The Heart Monitor
$10,000 raised for Extra Life
Open Heart Games just passed a major milestone and it is all thanks to you, our generous donors. It is my honor to announce that since the creation of Open Heart Games in 2020, together we have raised over $10,000 directly benefiting our local children’s hospital, Carilion Children’s right here in Roanoke, Virginia!
New Incentives for our Extra Life United Marathon!
For our next 12-Hour Charity D&D Marathon we are introducing new incentives, which players and viewers can purchase in order to help (or hurt) our party and of course, the biggest reason of all, to help us raise more money for Extra Life and meet our year-end goal for 2023 of $5,000!
A Veteran Game Master’s Review of “Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves”
Last weekend I was fortunate to be able to attend an early showing of Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves which releases in theaters March 31st. Before we get into any spoilers–and there will be spoilers!--I want to say that I really enjoyed the movie. . . .I highly recommend the movie and think that everyone should go see it as it is the best D&D movie we have had to date.
Our Hearts Are Full of Gratitude
It means so much to us, as small business owners with big dreams, to build this community with you all and we are so thankful. We hope that the weeks ahead bring you peace and joy and, of course, opportunities for playing games! Thank you.
Extra Life Game Day Recap!
Extra Life Game Day 2022 is officially in the books! Thanks to a very generous last minute donation, we have exceeded our goal for 2022 by raising over $4,000 for our local children’s hospital, Carillion Children’s.
Spooky Spaces: 5 Settings for your Spooky Season RPG Session
Location! Location! Location! In this latest episode of our spooky season series, we focus on some spooky locations for your players to visit. In previous blogs we have discussed some monsters and villains that you can use to ramp up the spookiness and, now, with these location suggestions–you can have the spookiest RPG session for this Halloween!
10 Spooky Monster Villains for your October Games
It’s October and we are fully immersed in the spooky time of the year! In celebration, I am dedicating the rest of the blog posts in October to everything that is ooky, cooky, or downright spooky. . .This blog suggests some monsters you could use as main villains in your spooky game, either as an overarching nemesis or an end-of-dungeon boss.
10 Spooky D&D Creatures for Your Heroes to Face
It’s October and we are fully immersed in the spooky time of the year! In celebration, I am dedicating the rest of the blog posts in October to everything that is ooky, cooky, or downright spooky. . . .I will be covering content that includes common phobias and fears as we cover some unique monsters you can throw at your party this October.
These Characters Live Rent-Free in My Head: 10 Characters I’d Love to Roleplay (Part 2)
Last week we talked about several characters I would want to play. This week we arrive at the top five characters I would like to play!
These Characters Live Rent-Free in My Head: 10 Characters I’d Love to Roleplay (Part 1)
My day job in the gaming industry, running games for Open Heart Games, hosting game nights for local friends, and other side projects all keep me very busy. So busy that like the cobbler whose children run around without shoes or the carpenter whose roof is never finished, I never really find the time to commit to playing in a campaign of my own. However, this does not prevent me from having a healthy flow of new character ideas. . .especially when new content comes out. So, I have compiled a list of my top 10 Characters that live rent-free in my head. I will likely not be able to play them anytime soon, but I think they are really neat.
Story So Far: Why You Should Keep A Campaign Record
Running a campaign has many parallels with live theater. The show runs for a period of time, sometimes months, all the while entertaining its audiences. The cast of characters grows close and makes lasting memories. But eventually, the curtain falls for the final time, the cast and crew say their final goodbyes, the set is dismantled, and with that the story is over. The only thing that remains is our memories of the show, perhaps some photos, and a souvenir playbill. Similarly, wrapping up a campaign can feel the same; aside from some character sheets, there is often not much left other than the fond memories those who played in the campaign now share. This got me thinking about how I could preserve a telling of the story for myself and my friends that we could look back on in the future
Help Wanted! Adventurers in Peril! (Or how you can help us raise money for Extra Life!)
Our brave adventurers need your help in their assault on the Castle of the Fire Giant King!
Our third Charity Marathon is scheduled for Saturday, August 20th from 10AM to 10PM. You can find more information here! One of the things we wanted to add for this Charity Marathon was the ability for those watching at home to help join in the fun! So I am proud to announce that for the first time ever we will be offering a host of incentives that you can purchase from the comfort of your own home via our Extra Life Page to help (or potentially hinder) the party!
A Diabolic Dissection of Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus
The party stood in the brimstone filled streets of Elturel as the river Chionthar reflected the warm light of the morning sun. They had succeeded where lesser heroes would have failed. They had redeemed a fallen angel, defeated multiple demon lords, and returned their beloved city from the nine hells to the material plane and most importantly, they were home at last…
This is how we wrapped up our campaign for Descent into Avernus this past weekend. I was very pleased with the results of an 18 month campaign and felt that it was a satisfying conclusion. This is actually the second campaign Open Heart Games launched and, due to scheduling, it was the first to wrap up. From here on out, expect heavy spoilers! Ye be warned!
Why I ❤️ Call of the Netherdeep
It has been over a year and a half since we launched our first campaigns and now those campaigns are coming to a close. . . .Next month, on August 21, we will be launching our next campaign Critical Role: Call of the Netherdeep and I look forward to sharing this unique world with our community! I am excited today to share my spoiler-free thoughts on this module.
10 Spelljammer Story Hooks
I am excited to share that D&D Beyond has recently released a free module, Spelljammer Academy, on D&D Beyond! In nearly the same week, new images from the James Webb Space Telescope have also been shared. It seems that this week, space is the place! Thus, I find my mind brimming with inspiration and ideas. I wanted to share a few ideas you can use as inspiration for your first forays into the exciting world of Spelljammer!
Five Ways to Improve Your Session Zero
I am a Game Master who has been running session zeroes for years and I have a process that I like to go through; however, I am always learning new things, reading about new best practices, and trying to improve all my sessions. In my opinion, session zero is the most important session as it either consciously or subconsciously drafts up a social contract, gives the players a roadmap of the campaign, and gives players and the GM the opportunity to discuss the hard and soft limits of any content they wish to experience within the campaign.
Late Campaign Tip: Loose End Checklist
Today I want to talk about how to prepare to wrap up a campaign, tie up those loose ends, and give your players the satisfying ending that will excite them and give your campaign the ending it deserves.
Using the Three Villain Model in Your Campaign
For me and my writing, all good things come in threes and villainous factions are no different. If you did not know, I really like villains; not because I root for the bad guy, but because they often offer a great foil for our heroes to face and can come with unique motivations and goals of their own. Nearly all villains fall into one of these three categories.
Give The People What They Want!
Over the past few weeks I had something pretty unique happen not once, but twice. Each session ended with the players using all of the resources at their disposal, some great character synergy, and no small amount of luck and one way or another the big boss fight I had planned was over much sooner than I anticipated. It was truly memorable and enjoyable for the players, and rather frustrating for me as a Game Master, especially due to what feels like wasted prep. But here's the thing, it isn't important to me as a storyteller as long as the players are having a good time, making memories, and are able to tell a great story for years afterwards. Sometimes you just have to give the players what they want!
Spelljammer: Adventures in Space Confirmed!
Last week was the first D&D Direct program and we got to see a slew of new product announcements, content updates, and even a movie announcement. Nothing captured the attention of the internet more than the announcement of the return of Spelljammer, updated for D&D 5e. . . .While some have considered Spelljammer to only have a cult-following, the reception of the return of Spelljammer has been overwhelmingly positive. I for one am excited to explore Spelljammer along with my players and the rest of the D&D Community.