Profile picture
, 22 tweets, 7 min read
My Authors
Read all threads
Someone asked me to list some of the #dnd design tools I use. There are lots of them! I'll share a few of my favorites below.
First and foremost is the Dungeon Masters Guide. We all have this, but I suspect a lot of people aren't really taking advantage of the treasures therein. The dungeon stocking tables are gold.
This is a hard book to use, but the tables are incredibly comprehensive. One of the few tool books I've bothered to get in hardback.
drivethrurpg.com/product/97423/…
Take the Tome of Adventure Design and make it smaller and more usable and this is what you get. A great book for those starting out.
drivethrurpg.com/product/78409/…
David Kent Kelly has released dozens of #dnd tool books and I own a lot of them. Here is just one example. drivethrurpg.com/product/202407
When I'm stuck for an adventure idea, I often look in this book. Fantastic plot seeds. drivethrurpg.com/product/82670/…
When I want something more interesting than "You find 50 gp" I look to this book for inspiration. drivethrurpg.com/product/12252/…
This should be on every RPG creators reading list. drivethrurpg.com/product/217525…
I have literally thousands of encounter and plot seeds sitting on my cloud drive. Here's one book of them, and it's free! drivethrurpg.com/product/83932/…
This does not appear to be available anymore which is a great shame, as I use it *all the time* when creating creature names. amazon.com.au/Gary-Gygaxs-Ex…
I have not used this book quite as much as I intended too, but it's a great source of inspiration for NPCs. drivethrurpg.com/product/93319/…
I'm surprised this weird little supplement isn't more popular. I use it frequently when designing puzzles and tricks. drivethrurpg.com/product/269764…
They have released a whole host of books in this series, and I pick up most of them. drivethrurpg.com/product/144657…
This is another book considered a "must-have" for RPG creators. Suffers a little bit from being an anthology of essays. drivethrurpg.com/product/98266/…
Lot's of good essays in here but, once again, it suffers from being an anthology.
drivethrurpg.com/product/182608…
Raging Swan have released a lot of books like this. They are packed full of good ideas. drivethrurpg.com/product/133198…
This one is a tiny bit narrow in focus, but I've found myself turning back to it more than once. drivethrurpg.com/product/54423/…
I only bought this recently but it looks like its reputation is well deserved. drivethrurpg.com/product/63106/…
When I want some weird gonzo ideas, I turn to Jason Sholtis drivethrurpg.com/product/129931…
Megadungeons are a great source of ideas and this is one I turn to frequently. lulu.com/au/en/shop/mic…
Another megadungeon that I plunder for ideas drivethrurpg.com/product/16785/…
I've also created dozens of tables and scripts of my own to help me with this sort of stuff. And I have a heap more books on my cloud drive - these are just the ones that get the most love.

Your comments are welcome!
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to force a refresh.

Enjoying this thread?

Keep Current with M.T. Black

Profile picture

Stay in touch and get notified when new unrolls are available from this author!

Read all threads

This Thread may be Removed Anytime!

Twitter may remove this content at anytime, convert it as a PDF, save and print for later use!

Try unrolling a thread yourself!

how to unroll video

1) Follow Thread Reader App on Twitter so you can easily mention us!

2) Go to a Twitter thread (series of Tweets by the same owner) and mention us with a keyword "unroll" @threadreaderapp unroll

You can practice here first or read more on our help page!

Related hashtags

#dnd

Related threads

Profile picture
Needle & Pen
@ForArya
At 3PM David Benioff and D.B Weiss #DnD started a session at the #AustinFilmFestival, I am a little late, but will live tweet as soon as I get there. #GameOfThrones
Someone asked did they go on-line and David said yes. Dan literally said “we were geographically challenged” and the maps were helpful.
Read 80 tweets
Profile picture
NewbieDM
@newbiedm
Alright, lets take a look at this book, kindly provided for review purposes by @Wizards_DnD.

There. The disclaimer’s out of the way.
Worth noting: I am not a fan or reader of Penny Arcade. I also have zero real knowledge of the Acquisition Incorporated characters. I don’t know who played what character, nor what their story is about. I am going into this really fresh.
Before I even crack open the book, because this question always comes... yes. There are player options. There is a new race.
Read 59 tweets
Profile picture
Scott Berkun
@berkun
1. When designers get frustrated working with people who don't understand design, the tempting wish is to CONVERT THEM, ideally in one fell swoop, to GET IT. But this rarely works. Here's why. #design #ux
2. Persuasion works best on the other person's terms, not the designer's. You have to put aside how much they don't know and start somewhere small, in their worldview, where there is a clear problem, in their language, that design can help them solve.
3. It's the difference between "you don't understand this big important abstract thing" (what they hear) and "problem X is important to you and I will help you solve it". Which is a better-designed way to get what you want?
Read 8 tweets
Profile picture
NewbieDM
@newbiedm
Alright. Lets... dive... in.

Get it? “Dive in”? Ah man. Bet you didn’t see that one coming.

Let’s take a look at Ghosts of Saltmarsh. #dnd
First, the setting...The village of Saltmarsh is unequivocally set in Greyhawk. It says so in the book. This is not set in the Forgotten Realms, nor in some ambiguous generic world. This is Greyhawk.
So remember how in UK1, Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh, the village itself was largely left for DMs to populate and create? Not now. Saltmarsh is a living breathing place with 3 factions vying for power: Traditionalists, Loyalists (to the Kingdom of Keoland), Scarlet Brotherhood.
Read 42 tweets
Profile picture
Merric Blackman
@MerricB
Non-player characters are tricky to describe in an adventure. Consider the following: What do they want? How do they react to PC requests and other interaction? How do they respond to trickery, diplomacy, intimidation or violence? #dnd
Just as with encounter, a one-size-fits-all format doesn't work for NPCs. Change how they're presented in response to how they're used. If you have someone giving you a quest, it's a different format to a NPC-as-villain, or a NPC-as-reluctant-ally! Write differently! #dnd
The more freedom players have with their actions, the more attention you need to pay to detailing NPC reactions. If the PCs are given the goal of "discover from Bob who the traitor is", consider how Bob reacts to various actions and detail them. #dnd
Read 13 tweets
Profile picture
Godsfall
@G0DSFALL
I get asked a lot about what makes for a good DM and a good #DnD game, so I've put together some of my thoughts in this thread.

Rule #1: Speak less. Encourage your players to describe their own actions instead of doing it for them.

(art by Mike Burns) inprnt.com/gallery/mike_b…
Rule #2: Be prepared. Run through scenarios in your head, practice voices, take copious notes, and read the source material if you are playing in an established world you didn't write. Have short encounters you can drop in anywhere to help cover for unexpected player choices.
Rule #3: Root for your players. The DM should be the PCs biggest fan. They are the heroes in this world and you should make them feel as such, even at first level. I'm not saying make the journey easy, but the people around your table should feel like you are on their side.
Read 22 tweets

Trending hashtags

#DnD #dnd #intimacy #unroll #personalbranding #feelings #AndroidDesignTools #children #AustinFilmFestival #AndroidStudio #design #refuge #masters #stressed #problems #cyoa #logodesign #Startups #janda #woman #man #nurses #ux #webdevs #coya

Embed code for your website

×
Follow Us on Twitter!

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Support us! We are indie developers!

This site is made by just three indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member ($3.00/month or $30.00/year) and get exclusive features!

Become Premium

Too expensive? Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal Become our Patreon

Thank you for your support!