Not all readers are aware that this blog has a   free downloads page , where all .pdf resources produced by the Athenaeum are posted for reader use. In addition to the popular “100 lists” available...

It is certainly possible to play Dungeons & Dragons without giving a single thought toward how monsters and villains end up awaiting heroes in elaborate lairs; if the primary point of the game is to defeat...

In keeping with this site’s mission statement , which is geared toward making utility a priority, and in order to make accessing information on the Athenaeum easier, all 150 posts on this site have been organized into a...

While reorganizing Athenaeum content into a forthcoming post index, this writer happened upon this post , which dealt with creating a unique flavor in a Dungeons & Dragons campaign by developing slang words for the common...

This Australian Aboriginal rock art depicts what could be a creation ancestor. This sort of art, and the creation story that inspired it, is a useful source of inspiration for DMs designing adventures for primal heroes...

The AD&D module "Treasure Hunt," published in 1986, can prove instructive in bringing the lethality and tension of the game's first edition to the game's current edition. Years ago, when opening the fourth edition Player’s Handbook...

The "Reverse Dungeon" module was a breath of fresh air for the writer's game 10 years ago. Adventures like it can do the same for your game today. In this writer’s estimation, one of the high...

          These Genoese coins, dating to the 12th Century, are a prime example of silver standard currency. Inside the treasure chest are 3,500 gold pieces, a silver bracelet inlaid with ivory worth another...

Joan of Arc is interrogated by The Cardinal of Winchester in her prison, by Paul Delaroche Essentially, there are two situations where interrogation might take place during a Dungeons & Dragons adventure: when the heroes are...

Well, I tried and tried to find my backups but apparently they were on my larger portable hard drive, which got stolen at my old roommates job. Bummer. So I’m trying to recreate some of my better...