After having reached 50 issues (51 actually, as I started with issue 0) of my d12 Monthly Dungeons & Dragons zine, I thought it might be a good idea to let gamers know a few ways they can use them.
When I started my zine project, I never really thought about getting to 50 issues – I just kept writing and publishing them. Before I knew it, I had released 10, then 20, and then 40 – and all of a sudden I was thinking about what to put into issue 50.
But here we are.
One thing I have wondered (and really only gotten glimpses into, is how readers use the zines. That led my to think about how I would use them if I hadn’t written them.
I thought about it, and came up with these five ways.
“Just grab a random selection of my zines and start reading
1. Prep Time
Prepping your next session and need some fresh ideas?
With 51 issues on topics as far ranging as treasure & loot, weird monsters, divine magic, and undead (just to name a few) you are sure to find an issue on what you are prepping for.
It’s also super quick!
Grab 1-2 issues on the topic related to what you are prepping and start reading. Each article is usually only 800-1000 words and all zines come with old school artwork (that real indie artists created) that is sure to inspire.
For example, say you know that the PCs will be heading to the ruined town and that they will run into the evil wizard who resides there. Grab the issues on arcane magic, familiars & followers, and maybe even weird magic to inspire the creation of a truly unique spellcaster.
Did You Know?
You can get printed versions of my zines?
2. New Campaign
Looking to start a new campaign? Once you have a basic idea, then grab the issues that are related to your idea.
For example, if you are starting a sandbox campaign, you can use several issues to flesh out some of the areas in the sandbox.
Not Sure? Check out my Misconceptions about Sandboxes article.
You always need a settlement for the characters to rest. Grab my towns & cities issue to flesh it out a little.
Have you included a nearby forest? Grab the forest & jungle issue and make that woodland truly memorable.
Trying to build out that dungeon? Grab the dungeon and dungeon exploration issues to flesh it out and add some new ideas to those old classics. You could also populate it with new adversaries from the monster issue, or connect it to the underdark, that I have an issue specifically for.
If you don’t want to create a whole sandbox, check out this article where I list a bunch of old school and modern OSR sandbox modules.
3. Idea Deep Dive
Let’s say you have just come up with an idea for your Dungeons & Dragons campaign, but want to flesh it out with new ideas. You may want to grab one (or more) of my zines.
Need some creepy hills filled with vampires?
Grab the issues on hills and mountains and the one on vampires.
Are you thinking about adding a cult to your campaigns?
Grab Issue 46 which is all about dark cults.
Any idea you can think up, I will probably have an issue that either covers it or, at least, touches on it.
4. Writers’ Block
Just not sure what to do next? Or how to start off your next D&D campaign?
Just grab a random selection of my zines and start reading – they are guaranteed to give you a bucket full of ideas. And you can always purchase the random selection bundle.
5. No Players
Are your regular players not interested in your idea? Have you just moved and don’t know anyone to play with?
Grab my solo roleplaying issues and start roleplaying by yourself. I have an issue on solo roleplaying, plus one on running a solo campaign.
I love solo roleplaying and I have put that love into these two issues. You could even pair it with my OSE issue or my Tales of Argosa issue to play a specific setting solo.
There are also heaps of articles on solo roleplaying I have written on this website.
Over to You
There were five ways you can use my zines to make your gaming better. Did I miss any? How do you use my zines? Let me know in the comments below.
While You’re Here…
Since 2021 I have been publishing d12 Monthly, a monthly zine, which has a ton of articles for any edition of Dungeons and Dragons.
Printed copies are available in my store. The PDF is available on DriveThruRPG and you can get both, plus support my work, via my Patreon.
I will also be releasing some more products in the near future.
Feel free to reach out to me on Twitter or my contact page any time.