Patreon Patreon is empowering a new generation of creators. Support and engage with artists and creators as they live out their passions!

My Patreon content is like a secret garden.

Beautiful. Carefully tended. Completely hidden from the public.

Please do not find the gate. patreon.com/c/MarkEz...

#TTRPG #Patreon #WorldBuilding #NoTrespassing

Patreon Patreon is empowering a new generation of creators. Support and engage with artists and creators as they live out their passions!

Just dropped some genuinely excellent TTRPG content for my Worldshaper patrons.

Truly a shame no one will ever see it.

That's fine. I'm fine.

patreon.com/c/MarkEz...

#TTRPG #TabletopRPG #Patreon #TotallyFine

Patreon Patreon is empowering a new generation of creators. Support and engage with artists and creators as they live out their passions!

Some creators want thousands of patrons cheering them on.

I prefer the serene silence of a very small, very exclusive club that I definitely did not just invite you to join.

patreon.com/c/MarkEz...

#Patreon #TTRPG #Storytelling #DoNotEngage

Mark Ezra Stokes | Patreon Get more from Mark Ezra Stokes on Patreon. Game Mastering the Human Experience. Support Mark Ezra Stokes and get exclusive access to their work.

Honestly, the fewer people who see my Patreon content, the more of it I get to enjoy alone.

It's basically hoarding, but make it creative.

PLEASE don't subscribe. patreon.com/c/MarkEz...

#TTRPG #Patreon #TabletopRPG #YoureNotInvited

Mark Ezra Stokes | Patreon Get more from Mark Ezra Stokes on Patreon. Game Mastering the Human Experience. Support Mark Ezra Stokes and get exclusive access to their work.

I spent hours crafting an exclusive d20 table for my Patreon this month. Same for the NPC profile that just went live.

My content's really good.

You'll never know.

patreon.com/c/MarkEz...

#TTRPG #D20 #Patreon #NoneOfYourBusiness

Mark Ezra Stokes | Patreon Get more from Mark Ezra Stokes on Patreon. Game Mastering the Human Experience. Support Mark Ezra Stokes and get exclusive access to their work.

Virality is overrated!

Y'know what beats fame & fortune from epic online content?

The peace & quiet of keeping one's brilliant Patreon content all to oneself.

Who wants the stalking & death threats that come from the judgy masses?

PLEASE don't follow my Patreon.

Mark Ezra Stokes | Patreon Get more from Mark Ezra Stokes on Patreon. Game Mastering the Human Experience. Support Mark Ezra Stokes and get exclusive access to their work.

Genuine question for fellow GMs: do you use trinkets at your table? Like small, weird, emotionally loaded objects that don't do much mechanically but carry a lot of story weight?

Because I just built a whole d20 table around that idea.

patreon.com/c/MarkEz...

#TTRPG #RPG #D20 #Storytelling

Mark Ezra Stokes | Patreon Get more from Mark Ezra Stokes on Patreon. Game Mastering the Human Experience. Support Mark Ezra Stokes and get exclusive access to their work.

"A pocketwatch with a cracked face. It ticks only when you're feeling nostalgic."

I wrote that entry and immediately wanted to build a whole character around it.
That's the goal with this month's table.

patreon.com/c/MarkEz...

#TTRPG #TabletopRPG #CharacterDesign #Ealdsmyth

Mark Ezra Stokes | Patreon Get more from Mark Ezra Stokes on Patreon. Game Mastering the Human Experience. Support Mark Ezra Stokes and get exclusive access to their work.

If you've ever wanted to hand your players something small and strange that quietly rewires how they think about their character — this month's Lorekeeper table might be exactly what you're looking for.

patreon.com/c/MarkEz...

#TTRPG #GMTips #TabletopGaming #WorldBuilding

Mark Ezra Stokes | Patreon Get more from Mark Ezra Stokes on Patreon. Game Mastering the Human Experience. Support Mark Ezra Stokes and get exclusive access to their work.

Not every magic item needs a stat block.

Sometimes it just needs to make a player go quiet for a second and say "...wait, what does that mean?"

That's the whole energy of this month's table.

patreon.com/c/MarkEz...

#TTRPG #WorldBuilding #GMTips #TabletopGaming

Mark Ezra Stokes | Patreon Game Mastering the Human Experience

"A bone ring that fits no finger… unless you're grieving. Then it slides on like it belongs."

Yeah. This month's table got a little emotional. I'm not sorry.

patreon.com/c/MarkEz...

#TTRPG #TabletopRPG #D20 #Ealdsmyth

Mark Ezra Stokes | Patreon Game Mastering the Human Experience

"A tooth — not human — engraved with your initials. You don't remember ever being that brave."

That's entry 20 on this month's patron-exclusive d20 table. Twenty items like that.

patreon.com/c/MarkEz...

#TTRPG #TabletopRPG #D20 #Ealdsmyth

Mark Ezra Stokes | Patreon Game Mastering the Human Experience

I think the best trinkets at the table do one thing really well: they make the player ask a question they didn't have before.

Built this month's d20 table with that exact goal in mind.

patreon.com/c/MarkEz...

#TTRPG #RPG #Storytelling #D20

Mark Ezra Stokes | Patreon Game Mastering the Human Experience

I've been thinking a lot about the quiet moments at the table. The ones that don't involve combat at all. Just a strange object and a player who can't let it go.

That's what this month's Lorekeeper table is built around. 🎲

patreon.com/c/MarkEz...

#TTRPG #RPG #GMTips #Storytelling

Mark Ezra Stokes | Patreon Game Mastering the Human Experience

What if the most memorable thing your players ever found wasn't a sword or a spell — but a small, warm locket that only heats up when someone's lying? 🎲

New d20 table drop for patrons this month. patreon.com/c/MarkEz...

#TTRPG #TabletopRPG #Storytelling #WorldBuilding

Mark Ezra Stokes | Patreon Game Mastering the Human Experience

Backstory hooks don't have to be elaborate. Sometimes a player just needs to find a child's drawing of a place they've never been (with their name written at the bottom in crayon).

New patron table this month!

patreon.com/c/MarkEz...

#TTRPG #GMTips #WorldBuilding #TabletopGaming

What if you didn't know what was in the tavern's kitchen tonight?

What if your players didn't know what was in that mysterious chest?

That's the joy of designed chaos. New post — plus a free d20 table.

👉 markezrastokes.com/t...

#TTRPG #TabletopRPG #Storytelling #FreePrintable

The secret to a great d20 table entry? Fewer words.

You need to read it fast and keep the game moving. Here's my full process for building tables that actually work at the table.

👉 markezrastokes.com/t...

#TTRPG #GMTips #D20 #WorldBuilding

I've built d20 tables into every book I've published — Off the Shelf, On the Table, Under the Skin, and the upcoming Out of the Box.

Here's why I keep coming back to them.

👉 markezrastokes.com/t...

#TTRPG #Ealdsmyth #TabletopRPG #AuthorLife

Free download alert!

The Chaos Compendium d20 Table is yours — no strings attached. Just scroll to the bottom of my latest blog post and grab it.

👉 markezrastokes.com/t...

#TTRPG #FreeRPG #TabletopGaming #D20

D20 tables aren't just for loot drops.

They're for mood-setting. NPC quirks. Narrative sparks. Player-driven chaos.

New blog post on how to use them — and a free table to get you started.

👉 markezrastokes.com/t...

#TTRPG #RPG #GameMaster #FreePrintable

Struggling to populate a d20 table without hitting a wall at entry #7?

I've got a system. Fill in 1, then 20, then the multiples of 5. The rest falls into place.

Full breakdown here:

👉 markezrastokes.com/t...

#TTRPG #GMTips #TabletopGaming #Storytelling

You rolled a 1. Normally that's bad news.

But what if a 1 meant you suddenly had eyes in the back of your head? 👀

That's the magic of designing against expectations. New post 👇

👉 markezrastokes.com/t...

#TTRPG #TabletopRPG #D20 #Ealdsmyth

Chaotic-Good gnome bard named Boddynock Baublebum. Ended up starting a profitable cult and faking his own death. #NoRegrets

"Tavern Dishes." "Clothes in a Closet." "Chest Contents."

Sometimes the smallest d20 tables create the biggest story moments. Here's how to build your own.

👉 markezrastokes.com/t...

#TTRPG #WorldBuilding #DMTips #RPG

Hot take: the best moments at the table aren't planned. They're rolled.

New blog post on the creative power of chaos and how to design for it.

👉 markezrastokes.com/t...

#TTRPG #D20 #GameMaster #TabletopGaming

Chaos isn't your enemy at the TTRPG table. It might be your best storytelling tool.

Here's how I harness it with d20 tables — and why I think every Steward should too.

👉 markezrastokes.com/t...

#TTRPG #TabletopRPG #DMTips #Storytelling

A Mile in Their Cape: A Superhero Storytelling Game of Empathy & Perspective What does it feel like to carry the weight of the world — and still not know what to say to your best friend?A Mile in Their Cape is a printable family storytelling game that uses the language of superheroes to explore the very human work of empathy. Players step into roles defined not by their powers, but by their emotional realities — the mentor who struggles to let go, the newcomer desperate to prove themselves, the hero who's starting to question everything.No dice. No experience needed. Just a story, a table, and the people around it.Designed for ages 10 and up, A Mile in Their Cape follows the same accessible, conversation-forward structure as its companion, A Mile in Their Boots — with a new coat of cobalt, crimson, and gold, and a cast of roles built for the superhero genre's unique emotional stakes.Inside the 26-page PDF: 12 Role Cards including four superhero-specific roles 30 Scene Cards across six thematic clusters Three-phase story structure that builds naturally toward deeper reflection Facilitator guidance for home, classroom, and group settings Fully printable — no special materials required Whether you're a parent, educator, or game facilitator, A Mile in Their Cape gives you a structured but flexible framework for the kinds of conversations that matter most.Part of the A Mile in Their... series from Mark Ezra Stokes.

What does heroism look like from the people it accidentally hurts?

That's the question one of the 12 role cards asks players to sit with.

A Mile in Their Cape — now on Gumroad.

markezrastokes.gumro...

#SEL #Empathy #Tabletop #Storytelling

A Mile in Their Cape: A Superhero Storytelling Game of Empathy & Perspective What does it feel like to carry the weight of the world — and still not know what to say to your best friend?A Mile in Their Cape is a printable family storytelling game that uses the language of superheroes to explore the very human work of empathy. Players step into roles defined not by their powers, but by their emotional realities — the mentor who struggles to let go, the newcomer desperate to prove themselves, the hero who's starting to question everything.No dice. No experience needed. Just a story, a table, and the people around it.Designed for ages 10 and up, A Mile in Their Cape follows the same accessible, conversation-forward structure as its companion, A Mile in Their Boots — with a new coat of cobalt, crimson, and gold, and a cast of roles built for the superhero genre's unique emotional stakes.Inside the 26-page PDF: 12 Role Cards including four superhero-specific roles 30 Scene Cards across six thematic clusters Three-phase story structure that builds naturally toward deeper reflection Facilitator guidance for home, classroom, and group settings Fully printable — no special materials required Whether you're a parent, educator, or game facilitator, A Mile in Their Cape gives you a structured but flexible framework for the kinds of conversations that matter most.Part of the A Mile in Their... series from Mark Ezra Stokes.

The distance between "I'm playing a character" and "this is actually about me" is where real perspective-taking happens.

A Mile in Their Cape lives in that space.

markezrastokes.gumro...

#SEL #FamilyStorytelling #Empathy #TTRPG

A Mile in Their Cape: A Superhero Storytelling Game of Empathy & Perspective What does it feel like to carry the weight of the world — and still not know what to say to your best friend?A Mile in Their Cape is a printable family storytelling game that uses the language of superheroes to explore the very human work of empathy. Players step into roles defined not by their powers, but by their emotional realities — the mentor who struggles to let go, the newcomer desperate to prove themselves, the hero who's starting to question everything.No dice. No experience needed. Just a story, a table, and the people around it.Designed for ages 10 and up, A Mile in Their Cape follows the same accessible, conversation-forward structure as its companion, A Mile in Their Boots — with a new coat of cobalt, crimson, and gold, and a cast of roles built for the superhero genre's unique emotional stakes.Inside the 26-page PDF: 12 Role Cards including four superhero-specific roles 30 Scene Cards across six thematic clusters Three-phase story structure that builds naturally toward deeper reflection Facilitator guidance for home, classroom, and group settings Fully printable — no special materials required Whether you're a parent, educator, or game facilitator, A Mile in Their Cape gives you a structured but flexible framework for the kinds of conversations that matter most.Part of the A Mile in Their... series from Mark Ezra Stokes.

Perspective is practiced, not preached.

26 pages. Print and play. Works in a classroom, a youth group, or at the kitchen table.

markezrastokes.gumro...

#SEL #Educators #FamilyGame #Empathy