Mason Beck Fiction

Most of us love tabletop roleplaying, but real life makes it hard to keep a campaign going. Jobs, families, shifting schedules… getting the same people to the same table every week can feel impossible.

That is where the MESH system comes in. MESH stands for Modular Episodic Session Holarchy, and it is my attempt to keep rich, interconnected stories alive even when players and GMs cannot always commit long-term.

The idea is simple. Instead of one fragile campaign that falls apart when schedules shift, you build a flexible framework of settings, campaigns, sagas, and arcs. Think of it like story layers that can expand, contract, or overlap without breaking the bigger world.

Here is the key. MESH does not just allow the roster of players to change, it also allows the GM role to change hands without derailing the story. That way, one person does not have to carry the whole world on their back forever.

MESH is designed to reduce GM burnout, prevent character fatigue, and make it possible for anyone to jump in, step back, or even swap seats behind the screen. It is especially built for busy adults who still want to roll dice, tell stories, and watch a world evolve over time.

If that sounds interesting, I have put together a deep dive guide that explains the structure, mechanics, and examples in detail: Adaptive TTRPG Play: The MESH Framework Explained.

For now, just know this: MESH is not about perfection. It is about creating a framework where fun, flexible storytelling can survive real life.