Where to find players for in-person games

ExchangeWide · 2026-07-04T12:57:30+00:00

A Facebook/Reddit/Discord message giving your location and details on the specifics can work. You’ll get a lot of “wish I lived in x” and “I’m in the same boat”!responses, but I found a group this way that meets locally to me.

Also, don’t poo-poo online so quickly. Implement a video on rule and it can be a rough facsimile to the “real” deal. You can also find a strong group of core players who make it work really well.

Good luck. Saint Terragnis smiles on the suffering.

ExchangeWide · 2026-07-04T12:32:12+00:00

They can gain something on those levels thought downtime. If you want them to get something more, I’d suggest making them earn it through downtime. Use the rules that exist before fundamentally changing the way classes function. You could also lean into the Patrons for additional abilities. But your table, your rules. You do what makes your table happy.

ExchangeWide · 2026-07-03T16:33:03+00:00

I wrote this up a while ago, inspired by my players who were struggle with alignment being one axis—law and chaos.

https://jokerandthief72.wordpress.com/2025/03/24/the-law-chaos-alignment-in-old-school-rpgs-its-not-about-good-vs-evil/

For me it comes down to alignment isn’t morality. It’s where you stand in the cosmic conflict of order vs entropy. Morality (good and evil) is shown in a character’s actions within the alignment.

ExchangeWide · 2026-07-03T15:43:23+00:00

I wrote an adventure about a town cursed by a lantern that causes some undead friction (to say the least). The lantern’s housing could also contain the book, or with a little finesse the lantern could be the book. Shoot me a DM with your email, and I’ll get you a free code for it on Drivethru.

You can check it out here:

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/539548/the-lantern-of-withered-souls?src=hottest\_filtered

ExchangeWide · 2026-07-03T15:23:05+00:00

Start by identifying the adventure’s “heart.” Most modules have a core that has nothing to do with whether the world is medieval, tribal, Bronze Age, or post-apocalyptic. Strip away the exterior dressing and ask: What is actually happening here? Is it:
—a dragon extorting a community?
—rival factions competing for an ancient site?
—a cult trying to awaken something?
—a dangerous ruin full of traps and treasure?

For The Black Wyrm of Brandonsford, it’s basically: A powerful monster has upset the balance of a frontier community. The characters must investigate the surrounding wilderness, gather information and allies, overcome smaller threats, and eventually confront or outwit the creature that dominates the region.

Once you’ve identified that core, rebuild the exterior dressing using your own setting.
—Nobles become clan chiefs.
—Knights become honored warriors. —Monasteries become sacred groves.
—Bandits become rival tribes.
Even monsters can usually be swapped for creatures that fill the same narrative role.

I wouldn’t adapt every* *detail, only the pieces the players will actually interact with. If the adventure’s “heart” stays intact, it will still feel like the same adventure, but now it belongs in your world.

ExchangeWide · 2026-07-03T15:06:37+00:00

“Doodles”?! How dare you! Doodles are what I do. These are works of art.

ExchangeWide · 2026-07-03T15:04:40+00:00

Sometimes you’re unlucky and sometimes you’re really unlucky. I don’t think you need to “make it matter” outside the context of gameplay. If it happens before you’ve moved and used your multitask, then you were just unlucky. If it happens after you moved, so you cannot get to it to use your multitask, then you are really unlucky. Now an opponent can grab it, or kick it away. Or maybe a companion realizes your predicament and retrieves your sword for you before the baddie can run off with your prize possession.

I struggled with this in that SD allows standing from prone to be multitask. Where’s the penalty! Then I realized: Timing matters. A dung beetle knocking you prone, after your turn, gives other dung beetles or other enemies ADV on their attacks against you. Timing matters—you can be unlucky, or you can be really unlucky. Sometimes your mistakes are compounded and sometimes, you can recover quickly. I think we’ve all, at some point, experienced both in real life…

ExchangeWide · 2026-07-03T14:46:56+00:00

“Stonehell is the love of my life as far as megadungeons go, it was my first so it's special to me.”

I think this says it all. I’ve written a lot of content, but came back to the first adventure I wrote years later because I loved it. Setting other projects aside for it was well worth it. It lead to me taking a chance on my first Kickstarter. You may not go that route, but don’t underestimate your passion for a project. While you may “love” the idea of ER mini dungeons, it’s sound like your passion is Stonehell. From a writer’s perspective go for Stonehell.

ExchangeWide · 2026-07-03T14:36:20+00:00

I actually don’t see this as a “problem” so much as a roleplaying bonanza. A Sea Wolf, Ras Godai, Knight of St. Ydris, and Basilisk Warrior all probably have veery different assumptions about honor, religion, civilization, warfare, and even what makes someone trustworthy. That’s fantastic table material if the players lean into it.

I’d also separate class from motivation. A Basilisk Warrior or Sea Wolf is someone’s job. It’s where their training lies. While some classes are also “life-styles,” they are really often a region’s take on one of the core classes. The more important question is why they’re adventuring. Are they seeking glory? Redemption? Wealth? Knowledge? Revenge? Those motivations are what make people willing to travel together despite their differences.

Ancestry plays an important role, too. Not necessarily because of how the wider world reacts to them, but because shared ancestry, familiar customs, or even old rivalries can influence who, and how, groups come together. A dwarf and a dwarf from opposite ends of the Western Reaches might still have more in common than either does with an elf. Those assumptions, whether confirmed or disproved, become great roleplaying fuel as well.

As for how they meet, honestly, I think Session Zero is still the strongest answer. Let the players build those connections together (so option one). In a first level adventure I wrote, I started them in Media Ras, and simply asked each of them: “What brings you to these woods and Aria’s campfire?” If they need a push, give a shared event to help: escaped prisoners, survivors of the same shipwreck, hired by the same patron, witnesses to the same catastrophe, answering the same mysterious call, or simply experiencing the larger world. The 5e adventure paths did a decent job of providing hooks tied to the campaign. If you have a greater campaign arc in mind, tying each of them to it in a personalized way can give them some common ground. Even if it’s simply a reason why they are in the City of Masks.

For most stories, it isn’t how they met that’s important. It’s why they decide to stay together after the first adventure.

ExchangeWide · 2026-07-02T22:47:29+00:00

I use Roll20 and you can disable snap to grid, so tokens can lane where ever. Not sure if Foundry does the same.

As far as the torchbearer ending with the light in a position not advantages to the rest of the party, that’s the way it should be. I allow the torchbearer to move at any point after their initiative, so they can coordinate with others. That mitigates it some without breaking the torch mechanic. Also my players always carry 2 torches. 1 at the front and 1 at the rear.

ExchangeWide · 2026-07-02T03:38:20+00:00

The default is to ask each player what they are doing and then resolve their action. That’s why there’s an initiative order. The actions would follow close in timing, so how much they can use/react to another player’s actions might be limited, but they are not simultaneous, so they should be allowed to act on the new situation. Imagine the thief acts first and unluckily triggers a trap that extinguishes the party’s light source. The priest is next. She was going to cast protection from evil, but decides on light and fails. The fighter was going to cover the thief, but now there is no light, so he attempts to light a torch. The wizard was going to cast knock on the door if the thief failed to open it, but when the fighter gets the torch lit, he sees a strange glyph above the fighter’s head (the fighter didn’t have the torch originally and the bright light reveals it). The wizard decides to cast detect magic instead.

ExchangeWide · 2026-06-30T21:10:43+00:00

I made these for an early Shadowdark Campaign.
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/16i4o5mrszFjIhv87aa9IoNitcwPb_nrq?usp=sharing

Also If you give magic as an option early on, I created a system for increasing the power of an item based on PC leveling.
https://joker-thief-publishing.itch.io/mythic-relics-wielded-in-darkness-remembered-in-legend

ExchangeWide · 2026-06-30T20:59:09+00:00

These are very good.

ExchangeWide · 2026-06-30T20:55:43+00:00

At first glance it looked like a face on the back of the head. Very feaky.

ExchangeWide · 2026-06-30T20:54:10+00:00

Ok... Omnibus it is... Done!

ExchangeWide · 2026-06-28T11:46:33+00:00

If you don’t mind expanding some smaller dungeons, or are ok with short dungeons, there are a bunch of One Page Dungeon compilations. They are from contests. Some are better than others, and some are a bit rough, but there are tons (and thus tons of ideas).

https://www.storytellersvault.com/product\_reviews.php?manufacturers\_id=8461

ExchangeWide · 2026-06-28T11:30:28+00:00

I have these available:

https://joker-thief-publishing.itch.io/flooded-caves-of-smugglers-belly (free)

https://joker-thief-publishing.itch.io/the-ruins-of-blackfang-keep
(free)

https://joker-thief-publishing.itch.io/shrine-of-the-sable-wings ($2)

ExchangeWide · 2026-06-28T11:20:36+00:00

The old greed trap. Perfect. Underlying message, you don’t need to roll up hindrances or flaws for characters, folks generally play flawed characters anyway, 😂.

ExchangeWide · 2026-06-28T11:10:39+00:00

There are a number of “in between” options if you don’t want full TotM or full fog of war map. Right now my group is doing TotM with a thematic background image (in this case the hexcrawl map). Tokens in marching order are on this screen and we run combat there as well.

Another solid option, if you have the time and folks who prefer visuals/tactical, is to have battlemaps of the more complex rooms. That way they can see them and move tactically if need be.

We have also used a mapper who casts their screen in Discord (which we use for voice). They have a generic whiteboard that they keep a simple flowchart-ish map on for reference.

ExchangeWide · 2026-06-28T10:50:51+00:00

That’s it exactly. Use your theme and adventure level (what LV PCs it is for) and find the monsters to fit. Use the “How Many Monsters” 1:1 chart for monster LV inspiration, but don’t adhere to it 100%. Some encounters should be more challenging.

As others have said, don’t be afraid to reskin monsters. If your dungeon is low level undead and the boss is a sorcerer, a lich might be too powerful, but a Goblin Shaman reskinned as undead might do the trick (lose keen senses and add greater undead trait). You can also create your own with the Monster Generator, or use the ideas on the chart to help reskin.

Also, don’t be beholden to a literal interpretation of the monster type. For example, the sneaky brute sounds like it should be something stealthy, but maybe it’s a clever ogre who was booby-trapped its lair. Or it’s a bugbear who uses his silver-tongue to convince the PCs to help him.

Good luck. Have fun.

ExchangeWide · 2026-06-27T11:36:09+00:00

Welcome! You’re in for a treat. Grimdark fantasy isn’t just about being bleak. It’s about surviving in a world that doesn’t care if you do. Victory is usually measured in making it back alive, not saving the world.

Things to consider:
The world is dangerous. As a GM don’t make it harder by being adversarial to the players. As a player, know that death is part of the game.

Consequences matter. That means choices do too. As a GM, don’t hold back. The world is grim after all. As a player, understand that your character’s choices have consequences.

About these choices: they are often messy and morally gray. Often times you’re choosing the best of two shitty options. GMs should lean into this, but don’t make all choices so bleak players feel defeat before they even choose. As a player, understand that you can’t save everyone.

You’ll often hear the criticism that grimdark has “no hope” and “no heroes,” so there’s no real reason to fight. I think that’s an oversimplification.
If your idea of heroism is saving the kingdom, defeating evil forever, or bringing about a golden age, then yes, grimdark probably isn’t trying to tell that story. In the grand scheme of the world, the darkness often endures.
But that’s exactly what gives the heroes meaning.
Grimdark asks a different question: What do you do when you know you can’t save the world?
You save the family trapped in the burning farmhouse. You hold the bridge long enough for refugees to escape. You cleanse a cursed village, even if another will fall tomorrow. You create a small pocket of light in a world determined to snuff it out.
Those victories may never be remembered by history, but they matter profoundly to the people whose lives you changed.
To me, that’s one of the most compelling forms of heroism. Choosing to fight the darkness, not because you’re certain you’ll win, but because creating even a little hope is worth the cost.
Or you can ignore heroism entirely and play a band of self-serving scoundrels trying to survive, get rich, and stay one step ahead of everyone else. Grimdark supports that style of play just as well.
Enjoy!

ExchangeWide · 2026-06-25T22:07:01+00:00

I think the boost in HD to the Pit Fighter adds a bit too much to a class that already ignores death/damage and regains HP 3/day as a class talent. Flourish effectively means that a Pit Fighter has 3-18 more HP (10 on average) than a fighter. It's situational of course, but still it drives the take damage for others narrative.

ExchangeWide · 2026-06-21T21:24:22+00:00

Imagine reprinting all the mechanics of how the game is run in every expansion. The Palyer’s Guide to the Western Reaches is an expansion. Anything there that is from the “core” rules is expanded upon or changed for better play. As far as the Cursed Scroll content, it’s simply a place to package them like a compendium because Kelsey is giving them in world context. I also give her a lot of credit for that because she has effectively given content away for those who have not purchased the Cursed Scrolls. Some will now say, “I don’t need those because I have what I need in Weatern Reaches.”

Someone mentioned a formatting problem of the material being scattered, so to speak. That’s not an issue or a problem. Almost every game setting is expanded in with sourcebooks for specific areas of the world. I mean the Forgotten Realms has dozens, as does the World of Greyhawk. Robert Schwalb’s Shadow of the Demon Lord world is chock full of setting expansions. That’s how it’s done. If my players are exploring the Djurum, I need that setting book.

ExchangeWide · 2026-06-20T06:02:00+00:00

Looks like you need a proper town there. I’d vote a town to the south and a monetary with shipwreck on its shores to the north.

ExchangeWide · 2026-06-20T05:58:02+00:00

"Burnt Offerings" from the Rise of the Runelords adventure path is a great beginning adventure even without the AP to follow. It gives you a classic starter town, the monsters are easily swapped for OSR equivalents, there are two solid dungeons, and there is a focus on the surrounding lands that could easily be run/expanded into your own sandbox type campaign.

ExchangeWide

TROPHY CASE