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Finding inspiration for the tabletop adventures we create is not always as straightforward as we would hope. This is just as true for game masters as it is for players. Depending on the game we play or the genres we like, we often take cues from popular culture references such as movies, series, books or songs. Lately, I have been taking a journey back to the tales that are at the origin of many of the contemporary stories we entertain ourselves with in modern times. Myth is at the heart of many cultures and has always played a very important...

Growing up, the houses we lived in always had a fireplace where you could hear the wood cracking. It would warm the entire living room for hours, from sundown until bedtime. Years later, I lived in an apartment but one of my best friends had a place in the mountains where we’d go on the weekends. There as well, the hearth was where we would gather. It was more than just a way of keeping yourself warm. It was part of everyday life. Walking into a cold chalet covered in snow, the first thing we would do after dropping our bags...

No matter the size of your house or apartment, being confined to it for a long and undetermined period of time is never easy, whether you are alone or with your family. As an incentive to make the best of it, you’ve finally decided to open up the door to a world you were always curious about but never took the time to discover. Maybe you are an experienced Dungeons & Dragons player who never tried another flavour of pen & paper adventures, or you always felt safe playing boardgames but were afraid of the possibly more complex requirements of...

“Bystanders were enjoying the performance and their cheers doubled when the band started another tune. Each of its members demonstrated an exceptional mastery of their respective instruments. Next to the drummer, a middle aged ogre, stood a frail elven woman whose gentle voice seemed to fill the great hall. Agatha looked around and felt truly enchanted by this uniquely odd place. For a while, she forgot about her weariness and the perilously long trip that had brought her here, to Snowkeep, to find the storyteller. Jerrik. At the Golden Bear. She hadn't forgotten, she only merely strayed off, for an...

While on tabletop gaming adventures, the actions we take and the way we resolve encounters, conflicts or other situations requires the use of directives that help us determine their outcome. Depending on the game or the way we play, they can be interpreted loosely, as guidelines, or strictly, to the letter. Regardless of how they are applied, the word we use to describe them feels constrictive and stiff: rules. As you may well know, this means they can, or are meant to, be broken. But before you do that, you should always make sure you learn said rules and fortunately,...