My copy of the Shadowdark RPG has arrived. I've had the PDF for a few days. I ordered the hardcover book from The Arcane Library website and got the digital version immediately so as to tide me over and quench my curiosity. To put my feelings right up front; I really like this product. I like the idea behind it, the feel of the book, the look of the art, and the presentation of this particular flavor of 5e. It's very nicely done. This book presents a game that is very much classic fantasy roleplaying. Dungeon exploration is the main course, but there's rules here that extend that feel beyond the catacombs and into a world that meshes together nicely. This whole product gives me the feels that I had when I was first running and playing D&D in junior high. The players are adventurers on an adventure. They might become heroes, but they are not assumed to be heroes from the get go. They'll need to face the horrors in the dark and survive those horrors before they get ...

I'm still working through season 2, so no spoilers. Please. Today, I picked up copy of the roleplaying game based on the podcast, Old Gods of Appalachia. This a horror podcast written by Cam Collins and Steve Shell that debuted on October 31, 2019. The show is produced by DeepNerd Media and is distributed by Rusty Quill. If you care about that kind of stuff, I'm not sure I do. Anyway, the podcast was adapted into a role-playing game by Monte Cook Games. I really like the podcast, the ideas behind the stories, and Monte Cook Games tend to make pretty good stuff, so I have high hopes. I've been looking at this particular copy of the game for several months. Today, it decided to come home with me. Each episode of the podcast uses a combination of narration and audio drama to tell historical fiction stories based on Appalachian folklore. The stories are original fiction that draws on a mix of history and folk tales for inspiration and address strange things from witchcraft to t...

In January, I started running a monthly Dungeons & Dragons game for some friends on the other side of the state. It's a 2 hour drive, but we run for 5-6 hours and share a meal afterwards, so it turns out to be a full day and makes the hours in the car bearable. I love running the game, building the world, and complicating their story. And they've all been a joy at the table, but getting everyone around the table has been the usual hassle. In 12 months we've missed three sessions and lost one player. Worse, from my point of view, is that outside the game getting input or interaction from them is just an exercise in frustration. To meditate this I started looking for other games to join locally. Meetup has been very helpful for this. In July I joined an ongoing D&D campaign at the game store. In August I joined another at the bookstore. I found two other groups in September. And while the Delta Green game was short lived, I did join a Traveller game afterward. As the ...

With most of these books I listen to whatever is relevant to me at the moment, but this one I listened straight through and found it full of good ideas, solid advice, and juicy things to pull on my players. Good stuff. How to Defend-Your Lair Publisher's summary Defend yourself and protect your assets in a lair that feels as real and alive as your monsters with advice from Keith Ammann, author of The Monsters Know What They’re Doing: Combat Tactics for Dungeon Masters. The world is a dangerous place—especially when you’re up to no good. Whether you’re a rampaging monster, a calculating mastermind, or the current possessor of the Golden MacGuffin, someone’s going to come at you. Probably more than one someone. You can’t know when, but you can choose where. You need to be ready. You need a lair. In How to Defend Your Lair, gamemaster Keith Ammann pulls back the curtain on an underrated but crucial part of any tabletop roleplaying game: the theater of battle. Say goodbye to encounters...

Seth Skorkowsky is a writer and gamer. I've only listened to one of his books on audible, but I enjoyed that, so I bought the rest of his Valducan series. I do enjoy his YouTube channel, though he talks mostly about Call of Cthulhu (a game I've never played). He also waxes poetic about other games and the hobby in general. I appreciated this one enough that I want to share it with my peeps. Just a little video on what responsibilities and expectations are required of everyone participating in a Tabletop Role-Playing group. This is good stuff. You can find his books here at  amazon