TTRPG Spells Inspired by Classic Board Game Mechanics

How to bring the cunning of Clue, the strategy of Risk, and the chaos of Monopoly into your magic system Not all spells need to be about fireballs and healing words. In fact, some of the most fun, flavorful, and memorable spells in a tabletop RPG aren’t borrowed from real-world […]

MÖRK BORG: The Doom Metal TTRPG You Were Warned About

Apocalypse, rot, and rule-breaking brilliance—all bound in a glowing yellow grimoire. There are TTRPGs you play for character growth.There are TTRPGs you play for tactical strategy.And then there’s MÖRK BORG—the game you play to see how gloriously, how spectacularly, how thunderously it all ends. Published by Free League Publishing and […]

Fiasco: The Best Game for Disasters You Want to Happen

Chaos, Crime, and Catastrophe in a Box Sometimes, the dice aren’t about saving kingdoms, slaying dragons, or surviving a dungeon crawl. Sometimes… they’re about watching a plan go terribly wrong, your friends betray you in a Denny’s parking lot, and your dreams fall apart in the most hilarious way possible. […]

How to Make XP Rewards Feel Meaningful

Balancing Progression, Storytelling, and Milestone Systems in a Way Players Actually Care About We all remember the thrill of leveling up. The table claps. Dice are rolled. A new feat is unlocked. Maybe your fighter finally gets that sweet Extra Attack, or your wizard earns access to Fireball and immediately […]

The Best Way to Teach a Board Game (Without Losing the Room)

Tips for Explaining Complex Rules and Keeping Your Group Engaged—Even During the Tutorial You open the box. Gorgeous components, sleek board layout, cards brimming with possibility. You know this game is going to be amazing. Then you open the rulebook—and suddenly you’re reading an arcane incantation designed to summon confusion […]

Roleplaying Alignment in Games That Don’t Use It

How to Incorporate Moral Nuance and Character Growth in Systems Without a Strict Alignment Grid In classic tabletop roleplaying games, alignment used to be everything. Were you a righteous Paladin of Lawful Good, smiting evil with moral clarity? Or a Chaotic Neutral wild card, lovingly unpredictable and always three steps […]