A mind flayer just ate you — or your party — and you're looking to get back into the action with a brand-new Dungeons & Dragons character. That, or you have a fresh new game coming up, and you need a little inspiration for your next character's background and personality.

Instead of spending an hour staring a blank character sheet, save a little time with the iOS Shortcut "WTF Is My DnD Character".

Dungeons & Dragons is as intimidating as it is freeing. On one hand, you have a game that’s only limited by your imagination — and a big book o’ rules, which you’re free to disregard as you see fit. On the other hand, if you’re the Dungeon Master, you have to walk a tricky tightrope.

It’s important to give your players the freedom they need to be crazy and creative, but you also need to restrain them a bit so you can actually complete the campaign or story line you’re attempting to play.

Tomorrow is International Tabletop Day! It's time to grab some buddies and head to a local game store, coffee shop, or book store and play some board games. Here's how to find a gathering spot near you.

You didn't think that we would forget discounted board games, did you?

Not only are tabletop role-playing games like Dungeons & Dragons and FATE a blast to play, they can actually improve your life. Whether you're new to tabletop RPGs, or you're a goblin-slaying veteran, there are plenty of tricks to make your games even more immersive and fun.

Getting into Dungeons & Dragons can be intimidating. You need maybe three or four other nerds to play with, some pricey tomes full of numbers and tables, ample free time, and several dice with as many as 20 sides. It's a lot to fathom, and even more to set up. How will you find D&D-curious friends? How will you decipher the ruleset? What are the best D&D snacks?

Tabletop games like Dungeons & Dragons or Pathfinder can be incredibly immersive with the right music. This playlist has all the music you'll ever need to paint a picture for your party.

Dear Lovehacker, you might need a notepad for this bizzare love parallelogram. I am friends with two married couples. Let's call them Sally & Steve and Greg & Amelia. Greg and Amelia had been arguing recently, so Steve hung out with Amelia to console her. One thing led to another and they started banging. Amelia kicked Greg out and he worked out why. He still had the keys to their place, so he snuck in one day when they were going at it hammer and tongs. He snapped some pictures and sent them to Sally. And then things got even worse.

Sitting around a table with good friends is the best way to play tabletop RPGs like Dungeons & Dragons, but that's not always an option. If your friends have moved away, live overseas or don't want to brave the traffic, there's plenty of ways to make game night happen no matter where your group is located.

Magic: The Gathering can be intimidating to people who have never played it before. It seems like a game for enthusiasts and the cards themselves are so detailed it can be hard to wrap your head around the many elements of this game. What is mana? Do the colours mean anything? What’s up with the confusing text at the bottom (it's called flavour text, by the way)? But like most tabletop games, once you get the basic concepts, Magic becomes a lot easier and is extremely enjoyable. Here are a few tips to get you started.