Author: Melestrua

I am a long-time D&D DM who started with the BECMI boxed sets as a teenager, went to university, and has now returned to D&D, mostly 5e. I am based in Edinburgh and am running a couple of campaigns based in the Mystara world.

Coping without equipment

Have you considered how your characters would cope without their equipment? What would they do? Suddenly both exploration and combat become rather different. Now think about it as a GM - you've set up a scenario where the players' characters have had their equipment taken away. How do you make it feel like an interesting … Continue reading Coping without equipment →

Level Up – rethinking D&D Fifth Edition

The Level up books

Dungeons and Dragons is one of the most iconic role-playing games, and Fifth edition is the most popular version of Dungeons and Dragons. It started playtesting in 2012 with the Basic Rules released in July 2014 and the Player’s Handbook, Monster Manual and Dungeon Master’s Guide came out in August, September and December of that … Continue reading Level Up – rethinking D&D Fifth Edition →

The question of race part 8 – revised ratings and conclusions

In The question of Race, or nature versus nurture I looked at races in Dungeons and Dragons, starting with BECMI and AD&D, and then moving onto 5e, with a view to developing cultural traits which could be swapped about for a character with a certain genetics raised by a different race. It quickly became clear … Continue reading The question of race part 8 – revised ratings and conclusions →

The question of race part 7 – looking back

In The question of Race, or nature versus nurture I looked at races in Dungeons and Dragons, starting with BECMI and AD&D, and then moving onto 5e, with a view to developing cultural traits which could be swapped about for a character with a certain genetics raised by a different race. In The Question of … Continue reading The question of race part 7 – looking back →