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Musk tweeted today that he's launching an AI GameDev studio for video games. His tweet "Too many game studios that are owned by massive corporations. @xAI is going to start an AI game studio to make games great again! " There's something deeply ironic about a tech billionaire declaring he'll...

I wrote something today after watching Tim Cain's (Fallout, Troika) recent video about Temple of Elemental Evil being left out of Art & Arcana. Between that and our ongoing discussions about Gary's legacy, and given a lot of the discussions online and on EN World, I've been thinking a lot about...

Hey everyone! Just posted a new analysis looking at how 5e's design philosophy might actually encourage "rules lawyer" behavior at our tables. This isn't another "rules lawyers bad" rant - instead, I dive into how the exception-based structure of 5e (especially in the 2024 revision) shapes...

Just put together a detailed breakdown of Hasbro's Q3 financials on my blog. Thought I'd share some quick highlights since we often discuss this here: Wizards' operating margin is 44.9% (meaning they keep $44.90 of every $100 they make, which is actually pretty impressive) Year-to-date gaming...

I've been playing around with this cool Theater of the Mind movement system for D&D that's been a game-changer. It's super easy, keeps combat flowing, and my players are loving the extra freedom. Works great for 5e, but you could totally use it for almost any edition and most other games too...

I just published a blog post about Greyhawk's return as the default setting for D&D 2024, and I thought some of you might be interested. I dive a bit into Greyhawk's history and explore what this comeback might mean for our games. I've tried to cover both the exciting possibilities and...

Hey everyone, Just posted a new article on OptionalRule.com about the potential positive uses of AI in our beloved hobby. I know AI is a hot-button issue right now, but I tried to take a balanced approach. Key points: AI doesn't have to replace creativity - it can enhance it Possible uses...

I've been tinkering with some mounted combat rules for Shadowdark RPG, and I thought I'd share them with you all. I know Shadowdark is all about keeping things simple and flavourful, so I tried to stick to that vibe while adding a bit more depth to horseback adventures. I've put together a blog...

Just dropped a blog post about The Origins of Roleplaying in Early D&D and wanted to get your thoughts. TL;DR: Contrary to what some folks think, roleplaying wasn't an afterthought in early D&D - it was baked right in from the start. Think Keep on the Borderlands, Village of Hommlet, and all...

For folks like us who don't have a steady gaming crew, finding the perfect players and setting clear expectations is super crucial to start any game on the right foot. I've found that using a Pitch Deck for my campaigns is a killer way to attract the right kind of adventurers and lay down some...

Exploration should be part of the adventure! Dive into our latest blog post featuring rare and powerful locations for your next DnD campaign! From the ancient Echoing Library to the mystical Feywild Glade, your adventures will never be the same. I've used these in my game to great success...

There's an option in the 5e DMG to implement a Marked option in combat. Basically, a martial can designate one target they attack that wont consume their reaction if they make an Opportunity Attack. This seems needlessly complex to me and I wrote a post recently suggesting the following...

I made a recent post summarizing the benefits of XP over Milestone in DnD I hope will be interesting. Milestone is fine, but it's become the default progression method in DnD from what I've seen. So I decided to try to put together a case for why I think it can be effective still. Right tool...

I would like to ask you to take a moment to complete the short survey (under 2 min) below, asking TTRPG players to rank their most enjoyable elements of play. I'll share the results in the next week or so. Please feel free to share this as well. Thanks Link to Survey Microsoft Forms

I wrote a small post comparing different random agility score generation methods, why games may or may not want to use them, etc. This is an evergreen topic but I tried to include a table of the ideal stat set (all of it generated out of AnyDice with links to the originals), so you can examine a...

Perilous Journeys in 5e Part 2: Actions and the Road went up today. It covers character actions available during travel to add some flavor to the road and give away for players to depend on one another as a group. Last weeks Perilous Journeys in 5e: Rest and the Road removed long rests during...

Just hit publish on Part One of my Perilous Journeys rules. Changes the rules for long rests on the road, adds some engagement with camping and base camps, and modifies progress and pacing. Part 2 will be up next week and will include traveling actions, some tweaks to healing and even some...

To compliment the Gritty Healing & Survival system I posted earlier in the week, I published some rules for bounding healing in 5e. The core idea is that having unbounded healing when trying to use a slower healing or gritty mechanic invalidates that as healing classes just hold onto spell...

After hearing Matt Coleville talk a bit on the topic during a hangout, I was inspired to jot down my own thoughts on how I've done gritty healing or survival in 5e. This leans into longer natural healing and managing the conditions under which you recover. It also takes the point of view of...

I posted up a bit of a nerdy and complex breakdown of why die average numbers are what they are, since this seems to be a point of confusion that comes up now and again. The confusion seems to get more mixed when people apply it to rules or in generating player hit points vs monster hit points...