The Snapshot<\/h2>\n\n- Continued play from session 1 playtest<\/li>\n
- Discovered paper wasps south of the hive<\/li>\n
- Found another deer carcass southwest<\/li>\n
- In the middle of the mountains, we found a meadow<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
The Party<\/h2>\n\n- Scott \u2013 Scott?<\/li>\n
- Zak - Blue<\/li>\n
- Kati \u2013 Derpia<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Here is an image of our Hive as it was set up by the first group of players. To me, the game thrives off different characters playing constantly. It requires good notes between sessions by players and loosely simulates ways in which a real hive would function.<\/p>\n
![\"Honeybees](\"https:\/\/theplayreports.com\/assets\/images\/honeybees-hive.PNG\")
<\/p>\n
The System<\/h2>\n
Honeybees is a game where players are all honeybees from the same hive. It\u2019s currently played in Seasons, and there are 3 phases of play. They are the following:<\/p>\n
\n- Scouting (Resource collection)<\/li>\n
- Waggle Dance (Worker placement)<\/li>\n
- Honey Crop (Base building)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
At first, I was a little overwhelmed, but that\u2019s sometimes the nature of playtests. Our GM set everything up in Owlbear Rodeo in a very clean and systematic way. I\u2019ll give a quick overview of each of the phases and then get into The Brief.<\/p>\n
Scouting<\/h3>\n
This is the bulkiest phase in the game and requires the greatest amount of cooperation and strategy among players. Players spend water to travel through a hexcrawl, either together or separately, which draw 3 cards form a 52-card deck as potential resources to gain. Players put it either in their Memory (to be used as a playing hand for workers) or in their Pollen Basket (to be used for base building). Once a card is selected for pollen, a player can only put that suit of cards into it. Memory, however, can be any number of cards.<\/p>\n
![\"Honeybees](\"https:\/\/theplayreports.com\/assets\/images\/honeybees-scouting.PNG\")
<\/p>\n
The current Season also dictates the number of hours, or travel points, a bee can travel. A weather die is rolled to augment the travel. Ours was mostly blustery wind which meant we flew low to the ground. I did love the graphic used for deciding the weather. I am unsure if that was custom made or inspired by another game, but I am tempted to use it n my own hexcrawl games!<\/p>\n
This phase has great opportunities for impactful encounters that we didn\u2019t have much time to explore. I am curious to see how more freeform play will be added.<\/p>\n
Waggle Dance<\/h3>\n
Once we bees have scouted, we report to the hive and tell the workers (our hive population) what to do. For our session, we had 3 and sent them to build relations with a neighboring hive, harvest fur from a deer carcass, and gather honey. Each action had a distance from the hive and a difficulty which determined how many points it cost us to do. Each play formed a cribbage hand from our Memory to determine points the group had to use.<\/p>\n
Honey Crop<\/h3>\n
With resources gathered and workers placed, it was time to build the hive. From our pollen cards, the points earned are used to build new cells (Honey, Pollen, Brood) that expand the hive population, fed the hive, and store honey. This section still felt like it was the first draft, and I can see a bunch of different ways it can be expanded like where you build the cell matters or has more benefit. Again, it all depends on if the designer focus is board game or rpg.<\/p>\n
We were a bit rushed due to some holiday time constraints, so I am eager to play this again, especially with more tinkering. :D<\/p>\n
The Brief<\/h2>\n
At the start of Summer, we heard that some bees have been flying out of the hive at night which is unheard of. We don\u2019t know if that\u2019s happening within our hive or another one. We do know that there is a rival hive in 0007. All blue dots on the map were explored in Session 1. We decide to explore 0006 together as a group before deciding to split up. There\u2019s a river which appears to feed into the wetlands. We see signs of paper wasps, but we can tell it\u2019s an abandoned nest. Wasps share the forest with us. How dare they! We all gather pollen and split up to explore more areas.<\/p>\n
![\"Honeybees](\"https:\/\/theplayreports.com\/assets\/images\/honeybees-hexcrawl.PNG\")
<\/p>\n
Scott and I followed a river southwest 0006 due to the blustering weather and have run into the colony of paper wasps we had signals about earlier. They don\u2019t appear to notice us, and we continue our way into 0004. A dead deer in a glen greets our senses. We split off at this point, and I\u2019m finally on my own in 0003. I\u2019m hanging out under the biggest tree in the forest but having uncovered so many resources, I think it\u2019s best to circle back the way I came to meet up with Blue wherein we trade some resources to better suit ourselves.<\/p>\n
The Takeaways<\/h2>\n
I see a lot of opportunities in this, depending on if it\u2019s a board game or rpg. It\u2019s very cool how much it could go either way. As I played it today, it was very board game focused with little to no rpg elements. One of the players, Zak, expressed wanting to have more engagement with our bees and collaborative play. I wholeheartedly agreed with that. A small part of my brain sees this being a very cozy and educational video game too.<\/p>\n
Star \u2013 Gameplay loop is very solid and fits extremely well into cooperative board games\nWish \u2013 A bit more engagement in hexes beyond collecting resources like narrative events that require a choice by the player<\/p>\n"},{"title":"Session 1 - Pulp Cthulhu","link":{"@attributes":{"href":"https:\/\/theplayreports.com\/posts\/pulp-cthulhu-1\/"}},"updated":"2026-04-01T00:00:00Z","id":"https:\/\/theplayreports.com\/posts\/pulp-cthulhu-1\/","content":"
![\"Pulp](\"https:\/\/theplayreports.com\/assets\/images\/Pulp_Cthulhu_Cover.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
The Stat Sheet<\/h2>\n
The Party<\/h2>\n\n- Scott \u2013 Scott?<\/li>\n
- Zak - Blue<\/li>\n
- Kati \u2013 Derpia<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Here is an image of our Hive as it was set up by the first group of players. To me, the game thrives off different characters playing constantly. It requires good notes between sessions by players and loosely simulates ways in which a real hive would function.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The System<\/h2>\n
Honeybees is a game where players are all honeybees from the same hive. It\u2019s currently played in Seasons, and there are 3 phases of play. They are the following:<\/p>\n
\n- Scouting (Resource collection)<\/li>\n
- Waggle Dance (Worker placement)<\/li>\n
- Honey Crop (Base building)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
At first, I was a little overwhelmed, but that\u2019s sometimes the nature of playtests. Our GM set everything up in Owlbear Rodeo in a very clean and systematic way. I\u2019ll give a quick overview of each of the phases and then get into The Brief.<\/p>\n
Scouting<\/h3>\n
This is the bulkiest phase in the game and requires the greatest amount of cooperation and strategy among players. Players spend water to travel through a hexcrawl, either together or separately, which draw 3 cards form a 52-card deck as potential resources to gain. Players put it either in their Memory (to be used as a playing hand for workers) or in their Pollen Basket (to be used for base building). Once a card is selected for pollen, a player can only put that suit of cards into it. Memory, however, can be any number of cards.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The current Season also dictates the number of hours, or travel points, a bee can travel. A weather die is rolled to augment the travel. Ours was mostly blustery wind which meant we flew low to the ground. I did love the graphic used for deciding the weather. I am unsure if that was custom made or inspired by another game, but I am tempted to use it n my own hexcrawl games!<\/p>\n
This phase has great opportunities for impactful encounters that we didn\u2019t have much time to explore. I am curious to see how more freeform play will be added.<\/p>\n
Waggle Dance<\/h3>\n
Once we bees have scouted, we report to the hive and tell the workers (our hive population) what to do. For our session, we had 3 and sent them to build relations with a neighboring hive, harvest fur from a deer carcass, and gather honey. Each action had a distance from the hive and a difficulty which determined how many points it cost us to do. Each play formed a cribbage hand from our Memory to determine points the group had to use.<\/p>\n
Honey Crop<\/h3>\n
With resources gathered and workers placed, it was time to build the hive. From our pollen cards, the points earned are used to build new cells (Honey, Pollen, Brood) that expand the hive population, fed the hive, and store honey. This section still felt like it was the first draft, and I can see a bunch of different ways it can be expanded like where you build the cell matters or has more benefit. Again, it all depends on if the designer focus is board game or rpg.<\/p>\n
We were a bit rushed due to some holiday time constraints, so I am eager to play this again, especially with more tinkering. :D<\/p>\n
The Brief<\/h2>\n
At the start of Summer, we heard that some bees have been flying out of the hive at night which is unheard of. We don\u2019t know if that\u2019s happening within our hive or another one. We do know that there is a rival hive in 0007. All blue dots on the map were explored in Session 1. We decide to explore 0006 together as a group before deciding to split up. There\u2019s a river which appears to feed into the wetlands. We see signs of paper wasps, but we can tell it\u2019s an abandoned nest. Wasps share the forest with us. How dare they! We all gather pollen and split up to explore more areas.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Scott and I followed a river southwest 0006 due to the blustering weather and have run into the colony of paper wasps we had signals about earlier. They don\u2019t appear to notice us, and we continue our way into 0004. A dead deer in a glen greets our senses. We split off at this point, and I\u2019m finally on my own in 0003. I\u2019m hanging out under the biggest tree in the forest but having uncovered so many resources, I think it\u2019s best to circle back the way I came to meet up with Blue wherein we trade some resources to better suit ourselves.<\/p>\n
The Takeaways<\/h2>\n
I see a lot of opportunities in this, depending on if it\u2019s a board game or rpg. It\u2019s very cool how much it could go either way. As I played it today, it was very board game focused with little to no rpg elements. One of the players, Zak, expressed wanting to have more engagement with our bees and collaborative play. I wholeheartedly agreed with that. A small part of my brain sees this being a very cozy and educational video game too.<\/p>\n
Star \u2013 Gameplay loop is very solid and fits extremely well into cooperative board games\nWish \u2013 A bit more engagement in hexes beyond collecting resources like narrative events that require a choice by the player<\/p>\n"},{"title":"Session 1 - Pulp Cthulhu","link":{"@attributes":{"href":"https:\/\/theplayreports.com\/posts\/pulp-cthulhu-1\/"}},"updated":"2026-04-01T00:00:00Z","id":"https:\/\/theplayreports.com\/posts\/pulp-cthulhu-1\/","content":"
<\/p>\n
The Stat Sheet<\/h2>\n
Here is an image of our Hive as it was set up by the first group of players. To me, the game thrives off different characters playing constantly. It requires good notes between sessions by players and loosely simulates ways in which a real hive would function.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The System<\/h2>\n
Honeybees is a game where players are all honeybees from the same hive. It\u2019s currently played in Seasons, and there are 3 phases of play. They are the following:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Scouting (Resource collection)<\/li>\n
- Waggle Dance (Worker placement)<\/li>\n
- Honey Crop (Base building)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
At first, I was a little overwhelmed, but that\u2019s sometimes the nature of playtests. Our GM set everything up in Owlbear Rodeo in a very clean and systematic way. I\u2019ll give a quick overview of each of the phases and then get into The Brief.<\/p>\n
Scouting<\/h3>\n
This is the bulkiest phase in the game and requires the greatest amount of cooperation and strategy among players. Players spend water to travel through a hexcrawl, either together or separately, which draw 3 cards form a 52-card deck as potential resources to gain. Players put it either in their Memory (to be used as a playing hand for workers) or in their Pollen Basket (to be used for base building). Once a card is selected for pollen, a player can only put that suit of cards into it. Memory, however, can be any number of cards.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\nThe current Season also dictates the number of hours, or travel points, a bee can travel. A weather die is rolled to augment the travel. Ours was mostly blustery wind which meant we flew low to the ground. I did love the graphic used for deciding the weather. I am unsure if that was custom made or inspired by another game, but I am tempted to use it n my own hexcrawl games!<\/p>\n
This phase has great opportunities for impactful encounters that we didn\u2019t have much time to explore. I am curious to see how more freeform play will be added.<\/p>\n
Waggle Dance<\/h3>\n
Once we bees have scouted, we report to the hive and tell the workers (our hive population) what to do. For our session, we had 3 and sent them to build relations with a neighboring hive, harvest fur from a deer carcass, and gather honey. Each action had a distance from the hive and a difficulty which determined how many points it cost us to do. Each play formed a cribbage hand from our Memory to determine points the group had to use.<\/p>\n
Honey Crop<\/h3>\n
With resources gathered and workers placed, it was time to build the hive. From our pollen cards, the points earned are used to build new cells (Honey, Pollen, Brood) that expand the hive population, fed the hive, and store honey. This section still felt like it was the first draft, and I can see a bunch of different ways it can be expanded like where you build the cell matters or has more benefit. Again, it all depends on if the designer focus is board game or rpg.<\/p>\n
We were a bit rushed due to some holiday time constraints, so I am eager to play this again, especially with more tinkering. :D<\/p>\n
The Brief<\/h2>\n
At the start of Summer, we heard that some bees have been flying out of the hive at night which is unheard of. We don\u2019t know if that\u2019s happening within our hive or another one. We do know that there is a rival hive in 0007. All blue dots on the map were explored in Session 1. We decide to explore 0006 together as a group before deciding to split up. There\u2019s a river which appears to feed into the wetlands. We see signs of paper wasps, but we can tell it\u2019s an abandoned nest. Wasps share the forest with us. How dare they! We all gather pollen and split up to explore more areas.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\nScott and I followed a river southwest 0006 due to the blustering weather and have run into the colony of paper wasps we had signals about earlier. They don\u2019t appear to notice us, and we continue our way into 0004. A dead deer in a glen greets our senses. We split off at this point, and I\u2019m finally on my own in 0003. I\u2019m hanging out under the biggest tree in the forest but having uncovered so many resources, I think it\u2019s best to circle back the way I came to meet up with Blue wherein we trade some resources to better suit ourselves.<\/p>\n
The Takeaways<\/h2>\n
I see a lot of opportunities in this, depending on if it\u2019s a board game or rpg. It\u2019s very cool how much it could go either way. As I played it today, it was very board game focused with little to no rpg elements. One of the players, Zak, expressed wanting to have more engagement with our bees and collaborative play. I wholeheartedly agreed with that. A small part of my brain sees this being a very cozy and educational video game too.<\/p>\n
Star \u2013 Gameplay loop is very solid and fits extremely well into cooperative board games\nWish \u2013 A bit more engagement in hexes beyond collecting resources like narrative events that require a choice by the player<\/p>\n"},{"title":"Session 1 - Pulp Cthulhu","link":{"@attributes":{"href":"https:\/\/theplayreports.com\/posts\/pulp-cthulhu-1\/"}},"updated":"2026-04-01T00:00:00Z","id":"https:\/\/theplayreports.com\/posts\/pulp-cthulhu-1\/","content":"
<\/p>\nThe Stat Sheet<\/h2>\n
![\"Adventure](\"https:\/\/theplayreports.com\/assets\/images\/gallows-corner-adventure-spread.PNG\")
<\/p>\n![\"BitD](\"https:\/\/theplayreports.com\/assets\/images\/bitd-locations.PNG\")
<\/p>\n![\"Dolmenwood](\"https:\/\/theplayreports.com\/assets\/images\/dolmenwood-locations.PNG\")
<\/p>\n![\"Neverland](\"https:\/\/theplayreports.com\/assets\/images\/neverland-locations.PNG\")
<\/p>\n![\"Break](\"https:\/\/theplayreports.com\/assets\/images\/break-locations.PNG\")
<\/p>\n![\"Behold](\"https:\/\/theplayreports.com\/assets\/images\/behold-info.PNG\")
<\/p>\n![\"Behold](\"https:\/\/theplayreports.com\/assets\/images\/behold-success-wtf.PNG\")
<\/p>\n![\"Frost](\"https:\/\/theplayreports.com\/assets\/images\/frost-troll.PNG\")
<\/p>\n![\"Session](\"https:\/\/theplayreports.com\/assets\/images\/CE_Session1_Map.PNG\")
<\/p>\n![\"Ternary](\"https:\/\/theplayreports.com\/assets\/images\/ImprovPlayCultureAuthorityChart.png\")
<\/p>\n![gameplay loop images in games like Slugblaster<\/a> as well as](\"https:\/\/theplayreports.com\/assets\/images\/slugblaster-run.png\"){kind=link}
![player aids in Cloud Empress<\/a>. I think there's more to excavate in this space, though. Solo TTRPG games are required to think about CLT as it\u2019s the primary way the player engages with the world and mechanics. By default, they\u2019re forced to share mechanics as necessary to ensure players can play them at all.<\/p>\nAt the end of the day, I want to see more systems, adventures, and settings thinking a bit more like instructional designers or at least including instructional designers in the conversation. One common goal of creating and sharing these rulesets and imagined stories is to teach them to other people. Ideally, instructional designers will be akin to sensitivity\/development\/accessibility experts in the TTRPG space. If you need such a person, please do reach out.<\/p>\nFootnotes<\/h3>\n\nThis started with Jay asking people to read the book with her, and it snowballed into a rich discussion of ideas and preferences. We should do this more as a community.<\/li>\nI made it halfway through a master\u2019s program regarding Instructional Design and Technology, and I\u2019m pulling references\/resources from my time there into this. Blogging is keeping me from returning to grad school!<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n"},{"title":"Pack A Knapsack!","link":{"@attributes":{"href":"https:\/\/theplayreports.com\/posts\/pack-a-knapsack\/"}},"updated":"2026-02-04T00:00:00Z","id":"https:\/\/theplayreports.com\/posts\/pack-a-knapsack\/","content":"Running an Open Table of Cloud Empress has taught me a lot. It's my third time running a hexcrawl, my first time running an open table, and my first campaign with, what I hope, will be a satisfying end.<\/p>\nWhen I ran my first hexcrawl a few years ago, I scoured the internet for the right combination of tools<\/a>, tables<\/a>, and procedures<\/a> to capture exactly what I wanted my open table to be. I found myself overwhelmed and confused. With all the tools, toolboxes, and tables at my disposal, when did I use them and how? Was I stripping out too much of the narrative fun for table rolls? Did these procedures work cohesively together, or did I just think they were neat and forced them here anyway?<\/p>\nSome experience later and a discovery of processes that work for me, I'm extrapolating it out into Pack A Knapsack (PAK)<\/strong>. This is stuff you always need when hiking (or running a campaign), and there's some expectation of how and when to use them by nature of what they are. I'll share what I used for my Cloud Empress table as a jumping off point for you to pack your own Knapsack!<\/p>\nWhat to Pack<\/h2>\nFirst Aid Kit<\/h3>\nWe don't want to bring out the First Aid Kit on our travels, but we need it, no matter what. Before you set out on your hike, you need to ensure you've restocked your first aid kit with items that haven't expired or gone bad. Safety Tools are similar. They're an important component in games, especially ones with a rotating cast of characters.<\/p>\nWhether it's the Palette Grid<\/a>, Lines and Veils<\/a>, or X-Card<\/a>, you need to know what's OK for your players. Conversely, your players need to know what's OK for you as a GM. I used the Digital RPG Consent Checklist<\/a> for my table, having players fill it out anonymously. After all players filled it out, I compiled all the yellow and red flags to share with players, so everyone operated in the same general game space and rating.<\/p>\nMulti-Tool<\/h3>\nThe multi-tool represents all the tables you roll on throughout play. Encounter, Weather, etc. You need it for very specific situations but not all the time. Still, you can't imagine traveling without it! Here's what I used at the CE table:<\/p>\n\nCE Weather<\/li>\nCE Regional Encounter<\/li>\nCE NPC Morale<\/li>\nCE NPC Attitude<\/li>\nTerrain Affinity<\/a>, a tool I created to reward PCs visiting the same hex multiple times<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nMap<\/h3>\nA map can tell you where the trail leads, notes trailheads, and where are good places to camp. This is synonymous with a Player's Aid or GM References. Those one or two page (ideally) handouts for understanding the mechanics, what players can do. This is the a reminder of the non-diegetic things you and the PCs can do to impact the world (diegetic space). Diegesis has been on the brain a lot recently. Revel or suffer with me.<\/p>\nFor my table, I used the following:<\/p>\n\nCE Player's Aid<\/li>\nFan-made CE GM Reference Sheet<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nWhile Hiking<\/h2>\nFood<\/h3>\nThis is the diegetic space of an open table where players come together to feast on a collaboratively created narrative. Food with friends 'round the fire can create a multitude of atmospheres and tones. Everyone contributes something.<\/p>\n\nAllow players to shape cultural norms, procedures, etc. in the world alongside the GM<\/li>\nGM deciding how specific entities behave. If a setting is unclear on how a creature, or person, behaves, it's up to you. This is one of the coolest parts of running a large setting like this. You and your table are going to shape how the world behaves and what people believe. For example, in the Valley region of the Lowland Wastes, I turned the armorers into Sporesmiths where creating and bonding the living armor Sliplanders wear is a comprehensive process that players can engage with.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nHeadlamp<\/h3>\nA headlamp telegraphs the terrain you're about to step on. The same should be done for your players. Be clear about player risk and set the stakes accordingly. This is one I sometimes still struggle with myself, but the more you practice and remember to do it, the easier it is.<\/p>\n\nBonus: Changing the batteries on the headlamp means adjusting how you telegraph danger and information based on the type of game you're playing.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\nAt my table, I try<\/em> to keep these things in mind:<\/p>\n\nUse narrative elements to convey how creatures and NPCs are reacting in conversation.<\/li>\nIn combat, be direct about how opposing forces will respond to PCs actions.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nRain Jacket<\/h3>\nSometimes the energy brought to the table isn't always working out. Check in and find out why. Protect yourself and protect your players! Maybe the group needs a casual beach adventure, or maybe they want to delve into a creepy dungeon. Whatever the vibe is, you need to know.<\/p>\n\nAsk PCs what their goals are today. What are they interested in exploring?<\/li>\nI'm planning to incorporate a Stars and Wishes kind of system as a downtime via text option, so we'll see how it goes!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nCompass<\/h3>\nA campaign often has a big picture goal attached to it. In trying to run more mini-campaigns, I've found that an overall arching goal for the party helps move them forward, especially if you're doing a crawl of any kind. There's a lot in any setting whether it's something you've made yourself, or it's a premade you're excited about getting to the table. In a mini-campaign, you won't cover everything, and in a hexcrawl, you also probably won't hit every hex. Maybe you do! What do I know. I wanted something a bit directed that narratively worked with the premise of my open table, so I created an expedition.<\/p>\nThe expedition, or caravan, is something all the PCs are members of. The campaign essentially ends once the caravan reaches its destination. It travels slower than PCs and camps, depending on the weather. PCs were provided the expected travel path of the caravan, but that's it. They don't know when it will camp or for how long. The PCs must collect 4 relics to bring as a gift for Spring's Kiss festival (a CE celebration). PCs aren't required to return to "home base" after each session, but rather if PCs are in the middle of something like a dungeon, play continues there regardless of who was in the dungeon previously due to the CE lore of The Slip<\/strong>. These are wonky spots in the world where time and space are bizarre and disorienting. There's no mechanical consequence of this, but there could be! I don't want to railroad my players into being with the caravan at the end of each session, because I want them to explore the space, so it's all flavor for now.<\/p>\nThe only mechanical component the caravan has is that if players do<\/em> end up resting where the caravan is, they'll get a couple of bonuses. These are the following:<\/p>\n\nNo provision required on next day start<\/li>\nReduce 1 extra stress on rest<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\nBonus: The caravan group helped shape the identity of my table as I asked every player 1 question about the caravan, so the group represents the table identity in CE which is awesome.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\nResting<\/h2>\nDowntime<\/h3>\nWhether it's hiking or tabletop, downtime is nice. When hiking, you're playing cards (maybe even tabletop), and with tabletop, your character is exploring at their own pace, honing their skills, furthering personal goals, etc. With any type of group, I've found that text-based downtime procedures have been the most effective. It doesn't slow sessions down, it gives PCs character development, and it allows the GM, at a reduced pace, to plot and plan future obstacles\/goals\/discoveries for that specific PC.<\/p>\nAt the CE table, it looks like this:<\/p>\n\nPlayers can do work in town for provisions, common goods, etc.<\/li>\nPlayers can start or expand on personal goals through roleplay. This can be flavor or generate leads for PCs.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nCampfire<\/h3>\nEach night camping, or after each session, stories will be shared around a campfire about the experience like session recaps. Reward players for these! I tell players that a session recap takes many forms. I accept art, poetry, etc. Lore as Loot was requested at my table, which I happily obliged. In my CE table, they can get one of the following:<\/p>\n\n1\/4 stick of chalk (this is what you need to cast magic in CE)<\/li>\nA new rumor<\/li>\nA single yes\/no question about something they already know<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nConclusion<\/h2>\nThis isn't limited to an open table by any means. My use case was for an open table, but I think this would translate well to a campaign. I didn't want to call it a DM Toolbox, though it has some similarities. Rather, I want the PAK to be a guiding tool for new and experienced GMs to have as a wrapper for all the tools, tables, and procedures we're always grabbing to chuck into our pack.<\/p>\nWhat's your knapsack look like? Share on Discord or over on BlueSky (@Bakenshake)!<\/p>\n"},{"title":"Americans Are Still Afraid of Dragons","link":{"@attributes":{"href":"https:\/\/theplayreports.com\/posts\/americans-still-afraid-of-dragons\/"}},"updated":"2026-01-26T00:00:00Z","id":"https:\/\/theplayreports.com\/posts\/americans-still-afraid-of-dragons\/","content":"I found myself reading a very bizarre conversation the other day about soft vs hard magic systems, which I'll be referring to as unlawful and lawful magic systems, respectively, because it's too hard to type hard that much and not laugh. Unlawful in the sense of magic being nebulous or handwaved, while lawful has consistent rules to explain it. The specific comment compared Brandon Sanderson to Ronald Reagan](\"https:\/\/theplayreports.com\/assets\/images\/ce-player-aid.png\"){kind=link}