Toots for KeithAmmann@dice.camp account

Written by Keith Ammann on 2025-01-30 at 18:00

In The Monsters Know What They’re Doing and MOAR! Monsters Know What They’re Doing, I reverse-engineered hundreds of fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons monsters to help DMs prepare battle plans for combat encounters. Now, in Making Enemies—coming Oct. 7 from Saga Press—I explore everything that goes into creating monsters from the ground up.

https://www.themonstersknow.com/making-enemies-available-for-preorder/ #DnD

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Written by Keith Ammann on 2025-01-30 at 17:00

In Making Enemies, I discuss:

• size, number, and level of challenge

• monster habitats

• monster motivations

• monsters as metaphors

• monsters and magic

• the monstrous anatomy possessed by real-world organisms

• how to customize monsters for your own TTRPG adventuring party to confront

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Written by Keith Ammann on 2025-01-30 at 17:00

In The Monsters Know What They’re Doing and MOAR! Monsters Know What They’re Doing, I reverse-engineered hundreds of #DnD monsters to help DMs plan their combat encounters.

Now, in Making Enemies, coming Oct. 7, I explore everything that goes into creating #TTRPG monsters from the ground up. #bookstodon

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Written by Keith Ammann on 2025-01-24 at 20:34

For the second year in a row, the ENNIE Awards are accepting products that include AI-generated content. (I only found out this week, because last year I had nothing to submit.)

Because of this policy, I've removed the award bug from The Monsters Know What They're Doing's banner image and all references to the ENNIEs from my retailer copy and social media profile bios.

I intend to return my ENNIE medals, but I haven't gotten a reply to my query concerning where to send them yet. #NoAI

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Written by Keith Ammann on 2025-01-22 at 18:02

How do various "universal roleplaying game systems" stack up? I start with a look at the Cypher System and Savage Worlds. One definitely performs better than the other. https://www.onefootinfairyland.com/all-in-one-part-1/ #TTRPG

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Written by Keith Ammann on 2025-01-14 at 20:31

[#]DnD 5E24 backgrounds missing something for you? Check out "An Equal Portion Dealt" on the #DMsGuild: 30 cultures with different ability score increases and origin feats. Was your orc's upbringing martial … or mercantile? Are the halflings of Whanga Ngahere agrarian … or bureaucratic?

https://www.dmsguild.com/product/498523/An-Equal-Portion-Dealt-CultureBased-Character-Backgrounds-for-5E24

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Written by Keith Ammann on 2025-01-08 at 15:25

As I'm thinking about what is and isn't a genreless RPG, I'm gravitating toward this draft definition:

You can buy one or two core rulebooks for the system itself (vs. a game made using the system) and play a variety of different genres from the core rules alone.

For instance, I know from personal experience that I can do this with GURPS and Cypher.

I'm not aware of any published book called Forged in the Dark that would allow me to play Blades-like fantasy, historical, modern or SF games.

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Written by Keith Ammann on 2025-01-08 at 14:51

Trying to assemble a comprehensive list of genreless RPGs. Here's what I have so far:

GURPS

Savage Worlds

Fate

Cypher

Cortex Prime has one foot in the list: I'm not sure whether to think of it as an RPG per se or as a toolbox for MAKING RPGs.

Not counting Powered by the Apocalypse or Forged in the Dark, because these aren't RPGs. They're sets of core mechanics that RPGs add onto.

Any I'm missing?

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Written by Keith Ammann on 2025-01-07 at 19:50

The existence of primeval owlbears disproves the "A wizard did it" owlbear origin theory. #DnD

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Written by Keith Ammann on 2025-01-06 at 17:00

I also have a new newsletter, One Foot in Fairyland (https://onefootinfairyland.com), in which I explore more general #TTRPG thoughts. Right now I'm doing a series on migrating player characters from one system to another—when it works, when it doesn't and what's necessary to make it work.

3/9

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Written by Keith Ammann on 2025-01-06 at 17:00

Maybe you know about my blog, The Monsters Know What They're Doing (https://themonstersknow.com), or you've read the book of the same name or one of its follow-ups, which include MOAR! Monsters Know What They're Doing and How to Defend Your Lair.

2/9

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Written by Keith Ammann on 2025-01-06 at 17:00

Since November, I've picked up about a thousand new followers on Bluesky (many of whom are REAL PEOPLE!) and around 300 on Mastodon. So with the start of a new, terrifying year, a reintroduction is in order.

I mostly write about #DnD, although I'm branching out into other #TTRPG systems.

1/9

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Written by Keith Ammann on 2025-01-06 at 15:25

Starting the year off right: ditching Quickbooks and setting up my accounts in GNUCash.

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Written by Keith Ammann on 2025-01-01 at 02:00

"Happy new year" feels inadequate to the task. It fails to meet the moment. I don't wish you happenstance happiness. I wish you the spite and fortitude to seize it when it's in reach.

In 2025, survive. Thrive if you can. And leave the bastards at the bottom of the grave they dug for you.

Get outta here, 2024. Got no use for you anymore.

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Written by Keith Ammann on 2024-12-29 at 01:48

There NEEDS to be a hard science fiction TTRPG whose rulebook and character sheets employ this typeface. What a work of art. (h/t @ethanschoonover) https://usgraphics.com/products/berkeley-mono

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Written by Keith Ammann on 2024-12-20 at 17:46

Scavengers reign: Theran harpy tactics. https://www.themonstersknow.com/theran-harpy-tactics/ #DnD

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Written by Keith Ammann on 2024-12-17 at 18:32

Part 3 of my "Crossing Borders" series of newsletter posts, in which I attempt to jump genres from anchored high fantasy in D&D 5E14 to the Renaissance fantasy intrigue of Court of Blades, the space Western sci-fi of Orbital Blues … and the wild high fantasy of D&D 5E24. https://www.onefootinfairyland.com/crossing-borders-part-3/ #DnD #TTRPG

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Written by Keith Ammann on 2024-12-17 at 01:51

I lost the d8 out of my Black Dice Society set at Gamehole Con. Wrote to @DieHardDice to ask whether there might be a loose replacement lying around.

Just got it—along with a matching d4, d6, d10, d10×10, d12 and d20. For free.

I do enjoy my foncy high-end dice, but DHD is the GOAT.

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Written by Keith Ammann on 2024-12-11 at 20:45

I keep having thoughts about #TTRPG stuff that are too long for social media and don't belong on The Monsters Know What They're Doing. So guess what? I'm starting a newsletter!

Here's the first of a series of three posts on the topic of carrying PCs from one TTRPG system into others: https://www.onefootinfairyland.com/crossing-borders-part-1/

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Written by Keith Ammann on 2024-12-03 at 17:33

Well, I guess this is what my copy's worth. #DnD https://dice.camp/@dnddeals@bird.makeup/113587173681367779

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