Whitebeard's Realm

Unequal, and hungry for it

Sun, 12 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

In which the author reviews Eugenia Cheng’s Unequal, enjoys the maths more than the politics, notices he finds progressiveness thrilling now, and gets extremely hungry.

There's a STAR man, waiting in the sky

Wed, 27 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

In which the author, between jobs and stalling magnificently, builds an AI coach to drill the STAR interview method instead of actually applying for any.

Introducing Uruk, a language for tabletop games

Sun, 17 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

In which the author admits to a nagging feeling that computing has gone wrong somewhere, points at a tiny algebra that maybe gets a part of it right, and starts building yet another programming language. Sorry.

The diving watch I never knew I wanted

Thu, 30 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

In which an unexpected Christmas gift reveals the quiet delight of a rotating bezel, and the author wonders why such useful timekeeping is dressed up in such macho clothing.

Make your own interactive fiction client in Elm

Tue, 21 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

In which the author extracts a library from his interactive fiction app, and walks the curious reader through the making of their own Z-machine player in around 100 lines of Elm.

Introducing Planedrift

Sat, 18 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

In which the author at last unveils a quiet corner of the web for playing classic Infocom adventures, and reflects on the peculiar inhumanity of an AI that cannot quite abide pure play.

> ASK THE VM WHERE IS THE PLAYER

Fri, 17 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

In which the author hunts through virtual memory for a player whose whereabouts the machine no longer remembers, and settles on a layered heuristic that is almost certainly good enough.

Building a Z-Machine in the worst possible language

Sun, 12 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

In which a 1980s virtual machine for text adventures is reimplemented in a pure functional language, against all better judgement, and somehow emerges working.

Playing Zork with a gen alpha AI

Sat, 11 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

In which an old text adventure is rediscovered with the help of an enthusiastic, slang-slinging AI companion, and a z-machine yak awaits its shave.

Building a better crossword page for my daily cryptic hit

Fri, 27 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

In which the daily cryptic crossword becomes a source of frustration, and a solution is fashioned from an old Elm project dusted off.

What AI is doing for me, in a difficult situation

Wed, 25 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

In which we discover that a half-an-entity can be something like a prosthetic for the mind.

It's Your Turn — a prompt deck for new roleplayers

Mon, 23 Feb 2026 22:57:51 +0000

In which we introduce a comely new tool for new roleplayers who find themselves suddenly called upon to act.

Seven reasons that Trump is a bad GM. Very bad

Mon, 23 Feb 2026 12:36:15 +0000

In which we observe that the worst GM at any table and the current President of the United States share, with uncanny fidelity, the very same qualities.

You've Been Pawned — Now With a Snazzy New Look

Sun, 22 Feb 2026 21:11:41 +0000

In which the standee-making tool is rebuilt from scratch, acquiring a coverflow carousel, a proper PDF export, and a somewhat snazzier countenance.

Six months on startplaying.games

Mon, 15 Jul 2024 17:52:13 +0000

In which we dig into the numbers after fifty paid games and ask, with a clear eye, whether this enterprise is worth the candle.

An online tool to make playable paper pawns

Sat, 06 Apr 2024 17:29:04 +0000

In which we introduce a simple tool for printing paper standees, born of desperation before one too many D&D sessions.

Campaign report: Dragon of Icespire Peak: session #6

Mon, 19 Feb 2024 16:07:58 +0000

In which an uneasy truce with the Whiskered Gang is put to the test and the wererats reveal an unexpected side.

Campaign report: Rime of the Frostmaiden: session #4

Sun, 18 Feb 2024 15:44:19 +0000

In which our battered adventurers rest in a town drained of life and begin to uncover a troubling conspiracy within its walls.

Campaign Report: Dragon of Icespire Peak: Session #5

Mon, 12 Feb 2024 15:43:41 +0000

In which our heroes descend into a gold mine overrun by wererats and attempt a most delicate negotiation.

A few months on StartPlaying.Games

Sun, 11 Feb 2024 19:36:20 +0000

In which we take stock of listing games on StartPlaying.Games and weigh the cost and the benefit with an honest hand.

Campaign report: Rime of the Frostmaiden: session #3

Fri, 09 Feb 2024 13:41:45 +0000

In which three weary adventurers brave the frozen tundra by dogsled and encounter a guide who is not entirely what she seems.

Character Quirks for easier roleplay

Sat, 03 Feb 2024 14:27:28 +0000

In which we argue that a small habit or two is worth a thousand words of backstory.

How I use Avrae

Mon, 29 Jan 2024 20:05:48 +0000

In which we tame a most fearsome Discord bot and put it to work with no more than ten well-chosen commands.

An Owlbear/Discord/DndBeyond checklist for new campaigns

Tue, 16 Jan 2024 23:52:18 +0000

In which we lay out the tools and customs that make an online D&D campaign run smoothly from the very first session.

About me

Tue, 16 Jan 2024 22:38:13 +0000

Hello! I’m Ben. I run online, paid D&D campaigns over on StartPlaying.com .

Apart from that, I’m recovering from a tech career and enjoy making things out of wood and restoring old tools. My son says that my macaroni cheese is the tastiest meal imaginable, but between you and me, it’s mainly MSG.

I’m always interested in opportunities to GM or play D&D. You can get in touch through Mastodon at @beng@mastodon.social or email me .

Projects

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Currently working on

Plane Drift — a modern way to play .z3 Infocom text adventures in the browser
Elm Z-Machine — a z3 compatible Zmachine made in Elm for playing interactive fiction on line
source code available

Things I’ve Made

Crunchdown! — a browser-based retro gridiron game written in Elm
You've been Pawned — a simple tool to make standees for your tabletop game
Monster of the Week Owlbear Rodeo extension — a simple tool to play Monster of the Week games on Owlbear Rodeo
It's Your Turn — a prompt deck for new roleplayers
Readable Shakespeare Plays — ad-free, readable Shakespeare just for you
source code available
Peeko Computer — a nostalgic recreation of Acornsoft's Peeko Computer - a program I used to learn machine code on my BBC Micro in 1985!
Never show me the odds — exploration of the numbers behind contested skill checks in D&D
Guardian Cryptic Crossword — a cleaner, faster page for the Guardian's daily cryptic crossword, built in Elm
source code available
if-pal — play classic interactive fiction games with an enthusiastic gen alpha AI companion
source code available
STAR Interview Prep — an AI coach that drills you on the STAR method for competency interview questions
source code available

Writing

Welcome to the DON-geon - A series of silly political sketches in which DJT plays Dungeons and Dragons with his political friends and foes.
Cambridge Chronicles ep. 2: The Punt Poltergeist — a Monster of the Week mystery
Cambridge Chronicles ep. 1: The Spectral Bookshop — a Monster of the Week mystery

Videos

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

A few videos: a new series I’m making, plus a couple of talks from my Ruby days, both given at Ruby Manor in London.

Magical Machine #1: Mandelbrot

The first in a series taking a closer look at the beautiful machines hiding in mathematics — starting with the Mandelbrot set.

Watch on YouTube