TTRPG Campaign Lab

A useful TTRPG pack should include one open ruleset, one free campaign toolkit, one oracle or generator suite, and one note system built for play. That gives a GM enough structure to improvise without drowning in prep.

Cairn is valuable because its rules text is light, clear, and openly licensed. Ironsworn and tools like Donjon are useful because they show how generators, procedures, and reference material can reduce prep without flattening surprise. The debates worth having are about how much prep is enough, whether rules-light oracles reduce or deepen creativity, and how much campaign continuity should live in formal notes versus table memory. Those questions matter because they shape the feel of play, not because one side is morally superior.

The tools that keep proving useful usually support session prep and recap templates, encounter and NPC tracking notes, and worldbuilding and handout organization systems without making the underlying work harder to understand. When you bookmark something, write down why it earned the slot.

Three sources worth opening side by side:
- Cairn: cairnrpg.com/
An openly licensed, beautifully clean ruleset that rewards smart prep and active play.
- Cairn resources: cairnrpg.com/resources/
Handy for tables that want generators, references, and lightweight adventure material.
- Iron Vault source: github.com/iron-vault-plugin/iron-vault
A thoughtful open plugin for running Ironsworn and related games in Obsidian.
- Matt Colville video archive: youtube.com/@mcolville/videos
A durable public library of tablecraft, GMing, and adventure structure advice.