#and so many reinvent 5e

[lunasgayshit]

Absolutely throwing shade here because I'm tired of 5e's hegemony.

There is some serious learned helplessness with the way 5e poisons people's brains. I've actually had people tell me that people at their table cannot do math with numbers above 20. Which, y'know, happens to be where bounded accuracy "tops out" (except it doesn't, at all, of course, oh sorry I shouldn't be shattering the illusion like that). What an odd number to pick, wouldn't you say?

Imagine a person who only consumes Batman-related media. That is, they only watch movies and TV shows that have Batman in them, only read books that are novelisations of Batman media, only play licensed Batman video games, and so forth. This is not so absurd an idea; Batman-related media is sufficiently popular, varied and widespread that restricting one's media consumption in this way is completely feasible. However, I trust we can agree that if you actually do this, you will be left with very strange ideas about what popular media looks like.

The next step in this analogy is undestanding that if the only tabletop RPG you're acquainted with is Dungeons & Dragons, you have the same grasp of the tabletop roleplaying hobby as our hypothetical Batman Guy has of popular media.

[briannysey]

can i ruin your monklike inner piece and request the 5e rant you had in those tags. i have my own qualms with it and i know many are tired of seeing it dunked on but i'm curious what you, specifically, focus on with it.

Okay so, there’s one minor complaint that I was gonna make about the way someone else approaches D&D. But you’ve asked and I am honorbound to answer.

My problem with 5e ultimately amounts to two big things:

I feel like there’s a huge disconnect between the mechanical heavy elements and the narrative elements of D&D’s system, and the way the mechanics are structure actually make bridging that gap more difficult.

The combat and gameplay options in general are boring.

To explain the disconnect, I think this largely comes down to the design direction. A lot of people talk about TTRPGs exist on a spectrum from crunch to fluff (or mechanics to narrative, or w/e), and that’s somewhat true and useful. But I think TTRPGs could have both heavy crunch and heavy narrative, but these systems need to exist in harmony if they’re both going to exist in the same game. I think this is actually something that some TTRPGs have done exceptionally well in recent years. There’s Blades in the Dark (and some of its descendant systems) ofc, but an exemplary one is Spire, and another one I rarely see mentioned but is similarly exemplary is Kult: Divinity Lost. These games largely tend more towards narrative than crunch but they’re games where mechanical choies (like ones made during level up) have huge impacts on the narrative in ways that feel appropriate and are also really fun. Leveling up in Spire as the firebrand revolutionary class can turn a character into a living embodiment of revolution! That’s so sick, and helps mechanical elements inform narrative choices, and narrative elements inform mechanical choices!

In D&D these choices feel very disconnected. Certainly your character might go up an attribute, or gain a fancy new combat power, but relatively rarely does it feel like a level up in D&D meaningfully impacts the narrative, or inform character choices. You see some actual play actors do this, or in some really experienced home games, but if it takes an expert at the game or TTRPG veteran to do it, then it’s probably not a well made system.

I think that the nature of these two problems exacerbates the other. Like if the gameplay and character options (mostly mechanical) are boring, then the ways that they support the narrative are boring.

Combat in most D&D editions, but especially 5e, can be an absurdly long experience. One minute of game time might take an hour of play in real life. Moving through turns can be exceptionally boring, especially if a mechanic like stuns, or poor mechanical choices limit a player’s already small agency on the battlefield. As a DM I often find myself reinventing half the game if I want to provide mechanical choices that I or my players feel are interesting or fun, and I largely don’t have that problem in many other systems.

My fixes for these situations are relatively simple, but have huge knock-on effects to the game. I like to give every level up or character feature a narrative power based on a mechanical one. Some existing D&D feats actually fit really well into this, like Observant! This one gives an Attribute point (Wisdom), a specific narrative skill (reading lips), and more clear mechanical benefit (+5 to passive Perception and Investigation scores). This one character option shows not only a growth in a character’s direct mechanical traits, it makes a character’s level up and option represent a real development on both narrative and power levels.

My other fix besides adding more of these would be to add more modular and interesting powers and options. 4e actually had some very fascinating choices where characters could build suites of powers that synergized (like turning the damage tag of all a wizard’s spells to one element that the character has other power ups for- like a wizard who makes most of their spells deal fire damage). Options like these for 5e, especially options earlier with more impactful level ups would go a long way towards making combat more fun, which would make that half the game far less of a slog.

[worldofpamyst]

Species of Pamyst - Elves, Part 2: Barkborne

What's wrong with hugging a tree?

The Shillara, known to the common tongue as the Barkborne, are often seen as “true” Elves. They are the longest lived, hold a unique affinity for the natural world deeper than any other species, and are typically associated with an aloof disposition past their first century or two of life. Barkborne are mythologically thought to be those that upheld L’ancien Accord and thus retained Prudencia’s blessings on the material plane - an aspect that may explain their reclusive natures. In practice, they often spend their youth metaphorically or literally adventuring before retiring into a quieter life spent mastering discovered passions, though some instead choose to simply reinvent themselves every few decades and try out new careers and identities.

Barkborne are a somewhat divisive people in Pholodelasian culture. Most Barkborne are not especially arrogant despite common stereotyping, but rather find difficulty reconciling their considerable lifespans and naturalistic connections with the hustle and bustle of shorter-lived species’ societies and so often choose to withdraw from them in favor of smaller and more peaceful environments. Many cannot truly grasp the viewpoints of beings often older than their own societies and so may misinterpret blunt wisdom as conceit. The most famous Barkborne society on the continent, the ancient Queendom of Eden, does little to dispel this notion with their infamous decadence and egos as meticulously constructed as their wondrous works of art. Barkborne often greatly enjoy others’ company - so long as they can tolerate their wisened worldviews, if not understand them.

Physically, Barkborne tend to be the shortest of the various elves in contrast to their much longer lifespans, standing between 5 ½ and 7 feet tall. Their appearance is often reflective of the environments they were born in, such as rich green hair and brown skin like trees of a forest, ashen whites and pale blondes along chalky shorelines, or deep tans and reds like rusted desert rocks. These colors are often more vibrant and distinctive than species of similar appearances, though some more subdued instances may leave them looking remarkably close to humanoids of similar roots. Their mannerisms are similarly informed by the wildlife they’re exposed to at young ages, and particularly while tapping into their natural gifts to directly speak with animals.

If you want to use Barkborne Elves in your DND games, they are reflected mechanically below - note that Pamyst species are balanced against each other and are considerably more powerful than traditional 5e offerings!

Age. Barkborne are easily the longest lived elves, averaging a full 1000 years.

Size. Barkborne are notably tall compared to humans but are among the shorter elves, averaging 5 ½ -7 feet. Your size is Medium or Small.

Naturalist: You gain proficiency in the Nature skill.

Tongue of Nature. Barkborne have an inherent link to nature and its inhabitants. At 1st level, you learn the Druidcraft cantrip. Beginning at 3rd level, you are always under the effects of the Speak With Animals spell. At 5th level, you also gain the effects of the Speak With Plants spell.

Fade Away. Barkborne are naturally adept at avoiding unwanted notice. You also learn the Invisibility and Pass Without Trace spells at 5th Level, and can cast one or the other without expending a spell slot once per long rest.

Suggested bonuses: +2 WIS, +1 DEX

[fantasy-anatomy-analyst]

dnd 5e cockatrice redesign

because the official art of the cockatrice in the 5e monster manual is not great. honestly, i looked at older dnd official art of the cockatrice and i think 4e had a pretty good one. turns out the 5e design is just the 3e version but with a lot of spikes added on. so here's my notes on the official art:

(image description: a faded image of the officialdnd 5e cokcatrice art, with red outlines and typed notes on its anatomy. The cockatrice resembles a scrawny velociraptor with a whip tail, bat wings, and a chicken-like face, with lots of extra spikes and random patches of feathers all over its body. Its feet each have a large backwards claw on one toe. further notes will be explained below. end description.)

My problems, in summary: too many spikes. The beak is jagged, the toes make little sense, the wings have way too many "fingers", one of which seems to branch out into more spikes along the edge. Also it's just so scrawny. I'm not going to get over the feet, why is it putting all its weight on a single toe and why are the larger claws turned backwards like that. It's clearly meant to take inspiration from the velociraptor claw, but they did it very weird.

Honestly, I do have another nitpick, and it's the visual composition. Just feels awkward to me. All the overlapping parts, the extreme number of jutting spikes, etc. It's so busy, I hate looking at it. Anyway, here's my fix! Simplifying the design and taking it back to a more classic look.

(image description: a digital painting of a cockatrice. It resembles a feathered velociraptor with a rooster-like head and bat-like wings. It is in the same running pose as the other one, but now the large claw on each foot is held upwards and two toes touch the ground firmly. The tail curves but looks more sturdy, now held in line with the spine and turning upward. the head has a large comb and wattle, and there are golden feathers sticking out of its back, contrasting with the light grey ones all over its body. end description.)

Monster designs do not need to look so unique that they become indecipherable. Sometimes it's better to keep things simple. What's a cockatrice? A small monster with a chicken's head and bat wings and a long reptilian tail. no need to go overboard adding weird spikes or trying to reinvent the velociraptor claw. Heck, with how varied chicken breeds are in real life, you could get real fun with the coloring and the style of the feathers and end up with some unique cockatrice designs without straying too far from the base concept. Like those chickens that are ultra black, even down to their internal organs and blood. that'd be neat.

[legendaryvermin]

The call to action is driven by the fact that D&D takes up an absurd amount of air, not just in terms of play, but also in terms of secondary and tertiary media that intersects with trpg.

The AP space is a great example of this. The biggest shows almost always exclusively use- or hack beyond recognition- the core structure of 5e. In fact, The Adventure Zone famously had a disastrous drop off in listenership when they left 5e for the first time, for what was arguably their most cohesive season to that point. If you stream actual play, you may already know that if you don't have the 5e or D&D tag your audience is much much smaller.

And yeah, there are fucking annoying people saying yelling all the time about literally everything, but 1) annoying or not, they are right, and 2) there are a lot of really talented designers whose work redefines the space that get very little visibility. Conversely, there are a bunch of absolute shit stains that have built a following because they regularly release schlock for the world's most advertised RPG.

So when people are saying "play another game", straw manning it down to a beef with one shitty corporate entity on the back of "fake anti-capitalism" pretty seriously misses the forest for a few obvious trees.

If I had to pick my personal bugbear, it's that so, so, SO many designers that start their work by hacking d&d without first reading literally any other RPG end up constantly reinventing the wheel. D&D 5e's saturation has held trpg's artistic evolution in a stranglehold for a decade! Right after some of the most important trpg's in the history of the art had started breaking the hobby's bones!

Sorry that it's annoying you, but like, maybe (for a long list of great reasons) people shouldn't play the fucking Race Science Elfgame!?

I swear if I see another "go play something else" person on my dash I will get violent because y'all are so fucking annoying, how about you get a life and stop telling people what to play, you high horse riding jobless elitists?

am I going to buy any WoTC resource? no, they can go fuck themselves. but you know there is an option of... not paying for shit? like not a single dime?

so stop hiding your annoying elitism behind being "anti-capitalist" and "anti-corporation". there are people literally sharing free resources on this hellsite. I run an entire game with none of my players owning a single official thing from WoTC, neither do I.

shut up <3

[dmsden]

Take It from the Top – Andy’s advice for new DMs

Hello, my dear readers. I love this week’s Question from a Denizen, which comes to us from manqoz. They ask, “hi!! So I’ve been playing D&D for a little over a year now but my campaign only meets once a month and I haven’t been able to find another one to join on our off weeks. This has led me to consider trying out DMing my own campaign, you know, “be the change you want to see in the world” and all of that, but I’m worried that I don’t have enough experience to do a good job. Do you have any advice for a beginner DM in my shoes? I love your blog & I’m very grateful for the content you share with us ♡”

Manqoz, first off, do it! Be that change, and try being a DM! It’s not for everyone, but I think more people should try it and see whether it’s for them.

As far as advice goes, I’ve actually written many articles about advice for new DMs, and you can probably find those articles if you look back in the blog. I know that kind of advice can always use repeating, however, so I’m going to give you some things I hope will help.

First, and utterly the most important advice I can give any DM is to talk to your players frequently and to really listen to what they tell you. Communication is key in any relationship, and a D&D game is a relationship. Talk to them about what they enjoy, things they’d love to see in a game, monsters they’ve always wanted to fight, and more. Obviously you can do this during a Session Zero (and you really should run a Session Zero), but I think you can start even before this.

When you have someone you want to play with, tell them, “I’m thinking about running a D&D game, and, if I do, I’d like you to play.” In my experience, this usually leads to an outpouring of enthusiasm that will lead you to want to run a game even more than you did. Ask for advice, or ideas, or just what they think. Would they want to play? Players are a pretty important thing to have for your game to be successful after all.

Second, don’t feel the need to reinvent the wheel. This is your first time, and there are resources out there. Has your group ever played through the adventurers from the Starter Kit or the Essentials Kit? If not, why not grab these? They’re pretty cheap on D&D Beyond if you don’t want to buy the physical boxed sets. The adventures in both are some of the best written for new DMs and players, and you can mix and match the bits you like if you don’t want to just run the adventure as written. If your groups have run these, consider some of the other campaigns that’ve been released for 5E. Storm King’s Thunder, Curse of Strahd, and Waterdeep: Dragon Heist are all excellent campaigns that’ve done lots of the work for you so that you can concentrate on running the actual game.

If you’d rather not run these, and you want some advice on putting your own campaign setting together, go back and read through my Worldbuilding articles. I’ve been writing a series of articles since January 2018 about putting together a campaign setting, and you can feel free to use the setting and the advice within as you like.

Third, recognize that you don’t have to be some kind of expert to run a great game. Not everyone who runs a game has an encyclopedic knowledge of the rules, and the only real rule you need is to make sure everyone has a good time. You can ask your players for help, too. Ask them to keep track of initiative for you, to look up rules, to control music choices, or even to run some allied NPCs in combat. Most players are happy to help out with tasks like these. When we play Star Wars, I usually run the music, since I set up the playlists, and it’s one more thing our GM doesn’t have to deal with.

Fourth, recognize that you’re a player, too. That means you’re supposed to have fun, too. You want to run the game that your players want to play, but you also need to run the game that you want to run. This sometimes takes some experience to balance, but you’ll find your way.

I hope this helps, manqoz. I encourage you to run a game, and come back and tell us about it!

[emseecoy]

DnD elves are boring and they shouldn’t be.

Okay maybe that’s a bit harsh but c’mon! we’re talking about the face of the fantasy genre ever since Tolkien reinvented what we all thought fantasy could be. Ethereal beings of magic and myth with lifespans so impossibly long compared to humans that we can hardly fathom what their alien minds and vast memories must contain. Elves hold such an iconic niche in these stories that writers can’t help but create a billion different flavors of elf, everything from dark elves to sea elves to seasonal elves, and if you’re in an Elder Scrolls setting then screw it, ORCS ARE ELVES TOO THERE. But so often I see writers and game masters treating them like just long lived humans with a little bit of magical knowledge sprinkled in there. I feel this is something of a waste when there’s so much to work with and so here’s my rant on cool ways to build elf societies based on the traits they have in the DnD 5e players handbook! Alright first thing’s first lets talk alignment, that issue that has never caused an argument ever. The PHB states that for the most part, elves lean towards chaotic good, and therefore when planing out their civilization, we should reflect their values in it. Chaotic (paradoxically) doesn’t necessarily mean disorderly in DnD. Sure, we’ve all had that one player who writes Chaotic Neutral on their sheet to justify being a maniac with no good justification for their violence, but let’s think about what a chaotic good society looks like.  I feel that the best way to find what chaotic GOOD is, we need an example of chaotic EVIL. Now as I’m writing this WOTC is printing revised versions of the rules to do away with a lot of the racial coding in the game and to rewrite things so that races are not innately evil. This is cool, its rad, it helps the game feel more welcoming to every one. Now that we’re clear on that let’s use the classic portrayal of Orc society as our example for chaotic evil! CE Orc tribes believe that might makes right and that the biggest orc is in charge. If you’re an orc and you disagree with the chief, then either the chief stabs you for disobeying them or you stab the chief and now congrats you’re the new chief! There aren’t a lot of official rules for this kind of succession. Sure there might be trials and rituals for these combats, but a new chief could just declare that they won’t do those any more. If the tribe disagrees, they fight the chief over it. Rinse and repeat, there is no solid code, and everything can shift based on the whims of who can and does make it happen. The aspect of constant change is what makes it chaotic, but it’s the violence that makes it evil. So now let’s reimagine this system for the elves. in this example, a CG society can be just as mutable and changing as the orc tribes. It would shift at random intervals based on who can and does cause the shift. But if not through violence, then how is the society’s leadership found? Is there an elf monarch? How do they stay in power if their society rejects the ideals of law? The PHB describes elves as having a love for art and the gentler aspects of chaos. Use this in your writing to come up with different trials or challenges elves might have for one another to earn power in society. Maybe it’s the elf with the best story at this years festival who leads the group for the next year. Maybe it’s the elf who creates the greatest work of art. Maybe it’s the elf who tops the record set by the previous ruler in some great challenge. Whatever the case, remember that elf society should be as ready to change and as unpredictable to outsiders as the CE orc example. Make chaos feel chaotic! Keeping all that in mind, it can be confusing to think about why all elves have martial training. Be they High elf, Wood elf, or even Drow, all elves start the game proficient with certain martial weapons. This implies that the entire race undergoes military training at some point in their lives. Seems kind of weird for a species of art loving chaotic fey folks, doesn’t it? Consider this though, if elf lifespans take place on such a drastic timescale, stretching for centuries if they’re healthy, what does their population look like? Maybe elves can very rarely have children, and then only after centuries of life. This would make them very protective of their communities, as an elf clan which suffers multiple losses in a battle wouldn’t recover their numbers for centuries! As such, every elf in the group learns how to protect themselves and others with these martial weapons. This is just one way to imagine justifying their elf weapon training, but something akin to military service doesn’t seem to fit their chaotic nature, so community protection just feels right. They can combine it with their love of art to create beautiful archery demonstrations and intricate sword dances. Imagine an elven martial display at a festival in your world!  Another thing I see a lot which I understand but also kind of hate is when an elven city will be comprised of ONLY high elves or ONLY Wood elves. Classic Drow are the exception to this as their society is built on oppressing everyone who isn’t a Drow and also oppressing a lot of people who are Drow. Maybe that’ll change too with the upcoming rewrite of the species, it’ll be cool if it does. Consider a society of elves in which the different classifications existed, but it was more like something they grew into rather than were born as. Elves are fey folk who trance instead of sleeping, see in the dark, and whose god in some stories is the nonbinary deity of change and mutability. I don’t think suggesting that an elf child can go through a metamorphosis of sorts into the kind of elf they want to be during elf puberty is too far fetched an idea.  Suddenly you have elves who chose to delve more into nature or more into magic. You get these different kinds of elves who have their special traits not because it was baked into them but because it was an archetype they worked to fill. There could be really cool coming of age ceremonies and celebrations for the kids when they begin to find out what variety of elf they want to be. Hell, the PHB makes a point to mention how elves will have one name as a child and then change it to a new name when they reach adulthood. Make that a whole THING! Make an adventure out of the elf in the party helping their community get ready for the big coming of age festival that only happens once a decade!  UGH! Elves are so cool and there’s so much potential for adventure hooks in just making them have an interesting society. The traits given in the PHB when expanded to the entire species paints a picture of a group which values personal freedoms above all else, wants to spread some beauty in the world, and is able to defend itself if need be. They can be so much more than the bog standard Legolas rip off if you let them, and there are so many interesting angles to explore for a creature who lives centuries in that kind of society. All that angst over how long vampires exist can easily translate over to elves that live near a human settlement, just saying.  TLDR: Elves should view rap battles as a legitimate form of government election and they will cut you if you threaten their communities. 

[rpgsandbox]

A handful of current kickstarters

Blades & Blasters: 5e DnD Alien Invasion Rulebook & Bestiary

An alien invasion supplement for your 5th edition campaign!

This project began in early 2017 when I thought to myself in passing, “How cool would it be to design a campaign about an alien invasion in a medieval fantasy setting?” The answer, of course, is: “Very cool.” It wasn’t until several months later that I began putting serious thought into the idea.

A certain popular game master’s book lists some rules and statistics about alien weapons and technology but I knew immediately that the limited information given would not be enough to build a campaign.

I developed lists of weapons, vehicles, technologies, and of course, a rich selection of alien creatures. With these new items came the need for a new set of rules. Together, all of these new additions the core 5th edition rules make up the Blades & Blasters: Bestiary & Rulebook.

Nothing in this book will override the core 5e rules that we’ve all become so familiar with. My goal was not to reinvent the wheel or create a new RPG. I wanted to build something that could easily fit into existing games and campaign settings.

Kickstarter campaign ends: Mon, October 1 2018 11:05 PM BST

Dungeon Discoveries - Card Decks for any TTRPG

Creative cards to help GMs conjure up immersive world-building details on the spot. Generate thousands of system neutral results.

Coming up with imaginative details on the spot is never easy. Whether you are a seasoned dungeon master, or just started with roleplaying, Dungeon Discoveries card decks help you conjure up inspirational world-building details with the flip of a card.

Each themed, 50-card set generates thousands of system neutral results, ranging from cryptic, mundane, to funny. Draw a card and match up any entry from the top and bottom half. Draw multiple cards to create awesome combinations. You can even mix sets and GO CRAZY :)

Works with any RPG System (no rules text, no dice rolling)

Insane replay value with near infinite combinations.

Thousands of possible results per 50-card deck.

Are your players veering off the beaten path? Searching in places you didn't plan? Looking for a mysterious new quest hook? Dungeon Discoveries decks provide an endless stream of ideas: When you are planning your next game, or on the spot during game night. Never again will you have to say... "You find nothing"...

You are free to combine entries from the top and bottom half, giving you many fun options per card. Each fifty card set contains 400 "seeds". When you combine two or more cards the amount of options escalates quickly, and smart people have told us that a single 50-card deck of Dungeon Discoveries gives you tens of thousands of results. Granted, not every single combination will make sense, some will even be (un)intentionally funny - which could be a good thing :-)

Kickstarter campaign ends: Sun, October 21 2018 2:36 PM BST

Website: Lore Smyth

The Sassoon Files

Cthulhu Mythos RPG scenarios and campaign set in 1920's Shanghai.

Horror in the Pearl of the East! The Sassoon Files will be a set of scenarios and campaign resources for Call of Cthulhu 7th Edition and GUMSHOE role-playing games (RPGs) set in historical 1920s Shanghai; an international city of intrigue, espionage, style and violence.  

Victor Sassoon, a preeminent bon vivant, has found himself trading correspondence with Doctor Henry Armitage. They share a common goal and a common modus operandi. Victor fights to keep his empire safe, but he also fights for a Shanghai free from Mythos influence. Victor has gathered around him professors, detectives, muscles, guns, criminals and other problem solvers to mount a defense against a rising tide. Victor is your hook.

The trail leads to...

a strange gate opened by an ancient Daoist ritual, and an alien spirit called forth from the Polaris solar system.

a Shanghai triad operated by someone claiming to be the deceased Empress Dowager Cixi.

a scam at the horse track, a heartbroken triad gangster, and the Bloated Woman.

a lost city of golden sands, a field of black lotus, and a place suspended in time and space.

The Sassoon Files will be released as a PDF and a printed book, approximately 150 - 200 pages long. It will be modular in design; each of the included scenarios may be played as a "one-off" session or as part of a larger campaign set in 1920's Shanghai. The scenarios will be tied together by common locations, characters, threats and themes. The history of the Paris of the East is rich; with the help of the Sassoon Files, you will be able to dig deep into the vein of Old Shanghai.

The Sassoon Files will include the history of Shanghai and some of the primary factions that competed for influence and power: the Communists and Nationalists who played a game of deadly cat and mouse; the Jewish tycoon who provided succor to refugees; the Triad societies who competed to provide vice for the city's residents; the Japanese who were moving closer to invasion. The Sassoon Files will also explore the secret history of the Mythos, and the local factions who sought to exploit that which could not be fully comprehended.

Kickstarter campaign ends: Fri, October 19 2018 3:01 PM BST

Website: Sons of the Singularity

3 New Sidequest Decks: After the TPK; Modern; & Lovecraftian

More Sidequest Decks! Each card is a system neutral mini-adventure. One side is the main map, the other is the adventure outline.

Sidequest Decks are system agnostic tabletop RPG accessories.  They are perfect for when your players unexpectedly take a casual comment for a story hook, for stocking a hex crawl or serving as the basis of a larger adventure. You may even chain several together for an entire  campaign!

Each card has a map on one side and a mini-adventure outline on the other side. The outline starts with a short description for the GM. (Skim these to find an adventure that fits the circumstances.) Choose between a couple of story hooks to get the adventure started. Next several encounter ideas move the game along. Finally each card wraps up with one or two follow-up adventure ideas.

We've made several of these decks over the past few years, and now we're planning three more:

After the Total Party Kill

The party didn't survive the final showdown--or worse, they didn't even get that far.  Sure you can make up new characters and the original characters' "cousins" can show up or you can even start completely over.  But thumb through these cards and you'll find adventure ideas to keep the campaign going. For example, have the PCs fight their way out of Hell. Or perhaps they are ghost-like and can continue their quest as ghosts hoping to return to their bodies. This deck will have over 50 ideas!

Lovecraftian/Paranormal

This deck of 50+ cards will be chock full of adventures that you'll swear were lifted from H. P. Lovecraft's mind--because they were! He left behind over 200 story ideas that we've read to create some of these cards.  Some adventures will have an X-Files and even Ghostbusters influence as well.

Modern (Criminals, Spies, & Superheroes)

Whether your campaign is focused on criminals, spies, or superheroes, this deck's adventures will have plenty of ideas you can use.  Turn a spy organization into a criminal operation or vice versa to switch an adventure between those genres.  Or give the foes super-powers to make the adventure fit a superhero setting. This deck will also have 50+ cards where each card is an adventure.

Sample PDF with two cards from each deck.

Kickstarter campaign ends: Wed, October 17 2018 4:00 AM BST

Website: Inkwell Ideas

[dustedmagazine]

Steve Coleman and Five Elements — Live at the Village Vanguard, Vol.1 (The Embedded Sets) (Pi)

Live at the Village Vanguard, Vol. 1 (The Embedded Sets) by Steve Coleman

It’s a bit deceptive to state simply that Five Elements has been around for a few decades. While it’s true chronologically, the statement obscures the fact that 5E is constantly changing, the base workshop for altoist/composer Steve Coleman’s relentless conceptual and musical imagination. There are musical constants — intricacy, density, and tons of rhythmic momentum — and some longstanding personnel, too. But what makes Coleman’s music so vital is how he keeps turning over and reinventing his sound, even as his alto and compositional imprint are unmistakable.

For the group’s first live recording in 15 years, comprised of two sets at the Vanguard, Coleman is joined by trumpeter Jonathan Finlayson, guitarist Miles Okazaki, bassist Anthony Tidd and the outrageously good drummer Sean Rickman. It’s not just that Live at the Village Vanguard, Vol.1 (The Embedded Sets) contains over two and a half hours of music; listeners also get the opportunity to explore the group’s varied approaches to some of the same tunes from set to set. It’s something that we jazz nerds love to do, and there are riches here.

The first set pops up with the filthy mid-tempo funk of “Horda,” and just like that the group finds the sweet spot: a deeply organic groove that’s simultaneously the most ridiculously balanced complexity that you can’t quite count along with. This particular configuration of Five Elements has some serious chemistry built from many years of playing. That’s nowhere more evident than Coleman’s and Finlayson’s synergy, playing off each other or nailing the unisons. But it really is about the group sound in total. Things are always trailing off, overlapping someone else’s rhythm, shading bright or lurking just below. There is just so damn much going on in this music — so how does it sound so tight all the time?

One answer is that each player understands that they aren’t a typical soloist so much as a moving part in Coleman’s whole. Consider Okazaki (whose recent solo recording of the entire Thelonious Monk oeuvre is required listening, by the way). He’s got a real talent for finding nuggets of rhythm or melody at the heart of a large sound, turning them inside out and reinventing them. On “Djw,” for example, he locates a stuttering Jimmy Nolen figure that’s a bracing contrast to the Tidd-Rickman flow. Likewise, Okazaki bounces brilliantly through the circuitous, burbling post-bop funk of “twf.” Finlayson is just outrageously good, dialed in completely to what makes Coleman’s music work. On the whirligig “Figit Time” and on “Djw” he cranks out some simply bonkers improvising, growling lines, trading polyrhythms with Okazaki, playing so much trumpet that sometimes you feel as if you need to hold on for dear life.

And yet there’s a surprising amount of space for music so dense. Despite the complexity of the barnstorming “Change the Guard” or the tense, multi-tempo “rmT,” the structure isn’t a cage, but a framework for play. This is another benefit of the live versions: on many tunes, Coleman’s own a capella openings reveal how he hears the tempo and phrasing on deck. His alto sounds inquisitive to start “Little Girl I’ll Miss You/Embedded #1,” whose group performances takes the cues for some fairly chill counterpoint, tight harmony, and tasty brushwork. The slow, deliberate opening to “idHw” yields more spacious and free music than one often hears with this group. And the harmonic minor riffing that opens “Nfr” uncorks one of the finest neo-bop heads here.

The music resists closure or summation. But if one thing sums it up, it’s the sheer energy of it all. You know this from Coleman’s own vocalisms throughout, from his direction (“Open up! Open up!”) to his scatting duos with Tidd, to his end-of-set address to the audience (directing them to his website, he says “There’s lots of videos to teach people how to lose gigs”). Tight but loose, able to start and stop on a dime, this music is effervescent. Bring on Vol. 2!

 Jason Bivins