How would you like access to all of our publications, modular and interconnected, for only $5/month?
Yes, you’re reading that right — all of our content, plus exclusives, all linked together for accessibility and ease of use, all for 16¢/day!
The Dragon’s Lair is a wiki-like modular interface for our 5e content that gives you instant access to our content with embedded links to other sections to eliminate the need to scroll through a PDF to find the right entry. We want to make our content as affordable, accessible, and functional for everyone as possible, so we designed the Lair for this purpose.
For only $5/month, you get access to the Lair without needing to buy the individual books, plus copies of all of our Foundry VTT modules! For $15/month, you also get access to full electronic copies of all of our published books as we release them.
At higher tiers, we have
Plus you get access to our company Discord to chat with our team and more!
We are proud to be part of a special charity bundle featuring a mountainous selection of TTRPG adventures, full systems, supplements, maps, and comic books. For only $20, you can get a treasure trove of gaming content, and all proceeds go directly to relief efforts in Rio Grande do Sul.
Here’s a sneak peek at some of the gems you’ll find in the bundle:
Fantasy and More:
Time Is of the Essence (Wyrmwork Publishing): Race against time to stop a villain from stealing people’s time in this thrilling adventure!
Dungeons Deep and Caverns Old – Deathseekers (5E): Delve into the forgotten depths of the dwarf kingdom and uncover ancient secrets in this classic dungeon crawl.
Heroes & Hardships Quickstart Guide: Create your hero and embark on countless adventures with this versatile skill-based RPG system.
Ultimate River Map Pack: Encounter your foes on the banks of a majestic river with these beautifully crafted maps.
…and more!
Sci-Fi Systems:
Cypher Shorts: Fantasy Shorts Vol. 1 & 2 (and Foundry VTT versions): Inject some instant sci-fi fun into your campaign with these ready-to-run one-shot adventures.
Pilot RPG – Playtest Edition: Build your own spacefaring universe and embark on epic adventures in this lore-rich sci-fi RPG.
Navigator RPG: Explore the vast reaches of space and create your own galactic legends with this flexible sci-fi game.
Thrilling Secrets:
Murder in the Shielding Peaks 5E: Brave the harsh elements and solve a supernatural murder mystery in this chilling adventure for Dungeons & Dragons 5e.
The Cook at the Crossroads (Against the Darkmaster): Uncover a dark secret lurking within a seemingly ordinary inn in this atmospheric horror adventure.
Sidequest Decks: High Seas, Pirates, & Ports: Never be caught without a captivating side quest again with this treasure trove of seafaring adventures!
And Comic Books!
Unstoppable Origins #1: Discover the origin stories of two powerful heroes and delve into the Unstoppable Comics Universe.
IXth Generation #1: Ascend to a utopian future… or fight to overthrow a tyrannical regime in this cyberpunk comic adventure.
Songs For The Dead #1: Meet Bethany, a necromancer with a heart of gold, and join her on an epic quest in this dark fantasy tale.
This bundle has a total value of over $169, but you can get it for just $20!(Save 88%!) That’s a steal, and every penny goes to a great cause.
Don’t miss this chance to make a real difference while adding a massive collection of epic adventures to your gaming library.
Run a #TTRPG for 100+ players at once with Crowdplay
August 29, 2022
What’s the ideal number of players for a TTRPG game? Five or six? What about dozens? Or hundreds?
What if you wanted to run a Dungeons and Dragons 5e game for hundreds of players, most of whom have never played a TTRPG, all at the same time?Introducing Crowdplay, a solution that allows presenters to run immersive encounters for dozens or even hundreds simultaneously!
What is Crowdplay?
Crowdplay is simplified, streamlined system for teaching D&D 5e basics through shared narrative encounters. A presenter explains the game and uses “Table GMs” to facilitate the encounter. A Table GM needs no experience with Dungeons & Dragons or other tabletop roleplaying games. The Crowdplay system uses simplified rules that anyone can use without experience.
Key features:
Designed for large groups of any experience level
Focuses on core TTRPG mechanics: Ability Checks, Initiative, Advantage/Disadvantage, and, for some extra fun, critical successes and failures!
Built on 5e to prepare players for full 5e play
Demonstrates that experience is not necessary to have fun as a Dungeon Master
Can be used in-person, online, or both at the same time
It’s free to download and use
Teach TTRPGs Anywhere!
We designed Crowdplay to answer the question, “What is Dungeons & Dragons?” through a fun interactive demonstration. We tested it at a non-gamer event with 100 players, including 6–8 attending via Zoom. 5–6 total attendees had ever played a TTRPG before, and we updated the design based on that test.
We designed the final product to be usable in nearly any setting, such as:
Business Conferences
Family Reunions
Motivational Speaker events
Classrooms
Neighborhood Barbecues
Gaming Conventions
Tween Birthday Parties and Slumber Parties
Church Youth and/or Family Events
Those times when a horde of kobolds invade your home looking for entertainment (As we’ve all experienced!)
A Little Problem: Examine the Kit
This all-in-one resource includes all of the files you need to run a Crowdplay game:
Presenter’s guide PDF with tips for facilitating Crowdplay sessions.
PowerPoint presentation file to visually set up the narrative and mechanics.
Pregenerated character sheets representing a wide range of diverse heroes to demonstrate the limitless character possibilities that tabletop games offer
Comprehensive Table GM guide for coordinating the encounter in person and across multiple “virtual tables” using apps like Zoom, with insider info on enemies, adjudicating ability checks, initiative chart, encounter management chart, and more.
An escort mission with an encounter facing hostile goblins, including multiple possibilities for success.
Is D&D a Secret Architect of Global Culture? | Gaining Advantage 038
August 29, 2022
This episode explores the cultural significance and far-reaching influence of Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) through an insightful interview with Premeet Sidhu and José Zagal, editors of the book “50 Years of Dungeons & Dragons.” It offers insights into how the iconic tabletop RPG has influenced various aspects of global culture, from gaming and entertainment to education and beyond.
The discussion covers D&D’s historical roots, examining its evolution from a niche hobby to a mainstream phenomenon. Sidhu and Zagal shed light on the game’s unexpected crossovers with diverse fields, such as interactive storytelling, solo journaling, and educational applications.
Key points covered include:
The book’s approach to celebrating D&D from a scholarly yet accessible perspective
Surprising insights into the game’s evolution, such as the progression of combat systems
D&D’s influence on other media and how it has been influenced by culture in turn
The game’s potential in education and fostering critical thinking
Speculative discussions on D&D’s future, including the role of AI and emergence as a mainstream entertainment genre
06:12 “50 Years of Dungeons & Dragons” Book Overview
10:41 Insights and Revelations
15:58 D&D’s Cultural Influence
18:33 Future of D&D
36:01 Upcoming Projects
43:57 Patreon Showcase & Closing
Manually captioned. Transcript available at our website.
Please leave us a rating and review on your podcast platform of choice!
5 DnD ChatGPT Prompts to Make Your Game Better
August 29, 2022
AI chatbots are immensely popular tools, and many have speculated about how to use them to improve D&D and other TTRPG games. Here’s a list of prompts that you can use to improve your game.
Add Variety to Your Game
Give me some recommendations for great D&D 5e books and resources from third party publishers
If you ask a chatbot for these resources directly, it can create suggested resources from adventures to stat blocks, but because AI uses an average of everything, you’ll only get average results. It can be helpful to get you past Blank Page Syndrome (AKA Writers Block), but everything gets repetitive quickly, and don’t expect any ideas that will blow away your players.
But by suggesting products made by actual design professionals, it might show you some of the more popular books by creative designers who know and love the game and have invested themselves in making your game better. Or you can check out the most popular titles at the DMs Guild.
It will hallucinate though, suggesting books that don’t exist, so you’re probably better off asking people about their favorite resources or going to the suggested companies’ websites.
Give me a list of D&D 5e blogs that give Dungeon Masters great advice, and give me directions how to subscribe to them
Because you don’t know what you don’t know, it’s hard to get general advice from a chatbot that’s helpful beyond the most generic suggestions. But thankfully, the hobby boasts many amazing blogs full of great tips that will answer questions you didn’t know you had and give you tips you’d never think to ask for. Or you can follow the RPG Blogroll to get a steady feed of insights and suggestions from people who know the game and write from extensive experience.
Get Feedback to Improve Your Ideas
Give me a list of online communities where Dungeon Masters give each other advice
While you could feed your latest adventure idea into a chatbot and ask for feedback, even minimal experience playing the game as a human will give you more insight than a chatbot. The problem is that chatbots don’t have insights. A black pudding has more insight than a chatbot.
Instead, find online places with other players and GMs. All of the major social media platforms have them. Personally, to avoid chasing algorithms, I prefer oldschool forums like EN World.
Give me a few questions I can ask my players to make sure they’re all enjoying the D&D 5e game that I’m running as Dungeon Master
You can’t ask a chatbot what your players value most in a game. It has no values. You have to ask the players. But a few pointed questions can be helpful.
Impress your players with amazing art for your encounters
Give me a list of sources to find low cost or public domain non-AI fantasy artwork that would work for my D&D game
Instead of exploiting talented artists by using their work without their permission, find some interesting art & use that for inspiration. It’s the reverse of how most DMs design their encounters, but perusing the Smithsonian collection, Wikimedia Commons, or other sources can give you many adventure, monster, or treasure ideas. Sadly, most public stock art sites have become nearly useless as they’ve been flooded with AI images. If you’re looking for something specific, DriveThruRPG is the only fantasy art site I know of that forbids AI images to be added as stock art (although they still allow it to be used in other products with a content flag and haven’t removed the hundreds of AI-generated images currently in their library), support actual artists so they can keep creating original pieces by purchasing stock art from DriveThruRPG.
Notice the Pattern?
OK, this article is a but tongue-in-cheek, but I hope you recognize the point. What makes tabletop roleplaying games great is the people. For all the amazement over AI tools, human creativity can ponder an idea, consider it, and imagine it. AI takes a Mrs. Murphy’s Chowder of words and mindlessly puts them into a mold, the opposite of what makes analog games so great.
Talk to people — local and online communities. Support creators, both the homebrew community and professional designers and artists. Get advice from people who care about their players and want everyone at your table to have a great time.
We explore the connections between language, masculinity, and tabletop roleplaying game (TTRPG) experiences with sociologist Dr. Steven Dashiell. He studies language in male-dominated spaces like gaming conventions.
We discuss how language use, rules lawyering, gamesplaining, and off-topic conversations (metadiscourse) at gaming tables can create barriers. These reinforce masculine norms and potentially alienate players from underrepresented groups. Dr. Dashiell shares research on gendered speech patterns, the historical invisibility of women TTRPG players, and the challenges that women face asserting themselves without seeming overly aggressive.
The conversation also covers the benefits of increased gender diversity in TTRPGs. Dr. Dashiell explains how bringing your authentic self enriches the gaming experience for all. He offers insights for designers to create more welcoming, inclusive spaces.
Whether new or experienced with TTRPGs, this episode provides a valuable perspective on building a more equitable gaming culture.
00:00 Welcome and intro 00:21 Accessible character sheet for print & reading disabilities 00:56 Ready-to-Roll: Fairweather Friends D&D adventure Kickstarter 01:29 Interview with Dr. Steven Dashiell sociology of language 04:57 Gender representation in TTRPG spaces 06:24 Metadiscourse and inside references 07:21 Masculine language and behavior in gaming 08:18 Rules lawyering and excluding players 12:14 Gamesplaining 14:51 Historical gender erasure of women gamers 16:12 Benefits of diversity in tabletop RPGs 18:26 Murderhobo 25:08 Charisma in D&D and its effect on inclusion 28:36 Male dominance in D&D 31:33 Bringing your authentic self to gaming table 41:40 Designing more inclusive TTRPGs 50:32 Gendered guilt when missing game sessions 52:01 Jerks and toxic behavior study 57:31 Support Inclusive Gaming
Accessible DnD Character Sheets for Disabled Players
August 29, 2022
Are you or someone you know a Dungeons & Dragons player with print or reading disabilities? We’re excited to announce a new resource designed to enhance accessibility and inclusivity in tabletop gaming.
We understand the importance of accommodating diverse needs within our gaming communities. That’s why we’ve developed a set of character sheets tailored specifically for players who have difficulty with traditional text-based materials.
They should be fighting monsters, not their character sheet!
Our Accessible Character Sheets utilize 🧙emojis🧝 alongside text to help players navigate character information efficiently. Whether it’s tracking ⛑️🎶Abilities♿️🪽, ✨Spells⚡️, or ⚒️Possessions🪙, the intuitive layout makes it easy to find what you need at a glance. Plus, with blank spaces for personalized drawings, players can create visual cues that resonate with them, enhancing memory and engagement.
Key Features:
🧑🎨 Emoji-based design for easy navigation 🧭
Blank spaces for personalized drawings
Images of dice shapes for quick reference
Available in PDF and DOCX formats for flexibility and customization
Screen reader-friendly DOCX option for enhanced accessibility
We’re committed to promoting diversity and inclusion in gaming, and these character sheets are just one way we’re working to make TTRPGs more accessible to everyone. Best of all, they’re offered under a CC-BY-4.0 license, so you can share and adapt them to suit your gaming group’s needs and share your creations.
Join us in fostering a more inclusive gaming community. Download our Accessible Character Sheets today so everyone can explore together!
Together, let’s make tabletop gaming accessible for all.
Breaking Barriers: Accessible Braille 5e SRD!
August 29, 2022
We’re committed to creating a more inclusive gaming experience for everyone. We’re thrilled to announce the release of the first-ever braille conversion of the 5th Edition System Reference Document (SRD), making the core rules of 5th edition accessible to a wider audience of players and creators.
This comprehensive resource is completely free and available in multiple formats:
Players Guide: Explore core character creation options, including races, classes, backgrounds, and equipment.
Game Master Guide: Discover essential rules for running the game, crafting engaging campaigns, and utilizing magic items (with harmful content removed).
Monster Guide: Encounter a vast library of creatures, faithfully adapted for braille readers.
Spellcasting Guide: Master the art of magic with comprehensive spellcasting rules and descriptions.
Step-by-Step Tutorial: Designers, open your games and supplements to more fans and customers!
Designed with accessibility in mind, the SRD braille conversion comes in two formats:
BRF: Optimized for dynamic braille readers and physical embossers.
BBZ: Editable in BrailleBlaster software for further customization.
This resource is released under a CC-BY license, allowing anyone to freely use and adapt it for their projects. We encourage the RPG community to embrace accessibility and make their content inclusive for all players!
This braille conversion marks a significant step towards a more inclusive gaming space. While we continue striving to create RPG materials that are not only accessible but also celebrate diverse representation, this resource provides a valuable starting point for players and creators who are blind or visually impaired.
Join us in breaking down barriers and making gaming a more inclusive hobby for everyone!
We’d love to hear your feedback and suggestions! Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Gaining Advantage 36: A Game-Changing Education Revolution
August 29, 2022
In this thought-provoking episode, Dale sits down with Dr. Dave Eng, an expert in using board games for educational purposes. Dr. Eng shares his groundbreaking insights on how tabletop games can revolutionize the learning experience. From cooperative classics like Pandemic to the innovative “Matrix Games” that leverage words over numbers, this episode dives into the benefits of interactive gameplay in classrooms. Discover how board games can foster critical thinking, teamwork, and experiential learning in ways traditional lectures cannot. Learn about Dr. Eng’s inspiring work and his mission to bring gaming literacy to educators worldwide.
Plus, Dale reveals Wyrmworks Publishing’s pioneering effort to introduce the first-ever braille ruleset for tabletop RPGs, making the hobby more accessible than ever before.
0:00 Introducing Braille to the TTRPG hobby
06:49 Interview: Dave Eng, EdD on gamifying education
Manually captioned. Transcript available at our website.
Please leave us a rating and review on your podcast platform of choice!
Braille 5.1 SRD Press Kit
August 29, 2022
Braille 5.1 SRD & Tutorials
We’re committed to creating a more inclusive gaming experience for everyone. We’re proud to announce the release of the first-ever braille conversion of the 5th Edition System Reference Document (SRD), making the rules of 5th edition accessible to a wider audience of players and creators.
Features:
Free and downloadable: Available in BRF and BBZ formats for various braille needs.
Comprehensive: Includes Player’s Guide, Game Master Guide, Monster Manual, and Spellcasting Guide content.
Open access: Released under a CC-BY license for anyone to freely use and adapt.
Tutorial included: Equips publishers and homebrew creators with the tools to convert their own content into braille using free software.
This initiative marks a significant step towards a more inclusive TTRPG space. We’re actively working on further accessibility resources and tools, including upcoming tutorials and future plans for truly inclusive core rulebooks.
Project Promotional ImageAssassin poison stat block in BrailleBlasterAssassin poison stat block in BrailleBlasterTutorial video thumbnail
Gaining Advantage 035: Minimal Minority Meeples: Researcher Reveals Lack of Diversity in Board Gaming
August 29, 2022
We speak with Dr. Tanya Pobuda, an expert on issues of representation and inclusion in tabletop gaming. She shares insights from her groundbreaking research on gender and racial representation in contemporary board gaming.
Throughout the conversation, Dr. Pobuda provides data-driven perspectives on the false narrative that “diversity doesn’t sell” and highlights positive shifts that are possible when inclusive practices are embraced.
0:00 Introduction: Braille in TTRPG 01:50 Interview: Dr. Tanya A. Pobuda 52:49 Patreon Showcase & closing
Manually captioned. Transcript available in the feed and at our website.
