gaming
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One of the ongoing friction points in Dungeons & Dragons is how rigid character progression can feel once you’ve locked in your subclass. Subclasses are meant to define your character’s specialization, but they often come with features that are underwhelming, overly narrow, or just don’t match how you actually want to play the character anymore.…
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Somewhere between March and May, I’ll be stepping into the GM seat for a long campaign set in a new homebrew world I’ve been developing called The Winged Archipelago. I’ve been turning this one over in my head for a very long time, and as the campaign I’m currently a player in wraps up, I’m…
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I originally intended to put out a single 2026 update near New Year’s, but as I started collecting my thoughts, it quickly became clear that it would turn into a very long post. More importantly, I wouldn’t really be able to do justice to some of the things I’m genuinely excited about without them getting…
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This one means a lot to me. The Fowl Hydra is officially live on DriveThruRPG, and I’m equal parts excited and nervous to finally put it out into the world. It’s a self-contained fantasy one-shot designed for a single session, built around escalating consequences, player choice, and a magical mistake that very quickly gets out…
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It’s been a bit of a wild couple of weeks since my last update. I’ve been heads-down on some larger projects, so I haven’t been posting as often. Even so, I’m still surprised and genuinely grateful to see folks stopping by without a new post being pushed by “The Algorithm”. So thank you to the…
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We had a blast with this one-shot. It was really good to have a light-hearted session after running and playing in much more serious and high stakes games. This takes place after the story hook posted previously. I hope you enjoy! Dramatis Personae CASPER FIRESTONE The laziest warlock you’ve ever seen. Casper floats everywhere because…
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Session Two was a lot of fun and, while a little janky, the transcription bot worked so I was able to capture as much as possible. I hope you enjoy. The morning of November 17th, 2025, had been a trial by fire, sometimes literally, given the state of the Institute. The new staff had stumbled…
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November has come and gone, and somehow I hit my goals again, plus a bonus short story to finish out the month. The views and returning readers continue to blow me away. Thank you. I’m still very much an amateur writer, so the fact that strangers on the internet take time to read my work,…
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Loving the Game, Not the Grind I’ve always loved a good crunchy system. There is something satisfying about sitting down with a blank character sheet and letting the possibilities open up. Building a character from nothing, weaving abilities together, finding the perfect combination of stats, it scratches the same part of the brain as a…
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In preparation for my group’s upcoming fantasy one-shot, I’ve put together the initial story hook. The title of this adventure gives away a bit too much, so I will hold that back until after my players have had their chance to run through it. Once they do, I’ll share the full write-up, including the stylized…
Mason Beck Fiction 