Hostile Sun Playtest: Alchemy System

The latest Under a Hostile Sun playtest was a success! I was able to teach my players the new alchemy system and they enjoyed its versatility and ease of use (whilst still keeping the system on guardrails). We also confirmed that the new movement norms (higher move rates for each archetype, use of squares instead […]

Black Flag Playtest: Initial Reaction

Building A Black Flag Character The first PDF playtest of project Black Flag provides the basic rules of Character Creation. Classes aren’t released yet so you need to import one from a compatible system. If you are familiar with making RPG characters this will be familiar territory for you. Key Differences Lineage and Heritage One’s […]

The Value of Unmonetized Culture

Many have made the case that this new “OGL” is an attempt to ensure the maximum profitability of WotC’s tabletop being developed. This helped me realize that this OGL problem is a symptom of a much larger problem, one bigger than WotC or even the ttRPG industry. In a monetized world, unmonetized culture can be […]

Blood in the night

For a while I will be out of state and thus taking a short break from RPGing. Think that’s a very good thing – sometimes the soil grows best when it is allowed to lie fallow for a time. And the trip will be an adventure in its own right. Nonetheless, before I go I […]

On Building Dungeons

For my EHS job I will be going into a large dilapidated military base to radio-survey. The safety plan accounts for falling debris, holes in the floor, unstable floors, trespassers, radioactivity and substantial areas of darkness. I have literally been hired for a dungeon crawl. All my years of gaming . . . it has […]

On Arthur, Faith & RPGs

This may be at first seem an odd topic, but one I think is very important. Many older RPG players (happens to us all) remember the “satanic panic.” I myself have never faced any real oppressions from religion for my love of playing RPGs. I myself am a Latin Mass loving Catholic and my mother […]

Tasha’s Cauldron

Removing all content about Hasbro products in response to the Open Game License “deauthorization” Open Gaming is here to stay. With or without D&D

Roll for Trick-or-Treats

Nothing beats scary stories around the glow of Jack-O-Lanterns. But here’s the thing. . . you already know how most of the neighborhood stories go right? You can read your friend’s face and know when he will make the boogyman come out. What if there was a way to make them a bit more unexpected […]

Writing Your First RPG Session

Planning the adventure for your RPG session is easily the most daunting task of being a new Game Master. This helps explain the popularity of pre-made adventures. Indeed many prefer to just run a pre-written and play tested adventure strait out of the box to writing their own. But just as much of the fun […]

The Introverts Will Be Their (Dungeon) Masters

The best place for an introvert at an RPG table is . . . as the Dungeon Master (or Game Master or Master of Ceremonies). It may seem like a bold statement given the amount of responsibilities the Game Master (we will use this as a catch-all) has. Doesn’t being the GM require leading others […]