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Dawnfist Newsletter - Lizardmen, actual plays, and a Black Friday sale
Every month we bring you 5 community gems, GM advice and a new shiny thing!
Sebastian Grabne
November 26, 2024
Welcome to the monthly Dawnfist Newsletter where we share community gems, helpful advice and always bring you a new creation of our own! If you aren’t already subscribed, click on the button below.
Our 5 Favorite Community Gems
Every month, we sift through all the goodness from the TTRPG community and handpick our five favorites — the ones we believe are the most useful and valuable.
Snail Song Studios released a free one-page dungeon, Ruins of the Reptile Regent. Here’s the official pitch: “Veharaseth the Snake Person has moved into a ruined temple of his people and attracted Lizard Man followers to raid merchant caravans and restore the glory of the reptile empire!”. A great little adventure with some nice-looking art by Pippa Hobbs. My personal favorite is the addition of the sentient snake named Ssimon, that’s just simplicity and brilliance baked together perfectly.
Yochai Gal released Trouble in Twin Lakes: A free 24-page Cairn 2e adventure, packed with mystery. Strange happenings around Deadmill have stirred up fear— rumors say a man was “swallowed” by the ground. This module challenges players with eerie encounters like the Frog Witch, a time-loop device, and a really neat victim schedule. One of the best things with this module is the clear NPC motivations, it makes running the NPCs so much easier, and any improvised situations less stressful.
3D6 Down the Line has a fantastic actual play of Shadowdark RPG. The best thing about 3D6DTL is that they keep it real — they aren’t actors and the content isn’t scripted in any way, it’s just like at my own table. It feels very genuine. It’s a refreshing, authentic play-through that provides a realistic example of how it is to run and play Shadowdark, a great system btw.
Dennis, on the “What a Horrible Night to Have a Curse” blog shared some great advice on how to make the players care about the henchmen they hire. His advice is simple, yet brilliant: Name the man-at-arms available at the local tavern, and make them a finite resource that will eventually run out. This simple addition made his players start shelling out good coin to equip them better, and actually grieve when they were killed in battle. Read the whole story on his blog. (Technically from October, but too good to not include in this month’s issue)
This Reddit thread in r/rpg asked people to lists their must have TTRPG books, and it turned into a massive list! If you’re thinking about expanding your collection but aren’t sure with what, you’ll find an endless supply of suggestions there. Really good stuff.
Monthly Dawnfist advice
Game-mastering is a skill you’ll never fully master — there’s always room to grow, new techniques to try, and ways to improve. In the post below, we’ve rounded up 53 of the best tips, tricks, and hacks we’ve picked up over 20 years of running games. Check it out and find something that’ll level up your next session!
Black Friday Sale!
Just like last year, we have a generous Black Friday sale on all things Dawnfist.
This year we’ve discounted all Dawnfist products between 50-80%, so that you can buy our entire library for just $5. Here are links to all products on DriveThruRPG, their respective price and discount and a short summary:
Adventurous Core Rules, $2 (-76%). The optimal TTRPG for players and GMs that want to spend less time looking up rules and more time actually playing.
The Serpent Cult, $0.50 (-74%). The ultimate introductory adventure!
The Crimson Monastery, $0.50 (-83%). Mini pointcrawl campaign setting with over zealous paladins and a hungry wyvern.
The Slithering River, $0.50 (-74%). Short jungle adventure with lizardmen and moody toads!
Adventurous Talent Expansion, $0.50 (-50%). Additional class options for Adventurous.
The Meadery Mishap, $1 (-66%). The perfect starter adventure for Shadowdark RPG.
The new thing - Three unique magic items
This month we bring you three magic items, each with unusual effects designed to spark creativity at the table. These aren’t your typical “+1 swords” — these items are tools for clever problem-solvers, offering flexible uses, rewarding players who think outside the box.
Item | Description |
|---|---|
Shadowgrip | These gloves can grasp intangible things—shadows, smoke, even starlight. Once held, these substances can be molded briefly before slipping away. The gloves feel increasingly cold and heavy with each use |
Survivalist’s Compass | This ancient compass points not north, but to the nearest source of fresh water, food, or shelter—whichever is most needed by its holder. However, in places of great danger, the needle spins wildly, refusing to settle |
Glimmerthief | This small lantern cannot produce its own light but can “borrow” light from nearby sources, allowing the lantern bearer to extinguish other lights and move them to the lantern instead. The borrowed light can be stored for up to an hour, after which it dissipates. Attempts to borrow sunlight cause the lantern to emit a dim, flickering glow and to turn warm to the touch. |
Thank you for reading and don’t forget to explore our games, modules and supplements on DriveThruRPG via the button below. See you next month!
///Sebastian Grabne - Dawnfist Games