In “Midnight”– the first Tales from Iyastera one-shot— players can explore one of the many legends about the Red Queen, an immortal being who thrives upon the fervor and bloodshed of battle. Before you delve in, here’s some background lore about one of Iyastera’s most well-known deities!
Storytelling Around the World
It should come as no surprise that I love storytelling. It’s a supremely important part of the human experience that drives creativity, imagination, cultural knowledge and traditions, and helps to make sense of the world around us. Every culture around the world has its own set of traditions, from oral storytelling to dance and visual artwork. Even the elements within the stories are emphasized and communicated in a myriad of ways, beyond the method of transference itself. The more I study these different practices, the more inspiration I find for my own storytelling style…I hope you will find them inspiring as well!
Iyasteran Winter Traditions
Every culture has a set of traditions surrounding the midwinter season: it’s the darkest time of the year that we humans have been illuminating with light and life throughout history. We come together to enjoy the fruits of the harvest that we had saved for the winter, we celebrate with candles, bonfires, and twinkling lights, we bring evergreen into our homes to remind ourselves of the coming spring…and our friends in Iyastera have their midwinter rituals too! Can you guess which real-life practices inspired each kingdom’s traditions?
Animal Companions: Training Mechanics
Back in August, I wrote a post about incorporating Animal Companions (AnC) into your D&D party. I enjoyed the topic so much, I wanted to explore it further!
The Pick-Up Game
Pick-Up or Drop-In games are a common occurrence at game nights and conventions, and are a great way to build the gaming community. In fact, most of the D&D players I know were introduced to the hobby in this way, and left that first game completely hooked! Having been both a player and a GM in these types of scenarios, I know it can be intimidating to sit down with people you’ve never met before and put yourself in such a vulnerable position as role playing a new game. At first, it can feel a bit like finding a place to sit in the cafeteria at a new school (I remember that transfer student life…it’s hard to start over in an already-established social environment), but rest assured that there are others around the table that feel the same way. Once you realize that, the Pick-Up game can be one of the most rewarding ways to play!