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Travis Miller's Blog About Sword & Sorcery Fiction and Classic Fantasy Adventure Gaming

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Month: November 2023

Music Recommendation: Glass Future by Howling Giant

On November 30, 2023November 30, 2023 By Travis MillerIn music, recommended, sword-and-sorcery1 Comment

Glass Future by Howling Giant is one of my favorite new albums of 2023. I was also fortunate to see them live at a local venue.

How Do I Keep Players From Ignoring Adventures In My Sandbox Campaigns?

On November 23, 2023October 31, 2024 By Travis MillerIn design theory, game mastering advice, inspiration, sandbox14 Comments

One of the biggest challenges for a sandbox campaign is getting players to engage with adventure locations. Set up and run the campaign correctly, and this challenge goes away.

Evoking Emotion in Classic Fantasy Adventure Games

On November 16, 2023April 18, 2024 By Travis MillerIn assumption busters, design theory, game mastering advice, sandbox7 Comments

My number one priority as a game master is to create a gaming experience that produces strong bonds of fellowship in the game group. This essay is about how I tap into a variety of emotions in an effort to build deeper relationships between the players.

Emotion Fuels the “RPGs are Stories” Myth

On November 9, 2023June 10, 2024 By Travis MillerIn assumption busters, design theory, musings12 Comments

I hypothesize that one of the reasons the "collaborative storytelling" claim persists is that both RPGs and stories produce powerful emotions. Stories and games can feel the same or at least very similar. This makes them seem like the same thing but they have a crucial difference.

Why Focus on Player Emotions in Tabletop RPG Design?

On November 2, 2023October 3, 2024 By Travis MillerIn design theory, game mastering advice, musings10 Comments

Role-playing games are unique for their capacity to evoke a wide range of emotions, profoundly influencing players' decisions. This emotional aspect makes role-playing games memorable and engaging. The most successful game designers focus heavily on triggering these emotional responses.

Travis Miller

I write about tabletop role-playing games, sword-and-sorcery fiction, storytelling, and heavy metal. 

The friendships I’ve forged while playing adventure games, listening to heavy music, and sharing stories saved my life and made it worth living.  

I live in a suburb of Cleveland, Ohio. America’s most underrated city.

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Cover of a a roleplaying game product titled "Hogwater: Village of Secrets" by Travis Miller

If you aren't logged into DTRPG or have your account settings to see adult content, Hogwater won't show up for you when you click on the link. The "adult" content is limited to the cover and bit of suggestive text in one encounter.

Hogwater: Village of Secrets is a starting location for a sandbox campaign. It includes everything you need to begin a campaign while still having the space to add your favorite old school modules or build your own. There are factions, non-player characters, unique monsters, locations, and a series of pre-written hooks for you to introduce players to the village of Hogwater and its troubles.

Immortals Inc, one of Cleveland's best Friendly Local Game Stores, keeps signed copies of Hogwater in stock. They ship to locations inside of the United States or you can pick it up yourself if you happen to be in the area. Great shop and great people. I also run special events and appear on their YouTube channel from time to time.

Buy Hogwater on Lulu in Print. Send me the receipt and I'll send you a PDF for free.

Buy Hogwater in PDF on Lulu

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Ten Foot Pole

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