PhD20 provides tools, resources, and ideas for running better games. I write about worldbuilding, campaign organization, and the tools that support both. I believe that great games come from GM inspiration connected to meaningful player choice, not a story written in advance.
About the Author
👋 I'm Kirk. I've been running D&D and creating for TTRPGs since 2010. I love worldbuilding, campaign management, and the art of gamemastery.
Acererak's Apprentice
In 2012, I entered a dungeon design contest on the Dungeon Master Experience blog by D&D's Chris Perkins. To my surprise and delight, he selected my dungeon as a finalist:
Memorable dungeons, like memorable NPCs, have secrets. Starfire's dungeon has one of the coolest secrets I've seen in a long time: part of it was built on top of a sleeping dragon. The fact that the dragon is the dungeon's "treasure" is another nice touch, and far more interesting than a sarcophagus full of gold pieces! Add a few oddly shaped rooms and some cross-hatching around the walls, and we end up with a dungeon that really stands out.1
YouTube
That introduced me to the wider online D&D community. I went on to run a YouTube channel for five years, back when TTRPG YouTube was a small handful of creators, before Matt Colville and the rise of modern "DungeonTube." That community was called the YouTube RPG Brigade and was truly transformational for me. I met amazing individuals, dissected our wonderful hobby, and participated in charity-driven online conventions (known as BrigadeCon).
The Blog
After mostly retiring my YouTube channel, the blog became my primary focus online. This is the real home of PhD20 today and where you'll find links to all of my activity and doings on the internets. I write about gamemastery, worldbuilding, campaign management, and more. Subscribe to the free newsletter to stay in touch and thanks for being here.
I don't use generative AI for creative work. The ideas here are mine.
Game on.