Begin Here

Greetings and well met, you're adventuring across RJD20, a living library dedicated to helping people create great games and worlds. I'm RJ, RJD20's Archivist, forever-World Master, and developer of the tabletop roleplaying game Orrery.

Cleanly organized on this page are the 150+ articles posted on RJD20 over the years. It features community favorites, the newest fifteen articles, and the best of each ongoing RJD20 series. 

If you would like to peruse the entire collection chronologically, follow this link. 

Opposite that, if you know exactly what you are looking for, use the search bar below to search all RJD20 articles with Google. Example queries include: "villains", "session zeros", or "how to start a campaign".

 

Player, Game Master, Worldbuilder, or just a Visitor, please enjoy your journey throughout RJD20. If you like the content or believe it is interesting, get active in the comments, sign up for the RJD20 newsletter, or join our Patreon community. 

Thanks for venturing across the site.

Favorite RJD20 Articles

This dynamic group of ten to fifteen articles are either my or the RJD20 community's favorite on the site.

• How to Destroy a D&D Party
• Careful, the Spotlight Can Burn
• Pernicious Paladin Monsters for Your Next Session
• How to Make Snappier D&D Monsters with the Bard Class
• Learn From Epic Failure and Slog
• How to Begin a D&D Campaign
• My Take on Matthew Colville's 5e Action-Oriented Monsters
• How to Keep Track of Your D&D Campaign
• How to Play an Archdevil in D&D
• Don't Be Afraid to Change Your D&D World
• Five Facets of a Compelling D&D Character
• Canon, Your Homegrown Setting, and You
• The Fives of Volo's Guide to Monsters
• Ask Loaded, Focused Questions

View all RJD20 articles.

Newest 15 RJD20 Articles

These are the latest set of articles on the site, listed from most recent to most dated.

1. I'm Focusing on a New Space
2. The Hidden Stress of D&D
3. Break Your Own Rules If You Must
4. In D&D, the Big Bad is the Main Character
5. D&D Ranger Monsters
6. Renewed Focus, Honing Your Craft
7. Breaks Happen
8. How to Make a D&D Character, the Ettermot Drous Example
9. Monster Mash
10. Dice Fudging and Twist Endings
11. Why Unbalanced Combat Encounters Can Enhance Your D&D Experience
12. Unveil the Power of Thief-Like Creatures in D&D Campaigns
13. The Very Real Possibility and Impact of Microtransactions in One D&D
14. TTRPGs Need Deep Character Customization
15. How to Start a Successful Campaign

View the RJD20 home page for the latest article.

Eager For More?

The RJD20 content does not end here, friends and fellow adventurers.

• Subscribe to the RJD20 newsletter to get articles directly in your inbox, alongside any other RJD20 content updates.
• Join the RJD20 Patreon for more insight into articles, ideas, and to support the ongoing development of Orrery.
• Purchase RJD20 products to help you run a better game and create a better world.
• Like the RJD20 Page on Facebook for discussion about D&D and other TTRPGs.
• Follow RJD20 on Twitter for "daily" D&D and TTRPG tips, musings, and IRL content.
• Check out RJD20 on YouTube for spoken advice, live plays, and more D&D content.
• Dive into the world of Grinding Gear Games' Path of Exile on another YouTube channel I run: Talkative Tri. I also stream there!

Favorite Legendary Lessons Articles

Legendary Lessons is an ongoing series of Dungeon Master (DM), Game Master (GM), World Master (WM), and Player or Player Character (PC) centric advice articles bolstered and livened by tales and tips from my home games. This series kickstarted the site and was inspired by the legendary Chris Perkins column called the Dungeon Master Experience.

• How to Keep Track of Your D&D Campaign
• D&D Players and DMs, Be Thankful
• 3 Ways a Home Base in D&D Will Improve Your Campaign
• How to Use One-Shots to Enhance D&D Campaigns
• The Five Goals of a D&D Campaign's First Session

See all Legendary Lessons articles.

Favorite Musing Over Monsters Articles

Musing Over Monsters is a constantly growing series of monster dissection and discussion posts delving into various creature history, current opinions on them, exciting new uses for them, and beyond. The latest batch of MoM articles fixate on crossing monsters with typical playable classes like Barbarians, Bards, and more.

• Pernicious Paladin Monsters for Your Next Session
• How to Make Snappier D&D Monsters with the Bard Class
• Slaadi: Toads of Turmoil
• Aboleths: Deities of the Deep
• Golems: Gobs of Magic and Material
• Goblins: Greater Than Generic Gabblers

See all Musing Over Monsters articles.

Favorite Worldforge Articles

Worldforge is a trailblazing series of worldbuilding discussions and concept posts that wander the unlimited universe that is making your own setting. Usually, the articles use my homegrown world of Eldar and its two primary continents, Aelonis and Golgifell, as examples. Sometimes, established Dungeons & Dragons settings like Eberron, the Forgotten Realms, and Exandria feature prominently.

• Canon, Your Homegrown Setting, and You
• The Best Method to Highlight Unique Cultures in Dungeons and Dragons
• Why the Material Plane is Important
• How to Make Magic Prominent in Your D&D Setting
• The Major Powers in Your D&D Setting

See all Worldforge articles.

Guest Appearances

• Worldcraft Club: Trusting Your Visitant With Your World
• We Speak Common: How to Use Old Player Characters in Cameos Effectively
• RPG with DBJ: Creator's Conclave Chat with RJD20
• d12 Monthly: Batrachian Beasts From Beyond Article

As always, thanks for reading. Please send all inquiries to rjd20writes@gmail.com.