Melestrua (he/him)

How long does it take to pick a lock? How long does it take to pick a lock in #DnD? A review of the various editions, plus real life.

How long does it take to pick a lock in #DnD? A review of the various editions, plus real life.

A Contract with a Devil How do you persuade your players to enter a contract with a devil for their characters? How can a page of legalese make for a fun session? Here's how I managed, with inspiration from Devil's Advocate

How do you persuade your #DnD players to enter a contract with a devil for their characters? How can a page of legalese make for a fun session? Here's how I managed, with help from "Devil's Advocate - A Guide to Infernal Contracts"

Message – RPGaDAY 2025 Day 4 – update In RPGaDay 2025 Day 4, I responded to "Message" by talking about how difficult it is to communicate long-distance without telephones. This is an update after a reader reminded me of sempahore and other signals at a distance.

In #RPGaDay2025 Day 4, I responded to "Message" by talking about how difficult it is to communicate long-distance without telephones. This is an update after a reader reminded me of semaphore and other signals at a distance.

Message – RPGaDAY 2025 Day 4 RPGaDAY 2025 day 4 has the prompt “message”. It’s easy to forget in these days of email, text, instant message, and social media, just how much effort it was to send a message in the mediaeval days which are the pattern for classic fantasy. So how can your characters and the people in their world send messages?

#RPGaDAY2025 day 4 has the prompt “message”. It’s easy to forget just how much effort it was to send a message in the mediaeval days which are the pattern for classic fantasy.
So how can your characters and the people in their world send messages, and how long might it take?

Tavern – RPGaDAY 2025 Day 3 #RPGaDAY2025 Day 3 - Tavern Starting an adventure in a tavern with a hooded stranger? How cliched! But that's not necessarily a bad thing. And don't forget how much your tavern can communicate.

#RPGaDAY2025 Day 3 - Tavern
Starting an adventure in a tavern with a hooded stranger? How cliched! But that's not necessarily a bad thing. And don't forget how much your tavern can communicate.

Prompt – RPGaDAY 2025 Day 2 RPGaDAY2025 Day 2 has the prompt "prompt". I look at promtness in combat, and prompts to aid the players and GM in ensuring that responses are indeed prompt.

RPGaDAY2025 Day 2 has the prompt "prompt".
I look at promptness in combat, and prompts to aid the players and GM in ensuring that responses are indeed prompt.

Patron – RPGaDAY2025 Day 1 RPGaDAY Day 1: Patron What is a patron? What is the relevance to a role-playing game? Meet my campaign patron, Omar.

#RPGaDAY2025 Day 1: Patron
What is a patron? What is the relevance to a role-playing game? Meet my campaign patron, Omar.
https://facebook.com/RPGaDAY

RPGaDay 2025 launches tomorrow RPGaDAY 2025 launches tomorrow, 1st August, and runs all month. Join in and follow along with the hashtag #RPGaDAY2025. Here are the prompts provided by @autokratik and @runeslinger

#RPGaDAY2025 launches tomorrow, 1st August, and runs all month, with a different prompt word each day provided by @autokratik and @runeslinger. Follow on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/RPGaDAY

How do you run Mass Combat in D&D? D&D is designed for combats with a handful on each side. So how do you scale that up to larger numbers? Here are various suggestions, from the DMG, @slyflourish, @louanders, #TalesOfTheValiant, and the #BECMI Companion set

D&D is designed for combats with a handful on each side. So how do you scale that up to larger numbers? Here are various suggestions for mass combat in D&D, from the #DMG, @slyflourish, @louanders, #TalesOfTheValiant from @koboldpress, and the #BECMI Companion set, plus my personal strategies

Is D&D a story-telling game? You read a lot of arguments on the Internet about role-playing games versus story-telling games. In particular there are vocal factions who sell D&D as a story-telling game (both calling this a good thing and a bad). DaggerHeart, the new RPG from the Critical Role team, seems to have stirred the question up again – from what I’ve heard (I’ve never played it) it seems to have collaborative story-telling elements.

Is #DnD a story-telling game? A lot of people claim yes, others claim no. I say no, and that's why I like it. Here's my reasoning. With reference to @roleplayrescue

Session Prep Tooling I've been thinking about how I prepare for my D&D sessions, and I feel there must a tool that would help. Before I start, here's a review of what I do now, and what any tool would have to give me.

I've been thinking about how I prepare for my D&D sessions, and I feel there must a tool that would help. Before I start, here's a review of what I do now, and what any tool would have to give me. Any recommendations?

Calling Zelensky a “Dictator” must be where the line is drawn.

It is my sincere hope that the whole political spectrum in the United Kingdom will speak with one voice in opposition to Trump’s lies.

Running a D&D Social Event Session I recently ran a social event in my #dnd campaign, based on a framework by @alexandrian . Here are my reflections on how it turned out.

I recently ran a social event in my #dnd campaign, based on a framework by @alexandrian . Here are my reflections on how it turned out.

Or "if it's possible to cut a word, cut"

How do you summon a demon? How do you summon a demon? And then how do you dismiss it again? I've had to come up with answers to both of these for my #dnd #5e campaign - feel free to reuse.

How do you summon a demon? And then how do you dismiss it again? I've had to come up with answers to both of these for my #dnd #5e campaign - feel free to reuse. With thanks to both @koboldpress and @enpublishing for inspiring monsters.

That's definitely the approach I've settled on, too. I award XP to the whole group anyway, based on difficulty level of what they've just overcome (be that combat, negotiation, puzzle-solving or whatever they've just achieved), so they progress at the same rate.