The Dungeon Master Journal

Guides, adventures, and ideas for every DM and player.

Platform Updates

Lexicon Search Overhaul: Faster, Fuzzier, Harder to Stump

Trigram indexing and relevance tuning for rule lookups

Lexicon search now uses trigram indexing for typo-tolerant lookups — find Fireball even when you type "firball".

Dave April 23, 2026 1 min read
lexiconsearchperformance
AI Dungeon Master

RoleForge vs dungeonmaster.website: Rules and Combat

Simulation depth vs modern campaign stack

RoleForge targets simulation-heavy RPG mechanics; dungeonmaster.website balances 5e tools, maps, and AI narration for online groups.

Dave April 14, 2026 1 min read
roleforgecomparisoncombat
DM Guides

Session Recaps Players Actually Read

Short, structured, sent before game night

Write recaps in bullet form with names, unresolved hooks, and next-session time — skip the novel nobody opens.

Dave April 8, 2026 1 min read
recapscontinuitycommunication
Platform Updates

Session Prep Notes and Initiative Tracking

Arrive organized, run combat without sticky notes

Prep notes attach to campaigns before you play; the initiative tracker keeps turn order and HP visible for the whole table.

Dave April 2, 2026 1 min read
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AI Dungeon Master

Friends and Fables vs dungeonmaster.website

Story-first solo vs campaign platform

Friends and Fables excels at character-driven AI narrative; dungeonmaster.website targets multiplayer campaigns, maps, and SRD tooling.

Dave March 17, 2026 1 min read
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Platform Updates

One-Shots Library and PDF Exports

Playable adventures with digital and print-ready PDFs

Browse community one-shots, rate adventures, and download digital or print PDFs — or play instantly with the AI DM.

Dave March 12, 2026 1 min read
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DM Guides

Handling Problem Players Without Ruining the Table

Address behavior, not character

Spotlight hogging, rules lawyering, and phone use need direct conversations — separate in-character conflict from out-of-character behavior.

Dave March 4, 2026 1 min read
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Platform Updates

Character Sheets and the Rules Lexicon

Your party on the page, SRD rules one search away

Create and edit 5e-style character sheets, export PDFs, and search spells, monsters, classes, and gear in the built-in lexicon.

Dave February 20, 2026 1 min read
characterslexiconsrd
AI Dungeon Master

Playing TTRPG with Grok: A Field Report

Punchy voice, vibes-based dice

Grok brings fast, irreverent GM narration but struggles with long campaign memory and consistent 5e mechanics — an honest test report.

Dave February 18, 2026 1 min read
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DM Guides

When Players Go Off Script

The plan burned — now what?

When players ignore the quest hook, steal the plot, or befriend the villain — respond with consequences, not punishment or railroading.

Dave February 11, 2026 1 min read
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