Adventurers Wanted
One of the most exciting moments in any new RPG is the start of a new campaign: you have a new world, new characters, and a new story full of excitement and possibility. You have gathered your party and are ready to begin your saga, each adventure more exciting than the last, with challenges around… Continue reading Balancing Act: Campaign Prep
D&D has a lot of options for customizing a character with different abilities and personality traits, but not as much as far as built-in mechanics go for role-playing said character. At the end of the day, D&D was originally a monster hunting/sword and sorcery game that eventually adopted a more narrative focus in the most… Continue reading Game Mechanics: Character Growth and Social Engagement
There are a LOT of rules in D&D and other TTRPGs, so the thought of adding more rules and stipulations doesn't exactly seem enticing...but if you've followed this blog for a while you'll know that our approach to the game is a bit more fluid. I'm not a fan of sticking strictly to the book,… Continue reading House Rules
It's time for another Iyastera lore post!! This one details a criminal network within Tashkil-- perfect goes for those cunning and resourceful party Rogues (or College of Whispers Bards) who like to have connections across the kingdoms. The Shabaka is a network of thieves and information brokers in Tashkil, are used by politicians and nobles… Continue reading Factions of Iyastera: The Shabaka
On Monday, I had the absolute pleasure of meeting Adam J. from Game to Grow, a Seattle-based organization devoted to helping children develop healthy inter- and intrapersonal skills through therapeutic RPGs! Adam and co-founder Adam (yes, they're both named Adam) embarked on this journey back in 2013 when they decided to combine their experiences in… Continue reading D&D for Kids: Game to Grow
I've always loved studying different myths and folktales from around the world, and learning how these beliefs in the supernatural, magical, and divine help to shape our understanding of the world around us. Games like D&D offer a unique opportunity to explore these different perspectives within worlds where gods and powerful beings can reach out… Continue reading Worldbuilding: “By the Gods!”
There are a lot of different opinions and interpretations of character alignment in the RPG world and just as many ways to use it in your game! Some groups use it as a definitive compass for how their characters will handle situations, while others see it as more of a flexible guideline. Some groups don't… Continue reading D&D for Kids: Alignment
Hey Scribblers! As always, thank you for your support and patience this past week or so...as you may have noticed, I had to put some posts and projects on hold as I was finishing up a school paper-- to make it up to you, I want to give you guys a sneak peak into some… Continue reading Update Time: Sneak Previews
How much do I love RPGs? Let me count the ways...I love the role-playing, the sense of community, the exploration and storytelling...but let's be real here. One of the most exciting things in D&D is, without a doubt, the loot!! It's a great way to reward your players, help balance out a party and make… Continue reading D&D for Kids: Roll for Loot
Hello Adventurers! This post is the first in a series of Campaign Diaries for our Heroes of Iyastera family campaigns! The story will be told in a series of journal entries and letters from the people the adventurers meet during their travels. To begin, here are two entries from Merrick, the innkeeper at the Dancing… Continue reading Campaign Diaries: A strange sickness