Just finished compiling encounter data from Curse of Strahd. When following the level suggestions laid out in the introduction the campaign is pretty average in terms of its difficulty. I image its open world nature is what makes it feel like one of the deadlier campaigns.

Happy New Year from Lazy Wolf Studios lazy-wolves.ghost.io/happy-new-ye...

I recently revisited my 2024 Monster Manual dataset and came across these extra plots on monster saving throw proficiencies.

Finished going through the encounters in Tomb of Annihilation. The average difficulty in those first few levels is noticeably higher than it is in the later ones, but that'll probably come down after random encounters are added in. PotA is next.

D&D SRD 5.2.1 localized to French, German and Spanish! Available now. #dnd #d&d #ttrpg www.dndbeyond.com/srd

It’s live! Crack the Sun! www.backerkit.com/c/projects/m...

I get crafty and find an excellent way to track initiative in the Draw Steel #ttrpg. I share how I made it, so you can too! alphastream.org/index.php/20... #DrawSteel

New post analyzing the accuracy of D&D 5e's XP values for encounter building. To my surprise, it may also explain why the 2024 encounter rules were able to drop the encounter XP multiplier. tomedunn.github.io/the-finished... #dnd #math #ttrpg

Solo Actual Play with Dragon Delves! Can solo play work? Shawn runs Teos through Dragon Delves. See their antics and what they think about the design! Listen or watch: masteringdungeons.podbean.com www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1wl... #DnD #TTRPG

Delve into the early history of the hobby. Designers & Dragons: Origins examines the inspiration, design, lore, and stumbles behind *each and every product* TSR published for OD&D, Basic D&D, and AD&D 1E. Pledge today to access the expanded 140 page backer-only PDF! www.backerkit.com/c/projects/e...

Designers & Dragons: Origins is on Backerkit. We're $3,000 from the next stretch goal, and me writing a few notes about more adventures.

The #CORE20RPG is a new approach to d20 fantasy, built on a foundation of freeform characters with no classes and no levels. It turns the aging “pass/fail” core d20 mechanic into fuel for shared storytelling — and you can play for free right now! core20rpg.blogspot.com/p/the-core20... 1/

The conference software selected the wrong mike, so I sound like I'm yelling into a landline telephone, but otherwise I had a terrific conversation with @superdan.net and @paulsgameblog.bsky.social of Wandering DMs.

I just got my physical copy of Adventures in Faerûn and I couldn't be happier with it. It's filled with short adventure outlines and key location descriptions, making it perfect for kitbashing. It's like it was written with my DMing style in mind!

Wish Halloween lasted longer? Don't forget Sunday we'll chat with @themonstersknow.com about his new book, Making Enemies, so you can keep surprising players with new monsters in D&D and any RPG. Pose your questions in the live chat! #dnd #monsters #halloween www.youtube.com/live/X_MndUp...

Tonight we have @zigorously.bsky.social & @glyphtide.games joining me to talk about each other's games in this episode of Now You've Zine It! A monthly show where we talk two creators explore and ask questions about each other's work. At 7p et we explore ChainXLink & Rillem! twitch.tv/tonyplusone!

Draw Steel Combat Basics! Teos and Shawn examine how Draw Steel creates tactical, cinematic, and heroic play with its combat system! Listen or watch: masteringdungeons.podbean.com www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlrI... #DnD #TTRPG #DrawSteel

Inside Heroes of the Borderlands: Justice Arman on creating D&D’s new starter set! The fascinating project to create a new starter set updating the famed module B2, The Keep on the Borderlands! Listen or watch: masteringdungeons.podbean.com www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKZP... #DnD #TTRPG

Help me pursue my dream and get ready to back this, what whaaaaaaat

Hey friends, seeking your help. What should Lazy Wolf Studios do next? Share your opinion on the current #TTRPG projects being developed and help choose which one goes next: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

Treantmonk joins us for UAs! News: Acq Inc Switches to Daggerheart!! Stranger Things at Target! And more! Listen or watch: masteringdungeons.podbean.com www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9Gv... #DnD #TTRPG #Daggerheart #AcqInc

Acq. Inc. finished at PAX with plunging a dagger into a heart and are switching to Daggerheart with Christopher Perkins running. There isn’t a web post on it yet that I can find. Link below starts at the news item 7:23 in the video #pax #daggerheart #acqinc #ttrpg www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9Gv...

The PREQUEL pre-order store is now open on Backerkit until Sep 19! Get your copy of this tactical storytelling game of historic sacrifice! The digital version of this game is going out to backers this week! Print versions of the game will go out later this year.

Draw Steel Negotiations and Montages! We discuss how Draw Steel’s new systems for montages and negotiations felt during our recent game, reviewing the lofty goals and interesting design. Listen or watch: masteringdungeons.podbean.com www.youtube.com/watch?v=80Mw... #DnD #TTRPG

I've finished compiling encounter data for all seven 5e anthology adventure books, as well as two campaign modules. This shows how much combat the PCs could face at each level for each book (including optional encounters). TftYP, GoS, and QftIS stand out as offering substantially more than the rest!

Today on the Lazy Wolf Studios YouTube Channel, I take a deep dive into @koboldpress.com' Game Master's Guide for Tales of the Valiant and talk about why, for me, this is an essential #TTRPG book.

Are you going to Gamehole Con? I am too! Come play games with me! www.gameholecon.com/events#conID...

I haven't had much time to write lately, so I've been passing the time with some mindless data entry. Specifically, I'm cataloguing combat encounters in official adventure books. Now, if only I had the time to write about it!

Create Epic Cinematic Boss Battles! Create dependable awesome boss battles you can adjust as battle progresses! www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_vV... #DnD #Deadlands #SavageWorlds #ttrpg

News: D&D in the Heart of London, D&D at the Ballpark, Starter Set Delays, and more! Listen or watch: masteringdungeons.podbean.com www.youtube.com/watch?v=YI3O... #DnD #TTRPG

Draw Steel RPG at Level 1! Shawn and Teos discuss their recent Draw Steel game on the D20 Play channel. We discuss our Troubadour and Talent at level 1, and how well the game hits its innovative goals. Listen or watch: masteringdungeons.podbean.com www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZDF... #DnD #TTRPG

Can't wait for the upcoming Eberron release? @dmsguild.com and I have your back! Get a free adventure called The Night Land. More about it here or on the DMs Guild by searching for The Night Land. www.reddit.com/r/DnD/commen...

Over 400% funded in the first 12 hours!? You know how to make this sea dog's heart sing <3 www.kickstarter.com/projects/gho...

Happy 25th Birthday to D&D 3E! On August 10th, 2000, the PHB was released, as were character sheets and the Dungeons & Dragons Adventure Game boxed set. The DMG was released in September.

I'm finding the underlying math for #Daggerheart really interesting. I've got a post on action roll probabilities about halfway done. After that, I also want to look at damage thresholds, adversary analysis, and combat initiative order (in no particular order).

Gamehole Con is hosting a POC Industry Dinner, sponsored by Monte Cook Games! Meet creators, find mentorship, and grow our diverse industry. Seating is limited. If you are attending GHC, are a POC, and create TTRPG content of any size–including self-published–apply! Apply by 7/23: bit.ly/ghcpoc25

Our Daggerheart Characters! What it is like to create Daggerheart Characters, with real examples of our Rogue and Warrior. Listen or watch: masteringdungeons.podbean.com www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aq8u... #DnD #TTRPG #Daggerheart

We're back with more math! I wanted to see if handing the spotlight back and forth was balanced without the action tracker (spoiler: it is) TBH there weren't as many useful takeaways as I hoped, but it was still fun to look at blog.delvewithhope.com/who-has-more...

Keith Ammann has another book coming this October!

Is it good for D&D and our hobby to have designers become stars? alphastream.org/index.php/20... #DnD #TTRPG

Daggerheart Initiative? What happens when a player or GM can take any number of turns in a row? We examine the design and consider games with similar approaches. Listen or watch: masteringdungeons.podbean.com www.youtube.com/watch?v=few9... #DnD #TTRPG

Learn-to-Play Daggerheart in 5 Rooms! Learn to play Critical Role's Daggerheart RPG in just 5 rooms! In this technique, each room teaches a different part of the game so we quickly learn the game’s key concepts. www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRdh... #TTRPG #Daggerheart

Daggerheart Spotlight – Lazy RPG Talk Show: SlyFlourish YouTube Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uf9eZdjbzUE #dnd #ttrpg

Although the #TalesoftheValiant powered #TTRPG adventure Fury of the Forsaken ended on Kickstarter, it's still taking late pledges (and will until the end of the summer approximately). The manuscript is with the copyeditor, but you can still check it out now: www.kickstarter.com/projects/lou...

Today my series of articles on D&D cover homages looked at the impressive 23(!) AD&D hardcovers with Jeff Easley on the front. But there are scant homages, mostly to Dungeon Masters Guide and Unearthed Arcana. Know of more? Let me know! www.designers-and-dragons.com/2025/06/08/h...

In case you weren't aware, @koboldpress.com launched the kickstarter for the Tales of the Valiant Player's Guide 2! There's also a free preview of it that I discuss in full in this video! youtu.be/tuQNVJwt65U #dnd #ToV #nerdimmersion

Over on Patreon, I redesigned sneak attack so it no longer peters out past tier 1. The basic changes: * Turn sneak attack into a resource pool spent each turn. * Give the rogue more attacks. www.patreon.com/posts/rethin...

New on my #dnd game design blog: D&D Adventurers League & More at UK Game Expo 2025

@peginc.bsky.social FYI: Deadlands 5-Room Learn to Play! Learn to play the Deadlands weird west RPG in just 5 rooms! Each room teaches a different part of the game so we quickly and easily learn the game’s key concepts. www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMNC...