Schrödinger, Chekhov, Samus

If you have ever wanted to create a large, site-based super adventure, The Slaughterhouse System is for you. Whether your party is exploring a massive dungeon, reclaiming a ruined city, clearing a valley for settlement, or trying to bring a rioting city under control, the Angry DM has a tool that you can use to plan a dynamic, living environment for the party to explore freely.

The Memory Game

I hate reading long, drawn out player back-stories that go nowhere. Holy s$&%. Why do players think they are novelists? Here’s a simpler way to get useful backstories without a lot of useless extra drivel.

Abstract Dungeoneering

What do you do when the dungeon is so large that it isn’t practical to map it all? I mean, if you were running an adventure in the Mines of Moria, would you seriously draw the whole goddamned thing? Of course not! Here’s a way to handle dungeon exploration without giant, useless maps.

Fine! I Wrote About Speed Factor Initiative in D&D 5E!

After revealing that I was using Speed Factor Initiative in D&D 5E, I got a number of constructive questions and criticisms. So, I wrote this article to explain what the f$&% was wrong with me and why I didn’t deserve to die of cancer in a fire, thank you.

Why Race Isn’t Broken in Pathfinder and How to Fix It

You know what’s only a problem if you’re a completely obsessive nitpicker who’s overly critical of the way RPGs handle every tiny detail? Race in D&D and Pathfinder. That’s what. Fortunately, Pathfinder gave us a great tool to correct this utter and complete non-issue as long as we’re willing to spend way more time than it’s worth. Lets spend five thousand words discussing it.

11 Ways to Take the Suck Out of Inspiration in D&D

Just because I hate the very idea of something doesn’t mean I can’t analyze it, deconstruct it, and put it together better. Here’s a deconstruction and reconstruction of Inspiration in D&D along with 11 options for using it better.

Hitting the Rest Button

Why is a short rest one hour long? Can you change that? Can you change the resting rules to change the structure of the game? What other stupid questions can I can answer about resting mechanics in D&D.

We’ve Got Fighting Spirit, How About You?

Have you ever wondered why players let their characters die? And why every fight must be a fight to the death? Its because hit points are stupid and people don’t die at 0 HP anymore. But don’t worry. I fixed it.

Herbcraft in D&D 5E

Surprise! Here’s a preview of an upcoming article. It’s a set of rules I built for crafting nonmagical herbal items in D&D 5E using the herbalism kit (and proficiency therewith). Feel free to check out the rules and then come back soon to find out how and why they were created.

Crafting Herbcraft (Part 1): Conceptual Herbology

Creating new rules isn’t as simple as coming up with a fun idea for a system and then making it. There’s a whole thing in the middle where you actually spend a bunch of time working out how not to accidentally make a turd. Too bad WotC didn’t know about that step when it came to their crafting rules.

Crafting Herbcraft (Part 2): Practical Herbology

It’s all well and good to think through a whole bunch of conceptual bulls$&% when you’re designing a new rules system. But there comes a time when you have to sit down and actual write the rules themselves. So lets give that some thought.

Drowning in Armor Systems (Part 1)

Some GMs just don’t know when to stop. And, lucky for you, I’m one of them. What started as a simple effort to reskin some armor for my upcoming campaign turned into a massive overhaul of the D&D equipment system. And here’s where that overhaul began.

Drowning in Armor Systems (Part 2)

Remember how I made an awful armor table three weeks ago? Well, let’s turn that AWFUL into AWESOME with two simple words: elegance and extensibility.

Fix Yourself, Break the Game: Character Arcs in D&D

Character arcs are really awesome things that movies just don’t believe in anymore. But I sure as hell do. And you should to. And you should want them in your D&D game. Let me tell you how to get them.