adventure & campaigns

Introduction Our adventure begins at Silver Lake, known for its cleanliness and reflective qualities. It is at the bottom of Wolf Valley, surrounded by mountains on three sides. At the north end of the lake, the mountains rise into the sky, and at their base, a series of caves where dwarves...

6 Tips On How To Tie Dungeon Encounters Together From JohnnFour | Published May 25, 2022 Roleplaying Tips Newsletter #1,203 Brief Word From Johnn Last night I found a great course on Udemy about video game design. In part, it dives into the tension between player agency versus game designer...

Mission-Style Roleplaying – Part I From JohnnFour | Published ?? Roleplaying Tips Newsletter #223 Mission-Style Roleplaying Combat in RPGs is a physical, tangible, visceral thing. In many games, combat stuff takes up 75% or more of a character sheet. When the fighting breaks out, you have...

Campaign’s Pillars: How to Pacing Your Game’s Exciting Moments By JohnnFour | Published March 21, 2022 Roleplaying Tips Newsletter #1,034 Manage pace during sessions instead of scripting it. This lets you react to your game as it unfolds and is one less strict plan you must track. But...

7 Great Mapping Apps You Might Not Have Heard Of Before By JohnnFour | Published August 2018, updated June 18, 2021 Roleplaying Tips Newsletter #965 Mapping software is a personal thing. I know what I like. Within moments of opening software I know if I’m going to be in for a rough time...

Encounter Mapping Software - 3 Tips For Choosing The Best One By JohnnFour | Published November 29, 2021 Roleplaying Tips Newsletter #1,182 A great conversation came up in the monthly Wizard of Adventure chat Saturday on what encounter mapping software to choose. (Wizards of Adventure who...

Plot Factories Part II - Spinning Up The Idea Machine From JohnnFour | Published March 6, 2017 Roleplaying Tips Newsletter #768 Last Musing on Plot Factories (RPT #767 | Use Plot Factories For Unlimited Hook Inspiration) generated quite the buzz in my inbox! It was almost all positive...

Use This Clever Tool To Herd Your Cats - Plot Factories From JohnnFour | Published September 28, 2021 Roleplaying Tips Newsletter #1,173 A Brief Word From Johnn Today's tips are about one of my favourite GM techniques. But before I share my ideas on Plot Factories, I wanted to let you know...

4 Ways To Surprise Players Who Know All The Monster Stats From JohnnFour | Published November 1, 2021 Roleplaying Tips Newsletter #1,178 Brief Word From Johnn I don't know about you, but my Murder Hobos know the monster guide inside and out. So I asked guest writer Jonathan Hardin for ideas...

Ripping Up Adventure Drama With a Saw Blade From Johnn Four | Published July 24, 2021 Roleplaying Tips Newsletter #1,166 Make your adventures wondrous with terrific drama. We want tension in our plots and gameplay that escalates as players get close to the climactic ending. To increase drama...