Campaign Mastery

Another way of looking at the way we turn raw plot ideas into structured adventure sequences. I like this approach so much I’m using it myself. You know, I had a lot of trouble going to sleep, some nights in the hospital. I was usually the last patient in the ward to get tired enough […]

For the Oct 2026 Blog Carnival, hosted by Vulcan Stev, I offer the Klein Wand, drawing inspiration from… non-traditional sources. I took this month’s subject to be a challenge, one to which I wasn’t initially going to respond – while magic items tend to be around in many of my campaigns, they tend to be […]

After posing the question, “What’s the backstory behind money in your campaign?” this post links and evaluates the answers. The September 2026 carnival is done and dusted, but this round-up has been delayed while I recovered from a Stroke. I’m still not 100% but improving, day by day, even as other medical issues arise to […]

Campaign Mastery is hosting the Sept 2026 Blog Carnival, and the chosen subject is “The Face Of Money”. AN UPDATE: No posts for a while due to sudden hospitalization (stroke) – posts and a round-up will appear eventually but they may be delayed/late. Next month sees Campaign Mastery host the Blog Carnival once again. The […]

The US Midterms are <100 days away, so these two real-world original political tools might be useful – and in RPGs, too. My goodness but a lot of elements went into creating this logo! Tile effect by Melanie Simon. Background by StockSnap. Atom by Gerd Altmann, Earth by Alexander Antropov, Jupiter by Adis Resic, Rubick’s […]

Relating the anatomy of a skill roll to the difference between learned technique and natural ability. A short post. I know I’ve addressed the subject before, but this short piece offers a different ‘take’ on the question. I’ve actually set this one aside for more than a year, thinking that there should be more to […]

Some problems are so serious that they threaten the viability of the entire campaign. All is not lost – here are your choices. The Elephant In The Gray Room is a metaphor that I have created to represent Plot Holes. These are matters of huge significance or importance that everyone is overlooking because they are […]

GMs can take a lot of the strain off by worldbuilding within their encounters. It’s easier than it sounds! Any genre. I’ve been increasingly frustrated lately by dramatic headlines that offer two choices, neither realistic, only for the whole of the content that follows to knock down one of the two and assert that this […]

Three roleplaying tips for both players and GMs regarding the conveying of emotions. A short but universally applicable post. Tip One: Tone A basic roleplaying tip for anyone at the game table, today, especially useful for beginners. Tone of voice can be used to convey all sorts of emotional states, including quite complex ones. When […]

Discomfort niggles, nags, distracts, and exhausts – for everyone. Until now, there have been no rules for simulating this. If it’s good enough for elite athletes to take into account, it’s good enough for an RPG. Another quick World Cup -inspired post today. During the Qatar v. Switzerland match (in Portland, I think), played in […]

This post offers a way to create unique original names on the fly, selecting for cultural relevance as you go. It’s another shortish one to help me stay on-schedule while devoting time to the bigger articles to come! I was half-watching a FIFA world cup preview on YouTube when the hosts flashed up a list […]

This quick post offers an adventure idea that works with almost ANY campaign, almost ANY genre. 2 1/2 weeks ago, I started a quick little article, 5-10 paragraphs long. For the last 10 days, every day, I’ve thought “It’s almost finished, any day now it will be done”. The last time I checked, it had […]