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
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
This week's Worldshaper NPC comes with a reflection prompt:
"What part of yourself have you kept hidden — and what might change if someone accepted it without question?"
That's not just for your characters.
Full drop at 🔗 patreon.com/MarkEzra...
#TTRPG #SEL #TTRPGCommunity #Ealdsmyth
Every week, Worldshapers get a new SEL-rich TTRPG resource built for real play at a real table.
This week it's Mother Elma — a halfling shelter keeper who will wreck your party's emotional composure in the best way.
Come join us. 🔗 patreon.com/MarkEzra...
#TTRPG #SEL #Patreon #Ealdsmyth
"It's not forgiveness that changes people — it's the chance to be seen while still broken."
Mother Elma doesn't hand out healing potions. She hands out something harder to find.
Full NPC drop live for Worldshapers now. 🔗 patreon.com/MarkEzra...
#TTRPG #SEL #Ealdsmyth #TTRPGCommunity
Some NPCs give quests.
This one gives tea and asks the question you weren't ready for.
Meet Mother Elma of the Wayward Hearth (this week's SEL-rich NPC drop for Worldshapers).
🔗 patreon.com/MarkEzra...
#TTRPG #SEL #Ealdsmyth #TTRPGCommunity
"They don't believe you're real. Or if you are, they fear what it means."
New d20 table for Lorekeepers & Worldshapers on Patreon — 20 hidden truths simmering just beneath the surface of your next scene.
www.patreon.com/c/Ma...
#TTRPG #Patreon #GameMaster #Ealdsmyth #Storytelling
Subtext is a superpower at the TTRPG table.
The moment players realize the lullaby is actually a code? Chef's kiss.
What's your favorite "slow reveal" moment from a campaign?
#TTRPG #Storytelling #GameMaster #DnD #Ealdsmyth
"Their kindness is a shield. Behind it is terror."
One of 20 entries in this week's Patreon drop — a d20 table for secret-laden NPCs and scenes where nobody's saying what they mean.
www.patreon.com/c/Ma...
#TTRPG #Patreon #GameMaster #Ealdsmyth
New Patreon drop for Lorekeepers & Worldshapers: a d20 table built for scenes dripping with subtext, coded resistance, and quiet dread.
For the GMs who love atmosphere as much as action.
www.patreon.com/c/Ma...
#TTRPG #Patreon #GameMaster #Ealdsmyth #Storytelling
"Everyone smiles too much and says too little."
Tell me the most unsettling NPC your GM ever ran.
I'll start: Mine never blinked. 👁️
#TTRPG #TabletopRPG #DnD #Ealdsmyth #Storytelling
What's a scene that felt more dangerous BECAUSE of what wasn't said?
Drop your best "unspoken tension" moment from the table below. (I've got a new d20 table for exactly this kind of scene on my Patreon 👇)
www.patreon.com/c/Ma...
#TTRPG #Ealdsmyth #GameMaster #Storytelling
Educators & GMs: the skills your players need at the table are the same ones they need in life. New blog post on using in-game conflict to teach real-world resolution.
markezrastokes.com/w...
#SEL #TTRPG #Educators #TabletopRPG #Ealdsmyth
Conflict at the table doesn't have to derail the story — it can BE the story. My latest blog post digs into how TTRPGs can teach real-world conflict resolution (and yes, there's a vindictive GM story involved 😄).
markezrastokes.com/w...
#TTRPG #SEL #Ealdsmyth #TabletopRPG
Fresh site, fresh post, fresh drop — all in one week! ✨
If you're at the crossroads of tabletop gaming and social-emotional learning, this is your corner of the internet.
👉 www.markezrastokes.c...
#TTRPG #SEL #TabletopRPG #Ealdsmyth #GameMaster
What do a vindictive engineer, a exploding Bag of Holding, and a giant burrowing insect have in common? My most personal blog post yet.
Also: practical SEL tools for your table.
markezrastokes.com/w...
#TTRPG #DnD #SEL #Ealdsmyth
The best TTRPG tables aren't conflict-free. They're conflict-ready. Here's how intentional Stewardship turns inter-party tension into genuine SEL growth.
👉 markezrastokes.com/w...
#TabletopRPG #SEL #GameMaster #Ealdsmyth
Big news: markezrastokes.com?u... got a full redesign! 🎉
Come check out the new look — parchment, candlelight, and zero placeholder links. It's finally a site worthy of the stories we're telling.
👉 www.markezrastokes.c...
#TTRPG #SEL #Ealdsmyth #AuthorLife
Pre-written 5-page backstories are fine…
…but watching a character discover their backstory through symbolic prompts?
That’s storytelling magic.
I wrote about it here:
markezrastokes.com/t...
#TTRPG #StoryArc #CharacterGrowth #Ealdsmyth #TRPG
Tarot cards → d20 tables.
Open-ended statements → “Tell me what your character notices.”
Cold reads → flashback seeds.
Fortuneteller tools map surprisingly well to TTRPG Stewarding.
Here’s how:
markezrastokes.com/t...
#GameMastering #RPGNarrative #Worldbuilding #TTRPGtips #Ealdsmyth
From Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood to Ealdsmyth’s campfire stories, one thread remains:
Compassion is the truest magic.
Read why that belief still shapes my work today:
👉 markezrastokes.com/m...
#MisterRogers #Ealdsmyth #Storytellers #TTRPG #SEL #CreativeCommunity
Imagine teaching resilience through dragons, kindness through quests, and empathy through shared story.
That’s where Mister Rogers meets the tabletop.
👉 markezrastokes.com/m...
#Education #SEL #TTRPGEducation #MisterRogers #Storytelling #Ealdsmyth
Fred Rogers once said, “The space between the TV and the viewer is holy ground.”
The same is true of the space between the GM and their players.
Here’s how that shapes the games I design.
👉 markezrastokes.com/m...
#MisterRogers #TTRPGDesign #Ealdsmyth #SEL #StoryWeaving #Kindness
You can teach rules. You can plan plots.
But helping players feel safe enough to grow—that’s artistry.
Read how Mister Rogers shaped my GM philosophy:
👉 markezrastokes.com/m...
#GMThoughts #TTRPGDesign #MisterRogers #Ealdsmyth #StorytellingGame #SELinGames
It started with The Shifting Flame.
It deepened in The Path Divides.
It ends, and transforms, in The Flame Returns.
Thank you to everyone who’s traveled this arc with me!
patreon.com/MarkEzra...
#Ealdsmyth #TTRPG #WorldshaperExclusive #FantasyRoleplay #TheFlameReturns
How do you give your players closure at the end of a campaign?
For me, it’s all about reflection and resilience (both centerpieces of The Flame Returns).
patreon.com/MarkEzra...
#TTRPGCommunity #Ealdsmyth #GMThoughts #TheFlameReturns #Storytellers
The journey’s end is waiting.
Gather your players. Face the reflection. Rekindle the flame.
The Flame Returns is now live.
patreon.com/MarkEzra...
#TTRPG #Ealdsmyth #TabletopRPG #WorldshaperExclusive #TheFlameReturns
Teachers, counselors, storytellers: If you’ve ever wanted a narrative tool for building resilience and self-awareness, this module is your blueprint.
www.patreon.com/c/Ma...
#SEL #TTRPGEducation #Storytelling #Ealdsmyth #TheFlameReturns
This finale began as a simple “intro session.” It became a meditation on identity and endurance.
I wrote The Flame Returns to help groups reflect, not just roll dice.
#TTRPGDesign #Ealdsmyth #StoryWeaving #TheFlameReturns #Worldbuilding
