THOUGHT EATER

Saturday, December 14, 2019

Free and Pay-What-You-Want 5e DMs Guild Highlights: Week Ending 12.14.19

Every week, talented creators upload Dungeons and Dragons products to the DMs Guild, pricing them as free or pay-what-you-want in order to reach customers. Dozens of new free and pwyw products are added each week alone. It is a lot to sort through. My hope is that highlighting a few of each week's best supplements will help the designers get the attention they deserve.

You can find previous posts in this series HERE.

THIS IS THE FINAL POST OF THE YEAR! This series will return January 4th! I hope you and your families have a safe and happy holiday season.

The Wrench's Useless Magic Items from Cita A F

I loved this one. These magic items are all worthless on the surface, but dig deeper and you find that they have some interesting uses. For example, there is a monocle that causes blurred vision...so why wear it? Turns out you get a bonus to charisma checks, because people just look cool wearing monocles. As a bonus, these are done as cards. Very funny and cool.

A Darkness From The Stars from Sadie Lowry

This Eberron adventure is set at an observatory in the Starpeak Mountains. A great mix of roleplay, investigation, and combat.

Three Pillars DM Screen from Ernad Osmic

This far into the life of 5e, odds are you already have DM screen you like, but just in case you don't, you could do a lot worse than this one. All of the charts and tables you really need, helpfully broken down by "pillar".

5e Encounter-Rudolph's Revenge from Stephen Bull

Were-Reindeer. Need I say more?

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Friday, December 13, 2019

Thought Eater Podcast: Five Minute Friday: My PC Was Torn Apart by Wererats

Just what it says on the tin. But it led me to some interesting reflections on my approaches to creating characters for the various editions of D&D.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN!!!

If you enjoy my free zine, podcast, and/or blog, please consider supporting my work for only $1 per month.

Wednesday, December 11, 2019

Humpday Blog-O-Rama 12.11.19

Blogs are an integral, vital part of the RPG hobby. They serve as incubators for new games, sounding boards for fresh ideas, and platforms for up-and-coming talent. They keep "forgotten" games alive, foster discussions, and build communities.

Every Wednesday on the Thought Eater podcast and blog, I take a look at what is going on in the vibrant RPG blog scene. Check out previous Humpday Blog-O-Rama posts HERE.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN!!!

INTRO

https://d66kobolds.blogspot.com/

https://flumph-philosopher.github.io/

MAPS

http://reverancepavane.blogspot.com/2019/12/what-hell-have-you-done-to-stonehell.html

http://eltomocarmesi.blogspot.com/2019/12/gahura-la-region-de-los-tres-reinos.html

https://boggswood.blogspot.com/2019/12/where-in-world-is-blackmoor.html

REVIEWS AND RETROSPECTIVES

https://www.indiegamereadingclub.com/indie-game-reading-club/invisible-sun-the-path/

http://rlyehreviews.blogspot.com/2019/12/horror-hedonism.html

http://theotherside.timsbrannan.com/2019/12/wizards-quest.html

http://therathole.ca/eclipse-phase-2e-core-rulebook/

https://waynesbooks.games/2019/12/04/tsr-product-posters-ca-1978-9/

RANDOM TABLES AND GENERATORS

http://eldritchfields.blogspot.com/2019/12/d66-things-that-happen-when-you-inject.html

https://magickuser.wordpress.com/2019/12/04/1d10-things-that-happen-when-you-inhale-the-ashes-of-the-outer-god-you-just-killed/

http://terriblesorcery.blogspot.com/2019/12/ready-random-monster-generator.html

FREE STUFF

http://leicestersramble.blogspot.com/2019/12/come-on-in-lavas-fine.html

https://www.knightsinthenorth.com/d100-wizard-names/

https://drive.google.com/file/d/19w1J4-p3ZcPQVaV33jiqt-oKjWs5Qdc2/view

https://eldritchfields.blogspot.com/2019/12/dungeon-30-minute-dungeon-golem-masters.html

https://dmdavid.com/tag/print-my-custom-dd-dm-screen-to-defeat-the-basilisk/

https://grapasymapas.com/pulp

MISCELLANY

https://followmeanddie.com/2019/12/06/ucon-2019-post-con-post/

https://cannibalhalflinggaming.com/2019/12/06/pax-unplugged-day-1-live-update-log/
https://cannibalhalflinggaming.com/2019/12/07/pax-unplugged-day-2-log/
https://cannibalhalflinggaming.com/2019/12/09/pax-unplugged-2019-day-3-log/

https://chgowiz-games.blogspot.com/2019/12/wip-rescue-of-hommlet-adventure-updates.html

https://www.tribality.com/2019/12/06/christmas-themed-adventures-2019/

ZERO INTEREST

https://geektyrant.com/news/my-take-aways-since-holding-my-first-session-zero

If you enjoy my free zine, podcast, and/or blog, please consider supporting my work for only $1 per month.

Sunday, December 8, 2019

Thought Eater Podcast: Froth University Session Four: Needful Things

Join me on the podcast today for the latest recap of my 1980's horror/comedy Savage Worlds game! We have entered 1983, and a set of mysterious paintbrushes cause a heap of trouble for the freshmen. Also...Breakin'. Check out more Froth University posts HERE.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN!!!

If you enjoy my free zine, podcast, and/or blog, please consider supporting my work for only $1 per month.

Saturday, December 7, 2019

Free and Pay-What-You-Want 5e DMs Guild Highlights: Week Ending 12.7.19

Every week, talented creators upload Dungeons and Dragons products to the DMs Guild, pricing them as free or pay-what-you-want in order to reach customers. Dozens of new free and pwyw products are added each week alone. It is a lot to sort through. My hope is that highlighting a few of each week's best supplements will help the designers get the attention they deserve.

You can find previous posts in this series HERE.

An Alphabet of Legendary Magic Items from George Collie

Collie's excellent "Alphabet" magic item series concludes here with this collection. I have thoroughly enjoyed the creativity and artwork that went into these. Don't miss the Very Rare, Rare, Common, and Uncommon companions to this final installment.

Politics of the Eldeen Reaches from Joseph Meehan

Speaking of excellent series, no Eberron DM should be without Meehan's regional gazetteers. Be sure and also check out their Zilargo, Thrane, Aundair, Karrnath, and Breland supplements.

D&D Party Sheet from Ernad Osmic

I consider party tracking sheets a must, and not just for beginners. I can glance at passive skills, armor class, and more without having to ask for it, and if some of your group's player names get as weird as mine, it can take a few sessions to learn them. "Ok Zzhorlakiatharka, you're up."

MZS1 Monsters of Maztica from Jon Hild

Hild has carved out a niche on the Guild doing Maztica-themed supplements and conversions. This is a pretty substantial collection of creatures that are perfect for jungle or "lost world" settings.

Essentials Kit Companion from Andrew Sneath

This is a helpful collection of tools for running the recent Essentials Kit. One of the two pdfs is used as an encounter tracker, while the other includes tips, key locations, tokens, and more. Also check out their companion for the original starter set.

If you enjoy my free zine, podcast, and/or blog, please consider supporting my work for only $1 per month.

Friday, December 6, 2019

Thought Eater Podcast: Five Minute Friday: Review: Mehliu: Blood 'N' Bone

Hey everybody. Quick review today on the podcast of a new D&D variant, Mehliu: Blood 'N' Bone. I thought this was a cool mix of old and new...like OD&D old and 5e new. It also adds a mechanical twist to give it an original feel.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN!!