Author Archives: atoasttodragons

What To Replace Fiends With?

Regardless of what you are worldbuilding, whether it’s for a novel or an RPG game, you often need an end-stage villain like a Fiend (demons, devils, or what-have-you). But as I’ve mentioned in prior posts, you might want to shy away from using “real-life” Fiends. You might want to avoid using “entities” that can be tracedContinue reading “What To Replace Fiends With?”

Silver Weapons

Anyone who’s watched a werewolf movie has probably heard of silver bullets. According to werewolf lore, werewolves can only be killed with a silver bullet. D & D, and many other fantasy games, novels and worlds, expand on that concept. It is commonly held that werewolves can be harmed by silver weapons as well as,Continue reading “Silver Weapons”

GM Tips: Dealing with the Unexpected from Your Players

Anyone who has been GMing for any length of time understands how difficult it can be to predict the actions of your players. This is a problem in campaigns that take place in vast complicated worlds where the options before the PCs is nearly limitless. Of course, “problem” might not be the right word. ItContinue reading “GM Tips: Dealing with the Unexpected from Your Players”

2 GM Tips for Wilderness Encounters

Here’s a couple quick tips for GMs when running adventures in the wilderness. I’ll start with my own experience. Back in the day, when I was first learning how to play RPGs and GM for them as well, I had a little difficulty getting the hang of wilderness adventures. Why? Primarily, because the first typesContinue reading “2 GM Tips for Wilderness Encounters”

8 Important Traits of Vampires

Vampires are one of my favorite creatures of myth and legend. I’m not sure exactly why.  I, by far, prefer the traditional sinister quasi-demonic type of vampire over the more modern “romantic” vampires of Twilight or even the brooding vampires of Anne Rice’s works. Regardless, the vampire as a powerful evil undead is a farContinue reading “8 Important Traits of Vampires”

Using Fiends as Monsters in Fantasy RPGs

I mentioned in a previous post that back in the 1990’s Tipper Gore got all bent out of shape because  D&D used demons and devils as types of monsters. At the time, I dismissed her concerns. Nowadays, some 25ish years later, I think she may have had a legitimate concern. In the intervening years, DContinue reading “Using Fiends as Monsters in Fantasy RPGs”

2 Real World Elements Needed In Fantasy Worldbuilding: Influences from Earth, and Morality

Ugh. When was the last time I posted here? What? Like two years ago almost now. Well, let’s at least wrap up my series of posts on general topics and ideas for fantasy worldbuilding in novels and RPG games. Today, I’m going to discuss the relationship between fantasy worlds and the “real” world. In otherContinue reading “2 Real World Elements Needed In Fantasy Worldbuilding: Influences from Earth, and Morality”

3 Essential Elements for Fantasy Worldbuilding: Institutions, Nations, and Monsters

It’s time for another post on fantasy worldbuilding in both novels and pen and paper RPG games. Nothing too earth-shattering just me rambling as I always do. In my last post, we discussed several topics and ideas most often incorporated in the fantasy worldbuilding of novels and pen and paper RPG games. As noted inContinue reading “3 Essential Elements for Fantasy Worldbuilding: Institutions, Nations, and Monsters”

3 Critical Ideas for Fantasy Worldbuilding: Races, Cultures, and Religions

I wanted to post this quite some time ago, but life intervened. New job. That sort of thing. Anyway, back to the topic at hand. We were discussing the topics and ideas that are most often incorporated in the fantasy worldbuilding of novels and pen and paper RPG games. As noted in the prior post,Continue reading “3 Critical Ideas for Fantasy Worldbuilding: Races, Cultures, and Religions”