I posted some "rules" one year ago called Don't Worry About It or DWAIt. I have more stuff to talk about. Optional Rules for Don't Worry About ItThese are for if you would rather not not worry. I have played in or run adventures with these.…
I went to Between Two Cons in sunny Portland, Oregon! There have already been a lot of great recaps, and I think they've all done a wonderful job capturing the atmosphere, so I'll skip trying to summarize the event itself and instead share
The Pamphlet Adventure Triptych is a set of three pamphlet adventures by Brad Kerr and Skullfungus. The very same pair who won an Ennie for best short form adventure with Dream Shrine. I read each of the pamphlet adventures once and then ra…
In honor of maybe the coolest band in our niche hobby: Let's Loot the Body! Perhaps one day I will make something cool enough to work on a song with them for it. 🤘 With this table I tried to subtly encourage gathering some monster parts an…
I usually have my players' magic users roll random spells at the start of each adventuring day. Lately I've been using the 20 spells I made from spark tables, but before those we almost always rolled random Maze Rats spell names (perchance
These were inspired by the spark tables in Maze Rats and Knave by Ben Milton. Unless otherwise noted, spells last L × 10 minutes (where "L" equals the level of the caster), with a range of 40’. Unwilling target creatures save versus spells
My son and I made this one freehand with acrylic paint In play, having a model of A Familiar Tower on the table is highly beneficial. It helps players grasp the dungeon mechanics and adds a tangible element to the game. You don’t need to ge…
In November/December I hosted Puzzle Dungeon Jam. I wanted more creators to make puzzle dungeons because they are one of my favorite types of adventures to run and play in. At 23 submissions, I couldn't be happier with the turnout. The mont…
Playtesting isn’t just testing, it’s collaboration. Players help you break your adventure and get out of your own head. They find connective tissue you didn’t know was there. They inspire you to see the space you built in a new way. I playt…
This post is part of a multi-part series on Puzzle Dungeon Design. Start with part 1. These are the criteria for OSR-style challenges: At first glance, famous puzzle dungeon toys like the gravity gun or portal gun seem like they’d violate c…
So I'm hosting Puzzle Dungeon Jam. We're talking adventure game dungeons with strong themes filled with OSR-style puzzles and challenges that makes players poke and experiment and experience the revelation of suddenly understanding a previo…
Top (left to right): Zelda: Ocarina of Time eye switch (3d printed and then sculpted over and painted), Oatmeal box wizard’s tower that my son helped me make. Bottom (left to right): Ben Fox illustrations “Campfire” and “Key” from the adven…