Sixsmith Games blog and product updates

The blog covers releases, product updates, studio announcements, and other time-sensitive notes. Evergreen product guides live on the Articles page.

Release notes, product updates, and studio announcements. For product guides and evergreen explainers, visit the Articles page.

Latest posts

Nobody Remembers Who Hates Who: A Faction Web That Actually Works

Nobody Remembers Who Hates Who: A Faction Web That Actually Works Three sessions of political intrigue in and you can't remember if the Ashguild owes the Duke...

Steal This Boss Fight Trick: Villain Actions Instead of Legendary Actions

Your boss monster gets one turn to the party's four or five. Here's the villain-action trick that fixes the math — no legendary-resistance spreadsheet required.

Whose Turn Is It Anyway: The Habit That Keeps Big Fights From Stalling

The stall in every big fight isn't the dice — it's not knowing whose turn it is. Here's the two-habit fix, and why a shared turn/condition tracker like Virtual Combat Simulator does it automatically.

Fast Fingers, Fewer Typos: Typing Speed Is a Table Skill Now

A handful of boring-but-effective habits — targeted drills, personal shorthand, timed reps — that actually shave seconds off combat callouts and PbP replies, plus why MasterTyping's assessment-first approach beats another generic worksheet.

Canon Debt: The One-Page Log That Stops Your Campaign From Contradicting Itself

Session notes are a diary. Canon is a different document — here's the one-page format that stops your campaign from contradicting itself six months from now.

The One-Page Session Zero That Actually Survives Week Three

Most session zero docs get written once, nodded at, and buried in a Discord channel by the third session. Here's a leaner format — and a better place to keep it — so it actually gets used.

Session Zero, But Make It Actually Do Something: The Three-Thread Trick

Session zero has a branding problem. Ask most tables what it's for and you'll hear "safety tools" and "house rules" and maybe "we picked our characters." All...

The Five-Minute Fix for NPCs With Amnesia

Your players remember every promise an NPC ever made. Here's the lightweight tracking system that keeps your world's memory as sharp as theirs.

The Three-Sentence NPC: How to Stop Freezing When Players Go Off-Script

Your players just walked up to a blacksmith you didn't prep. Here's the fast, three-part method for improvising an NPC who actually feels like a person, and how to keep the good ones from vanishing after the session ends.

Stop Counting Squares: The Zone Trick That Keeps Combat Moving Without Losing the Tactics

Stop Counting Squares: The Zone Trick That Keeps Combat Moving Without Losing the Tactics A middle-ground technique for running combat when a full battle grid...

It's Not Your Wi-Fi: The Real Bottleneck in Play-by-Post Games

Async Discord campaigns live and die on how fast you can type a reply. Here's the real math on WPM, why your typing plateaued in middle school, and the fifteen-minute daily fix.

Session Zero Isn't a Rules Read-Through: The 90-Minute Framework We Actually Use

A concrete, 90-minute Session Zero framework for GMs: pitch, lines and veils, safety tools, and building characters together in GameMasterCraft before session one.

Locked Orders: Why the Best Strategy Games Won't Let You Take It Back

RoboRally and Diplomacy figured out decades ago that locking in your move before you see what happens creates more tension than any dice roll. Here's why Gravity is built the same way.

Your Homebrew Isn't Done Until It Survives Contact With Your Table

Writing the cool ability is maybe 30% of the job. Here's the actual workflow for playtesting, formatting, and versioning homebrew so it's ready to hand off — not just ready to admire in a doc.

Running for Strangers: A Gen Con 2026 Prep Checklist That Actually Works

Running for Strangers: A Gen Con 2026 Prep Checklist That Actually Works Gen Con 2026 hits Indianapolis July 30 through August 2, and if you're one of the...

Why We Still Love Waiting Our Turn

Why We Still Love Waiting Our Turn Every few months another headline declares that strategy gaming is "back," and 2026 has been especially loud about it....

Instant Play Unlocked: Your Browser, Your Game World

Instant Play Unlocked: Your Browser, Your Game World The gaming world is buzzing about a huge wave of high-fidelity, browser-based games, especially MMORPGs,...

Deep Strategy, Zero Downloads: Four Star General

Deep Strategy, Zero Downloads: Four Star General Dive into the future of wargaming where browser-based means deep strategy, not simple clickers. Four Star...

Conquer Campaign Chaos: Organize Your TTRPG Lore with GameMasterCraft

Conquer Campaign Chaos: Organize Your TTRPG Lore with GameMasterCraft Feeling overwhelmed by your D&D campaign notes? GameMasterCraft helps TTRPG game masters...

Combat Clarity: TTRPG Tools Level Up

Combat Clarity: TTRPG Tools Level Up Tired of D&D combat chaos? Digital tools are transforming how Game Masters run encounters, bringing order to the...

Roll for Initiative: AI Joins Your Writing Party?

Roll for Initiative: AI Joins Your Writing Party? AI is poised to transform creative workflows for GMs, worldbuilders, and game designers. With Apple's...

Commanding Respect: Four Star General Unlocks All

Commanding Respect: Four Star General Unlocks All This Memorial Day is 25 May 2026. Four Star General is unlocking all its features, offering players...

GM Prep: Level Up Your Campaign Flow

GM Prep: Level Up Your Campaign Flow Tired of campaign prep feeling like a full-time job? This post dives into how GameMasterCraft streamlines organizing NPCs,...

Beyond the Bloat: Refocusing on Combat Clarity

Beyond the Bloat: Refocusing on Combat Clarity The Virtual Table Top VTT space is buzzing with updates, but GMs and players are looking for focused tools....

Hexes & Heroes: The Panzer General Legacy Lives On

Hexes & Heroes: The Panzer General Legacy Lives On Dive into the enduring appeal of hex-grid WWII strategy games, from the community-driven Panzer Marshal to...

Level Up Your GM Game: Tools for Master Minds

Level Up Your GM Game: Tools for Master Minds Ever wonder what happens behind the GM screen? It's a challenging mix of worldbuilding, improv, and keeping...

Unlocking Your Lore: The Evolving Landscape of Writer Tools

Unlocking Your Lore: The Evolving Landscape of Writer Tools New platforms are emerging that prioritize ease of use, integrated features, and even AI...

Grimdark's Grip: Sharpening Dark TTRPGs

The air thickens, a suffocating blanket of dread. Your players are trapped in a tomb, the last torch sputtering, and every shadow whispers of a painful end. In grimdark TTRPGs like Shadowdark or Deathbringer, one wrong move, one forgotten rule, and a hero becomes another forgotten corpse. This is the brutal beauty we chase. But what shatters this fragile immersion? Not the fangs of a beast, but the flicking of pages, the frantic search for a modifier, or the agonizing guess about range. That’s when the 'grim' stops being about existential horror and starts being about tedious administrative burden.

Unleash Your Inner General: Why Strategy Games Are So Much Fun, and Why Four Star General Is a Must-Play

Discover the joy of outthinking your opponents in strategy games! From recent hits to hidden gems, we dive into why plotting your next move is endlessly fun, and shine a spotlight on Four Star General, a WWII tactical turn-based game that promises pure, strategic satisfaction.

Beyond the Dice: Must-Have Tools for the Modern Dungeon Master

Every great Dungeon Master knows the magic and the madness of game night. The lights are low, snacks are arrayed, and the clatter of dice is a promise of adventure. For many, nothing beats the classic tabletop RPG game night. Whether you're delving into forgotten ruins in a D&D 5e campaign or exploring the new frontiers of Daggerheart, the magic of the tabletop is undeniable. But behind every legendary quest and unforgettable character stands one unsung hero: the Dungeon Master. Their role is a unique blend of storyteller, referee, world-builder, and even a little bit of IT support – and let's be honest, it's a monumental task. From creating compelling NPCs to tracking intricate lore and managing chaotic combat, the sheer volume of "DM work" can feel like a quest in itself. What if you could lighten that load, letting your creative genius shine without getting bogged down by the administrative beast?

Your DM's New Best Friend: Virtual Combat Simulator

Every Dungeon Master knows the struggle of tracking epic battles. Sixsmith Games' Virtual Combat Simulator is a browser-based tool designed to streamline TTRPG combat, freeing DMs to focus on storytelling and immersive play. It's perfect for systems like D&D and Daggerheart, enhancing the tabletop experience by handling the administrative grind, much like the thriving turn-based strategy games that value tactical depth.

Tactics & Chill: TBS is Back, Baby!

The turn-based strategy genre is experiencing a vibrant resurgence, blending classic mechanics with fresh innovation. Recent launches like Xenonauts 2 and Fight Life: Vanguard, alongside anticipated titles like Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era, are captivating tacticians with their strategic depth and community-driven gameplay.

AI Art in Games: Glitch or Feature?

The gaming community is locked in a heated debate over the role of AI-generated graphics in video games. While AI for efficiency is largely accepted, its use in creative content like art and music is met with strong opposition, raising questions about artistic integrity and the future of human creators.

Leveling Up Your Lair: New DM Gear Drops

Dungeon Masters, get ready! Wizards of the Coast and D&D Beyond are rolling out significant updates, including a major virtual tabletop glow-up and new physical accessory bundles, all aimed at making your D&D prep and play easier and more integrated than ever before.