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Reviews, OSWR development, GM advice, and everything in between.
I Can't Picture Anything, So Solo Play Should Have Been Closed To Me
My oldest daughter came in and told me she had aphantasia.
I'm Reading Every D&D Rulebook in Order. Starting From 1974.
I've had AD&D 1st Edition on my shelf for years. I've dipped into the Rules Cyclopedia more times than I can count. I've read chunks of the original books. But I've never read ever
This FREE D&D Adventure Has Everything: The Blackapple Brugh Review
This is one of my favourite Basic Fantasy adventures. The Blackapple Brugh by Kyle Hettinger—and it's free.
CY_BORG Converted Me: A Fantasy GM's Cyberpunk Awakening
CY_BORG was the BORG game I was least enthusiastic to review. Nothing against cyberpunk - I've enjoyed cyberpunk games - but it always felt like a leap too far. Learning an entire
No One Survives MÖRK BORG... And That's the Point
I bought Pirate Borg a while ago and absolutely fell in love with it. That put this idea in my head - why don't I cover all the Borgs? But if you're going to cover the Borgs, you n
Quick Update on Olde Swords Reign
Just a quick note to say I’ve decided to close the forum for Olde Swords Reign. The spam was getting out of hand, and to be honest, I just don’t have the time to stay on top of it
D&D Taught Me to Prep... Forbidden Lands Taught Me You Don't Have To
I'm running a Forbidden Lands campaign at 7:30 in the morning on Saturdays, which is ridiculous, but it's a pile of fun.
Vaesen RPG Review: Dark Folklore, Mystery, and Why You Should Play
I was unsure about this one at first. A Nordic horror RPG set in 19th century Scandinavia? Sounded niche. Now I can't wait to run it.
The Bruja, The Beast, and The Barrow: A One-Shot That Keeps Giving
Most one-shot modules are set and forget. You run them, have fun, move on. This one's different. The Bruja, The Beast, and The Barrow by Gásel gives you fodder for your entire camp
Sword of Cepheus 2nd Edition: The Sword & Sorcery RPG That Made Me Read Fafhrd
I can't normally read big PDFs on a tablet. Once you get over 100 pages, I need a physical copy. This thing is 365 pages. I read the entire thing in a weekend.
Demon Driven to the Maw: A D&D One-Shot Full of Chaos
77p on DriveThruRPG. One night of gaming that's going to be an absolute blast for you AND your players. Brad Kerr does it again.
Do Not Let Us Die: D&D Village Building in One Night
This is a bit weird. It's not a game, not an adventure, not a setting. If you took all three and mushed them together, the intersection in the middle - that's where this sits.
Imperial Vault 19: The Perfect One-Shot Adventure
A grieving widow begs you to save her baby. A hedge witch stole the infant and is using its tears to make alchemical potions. Your players will bite on that immediately.
No Artpunk Vol. 1: Free Classic D&D Adventures That Actually Work
No Artpunk is a set of competition adventures you can pick up for free. Eight modules ranging from above average to genuinely excellent. Let me show you why City of Bats is worth y
Faster Than Light: Nomad - A Sci-Fi Toolkit That Gets It Right
Stella Gamma Publishing keeps impressing me. I covered Quantum Starfarer a while back and loved it. Now they've released Faster Than Light: Nomad, and it's a beast of a book - 277
Incandescent Grottoes: Why This Module Is Perfect for Your Campaign
This is an amazing module. Play it with B/X, Old School Essentials, Basic Fantasy, or even 5e if your players understand they might actually die. Let's get into it.
Play D&D for Free: 4 Games Under a Tenner
I've wanted to do this series for a while. How to play D&D for free.
Knave 2e: The Most Value I've Ever Seen in an RPG Book
Knave Second Edition by Ben Milton. I'm a huge fan of Ben's stuff - Maze Rats is my go-to, and I've got a lot of mileage out of the original Knave.
Interview: Merry Mushmen on Hounds of Hendenburg & The Obsidian Keep
A chat with the creators behind two adventures being Kickstarted by the Merry Mushmen: Horrendous Hounds of Hendenburg by Liam Pigeon-Quinlan and Raiding the Obsidian Keep by Josep
Interview: Robert Conley on Building Sandboxes and Blackmarsh
I got the author of Blackmarsh on the channel - my favourite ever setting. Robert Conley created the free setting that changed how I think about sandbox play.
The Evils of Illmire: A Module That Does All the Heavy Lifting
The Evils of Illmire is one of the best modules out there. It's way more than a module - it's a setting you could run for months. It does every bit of heavy lifting you want, and y
Whitehack: So Much More Than a Retro Clone
Whitehack is awesome. It's so much more than a retro clone. Classes work differently to anything you've probably played. It has cool mechanics. It doesn't even need to be fantasy -
Curse of the Ganshaggr: Free, Beautiful, and Weird as Hell
A beautiful module. Free. About a killer goose. One of the most fun things I've read in a long time.
Mutant Year Zero: Why I'm Running a Mega Campaign
Mutant Year Zero is an amazing game. I've been reading through all the books and I adore them. It's not just great mechanics that make the setting come alive. It's not just a great
Echoes from Fomalhaut #1: The Writing Is Just That Good
Echoes from Fomalhaut by Gabor Lux - the same person who did Castle Xyntillan and a bunch of other adventures. He's prolific. This is a zine from the First Hungarian D20 Society, a
Woodfall: The Micro-Setting That Changed How I See RPG Design
Woodfall by Lazy Lich is one of my favourite ever products. This micro-setting changed how I saw how things could be done. I came from 5e, read this, and just went "oh my God, this
Quantum Starfarer: Traveller Without The Headache
Ever wanted to try a space combat game like Traveller but can't be bothered with all the rules? Quantum Starfarer by Stellagama Publishing takes what's fun about Traveller and stri
Hounds of Hendenburg: A Free Adventure For Your War Chest
We all have a war chest. Something you can reach into when you don't have much prepped, something really easy to run that you can pick up almost on the fly. This adventure is going
The Hole in the Oak: A Masterclass in Adventure Design
The Hole in the Oak by Gavin Norman is one of my favourite adventures. It's absolutely fantastic - and it's an absolute masterclass in how to lay out modules. Anything Gavin Norman
Desert Angel Fiasco: A One-Shot Adventure I'd Run Again Tomorrow
Desert Angel Fiasco. I love this adventure. I've run it, I've had a blast, and it's designed brilliantly for a one-shot.
The Aether Sea: Spelljammer Meets Firefly
I read this setting and fell in love with it immediately. It's tiny - written for the Fate system - but you can lift this and run it in literally any game you want.
Prison of the Hated Pretender: The Module That Teaches You to GM
I adore this module. It's amazing for running - players will have a bunch of fun in it. But what it has which I really like, and isn't done enough, is GM commentary. It doesn't jus
Fate RPG Essentials: Fiction-First Gaming in 10 Minutes
Fate has been rattling around my head lately. It's so different from what I usually run, but something about it keeps pulling me back. Let me break down what makes it tick.
The Black Wyrm of Brandonsford: The Perfect Starter Adventure
This adventure is an example of how to do it right. You don't notice how good it is until you start paying attention.
Should You Switch from 5e to OSR? A GM's Honest Take
I started with 5e. Lost Mine of Phandelver, running before I'd even played as a player. I loved it. But then I discovered the OSR and everything changed.
Hive Mind: Making Swarms Actually Scary
Swarms suck. In 5e, in Old School games - they just suck. A bee swarm is basically "a weird creature that takes up space." Boring.
Fourtower Bridge: The Perfect Free D&D Homebase
You can spend your time making a starting town. Or you can get this for free and be done in minutes.
Tomb of the Serpent King: The Best Free Starter Dungeon
The best starter dungeon. Maybe the best ever for introducing players to old school style games. It teaches your players how to be better players. It teaches you as a GM how to be
Roll Any Character You Want: The David Hoffhassle Method
David Hoffhassle was a retired actor whose last show got cancelled. He carried a shield with "Knight Industries" on it. He was one of my favourite characters ever. Let me show you
Barry's Heartbreaking Tale: The 4 Pillars in Action
Last week I talked about the 4 Pillars of sandbox prep - location, situation, motivation, and observation. This week I'm going to show you how it works in play. With a story about
Sandbox D&D Prep: The 4 Pillars of Dynamic Campaigns
I've run a bunch of sandbox campaigns - one-on-one games, group campaigns, and an open table sandbox which was probably the trickiest. This is the framework I developed to make it
Maze Rats 101: The GM Tool I Can't Live Without
This is my number one go-to GM resource. Always the first thing in my bag. I've had it close to me ever since I found it. And it's dirt cheap.
Free D&D Starter Adventures and How to Drop Them Into Blackmarsh
This is me grabbing stuff off my shelf and showing you how to throw it into Blackmarsh without overthinking anything. Three different campaign styles. Mostly free. Years of play.
Discover Blackmarsh: The Best Free D&D Setting
This is my favourite setting ever. It's free. And it's all you need to run a game for years.
The Ultimate d66 Name Generator!
It's no secret that I'm a huge fan of Maze Rats. The tables as a source of inspiration are always in my DM's kit. I love the fact that there are so few pages yet I can generate eno
I'm Giving My Game Away - Blame Basic Fantasy
Big announcement. I'm giving the game away. Olde Swords Reign is now free.
Design Unique Monsters in Minutes: The OSWR Method
I'm going to show you how I create unique, interesting monsters in minutes. Not stat blocks. Actual creatures with personality that'll challenge your players.
Olde Swords Reign: Past, Present, and Future
This video covers where Olde Swords Reign came from, where it is now, and where it's going. I've had a lot of questions about design choices and what's coming, so here's everything
Olde Swords Reign: The Complete Walkthrough
Want to know exactly what's in Olde Swords Reign before you commit? Here's the full walkthrough.