Barilleon's Web Zone

FFF Day Two: Fire and Think

“I sit beside the fire and thinkOf people long agoAnd people that will see a worldThat I shall never know” Click! The Polaroid camera flashed, leaving...

February 2, 2024
Fiction

FFF24 Day One: May Wait

“Still round the corner there may waita new road or secret gate.” The flame flickered and danced, taunting the beads of wax that clung to the...

February 2, 2024
Fiction

Material World: Making Your Games Better With Material Components

In D&D, there are three major components to spellcasting: verbal, somatic, and material. Most spells require at least one, limiting a spellcaster’s options when they’re bound...

February 2, 2021
blog

That’s Too Risky: Encouraging Variance in Combat

One of my least favorite things about 5e is its combat system. This is funny, because combat is one third of the game on paper, and it’s usually a higher percentage in practice.

November 30, 2020
blog

Lessons from Inuyasha: Earning Big Moves in TTRPG Combat

I’ve been watching Inuyasha for the last few months. And like I’ve tweeted, I’m learning a lot about ttrpg combat and encounter design from watching the...

August 21, 2020
blog

GM Notes: My Encounter for New D&D Players

I thought I’d try something different and share a short encounter. This is my “I have two sessions to sell you on playing D&D” design. I’ve...

July 31, 2020
blog GM Notes

Writing a Better D&D Backstory

Just like anything written for the purposes of playing a great game of D&D, the backstory is a tool. Players use their backstory to inform their...

June 30, 2020
blog

Combat Design: Beyond the Gate of Win or Die

For a while now I’ve felt like my combat encounter design has grown stagnant. I’ve been running my very first long-term entirely homebrew campaign for about...

May 25, 2020
blog

In New Jersey, a Happy Ending

When writing Reap and Sow, my adventure for the Book of Seasons: Equinoxes, I wanted to capture a lot of complex feelings at once. I wanted...

March 20, 2020
blog

Homestuck on Player Death — Heroic or Just?

CW: death mention In D&D, death is more than a possibility. It’s safe to say that in a game with hit points and deadly weapons and...

February 26, 2020
blog

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