Mark Ezra Stokes
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markezrastokes.bsky.social
Mark Ezra Stokes
@markezrastokes.bsky.social
I’m a seasoned educator and Game Master (author of several GM supplements & co-creator of the #Ealdsmyth system) passionate about blending both for SEL-rich TTRPG sessions. Interested in linking up with like-minded people!

www.patreon.com/MarkEzraStokes
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I am thoroughly convinced that the best, healthiest, most sustainable way to fight OPPRESSION is to build vibrant and diverse communities through tabletop games that challenge norms, enhance collaboration, and empower their players to take heroic actions.

You're invited to come do that with me!
This table isn’t about shock value.
It’s about resonance.

If you like stories that echo instead of explode, I made this for you.

#ttrpg #storyfirst #indiedev
December 15, 2025 at 11:59 PM
The past doesn’t always return as an enemy.
Sometimes it comes back… grateful.

And that might be worse.

#narrativegames #rpginspiration #gmresources
December 15, 2025 at 10:33 PM
Sometimes the most dangerous monster is the version of yourself you thought you outgrew.

New d20 table, now live on my Patreon.

#storytellingtools #tabletopgaming #ttrpgcommunity
December 15, 2025 at 9:22 PM
I love random tables that don’t feel random.

This one is designed to aim the chaos directly at the characters’ pasts.

#rpgthoughts #gamemasterlife #indierpg
December 15, 2025 at 8:11 PM
If your table enjoys:
• character introspection
• earned twists
• emotional weight

"You Thought It Was Dead" might be for you. Check it out on my Patreon!

#roleplayinggames #storydriven #ttrpgdesign
December 15, 2025 at 6:40 PM
Your scar aches.
Your name is whispered by someone who shouldn’t know it.
Your legend has grown teeth.

That’s the energy of my latest d20 table.

#narrativedesign #gmtools #ttrpg
December 15, 2025 at 5:09 PM
Some tables ask, “What happens next?”
This one asks, “What never really ended?”

New d20 table now live on my Patreon!

#rpgwriting #storygames #indiettrpg
December 15, 2025 at 3:50 PM
What if the thing your character buried…
wasn’t done with them?

Today's drop is for Stewards who want consequences that linger.

#tabletoprpg #ttrpgcommunity #worldbuilding
December 15, 2025 at 2:46 PM
A villain returning is easy.
A mistake returning is harder—and better.

This new d20 table is built for emotional callbacks, not power creep.

#ttrpgdesign #rpgtools #gmadvice #storyfirst
December 15, 2025 at 1:25 PM
Not every plot twist needs to be louder.
Some just need to come back.

I just dropped a new d20 table for moments when the past resurfaces—unfinished, transformed, and personal.

#ttrpg #gamemaster #storytelling #narrativegaming
December 15, 2025 at 12:20 PM
The power of a vague symbol (a fractured crown, a shadowed doorway) is that players decide what it means.

And meaning = investment.

If you love narrative-driven tables, this post is for you:
markezrastokes.com/t...

#RPGcommunity #NarrativeRPG #TTRPGdesign #ImprovGM #SELgaming
The Illusion of Knowing - MarkEzraStokes.com
Imagine for a moment that you’re in a dark-but-candlelit room, across a modest table from a wizened woman. She squints at oversized cards spread across the navy-felted table, and she begins to speak: “Ah yes… I see a decision weighing on you…” You hang on to her every word. What if this same narrative trick was used at your TTRPG table?
markezrastokes.com
December 8, 2025 at 11:24 PM
Pre-written 5-page backstories are fine…

…but watching a character discover their backstory through symbolic prompts?

That’s storytelling magic.

I wrote about it here:
markezrastokes.com/t...

#TTRPG #StoryArc #CharacterGrowth #Ealdsmyth #TRPG
The Illusion of Knowing - MarkEzraStokes.com
Imagine for a moment that you’re in a dark-but-candlelit room, across a modest table from a wizened woman. She squints at oversized cards spread across the navy-felted table, and she begins to speak: “Ah yes… I see a decision weighing on you…” You hang on to her every word. What if this same narrative trick was used at your TTRPG table?
markezrastokes.com
December 8, 2025 at 9:46 PM
A Steward isn’t a puppet-master.

They’re a mirror-holder—creating space where players discover what their characters are really wrestling with.

Here’s the fortuneteller parallel that inspired me:
markezrastokes.com/t...

#TabletopGaming #IndieTTRPG #StoryFirst #RoleplayingGames #GMthoughts
The Illusion of Knowing - MarkEzraStokes.com
Imagine for a moment that you’re in a dark-but-candlelit room, across a modest table from a wizened woman. She squints at oversized cards spread across the navy-felted table, and she begins to speak: “Ah yes… I see a decision weighing on you…” You hang on to her every word. What if this same narrative trick was used at your TTRPG table?
markezrastokes.com
December 8, 2025 at 8:24 PM
One of my favorite parts of running Ealdsmyth:
Players reveal deeper character truths without needing heavy backstory dumps.

Dreams, symbols, echoes—they do the work.

I explore why this works so well here:
markezrastokes.com/t...

#TTRPG #CharacterDevelopment #ImprovRPG #NarrativeDesign #SEL
The Illusion of Knowing - MarkEzraStokes.com
Imagine for a moment that you’re in a dark-but-candlelit room, across a modest table from a wizened woman. She squints at oversized cards spread across the navy-felted table, and she begins to speak: “Ah yes… I see a decision weighing on you…” You hang on to her every word. What if this same narrative trick was used at your TTRPG table?
markezrastokes.com
December 8, 2025 at 7:08 PM
Tarot cards → d20 tables.

Open-ended statements → “Tell me what your character notices.”

Cold reads → flashback seeds.

Fortuneteller tools map surprisingly well to TTRPG Stewarding.

Here’s how:
markezrastokes.com/t...

#GameMastering #RPGNarrative #Worldbuilding #TTRPGtips #Ealdsmyth
The Illusion of Knowing - MarkEzraStokes.com
Imagine for a moment that you’re in a dark-but-candlelit room, across a modest table from a wizened woman. She squints at oversized cards spread across the navy-felted table, and she begins to speak: “Ah yes… I see a decision weighing on you…” You hang on to her every word. What if this same narrative trick was used at your TTRPG table?
markezrastokes.com
December 8, 2025 at 6:10 PM
A secret of fortunetellers: the magic isn’t knowing.
It’s inviting meaning.

Ealdsmyth Stewards use the same principles to help players uncover resonant character truths.
Full breakdown + examples:
markezrastokes.com/t...

#TTRPG #GMtips #FantasyRPG #StoryWeaving #SEL #RPGphilosophy
The Illusion of Knowing - MarkEzraStokes.com
Imagine for a moment that you’re in a dark-but-candlelit room, across a modest table from a wizened woman. She squints at oversized cards spread across the navy-felted table, and she begins to speak: “Ah yes… I see a decision weighing on you…” You hang on to her every word. What if this same narrative trick was used at your TTRPG table?
markezrastokes.com
December 8, 2025 at 4:46 PM
What if “the oracle at your table” wasn’t there to predict the future…

…but to mirror back what your players are ready to explore?

That’s the heart of Ealdsmyth’s Stewarding philosophy:
markezrastokes.com/t...

#TTRPGcommunity #IndieRPG #StoryGames #EmotionalStorytelling #GMadvice
The Illusion of Knowing - MarkEzraStokes.com
Imagine for a moment that you’re in a dark-but-candlelit room, across a modest table from a wizened woman. She squints at oversized cards spread across the navy-felted table, and she begins to speak: “Ah yes… I see a decision weighing on you…” You hang on to her every word. What if this same narrative trick was used at your TTRPG table?
markezrastokes.com
December 8, 2025 at 3:39 PM
Fortunetellers use symbols, inference, and leading cues… not to know, but to help others reveal.

Stewards in Ealdsmyth do the same to draw out player truth through story.

New post digs in:
markezrastokes.com/t...

#TTRPGDesign #NarrativePlay #RPGTheory #GMlife #SELinGaming
The Illusion of Knowing - MarkEzraStokes.com
Imagine for a moment that you’re in a dark-but-candlelit room, across a modest table from a wizened woman. She squints at oversized cards spread across the navy-felted table, and she begins to speak: “Ah yes… I see a decision weighing on you…” You hang on to her every word. What if this same narrative trick was used at your TTRPG table?
markezrastokes.com
December 8, 2025 at 1:54 PM
Ever notice how a fortuneteller’s “open-ended statements” work because we fill in the meaning?

Ealdsmyth lets Stewards do the same—but ethically, to empower players instead of deceive them.

I unpacked the connection here:
The Illusion of Knowing - MarkEzraStokes.com
Imagine for a moment that you’re in a dark-but-candlelit room, across a modest table from a wizened woman. She squints at oversized cards spread across the navy-felted table, and she begins to speak: “Ah yes… I see a decision weighing on you…” You hang on to her every word. What if this same narrative trick was used at your TTRPG table?
markezrastokes.com
December 8, 2025 at 12:11 PM
Looking for something your players will remember?

“What’s Growing There?” is 20 strange flora ideas that stick in the mind and haunt the heart.

Grow your next session: www.Patreon.com/Mark...

#TTRPG #Roleplay #DungeonMaster #StorySeeds
Mark Ezra Stokes | Game Mastering the Human Experience | Patreon
Game Mastering the Human Experience
www.Patreon.com
November 10, 2025 at 11:57 PM
Moss that brightens with regret. Roots that dream.

“What’s Growing There?” is a d20 table that makes your setting breathe.

It’s live now on Patreon: www.Patreon.com/Mark...

#FantasyRPG #TTRPG #GMInspiration #StoryHooks
Mark Ezra Stokes | Game Mastering the Human Experience | Patreon
Game Mastering the Human Experience
www.Patreon.com
November 10, 2025 at 10:27 PM
What if the environment felt what your players feel?

“What’s Growing There?”—a d20 table for emotional landscapes and living worlds.

Grow deeper stories → www.Patreon.com/Mark...

#GameMaster #TTRPGResources #EmotionalWorldbuilding
Mark Ezra Stokes | Game Mastering the Human Experience | Patreon
Game Mastering the Human Experience
www.Patreon.com
November 10, 2025 at 8:58 PM
The forest isn’t background—it’s alive.

“What’s Growing There?” turns scenery into story.

20 plant-based prompts for mystery, emotion, and magic.

Find it here www.Patreon.com/Mark...

#TTRPG #Worldbuilding #IndieRPG #WritingPrompt
Mark Ezra Stokes | Game Mastering the Human Experience | Patreon
Game Mastering the Human Experience
www.Patreon.com
November 10, 2025 at 7:55 PM
Magic doesn’t always come from spells. Sometimes it grows.

“What’s Growing There?” gives you 20 ways the land itself can speak.

Roll. Describe. Wonder.
www.Patreon.com/Mark...

#TTRPGDesign #FantasyWriting #RPGCommunity #DungeonMaster
Mark Ezra Stokes | Game Mastering the Human Experience | Patreon
Game Mastering the Human Experience
www.Patreon.com
November 10, 2025 at 6:53 PM
Every leaf hides a story. Every root remembers something.

“What’s Growing There?”—a d20 table of flora that listens, glows, and mourns.

Unearth it on Patreon.
www.Patreon.com/Mark...

#StoryPrompt #TTRPG #CreativeWriting #Worldbuilding
Mark Ezra Stokes | Game Mastering the Human Experience | Patreon
Game Mastering the Human Experience
www.Patreon.com
November 10, 2025 at 5:28 PM