Paul Bellow's Blog, page 2
August 1, 2025
How to Create Memorable Non-Combat Encounters to Captivate Players in Your Next RPG Session
Non-combat encounters occupy a powerful niche within Dungeons & Dragons 5e campaigns. While swordplay and spell-slinging have their place, too many sessions spent trading blows can numb the senses, causing even the most epic battle to lose its luster. Thoughtfully crafted non-combat ...
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July 30, 2025
Essential D&D Monsters Guide: 10 Iconic Creatures Every New DM Should Run in Their First Campaign
The first stumbling steps of any Dungeon Master trace winding loops through the legendary bestiary of Dungeons & Dragons. A world teeming with monsters both infamous and obscure invites the fledgling storyteller to breathe life into myth and nightmare, yet it is ...
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Official D&D Settings 2025 Tier List: All Campaign Worlds Analyzed and Ranked
Embarking on the journey through Dungeons & Dragons campaign settings is akin to exploring a multiverse rich with fantasy, intrigue, and endless possibilities. In curating this tier list, we considered four key criteria: popularity, depth of lore, official support, and community impact. ...
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July 28, 2025
5 Top iGaming Review Sites, Reviewed & Ranked
There are countless igaming platforms out there for players to take advantage of. But, that doesn’t mean all of them are actually worth trying. Some could be better worth a player’s time than others. But, how do you know which ones are ...
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July 25, 2025
How to Survive Your First DND Session as a New Player (Beginner Guide)
No one steps inside the world of Dungeons & Dragons with a map already etched in their head. You sit down, heart snagging on the unknown, every errant rule and wild possibility wrapping around your mind as the dice rattle in your ...
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How to End a D&D Campaign with Impact: Dungeon Master Tips for a Satisfying Finale
Steel rain battered the tavern’s ancient, burnt-orange roof while inside, six battered heroes debated their next move, eyes burning with exhaustion and hope. The campaign’s end glimmered just ahead; a moment irrevocable, one that would braid itself through the table’s collective memory ...
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July 24, 2025
Dwarf Merchant Family Names for Worldbuilding: Prosperity and Wealth in Clan Lore
In the echoing halls carved beneath mountains or the bustling vaults at city crossroads, merchant dwarves weave their stories with coin and cunning, not just with hammers and smelted ore. Families set apart by their knack for shrewd trade bind their descendants’ ...
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Moral Dilemmas in D&D: How Curses Challenge Your Character’s Ethics
Curses in Dungeons & Dragons rarely linger in memory when they’re just numbers on a D&D character sheet. An itching rash, a night of bad dreams, a sticky -1 to attack rolls. These fade from the mind, handled by a spell or ...
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How Character Flaws Improve Roleplaying and Storytelling in Dungeons & Dragons
Character flaws breathe life into adventurers, anchoring them to a world that bristles with uncertainty and sharp contrasts. Without those ragged edges and quiet weaknesses, even the boldest hero slides into forgettable sameness, their victories hollow and opaque. Deliberate imperfections (flaws crafted ...
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July 21, 2025
Top 8 Competitive Online Gaming Genres You Should Try Today
When it comes to gaming, online genres have seen a huge surge in popularity. It used to be the case that only PC players could go head-to-head with players from all over the world, but since the early 2000s, with consoles like ...
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