This is Creator Finances, a presentation that I gave at Archon 2024. The subtitle is How to Position Yourself to Make a Living Doing What You Love. Who I am: My name is Matt Davids. I am a full-time role-playing game book creator. And you heard me right—I am full-time at this. I’m doing this […]
Random tables are a dungeon master’s best friend. I know they get hate here on YouTube, and some players don’t like them, but that doesn’t matter. Random tables are still a DM’s best friend. I’m not talking about random combat tables—they have their place, but they’re not the best form of random tables. Or rather,
This is Season 5, Episode 25, which originally aired on June 1st, 1992. It has an impressive IMDb rating of 9.4 and is titled “The Inner Light.” A probe from an ancient culture causes Captain Picard to live an entire lifetime in a matter of minutes while in a coma on the bridge. I’ve been
Four D&D Tips from Star Trek TNG’s 14th Worst Episode The episode originally aired on April 20th, 1992, and has an IMDb rating of 6.1. It is entitled “Cost of Living.” Worf and Alexander’s relationship struggles, Mrs. Troi returns wanting to get married on the Enterprise, and metal parasites turn computers to goo. Despite its
One aspect of science fiction tabletop role-playing games that often goes unnoticed is their need for dungeons. Dungeons are almost genre-defining in TTRPGs like D&D, offering GMs and players a specific type of experience: a closed environment that adds tension, encounters around every turn, and a goal at the end, even if it’s just finding
Four D&D Tips from Star Trek TNG’s 12th Worst Episode The episode is entitled “Too Short a Season” and originally aired on February 8th, 1988, as Season 1, Episode 16. The Enterprise is called to take an elderly Starfleet admiral to a planet to resolve a hostage crisis. Once the admiral is onboard, he begins
The Internet heaps tons of pressure on dungeon masters. The chatter is all about balancing encounters, creating massive worlds, crafting villains, planning epic plots, and developing stories that rival the greatest literature in the world. Let’s be clear: if the dungeon master is supposed to be Shakespeare, then the players had better be Patrick Stewart,
This episode originally aired on May 4, 1992, and is Season 5, Episode 22. It currently holds an IMDb rating of 6.0 and is entitled “Imaginary Friend.” An alien entity assumes the identity of a little girl’s imaginary friend and then grows angry and mean. Yet another light ball invades the Enterprise. Think “The Child,”
I went to Gen Con for the first time in my life, and apparently, I’ve lived to tell about it. I had two main goals: to play games and meet people who work in the gaming industry. I ended up playing a lot of games. However, I got so caught up looking for interesting games
Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/7-S59YL23FU With an IMDb rating of 6.0, that episode is “The Loss.” It is the 10th episode of the 4th season and originally aired on December 31, 1990. The Enterprise is caught in a field of two-dimensional creatures and, as a result, Counselor Troi loses her empathic abilities. “The Loss” gets a
Cyberpunk RED, the role-playing game, now lets you play in the world of the Cyberpunk 2077 video game. R. Talsorian Games Inc. has released RPG supplements that shift the setting to the 2070s. Get 2070-era guns, cyberware, and quickhacks, plus new rules and a full adventure. Edgerunners Mission Kit can be someone’s introduction into the
Tales of the Valiant RPG character sheet! As most people know by now I love RPG character sheets. I gathered some character sheets for the new tabletop RPG Tales of the Valiant. Scroll down for the links to free character sheets. Tales of the Valiant Character Sheets There are two versions of the Tales of
This is Free Trader Beowulf is a history of the Traveller RPG. Traveller is the first science fiction role-playing game ever published, and its history is fascinating. If you have ever wondered where Traveller came from and how it has evolved over its many editions, this is the PDF for you. Traveller RPG History This
Dieselpunk RPGs! Here’s my collection of dieselpunk tabletop role-playing games and resources. Tomorrow City: Dieselpunk Roleplaying Tomorrow City: Dieselpunk Roleplaying From DriveThruRPG: “Tomorrow City is a roleplaying game of dark science and dieselpunk action. Swift and simple character creation and an easy-to-learn dice pool system places the emphasis on unique personalities and the momentum of the
