Tag Archives: design

RPG Confessions: Experience points (XP)

Posted on June 2, 2023 by Joseph

So. I don’t care about XP. Just… at all. Some folks express concern about getting XP at an appropriate rate. And look, I get it. Whatever system you play, there are probably rules about how to get XP and how … Continue reading →

Posted in rambles | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

RPG Confessions: Too much loot

Posted on May 31, 2023 by Joseph

So. I don’t believe an adventure can have too much treasure in it. Some folks express concern when an adventure has too many treasures in it. Specifically, too many magic items. Perhaps they see the loot in each dungeon room, … Continue reading →

Posted in rambles | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

RPG Confessions: Over-powered treasure

Posted on May 26, 2023 by Joseph

So. I don’t believe in over-powered, “game-breaking” treasure. There is no such thing. Some folks express concern when an adventure has certain types of magic items. For example, magic armor that makes the wearer immune to fire… at Level 1. … Continue reading →

Posted in rambles | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

D&D Experiment: Faster combat by skipping the monsters

Posted on July 10, 2021 by Joseph

I run a 5E campaign, and while I really like to create monsters and combat scenarios for my players, I don’t like dealing with monster stat blocks or adjudicating all the rules and rolls that happen during a combat encounter. … Continue reading →

Posted in rambles | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Fangs of Vulgoth: Lessons Learned

Posted on June 28, 2021 by Joseph

This last campaign ran for 17 sessions over about 6 months, from level 5 to the end of level 7. We started with 5 players and ended with 6! No one died, though we came close a bunch of times. … Continue reading →

Posted in rambles | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Homebrew: How to beat 5E’s CR and design better monsters

Posted on March 27, 2021 by Joseph

I’m running a Fifth Edition campaign (see “Nemesis Queens”), and we are having a lot of fun. But as the DM, I am struggling more and more to run combat. The players are all level 6 now, so they have … Continue reading →

Posted in homebrew | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments