ReadyPlayerOne

  I attended my 3rd in person session of D&D. In this session we are traveling by giant bird 🐦 to a sunken city. All calculations for weight have been accounted for, we leave our heavy armor behind. Our "skilled in spells" dwarf has promised us we will not go hungry once he casts his spell so we don't need food or ration.  Our swamp lady uses her basket 🧺 weaving skills to create a giant saddle basket. We load up and make our first leg (wing 🐔)of the journey and stop at the bridge.  We have a map, created by my fellow members and the DM points out areas our group has been previously. At the bridge we encounter fellow employees/soldiers. Apparently I work for a company and someone called Steve. This is news to me, I was just an Elf who left home on a scouting mission to find any potential threats and form allies. When I joined this group they forgot to mention their employer.  I have not received my paycheck so I'm unsure of my pay, but I continue on because my...

 Once again a Facebook ad has grabbed my attention. This time it's for a D&D map/landscape projector. I've seen similar projectors advertised under the name "Realm Cast." Which is supposed to cast a fantasy window/landscape to your wall, to set the ambiance while reading fantasy novels. I was intrigued but did not want to spend the $100 when YouTube videos can provide the same effect. Just search snow or thunderstorm in cabin, jazz in cafe, fireplace, etc. I think the Cozy Time Project is worth the cost, at $82 on sale. There are so many maps to choose from and saves your DM a ton of time. I also like the fact that it can cater to specific campaigns like winder landscape, tropical island, in the clouds, under the sear, and my favorite "Elvish." It's time to research some more and determine if this a scam or not before I hit the purchase button. If everything checks out, it's a definite buy. Future post after the jump.

 Facebook once again has recommended another awesome D&D product. This is a set of stamps that can be used to quickly create a dungeon to your specifications.  Tabletop Stamps: Dungeon is a set of 27 stamps including doors, walls, streets, stairs, etc.  The kit was fully funded on Kickstarter in November 2025. You can pre-order a set of stamps from the Kickstarter campaign .  They are expected to ship in May 2026. The set is small and portable. Is faster then 3D printing a dungeon. There are 2 sets being offered, maple wood and clear acrylic. The maple wood stamps are more affordable.  The clear scrylic dtamps offer a premium crystal-clear base that allows users to line up their stamps perfectly.  These can be combined with other map making stamps to enhance your game play. There are several available for terrain, mountains, castles, etc.  You may try the insect set to add giant big monsters. Also make your own stamp kits are available on Amazon.co...

  I played " One Card Dungeon " which is a one card, 12 level, 1 player dungeon game.  The instructions take about 10 minutes to read and setup is extremely easy.  The board shows you were to place your green dice and the monsters red dice.  Game play follows an energy phase, adventure phase, monster movement phase, monster attack phase then repeats. You continue playing this way until you either kill all the monsters and take the steps down to the next level or die.  Your movement is dictated by the stationary white dice and the black dice that you roll. As you move down into the next level of the dungeon you may increase the number on one of your white dice.  The monsters speed, attacks, defense are printed on the card. The number of monsters (1-4) varies by level.  On my first try I made it to level 3 where I died.  This took me 21 minutes of game play.  The game is fairly easy to start playing.  You begin to learn strategy such as wh...

Last night I participated in my second session of D&D live at the Cranford Library. This session went much better than the first. I came prepared with my dice and little elf figurine, sadly I forgot my dice tray. I was able to understand more of what was happening and what the various "checks" meant. If we rolled a higher dice number for perception, history, etc the DM would give us more details of the story. This time we were asked to go to a hole in the ground, which turned out to be part of an old dwarf town. But was also a type of regulation system with tubes and crystals. Initially we were attacked by two stone creatures and participated in combat. This lasted much longer then I had expected. I believe 4 rounds all together before we were able to kill the monsters, but I did learn more about my characters abilities. We wondered the corridors until we found a door which the Knight managed to open. Inside was a giant plinth, that we were able to ask questions. We gathe...

  The One Ring is a tabletop RPG set in the years between The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, the game shifts focus away from traditional dungeon-crawling in favor of themes like hope, courage, and the creeping influence of the Shadow. Players take on the roles of adventurers—such as courageous Hobbits, stoic Dwarves, or wandering Rangers—who aren't just looking for gold, but are striving to protect their homes from an awakening evil. The mechanics are uniquely tailored to the setting, featuring a Hope and Shadow system that tracks a character’s spiritual corruption and emotional resilience as they face the daunting weight of the Enemy. The gameplay is structured into two distinct phases that mirror the pacing of Tolkien’s literature: the Adventuring Phase and the Fellowship Phase. During the Adventuring Phase, the party navigates the perils of the wild using a detailed travel system where the journey itself is as dangerous as the destination. Once their quest is complete, the Fe...

 Facebook has been listening but I can't say that l mind. They recommended the website " Start Playing ." The FB reel claims there are professional Dungeon Masters (DM) who are trained to teach newbies. Upon my initial review of the site I could not be happier. You can choose which campaign you wish to join, with a regular weekly schedule and Game Masters with full profiles and reviews. Part of the reason the site is of a higher quality then others is because the sessions are pay per play.  Sessions range from $5 to $30 dollars per session.  They will list if they are beginner friendly and how many players are needed to start the campaign.  In addition I see a handful listed as 1 player adventure, which is perfect for a newbie like myself.  You are not limited to soley D&D adventures. I have seen the following listed D&D, Pathfinder, Daggerheart, Starfinder, Call of Cthulhu, Draw Steel, Monster of the week, etc.  Upon further review the filters have...