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    D&D General Best Adventure I Haven't Run?

    I'm looking for a 5e adventure that meets the following criteria. If you have any ideas, please share them. Can be official or unofficial. Towards the "campaign" length (more Cure of Strahd than like a 32 page module). Available in print. Nothing too bleak/grimdark (doesn't have to be comical...
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    Level Up (A5E) Removing Pointless Death (+)

    One struggle I've had as a GM is the pressure of building thrilling, challenging encounters that aren't too over-tuned that they risk TPKs at every turn. Invariably, it happens, and my campaign comes to a screeching halt. This isn't just "the occasional TPK" or "they made bad decisions." This is...
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    Limited Run Systems

    I was thinking recently about how certain systems come with a breadth of scope and how others don’t. For example, you can have a one-page system like “Lasers and Feelings” or “Honey Heist” and have a great time for one session, but you’re likely not going to have a 6-month campaign...
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    Pathfinder 2E Help. My thaumaturge is unimpressive

    So I just reached what was considered "name level" in older editions. I have a 9th level thaumaturge, and the power upgrades were minimal, especially compared to other party members with 5th rank spells, etc. I got an ancestry feat that lets me Aid an extra character and a "big" class ability...
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    What System(s) Should I Suggest?

    My weekly group is planning to take a break from our Pathfinder 2E campaign that's been going on for over a year. (This is not the same group that I have consistently failed to run a satisfying game with.) There's a possibility that I could GM something. I'm trying to think of a system that...
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    New Daggerheart Campaign

    Instead of writing a Post-Mortem while a campaign falls apart, this time I'm going to write about the start of the campaign. Selection of the System I've been participating in a podcast where we actual play a one-shot and discuss it. The organizer - a friend of mine from outside my usual...
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    D&D 5E (2014) Ideas for Slight Level Adjustment?

    So I found an adventure for 5th level characters I'd like to GM. My party is 4th level. With bonded accuracy, is it necessary to adjust the opponents' abilities (lessen the damage, HP, etc.)? We probably won't have time to level up the PCs before the session, but if that's the best solution...
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    Kickstarter CONington Game Convention (April 24-26, 2026)

    My friends are organizing a small, regional gaming convention, taking place in Covington, KY, next April. I'll be running events and my old band from college will be getting together to play the party. Anyway, if you're in the KY/OH area, take a look. https://conington.org/
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    D&D 5E (2014) Running the shortest game?

    In a couple weeks I am running a game for a few casual players who stop by every few months to have dinner, drink, and kinda pay attention to a game that usually lasts less than 2 hours. Almost every time, I over prepare and worry too much. I want folks to have a good time, but there's no...
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    What's Your Price Limit?

    I recently noticed that the Player Core and GM Core for Starfinder 2 are $70 each. That's $140 for basically the same material that was $60 in 2018. Add the monster book and that's $210 to get into Starfinder 2. Yes, inflation. Yes, tariffs. I get it. Paizo can charge what they want. Maybe...
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    Shadowdark Finally Played Shadowdark

    First, a little about me. I came into the hobby in 1989 with AD&D 2nd edition. It seems that I'm one of the few "old timers" without a basis in B/X or BECMI. But I really enjoyed 2E and played it for a decade until 3E was released. After a few years of 3E, I started getting nostalgic for the...
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    D&D General How Do I Help Mentor a GM Making Rookie Mistakes?

    As I’ve mentioned in other posts, I’m a Forever GM who tends to be a “bad player” on the rare occasions I get to play. I don’t necessarily cause problems, but I have strong preferences, and it’s easy for me to get bored or judgemental. Recently, I decided to take a break from running games and...
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    The Entire TTRPG Hobby Post-Mortem

    For the last several years, I have been analyzing the successes and failures of each of my campaigns as they ended in a series of “Post-Mortem” threads. Doubtless, many of you have read my other threads about suffering from GM Burnout. Since I started my account here in 2006, I have spent many...
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    Level Up (A5E) Level Up: Advanced 5E Post-Mortem

    As is my tradition, each time a game ends, I try to learn from it. This time I'm looking at the disappointing demise of my A5E Eberron campaign, which lasted about 2 months. About the Group Player A: my wife, a power gamer who likes butt kicking and action-packed adventure. Her favorite...
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    How to Delay or Avoid GM Burnout

    I started my most recent campaign full of excitement about a month ago. I picked a new campaign setting (Eberron). I left confusing new systems to get back to something more familiar, but with new options (Level Up - A5e). I did research and created interesting NPCs. I designed an...
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    Combating My Own Boredom as a Player

    I'll admit it: I'm a bad player. Too many years of being a "Forever GM" has made me accustomed to playing multiple characters, controlling the pace of the game, shaping the story when necessary, adding complications, etc. As a player, I don't have enough to do, and my interest wanes. Also, we're...
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    Neverending "Yes ... And" Feedback Loops in Mysteries

    This is a problem I've had over the past 30 years I've been GMing, especially when I'm running a homebrew adventure that has mystery elements. The party goes to interview someone or research a topic. You don't want to just say "no - they refuse to talk to you" or "no - you can't find any...
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    Level Up (A5E) A5E First Impressions

    I normally write Post-Mortems at the end of a campaign, but I thought in this case it might be valuable to write about how the campaign and experience with the system began. We had a Session 0 on Sunday, 3/2, and our first session on Sunday, 3/9, so our experience hasn't been very deep at this...
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    Deadlands: Lost Colony (SWADE) Post-Mortem

    As is my tradition, each time a game ends, I try to learn from it. This time I'm looking at the Deadlands: Lost Colony with Savage Worlds Adventure Edition (SWADE) and our 6-session campaign experience with it. About the Group Player A: my wife, a power gamer who likes butt kicking and...
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    Level Up (A5E) Eberron and Level Up?

    Next week we're going to have Session 0 and character creation for our first Level Up campaign, which we want to do in Eberron. For the races that don't have corresponding heritages in LU (such as warforged), would it be best to just remove the stat increases? I'd probably need to come up with...
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