Graeme Barber

Author Archives: Graeme Barber

Four Anime to Inspire Your Fantasy Campaign

Posted on 31/05/2021 by Graeme Barber

Over the last few decades, fantasy anime has been taking huge strides in both traditional and creatively fresh takes on western fantasy. And while many still look to novels for inspiration, there’s a lot of great anime out there that might inspire a system, a setting, and/or a campaign. So in this post, I’ve selected a variety of fantasy anime shows that are currently available to watch that I think offer some great inspirational ideas and material. So let’s look at four anime series that really bring it home.

What is a Short Adventure?

Posted on 30/03/2021 by Graeme Barber

For the last few days, something has been gnawing at me. “What is a short adventure?” So, in this post I’m going to explore what a short adventure is to me, and give an example from the home archives.

What Happened? Writing for Wizards Part 2

Posted on 23/03/2021 by Graeme Barber

The last post explored the stages of the writing process for work-for-hire freelancers at Wizards, based on my experience with it in 2020. This post is going to delve into my specific experiences and the differences between the Book of Cylinders that was submitted in the final draft and the Book of Cylinders that was released on March 16th. Bear in mind, this entire post is no-names, no-packdrill.

What happened? Writing for Wizards Part 1

Posted on 23/03/2021 by Graeme Barber

As you may have noticed, I did not get the “good ending” in terms of writing for the latest release from Wizards, Candlekeep Mysteries. In fact, things went so sideways that I respectfully requested my name be removed from future printings because what went in as a final draft and what came out in release were so wildly different that I do not want my name associated with the product. So consider this post and the next as a PSA for people aspiring to write for Wizards.

Wizards, Business, and Diversity

Posted on 23/02/2021 by Graeme Barber

Wizards of the Coast has just announced the release of a Ravenloft campaign book, much to the excitement of the internet. This came with a lavish release article by Polygon, citing the reimagining and the diversity of writers that expanded the Domains of Dread. And it’s no mild expansion, it claims to have 30 settings and 30 villains. Combined with the recent Unearthed Arcana release, it seems like they’re finally making good on their promises of diversity, right? Well, sort of. On the front of it, it all looks good. But looking back over the history of D&D, and how Wizards have evolved in their curation of worlds, the picture takes on a different meaning.

« Older Entries Recent Entries »