About
Elder Martin Publishing
Our mission is to inspire creativity, storytelling, and adventure. Specializing in tabletop role-playing games, gaming accessories, and fantasy literature, with a passion for immersive experiences and high-quality design, we create tools and tales that spark imagination, whether you're rolling dice, crafting characters, or diving into epic fantasy worlds.
Erika Martin - creator/founder
Erika is a scientist by profession and a lifelong geek with a deep love for Dungeons & Dragons, sci-fi, fantasy, and creative storytelling. Growing up on a time forgotten farm in New Hampshire, surrounded by animals and forests, she felt different from everyone, who didn't quite understand her passions, but didn’t mind one bit. Erika found refuge in Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and, most importantly, The Lord of the Rings, which she discovered in middle school—a pivotal moment in her life.
Despite her love for the arts, including singing and theater, Erika surprised everyone by entering the Cellular and Molecular Biology program at the University of New Hampshire, becoming the first in her core family to attend college. Diagnosed later in life with high-masking Attention Deficit Disorder and even later, Autism, Erika credits the structured format of science for helping her thrive. She has contributed to eight scientific papers and was recruited by the Whitehead Institute at M.I.T. as a microscopist while still completing her undergraduate degree.
Though science became her career, Erika always needed an escape. She returned to the world of fantasy and tabletop role-playing, where her analytical skills and creativity blended perfectly. Struggling with details and roleplay in Dungeons & Dragons, she developed charts, tables, and prompts that allowed her to engage fully in the game. Now, she channels her experiences into helping others enhance their D&D experience, particularly those who may find the game intimidating or difficult to navigate.
I'm Writing A Book!
Though still a work in progress, even a Kickstarter in the works, follow along!
With Creative Commons downtime data pooled from over 20 published 5e sources, The Codex is packed with easy-to-find mechanics, inspiring prompts, an the classical rules and systems consolidated into a single resource that lets players engage in activities outside of combat.
The Downtime Codex is a creative guide for the incredibly popular tabletop role-playing game (TTRPG) Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) —a collaborative form of storytelling where players assume the roles of unique characters and work together to build a narrative, often guided by a game master. Traditionally, TTRPGs focus on heroic quests, monster-slaying, and treasure-hunting. But what happens when the adventure is over, the dragon’s been slain, and our heroes are left with a free afternoon?
That’s where The Downtime Codex comes in. This book is all about what characters do when they aren’t saving the world—when they’re just being people (well, people in a fantasy world with magic and monsters, but still people). Downtime refers to those moments in the game where characters aren’t adventuring; maybe they’re running a business, researching ancient spells, crafting a magical sword, or, yes, even trying on a new pair of enchanted boots.
The idea behind The Downtime Codex is to take these moments of "downtime" (which every single game is inevitably packed with) and make them just as engaging and useful as the epic battles themselves. After all, character development and world-building often happen in the quieter times—when characters have to figure out how to pay their rent, manage their relationships, or build a reputation in the town they’re staying in. This book encourages players and game masters to explore those aspects of the game more fully and offers practical tools and mechanics to help bring these moments to life.
Admittedly, I am a first time author, and I am learning a considerable amount about this challenging and humbling process. If you would like to follow my Kickstarter, though still in development, you'll be kept up to date with the steps in the process and every lesson learned along the way.
Other Amazing People, Projects, and Products:
Fantasy Jewelry from Internationally Adored Beader,
Stacey White - J and G Jewelry
Stacey and I teamed up to bring you gorgeous, high quality, beaded jewelry to inspire your TTRPG gaming! See what she has in stock by following the link below to her store on Etsy!
