box set</a> for about $65. This set comes with a Player’s Handbook, a Gamemaster’s Guide, and a frame-worthy map. I’d have loved to have dice included in the box set but the two A5 books are hardbound stitched binding, have faux leather covers with gold foil imprints, and book ribbons. My only complaint about the game is I want to show off both the box and the books on my shelf.Check this game out if you enjoy some grit that is challenging and fun. Oh, and it also has a fantastic FoundryVTT system.7. Tales of ArgosaI just reviewed <a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/265388/low-fantasy-gaming-deluxe-edition" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Low Fantasy Gaming</a>’s successor, <a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/479871/tales-of-argosa" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Tales of Argosa</a>, on my channel. “Wow.” It carries over the low magic setting of its predecessor, while also incorporating a number of improvements to the system which were made in Pickpocket Press’ second game, <a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/337851/lowlife-2090" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Lowlife 20290</a>.Argosa uses a roll-under check system, which is my favorite way to play a game, but it’s combat system is the same d20 roll high many TTRPG players will find familiar. Despite the familiarity, Tales of Argosa stands out through a phenomenal exploit mechanic that is what 5e bonus actions should have been.Tales of Argosa is very much an old school game but it’s not a retro-clone. Nor is it simple a distillation of modern mechanics which has old-school potency brought to the fore. It’s familiar, while being its own thing, and I love it. Check out Tales of Argosa if you’re looking for a game that’s fast and dangerous, but where the characters also aren’t overly squishy. You can pick it up at <a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/479871/tales-of-argosa" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">DriveThruRPG</a>, a hard back copy costs about $45.6. ShadowdarkShadowdark is, at its core, a distillation of modern mechanics with some twists blended in to give it an old school feel. And the combination is brilliant. Torches run in real-time, so players can’t sit around dithering. Magic is roll-to-cast so a player has to question the wisdom of unleashing a spell in a particular moment. Sheets are spartan, so players need to spend more time interacting with the world instead of paging through their copious abilities. And initiative is always on, so attention seekers have to share the spotlight. I ran a Shadowdark gauntlet of zero-level characters last fall and it was amazing.Shadowdark is an excellent bridge between old school and new school play. It’s terse presentation is clear and engaging, the artwork is a perfect vibe, and everything you need is in one book. Check this game out if you want to introduce folks who have only ever played Dungeons & Dragons 5e to some old school tropes. You can pick it up from The Arcane Library for $59.00. And if you’re worried about the game being supported, not only is Kelsey Dionne creating additional content, several other creators are following suit. There are new classes, the game’s been shifted to space, and monsters abound. This game is both good and popular. And it’s well deserved. Kelsey Dionne is an amazing person. Had I run Shadowdark more this past year I may have swapped it with the next entry on this list.5. Into the OddWhen I first read <a href="https://freeleaguepublishing.com/games/into-the-odd/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Into the Odd</a> I didn’t get it. It didn’t seem there was enough to it to function as a fun game! But I returned to it later and found I was more ready to comprehend how it’s designed.The rules are so lite they can be missed with a blink! There are no to hit rolls, HP replenishes in each room, but the strength score drops when any damage taken exceeds HP and that remains. Movement is abstract. Keeping track of time is abstract. Wandering encounters help build an adventure’s fiction. And characters die, a lot. Into the Odd is a game where running and hiding from, tricking, or avoiding danger rewards a party with more dangerous spaces to investigate. Now, it’s not limited to dungeon or wilderness crawling, there are some lite rules for running a business or managing detachments of soldiers, so Into the Odd anticipates a widening experience as play continues. But it starts with crawling. And the lucky ones survive to delve a second time.Into the Odd has become a favorite one shot game because I can have players roll their characters up at the table and be off and running in minutes. If you’re looking to try out a dungeon crawler, or looking or for some excellent tables to flesh out a world, check this game out. It’s a ton of fun and a nice change of pace. You can pick it up through <a href="https://freeleaguepublishing.com/shop/into-the-odd/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Free League</a> for around $45.4. Sentinel Comics RPGI first picked up Sentinel Comics RPG when it showed up in a Prime Day sale list for a ridiculous price in 2024. Since then it’s been listed for various sale prices, even as low as $9.99. This caused me to fear the system was going to be orphaned, which proved to be true. The game’s publisher, Greater Than Games, was recently shuttered in response to the tariff crisis. This is a shame because the game is phenomenal.Sentinel comics is the first super hero game I played which felt like a comic book since the old TSR Marvel Game back in the 80s. Everything is narrative. If a player has a teleportation power and wants to use it for an attack they narrate how they do that. They don’t need a feat, there are no power points to spend, and there’s no formulas to tell people how much of an effect they can have. Instead, the player describes how they want to use their teleportation power, connects it to a quality the character has, and then adds in their current status. Each of these elements has a die assigned to them and, if a character does a “basic action” they use the middle value as the result. If they use one of their abilities, which are ways characters may use powers which have a bit of guidance, they use the dice that ability indicates. It really fast.But what makes Sentinel Comics RPG shine is how barriers to success are dealt with. If a character is faced with any obstacle—a forcefield, a hostage being held, some bystanders standing under a falling building—they must be dealt with through an Overcome action. To deal with the obstacle the collected dice are rolled, and the result is read. But the way the results are designed means players will often have to accept a twist to be successful in the attempted action. A character might teleport through a forcefield, for example, not knowing that it was keyed to their dimensional signature. The character succeeds passing through barrier but it shocks them as they pass through and now they are hindered for a turn or two. The Overcome action is the heart of Sentinel Comics RPG.If you enjoy Super Hero RPGs pick up Sentinel Comics RGP while you still can! As of this writing it’s on a fire sale for $20 at <a href="https://www.greaterthangames.com/products/sentinel-comics-the-roleplaying-game-core-rulebook" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Greater than Games</a>. Amazon also still has the excellent GM kit on sale for $25. The GM screen alone is worth it.3. EZD6EZD6 is a game of gonzo fun, present danger, and ridiculous moments. DM Scotty, who is the brains behind the game, designed it because he wanted a game that didn’t need math. It really is easy, I can have people versed in the rules in a few minutes, and if we forget anything during the briefing we can just tackle it when the situation arises.For all its simplicity, however, character creation is fun. Different inclinations give the character a leg up in certain situations, hero paths grants some boons and abilities, and character aspects help flesh out their personality. Scotty has also created some additions to the system, including a full post-apocalyptic version, which extends the core ideas while keeping the simplicity intact. He’s currently working on a horror version, which I was able to play in, and it’s awesome.If you want a game that is “grab and go” and sets the players imaginations free, EZD6 is a game I recommend. I love it. You can pick up a hardback/pdf combo at <a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/397599/ezd6-core-rulebook" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">DriveThruRPG</a> for around $25.2. Cypher System/NumeneraImagine a game where all the crunch was done before the roll. Everything in the game has a level, to make the level beatable players apply skills, spend points from their pools to give extra effort, or utilize a tool they have at their disposal. Once the final number is reached, it’s multiplied by 3, and that’s the target on a d20. Oh, and it can be played with any genre and in any setting, with minimal tweaks to the core system.That’s Cypher System, and it’s amazing. Right now I’m using it to run a lunchtime super hero campaign once a month and have run a couple fantasy-themed one shots as well. I’m also looking forward to testing out more genres using Cypher System in the near future.The <a href="https://callmepartario.github.io/og-csrd/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Cypher System Reference Document</a> contains all the mechanical information you need to run the game, and that includes their “white spine” genre books. So you can dive in to Cypher without having to lay down any cash if you want (but the books are beautiful, and look wonderful on a shelf). Cypher’s publisher, Monte Cook Games, also has some distinct IPs which are not found in the reference document. The best known of these set a billion years in the future in the Ninth World. <a href="https://numenera.com" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Numenera</a> is science fantasy at its finest. The world is a weird mix of high technology and mediaeval fantasy. The game is set just as civilization is growing back from whatever caused the last world to collapse, an unknown number of years ago, and there are hints everywhere that the current batch of humans haven’t been around on the planet all that long. My campaign’s been going on for just about two years and I love the weird things the party encounters.If you want a flexible system with fast mechanics that’s designed to be narrative forward, check out Cypher System. The <a href="https://www.montecookgames.com/store/product/cypher-system-rulebook-2/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">core rulebook</a> is about $77 for the hardback and PDF. For Numenera I recommend the two book box set, which costs about $130 for the book/PDF combo. There are also some starter sets for both systems, which can be found on <a href="https://www.montecookgames.com/store/?s=starter+set&post_type=product" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Monte Cook Games’ web site</a>. These cost around $30.1. Dragonbane<a href="https://freeleaguepublishing.com/games/dragonbane/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Dragonbane</a> is one of the first products Free League sent me as a review copy, but that’s not why it’s on the top spot of this list. It’s in the top spot because Dragonbane is amazing. In fact, I love this game so much I’ve picked up a copy of the box set to give to one my friends.Sometimes people will call the Dragonbane box set a “starter set,” because that’s what most box sets are these days, but that’s a misnomer. The Dragonbane box set is the entire game. It includes the full rulebook, blank character sheets, creature and character standees, some pre-generated characters so a group can dive right in, a full adventure book, a reversible battle map on which terrain can be placed (but it is paper, don’t draw on it), and a set of lovely emerald-green translucent dice. And how much does this cornucopia of TTRPG goodness cost? The <a href="https://freeleaguepublishing.com/shop/dragonbane/dragonbane-core-set/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">core set</a> can be purchased for about $56!Why do I love Dragonbane? Well, it’s a skill based system with roll-under mechanics. Magic is rare, but powerful, and combat is fast and dangerous. The game is fair, but it’s unforgiving if players don’t learn to make good choices. Also, monsters are both unpredictable and deadly. All this combines to create a game where negotiation needs to be on the table whenever possible, and retreat needs to be an option. That might not sound fun to folks who are used to a “clear the room” mentality, but I have so much fun seeing what my group gets into. They’ve befriended a troll, gotten swept up into an ancient conflict, and have forgotten that they are just a bunch of armed people and have no actual authority to do any of the things they do.They’re even beginning to learn how to keep their party alive, well…most of them.If you want to try something that scratches a fantasy itch, has players roll the familiar d20, but which also breaks away from concepts like armor class or hit point bloat Dragonbane is a terrific go to. My group has been playing it ever since our Basic Fantasy RPG campaign wrapped up and it’s a ton of fun.<a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/dming/" target="_blank">#DMing</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/dnd/" target="_blank">#DnD</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/dungeons-dragons/" target="_blank">#DungeonsDragons</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/dungeons-and-dragons/" target="_blank">#dungeonsAndDragons</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/fantasy/" target="_blank">#fantasy</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/gaming/" target="_blank">#gaming</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/gming/" target="_blank">#GMing</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/review/" target="_blank">#Review</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/role-playing-game/" target="_blank">#RolePlayingGame</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/rpg/" target="_blank">#RPG</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/ttrpg/" target="_blank">#TTRPG</a>

DM TalesWe Play Different GamesThis is random TTRPG Thoughts <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/80/" target="_blank">#80</a> Written July 3, 2025I am three days away from Sabbatical, tomorrow is July 4th, and Senator Murkowski of Alaska voted for a bill she knows will hurt Americans across the country but because she got some treats for Alaska its fine if the rest of the country burns. I’ve got a headache and the “stop shoving your politics down my throat” folks are already complaining. But I’ve got coffee and my brain is sparking into gear. These are random TTRPG thoughts.<ol><li>Reading <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-elusive-shift-jon-peterson/1136703966?ean=9780262360944" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">The Elusive Shift</a> is becoming more and more fascinating. It also makes me even less interested in all the arguments about dice fudging, theater kid slurs, grognard insults, and the “proper way” a campaign should be run. Why? Because it seems like no one has said anything new about any of these topics since the 70s. I’ll still end up participating in this endless cycle of pontification, I’m sure. I’m human and that’s apparently what we do. But I’ll only end up boring myself.</li><li><a href="https://cypher-system.com" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Cypher System</a> is going to have a revision that will be released in the middle of next year. I’m rather interested in what will be revised, and they have promised current books will still be usable, but a lot of folks in the cypher community are biting their metaphorical nails. I empathize with them. I mean, I’ve been back in the hobby only since 2020 and haven’t had to deal with an edition change (I don’t run 5e so the 2025 edition isn’t something with which I have experience). I don’t think the new Cypher System book will be an entire new edition, but past scars are difficult to forget. I mean, I’m a Philly sports fan, I get that.</li><li>I was able to interview <a href="https://landofeem.com" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Land of Eem</a>’s Ben Costa and James Parks the other week and it was a wonderful conversation. Ben and James are great guys, and they have a new <a href="https://www.backerkit.com/c/projects/exalted-funeral/land-of-eem/updates/24275?ref=bk-noti-project-update-24275" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">crowd funding campaign under way</a> which touts a simplified version of the game for kids and the game’s first expansion! Check it out!</li><li>I try to not be binary about the vast majority of existence, but there are two types of people in the world. Those who understand that building a concentration camp in a swamp makes you the bad guys, and those who are wrong.</li><li>Free League’s Summer sale has started! Go <a href="https://us3.campaign-archive.com/?u=2dcfb24fb7c8d0fb9c2f52040&id=a18aaba08f" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">check it out</a> because they put out some amazing stuff and their discounts are steep.</li><li>Over the last week I’ve had several folks bring up the idea that role-playing games are “escapist.” They didn’t mean anything bad by it, they were just pointing out that when life seems bleak it’s good to have a space to go and forget about it for a while with friends. And, you know, that is not a bad thing and I both appreciate how needed those spaces are and that TTRPGs can fill it. But I also don’t think RPGs aren’t quite as escapist as some folks think they. Why is that? Well, the game emerges from our own personalities. There’s always a small bit of ourselves in the characters we play (which is true even for GMs and their NPCs)—and that’s true for everyone from story-minded role-players to the most meticulous of min-maxers. We can never escape from ourselves but we can, either by deliberate action or instinct, explore who we are. Just remember, I’m an introvert so I get excited by weird stuff like that.</li><li>As I was reading The Elusive Shift last night a thought emerged in my brain which I’d understood for a while but never articulated. Folks in this hobby do not play the same game, even if we’re using the same system. That’s because the game emerges from the group’s engagement with the world, and what exists in the world is a function of the GMs focus and tendencies. So, we can play a game of <a href="https://www.thearcanelibrary.com/pages/shadowdark" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Shadowdark</a>, <a href="https://numenera.com" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Numenera</a>, <a href="https://www.ezd6.com" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">EZD6</a>, or <a href="https://freeleaguepublishing.com/games/dragonbane/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Dragonbane</a>—but we never play |Shadowdark|, |Numenera|, |EZD6|, or |Dragonbane|. Now, there’s overlap between our games, it’s why we can play at open tables or conventions and people can have a good time, but we do not play the same games. I find that both liberating and humbling.</li><li>Have you ever had a week where you want to run a game, but you’re kinda fried and can’t even consider running your on-going campaign? That’s where I am this week. I don’t have the energy to prep for my regular Dragonbane campaign so I’m offering to run a simple pick up and play game, instead. I find running new systems invigorates me and helps motivate me to get back to my long-form campaigns.</li><li>The alternative for tonight is to play Dave Ward’s <a href="https://www.backerkit.com/call_to_action/4770ca96-655c-4d15-83a4-23756e94c1c9/landing" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Plaguebound</a>, where I get to play my imp-like character who is not a barbarian, but acts like one. This is also a compelling option because that character is an absolute blast to play. He’s pissed at the titular plague, which destroyed his home, and attacks it with relish. Looking back at my comment about not being able to escape ourselves, this character also makes me go, “hmmmm.”</li><li>I have had some of the most wonderful comments from people on my videos lately. Folks have suggested games, offered kind words, shared their own insights, and have been kind. I do not do DM Tales for validation, because I don’t need that sort of soul-crushing pressure on my life, but experiencing kindness and appreciation from folks is a good thing. I’m also gratified that the majority of folks who pop up on DM Tales are insightful, kind, and share their joy. Because that’s the type of audience I want to attract.</li></ol><a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/dming/" target="_blank">#DMing</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/dnd/" target="_blank">#DnD</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/dungeons-dragons/" target="_blank">#DungeonsDragons</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/dungeons-and-dragons/" target="_blank">#dungeonsAndDragons</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/fantasy/" target="_blank">#fantasy</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/gaming/" target="_blank">#gaming</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/gming/" target="_blank">#GMing</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/role-playing-game/" target="_blank">#RolePlayingGame</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/rpg/" target="_blank">#RPG</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/ttrpg/" target="_blank">#TTRPG</a>

Francisco LemosThe paths of the mouse and the salamander are fated to end in bloodshed.<a href="https://dice.camp/tags/Mausritter" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Mausritter</a> <a href="https://dice.camp/tags/art" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#art</a> <a href="https://dice.camp/tags/illustration" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#illustration</a> <a href="https://dice.camp/tags/ttrpg" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#ttrpg</a> <a href="https://dice.camp/tags/ttrpgart" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#ttrpgart</a> <a href="https://dice.camp/tags/mastoart" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#mastoart</a> <a href="https://dice.camp/tags/artist" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#artist</a> <a href="https://dice.camp/tags/procreate" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#procreate</a> <a href="https://dice.camp/tags/rpg" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#rpg</a> <a href="https://dice.camp/tags/drawing" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#drawing</a> <a href="https://dice.camp/tags/draw" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#draw</a> <a href="https://dice.camp/tags/artwork" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#artwork</a> <a href="https://dice.camp/tags/npc" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#npc</a> <a href="https://dice.camp/tags/roleplayinggame" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#roleplayinggame</a> <a href="https://dice.camp/tags/osr" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#osr</a> <a href="https://dice.camp/tags/nsr" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#nsr</a>

Just Launched Games"Bygone Dreams" A Captivating Journey Through the Mists of Time. Check my quick review!<a href="https://gamepad.club/tags/BygoneDreams" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#BygoneDreams</a> <a href="https://gamepad.club/tags/SimulationGame" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#SimulationGame</a> <a href="https://gamepad.club/tags/AdventureGame" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#AdventureGame</a> <a href="https://gamepad.club/tags/RolePlayingGame" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#RolePlayingGame</a> <a href="https://gamepad.club/tags/HistoricalGame" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#HistoricalGame</a> <a href="https://gamepad.club/tags/VintageTheme" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#VintageTheme</a> <a href="https://gamepad.club/tags/ImmersiveExperience" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#ImmersiveExperience</a> <a href="https://gamepad.club/tags/indie" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#indie</a> <a href="https://gamepad.club/tags/gaming" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#gaming</a> <a href="https://gamepad.club/tags/videogaming" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#videogaming</a> <a href="https://gamepad.club/tags/videogames" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#videogames</a><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qvPYLoyK2o" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qvPYLoyK2o</a>

Francisco LemosWalnut smugglers in action.<a href="https://dice.camp/tags/Mausritter" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Mausritter</a> <a href="https://dice.camp/tags/art" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#art</a> <a href="https://dice.camp/tags/ttrpg" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#ttrpg</a> <a href="https://dice.camp/tags/illustration" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#illustration</a> <a href="https://dice.camp/tags/mastoart" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#mastoart</a> <a href="https://dice.camp/tags/artistsonmastodon" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#artistsonmastodon</a> <a href="https://dice.camp/tags/artist" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#artist</a> <a href="https://dice.camp/tags/mouse" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#mouse</a> <a href="https://dice.camp/tags/mouseguard" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#mouseguard</a> <a href="https://dice.camp/tags/ttrpgart" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#ttrpgart</a> <a href="https://dice.camp/tags/fantasy" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#fantasy</a> <a href="https://dice.camp/tags/cute" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#cute</a> <a href="https://dice.camp/tags/drawing" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#drawing</a> <a href="https://dice.camp/tags/procreate" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#procreate</a> <a href="https://dice.camp/tags/draw" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#draw</a> <a href="https://dice.camp/tags/rpg" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#rpg</a> <a href="https://dice.camp/tags/roleplayinggame" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#roleplayinggame</a>

Phil EdwardsHorrified: Dungeons & Dragons is heading our way. Details here <a href="https://www.liveforfilm.com/2025/06/23/132993/" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank">https://www.liveforfilm.com/2025/06/23/132993/</a><a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/HorrifiedDungeonsandDragons" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#HorrifiedDungeonsandDragons</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/boardgame" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#boardgame</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/Horrified" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Horrified</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/DungeonsandDragons" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#DungeonsandDragons</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/roleplayinggame" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#roleplayinggame</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/tabletopgaming" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#tabletopgaming</a>

NidonemoLast night's chill stream with Druid is up!<a href="https://youtu.be/gW4Apxlh5qw" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/gW4Apxlh5qw</a><a href="https://cyberfurz.social/tags/Nidonemo" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Nidonemo</a> <a href="https://cyberfurz.social/tags/adruidinfaerun" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#adruidinfaerun</a> <a href="https://cyberfurz.social/tags/calmgaming" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#calmgaming</a> <a href="https://cyberfurz.social/tags/calm" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#calm</a> <a href="https://cyberfurz.social/tags/relaxedgaming" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#relaxedgaming</a> <a href="https://cyberfurz.social/tags/relax" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#relax</a> <a href="https://cyberfurz.social/tags/smallstreamer" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#smallstreamer</a> <a href="https://cyberfurz.social/tags/smallstreamers" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#smallstreamers</a> <a href="https://cyberfurz.social/tags/BaldursGate3" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#BaldursGate3</a> <a href="https://cyberfurz.social/tags/BG3" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#BG3</a> <a href="https://cyberfurz.social/tags/RPG" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#RPG</a> <a href="https://cyberfurz.social/tags/RolePlayingGame" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#RolePlayingGame</a> <a href="https://cyberfurz.social/tags/furry" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#furry</a> <a href="https://cyberfurz.social/tags/furrystreamer" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#furrystreamer</a> <a href="https://cyberfurz.social/tags/fox" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#fox</a> <a href="https://cyberfurz.social/tags/foxstreamer" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#foxstreamer</a> <a href="https://cyberfurz.social/tags/streamer" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#streamer</a> <a href="https://cyberfurz.social/tags/funny" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#funny</a> <a href="https://cyberfurz.social/tags/silly" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#silly</a> <a href="https://cyberfurz.social/tags/comedy" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#comedy</a> <a href="https://cyberfurz.social/tags/sass" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#sass</a> <a href="https://cyberfurz.social/tags/sassy" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#sassy</a>

NidonemoYep we streamin' tonight at 8pm!Only on:<a href="https://www.twitch.tv/nidonemo" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank">https://www.twitch.tv/nidonemo</a><a href="https://cyberfurz.social/tags/Nidonemo" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Nidonemo</a> <a href="https://cyberfurz.social/tags/calmgaming" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#calmgaming</a> <a href="https://cyberfurz.social/tags/calm" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#calm</a> <a href="https://cyberfurz.social/tags/relaxedgaming" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#relaxedgaming</a> <a href="https://cyberfurz.social/tags/relax" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#relax</a> <a href="https://cyberfurz.social/tags/smallstreamer" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#smallstreamer</a> <a href="https://cyberfurz.social/tags/smallstreamers" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#smallstreamers</a> <a href="https://cyberfurz.social/tags/BaldursGate3" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#BaldursGate3</a> <a href="https://cyberfurz.social/tags/BG3" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#BG3</a> <a href="https://cyberfurz.social/tags/RPG" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#RPG</a> <a href="https://cyberfurz.social/tags/RolePlayingGame" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#RolePlayingGame</a> <a href="https://cyberfurz.social/tags/furry" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#furry</a> <a href="https://cyberfurz.social/tags/furrystreamer" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#furrystreamer</a> <a href="https://cyberfurz.social/tags/fox" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#fox</a> <a href="https://cyberfurz.social/tags/foxstreamer" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#foxstreamer</a> <a href="https://cyberfurz.social/tags/streamer" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#streamer</a> <a href="https://cyberfurz.social/tags/funny" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#funny</a> <a href="https://cyberfurz.social/tags/silly" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#silly</a> <a href="https://cyberfurz.social/tags/comedy" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#comedy</a> <a href="https://cyberfurz.social/tags/sass" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#sass</a> <a href="https://cyberfurz.social/tags/sassy" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#sassy</a>

SpazioGames.it🎲 Immergiti nell'epico mondo di Dungeons and Dragons: sveliamo segreti, consigli e tutto ciò che devi sapere per vivere appieno il gioco! <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/DnD" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#DnD</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/RoleplayingGame" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#RoleplayingGame</a>🔗 <a href="https://www.spaziogames.it/articoli/dungeons-and-dragons" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank">https://www.spaziogames.it/articoli/dungeons-and-dragons</a>

What Do I Know?Viewing Dragonlance Through a Daggerheart LensIn high school, every summer, I would reread the Dragonlance Chronicles and the Dragonlance Legends novels. By my senior year, I was including The Legend of Huma and Kaz the Minotaur. Considering I used to read almost every D&D related novel that came out, I used to read a lot in high school. I developed some serious feelings over these characters.Getting Dragonlance to the TableMy favorite D&D setting was the Forgotten Realms, but my favorite D&D novel series was Dragonlance. I ran several campaigns using the Dragonlance setting, but I think part of what made Faerun a better home for my games than Krynn was that none of my players had read the novels, and it was hard to translate the gravitas of certain setting elements to them. “There was no divine magic for 300 years.” “Oh, so kind of like the Time of Troubles.” “No, not at all. It was like . . . the Cataclysm.” “You’re using a tautology to explain why something in the setting is important.” No, that’s not an actual conversation I had. It just feels like I had it. I don’t know if I can even picture any of my high school friends saying tautology. That was my job. All of this might also explain why Taladas felt like it was going to be a better region of the setting for ongoing campaigns, because there was less weight being conveyed in the fiction, plus the kits did a good job of framing the various cultures. For years I wanted to run an alternate reality version of the War of the Lance, and by “alternate reality” I mean, the PCs 100% replace the Heroes of the Lance. Despite that, I also really wanted to see what players would do with the iconic characters in the iconic campaign of the setting. Because one of the foundational trilogies of the setting is about time travel and potential alternate realities, Dragonlance always felt a little like a superhero setting in that manner, where playing a game where history unfolded differently but started in a similar manner felt completely in line with the setting.Alternate Reality/Alternate Game EngineBecause I have opinions about these characters and an emotional connection to them, I often think about them when I look at a new fantasy game system, especially if those games include classes/archetypes that at least partially line up to D&D conventions. That brings us (finally) to what I wanted to talk about. Within Daggerheart, I created the Heroes of the Lance. I did this in Demiplane, which is important for reasons I’ll get to. I’m going to include links to each of the characters, because it would be a lot to include them all in the post in their entirety.General Conversion NotesI’m trying to avoid doing too many rules tweaks. I want to see if I can make satisfying versions of the characters without creating house rules for the game. That doesn’t mean I may not make some choices informed by the setting (like not giving Raistlin much in the way of Splendor versus Codex domain cards). There are a few things I may go back and tweak, because I was being a little more literalist than I need to be. For example, I can give Raistlin better armor by re-flavoring that armor as warded robes. There were many examples of wizard robes in the novels that were cited as having protective runes and sigils on them, and very few rules have ever been added to the official D&D material to reflect what those robes actually did, other than saying just assuming standard D&D magic robes reflect what was being described. There are a few classes that get overtly magical abilities that I’m going to squint and treat as just extreme talent. That’s a big deal with the rogue, especially. Some characters might have benefited from multi-classing, even if they weren’t in D&D rules, but rules as written, you can’t multi-class in Daggerheart until 5th level, and I picked 3rd level as a better feeling of where the Heroes of the Lance were at the beginning of Dragons of Autumn Twilight.I renamed a lot of Domain Cards for flavor, but I feel like it was less necessary for the Domain Cards than it was for basic equipment. For example, Flint traditionally carries an axe and shield. Battle axes default to two handed weapons in Daggerheart, and the only one handed axe is a magic weapon. In Daggerheart, that doesn’t mean a starting character wouldn’t have it. It just means that it should be taken by classes that more overtly use weapons that do magic damage instead of physical damage. But all we really need is a one handed weapon that does physical damage and uses strength as the trait used to attack with it. That means we give Flint a mace and call it a one handed axe.This isn’t really a hack, because the core rules mention that things like weapons are examples to be described as needed, and gives examples in the text. Axes and maces don’t do slashing and bludgeoning damage, they both do physical damage in Daggerheart, so there is no reason not to call a mace a one handed axe.The Heroes of the Lance, as traditionally presented, are really fighter heavy. Tanis, Flint, Caramon, and Sturm are all fighters. That means even if we make some of them Guardians and some of them Warriors, one or both classes is going to have to support multiple characters to make them distinct.There was one last thing about the conversion process that was interesting to me. There are no Communities that reflect growing up in a crossroads town, or even a rural community. These both feel like they would be natural additions to the Community offerings, and while many people are excited about new Domains and new cards for existing Domains, I really hope we see a few more Communities. Despite that, it’s not too hard to find communities that fit with some aspect of how various characters were raised, so it’s not a major sticking point.<a href="https://app.demiplane.com/nexus/daggerheart/character-sheet/50cacccb-3779-4fd6-b5cd-47d5b4085621" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Tanis Half-Elven</a>Tanis may have been the biggest challenge of these characters. The wisest sage of all Dragonlance gaming interpretation, Cam Banks, has mentioned that Tanis really should have a class like Marshal/Warlord to reflect his role in the story, but classes like that aren’t always core to various editions of D&D, especially versions that officially translate Dragonlance. I thought of trying to make Tanis into a Bard to reflect his ability to inspire others, but since multi-classing doesn’t come into play until 5th level, a 3rd level Tanis using Bard abilities would have to be only a Bard, and it’s really hard to make a Tanis that feels like Tanis by using the Domain Cards available to Bards up through 3rd level. Codex abilities are pretty overtly magical, and while you can pretty easily describe a lot of Grace Domain abilities as more mundane, Tanis really wasn’t exceptionally good at lying, or able to dazzle foes with his words. He was just good at inspiring and directing his friends.In the end, I went with Call of the Brave Warrior for Tanis. There are a few Domain Cards that deal with bolstering allies, so this was a good fit for Tanis. It’s interesting to note that I thought Tanis was going to be a character that leaned hard into Presence, and I gave him a good score in that Trait, but one of the big Domain Cards you can use to direct others, Strategic Approach, runs on Knowledge. So Tanis has as much Knowledge as he has Presence. I don’t think that strains my concept of him, but it meant I wanted to make sure that some characters had their primary defining trait bump just a wee bit above other characters. For example, I felt like I needed to make sure Raistlin still had a higher Knowledge than Tanis.<a href="https://app.demiplane.com/nexus/daggerheart/character-sheet/36ac3d5d-ea03-4d00-b2a8-4edc69d69e4a" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Flint Fireforge</a>I thought Flint was going to be a kind of boring conversion, but I had a little more fun playing with things we know about Flint than I expected. I made Flint into a Vengeance Guardian, because he holds a grudge, and he’s the father figure to the group, and it makes sense to give him the combatant option about protecting others. I leaned toward giving Flint abilities that spent stress. This is going to be a little morbid, but knowing that Flint’s time on Krynn is going to be brought to an end by his heart failing him, pushing his stress to keep going kind of felt appropriate. The one ability that directly boosts his allies is one that triggers on a Long Rest, which feels appropriate. Flint isn’t boosting others in a fight or inspiring them. He sits around the fire and asks Tanis what’s bothering him.<a href="https://app.demiplane.com/nexus/daggerheart/character-sheet/32962385-0a31-4619-8e24-b0d031b1506b" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Tasslehoff Burrfoot</a>Tasslehoff was one of the trickier Companions to translate to Daggerheart. Part of that revolves around the idea that Rogues in Daggerheart are usually willingly, intentionally good at crime, often in ways that imply organized crime organizations, or they are supernatural assassin types. Neither of these paradigms fit Tasslehoff, but no other class really makes sense, because the Rogue is still the class for doing sneaky stuff unnoticed.Here’s some of my logic for the choices I made for Tasslehoff. One of his abilities gives him the ability to Enrapture a target. Rather than being so charming, my thought on this is that when Tasslehoff gets going on an Uncle Trapspringer story, either people are trying to keep up with the twists and turns of the story, or having their eyes glaze over at the sheer number of details and speed of the pacing. One of Tasslehoff’s abilities makes him Invisible, but D&D 2024 has already retrained my brain to read “invisible” as, “you constantly just happen not to look at someone or something” as opposed to actually being invisible. He’s just that good at sneaking around. Troublemaker was the easiest of the abilities I picked for Tasslehoff. Stressing out an opponent by taunting them is perfect for the standard kender taunting ability. Pick and Pull was another easy choice. Yes, he’s good at picking locks and picking pockets. Deft Deceiver is all about being a good liar, and Tasslehoff isn’t a deceptive person, but I think this works for him being so convinced that he really didn’t take something from your pouch that maybe you believe him too?Halfling works well to stand in for Kender as an Ancestry. The Luckbringer ability matches Tasslehoff’s ability to accidentally do exactly what the party needs him to do well in his story role. <a href="https://app.demiplane.com/nexus/daggerheart/character-sheet/81969fce-6a30-4950-a587-e9e29683f52d" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Sturm Brightblade</a>It’s easy to picture Sturm as a Warrior, but when you have to choose between Warrior and Guardian, Guardian is very tempting. I leaned into Warrior only because Sturm has a general desire to protect, but not as much of a personal drive within the Companions to protect any specific person, the way characters that I gave Guardian to may have. Call of the Slayer sounds more bloodthirsty than Sturm’s demeanor, but I think when you look at Call of the Slayer versus Call of the Brave, which I gave Tanis, I think Call of the Slayer works for someone drilled to fight in very specific ways, passed down through his family.Orderborne may have been the easiest Community to assign to any of these characters. Even spending most of his childhood in Solace, Sturm had Solamnic values drilled into him. Picking three sayings or values to call on in the game is just screaming for you to write “Est Solarus oth Mithas” on your character sheet. I also had fun renaming Sturm’s Domain Cards to sound like values that would be outlined in the Measure.<a href="https://app.demiplane.com/nexus/daggerheart/character-sheet/a667c964-b72f-41d9-b7e9-700e78bfb9c6" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Caramon Majere</a>The biggest challenge to making Caramon is that spellcheckers keep wanting to rename him “Cardamom Marjoram.” Once you come to an agreement with your spellcheckers dictionary, the next step is to decide on Warrior versus Guardian. In the end, I went with Stalwart Guardian, because at his core in Dragons of Autumn Twilight, Caramon is about protecting Raistlin above anything else. It was really easy to find abilities that made it feel like Caramon is throwing people around, bashing their heads together, and barreling through opponents. While you can rename weapons, it made sense to give Caramon a weapon with the broadsword’s traits, but then let him use Strength to attack with it. Caramon, like his brother, is a character I felt needed to be a little better at his defining trait than anyone else in the group, so he gets a +3 Strength.It’s a little outside of just converting Caramon to Daggerheart, but while it made sense to give Caramon a -1 to Knowledge, I like that the trait is Knowledge, not Intelligence. One of Caramon’s character developments by the end of the second trilogy learned that he was intentionally leaning into being “the stupid one” because he was defining himself in contrast to Raistlin. <a href="https://app.demiplane.com/nexus/daggerheart/character-sheet/68623a31-10fc-4031-81c3-f6f0db41ada6" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Raistlin Majere</a>There was never any question that Raistlin was going to be a Wizard and lean heavily on the Codex side of Domain Cards. But Raistlin is obsessed with learning new magical secrets, so why go with School of War? Because regardless of his interest in learning every magical secret he could find, Caramon and Raistlin were raised by their older sister Kitiara, who was a mercenary, and worked as a mercenary with his brother while away from the Companions. It also fits with Raistlin’s major trait. For all of his ruined health, Raistlin survives. Face Your Fear just feels exactly like something Raistlin should have. Being more dangerous when things feel the most dire? If you assume that also means doing extra damage just out of spite, that Raistlin right there.I didn’t mention this under Caramon’s entry, but I gave Caramon and Raistlin the Slyborne Community. I mentioned above that there isn’t really a good Community for representing the crossroads that is Solace, but I think Slyborne works for Caramon and Raistlin’s upbringing. Caramon mentioned Kit taught them how to fight, but also how to kick someone when they were down. The Scoundrel ability works well for sussing out someone’s less admirable motivations and finding a place to catch your breath when people want to kill you, which leans into Raistlin’s survivability. And if you want to argue that Caramon wasn’t as wary as other people as Raistlin . . . Caramon always knew exactly how his brother felt about him and buried that knowledge. Some of the “standard” weapons in Daggerheart just do magic damage, because thematically, people using those items are throwing magic around. Even though Raistlin didn’t directly use the Staff of Magius to fire off spells from the staff, it still doesn’t feel wrong to give him a staff that does magic damage as his primary weapon, and flavor it as him just using the Staff of Magius as a spellcasting focus.I’m trying not to just go into how many Wizard abilities are perfect for portraying Raistlin, because, well, that’s just means the class is functioning as expected. I had a ridiculous amount of time renaming the books referenced on the Domain Cards, and that really helps to underscore the feel of the Wizards of High Sorcery. When he picks up more cards after exploring Xak Tsaroth, it’s a perfect excuse to rename another book to represent the spellbooks of Fistandantalus that he gets from Bupu. I leaned a little away from Splendor Domain Cards, although they worked for throwing some Fistandantalus spiritual manipulation into the mix. Because of the setting itself, I took Healing Hands and Mending Touch off the table. Reassurance was great for Raistlin, but not as reassurance. It felt like a good stand in for those times when Tanis would ask Raistlin would give him the worst-case scenario. I complain about Raistlin eating up so much of the word count of the novels as the series wore on, and I just did the same thing. Damn you Raistlin.<a href="https://app.demiplane.com/nexus/daggerheart/character-sheet/8fb6e641-7a17-4652-9283-e16a1139cbf4" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Riverwind</a>Riverwind is right up there with Drizzt for D&D novel rangers that don’t do what the current edition of D&D assumes rangers will be doing. It’s not that the class feels like a poor fit, it just does so much more, and in so many supernatural ways, that the class can do. Back when I was in a game playtesting the earlier version of the Daggerheart rules, I mentioned that I really like how the Daggerheart ranger feels flexible enough to portray a lot of divergent concepts that surround the concept of a ranger, that focuses on being a survivor and a hunter, and can lean more or less supernatural. That’s good for finding some abilities that feel right for Riverwind.One of the important elements of Riverwind’s backstory was surviving an onslaught of things trying to kill him when he first found the Blue Crystal Staff. The Daggerheart ranger has a lot of “you’re going to have to fight hard to kill me” abilities. Yeah, I know, “where was that survivability when Onyx first showed up?” Hey. Onyx is the first dragon we get to see in the books, and we needed to see the upper end of what the Blue Crystal Staff can do. Sorry for the digression. <a href="https://app.demiplane.com/nexus/daggerheart/character-sheet/8af3c7a9-968d-4f9f-bd1b-e0e38a70a463" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Goldmoon</a>The irony about Goldmoon is that it’s more difficult to build a more generic D&D cleric in Daggerheart than it is to build Goldmoon at the beginning of Dragons of Autumn Twilight. I made her a Divine Wielder Seraph, because there isn’t a much better example of a divinely powered character that uses a weapon granted by their god. There is also a staff in the equipment section that uses Instinct for its attack Trait and does magic damage, and that works really well for the Blue Crystal Staff.How will this play as Goldmoon moves past, discovering the Disks of Mishakal, when she isn’t carrying the Staff anymore? Honestly, if I was running this as a campaign, I’d be fine with Goldmoon manifesting a magical “echo” of the staff when she needs to have it. It’s not what happened in the books, but it also doesn’t feel drastically wrong. Since we’re just looking at the Heroes of the Lance and Dragons of Autumn Twilight, I don’t have to figure out Elistan or Crysania in Daggerheart, and you can’t make me (but I probably will eventually).I enjoy giving Goldmoon the Highborne Community to represent her regal bearing as a princess of the Que-Shu. This personality trait gets obscured by her faith and her relationship with Riverwind, but it’s definitely there, and it’s nice having a mechanical reminder of it.The River of TimeAm I going to run the War of the Lance storyline using Daggerheart? Almost certainly not. Do I want to see if I can make a Campaign Frame that captures what I was trying to do with some of these characters and latches on to what is unique about the setting? Yes, I want to do that. I would also like to make a few signature adversaries, like Draconians, and maybe get some people together not to run all the way through the adventures, but maybe to play some key scenes from the books, like the wicker dragon encampment or the confrontation with Onyx.While it was tricky to convert some characters, it felt less like the rules were fighting me, which I have felt in other game systems when I try to do similar conversions, and more like I needed to twist and turn game elements and connect them at different points before I got a solid feel for what the story would feel like at the table, rather than literally what every game element says it is. Daggerheart feels like it’s going to be a good, flexible game for heroic fantasy roleplaying to emulate a lot of inspirations. Like any game, I’m sure it’s going to be more or less suited for different stories, and I ran into a few tricky elements in this conversion, even though I think Dragonlance is probably closer to Daggerheart’s core competencies than some other settings might be. But I think Daggerheart’s strength is going to be that it’s better at making a setting that feels like Dragonlance than literally being Dragonlance. I look forward to more tinkering. I know I haven’t been plowing through content recently, but if you still want to help me maintain the blog and continue to look at lots of different RPG content, you can pick up some of these items via my affiliate links below. Thanks! <ul><li><a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/498979/daggerheart-nexus-pdf?affiliate_id=63392" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Daggerheart Nexus + PDF</a></li><li><a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/464024/the-journals-of-kaz-the-minotaur-the-lost-colony?affiliate_id=63392" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">The Journals of Kaz the Minotaur: The Lost Colony</a> </li><li><a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/442499/dragonlance-shadow-of-the-dragon-queen-roll20-vtt?affiliate_id=63392" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Shadow of the Dragon Queen (Roll20)</a> </li><li><a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/3164/war-of-the-lance-3-5?affiliate_id=63392" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">War of the Lance (3.5)</a> </li><li><a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/3252/legends-of-the-twins-3-5?affiliate_id=63392" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Legends of the Twins (3.5)</a> </li><li><a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/12639/dragons-of-autumn-3-5?affiliate_id=63392" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Dragons of Autumn (D&D 3.5)</a> </li><li><a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/219096/dragonlance-classics-15th-anniversary-edition-2e-saga?affiliate_id=63392" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Dragonlance Classics (15th Anniversary Edition)</a> </li><li><a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/16960/time-of-the-dragon-2e?affiliate_id=63392" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Time of the Dragon (2e)</a></li></ul><a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://whatdoiknowjr.com/tag/daggerheart/" target="_blank">#Daggerheart</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://whatdoiknowjr.com/tag/dnd/" target="_blank">#dnd</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://whatdoiknowjr.com/tag/dragonlance/" target="_blank">#Dragonlance</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://whatdoiknowjr.com/tag/fantasy/" target="_blank">#fantasy</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://whatdoiknowjr.com/tag/gaming/" target="_blank">#gaming</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://whatdoiknowjr.com/tag/roleplaying-game/" target="_blank">#RoleplayingGame</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://whatdoiknowjr.com/tag/rpg/" target="_blank">#rpg</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://whatdoiknowjr.com/tag/tabletop-roleplaying/" target="_blank">#TabletopRoleplaying</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://whatdoiknowjr.com/tag/ttrpg/" target="_blank">#ttrpg</a>

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