Best Reads of the Week! December 14 - 20

With the coming of the holidays we're seeing several blogs taking a break till the start of the New Year; but don't let that discourage you as there was such a prodigious amount of great ideas put out this week - so much so that it often felt like I was linking to everyone who updated! So get ready, because this week we've got some major cross-blog projects going on for GURPS and a great project for those forgotten games we all love, the official launch date for the new edition of Dungeons and Dragons was announced, fantastic monsters, outstanding bits of short fiction, and some amazing new gaming scenarios that will make you long to play in them.

As always, these guys and gals spend a lot of time working on their blogs and if you like one of the posts these fine authors have published be sure and let them know.

------------------------------------

Action X is dead . . . Long live Grit and Vigor by John Mathew Stater, from the blog Land of Nod: While it's easy to lament the death of anything from the mind of John Mathew Stater this new suplement sounds like it's going to be one hell of a good time.

Calling All Bloggers: GURPS 101 and Melee Academy by Douglas Cole, from the blog Gaming Ballistic: Do you know the GURPS game? Then it's time to join the call to arms and start selling that game to the masses. Join Mr. Cole and his friends as they help build a GURPS community.

Compulsive goblin carolers by the Great Acorn, from the blog the Acorn Afloat: While there is a certain amount of seasonal compunction about this article, you shouldn't hold that against it. The author - whose name isn't actually listed so I called them the Great Acorn - has come up with a fantastic disease that could be dropped into your campaign regardless of the time of year and that can easily be modified to suit your purposes. Really a great idea put out in the wilds in a fantastic way.  

D&D Next "Summer Release" Date Announced by Morris, from EN World: There are many questions that have arisen from the announcement and Morris does a good job of answering some of them. 

Escape from the Gladiator Pits of the Yoblin Kings pt 2 by Arnold K., from the blog Goblin Punch: If you're looking for a great place to stretch your creative legs this series from Arnold will really get you motivated. Read it and be better for it. 

Holiday Traditions by Jim White, from the blog Wombat's Den of Gaming Iniquity: Do you ever consider using holidays in your games? You really should, and this great article by Jim White is a prime place to start thinking about them in your games. 

If You Love Somebody, Set them Free by Patrick Stuart, from the blog False Machine: Patrick is donating one hell of a storied character to the wilds of the internet for use in your games and in your worlds. Take this fantastic character and run with it. Push it to new horizons and make it's journey as wild and weird as you can. Fantastic character.

Living Statues are not Golems by Beedo from the blog Dreams in the Lich House: An interesting look at the Living Statues and Golems from AD&D and Basic/Expert. It's got me inspired to use the living statues in my own games.

More Participants Signed Up for the Obsolete Simulations Roundup on Dec. 29 by Tim Snyder from the blog The Savage Afterworld: If you're not down with this fantastic idea by Tim Snyder then I don't know what to tell you son. Get on board today, pull out your favorite obsolete game, and get ready to sell us all on it!

On What a Devil is? by Courtney Campbell, from the blog Hack and Slash: This is one of the best things I've read this week. A great bit of set up for a campaign I can't wait to see take off. Really looking forward to more.

Parading Villains are Now a Problem? by Nick Wright, from the blog Lawful Indifferent: Do you think it's a problem when villains are powerful and players stupidly engage them in a fight? This insightful article from Nick Wright challenges the assumption that every villain should be an appropriate challenge level for your players and that a player character's death is meaningless as both a life lesson and a game lesson.

Playing Dungeons and Dragons is Math without a Calculator by Digital Orc, from the blog Digital Orc: A simple little love letter to the game we all enjoy so much. Really enjoyed this article.

random unusual steeds for low-level characters by paul, from the blog Bag of Holding: Are you tired of using the same old tired mounts that every other corn gobbler is using? Well this article by paul is a fantastic place to start thinking about new mounts that can be brought into your home games.

Simplified Old-School Play Instructions by Rodger, from the blog A Life Full of Adventure: You don't need to buy magazines, books, or how-to guides to figure out how to play the Old-School way. Instead, just read this simple primer and be better for it.

Some Thoughts on Veils and Lines by Andreas Davour, from the blog The Omnipotent Eye: There are lines in the sand for each of us, and in this insightful article by Andreas you'll find yourself rexamining your reluctance to confront those lines. Not everyone will be able to do so, but after reading this article you might just be tempted to press against them. 

Steve Perrin Interview by Random Wizard, from the blog Random Wizard: Steve Perrin is one heck of a cool guy, and after reading this great little interview by Random Wizard I'm more convinced than ever of that fact.

Summoning Up the Courage by Jeff Russel, from the blog Blessings of the Dice Gods: A clever and fantastic reworking of the Summoning Spell that rocks my world. I'm stealing the idea and reworking it for my own games so that they're better. 

The Lich is Away from its Lair by jasons, from the blog The Dungeon Dozen: Like so many of the wonderful d12 tables that jasons creates this one has a fair bit of humor to it but with enough teeth to send any group of wondering adventurers into nightmarish fits of anxiety. Not a bad answer on the table. 

Miscellany and Iambic Doggerel by Tom Fitzgerald, from the blog Middenmurk: This great article from Tom is one of many reasons why I'm really loving this blog. It starts out with an assessment of the blog-o-sphere and its impact on the author, then moves to his difficulty with writing a dungeon for his setting, and then deviates into a great little poem. If you're not already reading this blog readily then you're missing out.

The Point of Narrative Interpretation by Arnold K. from the blog Goblin Punch: Have you ever wondered why you sessions seem to bog down during combat? Does this sound familiar: you rolled an eighteen? That fails. John, what did you roll to hit? Quit being boring and read this fantastic article from Arnold that will make your combats more dynamic and improve the way you run as a whole.

The Spindles: Origin Story II by John Till, from the blog FATE SF: Are you looking for a weird encounter that will spook your players and leave them wondering what the hell they just encountered? Then just read this short introduction to the Spindles for the sort of inspiration you've been looking for.

Troll World by Pearce Shea, from the blog Games with Others: If this article doesn't make you want to play this game then I've got nothing for you. The set up is ripe with brilliant ideas and the whole thing just screams that this game will rock. I am both enthralled with the ideas in this article and jealous of the people playing in it. Fantastic.

When Dungeons and Dragons Turns 40 by Jon Peterson, from the blog Playing at the World: In this insightful and well researched article Jon attempts to define the actual release date for the game we've all be playing for so long. After reading this article I have to ask, what will you be doing to celebrate the game? 

The Best from Dyvers this Week

If You're Going to Be Evil A series of eight posts detailing a single night's wild and mad rush through an evil campaign. Lots death, lots of theft, and at least three inter-party plots going on at the same time.

Best Reads of the Week! December 7 - 13

Welcome back to the Best Reads of the Week! I've been going though the ever expanding Great Blog Roll Call, now with over 260 different blogs, collecting the best reads of the week in one place. Recently I've been seeing a lot of people opining the death of the blog-o-sphere. As proof of this assertion they argue that many of the greatest blogs have gone dark and their authors have moved on leaving some mighty big shoes to be filled. Well there's still great content out there and some amazing new bloggers are stepping up to the plate, filling those empty shoes. Just looking at the selection of articles I've compiled this week: we've got a really great discussion on the way our work should be shared with the world, to how we design our game sessions, to new game settings, to space traveling vacation hot spots, to new game mechanics for all those sticky situations that blindside you during a game, and more! Yes, some of the old standards have gone, but the blog-o-sphere is far from dead.

As always, these guys and gals spend a lot of time working on their blogs and if you like one of the posts these fine authors have published be sure and let them know. 

----------------------------------

Aggregate, Redistribute by Talysman, from the blog The Nine and Thirty Kingdoms: Have you ever considered republishing someone else's work without getting their okay? Talysman explains why that makes you a real asshole (my word). Consider the effect of your actions on others hard work. Great article.

Border Wardens: Adventures on the Edge of Civilization by Alexander Osias, from the blog Armchair Gamer: The foundation for a new campaign that has me wishing that I could join it. Hell, just reading it sends me rushing off to write my own materials around the concept. A great place to jump in on a fantastic blog. 

Creating a Boring Game with Intent by Mark Knights from the blog, The Iron Tavern: A fascinating look at how to increase your player agency by forcing them to make a decision without the bold neon signs we always leave for them. By the end of this article you'll be asking yourself if you should do the same, and if you'd be half as good at doing it.

Does Treasure Belong to the Players by Callin, from the blog Big Ball of No Fun: An interesting read on the idea of whether the Dungeon Master should work away at the treasures that the players in their campaign have accrued or if that policy is corruption of the social contract between the two groups.

Druid Initiation by Jack Mack, from the blog Rotten Pulp: It's incredibly easy to hate the Druid for being a tree loving hippie, but what happens when you make the class relevant? Jack Mack from Rotten Pulp is here to show us how to do just that by making the Druid one of the strangest classes in the game!

Henchmen by JDJarvis, from the blog Aeons and Augauries: Have you used henchmen in your games? Most of the folks I've gamed with have not, and this insightful article will tell you why they're wrong to put henchmen on the back burner.

Intoxicated in the Strange Stars by Trey, from the blog From the Sorcerer's Skull: While it isn't an extensive list, this small grouping of extracurricular intoxicants will send you off to the races. Trey has a great style for each drug and an easy format to follow for creating your own. Really enjoyed this one. 

New Monster, Dragon Gate by David, from the blog Tower of the Archmage: If you're like me then there comes a time when you're tired of having the same damned gate guarding every freaking entrance into the mansion your thief's trying to infiltrate. This new monster from David will not only rectify that problem, but it'll send you down a whole new path to challenging your players.

Not everyone is going to like the things you made, and that's okay by Wil Wheaton, from the blog WIL WHEATON dot NET: There are times when a project you've been working on is going to fail and some jerk will come along and pop your balloon. Wil's here to remind us that the jerk isn't worth listening to; and that when you're proud of something you've done, that's all that matters.

NPC traits from Griffin Mountain by Jim, from the blog Carjacked Seraphim: Have you ever designed a non-player character that would be great for your campaign but you just don't know how he'd react in certain situations? Well, Jim has found a fantastic little chart that can help you get more out of these NPCs!

On the topic of mature topics / Setting design decisions by Mark Van Vlack, from the blog Dust_Pan_Games: In this thoughtful blog Mark discusses the conditions and problems with mature topics. A pretty good starting point for your own internal discussion on the topic. 

Peter Adkison Talks about the Return of Primal Order by Christopher Helton, from the blog Dorkland!: A great interview with Peter Adkison. Well worth the read.

Pholtus of the Ur-Flan by Joseph Bloch, from the blog Greyhawk Grognard: I really dug this fascinating look into the god Pholtus. If you're a fan of the gods of Oerth this is one article you should add into your library.

[Review] The Habitition of the Stone Giant Lord and Other Adventures From Our Shared Youth by Tim Snyder, from the blog The Savage Afterworld: While I didn't play Dungeons and Dragons when I was a kid but this review by Tim makes me wish that I had discovered the game earlier. The book sounds amazing and I want it so badly!

The Fogwalk by Rose and Logan, from the blog Last Gasp: Are you looking for a seaside town with more atmosphere than you can shake a stick at; well, you're in luck! This fantastic article has everything you could ask for and more!

The Best from Dyvers this Week

It's Easy to Forget: In our lives as bloggers we tend to insulate ourselves from the reality of the world, and sometimes that can lead to major problems: like arrogance, self-righteousness, and outright prickishness. This is my reminder to avoid all that. 

Best Reads of the Week November 30 - December 6

Welcome back to the Best Reads of the Week! This week was a busy week for many of the blogs I'm following - you can get the ever expanding list (I have 171 blogs already done with 40 to add from blogger and nearly as many to add from Google+) by reading The Great Blog Roll Call - and as a result there is some outstanding stuff out there. We've got a Savage World variant that let's you fight as giant robots and monsters; strange frog-like races that inhabit the heavens above; beautiful bits of prose coming in from every direction; some great how-to guides; and more!

As always, these guys and gals spend a lot of time working on their blogs and if you like one of the posts these fine authors have published be sure and let them know.

The Best Reads for November 30 - December 6, 2013

Alphabetical by Article Title

The Abominable Island by Arnold K., from the blog Goblin Punch: Like the article Balalang last week this is a fantastic piece of fiction that describes a part of a world that you could disappear in. Incredibly fun read and it's the sort of location that makes you wish you had come up with it first. Great, great, article.

Aliens of the Directorate: Froguloids by Evan, from the blog In Places Deep: There is something so wonderful about a paranoid, frog-like race wondering about the cosmos. I just really dig these guys.

Arcane Armorials: Tiger Face Shield Tutorial by orlygg, from the blog Realms of Chaos 80s: A great tutorial for painting a miniature figure's shield. There are lots of pictures and the instructions on painting are well done. A great place to start for all you miniature figure painters out there who have yet to put paint to brush.

Hill Cantons Beastiary: Fobbits by Chris Kutalik, from the blog Hill Cantons: Have you ever wondered who's resetting those traps behind you and ruining your day? Fobbits of course!

I Kill a Man on Every Page by Patrick Stewart, from the blog False Machine: What a fantastic short bit of fiction! This sort of entry is the whole reason why I make it a point to read everything that comes out of the False Machine blog. Really, really great.

It's a Magical Place by Jim White, from the blog Wombat's Gaming Den of Iniquity: It's so easy to forget the sense of wonder that the world can hold for us as we disappear into our fantasy worlds and debate how the mechanics of a Grapple work; this article reminds us that we need to remember the actual magic and wonder in the world. Fantastic read. 

Make-it Monday: Sporkchop Attempts to Sew a Dicebag by Sprokchop, from the blog ROFL Initiative: While the post is not filled with step-by-step instructions on creating the bag it does have a video and follows his efforts to make his first dice bag. I love it when anyone goes out on their own and starts making things that they need, and this article is right in my wheelhouse.

Mecha Kaiju Sensō Tai!!!: Battling Robots and Monsters for Savage Worlds by Sean Bircher, from the blog Wine and Savages: Let's admit it, you love giant robots beating the crap out of foam monsters and so do I. Now that we've got that out in the open let's play this kick-ass variant for the Savage Worlds system that the folks at Wine and Savages have made for us.

Preparing a Player Handout for a Wild Blue One-off by John Large, from the blog the Red Dice Diaries: I'm not a FATE person, which is fine, but reading about how John is preparing a one-off adventure for some friends is really fascinating. And I'll be honest with you, I want to be robbing the Sky Train, not saving it.

Pruztian Five-Pence Piece (Wermspittle) by the Heretickwerks Team, from the blog Heretickwerks: A really smart piece of flavor-text for an alternative coinage. There are some things about the article that I would change before implementing it into my home campaign, but by and large it's really well done as it stands.

Purpose of the Enchanted Key by jasons, from the blog The Dungeon Dozen: Another great d12 chart from jasons. There are some really fantastic ideas that could be the key to a campaign all in themselves. Great chart jasons!

Signs Your Party is Not the First in the Dungeon by Gus L, from the blog Dungeon of Signs: It's surprising how many of us treat our campaign worlds like our adventuring group is the only group of explorers out there. Gus L from the blog Dungeon of Signs is out to remind us that not only are they not the only ones exploring the world, but that the biggest danger to our players is a group of homicidal hobos looking to loot their bodies.

D100 Rival Dungeon Parties, by The prophet Konsumterra, from the blog Elfmaids and Octopi: The Dungeon of Signs article will start you down the road, but this article by The prophet Konsumterra will give you the means to end that journey. A hundred possible encounters and most every one could change the course of your campaign for years to come. God I love it when great bloggers work with each other!

The Weird in Mystic Japan by Chief Broom, from the blog Tomb of Tedankhamen: Have you ever had the felling that all the Japanese inspired role-playing games didn't go far enough, today Chief Broom is out there to tell us all why you're right. Really interesting read on the cultural differences.

Touring the Strange Stars by Trey, from the blog From the Sorcerer's Skull: Have you ever wondered why anyone would ever leave the safety of their home world to go out into space? This article by Trey will make you wonder why we're not going on vacation there right now.  

 Best Article from Dyvers this Week

Come at them from the Side: Have you ever thought that the problem with a high armor class is that the players are being given too much goodness and you have to limit their power through a house rule? Me either.

Pruztian Five-Pence Piece (Wermspittle)

Best Reads of the Week November 23 - 29

Welcome back to the Best Reads of the Week! This week was Thanksgiving here in the United States and while that normally means that people take time off to spend with their families it didn't affect the amazing amount of output from the hobby community. This week we've got everything from loose narrative settings to convention write-ups, to new monsters, to a new story from famed TSR author Bruce Heard.

As always, these guys and gals spend a lot of time working on their blogs and if you like one of the posts these fine authors have published be sure and let them know.

The Best Reads for November 23 - 29, 2013

Alphabetical by Article Title

Balalang by Arnold K., from the blog Goblin Punch: A setting, a loose mythology for a sandbox game, and wonderful bit of prose. This post from Arnold has everything you could want from an island based campaign. A fantastic read!

'Bring the Salt' - Superstitions in Your Game by Geek Ken, from the blog Geek Ken: The thing that I love about this article is the way that Ken starts with his wife's superstitions, and then moves on to Korean, and then ties it all together for your games. It's gotten me thinking about how to integrate superstitions into my games and wondering why I ever left them out.

Deer in the Headlights by Tom Doolan, from the blog Wishful Gaming: This article by Tom is one of the reasons why I look forward to reading his blog so much. His half-orc is exceptional and Tom's mistreatment of a powerful goddess warms my heart. Fun times are to be had over there kids.

From The Travels of Ibn Battuta: In the Near East, Asia and Africa by James Hutchings, from the blog Teleleli: While this is the shortest post that I have ever recommended it more than makes up for its brevity with the sheer beauty of its prose. James' blog is filled with gems of this sort and I eagerly await each new installment. 

Gamer Grub: Kale Crisps by Dylan Hartwell, from the blog Digital Orc: A fantastic recipe for an easy, healthy, and incredibly tasty gaming snack!

I am on one hit point right now by Patrick Stewart, from the blog False Machine: While the entry itself isn't that remarkable the idea presented by Patrick is amazing. His party has been exploring the Hex King's palace and they've forgotten to map the damned thing. So he created a partial map in MS Paint that can be changed and manipulated by other members of the party and of the Flailsnails community. Absolutely brilliant!

The Inevitable Post U-Con Post by Adam Muszkiewicz, from the blog Dispatches From Kickassistan: I'm not normally one to go in for con wrap-ups but U-Con must have been one hell of a good time because Adam's enjoyment is infectious. I really enjoyed his notes and someone needs to make a Temple of Jerks.

Infra-Red Lightbulb! by Brett Slocum, from the blog The Eye of Joyful Sitting Amongst Friends: I love Metamorphosis Alpha and Paranoia; so you can imagine how thrilling it is to see this mash-up idea presented by Brett. And I'm telling you right now, if you decide to take up this game it will rock your face off. Great job coming up with this Brett!

Into the Vortex by Bruce Heard, from the blog About Bruce Heard and other news: Part one of a series of promotional stories for Bruce's new setting, World of Calidar. Like most of Bruce's works this one is a fun and enjoyable read. Part two comes from Tenkar's Tavern and is titled The Cleansing.  

Lost in the Dense Forests South of Denethix, by Gus L., from the blog Dungeon of Signs: A great take on creating flavor in your chosen area of play by taking elements from the surrounding area and using them in a chart. I really like the overall flavor of the whole thing. 

[New Monster] Demonic Flying Monkeys by David, from the blog Tower of the Archmage: Like most of David's creations this has a neat bit of fiction as an introduction to the little baddies and it's almost as good as last week's Bone Imps. This week's monster is really fun and I can't wait to use them in a game!

OK Whovians, my take on Day of the Doctor (Spoilers)! by Mark Knights, from the blog The Pathfinder Chronicles: By now I'm sure that most of us have read a thousand crack-pot theories about the 50th anniversary episode and it's impact on the future of the series, but how many of you have read about its impact on us as people. Mark opens up to tell us about the episode's impact on him and his family in this fantastic post. I wish he wrote more personal posts like this because it's fantastic

Problems in Governing, or, Storming Hekellu So We have Someplace To Sleep Tonight by chirine, from the blog chirine's workbench: This short posting from chirine gives all of us a small glimpse into one of those legendary campaigns from the early days of the hobby, and what a glimpse!

The tome of “forgotten magical items”. Volume 1, Weapons and armor / by Jon Volden by Mike Monaco, from the blog Swords and Dorkery: A confession, I really like esoteric books. So when Mike started writing about this hidden gem I was hooked from the first line. 

 Best Article from Dyvers this Week

A History of Draconic Races in Dungeons and Dragons: A meandering look at the history of the Draconic Races in Dungeons and Dragons, focusing mainly on the differences between the early version and the more accessible newer races.

I'm still looking for more great blogs so if you find one you'd like to suggest pass me a note down below in the comments! Thanks for reading!

Best Reads of the Week: November 16 - November 22

I'm utterly convinced that we're living in the golden age for the hobby and that the only way we can improve is by discovering the best ideas out there and using them for our own games. So with that in mind I've decided to start collecting the best articles from the blogs and websites I read each week and posting them here. Hopefully everyone who comes by and reads this page will find something new to inspire them.

Oh, and if you like one of the articles below leave the author a note thanking them and encouraging them to continue writing such cool stuff. These guys are all putting a lot of work into their blogs and it's always nice to hear that it's appreciated.

The Best Reads for November 16 - 22, 2013

Alphabetical by Article Title

[DIY] Wooden Runes by Matt Jackson from the blog Lapus Calumni: A fantastic article on creating your own wooden runes. I don't know what I would be using these runes for in my own games but I can tell you that after enjoying this article that I want them entirely too much.

Drunk Jerks with Swords by jasons from the blog The Dungeon Dozen: Great little d12 chart detailing all the drunken idiots your party might run into when out at the bar looking for an adventure to fall in their laps - as they're want to do.

In Search of Canon by Aaron E. Steele from the blog A Paladin in Citadel: Aaron reflects on some of the lesser known, third party supplements for the Original Dungeons and Dragons game. In this article he focuses on a product I'd never heard of from Little Solder Games: The Book of Sorcery.

Mass Battle, End Of An Era, Brain Eating Turns Out To Be A Good Idea by Zak S at the blog Playing D&D with Porn Stars: It was the end of an era over the weekend in Zak's long running game as the players beat back hordes of the undead and saved the city of Vornheim from destruction. Really a neat way to talk about the events in a campaign without making everything boring.  

My New Adventures in Dragonlance by the Prophet Konsumterra at the blog Elf Maids & Octopi: Reading the blog Elf Maids and Octopi is a guilty pleasure on every level and this article typifies why I love this blog. He goes directly at the heart of everything that is Dragonlance and it is a glorious site to behold.

Mythic Adventures for Pathfinder by Blacksteel at the blog Tower of Zenopus: An interesting accounting of the book Mythic Adventures for the Pathfinder game system. It didn't sell me on the product, but it definitely held my attention enough to get me looking into using it for my own games.

New Monster: Bone Imp by David from the blog Tower of the Archmage: I really enjoy the way that David writes up his monsters and the Bone Imp narrative at the beginning of this one is just fantastic. It tells you everything you need to know without even the first stat coming into play.

Peasant Deeds by ravencrowking from the blog Raven Crowking's Nest: A really cool house rule that looks like it could be used with most any non-player character you have in your game. It's really got me thinking about how to use it in my own games.

Punitive Dungeon Delving by Judd the Librarian at the blog The Githyanki Diaspora: Great little article that provides a series of really punitive reasons for a player character to be sent deep into the bowls of some dark and dank dungeon within a narrative context that just rocks.

[Resources] Apollonius of Tyana by Matt Borselli from the blog Asshat Paladins: Matt's producing a lot of great resource materials that can be used in your role-playing games and this one is pretty great.

Tayxis Art: Gustav Dore by James MacGeorge from the blog From the Ashes: James is always putting out something new that I've never encountered before and this time is no different as he's introduced me to a new artist that I'm digging like never before. Really a fun look through and it provides you with some amazing ideas for the role-playing game of your choice.

Underworld Lore #3 | Obscure facts pertaining to the lands of the Hyborian Age by Greg Gorgonmilk from the blog Gorgonmilk: Greg Gorgonmilk has a fantastic mind for creating some inspiring challenges for the hobby community, and this challenge is no different. If you'd like to be involved in his latests efforts this is a great place to jump in.

Yet Another Amazing Update - The List of Goodies for the "12 Days of OSR Christmas" is Looking Like a Lich's Treasure Room! by Erik Tenkar from over at the blog Tenkar's Tavern: Erik Tenkar is getting ready to run a 12 Days of OSR Christmas for this upcoming season and he's getting a tremendous amount of help over there. If you'd like to help him out drop him a line and donate for a fantastic holiday event. 

Best Article from Dyvers this Week

Using Guilds and Corporations in Dungeons and Dragons: The first in a series on choosing between Guilds and Corporations for use in your Dungeons and Dragons game. The big goal here was to establish some modern equivalents for Guilds so that they can more easily be used without some murky understanding clouding their use.