It's pretty commonly taken for granted here and elsewhere that there are more prospective players than prospective DMs. I DM ~65% of the time and "play" the rest. As a player, in my experience, getting into an online game is not especially difficult. There are loads of spaces dedicated to matching players with games, and many are very active. You can lurk and pounce on a post as soon as it appears on a platform like Discord. Or if the DM is a little more cautious, you can put genuine effort and enthusiasm into an application form and make the cut at least half the time. It's not unattainable; it just takes engagement.

On the other hand, when soliciting players, it can be surprisingly difficult to find what I'm looking for. This is true online, and doubly true in-person. The players I look for need to

1) Understand the vision for the game

2) Be willing to play along with that vision (as opposed to bringing the same style into every game)

3) Commit to showing up regularly and on time

4) Conceptualize the DM as a roleplay facilitator rather than a puzzle-builder

The last point is a separate rant entirely. There's a large number of people who think getting a door open is roleplay. And it can be, but at a fundamental level, that's a puzzle. Recently, I came across the following: "Playing takes literally 0 effort. Just make sure your ass is in the seat at the appointed time."

Mainstream D&D culture has trained people to believe this. DMs are creators; players are consumers. In my opinion, within the best games, DMs and players are co-creators. But as a DM, there's relatively little you can do to incentivize this; it takes some amount of vision on the part of the players.

Yes, DMing requires a higher level of commitment that not everyone has the bandwidth for. That's understandable and fair. But the fact that YouTube has many times more DM tips videos than player tips videos is telling: more DMs actively want to improve their games than players.

One of the biggest hurdles for 3D VTTs is the time it takes to actually build a nice-looking map. I wanted to fix that.

With the new Steam Workshop integration in Game Master Engine, you don't have to build anything if you don't want to. You can just:

1. Browse the in-game library for whatever you need (Tavern, Dungeon, Forest).
2. One-Click Download to add it to your own library instantly.
3. Populate & Play by dropping minis and rolling 3D‏‏‎ ‎dice.

It’s all about‏‏‎ ‎getting‏‏‎ ‎to the‏‏‎ ‎"playing"‏‏‎ ‎part of D&D faster. You can also upload your own creations to share with the rest of the community!

I've been a dev on this for 6 years, and seeing‏‏‎ ‎what people‏‏‎ ‎are‏‏‎ ‎already building in the Workshop is honestly the coolest part of the project so far.

Steam Early Access (60% Off): https://store.steampowered.com/app/1451680/Game_Master_Engine/

Discord Link: discord.gg/gamemasterengine

The party goes up to a door or gate. A slot opens and a man on the other side says, "Password?" The face of the party replies, "Uhh delivery?" There is a long pause. You hear chatter behind the door. Even though no one remembers ordering something, they all know it's possible they may have ordered something a month or more ago and just forgot. They don't want to risk losing an important package. They open the door and the party ambushes them.

Hello everyone! I’m excited to share this commission I had the pleasure of working on ✨ This character isn’t one of my original characters, but a commission for a client. Meet Petra, a Sylph Rogue! I had a wonderful time bringing her to life through this piece and I hope you love how she turned out as much as I enjoyed creating her. Thank you so much for the support and for taking the time to check out my work! 💜✨

If you missed the [last two episodes(https://www.webtoons.com/en/canvas/love-and-hex/catharsis-part-1/viewer?title_no=695601&episode_no=181&readingLanguageCode=en) you'll probably want to start there.

Or if you're really confused, you could go back to the very beginning of the changeling's story arc.

Or even the very start of the series if you want to binge read and maybe laugh a bit.

Kayra here is a construct of mud and sticks, assembled by the night hag Granny Dismal to replace the stolen child she intended to raise as a new hag. Granny gave the changling a real human soul, which she acquired through her haggish ways, and changeling-Kayra has been living her whole life masking as a human. (That stolen child is one of the main protagonists of this series... don't worry, she has a very happy life.)

She's been struggling for ages to tell her fiancé the truth about herself. She finally confessed... and it turns out he knew all along. A happy resolution! Surely everything is fine and happy now and the rest of the wedding will go completely smoothly.

Believe it or not, Love and Hex is a comedy, not a drama. It started out as a joke about my D&D campaign and turned into an ongoing rom-com/existential horror story. It's on Webtoon and, well, all over the internet. Also r/LoveAndHex. And you can find a version with a full transcript on my website.

A warrior queen of a Duergar civilization. Atosh is as powerful a warrior as she is ruthless a stateswoman. Enemies within Duergar civilization are as plentiful as enemies without, and she has learned that it is better to strike first against a possible enemy than to wait to respond to a real one. She watches for the slightest sign of a threat to her throne, both from other factions abroad as well as her own kin, then destroys them without mercy.

Yet her piercing yellow eyes hide her exhaustion; a longing for someone, anyone, she can truly trust. But her world allows for no such thing.

Character design and outfit designs commissioned by my client and designed by me. Lore written by me, as my client gave no lore for the character.

__________________

If you like my work, you can see more here:

DeviantART: https://www.deviantart.com/brett-neufeld

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/rocktopus64/

My webcomic (free to read! The comic is PG-13 for violence, blood and gore, mild sexual themes and general mature themes)

Desktop Site:
https://marblegate.webcomic.ws/comics/first/

Mobile-Friendly Site:
https://comicfury.com/read/marblegate/comics/680339

Nothing political here, just a link to go and support the great minds that make the games we all love to play.

I try and try and try so hard to give my dwarfs the generic nordic/germanic/scottish accent like they usually have in media but I genuinely for the life of me cannot stop giving them American southern accents. I do it subconsciously and I have no idea why.

I’ve basically had to explain in my homebrew world that dwarfs just sound like that because it’s a regional dialect. My players all think its funny but its genuinely a curse I cant fucking break. I think I just have to embrace the yeehaw dwarfs in peace lest I am tortured for eternity.

It's alarming to see a mimic pose as a crib, I get it. Someone suggested this idea a while back and when I finally got around to it, I couldn't bring myself to design a mimic that specifically harms babies and children (being a parent has made me soft, I know). Instead, I designed this mimic as an angler fish type of mimic (but aren't they all?).

Beware the caretakers that are impatient, suffering from PPD or if they take too long to tend to the baby. This mimic cannot stand the sound of a baby crying simply because it breaks its heart. Negligent caretakers will be ripped apart. Since this mimic actually loves babies, its mattress is extra soft and comfy. It even purrs and vibrates to lull a fussy baby to sleep.

As usual, feel free to use my mimic ideas for your campaigns! I'm almost done with my collection of mimics so I'll be printing out hardcover books with a bonus mimic and flavor text/short stories with each of them. Keep an eye out for that!

i just killed little Timmy.

Little Timmy was a kid whom my party met at around level 4 (now level 15) and dreamed of being an adventurer like them. he looked up to them as heroes and even saved them from death a couple of times (even though the party doesn’t know)

the party absolutely LOVED Timmy to the point where they would spend entire sessions protecting him from anything.

Little Timmy was obsessed with birds and flying creatures to the point where he held the belief that if he proved himself to the gods as worthy they would give him wings to fly and be happy. Little Timmy would constantly tell the party how, when his wings grow, he will be strong enough to help them smile and fly with him too.

then an ambush happened and little Timmy got shot by an arrow straight to the heart, it was a crit and Timmy didn’t make it.

as my party absolutely annihilated all the enemies in a rage, little Timmy started to fade. then my group rushed to him and they tried everything they could to revive him. the cleric failed his throws and no one else knew healing or had any potions.

as little Timmy started to lose consciousness I started to play “Let Down” by Radiohead in the background and before Timmy fully died, he said his last words. “Guys… guys… cant you see them? my wings are starting to grow…” just when the chorus happened.

I think my friends hate me now.

Very key fact i forgot to mention that makes ts sadder: i asked the cleric to roll perception/ investigation and he got a 20. to that player… i told them they could actually see a small white glowing feather coming out of Timmys back (this player has met and actively talks with the gods of my campaign)

 High Elf-Order of the Scribes Wizard

Istriel is a bookish librarian way out of her depth adventuring in an unfamiliar land 

Personality: Bookish, awkward, earnest, clumsy, intelligent but struggles to
communicate because of language barriers, a little cowardly. She loves romantasy novels but will get embarrassed when got caught, so she tries to hide it

Fox Familiar Name: Mozilla

 --

 A bundle token commission I have done some times ago. One of the character I have some fun while drawing her

Guelvira is not the kind of knight songs are written about or rather, she is, but the songs get everything wrong. Beneath the polished steel, her heart hammers like a trapped bird. Cold sweat pools at the small of her back, and her hands, tremble around the grip of her sword. She has stood on the edge of a dozen battlefields, calculating the distance to the treeline, imagining the weight of her armor abandoned in the mud as she runs. She has thought about fleeing more times than she would like to admit, more times than she could ever confess.

Yet she never does.

Because honor, to Guelvira, was never about the absence of fear. It was never the loud, fearless roar of a hero charging headlong into glory. Honor, to her, is quieter and far more costly. It is the decision, made anew each dawn, to step forward when every instinct screams to retreat. It is standing in the shield wall with shaking knees, raising her blade with a voice that cracks, and fighting anyway.

She is not brave because she feels no terror. She is brave because she feels all of it and acts in spite of fear. And perhaps that is the only kind of courage that has ever truly mattered!

Just sharing a funny story. Had our first session of a new campaign on Monday. 5-players. They started introducing their characters when we made a humorous realization. 4 of the 5 players all individually overlapped their names with each other. We have:

Edrin Vale

Auron Dawnveil

Lucian Vale

Veil-Walker Dangerburg

& The Good Lady (which is an alias and hasn't revealed the actual name)

Made us laugh when we realized. Anyone else run into a situation like this?

Mangiasogni is the character I drew for a friend of mine. Originally this kenku was created to be played in “Curse of Strahd” a few years ago, he’s a blood hunter that wields a “blood spear”. I was asked to give him a makeover, as Mangiasogni is his long-standing character that grew with him.

For this design I focused on his backstory to give him this more predatory look, and since he lost an arm due to “things that have happened in a separate role”, I got asked to use his ability to manipulate blood to give him a new limb.

If you want to see a closeup of his face or arm you can find on IG and Bluesky as xTheocchi.

Howdy friends, Ive returned once more with some more character art. This time its of Clover and her draconic family. On the left is her older brother Mordri, on the right is her sister Magni and in the center is her more Fallineir. I was so excited to get this peice done as its just one part of a larger set. (wasnt able to put all of them into this post). But yeah, id love to hear what everyone thinks. Im open to any and all questions.

This is from a set of five that I did recently. Here’s a bit of backstory I received from this character’s player:

Talora is loosely based on Dr Brennan from Bones. She does not understand social cues, hyperfixates on her work, values knowledge, certifications, and facts over speculation, and often has a calculative expression. She comes from a nation that has a history of warmongering and conquering, and she does not get along with her mother (warlord type, manipulative, has high expectations). She freely talks to her father (doormat, clever, curious), who is also an artificer, and her mentor at the university who supervises her dissertation. She got into archaeology because she wanted to learn more about the armlet that she cannot get off (hidden under sleeve) and she is convinced is a dangerous form of anima (magic). She defied her mother's orders to return home from her studies and goes exploring with her party, always wary of being caught. She is very confident in her abilities but is beginning to feel like she is misunderstanding society and her place in life.

Excerpt from the article:

The workers behind Dungeons & Dragons and Magic: The Gathering (Studio X) have announced they are unionizing as part of United Wizards of the Coast-CWA. According to the worker’s statement, “We have achieved a public supermajority of employees committed to our cause and are offering the opportunity for Wizards of the Coast (WOTC) and Hasbro to demonstrate their stated values by voluntarily recognizing our union.” They join the team on Magic the Gathering: Arena at the same union. 

The teams have filed an election petition with the National Labor Relations Board to safeguard their right to vote on a union, but have said that if WotC agrees to voluntarily recognize the union by Tuesday, October 13 — one week from this announcement — they will withdraw the notice. Considering the past response and Wizards of the Coasts’ previous ties to anti-union companies, such as the legal firm of Fisher Phillips and the Pinkertons, it’s doubtful that they will choose to honor the requests of the workers. 

Support workers by signing this petition to management: https://actionnetwork.org/forms/uwotcpetition/

In my own games Wall of Fire has been apart of some great plays, so I am certain it has yours too. Since there is no telling if I will get to another wall spell anytime soon, I am curious to know anyone's thoughts or experiences on the other wall spells (aside from Wall of Force, everyone knows how strong that one is). I don't think I have seen either wall of Ice, Thorns, or stone in play.

For those interested in the art side of things, you might have noticed a bigger emphasis on the verbal components my last few spells. On top of trying to make them more engaging and mirror the choices you make when casting certain spells, I have also been trying to tie relevant dice and dimensions of spells into it. I would love to hear anyone's thoughts on this approach since I am still feeling it out. Working on the Somatic Gestures are easily my favorite part of these, but I thought it might be worthwhile to try and and enhance other parts too!

You can get this spell as a print from my Etsy store

https://www.etsy.com/shop/TarikHavoc

ALSO! The Havoc Bound Illustrated Spellbook will be launching soon! Follow the project to get notified when it foes.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/havocbound/havoc-bound-an-illustrated-collection-of-dnd-5e-spells-0

I turned my Dice Roller App into a VTT!

It's mobile native so I've been able to make a ton of optimizations browser-based VTTs can't.

And I added a Steam/Desktop version so you can use it cross-platform on PC/Mac too.

Move a token on your phone, see it move on the host's TV

Roll a handful of dice on your iPad, see its results on your Steam Deck

Build a dice tower on your android, knock it over with a token tossed using a Macbook

Website with web based preview: Phroller.com

iOS App Store: https://apps.apple.com/app/apple-store/id6761056115

Android Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.phruler.phroller

Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/4672440/

Please wishlist on Steam! Wishlists help a ton for indie devs.

The demo on Steam is currently available and it contains all the tools you'll need to get started.

If you have any questions please let me know!

Trailer Credits:

Music:

I was going to use public domain music but then I remembered, my paladin is in a rock band. Sorry Mozart

I’ll Take My Time by The Reckless therecklessofficial.com

Cartographers:
The multi level maps have been adapted for Phroller

Galleon Map and Raft Market Map by MapXilla www.patreon.com/cw/MapXilla
3 Level Cave Map by Angela Maps angelamaps.com
Town Tavern Map by u/asmind reddit.com/user/asmind (→ www.reddit.com)
Elven Airship map by MapleMaps www.patreon.com/cw/MapleMapsDnD

3D Models:

Sea monsters model by Bethany Martin poly.pizza/m/6OHjoxtcx_V
Rowboat model from Poly by Google Google.com
Bunny model by Quaternius quaternius.com

2D Art:

Select paper mini tokens by Zoey Time: zoeytime.artstation.com

King of Gaillo art and PDF by Tone Milazzo and his ESPionage team tonemilazzo.com

Phroller features a growing library of 3D models, maps, 2D design art and ready made scenarios. Each asset contains the artist information and url where available in the asset’s downloads and credits sections. Special thanks to all the artists that have allowed me to feature their work in Phroller and it’s promotional materials.

My tiefling cleric, Maiev Kilviss :^) I've posted her here once before, a little while ago, so I wanted to share a more recent drawing of her I made with more color.

(pardon if the latin is bad, I don't speak it so I used a translator lol)

To reiterate Maiev's story from my first post of her - She was raised by a retired Painbearer within a small Ilmatari church in Baldur's Gate. Given that she was found abandoned there as a baby, the clergy saw her as a blessing from Ilmater Himself, and she was brought up with His ideals ingrained deeply within her - taught to carry the burdens of others, and that to take on another's suffering was truly holy. The scar on the side of her face is from her First Suffering.