Field notes & short fiction from the forge.
Design diaries, table-tested craft, release notes, and free stories set in the worlds behind the adventures. A deep backlog, updated as the ink dries.
Latest Post
How to Run a Megadungeon in D&D 5e Without Losing Your Table
By Anvil N Ink Publishing · Updated September 2026 · 8 min read To run a megadungeon in D&D 5e, treat it as a living place, not a linear story: give players…
Best LitRPG Series: 12 Sagas Worth Bingeing in 2026
By Anvil N Ink Publishing · Updated July 2026 · 9 min read The best LitRPG series right now are Dungeon Crawler…
What Is LitRPG? The Genre Where Game Rules Are Real
By Anvil N Ink Publishing · Updated July 2026 · 7 min read LitRPG (literary role-playing game) is a fiction genre in…
LitRPG Books: The Complete Reader’s Guide (2026)
By Anvil N Ink Publishing · Updated July 2026 · 11 min read LitRPG books are novels where video-game mechanics — levels,…
Free DND One-Shots: What’s Actually Free (and What’s Actually Good)
An honest guide to free DND one-shots — what's genuinely free, what's actually worth running, and what free adventures usually leave out.
Scary DND Monsters: 15 Creatures That Actually Frighten Players
The 15 scariest DND monsters in 5e, why each one actually frightens players, and the principles for making any monster land at…
Running a Journey to the Land of the Dead in D&D
A land of the dead adventure is the underworld-descent myth in D&D form. Here's how to run the journey — petitioners, a…
Día de los Muertos D&D: Running a Day of the Dead One-Shot
A Día de los Muertos one-shot trades dread for warmth — remembrance, marigolds, and a respectful journey into the land of the…
Running an Underdog Party: When the Heroes Are the B-Team
An underdog party — the B-team sent in after the real heroes failed — trades the power fantasy for scrappy, earned heroism.…
Comedy-Horror One-Shots: Balancing Laughs and Dread
A comedy horror one-shot is the hardest tonal tightrope in D&D. Here's how to balance laughs and dread so each makes the…
Halloween DND One-Shots for 2 Players (5e, Zero Prep)
Halloween DND one-shots built for 2 players — survival, gothic, coastal, and folk horror that hold at the two-player floor. All 5e,…
The Best Halloween DND One-Shots for 2026 (Ranked by What Your Table Wants)
The best Halloween D&D one-shots for 2026, ranked by what your table wants — scariest, best for 2 players, funniest, full campaign,…
How to Make Undead Scary Again
Skeletons and zombies stopped scaring anyone. Making undead scary again isn't about bigger numbers — it's inevitability, grief, patience, and restraint. Here's…
