Designing a D&D Campaign for Middle Schoolers Afterschool: Episode 1

Designing a D&D Campaign for a Middle School afterschool program.


Greetings, and welcome back to Modern Papyrus! Today I’ll start looking at a new series of designing a Dungeons and Dragons campaign for a group of middle schoolers that fits into a shortened time period after school. This has it’s own challenges and restrictions that require some suitable tweaks to the standard D&D Campaign. So let’s take a look!

Continue reading “Designing a D&D Campaign for Middle Schoolers Afterschool: Episode 1”

Renaissance Festival Roundup


Today I’m going to recap my trip to the Maryland Renaissance Festival (in brief) and share some exciting news, as well as plans for some future blog posts!

As always, I loved visiting the Renaissance Festival. My hosts – the wonderful Vicki and Thomas at Page after Page – were gracious and supportive as always. Even in the rainy early October weather, we had great crowds and wonderful patrons coming by to purchase, get books signed, or just to chat! I had one of my best selling days so far, even with the poor weather, and I hope to be back next year.

While the blog has been a bit more inconsistent as of late, I’m hoping that with the school year settling down that I’ll be able to write some more. I have started planning my next novel – focusing on Corbus and his continuing story – as a stand alone (at this point) story arc. The goal is to get this story planned out by November so I can participate in NaNoWriMo for the (however many) year in a row. We’ll see where it goes!

Today’s Renaissance Festival Book Signing is a go!


Even though the winds may blow and the rain may fall, I’ll still be there to sign books for you all! Today’s book signing event at the Renaissance Festival in Crownville, MD, is on as scheduled. Wear your warm clothes and take a cloak, buy some hot mead or cider and come enjoy the day. All five of my novels, plus my anthology, will be on sale through Page after Page, the wonderful book store hosting me for today.

Make sure you click the link above to buy your ticket, as there are no tickets available at the door. While you’re there, check out all the amazing vendors and performers and give them a hearty Huzzah!

See you there!

Renfest Book Signing this October!


Hi everyone,

It’s been a busy time here in the Ottalini household, but I’m excited for things to settle down a bit with the school year starting, and even more pleased to announce my return to the Maryland Renaissance Festival this October 2nd, 2022! Thanks to the kind generosity of Page after Page, the preeminent (and only!) Bookstore at the festival, I’ll be signing copies of my novels and anthology, which you can pick up there in person!

Also feel free to chat with me about all the great Dungeons and Dragons modules I’ve been putting out this last year.

See me last year in my author get-up. I’ll hopefully have a few additional pieces of gear to wear this year! Make your reservations to visit the faire here, and come out and support me and my books (and have a cracking good time at one of the best events in the Mid Atlantic!)

If you can’t wait to get your copies, you can always order them in advance here!

New DM’s Guild Product Coming Soon! Maps of the Sandsea


Hi everyone! Yes, I’m alive! It’s been a minute since we last touched base, but life has been happening here. I have been making some progress on writing and creating, so I’m excited to announce an upcoming map pack for your online RPG’s entitled “Maps of the Sandsea” – This will be offered as a stand alone project in connection with my forthcoming adventure supplement “Into the Sandsea” (Into the Sandsea will include the maps, but I often find that people want maps alone to be used for a variety of other reasons. The maps will be offered in three version each – standard, nighttime, and sandstorm.

Made with Inkarnate.com

Here’s the (not quite finished) example of a type of map you’d find in this map pack! An ancient ruin that’s been serving as a temporary waystation in the desert, stalked by a hidden beast that drags people back into the abandoned well. Trying to drink the water ensures the beast tries to attack you.

If you’re interested in such a map pack, be sure to subscribe to the blog to get the most up-to-date information on this and all my other writing projects!

The Mystery of Drav’eka Manor now available!


The Mystery of Drav’eka Manor is now available on DM’s Guild!

The Mystery of Drav’eka Manor is an adventure module built for a group of level six to eight PCs. Investigate the Drav’eka manor, deal with a band of Searing Torchbearer cultists, and discover the roots behind why the manor was abandoned. Within this 21-page adventure module you’ll find…

  • Clues to the cause of the curse on the Manor
  • New enemies to fight with new stat lines.
  • An host of plot hooks perfect for any world, setting, or campaign.
  • Three DM maps and two player maps of the manor, with area by area descriptions!
  • Traps, challenges, and intrigue perfect for your newly powerful PC party!

For only $2.99, all the mystery is yours!

Cover Reveal – The Mystery of Drav’eka Manor

Check here for the cover reveal for my forthcoming Mystery of Drav’eka Manor 5e adventure module!


That’s right! It’s finally here! The Mystery of Drav’eka Manor goes live this week on DM’s Guild, and here’s the cover! Created by the talented Tim Williamson, I’m absolutely in love with this cover. Hand drawn with ink, it completely conveys the mood of this story. There’s also an alternate cover, which I decided to use later on within the module itself, also created by Williamson.

Like what you read? Want to learn more? Subscribe to the blog to get the latest! Check out my other D&D adventures here, or my full-length alternate history novels!

What’s that Burning Smell? A look at the Cult of the Searing Torchbearers

Meet the Searing Torchbearer Cultists


“Those cultists are another thing, I tell you. More likely to burn each other with those weird symbols of those. Some people like the smell of bacon in the morning. I think they prefer the smell of another meat instead….” – Maud the Mauler, after an encounter with the Searing Torchbearers in Pier’s Landing.

Continue reading “What’s that Burning Smell? A look at the Cult of the Searing Torchbearers”

Tallvanor’s Tales: From the High Seas to The High Temple


When last we left Tallvanor and his band of, well, ne’er-do-wells, the party was struggling to deal with the after effects of chasing down leads in Mulhussen. We’ve since gained some new party members and we realized we would need holy intervention if we truly were up against some type of unholy or vampiric influence. Ibrahim and Tilly, our newest Paladin and Cleric, joined the party, while Claudia, our bard, disgusted at the events that took place around the stealing of the annals of the Yellow King, left the party.

Continue reading “Tallvanor’s Tales: From the High Seas to The High Temple”

New D&D Coming Soon! The Mystery of Drav’eka Manor


As you round a turn in the road, the signs of civilization fading behind you, you spy a dark stone mansion rising in the distance. Getting closer, the remnants of several wooden outbuildings appear, flanked by the foreboding dark woods of the surrounding forest. The burbling of a creek comes from your left. A window shutter bangs closed in the wind from an abandoned building. The manor looms before you, two large wings to either side of a balcony – covered entryway. This is the infamous Drav’eka Manor.

Continue reading “New D&D Coming Soon! The Mystery of Drav’eka Manor”
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