Play other RPGs!
@crumblingkeeprpg A simple (a fun) thing you can do to be a better DM. #Dnd #ttrpg #dungeonsanddragons ♬ Sunshine - WIRA
Every game you play will make you better at every other game. You find out what you like and what you don’t and, more importantly, you see how other people do it.
It’s a way to tell more stories.
Give ’em an escape route!
Don’t let your villain’s die too soon! Give ’em a way out.
Don’t Prep Stories
@crumblingkeeprpg Don't prep your RPG games like this. #Ttrpg #dnd #rpg #DMtips ♬ Hedwig's Theme - John Williams
Ultimately, every game is different. There’s a time and place where this advice isn’t right. But if you’re looking to add more player involvement and agency in your game, stop prepping plot points! Do this instead and never worry about your game going off the rails again (because it won’t be a railroad).
Don’t hate dungeon crawls
You don’t have to hate dungeon crawls- just give ’em the ol’ Razzle Dazzle!
What Secrets do they Keep?
Trevor knows what's good
Don’t take our word for it- watch this short video or do a little search on YouTube for “Marching Order.” The critics love this solo/co-op Dungeon Delving game.
Mutants and Mullets: Talking Neon Lords of the Toxic Wasteland with Brian Shutter
Brian has created an RPG that is OOZING with style. Crumbling James will talk to him about how he did it, what makes it tick, and what to expect from the new Kickstarter. Join us to pick the mind of a stylistic master!
The Rotbottom Gossip Issue 26
Marching Order takes 4th place
Marching Order took 4th place on a list of the top 10 dungeon delves OF ALL TIME!
And here we thought we were just making a game about dick jokes.
Start your adventure without a Dungeon Master today.
Arkon Tinsmith’s Toys
Encounters and more in your inbox for free
Subscribe to our email list for free TTRPG content EVERY SINGLE DAY. Wouldn’t it be nice to get email you actually want to get for once?
Punch a Fascist
A group of 1d6 facist Gang-Goons [paranoid / brainwashed / twitchy] have blockaded themselves inside a coffeeshop [faux-bougie / scared] that is secretly selling micobiotic meat. They’re led by Dallas [psychotic break / conspiracy theorist / piece of shit], a cy-raging menace, and blame the workers and customers for the lack of food and jobs in the slums.
Despite their complaints, Dallas is fiercely protective of the mega-corps, responding to any criticism of them with open hostility, as he firmly believes they are there to save the people.
Dallas will readily threaten anyone that approaches by telling them that one of the goons is strapped with explosives and will detonate their load if their group is attacked.
Time is on your Side
Everywhere in the dungeon the PCs go, they find little trails of slime, though they seem to only go directly down the middle of the hallway, in a straight line, until making turns at perfect right angles. A PC who makes a 4d6 roll under their Wisdom can hear a slight ticking sound, which seems to be coming from within the walls. Attempts to destroy the walls yield no information.
If they are still there at midnight, a series of chimes sound all around them. Tiny snails with clockwork shells slither out of holes all around the dungeon. They form a procession and move into the nearest room. Once there, they follow each other around in a circle for one minute, until a second chime sounds. They then return to the holes they slithered out from.
The Rotbottom Gossip #19
The Rotbottom Gossip #20
You Meet a Giant in the Wild
You meet a giant in the wilds. I’m sure it’ll go just fine. Whose ever had a problem with giants? Roll 3d10, once dice per column, and post who you got.
Hey, wanna get these in your inbox for free every week? Never miss one again.
Petals on an Empty Grave
During their travels, the PCs find a strange garden. Perhaps it is in the ruins of an old manor house or alongside a river they are traveling near, far from anything else. It is largely overgrown. Perhaps strangest of all, no matter what time of day it is, it appears to be dusk within it’s crumbling gates. In the middle of the garden is what remains of some sort of stone monument, and in front of that, a single black poppy grows. Gold sap drips down its stem.
If any PC takes it, it’ll live for five days. During that time, candles will extinguish when they enter a room. The brightest fire will only cast dim light. Even at high noon on a sunny day, the character sees as if the world is in shadow.
Get these encounters free in your inbox every week. Click here.
Dead Souls
This event is triggered by a PC rolling a fail when making a Knowledge Test on The Net. Their digging around has attracted the attention of… something. In the corner of their retinal device, they see some sort of demonic entity [haggish / wicked smile / strangely familiar] looking at them. She flies straight at them before they are ejected from the system.
In the days that follow, they see her out of the corner of their eye during stressful moments, adding to the difficulty of their tests. When they sleep [fitful / feverish], they dream she is perched nearby, watching them. They are paralyzed in this dream but can hear her voice. She keeps calling them…
They’ll have to do some work to see what she wants and how to get rid of her.