Dr Homebrew - Bastion Turns and the Travelers Guide to Narrative Bastions (Episode 269)

Dr Homebrew - Bastion Turns and the Travelers Guide to Narrative Bastions (Episode 269)

Author: Tabletop Journeys March 27, 2026 Duration: 21:59
Tabletop Journeys
LeisureGames

🏰 Your party is deep in the mountains, mid-fight with TWO green dragons, weeks from home, and someone just asked: "Can we get stuff from our Bastion?" 🐉⚔️


Welcome back to Dr. Homebrew, the show where we take the rules and make them work for YOUR table! In this third and final installment of our Bastion Series, we tackle one of the most interesting edge cases the 2024 D&D rules leave on the table: what happens when your players are away from their Bastion but still want to take a Bastion turn?


The rulebook says "Maintain." But we think we can do something a little more fun. 😏


In this episode, we dig into how to run a Bastion Turn when your adventurers are far from home but still connected to everything they've built. We'll explore how to reward player creativity, weave Bastion mechanics into your active storyline, and use those turns to lay new plot threads while your party is knee-deep in chaos. It's the kind of rulings-as-storytelling approach that makes D&D 2024's Bastion System really sing.


🎲 What we cover:

How to adjudicate a Bastion turn when players are on the road

Using the Maintain order as a jumping-off point for something richer

Feeding player-driven requests back into your living campaign

Rewarding creative thinking at the table

How the Traveler's Guide to Narrative Bastions gives you a framework for all of this and more


📖 Also mentioned: Our very own supplement The Travelers Guide to Narrative Bastions is available NOW on DM's Guild! 25 pages of expanded Bastion content including updated facilities, NPCs, and new event rules, all for just $0.99. Grab it while the price lasts! 👉 https://www.dmsguild.com/en/product/560501/the-traveler-s-guide-to-narrative-bastions


💬 We want to hear from YOU! How are you handling Bastion turns at your table? Drop your thoughts in the comments below!


And remember:

✅ Like

✅ Subscribe

✅ Ring the Bell to never miss an Episode


🔗 Links & Resources mentioned in the episode:


Traveler's Guide to Narrative Bastions on DM's Guild: https://www.dmsguild.com/en/product/560501/the-traveler-s-guide-to-narrative-bastions

Tabletop Journeys Patreon! The March Card Deck include 11 Bastion NPCs + new event rules! Learn more at www.patreon.com/ttjourneys


Tabletop Journeys links:

Patreon: patreon.com/ttjourneys

Bluesky: @ttjourneys.bsky.social

Facebook: www.facebook.com/ttjourneys

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ttjourneys

Website: https://ttjourneys.com/

Email: podcast@ttjourneys.com


#DungeonsAndDragons #DnD2024 #DrHomebrew #TabletopJourneys #TTRPG #DnDHomebrew #BastionSystem #DungeonMasterTips #TabletopRPG #DnDPodcast #HomebrewDnD #DnD5e #TTRPGCommunity #DungeonMaster #RPGPodcast #TabletopGaming #DnDTips #ActualPlay #GameMasterTips #NarrativeDnD


Three longtime friends, with a combined century of experience around the gaming table, invite you into their ongoing conversation. Tabletop Journeys is a podcast born from decades of shared history, not just as gamers but as people who have spent a lifetime thinking deeply about the worlds we create together. You’ll hear the easy, often hilarious dynamic of a group that has played in and run every kind of tabletop and live-action roleplaying game imaginable. Their discussions are the kind that usually happen late at night, after the dice are put away, where ideas get pulled apart, rebuilt, and passionately debated. Each episode feels like pulling up a chair in one of those living rooms, listening in as they dissect everything from game mechanics and storytelling techniques to the unexpected life lessons found in collaborative imagination. It’s less a formal review show and more a chronicle of a lifelong journey through games, packed with the kind of insight and friendly argument that only comes from truly knowing your fellow travelers. Tune into this podcast for a natural, deep, and often very funny exploration of why we play.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 100

Official website RSS
spotifypatreon
Tabletop Journeys
Podcast Episodes
OtRP (s2 Ep20) -Grimly we Tread Into the Dark [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 25:10
Grim, gritty, and unapologetically dark… today we crack open one of the most atmospheric 5E-compatible settings on the market.In this episode of Tabletop Journeys Presents: On the Right Path, we dive into Grim Hollow: Tr…
STA: Where Everything's Better the Second Time Around [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 8:15
OtRP (S2 Ep 19) – "Everything's Better the Second Time Around."===========================What comes after first contact… is where the real story begins.In this episode of On the Right Path, we take a second look at the…
How we make custom monsters (Episode 272) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 15:58
Ever stare at a blank stat block and wonder where to even start? In this episode of Dr. Homebrew, we pull back the curtain on the monster-building framework we use here at Tabletop Journeys. It's a rules-first, narrative…
Talking Star Trek Preservations with Lt. Neelan - (S3 Bonus Ep) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 29:38
Talking Star Trek Preservations with Lt. Neelan (S3 Bonus Ep)Go behind the scenes of Star Trek: Preservations as we sit down with Lt. Neelan for a deep dive into Season 3. This bonus episode explores the character’s evol…
Don’t Rebuy Your Books: The STA Conversion Guide System Explained [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 7:30
🎬 OtRP (S2 Ep 18) – Don’t Rebuy Your BooksWhat if upgrading your game didn’t cost you your collection?What if a new edition didn’t replace your library… but respected it?In this episode of On the Right Path, Lewanika bre…
OtRP (S2 Ep16) - Stop Making Perfect Characters [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 12:06
What if the problem with your character… is that nothing is wrong with them?Perfect characters look great on paper, but fall flat at the table.In this episode of On the Right Path, we break down why tension, contradictio…
What Happens When 5E Goes Modern? | Everyday Heroes RPG [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 10:02
What happens when 5E goes modern?No magic. No fantasy.Just operators, investigators, medics… and missions where every decision matters.In this episode of On the Right Path, Lewanika dives into Everyday Heroes RPG, a mode…
OtRP (S2 Ep16) - Stop Making Perfect Characters [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 0:24
What if the problem with your character… is that nothing is wrong with them?Perfect characters look great on paper, but fall flat at the table.In this episode of On the Right Path, we break down why tension, contradictio…
“Technobabble is a Tool, Not a Crutch” [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 8:06
“Technobabble is a Tool, Not a Crutch”How to blend Science & Drama in your STA MissionsYou need a natural phenomenon powerful enough to shatter a research outpost, scramble transporters, and change a character forever. W…

12345...10»