#rpg

Mark S. Cookman

Feb 27, 2020
4 min

Stagecoaches are NOT just for Westerns

I have been working on a Kickstarter project recently, and that led me to research stagecoaches. I had always thought that the stagecoach was exclusive to the American Western frontier; a trope unique in time and space like cowboys, prospectors, and gunslingers. I was so wrong. I had no idea that stagecoaches were medieval. The first crude drawing and story featuring a stagecoach appears in a 13th Century English manuscript. That may mean nothing to you, but here is some cont

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20 Sailing Hazards that Could Wreck the Ship

Mark S. Cookman

Aug 3, 2017
8 min

20 Sailing Hazards that Could Wreck the Ship

Sailing can be a great deal of fun, but even in our modern world, it can also be quite dangerous. Ships are lost in storms, attacked by pirates, and run aground every day. Insuring a vessel that is capable of cruising the world, when you intend to take her into blue water (i.e. across an ocean), is quite expensive for just this reason. All that any good captain and crew can do is make every preparation for what might be encountered before leaving port. Even then, it might not

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Mark S. Cookman

Jul 27, 2017
3 min

20 Unexpected Travel Delays

It's been a long time since I posted here and I am sorry for that. Rest assured that I have been quite busy. My wife, our son and I have purchased and moved aboard a sailboat. We are working to repair, refit, and provision her for cruising around the world. This has kept me much busier than I expected, plus there was about 6 weeks when we were completely without internet access. If you are interested in the ongoing trials and tribulations of new boat owners, then you may want

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Mark S. Cookman

Mar 3, 2017
3 min

20 Cool Gifts You Could Get for Your GM

GM's Day is once again upon us. It's a time to show your GM's how much you love them by buying them something. Now I completely concede that this is much more of a "made up" holiday than even Valentine's Day, so I understand completely if you DON'T celebrate it. However speaking as a GM, (we loves to receive presents, oh yes, my precious.), I thought that I might put forth some suggestions for those who DO want to buy their GM's something nice this GM's Day, NOT that it will

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A Few Online Tools to Help You Run Your Game

Mark S. Cookman

Feb 24, 2017
3 min

A Few Online Tools to Help You Run Your Game

We may not like to admit it, but we GM's all need help sometimes with our game. I know, personally, I am strong creatively, but often have problems with the "nitty-gritty" details of running the game. Regardless of your personal strengths and weaknesses, today's column will reveal a few online tools to help you run your RPG session, no matter the system. Know in advance though that some of the tools will be specific to D&D 5E. First off we will examine the different categorie

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Mark S. Cookman

Jan 12, 2017
4 min

20 Ways to Work Boats into Your Game

First things first, happy 2017 to everyone. I'm sorry that it has been so long between posts, but a couple of bouts of bad health, plus the stress of the holidays, pretty much put me out of action for the last quarter of 2016. I'm hoping 2017 will be a better year and to that end, here's a new list. Today's list is a collection of sneaky ways that DM's can use to introduce a nautical section to their game, even when the game is set far from any coastline. A couple of the item

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Mark S. Cookman

Oct 7, 2016
3 min

20 Things to Find in a Witch's Lair

This is the second of my October posts for 2016. Today, we are going to explore another spooky location; this time we'll be discussing the lairs of witches. The first question that you must answer when designing a witch's lair is, of course, which witch? In other words, what kind of witch is this lair for. Numerous elements must be considered about the NPC before the lair can be planned. This is NOT a one-size fits all kind of situation. Here are some of the questions the GM

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20 Things to Find Inside an Ancient Barrow

Mark S. Cookman

Oct 4, 2016
5 min

20 Things to Find Inside an Ancient Barrow

Today's post is the first of my October-themed posts for this year. In this article we will delve into a barrow or kurgan, in other words a burial place or tomb, to see what one might find there. Before jumping straight to the list of things, let's first take some time to analyze the structure of the barrow, as well as the types of creatures one might find inside. Barrows, (also called tumuli, burial mounds, and kurgans), are mounds of earth and stone raised over one or more

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20 Spell Components Found in the Daerkwood

Mark S. Cookman

Sep 29, 2016
5 min

20 Spell Components Found in the Daerkwood

Today's post is a transition from the orc series into some more Halloween-themed posts. Given the orc clans and other terrible monsters that live there, why does anyone ever venture into the Daerkwood? This same question can be applied to any dark and spooky place. There are numerous secrets hidden within the Daerkwood to attract adventurers, but the most-common reason people go there is for the components used in powerful magics. The Daerkwood is an ancient forest steeped in

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Mark S. Cookman

Aug 31, 2016
3 min

The Code of the Moon Skull Clan

This is the 13th article in the orc series. Today's topic is an odd one; we are going to examine law among the orcs. Many may argue that orcs are chaotic evil in alignment and therefore do NOT have laws. I hold the opinion that chaotic evil societies may not have laws (other than the strong dominate the weak), but they do have codes of conduct. In my campaign, these codes of conduct are simple, no more than a few rules that all orcs in a clan are supposed to follow and what w

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Mark S. Cookman

Aug 24, 2016
3 min

6 Types of Orc Encounters

This is the 12th article in our orc series. Today, we will examine and detail the different types of orc groups that you might encounter in the Daerkwood. As I have said on other occasions, these groups might not fit into your world. If they don't, I hope that you can find some use for this information. If nothing else, it might serve as a model for the different types of encounters you can have with a single monster type. Players can be a troublesome lot. Sometimes it seems

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Mark S. Cookman

Aug 19, 2016
5 min

10 Orc Heroes of Renown

This is the 11th post in the orc series. I fear that little time remains before the orcs are upon us. I hear their drums in the distance and I know they are coming for blood. Who will be brave enough and hearty enough to withstand the charge of the Moon Skull clan when they descend among us? This remains to be seen, but in the short time that we have left I wanted to share some information about a few well-known orc heroes. The information provided below will give you the bas

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Mark S. Cookman

Aug 18, 2016
5 min

10 Obscure Orc Religions

"Orc Shaman" by Mark Molchan. Check out more of Mark's amazing work here. Well, I have good news and bad news. The good news is that I have managed to escape from the orc town of Kharzaag. The bad news is that I'm pretty sure that the orcs are following me and will be here in a week or less. Also, I'm pretty sure that they are furious at me for stealing the secrets of their culture and revealing them, so I think they are coming with at least a war-band and maybe even a horde.

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Mark S. Cookman

Jul 28, 2016
3 min

20 Orc Named Magical Weapons

This is the ninth post in our orc series. Today, we will discuss magic weapons created by or for orcs. Clearly, this is a topic that every DM will have their own opinion on. I've run campaigns in which the idea of orcs having magic items at all would be patently ridiculous and I have also run campaigns in which the orcs were the most technically and magically superior race among humans and demihumans. If orcs having magic upsets your worldview, then perhaps you can find some

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Mark S. Cookman

Jul 22, 2016
3 min

20 Pieces of Orc Jewelry

This is the eighth post in our orc series. In this post we will talking about treasure of an interesting sort, stuff that your PC's might actually WANT to loot from a dead orc. Orcs have a reputation of being dirty and nasty, so their fashion does NOT really appeal to everyone. Also, besides coins, gems, and the odd magic item, orc bands usually don't often have cool treasures unless they stole them from someone else. At least this is the most commonly held perception. If you

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Mark S. Cookman

Jul 21, 2016
4 min

Another 10 Kinds of Trouble with Orcs

Here is the seventh post in our orc series. For those of you who didn't get enough Orcish adventure seeds last time, here are some more. Just like before, some of these seeds might not be what you'd expect from orcs, so be aware. Most of them, however, follow the more traditional view of orcs, that of vile and bloodthirsty raiders and killers. Whatever your style of play, hopefully today's list will have something you can use. Here is Another 10 Kinds of Trouble with Orcs. H

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20 Orcish Phrases Translated into Common

Mark S. Cookman

Jul 20, 2016
3 min

20 Orcish Phrases Translated into Common

This is the sixth post in our orc series. Today we will learn a little orcish. Perhaps you are familiar with the foreign travel advice that says a person travelling in a country in which the people speak a language different from their own should learn a few important phrases so that they can get by in case no speaks their language. This post has the same basic idea, but the phrases aren't things like "where is a bathroom?" and "how do I get to the museum?". Rather, they are

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Mark S. Cookman

Jul 19, 2016
2 min

5 Fantastic Resources for Orcs in D&D

This is the fifth post in our orc series. Today I am going to share with you some fun stuff that I have found on the web that can help DM's who are using orcs in their adventures. There is a wide variety of stuff in the links below and it is my hope that there's something for everyone. Without further ado, here are the 5 Fantastic Resources for Orcs in D&D. Happy Gaming! #1 If you are looking for a map of a simple orc raider camp, then click here. There are more maps below th

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Mark S. Cookman

Jul 15, 2016
5 min

20 Known Orc Allies and Combat Tricks

Here is the fourth post in the orc series. Today's list was originally created as the notes that an NPC Outpost Commander had made concerning orc tactics and the allies that all orc clans use over the span of 15 years serving on the frontier near the Orcwood. The information was revealed over time to the PC's as warnings and advice from the old veteran, who was a ranger named Sir Gregor the Steady. You are free to make what use you can of these items. Perhaps they will give y

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Mark S. Cookman

Jul 14, 2016
2 min

20 Things to Find in an Orc Encampment

This is the third post in the orc series. This time we will be taking a look inside the typical orc raider encampment. Today's list is a fairly generic one which could fit with any of the clans that I have mentioned in previous posts. This list lacks "razzle-dazzle", exciting elements, and specific information about terrain so that it can be used in a variety of circumstances. My intention is for the list to provide DM's some of those little mundane details that imho make the

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BLACK SHARK ENTERPRISES