Using Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants to Enhance Your Campaigns

November 17, 2023 by Cavan McGinsie in Reviews

It’s been a few months since Wizards of the Coast released Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants. As a big fan of those big guys, the Giants, I had the book on pre-order and had planned on writing a review not long after I received it. However, its release was marred by its controversial inclusion of AI-generated art, surprisingly short length (192 pages), high price tag ($70?!), and more. These controversies made it challenging to focus on the book's content and provide an objective review, so I decided to give it some space to breathe and come back to it at a later date.

Months later, I’ve taken the time to thoroughly give it a read and I think the better path to take is to focus on what is in there that will be useful for you Dungeon Masters (DMs) out there who want to effectively and creatively use Giants in your upcoming sessions and campaigns. There is a lot to cover here, so to make it a bit more digestible, I am going to post it as a series of shorter blogs covering each section of what I include below. Let’s take one giant leap into the world of Giants.

What’s in the Book?

The Hill Giant from the First Edition Monster Manual.

Lotsa Lore:

Giants have long held a position of awe and reverence in the world of Dungeons and Dragons, in fact they’re one of the monsters that has been found in the game since it released in 1974. In those years there have been various iterations of their long and deep history for Dungeon Masters to pull from. However, Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants offers the most in-depth and complete version of this and will give you so much to work with when adding them into your game. The book traces the giants' origins from primordial chaos to their current place in the world, detailing their interactions with other races and their role in shaping the Forgotten Realms.

These towering figures command respect and embody the power of nature itself. Within the pages of Glory of the Giants you’ll find a treasure trove of information on these formidable creatures with a comprehensive guide that unveils their history, culture, and societal structures.

That is the biggest and greatest aspect of this book, its lore. It gives a near full Saga on the Giants and their brethren throughout the history of The Forgotten Realms and it does so with a focus on being able to introduce the lore into your adventures.

Not only does it offer a crash course on the annals of giant history, tracing their origins from the primordial chaos to their current place in the world, the book also meticulously explores the diverse types of giants, from the formidable cloud giants to the enigmatic storm giants, each with their unique traits, customs, and motivations. This detailed exploration allows DMs to craft compelling storylines that weave giants seamlessly into the fabric of their campaigns. In this recent post, I’ve explored this lore and offered a few ways I think it could be used in your campaigns.

New Monsters!:

While they don’t have to be monsters, the simple fact is to most anybody, even in a fantasy realm, a Giant would be a terrifying figure to come across. The book offers up 71 new monsters, which is a massive amount of new baddies for such a short sourcebook. I already covered one of my favorites, a Barrowghast, in my post on Terrifying Monsters for a Horror Campaign. However, there are countless types of monsters found in here including gargantuas, magic-using Giants, cultists, Scions of Giants’ Gods (my faves)r and even dinosaurs. In my post on monsters I’ve included my favorite ones found in Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants and offered some ways that I might use them in my own campaigns, feel free to take them for your own. As I’ve said before, one of the best ways to make DMing easier is to take ideas and use them in your own campaigns.

Backgrounds, Subclasses, and Feats, oh my!:

Are you a player, or do you have a player in your game who is going through the character creation stage (if they are, you might send them here for some tips wink) who wants their character tied to Giants? Good news: Glory of the Giants offers up quite a few new ways to make this dream come true. If you’re planning on playing one of the physically largest D&D classes out there, Barbarians, there’s a new Giant subclass for you. If you want the backstory of your character tied to Giants, there are two options for backgrounds to choose from. And finally, there are some new feats your characters can take that tie them to the world of Giants. All of these additions are great additions to the ever-growing option list for players looking to branch out and play something a little off-the-wall.

A Giant’s Share of Items:

You can never have enough fun items to add into your bag of holding or onto the shelves of the merchants around your world, and there are 30 new magic items to choose from within the pages of Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants. It’s never a bad idea to drop some unique items around your world to simply make it feel bigger and more lived in, so I’ll share some of my favorites here for you to add into your games.

Giant Enclaves and Assorted Tables:

So, this is one of my only real gripes with the book and its that there are just sooooo many pages of tables. For some DMs that may be exactly what they’re looking for. For me, I find tables to be mind-numbingly boring and while they may spark creativity, I find them to be akin to casting Bane on the creative mind. There are also mini maps with adventures sprinkled in that take up a decent portion of the book. I will include the ones that stood out, but truly I found it a slog trying to get through most of this stuff, so I’ll save them for the last post.

Those are the five main takeaways from Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants. As I said above, I will be releasing a breakdown of each of these sections as its own blog post to give you a chance to break up the readings and to easily focus on the aspects that most interest you for your own campaigns.

Let me know in the comments or by emailing me at Cavan@TheNewDm.com to let me know if you prefer this approach over long-form posts.

Until then, Happy Adventuring!

Gen Con 2023 Recap: A Few of my Favorite Things

August 18, 2023 by Cavan McGinsie in Reviews

Greetings, New DMs! I have something a little different to write this week as I just returned from my three-day sojourn to Gen Con 2023 (which for me wasn’t much of a sojourn as I luckily live about 20 minutes away from the Indianapolis Convention Center), and I wanted to share a quick review of 2023’s Best Four Days in Gaming.

The Good:

Daggerheart: I was lucky to snag a ticket to play the much-anticipated TTRPG system from Darrington Press early on Friday morn. The system isn’t set for release until 2024, and the group I played with was part of the fourth set of players to ever play it. I’ll be posting a full breakdown and review of Daggerheart soon, but I will say here, the system didn’t disappoint.

In comparison to Dungeons & Dragons, character creation was a breeze and we were able to start our quest in 30 minutes or less (just in time for pizza to arrive *wink*). They had pre-made sheets with different classes to choose from. I lucked upon a class that I hadn’t heard of before called Guardian, and it played out in my head as a sort of non-religious Paladin, made to get up in the mix, take some hefty damage, and guard others in my party. For our characters’ species, known as ancestry in this system, we simply picked a card. I was a Galapa, which was adjacent to a Tortle and it gave me a bonus to my armor. We then drew cards for our community, which represented what part of society we came from, and gave each of us minor buffs in-game, like the ability to roll with advantage when being lied to or searching for places to hide. Finally, we were given cards on our foundations, which are class-specific cards, and pre-game you choose the ability on one side or the other and that is a specific boon you have throughout the game.

They also had a fun way of coming up with the one-shot quest, we passed a paper around that had mad-lib-style options for each person to choose from. We ended up on our way to Smut Con 2023 when there ended up being a raging fire, causing chaos in the city and sadly stopping the con. Oh, and also there were ghosts. We had to come up with quick connections for how we each knew at least one of the other PCs and we were up and running.

It was a relatively fun experience in a three-ish hour session of learning a new system and playing with complete strangers. We had a bit of a “murder hobo” at the table who quickly derailed the main storyline. Still, I enjoyed the system and can see adding it into a rotation when it comes out, especially if I’m trying to get someone new to understand and enjoy tabletop games. The hope and fear system seems like it would be nice as a GM to be able to be more thoughtful on PCs attempts to do things, because, unlike D&D it isn’t a straight failure or a straight success, there is some nuance which I liked.

I don’t see it overtaking D&D as the go-to campaign-length TTRPG system, but it will undoubtedly going to be a hit, and I can't wait to see how it evolves over the next year.

Illimat: Where to start with this game? Firstly, I have to thank the folks over at the One Shot Podcast Network and Campaign: Skyjacks for bringing this game to my attention. If you haven’t listened to that podcast, do, and check out the others on my list of favorite actual plays. But, they have integrated Illimat into their campaign, which is interesting, but I never quite understood what it was.

So, when I heard they were going to be demoing it at Gen Con this year, I figured I’d give it a shot. It was the best find and decision I made at Gen Con 2023, and I even found $8 all-day parking on Saturday. The game is simple and beautiful. Truly. As with any game I mention here, I’ll have a full review, but for now, the basics are it is a card game, in the most classic sense. Think of bridge. Or rummy. Or, being from Indiana, euchre. It feels like one of those games but with the added magic of tarot cards, a board that represents the changing of seasons, symbolic tokens called okuses, and a few other touches that make it feel older, witchier, mythical.

There were about 50 or so players in the demo at 8 p.m. on Friday evening, each table had 4 players, as that is how the game is meant to be played, though there are ways to play with more or less, there is even a solitaire version. The people running the game were a few of the actual folks behind Campaign: Skyjacks as well as the creators of the game, Keith Baker and Jen Ellis, of Twogether Studios. We ran through a single round with Keith and then they let us go. Never have I been more quickly drawn into a game, it is easy to understand, easy to play, and yet as we played it became obvious just how strategic and dynamic the game could get, especially amongst veteran players.

At my table we played through three rounds, learning the ins and outs of the game, what the various Luminaries do (that’s what the tarot cards are called), twisting and turning the seasons to block people from harvesting, sowing, or stockpiling in various fields. We even engaged the syzygy coin, a fateful touch that kept us on our toes. In the end, I was the (let’s be honest) lucky one to reach 17 points first. All of us were newbies, so it was mostly up to chance. But, I walked away winning the syzygy coin, a postcard of The King of Stars, a book of Variants & Apocrypha, and a special Luminary card called The Audience. Trust me, that's solid free swag for this year’s con.

A Luminary, book of variants, syzygy coin and more from Illimat. — That’s a whole lot of free swag from one game.

The next day, I was straight to their booth to purchase the game, two bonus packs of Luminaries, and an extra syzygy coin to morph into a necklace for my partner. Now, all that's left is to find some fellow gamers to share this treasure with.

Trash Talk: Sometimes a game comes out of nowhere and just completely surprises you. Trash Talk is that game for me. One of the players in my D&D group (Michael) said he’d stopped to play it on the show floor and recommended it, when he described it, it seemed a bit silly for my typical taste in games. But, Saturday, when I saw the booth, I had to give it a shot. And, yes, it is – as Michael’s Barbarian Aubrie would say – “indubitably” silly. And that's what makes it amazing; it is a masterpiece of simplicity and absurdity. Anyone can play it, but don't be fooled, it's not a walk in the park.

It's a party game for two or more players, but trust me, more than four or five might be a headache. One player is a raccoon, complete with a sort of DM screen. The other players are possums or opossums, I remember something about an o being there from elementary school and I don’t feel like Googling at the mome. But, just because you’re all trash-loving critters doesn’t mean you can speak the same language. So you have to try and understand one another by using, well, trash.

I'll dive deeper in my full review, but let me just say, it's fascinating to watch how people's (or critters') minds connect the dots between trash and words. During the demo, a guy in his 30s-40s and a tween girl synced up their brains to earn six cards, while my leaps of logic were way off track. If you're hunting for a quick, enjoyable game, Trash Talk is the answer. And don't forget to BYOT (Bring Your Own Trash) to mix up the fun with your friends.

Dragonbane: Okay, so let me spill the beans on how I stumbled into this gem during my Gen Con adventure. Truth be told, it was a bit of a happy accident. I was roaming around the convention center, and on a poster in a hallway, there was this art that just grabs me. It's got a Darkwing Duck vibe but with a dash of darkness and rogue energy. Naturally, I find myself at the Free League Publishing booth – couldn't resist. The classic art is like a magnet, but I didn't quite hit the "buy now" button. It's Friday, after all, and I wanted to curate my shopping list smartly.

Duck Rogue by Johan Egerkrans from the game Dragonbane. — See what I mean? It’s Darkwing, but so much cooler. Credit to: ***JOHAN EGERKRANS***

Fast forward to Saturday, first game of the day done, and I bump into a couple I play 5e with. We chat, and they mention Dragonbane. They drop the golden nugget that there's a free quickstart guide at the booth, plus it might just vanish from the shelves soon. Ding ding! As soon as we part ways, I'm booking it to that booth, grabbing that guide like it's the last slice of pizza. Five minutes later, I'm clutching the full system – my first buy of the con. Good thing, because it's all gone when I swing by later.

With the little that I’ve dug into it, it seems like Dragonbane is a fantasy TTRPG for the ages, kinda like mixing 5e, Call of Cthulhu, and, surprisingly, Daggerheart into a magical brew. You roll the dice aiming for low numbers – a twist for a 5e devotee like me, but intriguing nonetheless. Think Call of Cthulhu style, where you can push your luck, making things juicier and riskier. The Daggerheart vibes continue with the promise of lightning-paced, no-fuss gameplay, with a focus on getting the game going.

I’m looking forward to digging further into the larger book when I get a moment to get a better understanding of the world of Misty Vale. It boasts eleven complete escapades, each standalone or ready to be woven into the epic Secret of the Dragon Emperor campaign. Another intriguing and unique option is it has a solo-play option called Deepfall Breach. Sometimes gathering the gang isn't a walk in the park, and having a solo option on hand is like having an extra dessert.

Bottom line: I'm pretty stoked to whip this out when we want to take a breather from our marathon 5e campaign. Plus, the art alone is like eye candy. Stay tuned, because down the road, I'll serve up a full review of this baby. Just give me a bit to marinate in the Dragonbane universe.

Caper: Europe: A sleek two-player game that's not just easy on the eyes but promises a thrilling heist experience. Color me intrigued. I have to admit, it was the box and the art that reeled me in like a fish on a hook. Between Caper and Dragonbane, I'm starting to think I'm a bona fide art sucker – a real "judge a book by its cover" kinda guy. The demo made it seem like a breeze to get into, perfect for a casual gaming session. So, I nabbed a copy as soon as the demo ended. Oh, and hold onto your hats, folks. Guess who got the last box of Caper: Europe Mastermind Edition at Gen Con? Yep, that was me. I pulled off my own caper of sorts. My partner and I haven't had the chance to dive into it just yet (fingers crossed for this weekend!). But, I’m guessing, either there's a whole squad of art enthusiasts like me out there, or this game is seriously good. Time will tell and so will I once we run our first game.

Mysterium: You mean the game that released in 2015? Yes, that one. I admit this is a bit silly to add here, but I had to. I’ve seen Mysterium on the shelf at my local game shop for years and every time I look at it I’m drawn to it. I love a good mystery. I love co-op games. And, I love the art of this game. But, our board game closet is chock-a-block full of games we rarely are able to play as is and so I’ve never bit the bullet and bought it. But, I saw it being demoed this year in a time slot where I was free, alas, I gave it a shot. I’m glad I did.

Mysterium plays out like a better version of Clue. Imagine a ghost DM using gorgeously illustrated cards to guide you, the investigators, through a whodunit to solve their own murder. In my group, we had ages ranging from ten-ish to sixty-something, and our host, Stess, was a game enthusiast who brought the game to life. We made our way through the mysteries and in the end we nabbed our killer.

I know here in a few months when I run to The Game Preserve after wearing out some of my Gen Con purchases I'll be snagging Mysterium for my collection. It's the perfect go-to for a 45-minute mystery fix.

Miscellaneous:

Walking through the Kingdom Death booth was like stepping into a mini-monster wonderland! Those meticulously crafted monster minis were hands down some of the coolest sights at the con.
The cosplay parade this year? Mind-blowing. Seriously, it was like stepping into a universe of creativity. Countless costumes that were jaw-droppingly well-made.
So, truth be told, I wandered around solo for most of the con, and guess what? Quick chats with random strangers made the whole experience top-notch. As always, the Gen Con crowd is like a friendly breath of fresh air.
Had an absolute blast with my crew during a Kobold Press D&D game called Tales from the Wastes: The Sanctum. This was my first group game at 10 a.m. Thursday morning and it was like an instant camaraderie party – a bunch of strangers turned into adventure buddies. Not gonna lie, it set the perfect tone for the whole con.
I gotta admit, the food trucks got a serious upgrade this year. More trucks and a tad more elbow room. Even though the lines were still kinda nuts, the setup was on point. Sure, Georgia Street is a bit closer, but IMHO it didn’t come close to comparing. I hope they stick with it next year.
Just the convention as a whole was great. There were so many people every day and it was wonderful to see downtown Indy bustling and vibrant after a few years of hard hits from the pandemic. Hats off to the entire team behind Gen Con. I can’t imagine how difficult it is to pull off such a massive event every year and this year was one of the best. Thank you for all you do for the gaming community and my hometown. Also, huge shout out to all of the volunteers who run the games. I had nothing but great interactions with everyone who worked the convention.
Finally got some hang time with my D&D gang. We've clocked in countless hours in 5e campaigns, but this time it was all about kicking back, playing games, and tossing back a cold one. Big shoutout to Gen Con for giving us the perfect excuse to unwind and enjoy each other's company. Oh, and you know what? It was so busy that planning a session went out the window. Instead, we did a game night the next week – a fresh twist with all those new Gen Con games we snagged.

That wraps it for The Good, which is the majority of my experience at every Gen Con I’ve ever attended. But, the sweet is never as sweet if you’ve never tasted bitter, and I have to admit, there were a few less-than-stellar things at this year’s con.

My next blog post will cover those, so stay tuned. Until then, share your highlights with me and the community either in the comments below, or by emailing me directly at cmthenewdm@gmail.com

DMing Basics: 10 Essential Tips for New DMs

August 10, 2023 by Cavan McGinsie in Tips

You did it! You made the decision, or accepted the appointment, to take up the Dungeon Master’s seat for a group of friends, strangers, countrymen. That’s a huge step. Now, the moment of truth is nigh, and you find yourself standing at the precipice of uncertainty. Fear not, fellow New DM! You are not alone in this perilous journey. As a fresh-faced dungeon master myself, I welcome you to a world that is about to become a whirlwind of excitement, adventure, and yes, a touch of chaos.

Now, I've gathered some invaluable tips to help you kickstart your campaign and feel a tad more prepared for that nerve-racking first session. But let me be honest with you right from the start – no matter how much you prepare, you'll never feel completely ready, and that's perfectly okay. Time for a quick dungeon dive.

1. Take a look, It’s in a Book: Unleash the power of the Dungeon Master's Guide. I know, I know, obvious, right? But, it is the holy book of DMing, filled with the sacred knowledge you'll need to conquer your role. Get the book, read it. You literally cannot DM without this. A solid grasp of the rules will boost your confidence, improve your game, and make it more enjoyable for everyone involved from the get-go. And while you’re at it, make sure and read the Player’s Handbook, as it may be even more difficult to run a game without having more than a cursory knowledge of the wisdom it holds.

2. Learn From The Pros: Living in the Age of Podcasts. While reading the DMG (and PHB) is crucial, it's equally important to seek inspiration and guidance from experienced DMs. One of the best ways to do this is by tuning in to actual play podcasts. They provide valuable insights into game mechanics and storytelling. Plus, you'll be treated to incredible stories that rival the best books, comics, and movies out there.

There are countless lists out there for best actual play podcasts, but I’ll include a few suggestions here in my particular order (you can read my further thoughts on them, and more, in this post): Not Another D&D Podcast, Dimension 20, Worlds Beyond Number, and The Adventure Zone.

3. Choose Your Adventure: Homebrewed or Prebrewed? Before diving headlong into your planning, make an important decision: Do you want to create a homebrewed campaign from scratch or run a pre-made adventure? This choice sets the tone for your DMing journey. If you're drawn to the opportunity of unleashing your creativity and improvisation skills, then crafting your own world may be the way to go. On the other hand, if you're a first-time DM looking to learn the system and ease into the game, a pre-made adventure can provide a solid foundation.

For those venturing into the realm of homebrewed campaigns, I'll share advice tailored to your path. However, if you choose a pre-made adventure, here's one vital tip: read it before running it. Familiarize yourself with the adventure's chapters or sections to ensure seamless and effective campaign management. If you're curious, I’ll have some top recommendations for pre-made adventures and modules coming up in a future post.

4. Setting the Stage: Choose Your World. Now that you've absorbed the knowledge from the DMG, gathered inspiration from seasoned DMs, and determined your campaign's foundation, it's time to tackle a crucial aspect: choosing your setting. This step sets the stage for the entire adventure and helps shape the experiences your players will have. Whether you're partial to high fantasy realms, futuristic space exploration, thrilling Victorian mysteries, or even modern-day high school escapades, the choice is yours. You can either dive into a pre-built setting like Faerun, Mystara, or Eberron, or craft your own unique world. Just make sure it's a realm that resonates with you, as you'll be spending countless hours shaping its details and bringing it to life.

5. Weaving the Tapestry: Crafting Your Story (Loosely). Ah, the story! The heart and soul of your campaign. While it's tempting to plan every twist, turn, and revelation in meticulous detail, remember that D&D is a collaborative game. Your players are integral to the story's fabric, and their choices will shape the narrative. So, as you embark on your storytelling odyssey, create a loose framework. Define the central conflict, the driving force behind your campaign. It could be a raging war, a kingdom in dire straits, an ancient evil stirring, or perhaps an impending catastrophe that threatens all existence. Develop main factions, flesh out NPCs, and, of course, introduce a compelling Big Bad Evil Guy (BBEG) who will keep your players on their toes. But here's the secret: leave room for improvisation and player agency. Let the story evolve organically, influenced by the actions and decisions of your adventurers. Trust me; it'll make for an unforgettable journey.

(Pro tip: If you’re having trouble coming up with a central conflict, I recently heard some of the best advice I’ve ever heard for coming up with this on the fly, and it came from Aabria Iyengar in the Worlds Beyond Number aftershow, she said, “What is the lie this world believes?” Answer this and you’ll have the perfect central conflict to begin your campaign.)

6. Collaboration is Key: Players are Co-Creators. Don't fall into the trap of shouldering the entire creative burden. Remember, D&D is a collaborative game, and your players have unique imaginations and ideas to contribute. As DM it is your job to create an intriguing premise and world for your players to play in, sure. But, it is also your job to leave enough open that the players can carve out their own parts. Encourage them to participate actively in shaping the world and the story. Ask them questions about their characters' backstories and motivations. Give them opportunities to influence the lore and provide input on various aspects of the campaign. By embracing their contributions, you'll not only lighten your own load but also make your players feel more invested in the world you're crafting together.

If you want to tell a specific story in the way that you want to tell it, then go and write a novel. This is not the place to tell your story, this is a place for you to craft a story with a group, that is where the true magic lies, the unexpected journey that all of you are going to go on together.

7. Embrace the DM's Paradox: You Can't Know it All. Let's face it: no matter how much you read, study, or obsess over the rules, you won't be a walking encyclopedia of Dungeons & Dragons knowledge. And that’s alright. You’re never going to remember every rule, you’ll forget even the most basic ones probably more than once. Ask my players how many times they’ve cast detect magic and I’ve had to scramble attempting to know what school of magic they are experiencing, and then being unable to remember all the schools of magic, and then finally adding a little helpful picture to my DM screen so I can’t forget. You can’t beat yourself up when you forget a rule or detail. Instead, embrace the DM's paradox: you're the ultimate authority at the table, but you're also human. Accept that you might need to consult online resources like 5e.tools or even the rulebooks mid-session. Your players will understand, and it can even create a sense of camaraderie as you all navigate the game's intricacies together.

8. The Art of Improvisation: Your DM Superpower. As a DM, you'll encounter situations you never anticipated. That's when your superpower comes into play: improvisation. When faced with the unexpected, take a deep breath, think on your feet, and let your creativity flow. Don’t know how tall the building is? Roll a D4+2. How many people are in this tavern that you hadn’t planned on your players entering but they asked if there would be a tavern in town and you said, “Yeah, of course, there is, and it’s called The Tipsy Turtle.” And they go into this place that didn’t exist thirty seconds ago. Roll a d10, there are that many people in here drinking. Embrace the chaos and turn it into memorable moments for your players. Remember, the beauty of D&D lies in its unpredictability, so embrace the twists and turns that come your way.

9. Roll the Dice: Let Fate Decide. D&D is a game of chance, and the dice are an essential part of that equation. The dice are our friends. Use them, and use them often. Embrace the randomness. Instead of shutting down your players' audacious ideas, set high Difficulty Classes (DCs) and see if the dice smile upon them. This adds excitement, unpredictability, and a sense of accomplishment when they succeed against the odds. And, you’re ready to improvise, right? Of course, as the DM, you have the power to fudge rolls behind the screen for narrative purposes but use that sparingly to maintain the integrity of the game. If you use them well, the dice can truly be a powerful ally.

10. The Power of Fun: Enjoy the Journey. Above all else, remember that D&D is a game meant to be enjoyed by all. You’re creating a new world with some friends, building a story that has never been told before, that’s amazing, and exciting, and should remain so. Embrace the laughter, the epic moments, and even the occasional blunders. Let the joy of storytelling and camaraderie permeate your sessions. Celebrate the victories and learn from the defeats. As the DM, your attitude and energy set the tone for the entire table, so be the beacon of enthusiasm that draws everyone into this fantastical world.

Now, dear New DM, armed with these tips and a burning passion for adventure, go forth and weave tales that will echo through the ages. Embrace the chaos, learn from each session, and watch as your players' imaginations ignite.