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Last 100 Posts (Across All of Justin’s Blogs)
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Pathfinder Quest Launches The BackerKit campaign I designed for Paizo's Pathfinder Quest is now live for backers and funded after just a few minutes! Be sure to check it out here, and don't miss out on the amazing BackerKit exclusive Deluxe edition of the game!
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New Random Dungeon Map Generator I've just released a new Random Dungeon Map Generator. The web app creates a random dungeon with a click. Entirely unique and generated on the fly. It has options to create Small Maps (4-6 rooms) for one-shots, Large Maps (7-12 Rooms), and X-Large maps (13-19 rooms). It's highly customizable including features like: Just click the…
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Tavern Sign Crafter Updated Version 3.0 of the Tavern Sign Crafter was released on 08/19/2025. This updated version has a dynamic interface, live preview, and an export (to PNG) option. It currently it still uses the same asset library that I created back in 2016, but I may get around to releasing an update for that soon. Click here…
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Widdershins Clock — Collaborative Poetic Storytelling Game Widdershins Clock is a rules-lite collaborative poetic storytelling game for four to six players. To play, you'll need a single six-sided die, something to write on and with, and optionally five “muse” tokens per player. About the Game — The goal of the game is for the players to collaboratively compose a poem that tells…
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Science Fiction VTT Map Value Bundles Joining the best selling Fantasy Adventure value bundles, the long awaited Science Fiction value bundles are now available! Themed sets with a 25% discount off individual map pricing. Sci-fi cartography by Justin Andrew Mason. These have been marked as featured titles in the Paths to Adventure shop as well!
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Building A Custom Soundboard (Brainstorming) So, one of the ideas I've been mulling around has been creating a custom sound board. This means creating a lot of sound effects from scratch and building a library that can be indexed logically for quick reference. Especially on the fly, during a game session. I'm creating this journal entry as sort of a…
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The Dungeon Challenge Begins The Paths to Adventure Dungeon Challenge kicked off on August 11th, 2025 with the goal of creating a 100-room mega-dungeon adventure by designing one room every weekday. Over the years, I’ve seen variations of the challenge circulating through the gaming community. With the relaunch of the PTA website, I have decided to toss my hat…
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New Paths to Adventure Website Launches As the sun sets on our intrepid knight, and the old logo is retired, I'd like to welcome you to the new (and much improved) PTA website! The previous blog site was created back in 2013 when the imprint was founded using Google's Blogspot platform. The layout and functionality didn't undergo many changes in the…
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Machine Mods & Customization My love for retro 80s and 90s 8-bit video games is a big part of my nostalgic vibe. From collecting old games and consoles, to video game history preservation, to pixel art and chiptune music. I've only started to dabble into modding machines, but its a crafty venue I plan on spending more of my…
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Green Knight's Helm The Green Knight’s helm is a mod project I undertook awhile back while paying homage to a childhood adventure. An unwitting quest that went awry, and then concluded nearly two decades later by the conversion of universal oddities. For this project to come about, some really strange temporal twists were traveled both by me, and…
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Starfinder Space Goblin In spacez, no wun can hear yoo singsong¿ When Starfinder (Paizo) released, I went all in. I think I have everything published in the first two years, as well as packaged miniatures that were never released, the auctioned rule book with all the design team signatures, special edition dice… and then could never find a…
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Painting TTRPG Miniatures I'll be the first to admit that my talents do not currently reside in the arena of miniature painting. Despite my lack in skill and experience, I still quite enjoy the process. I find it an amazing stress reliever and distraction when I need to "touch grass" but don't actually want to. The level of…
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Mini-Dungeon: A Decade of Adventure I've written a short history of the Mini-Dungeon series (AAW Games), its roots delving back to the seminal era of tabletop roleplaying games, and how a simple idea spawned over decade of adventure, two hardcover books, multiple cross-promotion releases, an old-school zine, and over 300 published adventures all available in print and for virtual tabletops….
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Into the Wintery Gale: A Retrospective It has been a decade since I wrote the adventures series for AAW Games, and I felt it deserved a retrospective glance. Starting with the hardcover book, Wrath of the Jötunn, the Into the Wintery Gale series would be my first major project as a game designer, and the lessons learned would prove to be…
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Theory of Branding/Cover Art Evolution Here is my theory on the evolution of the branding/cover artwork for Solstice: The Staff of Demnos. It's a curious tale of character evolution through the lens of 90s marketing, and a glance into how branding for video games of the era was approached and executed. Artwork #1—Mark Wilson In early 1989 (or perhaps earlier)…
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Two Major Projects Featured in Forbes I'm excited to see that two of my major projects are both listed in the top five recommendations of the 2024 Forbes gift guide published by Forbes Media. Both Mini-Dungeon Tome I and Mini-Dungeon Tome II (AAW Games) are recommended must have holiday gifts for Dungeons & Dragons Dungeon Masters. Between the two books, I…
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Libram of Lost Spells Funds The Kickstarter campaign I designed for The Libram of Lost Spells (TPK Games) has funded! The project closed with $66,040 USD funded by 1,022 backers. Be sure to check out this vast hardcover tome filled with lost spells and more from earlier editions of D&D, resurrected for use with the 5th Edition rules.
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Now in Your Local Library via Hoopla D&D 5th Edition comes to the library system! Proud to announce the top AAW Games titles in ebook format are now available to most library systems via the Hoopla digital web and mobile apps in the United States, Australia/New Zealand, and other English-speaking countries. Be sure to check out some really great books that I…
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Featured in Game Trade Magazine The Mini-Dungeon Tome II (AAW Games) is featured in the April Issue #290 of Game Trade Magazine detailing its over 110 adventures and special Limited Edition print. It's always a neat feeling to unexpectedly find your projects in media publications.
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Music & Sound Effects for Your Campaign I just developed and pushed into live production a massive library of audio effects and ambient music that streams directly through a convenient categorized soundboard for AAW Games subscribers. The audio catalog include the hundreds of audio assets published by the company including all the adventure soundtracks. Anyone with a subscription based service to their…
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Gary Gygax Documentary Available Now The Gary Gygax documentary for which I was a producer and content creator for, "The Dreams in Gary's Basement" (Dorks of Yore; Directed by Pat Kilbane), is now available on Blu-ray Disc, DVD, and via digital streaming at rpghistory.net. The documentary was selected for Beloit International Film Festival 2025 and was the Gen Con Film…
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Mini-Dungeon Tome II for Pathfinder 2E Funds The Kickstarter campaign I designed for Mini-Dungeon Tome II for Pathfinder 2E (AAW Games) has funded! The project closed with $29,229 USD funded by 517 backers. I contributed dozens of maps and authored adventures for this tome consisting of more than 120 one-shot adventures. Check out this fantastic hardcover book filled with adventures designed to…
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Mediterranean Monsters Funds The Kickstarter campaign I designed for Mediterranean Monsters & Mythology (Legendary Games) has funded! The project closed with $69,276 USD funded by 1,195 backers. This amazing book brings to life more than 120 incredible creatures drawn from the myths and legends from around the Mediterranean Sea.
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Rultmoork Box Set Released This was my first opportunity to design a box cover for a tabletop roleplaying book set, and I was given creative freedom to "make it pop". Since the printer had the capability of printing the interior as well, I went ahead and designed a full wrap to try and capture the essence of the Rulemoork…
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Gaming Memory—The Hobby Shop (This article, written in 2016, was migrated from the original Paths to Adventure Website) Sweltering summer radiated from the sun overhead. There was not a cloud in sight and the heat wavered and undulated against spongy asphalt through the obscenest humidity. It was high noon during mid-summer in southwestern Kentucky. The constant rhythmic gusts of…
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Gaming Memory—A New Kind of Adventure (This article, written in 2016, was migrated from the original Paths to Adventure Website) My Introduction to Tabletop RPG Gaming & My First Player Characters It was the frigid winter of 1991, I was eleven years old, and attending Christian County Middle School in Hopkinsville, Kentucky. Among the small niche of new friends I had…
Last 100 Posts (The Dungeon Challenge)
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Dungeon Challenge—Room #020 Reflections of Death Cartography: The room is 30 feet from east to west and 30 feet north to south. Centered on the northern wall is a 10-foot wide corridor that extends north for 10 feet before terminating at a door. Centered on the eastern wall is a 10-foot wide corridor that extends 20 feet before…
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Dungeon Challenge—Room #019 Hall of Heroes Cartography: The room consists of three areas. The center is 50 feet from east to west and 30 feet north to south. The southeasternmost 20 feet extends south into a 20-foot wide, 30-foot tall area. On the western side, the room shifts at a rhombic angle, extending northwest for 30 feet before…
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Dungeon Challenge—Room #018 Sanctuary Cartography: The room is 60 feet from north to south and 50 feet from east to west, shaped like an ellipse. There are doors centered on both the north and south walls, and two additional doors on the east and west walls, each located 10 feet south of the center of their respective wall….
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Dungeon Challenge—Room #017 Tomb of the Engineer Cartography: The room is 60 feet from east to west and 30 feet north to south. There is a door centered on the western wall. Room Details: The ceiling here has an angular vault that rises perpendicular to the east-to-west length of the chamber, from a base 10-foot ceiling to an…
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Dungeon Challenge—Room #016 The Burden of Grief Cartography: The room is 40 feet from east to west and 40 feet north to south. The two northern corners are beveled at a 45-degree angle. There is a door on the western wall, located 10 feet north of the south wall. Room Details: The ceiling here is 10 feet high….
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Dungeon Challenge—Room #015 Tears of the River Maiden Cartography: The room is 40 feet from east to west and 40 feet north to south. The two southern corners are beveled at a 45-degree angle. There is a door on the western wall, located 10 feet south of the north wall. Room Details: The ceiling of this room is…
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Dungeon Challenge—Room #014 The Pain of Betrayal Cartography: The room is 15 feet from east to west and 70 feet north to south. The corners are beveled at 45 degrees. There is a door centered on the northern wall and another centered on the southern wall. Room Details: The ceiling in this room is 30 feet high, but…
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Dungeon Challenge—Room #013 Forgotten Secrets Cartography: The room is 20 feet from east to west and 50 feet north to south. The southern wall is rounded into a semi-circle, encompassing the southernmost 10 feet of the chamber. There is a door within a 10-foot wide, 5-foot deep alcove centered on the west wall. Room Details: The ceiling in…
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Dungeon Challenge—Room #012 Memories Lost Cartography: The room is 30 feet from east to west and 40 feet north to south. There is a door centered on the northern wall, and another door located 10 feet from the south wall, centered within a recessed 10-foot wide, 5-foot deep alcove on the eastern wall. Room Details: The ceiling in…
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Dungeon Challenge—Room #011 Seed of the Southern Twin Cartography: The room is 30 feet from east to west and 40 feet north to south. 10 feet from the northern wall, the western wall opens into a 10-foot wide corridor that continues west for 10 feet before terminating at a door. Room Details: The ceiling in this room is…
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Dungeon Challenge—Room #010 Seed of the Northern Twin Cartography: The room is 30 feet from east to west and 40 feet north to south. 10 feet from the southern wall, the western wall opens into a 10-foot wide corridor that continues west for 10 feet before terminating at a door. Room Details: The ceiling in this room is…
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Dungeon Challenge—Room #009 A Place of Growth Cartography: (Preview map rotated 90-degrees counterclockwise.) The room is 60 feet from east to west and 110 feet north to south. Both the north and south walls have a 40-foot wide, 10-foot deep angular alcove centered on them, each beveling at 45 degrees for 10 feet before terminating at 20-foot wide…
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Dungeon Challenge—Room #008 A Light Shines Through Cartography: The room is a 10-foot wide corridor that is occupied for 10 feet by a steep 45-degree angle stairwell that descends for 15 feet, then continues east for another 20 feet before turning south for an additional 10 feet and opening into a larger chamber. The chamber is 30 feet…
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Game Design Post #003 — The Stories of the Dead I want the dungeon’s trapped souls to share a hidden thread rather than feel random. My approach is to give each group of soulbound creatures its own backstory, while weaving subtle connections between them. As I expand the story room by room, my goal is to reveal an underlying narrative for adventurers to uncover: the…
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Dungeon Challenge—Room #007 The Darkness Within Cartography: (Preview map rotated 90-degrees counterclockwise.) The room is 40 feet from east to west and 80 feet north to south. The northern and southern quarters of the room are rounded into semi-circles, with the north curve encompassing the northernmost 10 feet and the south curve encompassing the southernmost 20 feet. There…
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Dungeon Challenge—Room #006 A Time for Valor Cartography: The room is a 10-foot wide corridor that extends 20 feet south from the base of a steep 45-degree stairwell that ascends 15 feet northward, turns east for another 40 feet, and terminates at a door. In the southernmost section, centered on the north wall, is a 20-foot wide, 10-foot…
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Dungeon Challenge—Room #005 The Place of Suffering Cartography: The room is 80 feet from east to west and 40 feet north to south. The corners are cut at 45-degree angles. There is a door on the north wall, 10 feet from the northwestern bevel, and another door on the south wall, 10 feet from the southeastern bevel. Room…
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Dungeon Challenge—Room #004 The Gullet of Gluttony Cartography: The room is 30 feet from east to west and 40 feet north to south. Centered on the south wall is a 10-foot wide corridor opening that leads to a steep 45-degree staircase ascending 15 feet. Room Details: The ceiling of this room is 10 feet high and formed of…
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Dungeon Challenge—Room #003 An Endless Thirst for Life Cartography: The room is 50 feet from east to west and 40 feet north to south. There is a door centered on both the north and south walls, and on the western wall, there is a 20-foot wide, 10-foot deep semi-circular alcove. Room Details: The ceiling of this room is…
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Dungeon Challenge—Room #002 The Nexus of Future Past Cartography: The room is 80 feet from east to west and 50 feet north to south. Each corner is angled at 45 degrees, creating a 5-foot wall. There is a door in the center of the east and west walls, and two doors each on the north and south walls,…
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Game Design Post #002 — Title Treatment Design Since I have already decided on a title for the adventure, I also decided to create branding for it as well by designing a title treatment. This will help me to set the "vibe" as the adventure design moves forward.
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Game Design Post #001 — Why are we here? What's the story? So, I'm going to create a mega-dungeon as part of the Dungeon Challenge! Great! So… what kind of dungeon? What has prompted the adventurers to delve into it? I don't want to create a weirdly disjointed dungeon for the sake of having a hundred rooms. I want to create a story. It needs a backbone;…
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Game Development Post #001 — Creating Dungeon Zone 1 The first step in getting started on this Dungeon Challenge is to create a blank dungeon map. Rather than trying to design the entire dungeon layout up-front, I have opted to create the maps in sections, each representing a "zone" of the dungeon. These zones will also be used to help me manage game balance…
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Dungeon Challenge—Room #001 The Path of Ages Cartography: The room is 90 feet from east to west and 10 feet north to south. Along the south wall, there are three semi-circular alcoves, each 20 feet wide and 10 feet deep, spaced 10 feet apart. The west wall is open, leading to a steep stairwell angled at 45-degrees that…