@shawnmerwin
Contract Game Designer for Wizards of the Coast. Freelance Designer/Editor for Ghostfire Gaming and others. Podcaster with Mastering Dungeons and the Eldritch Lorecast. Teacher of Writing for RPGs at Fredonia State University. Worder of words.
@dndbeyond.com has announced the return of the "D&D Encounters" program, which is designed to bring more players into friendly local game stores. dungeonsanddragonsfan.com/dnd-encounte... #dnd #dungeonsanddragons #wizardsofthecoast #wotc #ttrpg #tabletoprpg #rpg #dndencounters
You want to know what's harder than writing a 10,000-word adventure? Writing a 1,000-word adventure. #DnD
Pre-playtest adrenaline kicking in hard. It's the Second Wind I didn't need yet! #dnd
Crows playtesting, Derelict prototype! Crazy awesome shit happening at MCDM today!
There is no chance that, if the authorities saw the various notes and papers covering my desk right now, I would not get added to a watch list - or else end up summoning some dark entity. I'm mostly OK with both those things. #amwriting
FRPG GM Tip: Feints, red herrings, and unreliable narrators are great tools for fiction, but a campaign feels more personal than any fiction ever can. Using narrative subterfuge once to deceive the characters is fun. But doing it over and over again runs the risk of the players feeling deceived.
Thanks! The class started last week, and it's a great group.
And it all started with the care, dedication, and community fostered by a bunch of wonderful folks in a small convention at a tiny college in upstate NY. Find your joy, nurture your love, and cherish the journey. tabletop.events/conventions/...
I got involved in the community, which led to a lot of playing, then a lot of DMing, then a lot of writing, then a lot of game design. 25 years later, I get to design D&D content with Wizards of the Coast.
25 years ago I went there to get back into TTRPG gaming with 3e D&D and the Living Greyhawk campaign. It was AMAZING. Great games, great DMs, great community, so much fun. I wanted more.
This weekend I head off to Running GAGG at @sunygeneseo.bsky.social, the game convention run by Geneseo's gaming club. I'll run two games, play some others, and do a panel on working as a game designer. I hope to meet some old friends there and make some new ones. This is a special place for me....
Thanks! Very excited!
The D&D Adventurers League Sale is on now at DMsGuild.com
The D&D Adventurers League Sale is on now!
Shop deals here: bit.ly/4qSroQA
Includes the Oracle of War campaign for Eberron, the Vault of the Undying campaign for Dragonlance, and more!
#dnd5e #dungeonsanddragons @baldmangames.bsky.social
spread from the upcoming Surviving Strangehollow book for 5E. Shows two creatures, a Grass Pixie and a Grutton, with full-color watercolor art.
It's a twofer on creature drops today! Check out the Grass Pixie and the Grutton (it's alphabetical, see?) based on the artwork of @emilyhare.com.
Surviving Strangehollow for 5E is still in pre-order for 30 days.
#ttrpg #5e #d&d
accidental-cyclops-games.pledgemanager.com/projects/sur...
Shawn and Teos examing a graph from Bob Worldbuilder, showing a sharp increase in Google searches for D&D when Stranger Things season 5 is released.
News: Games Workshop Bans AI, Bob Worldbuilder’s Proof of Stranger Things Growth, New Mystic UA, Get Dune Free, and more!
Listen or watch:
masteringdungeons.podbean.com
www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_EL...
#DnD #TTRPG
Savannah Houston-McIntyre joins Shawn and Teos and the three are all smiles as they discuss how Savannah got started in the industry.
Legends of Greyhawk and RealmsBound with Savannah Houston-McIntyre (MD 275)
Acclaimed for leading excellent projects, Savannah discusses the Legends of Greyhawk campaign, RealmsBound with Ed Greenwood, and more!
masteringdungeons.podbean.com
www.youtube.com/watch?v=isiQ...
#DnD #TTRPG
It's an incredibly positive sign for the future of #dnd that Wizards of the Coast hired @jamesjhaeck.bsky.social @barilleon.com and @nirele.bsky.social to the team. Looking forward to great stuff in 2026 and beyond.
Finally got around to updating ye olde profile page with some fun news: I’ve joined Wizards of the Coast as a Game Designer for Dungeons & Dragons. Much love to everyone who has been part of my journey through TTRPG writing and design land so far – excited to see what this new chapter brings!
@masteringdnd.bsky.social , @alphastream.bsky.social , and @shawnmerwin.bsky.social I know that anecdote doesn't necessarily equate to a broader trend, but I thought you would like to know that my NYC game store is now running D&D learn to plays weekly instead of monthly, and have added 5 new store-
Shawn wears a hat reading Happy New Year, while Teos wears a golden hat and appears to be holding a party horn.
The Future of RPGs in 2026?
Teos and Shawn look at 2025’s huge impacts on RPGs and what 2026 might hold for our hobby!
Listen or watch:
masteringdungeons.podbean.com
www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWzC...
#DnD #TTRPG
I have a big announcement to make...
youtu.be/zHKS2y9reRM?...
Hey, that's me! Talking about PREQUEL with the amazing @shawnmerwin.bsky.social and @alphastream.bsky.social on @masteringdnd.bsky.social!
It was an absolute pleasure being on the podcast!
youtu.be/My0JEG7AC2w?...
New one for me today: trying to use my mouse to point and click on my phone, which was setting next to my computer screen. May your weekends be going better than mine!
A little found art for you on a cold Tuesday.
I once sat down and tried to map out all the relationships that a game might encourage or demand between or among various elements: players, their characters, the rules, the narrative, the story, the GM, the world/setting, etc. My scribblings ended up looking damn near psychotic, so I gave up.
There's going to be a few of these because it's the last day:
11 hours left on the Daggerheart campaign guide, a reinterpretation of the ENNIE award-winning dark fantasy adventure! Help us make a strong finish and give me even more work to do (appreciative) :D
www.kickstarter.com/projects/dun...
Just a day left to back Dungeons of Drakkenheim for Daggerheart. It's been a pleasure to watch one of the designers on the Daggerheart game (Mike Underwood) and the @dungeondudes.bsky.social bring an amazing setting and adventure site to this new game! www.kickstarter.com/projects/dun...
Great discussions on Draw Steel and the Delian Tomb with players, Directors, and writers. Thanks Amit, Ed, @shawnmerwin.bsky.social, and @alphastream.bsky.social!
youtube.com/live/rGCT2OQ...
I know at least one chucklehead who'd love to take on that challenge.
Me. I'm that chucklehead.
As the Acq Inc franchise (pun intended) moves into a new chapter by adopting the newly released Daggerheart rule set, I wanted to thank all the people who've contributed to it, and I want to thank all the folks who've used it in their games. May your ventures always be profitable.