Today we tested out my new manghal for a few friends. 👨‍🍳

Many kabobs were made, and I was appropriately wearing my kubideh hat! #tahdig A thorough plan leads to perfect timing on all the different dishes that will grace the sofreh.

During our cooking class last month, I noticed our chef skipping a few steps while preparing traditional Iranian rice, which I've made many times.

Later, when we were eating and conversing, I asked him about the steps he skipped, hoping to learn more. 🧵 #WOTCstaff #dnd "Agha, I noticed you didn't poke holes in the rice before steaming it," I said to him softly. "My baba and grandmother always taught me to do it that way so the steam could rise through the rice and make it fluffy. Was this just a folktale, or does it actually help the dish?"

Today I begin a new adventure at Wizards of the Coast as a Senior Game Designer.

This announcement is nothing short of a dream come true for me. I love D&D with all my heart, and I hope to be a good steward of this game that has touched so many lives, mine included. The early days of my game design career coincided with my time as a clinic manager. I essentially worked three jobs to position myself for the leap to a full-time career in tabletop, squeezing in writing over lunch and after dinner when I wasn’t working on something for B&G.

How do you feel about the following D&D house rule?

If a spellcaster casts polymorph on an unwilling creature, and the target passes its Wisdom saving throw, the caster must then pass their own spell save DC or be turned into their originally intended form. I've never been a fan of using polymorph to turn the boss into a weaker form—a rodent, bug, etc. Even after legendary resistances, it feels like a cheese move!

The first time I introduced a demilich to our D&D table was the playwright Thaeziagnuz.

When the party arrived in his lair, they waded through knee-deep piles of crumpled pages, torn from a script that never was.

One of the characters knelt down and picked up one of the pages. As they smoothed it out, they noticed their own name several times. It was a page of dialogue that closely matched a previous session, but it differed ever so slightly and changed the outcome of the scene.

They picked up another.

@lysapenrose for her wholesome vibes, style, and all the work she does for creators behind the scenes.

@MikaelaVSims for being hilarious and always willing to teach others.

@JoshuaMSimons and @OboeLauren for being fonts of positivity and support to the community as a whole.

https://twitter.com/BDaveWalters/status/1437553260844359682

@NateTaylor for showing the world that being a badass and a kind, genuine person are not mutually exclusive.

@Thrawn589's work ethic, friendship, and funny voices.

@GabeJamesGames for inspiring and uplifting other creatives while being generally fly af.

My uncle asked me last week how I jumped from healthcare to tabletop RPGs. This is a question I get fairly often as most of my education is related to health science—can I get a Medicine check?

As boring as it may be, my answer basically boils down to "I worked really hard." 🧵 I don't have a writing degree. I wish I did, but creative pursuits were always treated as hobbies rather than legitimate careers (which isn't surprising if you knew my mom and dad's stories).

Vampires that run around with sharp metal straws that they use to punch their prey like human capri suns Reverse vampires that can't go out at night because of moonlight.

They don't believe werewolves are real because none of them have ever seen one.

The first time I played a bard was in D&D 3.5. He was a pistol-twirling mountebank who stole the name, appearance, and reputation of a feared gangster—he was also a changeling.

My DM said I had to give up music to learn firearms.

On my character sheet, my instrument said "gun." After playing a musket-wielding minotaur, I wasn't about to spend half of combat reloading!

Gil wielded two flintlocks. He'd cast Unseen Servant whenever combat was likely, giving it the command to reload his pistols. By the time one was empty, the other was freshly loaded!

Last night we finished Descent into Avernus, a 5th Edition D&D adventure about devils, dark secrets, and redemption.

In this post-campaign thread, I'll summarize some of my thoughts about the campaign, how I ran it, and what I learned in no particular order.

Heavy spoilers.🧵 As a general disclaimer, this is not intended to be a review thread or a critique of the adventure's design.

Creating a 14-level campaign is a herculean feat. There will ALWAYS be something to nitpick, but I'd rather talk about what's to like. The team did a wonderful job. ❤️

In our D&D game, the artificer's current armor is possessed by an ancient pit fiend (long story). The armor can do some really powerful stuff, but she has to willingly relinquish some control to the pit fiend to use it.

Her faceplate snaps shut and begins to glows with hellfire. She's used it a few times now, and it's clear that the pit fiend gets stronger each time she does so.

The pit fiend amplifies whatever she does, but he craves destruction and, unlike the artificer, doesn't care if the party is in the blast radius.

In our D&D game, devils can stop time in Hell if it means a soul is up for bargain.

A character is about to have their head lopped off by a fire giant? The blade pauses inches from their neck, the giant frozen mid-swing.

A pair of yellow eyes stares at them from the darkness. It leads to some really cool exchanges before an event takes place, especially in combat.

I never trick my players with a deal! The dice are always on the table, but it's up the player if their character wants to fix the odds in their favor—for a price, of course. 😈

TOUR GUIDE: welcome to Baldur's Gate, the city of blood!

GNOME: did he just say blood

ROGUE: shh pay attention

GUIDE: those are the docks! mind the fog

GNOME: wait why

DM: some fog clears, revealing a fresh stab victim

GNOME:

GUIDE: [steps over body]
GUIDE: moving on
#dnd TOUR GUIDE: and that little neighborhood over there is called Brampton!

ROGUE: who's that guy with the net?

TOUR GUIDE: oh! it look's like one of our resident rat catchers, Whaul Nightley

GNOME: that's a big-ass net

TOUR GUIDE: you're in for a real treat

#dnd

DM: The dragon rakes her claws across your unconscious ally, hissing "You underestimate me!"

PALADIN: ha! I've faced worse, old wyrm.

DM: she's pretty evil dude ngl

PALADIN: psh. i touch my fallen comrade and cast revivify

DM: She counterspells it

PALADIN: she what

#dnd DM: she counterspells your revivify

PALADIN: she can cast spells??

DM: [nods]

PALADIN: holy moly you weren't kidding she IS evil

DM: i told y'all

PALADIN: [player gets up from table and starts to contemplate their choices]

#dnd

DM: you come across a large egg

DRUID: can we please keep this one?

WIZARD: what kind of egg is that?

DRUID: [looks at DM]

DM: [passes note]

DRUID: it's an, uh, dog egg

#dnd WIZARD: that doesn't sound real

DRUID: i told you to take Nature proficiency

WIZARD: remember the last time we kept an egg?

DRUID:

WIZARD: there used to be three of us

DRUID: now there can be again!

#dnd

DM: your axe drips blood onto the temple's marble floor. one lone kobold stands holding a piece of parchment defensively

BARBARIAN: i raise my weapon

DM: he flips the page around, revealing gold arcane sigils

DM: it's a wish scroll

WIZARD: oh my god EVERBODY STAY CALM

#dnd BARBARIAN: i can't remember his initiative

WIZARD: back away slowly

BARBARIAN: i could have sworn mine was higher, right?

WIZARD: Back. Away. SLOWLY.

BARBARIAN: i'm pretty fast tho

#dnd

I've been thinking about marketing and branding in the #TTRPG industry lately. I wanted to share some words of wisdom that I heard during my MBA that some writers, editors, and artists may find useful when creating projects for #dnd.

This is one example of a brand pyramid.
1/? The idea behind the pyramid is that the "best" marketing is one that resonates on a deeper level with a customer by creating shared values. A brand that shares values with a customer resonates with them, usually leading to some degree of loyalty when it comes to future purchases.