Have a great Friday, adventurer!

Last Friday in Barcelona was a great one for me.

But that's not all I'm here to talk to you about today.

I want to show you a tool that will improve all your role-playing games.

And then, you can help shape the future of this newsletter.

Get ready, here we go!

The capital of video games

This past weekend we were at Barcelona Game Fest, the coolest video game event in Spain.

We loved meeting so many of you who follow us.

To our new followers, hello and welcome!

As many of you know, Saúl, my minion, has a side job as a video game developer.

And he loves to wander and get immersed in the bursts of creativity that are many of the games at the fair.

All the studios are there because they need something very important.

Even more important than promoting their video game.

They need...

Feedback.

The dreaded feedback

In case anyone doesn't know, feedback is a cool way of saying “opinions.”

So, people go to this fair to see what others think of their game.

But not just to see what they need to improve or change.

Also to see what people like most and enhance it.

Or even discover what they miss while playing.

Well, it took me a while to realize it, but there's a really cool way to do this in your role-playing games.

It's one of the secrets that has helped make our Strahd campaign so successful.

Have you heard of Stars & Wishes?

Stars that truly grant wishes

The Stars & Wishes system is a method for receiving feedback that applies to both masters and players.

It gives players the opportunity to praise brilliant moments, generates more hype for the next game, and solves headaches about “what to prepare that players will like.”

Here's how it works:

At the end of the game, each player awards a “star” to another player to praise something they did (great role-playing, a clever strategy, etc.).

Important to remember: The DM is also a player.

Then, each player expresses a “wish.” Something they would like to see in the next game.

Not everything has to be directed at the DM. You can wish for “I'd like to be able to talk to the mysterious man in the tavern,” but also “I'd love for our characters to fight a sword duel to settle who is the best swordsman.”

In our games, it has created a very good atmosphere. And it has saved me from stretching out a plot too much when my players asked, “We'd like to finish the Vallaki arc and move on with the story.”

This system, designed by Lu Quade on his blog “The Gauntlet,” is extremely effective.

(And it contains more hand-drawn pictures in Paint like the one above.)

And that's why...

What are your Stars and Wishes for this newsletter?

On the 20th, it was eight months since I started this newsletter.

I couldn't have imagined all the joy it has brought me.

The number of people I've met.

Even the number of role-playing games I would advise on!

I'm very excited, but I want to do even better.

Help you break down the barrier between your fantasy world and the table where you play it.

If that sounds good to you, I need your help.

So, tell me:

1. Which of my emails do you remember most fondly?

2. What would you like me to talk about in the future?

I'll be sure to reply, and what's more...

You'll get an exclusive look at what I'm working on next.

I assure you it’s completely different from anything I've done before.

Bountiful quests and successful rolls!

🦉 Irene the Wizard

🦃 Saul the Bard

P.S: Thank you so much for reading every week.

P.P.S: Help me make you like it even more.