BEST READS OF THE WEEK! March 8 - 14, 2015!

Welcome back to the Best Reads of the Week! Every week I read through more than 370 blogs looking for the best role-playing game related articles to bring them directly to you. This week we've got thoughts on megadungeon ecosystems; powerful villains; an amazing d100 table; and so much more! If you see a post that you like be sure and tell the author how much you enjoyed it!

If you've got any questions about this month's lists be sure and check out the FAQ. And as always, thank you for your comments, shares, plus 1s, and for taking the time to read this list. See you on the next set!

BEST READS OF THE WEEK!

March 8 - 14, 2015!

Megadungeon Food by J.D. Jarvis, from the blog Aeons & Augauries: If you're looking to add a touch of realism to your dungeon delving than this insightful post from J.D. will help you add that extra push towards a sense of verisimilitude that your games may just be lacking.

The Railroading Manifesto by Justin Alexander, from the blog The Alexandria: This is the start of a six part series examining one of the great boogie-men of Dungeon Mastering theory. The whole series is a fascinating read that takes place across the majority of this month.

Power in a Vacuum by Callin, from the blog Big Ball of No Fun: Have you ever attempted to make a powerful villain have a meaningful impact on your campaigns? In this insightful post from Callin you'll discover the key to doing it successfully.

A pub crawl through assorted editions of D&D by +Jens D., from the blog The Disoriented Ranger: Jens has a natural talent for taking subjects that might be less than interesting and making them a pleasure to read. So when he created a post exploring drinking mechanics through the various editions of D&D it should come as no surprise that it quickly became one of my favorites.

5E OB5ERVATIONS by +John Arendt, from the blog Dreams in the Lich House: After playing around with the new edition of Dungeons & Dragons for a while now John has been able to make several observations about how the system measures up to OSR styled systems. They're pretty spot on too.

Gaming with Depression by +Cody Connelly, from the blog Dungeons Deep & Caverns Old: Sometimes, when you have depression, it can seem like you're all alone in the world even though there are millions of people struggling through it just like you. At other times it seems like everyone in our hobby is struggling with their own depression issues. This essay by Cody is well worth reading on the subject.

On Exploring The Empire of the Petal Throne by +Dyson Logos, from the blog Dyson's Dodecahedron: If you've ever wondered about the Empire of the Petal Throne then this great post from Dyson is a great place to start. Not only is it well written, but Dyson has this effortless way of writing that makes you instantly want to be sitting next to the Cat while discussing the game.

d100 Dungeon Vice by +Chris Tamm, from the blog Elfmaids & Octopi: Chris Tamm is a creative powerhouse who is always cranking out massive d100 tables and dropping these challenging (in the best possible sense of the word) campaign write ups that make me rethink everything I'm doing. Yet out of everything he's done over the past few years I think this is my personal favorite. It's simple, filled with flavor, and arguably one of the most enjoyable random tables I've ever spent hours looking over and unabashedly laughing manically.

Franz Wacik by Aeron Alfrey, from the blog Monster Brains: If this collection of illustrations from Fanz Wacik don't inspire your games than something is wrong with you, Holmes.

Dungeons and Drunkards: Drunken Beasts by +Sean Bircher, from the blog Wine and Savages: If you've never gotten a chance to look at the monsters Sean makes you're missing out. He's incredibly creative, very smart, and often flexible enough that his monstrous designs can easily be fit into most any system you run. These drunken beasts were designed with 5e in mind.