guidedbynors

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Guided Adventure: 01: Mischief in WaleGate for Old School Essentials

Mischief in WaleGate is out! Download it as a Pay What You Want title on DrivethruRPG.

Mischief in WaleGate

Welcome to WaleGate a town of Whaling and strange happenings. Here, Whalers harvest Deepdive Whales to carve out Deephearts, a glowing golden crystal within each whale. These Deephearts are magically powerful and can be used for all types of magical doings.

But something strange is going on. Peoples swords have been turned into fish. The Harbord Lodge was robbed but with no sign of entry. Little winged people have been seen at times in the streets--but they are gone before anyone can point them out.

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Submitted my newest adventure to DriveThruRPG this evening. It will be a couple days until it is up for sale, but I'm excited and happy with the outcome of it.

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Mischief in WaleGate is a social adventure compatible with Old School Essentials. Get ready!

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I'm back. Tumblr is great.

After a bit of a hiatus I am back on Tumblr and will make designing adventures compatible with Old School Essentials! Watch this space.

[guidedbynors]

Journal of a Paid GM: Part 6: Bad Fantasy Novels Make Good Inspiration

When I was a kid, say 7th, 8th, 9th grade, I was severely dyslexic. I am still dyslexic. It isn't something that goes away. I learned to adjust. To compensate. To read. The above image is the cover of the first book I ever read. First novel, anyway. I don't count See Spot Run or Hop on Pop.

I was an avid Diablo II fan when it came out in. . . whenever it did. It was only natural that when a friend of mine who also played let me barrow the book he'd just read that was based on the game, I was determined to struggle through it. I think it took me something like 9 months to work through it. But I did.

Why do I bring this up? Well, because Richard A. Knaak, the author of the above book, put me on a path I am still on today. Coinciding with my love of Diablo II and my determination to read the tie-in novel, came my 8th grade English teacher. While I couldn't write papers, I could dictate them to my parents. My English teacher told me I should be a writer. That the work I was turning in was different than my peers. I didn't see how. She, of course, knew I was dyslexic and wasn't writing my own papers and that my parents were helping me, but for whatever reason, she thought that was what I needed to hear. I hope it was the thing she believed to be true, also.

So, how does this have anything to do being a paid GM? Pretty much everything. I'm not going to pretend I think Richard A. Knaak's work is quality fiction. That sounds snobbish. Let me get this right. . . I love Knaak's books. I recently discovered the Legends of the Dragon Realm omnibuses. I'd only ever read books he'd written in OTHER peoples worlds, and so picked up the first omnibus (books 1-3 in the series).

Firedrake, the first novel set in The Dragonrealm is. . . dated. That's a nice way to put it. It has some unsavory tropes and depictions of women in it that are frankly difficult to read without rolling your eyes and shutting the book completely. There's also liberal uses of the construct of race, superior races. It makes me grimace just thinking about it. But its also written at a breakneck speed. It focuses on things happening and happening right now. There's no slow burn here. And this is why I think it's actually the exact type of book that is helpful in running TTRPGs.

*NOTE: I think it bears saying that reading novels such as these must be done with a critical eye. The stereotypes and tropes it relies on are disappointing. This is a book from 1989. The same sensibilities do not apply. This isn't an excuse, but it is a reason. The great thing about D&D and other TTRPGs today, is that they try to eliminate these unfortunate fantasy tropes. (I believe there are other books you could find that function in the same way as this book. . . maybe without the sexist and racial insensitivities).

I read a review of the D&D movie the other day. It was all about how fun and fast and interesting the combat scenes were. I haven't seen the movie--and probably won't. But this review struck a cord with me. It mentioned how the reality of D&D 5e is so far flung from what the movie portrays, why is there not a reimagined combat system that feels cinematic and cool like the movie? I don't know why--I do know there are better combat systems out there, Forbidden Lands is one of them, Warlock! is another. But these are not D&D. As someone who runs 5e as a paid GM, this review, and indeed, Richard A. Knaak's Legends of the Dragonrealm remind me what the best part of D&D can be. Fast paced, frantic, fun. There shouldn't be times in which players are wondering what to do. If there is--DMs should throw something into the session that makes them react and DO something. That's what Knaak's stories are all about. There very akin to Jack Vance's work, though less science fantasy and more hard fantasy fiction.

(I still have 1 seat in my bi-weekly Eberron campaign of 5e. Check out Demon Wastes Rising. There is still time to sign up before out next session on Sunday.)

In planning for my next session, which is on Sunday, I created a list of 10 "Action Triggers" to spring on my players at any given time. If there's a point at which they are all wondering. . . what do we do now? And sorta milling about with indecision, I can introduce these triggers at any time. Something like: The local bandit clan set a building on fire in retribution for one of their numbers being imprisoned.

Does this have anything, really, to do with the plot? Maybe. I don't know yet. But it's something exciting for players to deal with--so it will spur them to action and create improved drama. The point is, and it sounds like the D&D movie captured this, this game is about action. Things need to happen. If they don't, why are we playing? Sly Flourish does a great job of focusing on this aspect of the game in his Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master prep book. I enjoy using the book and would recommend it to anyone GM who wants to make their games just better--in, like, every way.

I hope this has been helpful. It's been less about the being a paid GM and more about where to find inspiration for our games. Hopefully it still holds, as I think it points out another aspect of why we, both GMs and players, love to play these games--adventures in imaginations.

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Journal of a Paid GM: Part 5: Stress Prep

Welcome back to the Journal of a Paid GM. Over the last couple weeks quite a lot has happened. My 5e Eberron campaign had its first official game session (our session 0 ended up being like a session .5). My Isle of Ixx game has grabbed another paying player and is full, and I’ve learned the using 5e adventure modules isn’t really for me. Or that is–it could be, but as of right now, I don’t like them.

But this journaling I am doing isn’t really about how I GM or my preferences. Rather, this journal is geared toward what it's like to be paid to GM. So. Let’s talk about our feelings.

When I was in the StartPlaying webinar for best practices, the facilitator, Devon, mentioned imposter syndrome. It didn’t click with me then. I’d never felt imposter syndrome while playing D&D or any other type of TTRPG. It always just felt like something that was fun. There wasn’t really a performance aspect of it (other than the obvious improve of TTRPGs as a whole). 

However, this has changed now that I have paying players. Devon from StartPlaying mentioned: “Players want to play. The easier you make it to play, the better.” There are two parts of this advice, obviously. The first is, the player side of this. Are you providing the resources and help players need to get all set up for the game in question. This doesn’t just mean creating a character, but also the house keeping things like if they know how to use a VTT, have a working mic, or even just a quiet space. Some folks who haven’t played TTRPGs or haven’t played TTRPGs online, don’t understand what a pain background noise can be. The second part is “easier” isn’t just being guided through how to use the technology and rules. It also means how easy it is for players to engage with the story. The best part of any TTRPG is when stuff happens. Letting characters “discover” secrets and ideas can sometimes slow the session down to a crawl as they face some choice paralysis. This means it's essential for the Paid GM to have a collection of triggers that can spur players to engage with NPCs, enemies, friends, or something else entirely. This means prep. Let’s get into that.

Check out my GM profile. I have 1 seat open for my 5e Eberron Campaign, as well as 1 seat open for my Isle of Ixx adventures.

Stress prep is something I’m very guilty of. For my Eberron game I thought a reskinned, refurbished Lost Mines of Phandelver might be cool, then after our session 0/.5, I scrapped the whole idea and wrote my own arc and session notes. I wrote and rewrote, trying to plan every little bit of time we’d spend. Even up to the day of, about 30 minutes before, I was still writing down ideas. And you know what? None of that work made much difference. Once players got into the game, all the little “what if” moments disappeared. I knew the arc, I had a list of interesting characters and encounters, I had written descriptions and twists. I had what I needed and much of the stress prep I’d done wasn't really relevant.

So, how does stress prep relate to imposter syndrome? Well, stress prep is a response I had because I was being paid. I kept thinking (keep thinking) that each session needs to be “worth it.” The thing is, more prep doesn’t make the session better. At least, not after you have a solid foundation.

What makes TTRPGs, D&D or others, truly memorable is the unexpected. This is true for GMs as much as it is for players. Where I have found difficulty in being paid for my services is where the unknown lies. I hate the idea of being put in a position where I don’t know what comes next. But this is a paradox. If I know my arc and the concrete plot points that inform it, I can make up whatever I need, plug in NPCs or places I have imagined in the moment. The best part of D&D is that anything can happen. Players are paying for this just as much as they are paying for the prep a Paid GM does. Accepting this unknown as an intrinsic, essential, and inherent part of the game is something I feel like I have to learn all over again after 5 years or so of GMing. But that’s what makes the game fun, and so at some point I just have to let go.

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The Journal of a Paid GM: Part 4: What are my goals?

I mentioned in my last post that I have been transparent with my players in so far as who is a seat filler and who is not.

Another GM on reddit, one who is vastly more experienced being a paid GM than myself, pointed out that seat fillers, in their games, are only there for as long as it takes to make the game sustainable. This GM runs 7 campaigns! 7 games a week!? I can hardly imagine how difficult it is to keep track of that many games. They are a full time GM.

I have made it clear to my seat filler players that they may stay in my campaign for as long as it goes or as long as they wish to stay (it is up to them). While this is not the most financially lucrative way to do things, I see this as a long game situation. Its a way to have a game going, get some paid games under my belt, and some reviews on my profile.

When this brought up for me is this: I haven't explicitly covered my goals for this project.

As of right now, I'm aiming to host no more than 1 session a week. I don't have time to plan and prep for more than that. Right now, I already have two games. One is totally free: that's Isle of Ixx (though, who knows, maybe I'll get another player at some point who wants to pay). The other is my Eberron campaign (Which I still have a seat open for. . .)

My hope is, in the next few years, to have a group of folks, perhaps 15 in total, all willing to pay for a weekly campaign.

I'm still working on getting more games run that are paid. While my Eberron game will work great for that, I've thought I might try to lure folks in with a "Learn to play D&D" bootcamp of sorts, where I host a session everyday for a week (during my Spring Break), for those who would like to learn quickly and have the fulfillment of a beginning, middle and end within a short amount of time. It's also something I could do over spring break that would bring in a bit of money. . . no idea if it would work--we'll see.

Anyway. I think it is important to state my intent. I have no intent on being a full time GM. I just can't. Rather, I'm aiming for something more modest and (for me) achievable.

That's the thing that's great about StartPlaying--you can do anything you want to on their, as long as you define success for yourself. The fact it, people just want to play--so if you make it easy for them, they will sign up. More on that next time.

Thanks for reading.

Nors.

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The Journal of a Paid GM: 3, Attracting Players

Now that we got the elephant out of the room when it comes to the stigma of a paid GM, I want to write a little bit about what it's like starting from scratch.

First, Startplaying.games has an new GM Webinar (crash course), that teaches best practices for getting players to join your games when you are not established. Startplaying.game uses a lot of adverts on facebook (and other sites, I presume) to draw players onto their site. Ads on social media are a frustrating thing. As someone who used Facebook before it had ads on it at all, there is something deeply unsettling to me about the psychology of marketing and how ubiquitous ads are in our culture. How we digest them constantly without even thinking about it. That being said, it is nice to see ads to things you like, be them TTRPGs, sports, or--in my case--new exhibitions at the Seattle Art Museum (See you at the Remix, SAM).

The work StartPlaying does for GMs is not enough, however. I wish there was this avid customer base of players just waiting to see a spot open in a game they are desperate to play, but there isn't. Or--that is, there IS, but its as simple as tossing up a page with your name on it, time, date, and a simple premise. No. There are some pretty clear. . . not rules, exactly, but practices that, statistically, will get you more players than if you stray from the path.

First, D&D 5e is ubiquitous within the TTRPG community and so also the game people want to play the most. When a player hops on StartPlaying willing to pay for a session, it's not likely they want to pay to play a game they have never heard of.

My original idea was to run games of The One Ring 2e, the official Lord of The Rings ttrpg. I knew D&D was the most popular, but in my mind I thought Hey, lots of people love LoTR, The Rings of Power was pretty good, I won't have to compete with as many GMs, why don't I run TOR. It will be unique, give me the edge. . .

It turns out this is not true at all. There were two things wrong with my idea. First, TOR is not D&D. 30% of players on StartPlaying are new to the hobby. New players want to play the game they know about.

Second: TOR, based on The Lord of The Rings, is for LoTR fans that ALSO enjoy ttrps. It's not a TTRPG that is also for LoTR fans. A TTRPG for fans who also like LoTR is like basically any fantasy TTRPG.

So, the problem with my initial idea is this: I was trying to draw people into a game that (A) they had never heard of/played, (B) has very specific lore that you have to enjoy if you are to inhabit the world.

There are simply not enough people on StartPlaying looking for a game of TOR 2e.

After I realized this game wasn't going to take, I created another game to try and lure people in. This one is called The Isle of Ixx. It's fantastic. A really great rule-lite game with fast and fun mechanics that make learning and playing a as simple as any game I've ever played.

What was my reasoning in running this game?

I'm glad you asked. I thought, huh well--it's easy to learn. People who want to learn to play TTRPGs could learn this one way easier than learning D&D. Why not give them that opportunity to wet their toes before diving into a more rules-heavy system.

You can probably see where I went wrong here.

Yep!

Isle of Ixx is not D&D. Nobody had heard of it and nobody wanted to pay to play it, because of this. Regardless, this game is so fun--so awesome and interesting, I run Isle of Ixx for 3 free players on Monday nights anyway, just for fun (it's all fun).

I've got two spots left for Isle of Ixx too! So if you're interested, check it out.

So, I mean, at least I'm getting some experience running a fun game right? Yeah.

But then it really dawned on me.

I wasn't going to get any paying players if I wasn't running D&D 5e. It's just the system everyone knows.

I bit the bullet. I'm not a HUGE fan of the 5e system. It's a good catchall for ttrpgs, but it isn't specific in the fantasy it seeks to portray. It isn't the best for Dungeon Crawls, it's not the best for Exploration or Survival, it's not the best for combat, and its not the best for roleplay. While it's not the best for any of these things. . . it is still very good at all of them--and it is interpretive enough for GMs to make it what they want it to be.

Me, I didn't want to run just another simple Forgotten Realms (Default D&D) campaign. I dug through my 5e materials and found my Eberron book.

Eberron is a fantastic, morally ambiguous, and technologically advanced setting. I like the term Magitech, but I know the creator, Keith Baker, doesn't. Anyway, I started reading.

I've read and read. I found a Podcast of Eberron fans who actually got Keith to join them in discussing Eberron lore, and have listened to 20+ episodes of that. I focused my ideas on a single region of Eberron that didn't seem to get a lot of attention: The Demon Wastes.

It just sounds fucking cool.

Like a wasteland of demons, trapped by magical means and guarded by a noble Orc sect of warriors called the Ghaash'kala. DOPE AF if you ask me.

I started writing, but had a difficult time thinking out my first arc. So, I found a module/starter set and converted it to Eberron, rewrote most of it, and then wrote out my ad-copy.

First, one of the most important things you can do to attract players to a game, is already have players in your game. These are called Seat Fillers. You invite them to play for free, for as long as they would like, absorb the cost, and hope paying players will join.

It worked. The very first day I posted my ad, a paying player joined. Now--I should ad, everyone knows who is paying for the sessions and who is a free player. Everything is transparent and open. There's not secrets here.

I still have one seat open for my Eberron campaign: Click here if you're interested!

That's how you do it! You run D&D, because its the most popular. You get Seat Fillers, you write ad copy and rewrite ad copy. You make sure your story sounds cool. My initial dagline was "Eberron: Demon Wastes Rising // A Wilderness Survival Campaign In A Land of Fire"

I mean, that sounds pretty dope.

But I had to work on it. I've been thinking about how do get players and how to run games like this for over a month. It's a bit of a compulsion, at this point. But it's something I really enjoy and I spend so much time on it, the payment I receive in kind covers a fraction of the over head. And yet, it's so so worth it!

Today I ran my first paid session. I didn't make much, but it was a ton of fun meeting my players and I hope this is the beginning of a beautiful adventure!

[guidedbynors]

The Journal of a Paid GM: 2, A Contentious Topic

Being a paid GM (or trying to be) is contentious within the Tabletop Roleplaying Game community. There are many who believe TTRPGs should only be played "for the love of the game" and if you charge a monetary fee for said game, then it is dishonorable. I understand this reasoning. It is the same reasoning people have had throughout history when monetary compensation is provided to those who do something they love and care about. It is commonly thought that money cheapens art. That too much money ruins sports. Just 5-7 years ago, the idea that people would receive money for streaming video games scoffed at as a fad, a something "weird" people do. But Twitch is still around. Pro-gaming is more diverse and popular than ever. Obviously, money and sports go hand in hand, especially in the soccer world. Does this cheapen the product? On the whole, no. But it does create a power structure of those who have money and those who don't.

But I digress.

The point is, paid GMs are not leaches or parasites of the TTRPG scene. Not anymore than professional athletes are parasites of their respective sports, or eSport, or paid artist in the art world.

If money is the problem, and anyone who seeks to make money off TTRPGs is a parasite, then shouldn't all money be removed from the equation? Should the writers and publishers not make money either? Should the artists and game designers provide their products for free? ~I still have a seat open for our SESSION 0 tomorrow! Join our game, Eberron: Demon Wastes Rising~

Those who bemoan and belittle the concept of the paid GM often say that the payment is due to the lack of passion the GM has for the game itself. This flies in the face of all the above examples in which money is granted to those who pursue a passion. Presumably, pro athletes enjoy and are passionate about their respective sport. Artist are passionate about their art, etc etc. Sure, many jobs in our society are ones people take out of necessity. We have to pay rent, bills, for food. Most of us do not enjoy the jobs we have taken by necessity. I am lucky enough to say I do enjoy my job--but I enjoy TTRPGs more. I have written 2 full length books for an OSR game called Warlock! I was paid, am still being paid through royalties, for that writing.

While contentious, paid GMing is not more controversial than a paid athlete, gamer, or artist. The difference right now is that paid GMs are not the norm. They are starting to catch on as the customer base is growing. People who want to play D&D and other TTRPGs but don't have a group to learn with, are finding ways to play in games and people who love GMing are finding ways to do more of it. Every dollar made as a GM supports a person to be a BETTER GM. I think we should all be in favor of this.

[guidedbynors]

The Journal of a Paid GM: 1, an introduction

Hello traveler and welcome to this new line of posts I've been considering. This is the journal of a paid GM. Or, that is, this is my journal of the process as I set out to try to make a few bucks here and there playing games that I love.

If you've never heard of paid GMs (paid game masters), then you might be asking yourself, why would people pay a GM? If you don't know what a game master is, then you can google it. That's not supposed to be dismissive. It's just not what this line of posts is for and there are lots of places where you can find out what a Game Master is if you don't already know.

--0--

So now that you know what a Game Master is (or perhaps you already knew), you may be asking yourself, "Why would someone, let alone 4-6 people pay a GM when they could just play with their friends?"

Well, for anyone who has ever played D&D or some other TTRPG, they will know that getting a consistent game started and going and maintained can be frustrating. People call out sick, people skip for family events, people forget to show up, people have to leave early, etc etc. I have a friend who never brings his character sheet to sessions and when he rolls he just makes up what his stats are. Its fine, but it also feels like he's not taking the game seriously and that doesn't feel good to me, as a GM. I put a lot of time and effort into planning the session, thinking about plot and scenes and NPCs and fantastical places, etc etc. Then to have a friend show up and not bring the most basic requirement feels like a slap in the face. So, this being said, players pay GMs for stability. They want commitment from the GM which they get, since they are paying. They want consistency from other players, which they get, as other players are paying to play also--and when you pay to play you take it a bit more seriously. You show up on time and engage in the story.

Of course, paying players also have their own set of expectations for the GM. Having not yet run a single session that I get paid for (as of this writing: Session 0 in two days), I certainly feel some apprehension in my ability to live up to expectations. That being, I have planned a ton for this. I have run lots of different systems, and I know I am good at GMing.

You may be wondering how much a paid GM costs. Well, the truth is, not that much. The common price is $15-$20 per session per player. This may sound like a lot if you attend weekly game sessions, but when you compare it to going to a movie or out for dinner, or even a six pack of beer, it's comparable (depending on the six pack of beer, that is). For a GM this means they can make about $45 (3 player minimum) to somewhere around $90 per session (with a party of 6). A session usually lasts between 3-4 hours. That's not a great hourly rate. At least, not compared to my day job of Hight School Teacher. Then if you count the hours planning and the expenses of game services like DnDBeyond and Roll20, or whatever other VTT you invest in, then $90 per session -10% from the brokerage service, its suddenly a difficult way to make a living. Nevertheless, some people do. But lets add up my own expenses for being a paid GM:

DnDBeyond: $50 per year

Roll20: $50 per year

Cze & Peku Map/Scene Patreon: $8 per month

Game Supplements:

Uncharted Journeys: $30 one time purchse.

Exploring Eberron: $25 one time purchase

Yep: So, without ever being paid a penny I'm out nearly $200.

Sure, I might have bought some of these things anyway, but I went out and found Uncharted Journeys and Exploring Eberron specifically for the D&D campaign I am running as a paid game. Similarly, I wouldn't have DnDBeyond or Roll20 accounts if I wasn't running paid games. So it's an investment.

So what is this investment for? Or what is the end goal? Well, the goal is to get established in the community. Which community? You may have noticed that I said the brokerage takes 10% of anything a paid GM makes. That brokerage is called StartPlaying.games. It is a site where players go to find games in which they pay to play in. There are some difficulties in getting started though. There are plenty of great GMs out there and many of them have more "hosted games" which means game sessions they have run, and reviews from players than a a new GM on SPG can ever dream of. These "hosted games" and reviews draw players in. Also, the goal is to find returning players. Players who stick with you through different campaigns because they know what you can do as a GM and like your style. This is a long game move. Not because I want to make a living as GM, but I do want to have a creative financial game to play that lets me do something I love for a little money.

It's an interesting and exciting adventure to go on. I love planning my game, a D&D campaign in the Demon Wastes of Eberron, a rather unappreciated campaign setting for D&D.

That's all for now, though if you fancy playing in my game, I'm still looking for 1 more player. Just click here for Eberron: Demon Wastes Rising to sign up

[guidedbynors]

StartPlaying Isle of Ixx, Old School TTRPG

Hey all if you like small press ttrpgs, this evening I will be running Isle of Ixx, a rules lite, fast paced, TTRPG. We still have 2 spots open, and it’s not too late to join.  @indiepressrevolution

Check it out here.

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I’m excited to Play Isle of Ixx! If anyone wants to join, which it out. We have 3/5 players already!

[guidedbynors]

Want to play The One Ring 2e?

I will be running The One Ring 2e Starter Set on StartPlaying.

Are you tired of unorganized ttrpg sessions? Bogged down by rules and lengthy breaks as the DM has to walk the dog or do the dishes? Or maybe you have always been curious and just want to try something new. . .

Check out my StartPlaying TOR 2e games. With full Foundry gameworld, immersive music, and dynamic lighting, you'll jump right into the action and world of Middle Earth.

Check out the listing, here.

[guidedbynors]

The One Ring 2e, Session .5? 1?

Last night I, and some folks I met online by running one-shots, had our session .5 (but really our session 1) of The One Ring 2e campaign. I call it a .5 session because not all our players could be there. We were missing one player, but that's because I wanted to run the game sooner rather than later and he couldn't make the time and date.

From my perspective, it went moderately well. It wasn't the most enthralling session, but so too was it not the most boring. While I'm usually against scenes that pit players as people have never met before, in regards to this session .5 (1) it made sense. Each of them is from a different corner of Middle Earth, we have a hobbit, a dwarf, a woodman, and a ranger of the north.

We started in Bree where Fitch Talltree, the unofficial leader of Archet came bearing 3 orc heads and asked people to help--asked the Reeve of Bree to muster the Bree-wardens to come to Archet's aid as orcs, lead by a human woman, have been stealing into the Chetwood and burning cabins and killing people.

Most Breelanders are scared and uninterested in acting. They think if they keep their heads down there won't be trouble coming their way. Our player-heroes took up the call of Talltree and followed him back to Archet. The next day they ventured into the Chetwood.

They found burned-out huts and buildings and a deserted hunting cabin where it looked as though someone had been dragged off.

They followed the tracks to the Weather Hills north and east of Bree and the Chetwood. The ranger was a bit rash and climbed atop an old ruin to have a look around, only to get shot from the neighboring hill. He recovered the arrow to find that it was a goblin-fletched shaft. The hill he was shot from had little slits in it. There was clearly an underground chamber from which the Men of The West looked out, concealed, during their war against Angmar. Now it seemed to be occupied by goblins.

The adventurers charged the hill, risking arrows as they ran. After some talk, they thought the goblins would rush out at them, but as it was day, they could hear something moving around inside the underground chambers, but see nothing. A stand-off ensued by which the adventurers knew the goblins were waiting for them and the goblins wouldn't come out.

Adventurers devised a plan to smoke them out by collecting the dry grass around the mound, tying it together with some rope coated in pitch (which one of my players asked to have as a useful item), and then catching the whole thing on fire they threw it down the steps into the underground chamber. What happens next, is anyone's guess.

[guidedbynors]

Campaign of 2 years, finished

This evening, my Curse of Strahd group finished our campaign. It was a long and wild ride and I can't believe it's over. Bittersweet, to say the least, but it's been great!

[guidedbynors]

Garrem Hold, my system agnostic micro setting is live as a PWYW on DriveThruRPG.