Every week I share a bite-sized, action-packed newsletter ("The Five Minute Folio") where I share resources and ideas to help you have more fun with worldbuilding and TTRPGs. Check out some past editions below!
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Five Minute Folio: Rumours, Secret Societies, and Killing Every Monster
Published 8 months ago • 3 min read
Goosidore's Grimoire
March 16th
Five Minute Folio
↓
A TTRPG and worldbuilding newsletter.
Happy Five Minute Folio Saturday! Here are this week's list of TTRPG-related things I've been pondering about and finding useful. Feel free to forward along if you think it might help a friend.
🎲 A Game Master Tip
Starting a new campaign and want the party of player characters (PCs) to seem like they've known each other for years? Use this technique:
Tell each player to write down rumours about their character. These rumours can be true, somewhat true, or false. There should be a number of rumours equal to the size of the party minus one. For example, a party of 4 means each player writes down 3 rumours
Collect all of the rumours, then distribute them evenly between the players so that each player has one rumour from each other player.
Tell players they should use these rumours as a way to approach their conversations with their new party members.
This technique is great because it forces the players to think about how their character might be perceived by others while also giving character interactions in the early game a lot more meaning.
Fantasy Calendar is a tool I've been experimenting with to keep track of time in my world. This easy-to-use tool allows you to automate reoccurring events such as holidays, festivals, or solstices, store information about the events of your world, and even incorporate and automate weather. It includes several preset calendars from popular fantasy settings including The Forgotten Realms (D&D), Exandria (Critical Role), and Golarion (Pathfinder). Want to use your own calendar? It also includes a tool to generate a random calendar from scratch!
Craft a secret society that’s shaped your world’s history. Detail its origins, goals, and the influence it wields in the world. How do they recruit while maintaining secrecy and loyalty? Are they guardians of ancient secrets, agents of world-shattering change, or something else entirely? What’s the impact they’ve had on the world so far? What are some of the methods they’ve used to shape the destiny of nations and individuals alike?
Game masters: use this plot hook to kick of a new session or even a whole new campaign!
Rumors swirl in the realm about the Aetherstone, a powerful artifact hidden in the Shrouded Forest, capable of altering reality. A scholar tasks you and your party with its retrieval to prevent misuse. You must navigate the forest's dangers, solve ancient puzzles, and outmaneuver rivals seeking the artifact for their own ends. With celestial events aligning to unveil the Aetherstone's location, the race is on. Your party's actions will seal the fate of the ream: safeguarding its future or heralding its doom.
🎙️ A Podcast I'm Enjoying
Dungeons & Dragons is many things to many people, but it was designed to be a game about killing monsters. We examine the lore and mechanics of each creature and ask a central question: are they really a monster? Co-hosts and are joined by a guest for a DM-deep-dive into a classic D&D monster. The first part is a discussion, and the second is a one-shot Actual Play where our guest takes on the role of the monster. Each episode of Kill Every Monster is a contained story, so you never have to worry about being caught up or listening out of order.
My take? This unique concept allows you to learn about monsters in D&D, while also enjoying the fun of Actual Play podcasts.
Every week I share a bite-sized, action-packed newsletter ("The Five Minute Folio") where I share resources and ideas to help you have more fun with worldbuilding and TTRPGs. Check out some past editions below!
Goosidore's Grimoire March 22nd Five Minute Folio ↓ A TTRPG and worldbuilding newsletter. Happy Five Minute Folio Friday! Here are this week's list of TTRPG-related things I've been pondering about and finding useful. Feel free to forward along if you think it might help a friend. 🎲 A Game Master Tip In games like D&D, rolling for damage for each attack can be a huge time suck and slow down gameplay drastically, especially during large battles or when the players/GM prefer a faster pace. To...
Goosidore's Grimoire March 8th Five Minute Folio ↓ A TTRPG and worldbuilding newsletter. Happy Five Minute Folio Friday! Here are this week's list of TTRPG-related things I've been pondering about and finding useful. Feel free to forward along if you think it might help a friend. 🎲 A Game Master Tip Death saving throws. What’s seemingly just another D&D game mechanic can actually be a great plot device. I roll death saves for PCs behind the DM screen & hide the results. Suspense mounting, PCs...
