Finally some playable content! Below you can find the download link for a new class option for rangers, the Conclave of the Monkey Wrench. It is quite setting-specific, but I believe universal classes are not the way. After releasing its antithesis, the Path of the Warmachine for barbarian, I came back to finish this post.
Click the image to download the full PDF!
The Conclave of the Monkey Wrench was made with a specific scenario in mind. A more or less pre-industrial setting gets visited or outright invaded by a technologically advanced party. It might be an advanced nation from another continent (think Europeans in Earth’s modern period), aliens from another planet, or beings from other plane or dimension. The outsiders covet the local natural resources and start probing or exploiting them. Among the locals are those who would resist. Many of those would come from the nature-focused groups such as druid circles, rangers, and servants of nature deities.
The ranger of the Monkey Wrench conclave is your D&D equivalent of a noble ecoterrorist. Tree spiking, machine sabotage, escaping from pursuers. Ranger is a class that suits this role well thanks to their versatility. It only needed some anti-tech flavour.
The Conclave of the Monkey Wrench has several points of focus. First of all it aims to confront machinery. Whether in the form of various constructs or installations used for resource mining, you have advantages on dealing with them. At higher levels you also embody the reduce-reuse-recycle philosophy by creating weapons out of destroyed constructs. They should not be too powerful for a 11th level character, but might provide some needed damage variety. And the 15th level feature, Short Circuit, expands your sabotage options in multiple ways – range, scale, magnitude.
Next there is the mobility aspect. The 7th level feature lets you pull off hit and run stunts in the environment where you need it the most. Combined with spells like Jump, that are already at your ranger’s disposal, this makes for a very mobile character.
Last but not least I wanted to build this subclass a bit differently than the official ones. I didn’t want the generic combination of conclave spells and three features. The theme lends itself quite well to having a signature tool, the Monkey Wrench. The exact shape and stats can vary, you can make it into a sonic screwdriver for all I care. Just use the stats for a dagger if you need to hit something with it. The Monkey Wrench should in any case be a tool first and a weapon second. Ideally with ties to the technology you’re up against.
You can write in the comments what are your thoughts about this subclass. Would you play it? Is it playable? Let me know, and please share if you liked it!
In case you haven’t heard, Wizards of the Coast have announced in late February that a new sourcebook is in works. It will resurrect the dual plane Lorwyn-Shadowmoor from Magic: The Gathering, released back in 2007-2008. There was the Lorwyn block, comprised of Lorwyn and Morningtide, and the Shadowmoor block, consisting of Shadowmoor proper and Eventide.
I wanted to dedicate a series of articles to MtG with focus on those two blocks, but Wizards beat me to it with their announcement. There’s no release date so far, so I’ll go for it anyway and write my thoughts, expectations and speculations. I am really looking forward to the end product and wish the team behind it luck. Lorwyn-Shadowmoor is a great setting and should not be left to rot.
Lorwyn-Shadowmoor is clearly inspired by British Isle folklore. It shows in the language, themes, and aesthetic, but it was never marketed in this manner. The creators probably wanted to create a setting influenced by folklore and fairy tales, not build a setting around folklore.
In this article, hopefully first of many, I will describe some of the cosmological aspects of Lorwyn-Shadowmoor in regard to Dungeons and Dragons. There are my speculations on the place of the plane in the multiverse(s), and inevitably a quite large part on the timeline. I wanted to get these out of the way before I start writing about more specific topics, such as the various denizens of the plane.
Dual plane
Lorwyn and Shadowmoor are unique in that they’re two sides of one setting. A dual plane changing periodically because of the Great Aurora. Originally a recurring event orchestrated every few centuries by Oona, queen of the fairies.
Many such events have happened apparently, until the last one (the one we see in the MtG blocks). That one was not caused by Oona, to her great unease and discomfort, but rather brought by the Great Mending. The Great Mending is an important event in the Magic multiverse that I will not describe here. Concerning Lorwyn and Shadowmoor the fact that it happened should be enough.
Due to the dualistic nature of the setting, almost everything in Lorwyn has its darker counterpart in Shadowmoor. Lorwyn is a cozy rural fairy tale fantasy inspired by the British Isle folklore. The sun always shines there and even the storms are a made of light instead of pouring rain.
Shadowmoor is the opposite, it is always dark and hostile. It still retains the fairy tale tone, but warm and cozy is replaced with harsh and gloomy. The denizens of Shadowmoor are mostly bereft of their good sides, with their flaws amplified.
The duality of the plane is best seen when the change is part of the equation. Without the Great Aurora the plane is either an idyllic rural haven, or a folk horror darkland. Both have their merits, but a large part of the potential is lost when only one aspect is experienced.
Cosmology
What I am quite interested in is the way Wizards will handle the plane in relation to D&D cosmology. Both multiverses feature planes, but they are not connected.
MtG Multiverse
Based on the Planeshift series my guess is there will be no overlap with Lorwyn either. Rules will be given for playing D&D set in the plane, but you will be expected to act within the MtG multiverse. That’s fine in my book, it makes more sense to travel from Lorwyn to Innistrad, than jump between Lorwyn and Sigil, or one of the many worlds of the Prime Material plane.
In the Magic multiverse one thing you have to consider is that travel between the planes is not easy. Usually the power called “planeswalker’s spark” is required, and the individuals in possession of the spark are known as “planeswalkers”. It takes time and effort to master the spark, so the planeswalkers that could travel to Lorwyn should be fairly high-level.
This changes after another large event in the MtG universe, the Phyrexian Invasion of the Multiverse. One of the the results is that many planeswalkers lost their planeswalking powers. Instead, newly created portals called “omenpaths” now exist, enabling even non-planeswalkers to travel from plane to plane. So the accessibility of interplanar travel depends on your timeline, but more on that later.
D&D Multiverse
Suppose you only wanted to use Lorwyn-Shadowmoor in your campaign. You are using the “default” D&D cosmology, also known as the Great Wheel. From the outside in there are several layers of planes. The Positive and Negative planes are the outermost, then there’s the Astral plane wrapped around the Outer planes, with all the alignment-based fun stuff.
The Inner planes are encased in the Elemental chaos, then there’s the Ethereal plane, and nestled safely in the middle is the (Prime) Material plane. That’s where most of the adventures usually happen, whether it’s on Toril, Krynn, Greyhawk or what have you. Somewhere near the Prime there are the Feywild and Shadowfell, and those are the ones whose relation to Lorwyn-Shadowmoor would need to be resolved.
The Great Wheel as depicted in the Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition Player’s Handbook. All rights reserved to Wizards of the Coast and/or other respective owners.
Personally I would handle Lorwyn as a crystal sphere similar to Realmspace, or Greyspace. One heavily influenced by Feywild in the past, but perhaps cut off since then. Maybe Oona, the queen of fairies is the culprit, seeking dominion and independence in her own plane without intervention from home. That would explain both the influence and isolation, and go well with Oona’s theme of manipulative schemer. But all this depends on another detail of the D&D adaptation, and that is the timeline.
Timeline
The aspect of the plane would dictate much of the tone and play style of any prospective game. There’s actually quite a lot of possible scenarios depending on the timeline the creative team chooses. I believe it makes most sense to present readers with all of the options. They’re making a setting supplement, not a short zine, so there should be plenty of space for that. Everything depends on whether they want to set a particular scenario forth as “canon for D&D play”, or whether they want to give as much freedom as possible.
Before the blocks
The earliest and possibly largest period imaginable would be the one before the Lorwyn block. A time when the aspects were being flipped every couple of centuries by queen Oona and nothing out of the ordinary happened. Or did it?
Prequels are often used and abused by creators to fluff out already established franchises. When done right it can add depth and explain some things that were left unexplained in the original story. When overdone it can lead to the past being more crowded than the main story, and that is not always desirable.
In this scenario we would find some of the more long-lived characters from the blocks, but there would also be plenty of space for new ones. It would give the creators a lot of freedom, and they have the luxury of the Great Aurora effectively resetting almost everything. That gives a lot of leeway for even quite deep plots as long as it’s something Oona can kill with the Aurora.
Lorwyn block
The first two sets of the Lorwyn-Shadowmoor cycle are Lorwyn and Morningtide. The plane is in its bright and sunny aspect, and there is an overall playful mood throughout. The elves are the public villains, and Oona and her fairies the villains in the shadows.
I will not recount the whole story here, you can read it on the MTG Wiki if you like. Just a few remarks. Since there already is a “main story” for the Lorwyn block, there remains less of the freedom for the team working on the new D&D book.
It’s not easy to fit new stories alongside a strong existing main story. In Star Wars such things are possible thanks to the breadth of the universe. In Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings this would be more difficult. In the case of the latter there’s an amazing achievement in the form of the War in the North video game, but such feats are rare.
Shadowmoor block
Shadowmoor was introduced in the eponymous set along with Eventide. The plane has now been shifted by the Great Aurora, and it’s not for the better. Not only almost everyone lost their memories and their good sides. Oona herself is perplexed by the Aurora, as this one wasn’t her doing. In the end Oona’s chokehold on the plane was broken and a new era begins.
A lot of what was applicable to the Lorwyn block story is the same with the Shadowmoor block. There is a story and it might be difficult to squeeze in other worthwhile content without it coming off as secondary. But it can be managed and surely some groups would be able to pull off a nice campaign.
post-Shadowmoor / pre-Phyrexia
The events of the Shadowmoor block leave the plane in a new state, without the constant shifts of aspect. There are no more Great Auroras and a normal daily cycle is restored. The plane should be more or less in its Lorwyn aspect with a few remnants of Shadowmoor. That sounds like a fun mix that’s not all gloomy but still has some darker elements.
After the events of Shadowmoor and Eventide Oona has been dethroned and supplanted by Maralen, though still alive. The elf Maralen is now queen of the fairies and supposedly is going to rule differently. The fairies will probably remain mostly as they were, but we can presume the other tribes will exist in both aspects in this scenario. So we get both kind and xenophobic kithkin, playful and monstrous boggarts, despotic and virtuous elves. The extra Shadowmoor smaller tribes might also stay. It could really mean many cool options for your tabletop campaign.
If there’s only one “canon” scenario, this one would make the most sense to me. Being a sequel there’s a lot to go forth from, and no danger of retroactively stripping logic from already published materials. The only established event concerning the plane of Lorwyn is the one in the next paragraph, and that one should not cause any problems.
Phyrexian invasion
Phyrexia is MtG’s version of hell, a world of machine-and-flesh monstrosities lusting for the whole multiverse to devour and turn, or “compleat” in their own wording. There was an original Phyrexia in the older blocks, that was defeated, but not wholly eradicated. It took hold of Mirrodin (another great plane with a bunch of blocks and lots of great ideas) and transformed it into New Phyrexia, unleashing an invasion into every plane in the multiverse.
Lorwyn was not an exception, though the focus of the whole story arc was on other, more prominent planes. Lorwyn received only some fleeting mentions. Such is the fate of planes fifteen years dead to the franchise (at the time of Phyrexia: All Will Be One).
The few bits of information that we have tell us that Lorwyn was indeed invaded. There were those who fell to the lure of the Phyrexians, as we can see on the card above. Ultimately the tribes of the plane joined forces to fight back and resist the machine would-be-overlords. The invasion card art shows only elves, but we can see kithkin and presumably others joining in as well, including the wildlife.
The invasion of Lorwyn by the Phyrexians is another scenario well-suited for your D&D game. A whole campaign could be devised, starting with some early pre-invasion reconnaissance being responsible for trouble on the plane. Followed by full-scale invasion, during which perhaps the party would have some vital quest to help turn the tide. The possibilities here are again quite broad, both for the creative team and for the players.
post-invasion
After the invasion most of the planes invaded were destroyed to various extents. We know nothing of the casualties Lorwyn suffered, but since the Lorwyn invasion wasn’t mentioned too much, we could expect a fairly good result. Maybe we’ll get more information in the prepared supplement. It’s also a direction in which a lot of creative work could be done.
There is an opportunity to come up with some interesting worldbuilding, but it seems wasteful to me to set your game after the invasion. Sure, the rebuilding also has its charm, but from a D&D point of view, the Phyrexian invasion is something you want to be part of, when you’re not setting up your game in Lorwyn’s past.
One outcome of the Phyrexian defeat should be pointed out, however. During what’s called the “Desparking” many Planeswalkers lost their spark. At the same time omenpaths have opened, essentially the means of interplanar travel for non-planeswalkers. This opens the possibilities for parties of non-planeswalkers to visit Lorwyn. For example start playing on Zendikar and then travel to Lorwyn. Again, this is something that broadens your options significantly, but comes only after New Phyrexia is dealt with.
Conclusion
Well, the conclusion is obviously that it’s great Wizards are working on a Lorwyn-Shadowmoor supplement for Dungeons and Dragons. The plane has been neglected for too long, and making it available also for people like me, who are more into TTRPGs than TCGs, is a nice gesture.
I posited various questions and their possible solutions for the future supplement. It will be to interesting to see how the team handles them, or even if they do. Maybe what I’m considering isn’t really what’s important here?
Let me know in the comments what are your thoughts, and how would you handle the issues of possible scenarios and cosmology. Also, it’s entirely possible I’ve got some things wrong, as I’m by no means a MtG buff. Corrections are welcome, as well as suggestions, and any constructive discussion. What are your thoughts on the matters I described?
If you liked the article, your comments and sharing would mean a lot, and give me the necessary feedback. The article is quite long, at roughly 12 minutes reading time. Would you prefer articles of this length, or should I strive for more shorter ones in the future?
Last but not least, some disclaimers: Magic: the Gathering (and Dungeons & Dragons, for that matter) are property of the Wizards of the Coast. The cards embedded in the article are obtained via Scryfall with no foul intent. The content of this article benefits a great deal from the MTG Wiki. I am not affiliated with any of the above mentioned entities in any way.
Over the past few months I have come to realize that my relation with Fantasy has been shaped by Magic: The Gathering more than I would think. Possibly more than by Dungeons & Dragons. It makes sense, Magic influenced other works for decades as well. Nothing exists in isolation and everything is influenced by something.
While not a TTRPG itself, Magic: The Gathering is a game into which tremendous creative effort has been poured over the years. You may not like every set, particularly the newer ones are questionable at times, but there’s a lot worth it about Magic. It took quite long before Wizards realized they could cross-over with Dungeons & Dragons, but now we have supplements for whole nine planes! Ravnica, Theros, and Strixhaven have their own physical sourcebooks you can buy. You can find older stuff for Ixalan, Kaladesh, Innistrad, Zendikar, Dominaria, and Amonkhet in the Planeshift series available on DM’s Guild for free.
Jesper Ejsing’s art from the upcoming Lorwyn-Shadowmoor D&D Supplement! All rights reserved to Jesper Ejsing, Wizards of the Coast, and/or other respective owners.
Now we’ve been promised another supplement taking place in the Lorwyn-Shadowmoor dual plane! I am both excited and frustrated. The Lorwyn and Shadowmoor blocks were the first ones that got caught my attention for real when they came out. I didn’t collect Magic back then, and only read the lore and oggled the art, but I was captivated by the setting. It’s a fey setting that doesn’t scream “FOLKLORE” in every sentence. Many settings I see being advertised these days are trying real hard to convince us they are full of folklore. I believe they are, and that they will be great when they’re finished. I just don’t need it so explicitly stated, subtlety works wonders sometimes. Lorwyn did this well in my opinion. You can see the British Isles folklore clearly, but nobody is forcing it onto you.
A Shadowmoor elf shaman. All rights reserved to Wizards of the Coast and/or other respective owners.
But as I said I am also frustrated. Remember my last post, where I advertised an exciting new series? I meant to start writing commentaries on various Magic: The Gathering cards, and their potential for your TTRPG needs. With an emphasis on the plane I liked the most. You already guessed which one it is, didn’t you?
The cinders of Shadowmoor should not be messed with. All rights reserved to Wizards of the Coast and/or other respective owners.
So what I’m going to do is probably go for it anyway. We will be getting a supplement with lots of lore, stats for various monsters, place descriptions, etc. done by professionals with access to the original notes (hopefully). In the meantime I can offer my take on the already published stuff, and speculations about what will be in the sourcebook. That should not be seen as anything wrong by Wizards; if anything, it would be a warm up before the release. There’s no date, yet, so I might be able to put out a few articles before then. We’ll see.
A beauty-obsessed elf tending to a bloom. All rights reserved to Wizards of the Coast and/or other respective owners.
Hope you enjoyed those original wallpapers I saved from the Shadowmoor and Eventide releases back in 2008. Are you excited for the new Lorwyn/Shadowmoor sourcebook? Leave a comment and don’t forget to subscribe so you don’t miss the upcoming articles!
JAGS Wonderland
While writing about Lynchian gaming in the last month’s post I found out about JAGS Wonderland by Marco Chacon. It’s a free TTRPG about descending into madness and transcending reality. Or at least so it seems after some fifty pages. I have to say the book is wild. Though I consider myself not easily shaken, Wonderland made me quite uneasy. Well done. The rulebook references Lewis Carrol’s works heavily and combines it with secret agencies, aliens, cults, and conspiracies.
The cover for JAGS Wonderland. All rights reserved to Marco Chacon and/or other respective owners.
There’s a lot of thought behind the rulebook. It’s a game more suited for experienced players wanting a different sort of game than dungeoneering and monster slaying. It should be possible to do that in JAGS Wonderland as well, if anyone was so inclined. And vice versa you could probably use some worldbuilding elements and game mechanics from Wonderland in your game regardless of the system. Imagine Dungeons and Dragons with the “traditional” cosmology of planes replaced with that of Wonderland. Would you be interested in a setting like that?
I still have over a half of the first book and then the Book of Knots sourcebook to go through.There’s a lot of interesting stuff in this game and I will probably mention it from time to time in these summaries. And if there’s anyone with experience with JAGS Wonderland (or JAGS in general), leave a comment below!
Kickstarter
There are some new campaigns on Kickstarter that caught my eye. I will have to think some more before I pledge, but the least I can do is spread the word.
Firstly there’s the Blades of Gixa campaign by Quadra. It is the result of #Dungeon23 challenge by a person who actually managed to finish it. Those are quite rare, and from what I’ve seen on social media, Quadra’s work both looks great and is captivating to explore. The product should be system agnostic with some stats etc. provided by the author. Definitely worth a look.
Another campaign I am watching is the Heavy Metal Monster Manual by Greedy Gorgon Press. You might recall their earlier works, all of them with catchy names showing heavy influence by rock and metal bands and songs. What I’ve seen so far was funny and with lot of appeal to rock and metal fans, so don’t forget to check it our, if you’re so inclined.
Miscellanea
I’m still working on the class options mentioned earlier, and the Arco review. Regrettably I’ve been neglecting both due to life and recently the spur to action caused by the Lorwyn announcement.
One thing I should not forget to state – I am in no way affiliated with any creators mentioned in this article. I am simply sharing my enthusiasm and there’s no compensation I get for this. That being said, I am waiting for your move, Wizards, I want in on Lorwyn!
As always, thanks for reading this far, and I’ll be glad for your thoughts in the comments section. Also please share this post on your favourite social media if you liked it, it means a lot!
With most of the articles still in need of some polishing, here’s a sort of summary of my activities and other stuff that happened in January. The blog is now active for more than a year, so onward to the next one!
David Lynch Died
… and the creative world is poorer for it.
David Lynch at his Hollywood studio in 2002 Photograph: Chris Weeks/WireImage
I wanted to write a separate article, but found it redundant. After Lynch’s passing there was a myriad of articles summarizing his works, views, or talents. Instead I will share a few thoughts I have concerning David Lynch’s works that are relevant to this site.
The Weirding Dune
No matter how dissatisfied David Lynch (and the general public) was with his Dune, I loved the film. Probably a bit more as a child than I do now, but I still consider it a solid adaptation with a distinct style. There are more accurate adaptations (cheers, Syfy!), and it hasn’t aged that well. Some additions made by Lynch are unnecessary and some make no sense. But the surreal dreaminess goes well with Frank Herbert’s novel, and one can but wonder what would David Lynch’s Dune look like if he had full artistic freedom.
Paul demonstrating the weirding module. All rights reserved to Universal Pictures and/or other respective owners.
The weirding modules used in the movie are one of the additions that are not needed for the story. According to some they actually cripple the image of Fremen as a fierce and powerful military force on their own, replacing their prowess with technology. I can agree with that, but I think the idea itself is neat. An item that essentially makes you into a Skyrim Dragonborn, providing you with the ability to kill with your shouts, is something I can imagine in a setting. In the movie I believe they could also set things on fire with the right modulation.
What are your thoughts on David Lynch’s Dune? And would you like something like the weirding modules in your game?
Twin Peaks
The legacy of Twin Peaks is massive, with lots of great creators citing it among their key influences. Having seen it as an adult long after it first came out, I can’t quite imagine the kind of upheaval the series caused at the time it first aired. For me it’s a masterful blend of Americana, horror, fantasy, and mystery. All wrapped in that surreal style called “Lynchian”, a label probably destined to have it’s meaning debated forever in the vein of “Lovecraftian”.
Agent Cooper presenting Tibet to local police. All rights reserved to CBS, Paramount, and/or other respective owners.
There are many reasons why I hold Twin Peaks dear other than the basic enjoyment of a TV show. Frost and Lynch’s blend of cozy and unsettling, grounded and esoteric, heartwarming and violent, makes for a unique atmosphere. It wouldn’t work just anywhere, though many great shows, movies and video games were inspired by Twin Peaks. As for TV shows, Carnivale and True Detective are my personal favourites, and Alan Wake is the one when it comes to video games. I’m mentioning these three because I also intend to write articles about them, in time. I’ve already touched True Detective Season 4 here.
The first dream in the Black Lodge. All rights reserved to CBS, Paramount, and/or other respective owners.
In dreams
David Lynch’s surreal style is great seen on the screen, but can it be translated onto tabletop? Some systems might be better than others, I can see a Twin Peaks-inspired game in World of Darkness, or Call of Cthulhu. But can you run a Lynchian game of Dungeons & Dragons, or Pathfinder? They are the kind of games where head on approach is preferable – you find monsters, you kill them, loot them, stick ’em in a stew… But the rules are not really accommodating to subtler modes of play.
A nice summary of Lynchian characteristics from rpg.net forums by user TheMouse.
If you want to try it anyway, above is a useful description of some Lynchian characteristics I found in an older thread on the RPGnet forum. Some are quite easy to achieve, others might be more difficult. A lot depends on your group, as always. I’ll also have to check some of the suggestions for other TTRPGs, such as JAGS Wonderland. If you are familiar with the game, leave a comment with your thoughts!
New subclasses
I’ve been working on a few options for 5e DnD, namely new archetypes for the existing classes. There’s a ranger conclave, and a barbarian path that are almost done. Also a bard college, and a druid circle that still need some work. To stay with the topic of David Lynch above, I’ve also been contemplating creating a Twin Peaks inspired subclass in the last few months. I’m not sure I’ll get to it, but Lynch’s passing has served as a reminder that I had plans in this direction.
WIP features for the new ranger subclass.
Above is a teaser for the ranger conclave. It’s going to be less magical than those in Tasha’s and Xanathar’s. And a lot more setting-specific than your regular subclasses. While this limits its usability, I believe setting-specific options have their place in the game. If you play it once in ten campaigns, I’d say it’s still a win.
Arco
I’ve been playing this 2024 indie RPG in the last few weeks. It’s not that long, I just can’t dedicate that much time to gaming. However, Arco has it all: good story, great worldbuilding, humour. The graphics, soundtrack, and gameplay are just as great, though largely irrelevant for the kind of article I’m writing. I’m currently on my second playthrough, taking further notes, trying different approaches.
The gorgeous pixel art of Arco. All rights reserved to Franek, Max Cahill, Bibiki, Fáyer, and their publisher Panic.
February
We’ll see what February will bring. I have too many unfinished projects on my desk and too little time to even write these short updates, but I’m determined to finish them.
What are you working on? Feel free to leave a comment and share this post on your favourite networks. It’s greatly appreciated. Thanks for reading and see you soon!
It’s already been two weeks since the world leveled up from 2024 to 2025. In another two weeks it will be a year since this blog has gone public with the first post. This will be a brief review of what this site achieved, what it didn’t, and what I hope it will achieve this year.
tl;dr
More frequent posting of shorter articles in 2025
Dungeon 24 continues on irregular schedule
At least 3 new Dungeon series articles planned
Whole new exciting series coming soon
Finally some game analyses!
Goals set and met
My goal when I started with this blog was at least one post per week. That changed to two per week with the addition of Dungeon 24. Which should get us at 104 posts total. And that’s not counting various random acts of writing I thought I would be committing.
There are 13 published posts on the site in 2024, far less than I expected. I’ve been quite optimistic, as I thought to have enough topics to cover, which was and still is true. What I didn’t have was the time to write all the longforms I envisioned. I am used to working with sources, citing (or at least checking) everything, polishing the language and revising if needed. When I publish something I want to be able to stand up for my work. The schedule I set for myself was rather unrealistic, as I’ve learned.
Dungeon 24
My apparent nemesis, the Dungeon 24 challenge. I stated in the beginning that this type of challenges isn’t really for me, and I was right. I managed for a few weeks but after that I started getting more and more behind the schedule. The last update was in September and it should cover the first half of March. I have more in my notebook, but couldn’t get to processing it for the blog.
The Round Tower by Giovanni Battista Piranesi, 1761. An imaginary dungeon sketch.
Nevertheless I will continue with the dungeon this year until there are at least 365 rooms. There are still ideas I want to put in there, and I don’t want to leave it unfinished. It also serves as a laboratory and test tube for the Dungeon series of articles on this blog. The frequency of the updates will be irregular, same as with the other article types.
There’s one other thing worth mentioning. The article with the most views in year 2024 was the introductory post to Dungeon 24. Somehow my site is the number 3 result on Google, which is nice, I guess. I would rather have traffic for my other work, but if it helps people get to the site, it’s fine.
Dungeon series
I consider the Dungeon series the current flagship of the blog. The articles published so far offer my views on different aspects of dungeon design and functioning. In the three published articles I have discussed dungeon size and megadungeons, the way dungeons should and could be explored, and the Palimpsest dungeon concept. Dungeons, in their many forms, are an integral part of TTRPG experience for many, regardless of the system or setting. So far I’ve concentrated on fantasy settings, but many of the ideas presented in the articles should be useful for other types of settings as well. Anything can benefit from solid internal logic instead of theme parks composed of unrelated challenge sequences.
I have two more articles in various states of completion, that should be ready this year. In one I will elaborate on the Palimpsest dungeon concept. The other will deal with bringing life to the dungeon. At least three more exist as outlines on my to do list. These will deal with stuff like level interconnectedness and verticality, if that’s a real word. More topics will surely progressively arise from other activities, including the ill-fated Dungeon 24.
Different topics
Apart from the Dungeon series I managed to write three articles providing summaries of a certain topic. Each deals with a different area – settings, items, and general theory.
In Frozen Horrors I described a setting type notable for combining harsh environmental conditions and isolation with horror themes. I actually wanted to make several updates with more works, but didn’t find the time to do the necessary research. There are still movies, books, and video games that could fall into this sub-genre. Not all are suitable to take inspiration from, but that’s up to the readers of course.
Slingshots part I was a summary of this toy/weapon in various media. I’ve been particularly focused on how slingshots are explained and presented – viable weapon or novelty? Again there are other media that could have made the list, and I’m slowly working on an update. There will also be a Part II sometime this year, although it’s not a priority. It will deal more directly with the application of slingshots in your games and settings. I think an article on slings is in order as well, as a comparison between a real weapon that killed people on the battlefields versus what is a modern improvised weapon at best.
The article on using video games as a resource is a sort of necessary introduction to a type of article I plan on adding to the repertoire. As mentioned in the post itself, these won’t be game reviews as known from gaming blogs and magazines. Things like hardware requirements, controls, or replayability won’t matter as much as storytelling, ideas, and inspiration potential for your tabletop games.
What to expect in 2025
This year there are going to be some changes. There is a lot I still have to learn and fine-tune. So far I focused on longforms that required some research and thought on top of the idea and writing. This led to very sporadic updates. My goal is to be more active, so in addition to these longforms I will be posting shorter posts. Likely true blog posts with various thoughts and ideas that I might elaborate upon in the future.
I haven’t published any playable material, yet. There are several class options for D&D on my table I’d like to see finished, so these will have priority. Some need only cosmetic changes so they come in a nice package. Though it’s the contents, not the form, that matters, I wouldn’t want to publish it as bland text files. Other systems like 2nd edition Pathfinder and Mörk Börg will also receive some attention when possible. Unlike theory, which I believe to be mostly universal, different systems allow different supplements.
The main focus of the blog will remain on theory, as I intended from the beginning. For the longforms the Dungeon series will remain the main theme, so expect more in that vein. I have a few other avenues that I would pursue. Some I have outlined above, such as a follow-up to the article on slingshots. I also want to start another series of articles focused on different materials. Some that are readily available in most settings, some that are rare. I have some possibly controversial takes that might not suit everyone, but I very much look forward to exploring these ideas.
I will try to publish a few of the video game analyses I advertised. So far I haven’t finished any of those, even though I have a few in process. This year I plan on finishing at least some game articles. One hot candidate would be Arco, a fine RPG with a captivating Mesoamerican setting. Do check it out!
One of the menu screens. All rights reserved to Franek, Max Cahill, Bibiki, Fáyer, and their publisher Panic.
Final remarks
It would probably be a good thing to set concrete measurable goals for this year, though I am reluctant to commit to precise numbers. I think that with less focus on longforms and more shorter posts I could get at 30 articles this year. There will be the Dungeon series articles, and a new series that I’m keeping as a surprise until the first article is ready.
I also want to put more effort into promoting the site, so that it gets a little more life. For example the Frozen Horrors article had 3 likes out of only 4 views. This tells me that people find the stuff I write interesting if they find out about it.
With this in mind I would like to ask again to share the articles you like. We all have our networks and your sharing is the best way for the blog to spread. This is the kind of feedback I need to improve the site. That and the comments. Please take a moment to write down one or two sentences about what you liked, or even where you disagree. Having constructive discussions under the posts would be wonderful.
I would like to wish you all a fruitful and satisfying year 2025. May you achieve your goals and have lots of fun with TTRPGs or any other hobbies you have. Also take care of yourselves and your close ones, stay safe through the year!
An introduction to video game analyses that will be appearing on the blog. More coming soon!
Estimated reading time: 9 minutes
Video games and TTRPGs have a long history that needs no introductions. Many great computer role-playing games (cRPGs) are based on TTRPG systems or at least their settings, as you probably know well enough. Like other media, video games can be a great resource for your game, and sometimes the less obvious choices can be more interesting. Everyone got some inspiration from some cRPG they played, but great gems to add to your game can be found in any video game genre, and even in those that are not really good as video games.
The other strong point I’d like to make is that video games are very accessible and in my opinion can make TTRPGs more accessible as well. Not everyone starts with ASCII Dwarf Fortress or Space Station 13, but there are tons of games even casual gamers or non-gamers recognize. You are probably thinking about some examples right now. On the other hand not everyone who wants to play TTRPGs is a devoted tabletop gamer, well-versed in all the editions and different systems. Many times your friends are not even avid readers, having read perhaps Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter because everyone read it at the time. They might play video games though, and through them you can explain TTRPGs, whether it’s the mechanics or general principles. I know I have had players whose only connection to TTRPGs was through video games, and the experience helped them get into tabletop gaming.
In this series of articles you will find not exactly reviews, but rather analyses of different video games. Sometimes they will be in-depth, sometimes I will only cover a select mechanic, piece of lore or storytelling, or just make stat blocks for a few interesting monsters. The selection of covered games is not really governed by any principle other than what I find interesting to write about, but if there is a game you would like me to have a look at, please leave a comment and we’ll see about it!
Genres
As I stated above, the obvious genre choice is cRPG. Some amazing titles fall into this category and surely some of them will appear on this blog. There is, however, more to video games than role-playing games, that can be used in your tabletop games. The closest to cRPGs in terms of TTRPG relevance is the triad of adventure, action, and strategy games.
Adventure
Adventure games usually share much with cRPGs in terms of rich story and worldbuilding. What’s usually missing is the progression of the main character(s), but even this is not always true. Adventure games also often rely on puzzles and item combination rather than combat or other contests. Exceptions exist, but generally the are not that common. There are action adventures where there’s combat and platforming interwoven into the adventuring part, like the Legend of Zelda games. There are RPG-adventure hybrids that are not exactly RPGs, but contain many RPG elements, such as character selection, levelling, and combat, with the Quest for Glory series being a wonderful example.
The very beginning of the VGA Quest for Glory I. All rights reserved to Sierra Entertainment and/or other respective owners.
Obviously you can take inspiration from the story, puzzles, or characters in an adventure game. You can also focus on the visual side of these games. Unique environments, fantastic creatures, or spectacular spell effects all find their place in adventure games. Especially in later 90’s and early 00’s with studios such as Cryo there has been a trend of beautiful graphics and wondrous locations that can give you a creative boost.
Action
Action games come in many flavours, from simple shoot-’em-ups or fighting games through platformers and shooters, metroidvanias and souls-likes, to action RPGs. They even differ inside their category, mainly when it comes to depth of the story and worldbuilding. Story is not top priority in these games, but there are exceptional titles with top-notch storytelling – pick any title from Supergiant Games for an example.
Even if an action game isn’t an “action RPG”, RPG elements are often present. Most of the time it’s some form of character progression or selection, and equipment management. Having multiple choices isn’t that common, though again, not unheard of.
The Prince enjoying a beautiful view in Prince of Persia (2008). All rights reserved to Ubisoft and/or other respective owners.
The various subgenres offer different experiences, but concerning what they can offer your tabletop gaming needs, they are quite similar. Environment and level design, puzzles, enemies, weapons and spells, or character options are some of the features that can be found in most action games. Of course the weapons will be different in a shoot-’em-up like Tyrian from those in Doom or Prince of Persia. The environments will also be of a quite different scale. Can you use them all for inspiration? That’s up to you!
Strategy
As with action games, there is a large spectrum of strategy games at your disposal. The basic distinction is whether they are real-time or turn-based, and this often dictates other parameters of the game. They can be peaceful with little to no fighting involved, or full-scale wargames. The emphasis can be on tactical decisions or large-scale strategy, micro- or macromanagement. Whatever the case, usually there is enough inspiration to be found for your tabletop game in any strategy.
Tactical strategies are often closest to TTRPGs, and the inspiration probably works both ways. As with action games, you can pick enemies, weapons, spells, and all sorts of other options from tactical strategy games. Whether real-time (Commandos, Desperados) or turn-based (UFO, Jagged Alliance, The Banner Saga), they offer plenty of options that can inspire you. RPG elements are often present in the turn-based camp, not so much in real-time games.
Builders such as The Settlers, Cultures, or Anno series offer different scale and experience. While combat is commonly present, it’s usually much simpler than in tactical strategies, and only supplements the main focus of these games – building settlements, bases, kingdoms. Exceptions exist, with Stronghold being a good example of a builder with heavy emphasis on combat of the siege variety. Usually mid-scale economics play a large part in this type of games. They can be used as an exercise in settlement design, and for learning how to think in a slightly larger scale than party-level in your worldbuilding.
Just another day in Crusader Kings 2. Also a good plot hook for your next adventure. All rights reserved to Paradox Interactive and/or other respective owners.
The 4X or grand strategy games are the next step in scaling upwards. Often the focus of these strategies are whole nations, worlds, or planets. The Civilisation series and games by Paradox Interactive are good examples of this subgenre. Again you can get inspired concerning the large-scale matters of your TTRPG. The way kingdoms and empires interact, the issues that need solving both inside and across borders – all of this you can try out in this kind of strategy games before using at your table. Just start a game of Crusader Kings, let the time flow, and you’ll have tons of ideas for your setting in the first ten minutes.
Other genres
What other video game genres you can get inspiration from? Well, the obvious answer is “anything you feel inspired by”! Like racing games with car tuning and championships? Maybe you can use similar ideas but in your game it’s chariots instead of racecars. What about other simulators, such as train simulators or fishing simulators? I bet you can see where this is going. You can also cater to your players’ preferences if you know what genre they like and add just a few noticeable traits from there.
What to use?
You can choose between two approaches. You can lift an element as it is in the source game, i.e. a monster, and use it at your table. Give it stats, maybe figure out its place in your world. Your players will recognize it and either scold you for laziness or praise you for using something they liked elsewhere. Best make sure the second option is more probable before you do this. If you know your players you might have an estimate, but you probably don’t want to do this for your first session with a new group. Either way you should be careful with this approach, as after the twentieth monster and fifteenth item from the games your players love, it might get quite annoying.
A plasmid vending machine in Bioshock (2007). All rights reserved to 2K Games and/or other respective owners.
The other approach is to analyze what makes the element you like work, and then build upon that. Let’s say you like plasmids and tonics from the Bioshock series. They are essentially consumables that grant spells or spell-like abilities, and are commonly available from vendors. Don’t use the terms “plasmid” or “tonic”, invent a different set of effects, maybe a different delivery method. Someone might still see the inspiration, and you make no claims otherwise, but it should fit better in your setting, and not come off as a rip-off. This is of course applicable to any source of inspiration, not just video games.
I have to say one of the best campaigns I experienced as a player was heavily based on Icewind Dale, where the DM essentially copied most of the plot and added his own elements (a lot, to be fair). But what you get with this approach is often a clash between your players’ expectations and your adaptation. If you’re lucky, you will only be reminded of this a few times each session.
Final remarks
It is quite possible that there’s nothing new for you in this article. You are probably familiar with video games and have used them as inspiration at least sporadically in the past. In that case you may consider this article an obligatory introduction, in which I state my goals and methods. If, on the other hand, you are not at home with video games, you might want to check some out as there are many original ideas scattered around.
As mentioned in the beginning, there will be analyses of video games in the future. Some of the games mentioned in this post will surely have their own articles, and there are many more I would like to write about. I hope you will find the articles interesting and inspiring. First of these will be posted soon, so you might want to follow the blog so you don’t miss anything!
