Welcome back to Advent's Amazing Advice! The series where I take popular One-Shots, Adventures, Campaigns, etc. and fully prep them for both New and Busy DMs. This prep includes fully fleshed-out notes, music, ambiance, encounter sheets, handouts, battle maps, tweaks, and more so you can run the best sessions possible with the least stress possible!

We're back at it again with another Fully Prepped Mini-Campaign; Dragon of Icespire Peak, A level 1-6 Adventure that's a bit frosty! This is part of the Essentials Kit; released between Dragon of Stormwreck Isle and The Lost Mine of Phandelver all created by WoTC.

Dragon of Icespire Peak is a bit different from the other two I've prepped; not only is it more of a sandbox, but it also has the ability to be run with just one player which is a huge plus for those of you who can't get larger groups together! I'll be incorporating the recommendations from both Bob the World Builder and Sly Flourish along with my own tweaks to make this one of the best experiences you can have running this Mini-Campaign!

If you've used my previous notes you'll know that I take adventures such as these and do all the difficult and time-consuming book-to-session conversions so you don't have to! I do my best to include ambiance for every scene, custom battle maps, handouts when needed, spell sheets, encounter sheets, and more!

This may all sound familiar, but seeing as this is a Starter/Essentials Kit, I think it's important to reiterate:

• Read the Adventure: I know surprising, but it can be extremely confusing when you don't know where everything leads to.
• Consider the needs of your group: As you've heard or are about to hear a million times, every table is different. If you plan on combining this with a campaign, you'll have to make tweaks here and there.
• These notes aren't meant to be the end-all-be-all: Tweak to your heart's content, and don't consider any of what's written to be set in stone. For me having notes like this helps give me the confidence to go off the rails and follow along with what my players want. It helps me understand where things are meant to go and why. Having that understanding allows me to guide the players and create other new and interesting stories. These are all things that will come with experience, though, so don't freak out and enjoy the journey!

Without further ado:

• Google Docs Notes for Part 1 Phandalin: DM Notes
• Link to: Phandalin Playlist
• Link to: The AAA Collection

Included in The AAA Collection is:

• A Word document with all my notes including links to music tracks for ambiance and fights
• Custom Map of Phandalin

Over 5 dozen other Fully Prepped One-Shots, Adventures, and Campaigns: Click Here

As always, if you see something you think I can improve, add, change, etc. please let me know. I want this to be an amazing resource for all DMs and plan to keep it constantly updated! If you'd like to support me, shape future releases, and get content early feel free to check out my Patreon!

Cheers, Advent

Come and hung out with your own personal demons in Nightbound. New Eden awaits you with intrugues, mystery and horror. Everyone is welcomed here, but you may never leave the madness!

Nightbound just launched on Kickstarter, check it out and support this project if you like what you see!

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/creativejamttrpgs/nightbound?ref=55vu4d

The poject just funded, now we start the ladder to unlock new streatch goals!

Nightbound is a PBTA urban fantasy game, that takes inspiration from Hellblazer, Preacher, Lucifer and other media. Like other urban fantasy games it’s a deep dive into modern horror with a focus on personal horror. PCs in Nightbound face supernatural threats while dealing with their own personal hell made of guilt, sin and consequences. As a PC you are capable of almost everything, you can kick that demon down with ease but your real enemy are the choices you make and how you choose to use your powers. Most of the time you’ll fail and you’ll suffer for it, but you will always have a chance to make it right and break the cycle of guilt!

We have have already unlocked 4 of our streatch goals which includes 2 new playbooks and 2 new locations for the main game setting. And there’s many more where they came from!

From the Kickstarter campaing you can download a free copy of the quickstart guide so that you can preview the game and try it out.

I'm a huge Talisman fan but I wasn't aware that a new edition was being released, and I thought that others would appreciate the news.

Our indie dev group just released our third playable adventure! This is the climax of a four-part set! It is now available for free on DriveThruRPG!

It’s for a free, open-source game system/setting we made that’s like cyberpunk in a post-scarcity society. Check it out! Honest feedback is appreciated.

>A gang of whitehat biohackers suspect they’re being targeted. That threat is about to get very real. > >On a sunny summer day, your help is needed escorting a eccentric researcher to a meeting with their collegues. It’s been six weeks since unknown actors staged a daring armed robbery on their laboratory, and tensions are running high. But when this mysterious adversary puts their plans into action, it’ll take all your skills and judgement to avert a nightmare.

This story continues to build on the previous two in its scope, complexity, and challenges to give diverse player and character types opportunitites to see more places, meet more characters, and find ways to use their specialities to help their communities in a story with around 8 - 10 hours of content.

Hi, my name is Khan and I am the person behind Devabhumi. I am of Indian origin, and I have always been interested in non-European rpg settings. There is such a treasure trove of untapped stories, monsters, and legends in Indian Culture, which can provide fresh and unique content for your campaigns.

Devabhumi is a high fantasy TTRPG setting inspired by the history and epics of Ancient India. This setting features: -100+ pages of lore

• A karma mechanic
• 8 new races
• 20+ historical weapons and armor

And much more!

You can check out the project here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/silvercompassmaps/devabhumi-a-dandd-5e-setting-inspired-by-ancient-india?ref=clipboard-prelaunch

Our indie dev group just released our second playable adventure! It is now available for free on DriveThruRPG!

It's for a free, open-source game system/setting we made that's like cyberpunk in a post-scarcity society. Check it out! Honest feedback is appreciated.

>An adventurer is facing a mind-bending medical crisis. Are you prepard to join the rescue party? > >Psychonaut Psilosybe Vulgaris has fallen into a catonic state while testing a new psychadelic. Now her doctor and friends need the aid of some daring and capable first responders ready to do whatever it takes to find a cure, before her mind dissolves away to nothing! > >As the second published adventure within the Fully Automated! solarpunk game catalog, Psychonautica is written for new players who are ready for a more free-form adventure. Unlike the short and simple demo mission, this one has twists, turns, and opportunities for GMs and players to tell stories with a bit more freedom. > >Respond to a medical emergency! Explore the wild mental dimension of neurospace! Meet a wilder, wider world of characters in a story that stands on its own while planting the seeds for an even more climactic sequel!

We don't have much lemmings talking about larp, and as I am moving forward in the prep of my next game, I thought about sharing some my tips/thoughts On this thread, I will focus on the typical "2-3 day heroic fantasy larp" with 80-200 players and some faction/PvP mechanics. The larp scene is pretty huge, and not all of my points my transpose to what you play nor your local game culture. So take it as a blog post with my view on-it, which may not fit yours

Expect that the logistic team will fuck up

If the writers fuck-up, you end-up with a boring story, if the NPCs fuck-up you end-up with wrong information. But in both case you end-up drinking and eating with your friends in a costume. Not that bad. On the other hand, if the only drinkwater tap is after the orc camp, or if the cook under-estimated how hungry the player are you end-up thirsty and hungry, add the lack of sleep and the fun week-end turns into a nightmare. So please plan to have extra water/food (also a whole ham on the table is a great diplomacy tool) worst case, you end-up storing some leftover at home after the game.

Another classic one in larp with "toilets" is that the toilet end-up clogged at the end of the week-end. So plan that you may-need to manage otherwise.

Finally, even though it's not a fuck-up from the logistic, plan for any possible water and adapt your playstyle. You may have temperatures above 40 or heavy rain, and sometimes both at the same game. So have a hat in your kit, extra socks, and choose the right shoes if rain is expected.

Self care

It's a bit linked to the previous point, but as much as beer can be refreshing and spiced wine can help negotiation, it doesn't hydrate. Bring water and drink water.

Force yourself to get some sleep, Game never stops, it usually get a bit quieter between 3 and 9 but that's it. However, I would seriously advise to still try to get some sleep. It can be tempting to keep playing until the dawn, and then be dragged in the day-game. But at a point the lack of sleep will catch-up, especially when you're driving. I don't tell you to get your 8h of sleep per night, but 8h for the whole week-end isn't reasonable either.

If you're not comfortable with something, or feel that a situation is physically dangerous speak-up. Can be the battle "near the stairs" which would make sense in a real combat but is a great way to break some legs in a game, can be the torture scene which is bit too realistic. speak-up if you see something dangerous physically or emotionally, most player would try to find a reasonable way to do it.

In game

Avoid the not my problem attitude, if you catch a plot hook pull it. It may not be your character main goal, but if some "game opportunity" come to you, take-it or (especially if you play a busy character), delegate to someone from your faction.

In the same category, in case of doubt say yes, you might have missed who was the great priestess of the sun, or that you had a side quest about building an orphanage. Also, sometimes, it's obviously "a trap" but the proper attitude is so what Yes you'll end-up jailed, tortured and executed, but you'll have more fun than sitting in the tavern

On the character

Remember that combat is a very small fraction of a larp. So you don't need to play a warrior in heavy armour to have fun. There is plenty of game where I didn't pulled a sword (and sometimes didn't even carried one)

Remember that you need a character you can play for 3 days, avoid the "loner type", or the "weird accent that you cannot keep on the long term".

Try to match your character with your faction, either by asking the faction which hypes you which kind of character they need or by asking the factions who would need the kind of character you want to play.

Character do die, especially the ones with some visibility, so have a second kit ready in case off.

Gear

Thrift store are a great ressource for a beginner kit, it may not be fully period appropriate but can be a generic costume basis (linen trouser/skirt, pirate-shirt) at a cheap price (well nowadays thrift store got trendy)

Layering works damn well. get a neutral basis layer, add stuff like doublet/cape to give a style to your character, and finish with accessories. Obviously expect that anything you'll bring to a larp will be lost or damaged. Make-up and hairstyle can do a lot for a character to.

Depending on the faction/character, adding some uniformity helps a lot. 10 persons with the same green/white cape/tabard looks way more impressive than 10 persons with random costume even if each one is way better than the common costume.

Remember that you're not doing cosplay, you'll be moving with these clothe, so try to craft some robust stuff. In the same category, unless you can afford decend larp shoes and the game-site permit it, better wearing some leather hiking boots and keep your feet safe and dry than twisting your ankle in period appropriate shoes

You never have too much pouches, try to keep your "out of game" stuff in a pouch, and keep the in-game items in another.

Print some "out of game sign" so you can indicate a robber visiting your camp which crates/boxes are "out of game"

Ok time runs out, I feel like I already wrote a lot, pretty sure some of you will have stuff to add, or stuff that do not apply to their games (which is fine), so I stop the thread here

I'm always on the lookout for run inspirations. But many Shadowrun missions were hit or miss

As a hardcore roll20 hater, I'm not too happy about this. Hopefully this at least makes R20 better and demiplane won't just be killed off in 6 months.

Hello everyone,

We are nearing the end of my first TTRPG campaign and in a few weeks, the DM is starting a homebrew. I joined this one half way through and a friend slapped together most of my level 7 character for me, a basic fighter. For this new campaign I'm hoping to have "more to do" in and out of battle so I'm looking for class advice.

I want to play a support class but I've been feeling overwhelmed by the class options. All I know is that I want it to be beginner-friendly support that can heal but also do more - like damage, buffs, or debuffs. Doesn't have to be all 3!

The group gave me a few suggestions but there was so much back and forth about how complicated they are, I thought I'd pose the question here.

Can someone help point me in the right direction on a simple support? Any help would be appreciated!

> The theme for the 2024 One Page Dungeon Contest is 'Full Circle.' Let your creativity flow as you explore this theme in any way you envision. Whether you design a dungeon that loops back on itself in a never-ending cycle, a mystical maze where adventurers must confront the consequences of their past actions, or a legendary stronghold where ancient prophecies come to fruition, the possibilities are boundless. Use the theme of 'Full Circle' as your muse, guiding you to create a unique and unforgettable one-page dungeon submission that captivates players and judges alike.

Submission deadline is end of July.

Welcome back to Advent's Amazing Advice! The series where I take popular One-Shots, Adventures, Campaigns, etc. and fully prep them for both New and Busy DMs. This prep includes fully fleshed-out notes, music, ambiance, encounter sheets, handouts, battle maps, tweaks, and more so you can run the best sessions possible with the least stress possible!

Don't Say Vecna is a level 20 One-Shot by Michael Galvis and Mike Bernier that will have your players tasked with investigating a wizard tower that mysteriously disappeared from the Material Plane. Their exploration will reveal the forbidden secrets three scholars discovered and what fates befell them. Will your player be able to handle the might of Vecna!?

Fortunately, even if they can, there's a modified stat block to really throw the full power of the Arch-lich himself!

*\Estimated Session Length: 4-6hrs

*\Important Note: If using the revised statblock it is recommended to allow your players to pick the following Magic items:

• Legendary/Artifact x1
• Very Rare x2
• Rare x3
• Uncommon x 4

Without further ado:

• Google Docs Notes for Don't Say Vecna: DM Notes
• Link to: Don't Say Vevcna Playlist
• Link to: Don't Say Vecna PDF (Original D&DBeyond Post)
• Link to: Revised Vecna Statblock
• Link to: Vecna Dossier
• Link to: The AAA Collection

Included in The AAA Collection is:

• A Word document with all my notes, including links to music tracks for ambiance and fights
• Special PDF for all encounters. This includes the enemy stat blocks organized neatly, along with an initiative tracker and a spot to mark HP
• Revised Vecna Statblock for those who want a greater challenge
• Custom Maps of Cientia Tower

Over 5 dozen other Fully Prepped One-Shots, Adventures, and Campaigns: Click Here

If you see something you think I can improve, add, change, etc. please let me know. I want this to be an amazing resource for all DMs and plan to keep it constantly updated! If you'd like to support me, shape future releases, and get content early feel free to check out my Patreon!

Cheers, Advent

A very short question, for people used to Forge in the dark games.

To manage a situation evolving negatively or positively on the long term, do you use a large clock, or stack several one small ones with a concrete impact every time they fill?

let’s say the PC are asking questions they shouldn’t be asking about “the bad guys”. Would you say

3 times 4 tick clock : leading to “bad guys hear rumours about someone asking question”/Bad guys Finds out who asks the question/ Bad guys guards find the PC.

A 12 tick clock and continuously increasing the pressure on the PC as the clock is filling ?

The related question, is how do you handle the consequence of the clocks filling beside the : Enemy guard found you (or missing accomplished when it’s on the PC side). Just by role-playing, or would you change the PC position or is it as often in rpg “it depends” ?

So, I haven't dabbled in the Word of Darkness ("WoD") or the Vampire games since I was an early teen. I only played like 2 sessions, so I am not worried about rules for other editions coming into my head. That being said, what rules am I going to get wrong when running a game of the newest edition of Vampire the Masquerade ("V5")?

Any decent house-rules out there? Any advice?

cross-posted from: https://slrpnk.net/post/10045103

> >The vote to elect a new chair of the Pacifica Grid closes in four days, and an auditor thinks there's something suspicious going on. Records of an incident for the lead candidate's past have been destroyed in a cyberattack, and the manager responsible for the files is being mysteriously tight lipped. Keeping power in the right hands requires answers, and it's going to take a few determined problem solvers to get them! > > After releasing the core game manual a week ago, we've now released our first playable adventure. It's a concise little one-shot that can be played in 2-4 hours, written specifically as an easy entry point into the game's world and rules. > > Like the game itself, it's FREE! So check it out, tell your friends, and if you like this weird little story of hard-science sci-fi intrigue, please leave us a rating and review!

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/482551/fully-automated-a-demonstration-of-power

Has anyone looked at it? How streamlined it really is? Is this overhaul cohesive?

cross-posted from: https://slrpnk.net/post/9827132

> Guess what? > > WE'RE LIVE!!! > > Fully Automated RPG is now available for "purchase" on DriveThruRPG! > > https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/481979/Fully-Automated-Solarpunk-RPG > > If you haven't yet had a look, check us out now! The book is free as in speech, and free as in beer! And if you like what you see, please rate us, review us, and tell your friends! (or foes!)

Pretty sure it happened to everyone, you lacked time to prep tonight session, and now the first player just arrived

Bonus point if you explain how to do it when tired.

Hi, my name is Khan and I am the person behind Devabhumi. I am of Indian origin, and I have always been interested in non-European rpg settings. There is such a treasure trove of untapped stories, monsters, and legends in Indian Culture, which can provide fresh and unique content for your campaigns. Devabhumi is a high fantasy TTRPG setting inspired by the history and epics of Ancient India. This setting features:

• 100+ pages of lore
• A karma mechanic
• 6 new races
• 20+ backgrounds and feats
• And much more!

You can sign up for the Kickstarter here.

We are going live in 3 days!

Linked video is part 1 of 4, and as long as it is, it's the shortest of them.

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

I had heard vaguely about how this was a bad system before, but never before realised just quite how bad it was, and in what ways.

Warning: references to sexual assault, sexism, and racism

I'll recycle a discussion from the Francophone !forumlibre@jlai.lu link but obviously the answer were more focused on video game.

We're on a RPG community, so I expect to hear more about RPG and LARP, let's talk about made you feel "bleed"

Welcome back to Advent's Amazing Advice! The series where I take popular One-Shots, Adventures, Campaigns, etc. and fully prep them for both New and Busy DMs. This prep includes fully fleshed-out notes, music, ambiance, encounter sheets, handouts, battle maps, tweaks, and more so you can run the best sessions possible with the least stress possible!

Dragons of Stormwreck Isle, is a level 1-3 Adventure, the most recent Starter Set, and successor to The Lost Mine of Phandelver released by WoTC. In it, your players will sail to Stormwreck Isle, an island shaped by an age of conflict between Chromatic and Metallic Dragons. They'll be able to befriend kobolds, explore fungal grottos, fight those twisted by Orcus, and perhaps save the very island itself!

Have your players create their own characters or jump right in using the Pre-Gens that are built with backstories integrated into the plot!

If you've used my previous notes, you'll know that I take Adventures such as these and do all the difficult and time-consuming book-to-session conversions, so you don't have to! I do my best to include Ambiance for every scene, custom battle maps, handouts when needed, spell sheets, encounter sheets, and more!

This may all sound familiar, but seeing as this is a Starter Set, I think it's important to reiterate:

• Read the Adventure: I know surprising, but it can be extremely confusing when you don't know where everything leads to.
• Consider the needs of your group: As you've heard or are about to hear a million times, every table is different. If you plan on combining this with a campaign, you'll have to make tweaks here and there.
• These notes aren't meant to be the end-all-be-all: Tweak to your heart's content, and don't consider any of what's written to be set in stone. For me having notes like this helps give me the confidence to go off the rails and follow along with what my players want. It helps me understand where things are meant to go and why. Having that understanding allows me to guide the players and create other new and interesting stories. These are all things that will come with experience, though, so don't freak out and enjoy the journey!

Without further ado:

Index & FAQ:

Dragons of Stormwreck Isle:

• Part 1 - Dragon's Rest
• Part 2 - Seagrow Cave
• Part 3 - Cursed Shipwreck
• Part 4 - Clifftop Observatory

Over 5 dozen other Fully Prepped One-Shots, Adventures, and Campaigns: Click Here

As always, if you see something you think I can improve, add, change, etc. please let me know. I want this to be an amazing resource for all DMs and plan to keep it constantly updated! If you'd like to support me, shape future releases, and get content early feel free to check out my Patreon!

Cheers,

Advent

Archived.

Three years ago, Sam Illingworth, James Louis Smith, and Chloé Germaine approached Jesse Ross to discuss the possibility of using Trophy as a teaching tool in the environmental sciences, specifically to counter the feelings of powerlessness that come up when facing the climate crisis. They saw how tabletop roleplaying games can use fantasy as metaphor for contemporary struggles, can shift perspective and broaden empathy, and—most importantly—can empower people and drive them to action. From those early conversations, Rooted in Crisis was born. Roleplaying games are inherently collaborative—magic happens when diverse voices and talents come together in an act of creation. They recruited game designers and climate crisis researchers, pairing them together to share ideas and find common ground based on their own interests, fields of study, and lived experiences. The end result is five diverse but interconnected games exploring different facets of humanity’s impact on the ecosystem. Each game shares a foundation based in the push-your-luck mechanics of Trophy Dark and Trophy Gold, but each adds innovative twists to tell their own unique story.

Full post on Reddit. Final paragraphs:

> And I know that sounds bad. I know! I know this basically all sounds like "you prefer 5E to these other games because you have to actually try to play them?" But the answer is actually yeah, exactly! It's not that I'm checked out on my phone or something, but I've learned I'm not actually interested in thinking too much about my part at the table. I think being there at game night with friends is fun, but I mostly just want to be along for the ride until it's time to roll some dice to hit something and let the other players figure out what to do otherwise, maybe get in some banter-in character in between encounters, and chill. In everything else I've played, I'm dead weight if I'm not actively participating. In 5E, I can just kind of vibe until it's time to roll to unlock a door or stab someone, and I'm not penalized for doing that. The game is neither loose enough that it needs my constant input outside of combat, nor complex enough to need any serious tactical decisions. That's a very comfortable spot for me! > > So yeah. I imagine there's a lot of players who would prefer other systems if they tried them, but I'm not one of them. And I imagine there's actually a lot more people like me at tables than you'd expect! Hopefully this gives some insight into why someone would still prefer 5E over everything else, even after giving a lot of other games a shot. Thanks for giving me a chance.

Interesting reflective statement from a 5e player.

Picked up the Fallout RPG starter set, and I'm curious to hear people's opinions on it.

From what I gather, it released in 2021, but the first time I saw it was in the store a few days ago - on display no doubt due to the success of the TV show.

I've always been a fan of the Fallout setting, and from what (very) little I've read while flipping through the rulebook, it seems to be almost a mixture of d20 and Fate? The rules seem to have some crunch, while also allowing room for roleplay - again, from what I can tell at a glance.

I'm curious if anyone here has run this game, and what you thought. Do the rules make sense in practice? Did you have fun with it? And if you played through the example module, how was it?