How do you run Mass Combat in D&D?

D&D is designed for combats with a handful on each side. So how do you scale that up to larger numbers? Here are various suggestions, from the DMG, @slyflourish, @louanders, #TalesOfTheValiant, and the #BECMI Companion set

Religion in Akorros in Mystara – a worked example

This post describes the 5e pantheon in my current campaign based in Akorros in the Republic of Darokin. This follows previous posts about why you should include religion, and what I developed for my previous campaign.

Religion in Karameikos in Mystara – a worked example

In my last post, I talked about why you should include religion in your campaign, and reviewed Eventyr Games’ publication “Devotion and Divinity”. In this post I describe the Mystara canon, and what I took from it when developing my first 5e campaign based in the Grand Duchy of Karameikos.

RPGaDay 18 – Favourite Game System: The War Machine Mass Combat System

The Companion Set of the BECMI D&D boxed sets contained rules for Mass Combat, called The War Machine, which are still the best set of mass combat rules to fit into D&D which I’ve come across.

RPGaDay Day 5 – Oldest game you’ve played

RPGaDay prompt 5 is “OLDEST game you’ve played”. I take this in three senses - overall game, role-playing game (DnD unsurprisingly), and module.

RPGaDay day 2 – First RPG GAMEMASTER

Today’s prompt for RPGaDay is First RPG GAMEMASTER. Maybe I’ll answer this in two ways. My first dungeon master, as I said a few years back, was a friend who had the classic B2 Keep on the Borderlands. This was the mid 1980s and it was one of my first sleepovers on my own (without … Continue reading RPGaDay day 2 – First RPG GAMEMASTER →

Weapon Mastery across the editions

I have fond memories of Weapon Mastery from the BECMI Master Player’s Guide. Now there are three pretenders to "next D&D 5e" and each introduce something similar.

RPGaDay week 1

RPGaDay 2022 prompts RPGaDay is back for the 9th year. After the previous couple of years being fairly abstract prompts, this year they have returned to very directed questions. You can see them all in the graphic. I’m not sure how relevant some of the questions later are to me, but I’ll make a start … Continue reading RPGaDay week 1 →

Developing Akorros – Redcliffe Market

This is based on and extended from a description I wrote for a new campaign starting in Akorros in the Republic of Darokin. It has extended my development of Akorros, so I thought it was worth sharing. It’s a cold, grey autumn day in mid Sviftmont, about mid-morning, and you’re in Redcliffe Market on the … Continue reading Developing Akorros – Redcliffe Market →

How do the monsters react?

Last week, DM David wrote about the problems caused in D&D with monsters who run or surrender, given that you then have to account for them and what will happen as a result, and characters will tend to give chase, or start interrogating/torturing the captives, and so it’s just simpler if you let the fight … Continue reading How do the monsters react? →