Category: How To Write A Game
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Overcoming the Monster: How to Use This Classic Plot in Dungeons & Dragons and TTRPGs
Stories captivate us because they resonate with our shared experiences. According to Christopher Booker in his book The Seven Basic Plots: Why We Tell Stories, every story is, well, one of seven plots. The first of the seven is “Overcoming the Monster”. In this post, we’ll explore this plot, its stages, and how you can…
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Mastering the Art of Cliffhangers: 10 Types to Keep Your Players Hooked
Cliffhangers keep your players on the edge of their seats. But did you know the term originated from Thomas Hardy’s serialised novel A Pair of Blue Eyes? In the story, the protagonist clings to a cliff’s edge, his fate unknown, compelling readers to buy the next novel in the series, where all will be revealed.…
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Writing Memorable Twists: A Guide for Game Masters & Writers
When it comes to creating unforgettable adventures, a well-executed twist is a must. A twist is a sudden, unexpected turn of events that alters the direction of the story, or how players perceive it. From surprising revelations to sudden reversals of fortune, twists enrich storytelling, deepen engagement, and keep your players on the edge of…
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Kicking off My Tudor Homebrew D&D Campaign!
I’m planning a Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) campaign from the ground up and will be providing an overview of the different stages of game design—from conceptualising characters to designing treasure items, and crafting a detailed game map. When building an adventure, it’s important to also understand the fundamentals of game design—especially within the context of…
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HOW TO MAKE A D&D ZINE (5E): DIY Zine Tutorial
Creating a zine for your TTRPG goes a long way in terms of world-building, game design, and storytelling. By breaking down the structure of your game into digestible sections, in this instance 6 scenes. You can organise your content more intuitively. Creating a zine not only enhances how you plan and plot a game, but…
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How to make a D&D villain | Watch me design my game
Let’s make a compelling villain for your Dungeons & Dragons campaign. Crafting a memorable villain is an essential part of storytelling in tabletop role-playing games (TTRPGs), as they often serve as the central source of conflict and drive the narrative forward. Villains are more than just obstacles for the players to overcome—they are complex characters…
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From Queen to Cleric: Anne Boleyn’s DnD transformation
In D&D, clerics are known for their ability to heal, protect, and support others, as well as their proficiency in divine magic. For Anne, these abilities can be expanded to reflect her historical ability to shape the world around her through influence, persuasion, and manipulation. Perhaps Anne’s cleric abilities centre around themes of justice, divine…
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Plan a campaign with Dungeons and Dragons tarot cards
Here I demonstrate the creative potential of integrating Dungeons and Dragons tarot cards into my homebrew campaign. This process is a novel way to inject both randomness and thematic depth into my storytelling. While tarot cards, are often used for divination and gaining insight into the future, they can also serve as a fascinating tool…
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How to Make a Good D&D Dungeon Trap in a Tudor Tower
I’ll be walking you through the process of designing traps for my new Dungeons & Dragons (TTRPG) game, set in the Tudor period during the reign of Henry VIII and the time of Anne Boleyn. I’ll show you how to integrate the era’s politics, architecture, and lore into your trap designs. Designing traps is not…
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Dungeons & Dragons Journal | Creation & Process
I will take you through my D&D journal, which serves as a comprehensive record for the homebrew campaign I’m developing. This journal is a crucial part of my process, allowing me to organise my thoughts, plot out key scenes, and document the various characters and lore that will bring my game to life. I’ll guide…