Category: wilderness

  • Fighting in the Rain

    Fighting in the Rain

    “Today is sunny,” you announce. Or it’s partly cloudy or windy or there is a hail storm. Most of the time this augur is forgotten as quickly as it is proclaimed, and it has no bearing whatsoever on the day’s challenges…

  • Real Stories from the Wild

    Real Stories from the Wild

    This post shares stories that inspired my love of nature and set the standard for the wonder and tribulation that I try to convey in my TTRPG wilderness travel. It otherwise has nothing to do with roleplaying games, but I think you will enjoy the stories regardless…

  • Side Quests for Wilderness Travel: Desert & Coast

    Side Quests for Wilderness Travel: Desert & Coast

    Once again I meet you with two more side quests for different wilderness environments. These side quests also test the principle that if a player character is handed anything…

  • Side Quests for Wilderness Travel: River & Plains

    Side Quests for Wilderness Travel: River & Plains

    Continuing on the theme from the last post, I bring two more side quests for different wilderness environments. The hooks for these side quests are based on the truth universally recognized…

  • Side Quests for Wilderness Travel: Mountain & Swamp

    Side Quests for Wilderness Travel: Mountain & Swamp

    Travelling through the wilderness should feel exciting, dangerous, and explorative. The next few posts will be a series of side quests to place in wilderness travel that reward players for exploration…

  • How Far Can You See in a Forest

    How Far Can You See in a Forest

    The characters are sneaking through a forest, looking for a band of goblins that are rumored to be in the area. Just as they spot a campfire with several small humanoids around it, a character steps on a stick, alerting the goblins to their presence. You say, “Roll for initiative!”…

  • The Shape of a River

    The Shape of a River

    We settle on a goblin attack made from across a river. We begin to prepare our battle map, and here we pause. What does a river actually look like?

  • Wilderness Travel at Low Levels

    Wilderness Travel at Low Levels

    ​Throughout the ages people have tried to tame the wilderness, and the wilderness fights back. We think we have conquered, but we have merely carved out corners of the world. And security is but an illusion. The players should feel this when they step off the road, especially when their…

  • Realistic Caves

    Realistic Caves

    ​Fellow game master, let us talk for a moment about caves. ​Why? Because monsters live in caves, and you are the keeper of monsters.

  • What Nature Brings to the Table

    What Nature Brings to the Table

    A simple example of how nature can help make your TTRPGs more engaging, fun, and thematic for your players, in an introductory post for The Nature Game Master.