The TTRPG community has been abuzz with discussions about AI, and understandably so. The mere mention of artificial intelligence in our beloved hobby often sparks heated debates and anxiety. There’s a palpable fear that AI might replace the human creativity that forms the very essence of tabletop roleplaying games. In these discussions, we’ve sometimes been too quick to judge, too harsh in our criticisms, and perhaps a bit too reactionary. Without doubt, there’s Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt (FUD) surrounding AI, but there are also great possibilities when used thoughtfully. As with many topics in our community, we need to approach the AI conversation with more open-mindedness and less cruelty towards those with differing views. After all, the spirit of TTRPGs is one of collaboration and imagination – qualities we should bring to these important discussions as well.
Welcome back to Insight Check! This is my experiment in a weekly roundup of TTRPG news and trends you may have missed. From nostalgic franchises making their tabletop debut to beloved indie darlings expanding their realms, we’ve got a little magic for every gaming group. This week’s roundup covers everything from a transformative bundle that’s more than meets the eye to Root’s woodland creatures delving into dungeons, community highlights from Tabletop Scotland, and even a liminal deal that bridges our world and the next. So, grab your character sheets and settle into your comfiest chair (I’ve got my trusty tankard of coffee right here) as we explore the latest happenings in the TTRPG world. Whether you’re a dungeon master looking for new tools or a player seeking your next great campaign, I promise there’s something here to spark your imagination and fuel your next adventure.
Welcome to the first Insight Check! A small experiment I’m trying out to see if there is any interest in a weekly news and trends series. In this first weekly round-up, we’ve got everything from digital tools leveling up (and changing their character name) to video game developers crossing the planes into our tabletop realm. We’ll explore how D&D is rolling natural 20s in helping folks with autism, and we’ll peek behind the DM screen at a horror game that’s sure to give your Charisma score a fright.
The recent artwork depicting the Hero’s Feast spell has sparked a heated debate within the TTRPG community. While some argue that the inclusion of modern dishes like sushi and tacos breaks immersion, others welcome this expansion of the game’s aesthetics to make the setting familiar to more people. However, this debate overlooks a powerful worldbuilding tool: using food to create a deeper sense of culture and tradition in our fantasy worlds.
Greetings, brave crawlers! Whether you’re charging into battle, making daring escapes, or simply looking for a reliable way to haul your hard-earned loot, mounts are an essential part of any fantasy adventurer’s toolkit. They add a thrilling dimension to gameplay, especially during overland adventures where a simple yet engaging mounted combat system can elevate the excitement of your Shadowdark game.
There’s a common misconception floating around that narrative roleplaying in tabletop games is a relatively modern invention, something that only came into focus with the later editions of Dungeons & Dragons and other game systems like Blades in the Dark. This belief, while understandable, couldn’t be further from the truth. From its earliest days, DnD was designed with roleplaying at its core—a distinction that set it apart from the wargames that preceded it. Sure, early DnD had its share of combat (often brutal and unforgiving), but if you think it was all about kicking down doors and hacking away at monsters, you’ve missed the point, and probably rolled a lot of new characters. The truth is, combat was risky, and survival often depended on players being more thoughtful, more cunning. Roleplaying wasn’t an option; it was a necessity, at least in the way early DnD framed it but more on that later. Many of the early modules assumed players would be talking, negotiating, and thinking their way out of danger as often than they’d be fighting.
Foraging for herbs has long been a cherished aspect of the Old-School Renaissance (OSR) gaming experience, offering players the chance to interact with their environment in meaningful ways. In the spirit of this tradition, these Herb Foraging rules for Shadowdark aim to add an option for strategic play and enhance the immersive nature of your campaigns.
Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition has long been criticized for having bland or poor monster design, and people have had high hopes that D&D 2024 would resolve that. The Challenge Rating system has been unhelpful in building encounters, or creating challenging encounters, particularly at high level. The lack of variety in monster abilities and tactics has led to a bland and repetitive feeling in combat. Additionally, monsters lack a dynamic and interactive feeling that evokes a sense of adventure. Nothing demonstrates this so much as the success of the “Flee Mortals” supplement from MCDM, that reworked or added monsters in the game in a way that builds very exciting adventures.
I’ve always been drawn to systems that offer depth and engagement. Runequest, with its skills-based approach, certainly fits the bill. It encourages players to think creatively about their characters’ abilities in every situation, rather than waiting for the perfect moment to use a class-specific power as in D&D. However, even the most beloved systems can have their quirks, and for me, Runequest’s handling of criticals has always been a sticking point.
A few weeks ago, a great thread was floating around on X (formerly known as Twitter and largely still called that but… oh, nevermind) lamenting the lack of meaningful Player Guides on TTRPG blogs. We have a plethora of guides on how to be a great Game Master but few on how to be a great player. Okay, that’s not entirely true - there are plenty of YouTube videos by DungeonCraft or Seth Skorkowsky offering great player advice, and a few blog posts on the topic, but they’re drowned out by the volume of DM advice content.