dude, how do you keep dnd secrets? I’m building my campaign and keeping the cool details to myself is maddening.Patience… its difficult, I know, but MAN the pay off is worth it.

— Matthew Mercer (@matthewmercer) April 13, 2018

#AprilTTRPGMaker – Describe your process.
I feed blank paper into a creaky old LaserWriter taken from a leprechaun I cornered in a bar on Lansdowne Street, and out come completed manuscripts. He was either a magical sprite from the mystic world or the Celtics’ mascot. Not sure?

— Mike Mearls (@mikemearls) April 9, 2018

wow, who would have thought we had the same process? that leprechaun gets around!

— Mike Mearls (@mikemearls) April 9, 2018

…Mike are you a Boston kid? Yup

— Mike Mearls (@mikemearls) April 9, 2018

#AprilTTRPGMaker Favorite game to relax with – D&D of course. There is definitely something to be said about needing to look at something else to relax, but D&D is varied enough that there's always something new. Plus, playing is so different from working on it.

— Mike Mearls (@mikemearls) April 10, 2018

#AprilTTRPGMaker – What's my brand?
The use of brand to describe people points to a downside of digital culture, where we try to reduce people to a simple, two-dimensional construct that can be encapsulated in a single, brief interaction, ignoring the depth found in all people.

— Mike Mearls (@mikemearls) April 11, 2018

This seems like fun. Let’s see if I can keep up with it.

1. Rodney Thompson, Senior Designer at Bungie, owner/sole employee of Scratchpad Publishing, occasional freelancer. Worked at Wizards of the Coast as a designer for ~9 years.

2. Kent, WA, a little southeast of Seattle. pic.twitter.com/63dbdrfqYA

— Rodney Thompson (@AntarianRanger) April 2, 2018

Back in 2001, I ran a Star Wars RPG fan site. @ChrisPerkinsDnD took a chance on me and hired me to co-write the Hero’s Guide. That job quite literally allowed me to pay my tuition & stay in school. Put me on the road to freelancing & a job at WotC. pic.twitter.com/0wujiwirvN

— Rodney Thompson (@AntarianRanger) April 3, 2018

4. “Varied” best describes my work. I have worked on several mainstream games, and was fortunate to have been a part of the design team for an edition of D&D that people seem to love. I also just published my first independent RPG, and freelanced for many games. #AprilTTRPGMaker

— Rodney Thompson (@AntarianRanger) April 4, 2018

6. The Dungeon Master/Gamemaster. I love how the human element gives texture, diversity, and surprise to the game. It allows for simultaneous collaboration and antagonism. I believe the DM/GM is one of the biggest competitive advantages that RPGs have. #AprilTTRPGMaker

— Rodney Thompson (@AntarianRanger) April 6, 2018

7. The most important part of game design happens at the table when you play the game and see what works and what doesn’t. So, this game table is my primary work space. Complete with in-process prototype! #AprilTTRPGMaker pic.twitter.com/LYmlHfZDan

— Rodney Thompson (@AntarianRanger) April 9, 2018

9. Get to first playable quickly, play & iterate until the core mechanics are solid, & only then start caring about the exact content. Play as often as possible, listen to playtesters & make sure I have collaborators with skills and perspectives I don’t have. #AprilTTRPGMaker

— Rodney Thompson (@AntarianRanger) April 9, 2018

The four core rulebooks for 5th Edition D&D are:
– the player’s handbook
– the monster manual
– the dungeon master’s guide
– jeremy crawford’s twitter account

— adam koebel (@skinnyghost) March 14, 2018

The vast majority of his responses seem to be some variant of “The rule does what it says it does,” or “Here is he page reference for this rule that exists.”

— Rodney Thompson (@AntarianRanger) March 14, 2018

I believe that is Jeremy’s most frequent response.It is a good and valuable response. The man is among the best of us.

— Rodney Thompson (@AntarianRanger) March 14, 2018

Is it weird that when I look at a map of Greyhawk I always see Snoopy? pic.twitter.com/kv3FlRlpHG

— GDW1701 (@Gdw771) March 28, 2018

cannot unsee

— Mike Mearls (@mikemearls) March 28, 2018

Practical 5e design advice – for a new class, build a 1st level character. Does it seem fun to play? No? Add what you feel you're missing, then take away stuff to account for balance and complexity. Iterate from there.

— Mike Mearls (@mikemearls) April 11, 2018

Same goes for subclasses, except try making the lowest level character who can qualify for the subclass.

— Mike Mearls (@mikemearls) April 11, 2018

As you do this, you can also see the lure of complexity. More stuff seems like more fun, but what scares the typical player might not seem overwhelming to you.

— Mike Mearls (@mikemearls) April 11, 2018

Did you say a Pun Bard?n.n I’m working on a #PunBard subclass concept…so this is useful for me to keep in mind. I *need* this! Please. and Thank You.

— Cleric Of Kord (@Starstuff84) April 11, 2018

A pun-based bard might sing to you, but we have to account for the noise it will create in the system. Can it exist in harmony with other bards? Will it strike a sour note with the audience? https://t.co/f84ViHoHUL

— Mike Mearls (@mikemearls) April 11, 2018

question about the gunslinger. For the tinkerer’s tool check to repair a jam, do you add anything other than proficiency (dex or int mod) to you roll? Generally, depending on the nature of the repair, it would be Proficiency + Dex or Int mod.

— Matthew Mercer (@matthewmercer) April 15, 2018

You can download Gunslinger Archetype here:
http://bit.ly/Gunslinger_MatthewMercer