Rob Heinsoo @robheinsoo.bsky.social · 23/09/2026I think that's right. And when we're talking 3e, the rogue usually needs allies to provide flanking to access their beloved damage boost, which probably factored into your scale. 140
Rob Heinsoo @robheinsoo.bsky.social · 22/09/2026A @jonathantweet.bsky.social guest post today about D&D 3E: tinyurl.com/4znbzpaetinyurl.comGuest post from Jonathan: Spells-per-day in 3EThe spells-per-day tables for spellcasters in 3rd Ed could easily have been a lot better. Recently I talked with an academic about designing... 2217
Rob Heinsoo @robheinsoo.bsky.social · 16/09/2026A writer friend asked for favorite scenes they would get something out of, and these are five of the first ten that leapt from memory. tinyurl.com/2jysa5w2tinyurl.comRe-readable ScenesA friend who has started writing wonderful novels mentioned that he’s looking for great scenes, scenes that are wonderfully well-written eve... 162
Rob Heinsoo @robheinsoo.bsky.social · 30/07/2026I'm at GenCon! tinyurl.com/kfhsa2n9tinyurl.comHelllo, Gen Con!As photographic evidence reveals, I’m thrilled to be at Gen Con this year! This my first convention-chance to talk with people about 13... 1202
Rob Heinsoo @robheinsoo.bsky.social · 30/07/2026i haven't seen Tommy recently. I'll keep an eye out. 010
Rob Heinsoo @robheinsoo.bsky.social · 22/07/2026Ran a guest post today from @jonathantweet.bsky.social about Strange Stories by @chrislackey.bsky.social tinyurl.com/4n6mpt5atinyurl.comStrange Stories Now on Backerkit (Guest Post!)Here's a guest post from Jonathan Tweet. I'm one of the players who he forbade from looking into this game, so I publish this with less over... 131
Rob Heinsoo @robheinsoo.bsky.social · 21/07/2026Proud to be the 28th villager 😎 on @BackerKit Crowdfunding for Merryshire Detective Club! www.backerkit.com/c/projects/p...backerkit.comMerryshire Detective ClubYou play amateur detectives in a cosy-fantasy setting. Your band of plucky investigators solves mysteries (quite often, murder mysteries) that crop up with remarkable regularity in the lovely little h... 080
Rob Heinsoo @robheinsoo.bsky.social · 09/06/2026Jonathan left out his other motivation: I always steal his beautiful crystal green d20s. (Is it stealing if you eventually give them back?) This wooden die shtick is the equivalent of driving a beater that no one wants to steal. Well, not me anyway. 040
Rob Heinsoo @robheinsoo.bsky.social · 09/06/2026A roundup of tabletop games we've played in the past couple months, family & friends. tinyurl.com/5hc99m6ztinyurl.comWhat We’re Playing: Tabletop H through WThe upper end of the alphabet leans into games played with friends who prefer casual fare. Hot Streak Four hapless lower league baseball ... 1105
Reposted by Rob HeinsooChaosium @chaosium.bsky.social · 27/05/2026STATEMENT FROM SUZANNE STAFFORD AND CHAOSIUM REGARDING A RECENT AI-GENERATED ARTICLE ABOUT CHAOSIUM FOUNDER GREG STAFFORD 🧵 Chaosium and the Stafford Estate are disappointed in 4 Pillar Games’ recent decision to post an AI-generated “historical archive article”... 1/7 123374
Rob Heinsoo @robheinsoo.bsky.social · 02/06/2026I've played enough games in the past month or two that they won't all fit in one post, so this is the first installment 020
Rob Heinsoo @robheinsoo.bsky.social · 02/06/2026Is this the kind of sabbatical where you come back refreshed and ready? Does a TTRPG sabbatical mean that you are playing card games and digital games? 120
Rob Heinsoo @robheinsoo.bsky.social · 02/06/2026The descriptors *are* fun! Orion Conroy made the first pass on some of the mini-adventure critters and I followed up. It's a creative step that benefits from more than one voice. 030
Rob Heinsoo @robheinsoo.bsky.social · 02/06/2026tinyurl.com/yntrbytjtinyurl.comWhat I’ve Been Playing: Tabletop A Through FHere are notes on games I’ve played in the past couple months, with game design comments where appropriate. Covering four games at a time me... 170
Rob Heinsoo @robheinsoo.bsky.social · 26/05/2026There's a 2nd level freeform mini-adventure now up on the @pelgranepress.bsky.social #13thAge resource pages. It's similar to a freeform demo we made for the first edition, but has more advice and better battle-building math. tinyurl.com/4rfwp52ptinyurl.com13th Age 2e: A Two-Hour Freeform AdventureIf you’re looking for a fun adventure to run as a one-shot at a convention, or for new players, or to jump-start a campaign when you don’... 01910
Rob Heinsoo @robheinsoo.bsky.social · 14/05/2026One curious aspect is how descriptors would relate to the in-progress SRD. They're *not* in the 2e manuscript, so the question is hypothetical, but when we get to doing an SRD for a book with descriptors, are they included? I don't think so . . . . 030
Rob Heinsoo @robheinsoo.bsky.social · 12/05/2026We're adding something fun and useful to our #13thAge monster stat blocks. tinyurl.com/mrc59y4mtinyurl.comNew for 13th Age: Monster Stat DescriptorsThere’s something new in the way we’re presenting monster stats in 13th Age . Jonathan came up with it. I’m calling it the descriptor app... 1157
Rob Heinsoo @robheinsoo.bsky.social · 05/05/2026Here's the line-up of Arduinian icons we created for the 13th Arduin campaign I've been running for #13Age tinyurl.com/mshs79rytinyurl.comThe Icons of Arduin, Blessed ArduinOn the nights I GM, I’ve been running a wild dungeon-crawl centered 13th Age game that attempts to live up to Hargrave’s eclectic grimoi... 1167
Rob Heinsoo @robheinsoo.bsky.social · 30/04/2026He had a *wonderful* time and bubbled over with happiness. 010
Rob Heinsoo @robheinsoo.bsky.social · 30/04/2026Sometimes I keep punched out cardboard counter sheets around for a few days, wondering if there is something cool to do with the silhouettes. This week our friend Marcia Bird spotted the SANIBEL sheets on a chair while she was painting watercolors with Lisa. 030
Reposted by Rob HeinsooScott Bateman @scottbateman.bsky.social · 30/04/2026Eep, less than four hours to go! Even a buck helps (and gets you a Thank You in the flm!): www.kickstarter.com/projects/147...kickstarter.comDada Dick: A Dada short film of Moby DickAll 135 chapters of Moby Dick in Dada-esque moving collage form, featuring rotoscoped found footage, found text, and more. 012
Rob Heinsoo @robheinsoo.bsky.social · 29/04/2026This week's find was an unopened envelope from Labcorp lying in the street outside our house. It was addressed to a woman a couple suburbs to the north and had been used as scrap paper for expenses, along with other notes. Normally I'd find a way to mail the envelope. But not this one. You see... 081
Rob Heinsoo @robheinsoo.bsky.social · 29/04/2026He took photos a few seconds later as I read through *new* / *found* counters for Dragon Pass from Greg. Illustrated by John Hodgson! Mammoths! Moon Hoppers! Humakti! Pulled out of the Puppeteer Troupe's hat by you, Fabian. What a treasure. Thank you . . . . 291
Rob Heinsoo @robheinsoo.bsky.social · 29/04/2026Dear @the-kraken.bsky.social : Before @jonathantweet.bsky.social handed me the gift you'd asked him to pass along, he said he should probably film it, and I said no, no, that's OK. And then he handed me your Found Counters of Dragon Pass and I was Ohhhhpen-mouthed wonderstruck. Could not believe it. 382
Rob Heinsoo @robheinsoo.bsky.social · 28/04/2026Here's the spot in my campaign notebook that tracked my character's damage. It's a good thing we weren't using J's variant rule from HH: 306 that four Skulls kills you! My usually not-that-messy handwriting disintegrated as Esh took all this damage and finished the fight one hit from death. 051
Rob Heinsoo @robheinsoo.bsky.social · 25/03/2026#13thAge artist Lee Moyer has a 364-page graphic novel on pre-order sale at Barnes&Noble. Lee is the *writer* and painter of Trident of Aurelia, and today the code PREORDER25 gets you a 25% discount when the book releases later this year. tinyurl.com/52bhwuzstinyurl.com 123
Reposted by Rob HeinsooJonathan Tweet @jonathantweet.bsky.social · 12/03/2026In @robheinsoo.bsky.social's Arduin campaign, we revisited themes from a previous Arduin campaign: a bridge and an unopened box. We fought to bear the box across the bridge against phraints & knoblins. Rob used standees from the Vault of Mini Things (Tinkerhouse). When we finally opened the box, 1/2 1132
Rob Heinsoo @robheinsoo.bsky.social · 24/02/2026Loved this map when @jonathantweet.bsky.social used it as the city we were defending in his Mighty Ones game! Enough transpired that I plan to fold Bombasharna into my 13th Arduin game. 120
Rob Heinsoo @robheinsoo.bsky.social · 24/02/2026Melee's daggers might have been on my mind when we did 13th Age. Not the grappling element, but 13A says that when rogues use daggers, they do just as much damage as a fighter with a longsword. 000
Rob Heinsoo @robheinsoo.bsky.social · 24/02/2026Jonathan's Yenzdillian 'magic-user' presents as a member of the jaded old-magic power-group, the icon organization called Old Talismonde. Now that Yenz is 3rd level we should refer to him as a Conjurer! 120
Rob Heinsoo @robheinsoo.bsky.social · 24/02/2026The campaign has a couple names. 13th-Arduin pegs the system and the world. Arduin Blessed Arduin puts new spin on Hargrave's bloodier-sounding original, and the original meaning of blessed brings back the blood. 160
Reposted by Rob HeinsooGuy Milner (BurnAfterRunning / Unconventional GMs) @burnafterrunning.bsky.social · 19/02/2026Just ran my first session of @pelgranepress.bsky.social @robheinsoo.bsky.social @jonathantweet.bsky.social 13th Age SECOND EDITION. Absolutely fantastic system, and the upgrades to 2e really add to the excitement in combats - but don't take my word for it, you'll be able to watch it soon! 0182
Reposted by Rob HeinsooJonathan Tweet @jonathantweet.bsky.social · 17/02/2026Final session. After the party's failure to liberate the angels last session, the forces of the rogue prince were in retreat. The party was tasked to guard a shine: a round building (yellow w green top), raised outer walkway (green), stairway & blocked door (black), and barrels for cover (d12s). 1/n 2112
Rob Heinsoo @robheinsoo.bsky.social · 17/02/2026The part that Jonathan left out of this write-up was the pre-combat bizarre/wonderful philosophical argument between three sailors about infinity, the sea, and whether a ship alone was real or could be certain of its existence given the vastness overwhelming it. Rosencormac & GuildenMcCarthy. 020
Reposted by Rob HeinsooChris Pramas @chrispramas.bsky.social · 30/01/2026We are launching a Kickstarter for the 4th Edition of Mutants & Masterminds next Tuesday, Feb 3. See this article for more info and follow the link there to sign up to be notified at launch. Please reskeet and tell your friends that M&M 4E is coming! greenronin.com/blog/2025/11...greenronin.comMutants & Masterminds Fourth Edition to Launch on Kickstarter February 3rdThe next chapter of superhero roleplaying begins! Streamlined rules and all-new art, Mutants & Masterminds Fourth Edition is ready to rise—sign up to be n 0169
Rob Heinsoo @robheinsoo.bsky.social · 30/01/2026I was a guest on The Tome Show with @dandillon.bsky.social as we took monster lore and blew it up into an adventure. Who am I kidding? It was an ultroloth and I'd say it blew up a campaign: tinyurl.com/yy2a4tr9tinyurl.comTome 392 Adventures from Monster Lore | The Tome ShowIn this episode Jeff and Tracy sit down with Dan Dillon and Rob Heinsoo to talk about creating adventures based on the lore of monsters. Thanks to our Sponsor: The Tome Show's Awesome Patreon Patrons!... 0104
Rob Heinsoo @robheinsoo.bsky.social · 30/01/2026It's true that if Jonathan uses those exact words, no way is it gonna be safe. But in the cause of good GMing, he does occasionally break character to assure us "No, really, serious now, it's safe, you don't have to take all the precautions and roleplay security procedures. This isn't an ambush." 110
Rob Heinsoo @robheinsoo.bsky.social · 15/01/2026A blog on my dad's favorite Estonian sayings and their relevance to European and US politics. tinyurl.com/ykzkdcwftinyurl.comSita Rutu Karu TulebThat’s one of two Estonian phrases my father taught me in the last few years of his life. He’d been weirdly reinvigorated by the Russian i... 051
Rob Heinsoo @robheinsoo.bsky.social · 08/01/2026No, it was your abandoned baby. Which sounds a lot worse than it was. You know what I mean. 130
Rob Heinsoo @robheinsoo.bsky.social · 07/01/2026The plan for the screen surfaced in the first serious conversation I had with Lee Moyer about him working on 2nd Edition. I was driving on the highway and stopped for coffee. Told Lee the Orc Lord was dead, and Lee instantly proposed 12 golden icon silhouettes on the GM screen. Voila! 110
Reposted by Rob HeinsooTim Baker @phantom-tim.bsky.social · 17/11/2025Work on the next issue of Escalation is underway: In My Dragon Empire. We dedicate this issue to the ways your Dragon Empire, the default setting for 13th Age, is unique! For more info on what we're looking for check out this post: escalationfanzine.blogspot.com/2025/11/arti... #13thAgeescalationfanzine.blogspot.comArticles Needed: In My Dragon EmpireWork on Issue 12 is ready to begin, now that we've completed Issue 11. This issue is dedicated to a popular phrase in 13th Age social media ... 091
Rob Heinsoo @robheinsoo.bsky.social · 07/01/2026Will you revise the Fortress or are we talking Skullforge Ruins? 120
Rob Heinsoo @robheinsoo.bsky.social · 07/01/2026What was perfect was that you'd settled on using that die for a game mechanic that was all about rolling 5s and 6s. 110
Rob Heinsoo @robheinsoo.bsky.social · 07/01/2026"Now with a soft map" wasn't a slogan I'd considered! 010
Rob Heinsoo @robheinsoo.bsky.social · 07/01/2026I haven't held a copy of the Escalation die yet. It's BIG. 150
