The Blog

Running a Dark Fantasy Campaign – Wretched Villainy

Running a Dark Fantasy Campaign – Wretched Villainy

Every genre has its recurring threats, and those which haunt the halls of dark fantasy are unique in that their villainy must rise to meet the danger of a world steeped in darkness… without losing...

Top 7 Bard Spells (and their Roleplay Potential)

Top 7 Bard Spells (and their Roleplay Potential)

Bards are often the swiss army knives of Fantasy TTRPGs. Want to be a melee fighter, rapier drawn, dashing up into combat? We have a Bard for that! Want to stay on the fringes of battle, dishing out...

How to Make Merfolk “Part of Your (5e) World”

How to Make Merfolk “Part of Your (5e) World”

Picture this: it’s New York, 1842. You’re lining up to see the latest fad from America’s greatest showman, P. T. Barnum. You watch as he takes pride of place at the front of Barnum’s American...

Exploring Arora – TTRPGs are About the Journey

Exploring Arora – TTRPGs are About the Journey

Dungeons & Dragons, the name says a lot. There are dungeons and there are dragons within those dungeons. But really, it’s what happens before you reach the dungeon that makes an adventure feel...

Art Direction for Arora: Age of Desolation

Art Direction for Arora: Age of Desolation

Do you ever wonder where all those beautiful artworks come from when browsing through TTRPG books? How does it work? How do artists get their art in there? Well, wonder no longer because our...

Running a Dark Fantasy Campaign – Party Cohesion

Running a Dark Fantasy Campaign – Party Cohesion

Villains are fun. Like, really fun. They’re fun to watch and read about, and you better believe they’re fun to play. There’s probably a thesis in that, but I’m in no way qualified to go there so...

A Dwarf Society Built on Adamantine

A Dwarf Society Built on Adamantine

The Dwarves of the Bürach Empire Adamantine was a revelation, the metallic savior of the last great dwarven city. As humans overran Etharis in the Era of Expansion, dwarven lands were consumed. Even...

Wretched Stories from the Nov Ostoya Streets

Wretched Stories from the Nov Ostoya Streets

There is much to see in Nov Ostoya and getting lost is common among newcomers to the city. Getting lost is also the reason that newcomers tend not to last long in the capital of the Ostoyan Empire....

Storybuilding: Monster Hunting

Storybuilding: Monster Hunting

Not every adventure happens to heroes. Sometimes the adventurers go looking for trouble, and no adventure is more iconic than when hunting for a specific monster. Often it starts with a rumor; some...

Revisiting Warlocks from Earlier Editions to 5e

Revisiting Warlocks from Earlier Editions to 5e

I’ve been playing tabletop roleplaying games for a long, long time. I have dice older than many of the people I work with at Ghostfire Gaming. I’ve read previous editions before 5e where there were...

How to Keep Your 5e Party on Track Without Railroading

How to Keep Your 5e Party on Track Without Railroading

In Episode 4 of Fables: Citadel of the Unseen Sun, the characters finally break free of the City Below beneath Ostoya and drag themselves to the surface. With fresh air comes freedom, not only from...

An Update on our Pre-Orders!

An Update on our Pre-Orders!

Hey everyone The current global shipping situation sure has been an interesting time for anyone and everyone trying to ship anything from Point A to Point B. We have been no exception to the...

How to Run an Open World Adventure & World Anvil!

How to Run an Open World Adventure & World Anvil!

Need advice on how to get started on world building? Open world games are incredible because of how immersive they are our freedom of exploration within them! Our wonderful friends at World Anvil...

The Downcast the Heavens Sent

The Downcast the Heavens Sent

"Dearest and brightest angel, Before the gods died, you performed faithful service in their name. Your existence was purposeful and your light was so radiant that I am glad we never met in battle....

Monsters from Irish Mythology for 5e Adventures

Monsters from Irish Mythology for 5e Adventures

Whenever a holiday or celebration comes up, it’s fun to think about related world mythologies and how one might make a 5e adventure of the creatures found within. With St. Patrick’s Day upon us,...

The History of Halflings in a Realm of Giants

The History of Halflings in a Realm of Giants

In a grim world of fallen gods and fading hope, a halfling is a rare candle of good cheer. Not known for their might or ferocity, they are heroes of a different sort, quietly enduring and taking the...

Navigating the Labyrinth – Environmental 5e Combat

Navigating the Labyrinth – Environmental 5e Combat

Here we are, at the final session of our series on using Classical mythology to strengthen your TTRPG encounters. From subconscious expectations inherited from ancient narrative conventions, to...

Creating and Running Duet-Style 5e Adventures

Creating and Running Duet-Style 5e Adventures

Have you ever wanted to play a tabletop roleplaying game that requires three or more players, but you’re unable to coordinate a time that works for all your friends? Or are you searching for a fun...

Solving the Mystery – How to Run Mysteries in 5e

Solving the Mystery – How to Run Mysteries in 5e

During Episode 2 of Fables: Citadel of the Unseen Sun, the party must spend a night in an Ostoyan keep with a small group of knights. The keep is locked, the night is long, and one of the knights is...

The Heritage of the Half-Orcs

The Heritage of the Half-Orcs

Before the elves or dwarves, Etharis was ruled by orcs. From north to south, east to west, they built a nomadic empire of diverse tribes. After dominating the land for centuries they left the...

Factions of Grim Hollow

Factions of Grim Hollow

Many factions vie for control of the realms of Grim Hollow. Today we’ll consider what makes each of them a good patron, dastardly foe, or even a group that player characters may seek to join. The...

Tabletop Roleplaying Games are Good for You

Tabletop Roleplaying Games are Good for You

Who knew gaming could bring so much good to one’s life? Seriously, the thought of doing something fun that also benefits your lifestyle is a rare thing indeed! Usually, you need to run ten miles or...

The Sphinx and the Riddle of Non-Combat Encounters

The Sphinx and the Riddle of Non-Combat Encounters

Welcome back to this blog series on how Classical mythology can offer guidance to our TTRPG encounter design! So far, we’ve talked about the power in conforming to or defying ancient narrative...

Glimpse Inside Fables: Citadel of the Unseen Sun

Glimpse Inside Fables: Citadel of the Unseen Sun

Friends and fans of Grim Hollow, and honored newcomers to the worlds of Ghostfire Gaming, the time has come to begin a brand-new adventure! I’d like to officially introduce, the first ever...

The Filth Grazer – Creating a Grim Hollow Monster

The Filth Grazer – Creating a Grim Hollow Monster

There’s an old saying in RPG game design: Don’t create a stat block for creatures that you don’t want players to kill. One of the most popular books of an earlier roleplaying era was Deities and...

Yule Better Be Good – A Christmas 5e Adventure

Yule Better Be Good – A Christmas 5e Adventure

The season of giving is upon us and what better way to celebrate it with your players than with a Christmas-themed adventure? There are plenty of 5th Edition games that feature a jolly gift-giving...