TPK DnD – Create An Incredible Story

If you aren’t familiar with the term TPK, it stands for “Total Party Kill.” It's that horrifying yet completely exhilarating feeling that TTRPGs offer to remind you that the game is not entirely "safe" - that yes, indeed, all of your characters might just die fighting that terrifying villain.

TPK DnD – A TPK in DnD happens when the entire party faces something that results in death for all player characters. Following their character’s deaths, players are left with some pretty weighty decisions to make. It’s still possible to move the story and gaming campaign forward with new characters. It’s possible to end the story there and instead continue with new characters in an entirely new world or storyline. And of course, it is technically possible to continue the story with the same characters, but in some unique way, such as in the “spirit world,” or as servants of a god.


In any case, the best way to deal with a TPK in DnD is to make the most of it. Let the character deaths sink in. Feel for them. Grieve. And begin to ask yourself, “how can we use this to make an even better story than we’d originally planned?”

TPK DnD

Group Discussion Following the TPK DnD

The first step to take following a TPK is to have a group discussion. There are many ways to go about dealing with a TPK in DnD, but for the potential benefits of the situation to be realized, the group needs to get on the same page. Sometimes players and dungeon masters can see a TPK coming. Yet sometimes TPKs happen suddenly and out of nowhere, surprising everyone.

As such, it may take everyone in the group a moment or two to realize what just hit them. So, let the discussion take a little time if it’s needed.


Basically, the group needs to decide which of the following scenarios best describes how they want to either move the game forward, or to let it end. None of these choices is the definitive “best” option. It really comes down to your gaming group, and which path forward you all find to be the most fun and satisfying experience. TPK options include the following:


  • Start New Characters
  • Start a New Campaign
  • Continue Your Characters in a New Way
  • Say that the TPK “Never Really Happened” (Not Recommended)

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Start New Characters After a TPK DnD

There are multiple ways to go about starting new characters. In each of the following scenarios, the party will go through the character-building process to create new characters. What differs between these options is the role of the new characters, and where they fit (if at all) into the previous storyline.


Same World and Campaign

This is a very simple option. Players say goodbye to their former characters, honor them, then let them go – at least as far as playing them anymore, goes.


Even with characters gone, however, the gaming world, story, and campaign remains. Every hero in a DnD world has friends, allies, and family. Players can choose to tie in their new characters to their old characters. Perhaps the new character wants vengeance for their slain sibling. Maybe they were one of the people deeply touched by their former hero, and want to live up to the hero’s ideals. Or perhaps they are simply another adventurer with the same kind of goals as the previous character, and is thereby swept into the same (or similar) storyline that the group was previously following.


Same Level as Previous Characters

In this option, players still engage with the same world and campaign, as above. But instead of restarting characters at Lv.1, they create new heroes at the same level as their previous characters. There’s no definite rule in DnD that requires players to begin new characters at Lv.1. This is especially true if the gaming group simply doesn’t want to entirely start over.


To some hardcore gamers this option may seem like a kind of cop-out. However, players in an ongoing campaign have already “earned” their character’s level, so why punish everyone for a TPK? The TTRPG genre is about having fun. Why not take this opportunity for all players to create a new character in a class they’ve always wanted to try out? Starting players at the same level as they were before the TPK is a great way to make the deaths of their former beloved characters less tragic.


Roster of Secondary Heroes

DnD TPKs don’t have to be the end of the game, in many cases. There are many spells, such as “Raise Dead” or “True Resurrection” that allow dead characters to be brought back to life.


In this option, the point is to create a group of heroes who, for one reason or another, believe that resurrecting the original party is a goal worthy of risking their own lives. They may have to face a terrible enemy, or find news of the deceased group and follow them into a deadly dungeon. However, if they can simply succeed in resurrecting the heroes, then perhaps they don’t have to fight same horrible monster that slew the previous group, or even get through the entire dungeon that killed them. They just have to find the heroes’ bodies, to save them.


If this roster of secondary heroes succeeds in their mission, these heroes can be kept for interesting side quests in the future, or can be intermittently played, as desired. It can be fun in DnD to have multiple characters available to play, and can allow for additional interesting opportunities in an ongoing RPG campaign. 


Enemies of Previous Characters

Have you ever considered that your gaming group could “switch sides” and roleplay the enemies that killed your group’s previous characters?


Perhaps your characters had a goal to stop a powerful organization. But, in fighting that organization, were tragically overpowered. A fun way to progress the same campaign story is to then create new characters who belong to the organization your old characters had previously fought against. In fact, your group’s new characters could in fact be the ones who actually slew your previous party, or were in some way involved in their deaths.


The story would then continue – in a dramatic twist of events – as the players fight for the side they’d previously been so vehemently against. Whereas everyone thought the campaign was “about” stopping an evil empire, the story would then become about a group of “heroes” out to change the world as everyone knows it, according to their own (insidious?) ideals.


Creating New Characters After A DnD TPK

Start A New Campaign After a TPK in DnD

Sometimes it’s best to simply end a DnD campaign after a TPK. If the player characters are very high level, and/or everyone feels they’ve experienced what they wanted in the current campaign, it can be a good option to move on.

It’s actually sometimes difficult to officially “end” a long-standing campaign, especially if play has continued long past lv.20. In this case, death can be a form of release, preparing the way for a new campaign.


The downside, of course, is that starting an entirely new campaign in DnD is typically a bit larger of a project than simply creating a new character. New stories need to be thought out, new lands, new NPCs, new villains, and an entirely new setting. Starting a new RPG campaign can be very fun, but it does take some preparation, which might mean that the next step to a TPK needs to wait until the new world is built.


Here are a few ideas to incorporate a new campaign into your party’s recent TPK – especially if it was unexpected – that can save some time, and still tie in to the former story:


Use the Same Campaign World

If your gaming group has done a good job of creating an engaging world that you all love, why not keep the next campaign in that same location? Diverse worlds have many stories going on within them at any given time. Even if you feel the story involving your former characters is complete, maybe there’s still room for continued stories in the lands in which they once lived.


Continue the Story Many Years Later

When heroes die, there are consequences to the world around them. Dangerous villains’ plots aren’t stopped. Plagues wipe out entire lands. Magical artifacts are never found. Families are never reunited. But someone continues to live on in the broken and desolate world, with a fire burning within them to set things right. This version of a new campaign could take place a year, decade, or even a century following events of the first campaign. Perhaps the original villains and storylines from the previous campaign are gone, but their effects continue.


This option can make for a powerful continuation of a TPK’s story as it shows the players exactly what happened as a result of their failure. Instantly, everyone at the table feels an emotional tie to the new story and campaign at hand. There’s a feeling among the group of, “we have to set things straight.”


Utilize Pieces of the Same Story

This is a tip for dungeon masters: if players died in a TPK before they got to see the full story you had planned for the campaign, then they won’t know if you use elements of that same story in a new campaign.


It can be hard as a dungeon master to craft a world and story that you love, only to never see it played out. Sometimes it’s the dungeon master who’s most affected by a sudden TPK in DnD, which is why it’s tempting to try and find a way around the incident (the players weren’t actually killed, someone saves them at the last moment, etc.). So, take everything you loved about your previous creation’s plans, and find a way to create it fresh in your new campaign. That way the group’s TPK doesn’t steal all your hard-won creativity from reaching its expression.

TPK DnD New Campaign

Continue Characters in a New Way After a TPK in DnD

Just because a character’s “dead” in DnD doesn’t really mean they have to, well… actually be dead. There are, after all, many planes of existence in DnD, which means that a TPK can simply act as a portal of kinds, to another realm.


In fact, if you’re a dungeon master, you may consider using this option as a way to even plan a TPK for your DnD group. The “TPK” might come as a total shock to them. But to you, it might just be the next necessary step for the storyline…


Spirit World

There are many great stories that take place within a world of spirits. The idea is somewhat common in fantasy settings and within the lore of fairy tales.


One thing worth noting about spirit worlds: taking characters to a spirit world may sort of derail the campaign if the idea doesn’t fit well with the overall theme of the campaign. But even if the spirit world transition is a little jarring initially, it can work quite well so long as the players feel that they’ve “discovering” something that was actually part of the campaign all along, only hidden.


In a spirit world, players probably have drastically altered abilities and powers. Maybe characters’ stats change, or they can’t wield physical weapons anymore, or even their magic spells function differently.


Within the spirit world, players could create an entirely new path or goal for themselves, find ways to engage with the previous storyline, but as spirits, or even find ways “back” to the mortal realm from which they came. Spirit allies they meet could even potentially resurrect the heroes’ bodies (in return for help of some kind), or could possibly point the heroes in the right direction to accomplish a similar solution.


This option really comes with its own list of limitless possibilities. Many anime series and movies by Studio Ghibli have great ideas you can utilize when it comes to merging the physical world and the spirit world into a single story.


Servants of a God

One option that works well in conjunction with the idea of a spirit world is that after death, the heroes become servants of a god. It might even be that a god has called the heroes to his or her side, which is “why” (it turns out) they experienced premature deaths. Or perhaps the god saw their deaths and decided to bring them into his or her own service, to preserve their heroic spirits.


There is another option when it comes to gods. But it’s a bad idea. You should almost certainly never go this route:


Gods can – of course – do basically anything, right? Though it’s a terrible plot twist, the god could resurrect the party for any reason of their choosing. The god needs a mortal champion, the god also hates the heroes’ enemy, the heroes have always been faithful servants of the god, etc. These aren’t good options because they’re definitely cop-outs.


The key to making a TPK in DnD really satisfying is to advance the story through the event. Using a god to save the party from all their problems is the literal definition of a Deus Ex Machina (god out of the machine), which has for a thousand years or more been ridiculed as an abysmal story-crafting device.


Undead Creatures

Similar to the idea in the “Create New Characters” section of creating new characters that are the enemies/ slayers of the previous characters, what if the previous heroes are resurrected… but as undead minions of the story’s villain? In this diabolical shift of fate, the player characters are forced to do the bidding of their new necromantic master, which is probably the opposite of which they previously strove to accomplish.


This option is tricky to pull off. First, players may not like the idea of playing a campaign where they suddenly represent the antithesis of their recently held personal ideals. And second, they may not enjoy turning their beloved characters into undead monsters.


However, if the party doesn’t mind really shaking up the campaign, then this option – with a lot of intentionality and work – certainly leads to a unique continuation for a campaign.


Magically Enhanced

Some magical rituals require a sacrifice. What if the players had been marked for this kind of sacrifice all along, without their knowing?


Or, the characters may not have been able to enter a certain magical realm, or land of the dead, without first… well, dying. And while the TPK seemed like a horrible event, it was actually the gateway to the story’s next phase.


Eventually, the question of what the characters actually “become,” in a situation like this, needs to be answered. It needs to be made clear if they’re still alive, by power of the ritual, or if they are in fact dead, and living as spirits, or some such. Also, if the ritual was planned all along – or planned for them – then can they find a way to return to life?


One way to work through the details of a ritual death like this is to say that the characters have been infused with some form of magic, divine power, or demonic energy that allows them to live. Even though they died technically died. Sort of.


Luckily in a fantasy setting, a creative mind always has options for getting a story to work, all while going above and beyond players’ expectations.

Spirit World After a TPK

Say that the TPK Never Really Happened

By far, the worst option, at least in terms of the campaign’s story, is to state that the TPK never actually took place. This is where the old, “the TPK wasn’t actually a TPK” trope comes into play.



Killed by a monster? Well, the monster decided to leave you alive so they could eat you later. That way you’ll make for a fresh meal (giving the party a chance to flee, once they wake up).


Slain by guards in a villain’s castle? The villain instead decided to keep you alive so he can torture you for information, at a later time (giving the party a chance to flee, once they wake up).


Instead of dying, your characters were left unconscious. The enemy warband moved on, assuming you were dead (giving the party a chance to flee, once they wake up).


And by far the best choice: killed in a deep, dark, nigh-unreachable dungeon? No problem. The gods favor you, bring you back to life, and teleport you to safety.


Why not just have the god who favors you also kill all your enemies, equip you with invincible weapons and armor, end the main villain’s plot, and make your characters lords of the entire world?


You see how slippery the slope can become, and how unsatisfying a game it can create.


Circumstances Where A Non-TPK Fits

There are times when a TPK in DnD can be “allowed” to “not be a TPK.” For instance, if none of the players want to continue the game unless they still get to play their characters – that’s a good reason to fudge things a little. If the players actually did everything right, took every possible and necessary precaution, and just plain got horribly unlucky rolls – that’s another good reason to roll the game back a bit. Finally, if players are facing a completely random encounter that has very little or nothing to do with the story, and still somehow end up dead – that’s worth consideration as “not a TPK.”


If a TPK genuinely ruins the game for everyone, it is ok to create some way for the event to have never happened. Use your creativity to come up with something still feasible, such as the ideas we made fun of, above (they aren’t the worst ideas in the world, after all – except for the “god fixes everything” option). However, if it is possible to continue the story, or continue gaming after a TPK, it really often does make for the more satisfying story and gaming experience.


Just remember that people never talk about the time their party got saved by some NPC with awe and wonder. But they do talk about the way their party heroically sacrificed themselves, nearly putting an end to the dragon king.

Scrolls to Memorialize a TPK DnD

Deciding TPK Fate Ahead of Time

One great idea is to have a group discussion about TPKs for your DnD campaign at the very start of the campaign. Day 1, right at the time everyone creates their characters for the campaign. Think about it like establishing another major part of your group’s DnD campaign expectations. If everyone understands ahead of time that a TPK is possible, and everyone comes to a consensus on what happens next should the situation occur, then your gaming sessions never gets derailed if a TPK actually takes place.


Here’s a couple things to think about as a gaming group when thinking about the future possibilities of a TPK:


  • Under what circumstances will you all allow a TPK?


Consider: Bad decision making, player mistakes, party choosing to get in situations beyond their level of power, or establishing ahead of time that the campaign is meant to be very deadly, in general.


  • Under what circumstances will you all not allow a TPK?


Consider: Really unlucky dice rolls, fights that aren’t meaningful towards the story (random deaths), dying to enemies that were accidentally created too strong, situations where only one or a couple party members made bad decisions for which everyone else would otherwise have to pay.


  • What path forward will you take should a TPK occur?


Choose one (or more) of the TPK options listed above in this article, or come up with a creation of your own. Either have everyone agree upon TPK next steps, or if you’re a dungeon master, at least have a game plan ready for the group that you can fill in should the unthinkable occur.


  • What will you do when you see a TPK approaching?


This is a great question for a dungeon master to answer for him or herself. If a TPK is imminent, consider the circumstances under which the group decided to allow a TPK or not, and seriously think about the situation at hand. Once the TPK hits, you really have no choice but to deal with it. But before a TPK actually does take place, it is a bit easier to guide the story to a guardrail, if so desired. Be watchful of potential TPK scenarios, and craft the story accordingly. 


How a TPK in DnD Affects the Game World

The higher an adventuring party is in levels when they’re decimated by a TPK, the more drastically their deaths affect the world around them. Regardless of how your gaming group decides to handle the TPK, it’s worth emphasizing its results through the game’s settings and NPCs. As a gaming group, you may consider brainstorming ideas for how your characters’ deaths – even if death was temporary, from a form of resurrect spell or something similar – shaped the RPG campaign world.


Were families affected? Friends, or allies? What about organizations, causes, and events? Obviously, plans hatched by villains would likely have more success.


If the party was above lv.5, they could perhaps have been somewhat famous, even in small sections of the world. What other adventurers may have heard of them, and how would they react? Would anyone hold services to commemorate their passing? Would anyone try to learn more about their fate, or help any causes previously championed by the heroes?


For very high-level characters, how would their deaths affect not only entire towns, villages, and country sides, but cities, and even nations? Would lords and nobles try to capitalize on the heroes’ deaths, start wars to avenge them, or create societies to honor their memory? Would anyone try to recover magical or divine artifacts held in their possession at the time of their deaths?


It can be worth taking time as a gaming group to discuss the affects your characters’ deaths might have on the campaign world. If you decide to leave end a campaign after a TPK, you might even roleplay some of the former NPCs, and describe what happens in their world after the heroes’ deaths.


And if you do decide to continue the same campaign with new characters, or by somehow pursuing another path with your fallen characters, spending time roleplaying the results that came from the characters’ deaths can act as an effective interlude before continuing the story.

Memorial of a DnD TPK

Advance the Story Immediately Following a TPK

The best thing to do after a TPK in DnD is to think about how the event can advance the story. Not all stories need to end happily ever after. A TPK can be a gut-wrenching moment, watching as your character dies. It can be a satisfying conclusion to an epic journey. And if the TPK really does result in the end of your story, you can still make the most of things by taking time with your gaming group to talk about what happens to the world after your heroes are gone, and to spend time grieving their passing.

Bottom line: a TPK in DnD doesn’t have to be something horrible. The story you’re playing through has a life of its own, and your adventuring group is simply discovering that adventure. Sometimes, “discovering” a DnD gaming session is actually better than “creating” it to be perfect in every way.


Just like a book or movie can still be good (and is sometimes made even better) if a main character dies, so too can the story of a DnD TPK. Certainly, whether the TPK was purposeful or accidental, the fact that it happened changes the story of your game, dramatically. But the key is really what you do with the TPK after it happens – not that it happened, to begin with.

You can turn a TPK in DnD – or any other TTRPG – into the beginning of an entirely new, and amazing, chapter.


Tired of Your DM Killing Your Characters?

Let’s face it: some DMs love the carnage of brutal TPKs. However, you can get your revenge. Why not have a little fun producing a little of your own chaos for that special DM?


In Eternity TTRPG, no single person at the gaming table has all the power. Instead, everyone shares in creating the game’s story, world, NPCs, and more – all while roleplaying their own characters. If someone attempts a TPK, you have the power to change the direction of the story so that it better fits the entire gaming group and the game story you want to play.

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Jacob Tegtman Eternity TTRPG Creator

Author - Jacob Tegtman

Dear reader, I hope you enjoyed this article. Tabletop gaming has been a passion of mine since I was 6 years old. I've played just about every game from Dungeons and Dragons to video games like Final Fantasy. These games have inspired me, made me laugh, made me cry, and brought me endless hours of enjoyment.


I started Eternity TTRPG - and the indie tabletop game that goes along with it (Eternity Shop) - to share my love of gaming with others. I believe that in our technology-driven age, tabletop games help bring a sense of magic and community back into our world.


If you love the site, please share it with others! I have lots of gaming-related material for you to peruse and use in your own gaming sessions. If you have any questions about the site or want to contribute, just send me a message using the "Contact" page, which you can find in the site's footer.

Map of the Tomb of Horrors dungeon on aged parchment

The Return of Official D&D Modules in 2026 - The Future of D&D

By Jacob Tegtman • April 2, 2026
Transcribed content from our recent YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1r1xrclddMg Transcription A piece of classic D&D is coming back… but just not in the way you’re probably expecting.  Wizards of the Coast just announced something that could completely change how many people play D&D—short, fast, old-school adventures are officially returning. And yeah… I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that – as so often, depending how well Wizards of the Coast can execute this – this might actually be the biggest shift in D&D storytelling in years. Welcome back to Eternity TTRPG—your go-to party member for all things Dungeons & Dragons. Today we’re breaking down the return of adventure modules, what they are, why they disappeared, and whether this is actually genius… or just another attempt at recovering a piece of D&D that’s already forever sailed away. So this all dropped at Gary Con in Wisconsin, which was March 19-22 nd , just a couple weeks ago. That’s where the VP of D&D, confirmed that modules are coming back. If you’ve only played modern D&D, where campaign books are pretty lengthy and involved, this might not sound like a big deal. But it kind of is a big deal because this isn’t just a new product… it’s a return to D&D’s roots. If you aren’t familiar though, you may be wondering – what even is a module. Back in the early days of D&D, adventures weren’t the massive 300-page books we often see now. They were short, self-contained stories. Think quick, punchy adventures you could finish in a session, or a few sessions. They’re basically the ancestors of modern one-shots. These official D&D modules, which many people absolutely loved, were: Compact Easy to run And perfect for drop-in play, for someone who was a more casual gamer, or for someone visiting, etc. But when 3rd Edition rolled around, D&D itself changed. The game shifted toward long-term campaigns, deeper character progression, and structured storytelling—and short, standalone modules just didn’t fit that vision anymore. This brings up a whole order of interesting topics, but in older D&D (like Basic and Advanced D&D), the game assumed: That you’d jump between adventures Characters might not persist long-term – character death was super common, and almost even encouraged And the game world was only loosely connected Modules fit that style of play perfectly, where you can do a quick story that is compelling, engaging, and action-packed, but doesn’t necessarily try to stretch that narrative further into a larger context. 3rd Edition D&D, however, introduced: Strong character progression systems Feats, skills, and long-term character builds And most importantly, a focus on ongoing story arcs Suddenly, D&D became about one continuous campaign , not disconnected adventures. So instead of a: “here’s a dungeon for the weekend” vibe, the design officially shifted to: “Here’s a story that takes your party from level 1 to 15.” It’s also worth mentioning that with 3rd Edition, Wizards of the Coast introduced the Open Game License . This license meant: That third-party creators could make adventures freely Which inevitably led to the market becoming flooded with small modules. So, Wizards of the Coast didn’t need to focus on short adventures anymore. Instead, they could focus on: Big flagship campaigns that had a longer shelf life, and felt like “premium products” With lengthier and more involved Core rulebooks While letting the community handle smaller content. To summarize the history, D&D once offered “official” short, adventure modules. That module model shifted towards third-party creators with the advent of 3 rd edition. And now, 26-years later, third parties are still creating modules, but we’re also making a return to “official” D&D modules. Moving forward, the big question is: what’s different this time? According to D&D, these new modules will tie into something called D&D Seasons, which we’re already getting a taste of now. Think of themed content sets that last 3–4 months. The idea is basically what Magic: The Gathering does with Card release sets. Every 3months, they roll out a new set, where players can access new content. In this case, with D&D, it’ll be a new module, or new modules, based around the current set’s theme. Examples could include what we’re seeing with D&D Seasons for 2026, which will each be three-month series: starting with the Season of Horror followed by the Season of Magic And then finally into the Season of Champions with this year’s last quarter. These modules will also connect to organized play programs—in-store sessions of quick weekly games, for those local gaming stores that want to host these kind of events. Overall, D&D is aiming for: · Faster games available to more people (meaning like 1-2hr adventures, rather than the 3-4hr sessions many longtime players often get into, with their friends) · Easier prep for DMs · And more accessible D&D overall We don’t know yet if these will be physical books… or digital-only releases on D&D Beyond. My guess is there will be both available. Modern D&D campaigns are a big commitment. Oftentimes you’re talking months… sometimes years. And I love that, personally. Probably, anyone who’s ever been part of a long-term successful campaign, does love that style of play. However, I think we can all agree that not all campaigns make it very far, at all. I’ve heard the average number of sessions for most campaigns is 7-usually before they fall apart because of scheduling conflicts, lack of player interest, etc. So, modules are intended to flip the current long-term D&D campaign dynamic, not by replacing them, but by giving players another choice. Modules aim to be: Easier for new players to get into D&D, Create less pressure on DMs/ less requirement for preparing a long-term campaign And provide alternatives of play that could be perfect for people with busy schedules This might be what the D&D community needs right now. At the end of the day, these modules coming out will essentially be one-shot sessions that D&D provides for anyone who’s interested. My take is that Wizards of the Coast has made some tremendous mistakes with D&D. However, I do think that an attempted return to D&D roots is move that makes a lot of sense. The real test will be in the execution. If Wizards can make this new generation of D&D modules feel fresh and meaningful—then they may be onto something. If, however, they feel like recycled content with a new label… Players will notice, and probably resent the effort a little bit. I’m just saying, we don’t need more content on Strahd, Tomb of Horrors, and many other adventures Wizards has been putting out. I’ve been playing those adventures since the original modules and content on them. Personally, I’d be looking for something new, and that means Wizards of the Coast would have to get creative and take some content risks. Which... is something big companies don’t often like to do. That’s why we see so many remakes of movies, rather than exploring new ideas. Corporations often prefer “safe money” over true art. But, what do you think? Are you looking forward to trying these new modules… or will you stick with longer campaigns? And do you think D&D will create some awesome new concepts, or try to rehash the same adventures people have been playing for years, in hopes of relying on past success? Drop your thoughts in the comments. And if you want more D&D news, updates, and tools to make your games smoother and more enjoyable—hit that like button and subscribe. I’ll see you guys in the next one.
Josiah Mork: Creator of Starset RPG and Pen RPG

Interview with Game Designer Josiah Mork: Creator of Starset & PEN

By Jacob Tegtman • March 27, 2026
Transcribed content from our recent YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9In5gaz65s8 Transcription Jacob Tegtman (00:01.848) Hey everyone, welcome back to Eternity TTRPG, where we cover really everything tabletop gaming related, Dungeons and Dragons. Now we're finally jumping into some of my favorite topics, which is game design and getting to spend some time with great game designers up and coming, people who are established. And today we're interviewing Josiah Mork, who is the owner and lead designer for Hoodwink Gaming. So welcome to the show. Thanks for being part of the channel. Josiah (00:33.142) Thanks, it's my pleasure. Yeah, it's been great working with you on eternity and getting to swap ideas. So I'm really looking forward to being able to talk through some of that process with you. Jacob Tegtman (00:44.478) Awesome, Ben. Yeah, I've been looking forward to talking with you. We always have a lot of fun when we catch up. I think this will be a really good conversation. There's so many parts of your mini games that I've wanted to ask you about for really such a long time. And it always felt like we were working on some project or discussing something. But now I have a really good excuse to just nail you down for maybe about an hour-ish and hopefully die. Josiah (00:50.028) for sure. Josiah (01:04.972) There's always something. Jacob Tegtman (01:14.352) dive into what you've been doing and why you've made some of the decisions you've made, which I think are really interesting. I'm sure, yeah. So do you just want to maybe start by introducing yourself more, know, who you are, what you've done, and yeah, where you're going? Josiah (01:20.968) Yeah, well, hopefully I've got good answers for you. We'll see. Josiah (01:32.756) Yeah, absolutely. yeah, like you said, I'm Josiah. I'm from Michigan, living just out of DC now. I've been designing and playing board games since my early teen years, I guess I would say. I love creative writing and storytelling. That's just been an amazing way that I've found to connect with people. My actually my undergrad and my grad degrees were in communication and looking at how communication connects us and strategies and stuff behind it. And so I find a storytelling a really compelling way to do that. But before I had gotten into school and whatnot, you know, I was homeschooled. I was in late middle school and I was reading this cartoon. Maybe you are some of your viewers have seen it. Foxtrot comics. And there are some. Have you seen it? Highly recommend, highly recommend. It's really funny. But there are these two characters, they're really nerdy middle schoolers and they were playing Dungeons and Dragons in the comic. And I just thought that was the coolest thing. But my parents, know, I'm a Christian, my family's Christian, fairly conservative. And so my parents were more familiar with like the 80s, like D &D scare, very like Stranger Things season four. And so they were not really like, yeah, not really D &D fans. And so I was like, well, okay, I'll create my own. And that's how it all got started, you know? And then it was a great way to make friends in my Boy Scout troop. You know, we would play, would swap ideas, we would... Jacob Tegtman (02:51.202) Yeah. Jacob Tegtman (02:55.042) Not too far ahead. Sure. Yeah, that's awesome. Jacob Tegtman (03:08.12) time. Josiah (03:09.972) you know, go on crazy adventures with rules that didn't quite work. And then over time, you know, I just realized that there were all of these cool avenues to explore and storytelling that D &D didn't necessarily do. And so I just felt really passionate that this is my way to connect with people and connect people with each other is through writing games. Jacob Tegtman (03:30.508) That's amazing, man. Yeah, it's funny, like the ways that we get into gaming too. Like you mentioned those comics. you ever see Dexter's Lab? Okay. Okay. Yeah, was probably a little bit before. Yeah. There was like an episode that was kind of based on Dungeons and Dragons and I saw it when I was like six and that's what got me into it as well. yeah. Josiah (03:39.616) Yeah, well, I've heard of it. Yeah, I've seen clips from it, yeah. Josiah (03:52.972) It's so funny how it seems like every show, know, Community, Gravity Falls, like, there are all these shows of every different genre, and they all have like a D &D episode for some reason. And I love it, you know, but it's so random. Jacob Tegtman (03:58.679) Yeah. Jacob Tegtman (04:05.302) Yeah, like all of them. Me too. Yeah, it is. Yeah. I also like the takes that different shows have on like nerdy board games. I think was like Parks and Rec had, I forget what the game was called. Yeah, you remember it. Yeah. Yeah. That's so cool, man. Josiah (04:20.81) The Cones of Dunshire, yeah. Love that, love those episodes. Jacob Tegtman (04:29.646) So I want to dive into really all of those things more, but what games do you currently have available then? And your website will post it in the show notes as well, but it is hoodwinkgaming.com for anybody who's interested. But yeah, tell us about some of your games. And again, I feel like I want to go into all of these in more detail, but yeah, give us the summary version at least for now. Josiah (04:55.05) Yeah, so it's a little deceptive at the moment. My original titles and kind of most of the games that I do are under the pen brand. So play easily now is the acronym. We have war game and role playing game. But actually neither of those are on the market at the moment. If you go to my website. Yeah, we've got a landing page for the war game and we've got a preview for the RPG. And I've actually I've got. Jacob Tegtman (05:12.95) really? I was actually, yeah, I was checking it out like yesterday, so. Josiah (05:24.422) know, prototypes of both of those here. But they are still in development because of various different reasons of wanting to refine some ideas or just kind of ended up having to move to other projects. So they're almost launch ready. But those are the ones that they're working on for the longest, just the newest editions aren't quite together yet. Jacob Tegtman (05:29.506) Yeah. Jacob Tegtman (05:39.96) Yeah, nice. Jacob Tegtman (05:46.04) Very cool. Josiah (05:46.164) And then the one that I've been working on most recently, and that we actually have a new project launching next month for, is Star Set. So that's a grimdark survival-oriented tabletop role-playing game that we launched initially a couple years ago, and then just did a relaunch for the second edition for, which is much more crunchy, much more mechanical, and much more narrative-based. So really looking forward to building that out. Jacob Tegtman (06:14.542) That's exciting. Yeah, I can attest that game is great. I really enjoyed reading through it. Everything from the design of the book to the art to the way that you have, especially character building in that, I find super fascinating. You can just tell, yeah, the amount of attention to detail in there is like out of this world. It really feels like you guys... Josiah (06:27.148) Well, thank you. Josiah (06:34.966) haha Jacob Tegtman (06:38.478) You took the lore of the game and you baked it into every part of the game. Whereas I think a lot of games like, you know, we'll talk about D &D later. D &D is like the game that's everything. So it's like if it's in a fantasy book or movie or anything, like we'll just jam it into D &D somehow. And, you know, that kind of has its place, but for building characters and stuff, you know, like you don't, I don't know. It's supposed to be able to fit many different genres and you're Josiah (06:42.72) Mm-hmm. Jacob Tegtman (07:08.612) I think what's so cool about is that when you're playing Star set you're playing Star set Because from the very first thing you do with your character and their background and their skills even it's all based on the lore of this whole universe so Josiah (07:19.902) Mm-hmm. Well, I really appreciate that. mean, that's really the heart behind it when we were working on it is, we had a story that we wanted to tell and really created the universe to tell that story. And one of the things, you know, that I picked up studying communication is that, you know, we are attracted to details. And even if it's details that, we haven't necessarily experienced in our own lives. Jacob Tegtman (07:24.963) Yeah. Jacob Tegtman (07:33.324) Yeah. Josiah (07:45.324) hearing vivid details or strong emotions in other people's stories lead us to be more connected with them. And so that was something that we really trying to flesh out in Star Set. hopefully, from the sound of it, it hopefully worked pretty well. Jacob Tegtman (08:00.352) I think so, yeah, absolutely. So, what do we talk about first, man? Like, what do you want to talk about first? Josiah (08:01.452) Thank you. Josiah (08:11.672) man, I could talk about games for hours and hours, so I better let you guide that conversation. Jacob Tegtman (08:14.944) You Okay, I just want to make sure we cover like the big things before we dive into the nitty gritty here. Yeah. Yeah. Josiah (08:24.332) Oh yeah, I mean, I kind of touched on, I guess I'll throw it out there. I'll throw it out there because it's really important to me and kind of the company into my story. you know, I really do, we're about to, you know, dig into the nitty gritty, like you said, and Dungeons and Dragons and all the different games that are out there. And I just think, you know, before whether you're a designer or a player, whenever you kind of step into a game, I think the most important thing and what's in the mission kind of a hoodwink that we try and do differently is that Jacob Tegtman (08:33.379) Yeah. Josiah (08:53.446) The games are just kind of an excuse. Really, the games are just an excuse to get together with people and to have FaceTime with people. And if working in social media has taught me anything, it's that people need that more than anything. And that's why we call it Hoodwink Games, because we kind of have all these substitutions. get hoodwinked into thinking that socializing is something that it's not. And really, it's just fellowshipping with people and joining community and FaceTime with people. and talking about the things that matter with people. And the way to do that from going from stranger to best friend is in my experience games. And so that's kind of the heart behind it. Jacob Tegtman (09:30.658) That's been a cool one. Yeah. You know, it's interesting you bring that up too, because this is something I've been thinking a lot about recently, especially as everybody's been seeing more AI come into their work, into their lives. And I feel that more than ever, people are wanting that human, real human interaction. And so as good as video games are looking nowadays and as fun as MMOs are and stuff like that, and I like all of those, I don't think I've Josiah (09:43.628) Mm-hmm. Josiah (09:53.004) Mm-hmm. Jacob Tegtman (10:03.53) found anything that's as fun is sitting around playing a tabletop role-playing game, especially in person. mean, even, you over FaceTime like this is fun, but something in person about it just makes it one of the best experiences. Josiah (10:09.729) video. Josiah (10:13.142) Mm-hmm. Josiah (10:18.686) It really does. It's those shared memories and those shared jokes. And, you know, I work in politics, doing social media for politics. And the thing that just aggravates me the most about politics, but also religion, people say don't talk about politics or religion because people care about it so much. And it's like those are things that we care about the most. So we should be able to share those with people. But you can't because as soon as you bring them up, you know, there are all these walls. Jacob Tegtman (10:39.48) Sure. Josiah (10:48.062) and games when you've played for a couple hours with somebody and slayed the dragon and made a couple jokes, then it's like, well, okay, now your opinion isn't the thing that I'm defining you on. The thing I'm defining you on is that, you know, you're a half drunk elf paladin or something like, and it just makes it easier. Jacob Tegtman (10:48.416) I guess. Jacob Tegtman (11:04.014) Yeah, that's so true. That's so true. Yeah, it definitely does break down those walls and give you that sense of shared history, even if it's like a shared mental history, theater of the mind. So, yeah. Josiah (11:17.27) Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. It's great. Jacob Tegtman (11:21.428) I agree, man. Especially when you're doing... So I haven't read through all of the lore of Starseq. There's just so much in there. I've read through a good deal of it. But I think one of the things that also stands out about at least that game, because I know Penn's still in the work in progress... Josiah (11:38.599) the Jacob Tegtman (11:39.446) that, you know, it does cover a lot of political things and it covers a lot of religious things and you aren't like pushing a view on anybody, but just inherent to human life is politics and religion. so games let you approach these topics like in ways that allow you to explore what could be, but in a safe way and have conversations about what could be without feeling like you're being attacked or told. Josiah (11:53.856) Mm-hmm. Josiah (12:01.6) Thank you. Josiah (12:05.836) Mm-hmm. Yeah, that's really the, again, I'm really glad that you feel that way about the game, because that was one of the number one priorities of it, is there are just really hard conversations that should be had. And that game kind of came out of COVID, where there were a ton of hard conversations people were having. And I think you could spend every day, every minute of every day with people. Jacob Tegtman (12:14.306) Yeah, for sure. Jacob Tegtman (12:23.394) That's right. That's right. Yeah. Josiah (12:33.664) but if they're not people that you feel like you can have hard conversations with, then you haven't really been in community at all. And so having a medium like that, where, like you said, I don't wanna tell anybody what they should believe. There are things that I believe are true about God and about the world and about politics and stuff, but those things have to exist relationally for them to mean anything to you. so... Jacob Tegtman (12:39.788) Yeah. Jacob Tegtman (12:50.542) Sure. Josiah (12:58.954) to have that space to kind of explore and talk and then role play through just makes it fun for one thing, but also makes it so much more personal and so much more impactful, I think. Jacob Tegtman (12:59.374) Yeah. Jacob Tegtman (13:10.772) I agree. So what is the next thing that you said you're working on with StarCert? I think I missed that when you mentioned earlier. Yeah. Josiah (13:16.436) Yeah, so my co-writer, Emily, and her husband Ryan, who did some of the art for Star Set, they have actually written and illustrated the first campaign for it. It's called Echoes on Mars, and that's going to be launching on Kickstarter next month. Jacob Tegtman (13:31.822) Okay. Okay, cool. That's exciting, man. So what number of Kickstarter will this be for you? Josiah (13:38.092) Thank Josiah (13:42.294) That's Josiah (13:46.806) seven maybe six or seven. I'm doing this one well I should say the plan is to do it on Kickstarter but changing a lot of things. I'm still talking to them. My wife is behind me. I still want to talk through some of them with her because it had a lot of very negative Kickstarter experiences and learned a lot. So we're to do this one if we end up doing it on Kickstarter very slim down and very different than some of the other ones. So it's a constant learning experience. Jacob Tegtman (13:48.43) Sort of. Yeah. Jacob Tegtman (13:54.094) Sure. Jacob Tegtman (14:16.43) Yeah, I just remember I feel like every year or so I feel like you're launching something on Kickstarter successfully. So at least from the outsider's view looking in, it's like man Josiah just knows what he's doing with selling games. Josiah (14:30.208) You Well, I know a little bit more than I did last time and that's the goal. Yeah.
An anime-style character with long white hair

Interview with TTRPG Renaissance Man: Mildra the Monk

By Jacob Tegtman • March 25, 2026
Transcribed content from our recent YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=si26EW5kj4Q Transcription Summary Final Fantasy Legend Edition TTRPG discussion covered the game's high customization and free distribution via mythos inspiration and iterative research. Final Fantasy Legend Edition Origin Legend Edition is a medium-complexity TTRPG developed over 4 years to emulate the entire Final Fantasy mythos, avoiding a focus only on the SNES era. The core goal was to create a neutral sandbox emphasizing high customization that supports high fantasy, steampunk, and futuristic settings. Design Philosophy and Research The game is distributed for free to continue the tradition of high-quality, free fan-created content within the TTRPG community. Extensive research was conducted on the IP, including cut content and Ultimania books, which led to the design pillars of iteration and experimentation. Customization and Unique Features Character creation allows hybrid archetypes via the selection of 3 classes from over 50 available options with variable progression speeds. Unique Legend Edition features include row-based combat and active defenses, creating a tactical risk-reward system. Details Introduction to Final Fantasy Legend Edition Project : Jacob Tegtman welcomed Mildra The Monk, the lead designer and spearhead of the Final Fantasy Legend Edition project, to the Eternity TTRPG channel for their first interview of this kind. Mildra The Monk expressed appreciation for being hosted and agreed to begin by discussing their background and the nature of the project (00:00:00). Mildra The Monk's Background and TTRPG Contributions : Mildra The Monk introduced themself as a content creator who has reviewed games, run playtests, and conducted over a thousand interviews in the last five years. They cover third-party D\&D material, indie games, and fan games such as Naruto 5e and Dungeons of the Dragoning, the latter of which started as an April Fool's joke that combined five different RPGs (00:01:03). Most recently, they served as the lead designer and project lead for the Final Fantasy Legend Edition TTRPG (00:02:26). Running a Final Fantasy Legend Edition One-Shot : Mildra The Monk mentioned they had been running a one-shot using the Legend Edition for the past few weeks with rotating party members and ran one for Jacob Tegtman as they were planning content on the game (00:02:26). They noted that a community member has been developing a work-in-progress Roll20 sheet for the game, which had recently received a significant update (00:03:26). Virtual Tabletop Support for Legend Edition : When addressing the question of virtual tabletop support, Mildra The Monk stated that they have not done any real coding in at least ten years and lack the skill set to build a custom sheet from scratch for platforms like Roll20 or Foundry. They acknowledged the community's support, noting that people are using their own time to support the game with tools like the Roll20 sheet (00:03:26). Summary of Final Fantasy Legend Edition : Legend Edition is a medium-complexity TTRPG that took about four years to create, aimed at emulating the Final Fantasy mythos. The project originated from Mildra The Monk's pet peeve that previous tabletop versions of Final Fantasy heavily skewed toward the SNES era (IV, V, and VI), neglecting entries like VII, XIV, and XVI which appeal to newer generations of fans (00:04:21). The goal of Legend Edition is to use the recurring Final Fantasy mythos as a neutral sandbox for tables to build campaigns in any direction, prioritizing customization (00:06:43). Game Design Flexibility and High Customization : The game was designed to be equally viable in high fantasy settings, like Final Fantasy III or IV, as it is in steampunk settings, such as Final Fantasy VI or XIV, and futuristic entries, such as Final Fantasy VIII or XIII. Jacob Tegtman noted that playing the game demonstrated that the number of classes and intricate character details allow players to create characters fitting any Final Fantasy experience they desire (00:06:43). Reasoning Behind Free Distribution of Legend Edition : Mildra The Monk explained that the game is available for free because they came up as a tabletop player seeing high-quality fan games that were just as good as paid games, and they wanted to pass along that torch to the community (00:09:44). They expressed the desire for someone to take their work, hack it, and put up their own version, continuing the chain of free content (00:11:02). Research and Design Philosophy for Legend Edition : A major focus of the project was capturing the soul of Final Fantasy, which involved extensive research, including reviewing existing games, cut content from games, behind-the-scenes interviews, and Ultimania books (00:11:02). The core philosophy derived from this research was "iteration and experimentation," which led to the game's foundational design pillars (00:12:16). The Inspiration to Focus on Final Fantasy : Mildra The Monk is a devoted Final Fantasy fan, but other factors drove the project, including a desire to carry on the lineage of prior Final Fantasy TTRPG fan projects like the mid-90s Returners project (00:12:16). A core motivation was bridging the gap between video games and tabletop gaming, using Final Fantasy because its consistent mythology allows for adaptation that goes beyond merely replicating the video games (00:14:29). Avoiding the Trap of Literal IP Adaptation : Mildra The Monk highlighted a common problem with tabletop adaptations of existing IPs, where designers attempt to adapt the source material wholesale, citing the early TSR run of Indiana Jones as an example where they only allowed players to play as movie characters. Instead, people generally prefer to create their own character within the world, such as being a student at Xavier Academy rather than playing as the X-Men (00:15:49). Emulating the Mythos Over One Game : Mildra The Monk emphasized that designers should emulate the overall mythos of a franchise rather than hyperfocusing on one game or one era (00:17:00). For Final Fantasy, this is supported by recurring elements such as job names, play styles, spell names, summons, and abilities that maintain a consistent theme (00:18:09). Classes, Character Creation, and Flexibility : The customization in Legend Edition is demonstrated by the character creation system where players select three classes with different progression speeds, allowing for a unique hybrid character from over 50 classes (00:21:27). This approach is a compromise that provides the strong thematic elements of the job system without restricting player choices, such as customizing weapon lists to be setting-agnostic and avoid favoring one style of fantasy (00:20:06) (00:22:24). Key Design Pillars of Final Fantasy Legend Edition : Mildra The Monk outlined the three major pillars of the game's design: "mythos not setting," "customization is king," and the **phase structure** (00:24:24). The phase structure involves four acts—preparation, exploration, encounter, and downtime—which is loosely inspired by the Asian four-act format (kishōtenketsu) and the Town-Field-Dungeon trinity pioneered by Dragon Quest (00:25:34). The Research Process as a Favorite Part of the Project : Mildra The Monk stated that the research phase was one of their favorite parts, which allowed them to discover early concepts for the video games that were eventually cut (00:27:50). Examples included the early name for Materia being "spheres," which was later revisited for Final Fantasy X, and a puzzle tattoo mechanic for Final Fantasy X's sphere grid, which was cut (00:28:33). Inspirations and Creative Liberties in Design : The research led to design inspirations such as an unused Chocobo Lancer concept art from Final Fantasy XI resulting in the Chocobo Knight class in Legend Edition, addressing the long-desired idea of Chocobo cavalry (00:29:32). The team took certain liberties, like creating the speed-based Dervish to serve as an answer to the Berserker class, and the Ravager as a spell-spamming class, drawing from inspirations like Final Fantasy XIII (00:31:48). Development of the Yo-kai Class : The Yo-kai class began as an idea for a controllable summon, similar to the Aeons in Final Fantasy X, but was changed to avoid replicating one game (00:31:48). The final concept for the Yo-kai, as avatars for Eidolons, was inspired by the design of Yoko in Bravely Second and the concept of the rider or shioal spiritualist in Voodoo (00:32:43). Impact of Extensive Research on Project Quality : Jacob Tegtman acknowledged that the depth of research, spanning Final Fantasy lore, mythology, and diverse concepts like Voodoo, enabled Mildra The Monk to create over 50 classes, each with up to seven tiers of abilities, amounting to hundreds of unique mechanics that synergize well (00:33:58). Mildra The Monk affirmed that this extensive research, modeled after the preparation of Star Trek producer Harve Bennett before producing *Wrath of Khan*, was a necessary baseline (00:36:10). Historical Context of Final Fantasy Combat System : Mildra The Monk highlighted Hiroyuki Itto, the pioneer of the job system and the Active Time Battle (ATB) system, noting that he cited American football and Formula 1 as inspirations for ATB (00:39:09). Mildra The Monk asserted that the shift toward action-based combat, seen in games like Final Fantasy XV and XVI, was an evolution building on foundations laid decades ago by Itto, not a radical shift (00:40:15). Snapshot of Unique Legend Edition Features : For those unfamiliar with Legend Edition, Mildra The Monk listed key differentiators, including high customizability in the job system, easy creation of hybrid archetypes, fewer but more impactful skills, and multiple character creation/advancement methods (00:41:59). Jacob Tegtman added the unique row-based combat and active defenses, such as parrying and evading, which create a tactical, risk-reward philosophy in the design (00:43:17). Future Vision and Upcoming Projects for Mildra The Monk : Immediate future plans include overseeing support elements like new Excel and HTML solo-play sheets, as well as writing world book guides, which are lighter books focused on emulating individual Final Fantasy entries like FFIII or FFVIII (00:45:13). They are also considering TTRPGs based on 2D fighting games, aiming for a defined setting like a fighting game version of Night City, and they intend to create a fantasy-themed mech game and a Wuxia-themed RPG (00:46:24). Ongoing Efforts to Promote the TTRPG Community : Mildra The Monk is continuing their mission to showcase the totality of tabletop role-playing games by highlighting the international scene, including content from Brazil, Germany, and Sweden (00:50:01) (00:52:17). They mentioned forthcoming streams covering the Spanish Anima Universe, Sword World, and *We's Blade*, a game compared to *Panzer Dragoon* (00:51:15). Availability and Support for Mildra The Monk : Mildra The Monk can be found streaming regularly on YouTube and Twitch, on Twitter where they highlight artists and indie games, and in their personal Discord (00:55:07). While Legend Edition remains free, they have set up support mechanisms like Ko-fi for those who wish to leave a tip (00:56:19).
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