Self-Balancing RPG

Hello Readers of the Martian Muckraker blog and/or itch.io! This is a super early draft of a rules framework that GMs and players can used to build characters for any environment. Occurrence values, all based around the number twelve, are used to determine the relative utility of skills, powers and environments in a given setting. […]

Halloween RPG: Pulse and Pressure

The rules for Pulse and Pressure now fit on a single buisness card! Wishing you all a Happy Halloween. Hope this game helps you create some scary stories. The Ghoul Master narrates how the players wound up in a dreadful situation. The player characters roll two dice when they take a risky action. On a […]

Worldbuilding Spreads

Tarot is a most under appreciated tool in roleplaying games. If you need inspiration in a flash a quick tarot spread and give you tons of world building possibilities, devious plot twists or hidden clues. Here are some world-building tarot spreads from the most recent version of my Martian Muckraker RPG book followed by an […]

Playtesting and Other Extreme Sports

So the first Martian Muckraker playtest was a little rough. Maybe more than a little rough. A lot rough. It was rough. Solidly rough. So the first part of this post is to state that when you are designing a game: PLAY TEST PLAY TEST PLAY TEST. And be not discouraged. The chief areas of […]

Muckraker RPG in Playtest

For a little over the year, I have used this blog to explore science fiction scenarios. The short fiction format of these posts allow me to play with a wide variety of ideas and overtime I have started to get a sense of a “Muckrakerverse,” a world of science fiction whimsy populated by mild-mannered Alien […]

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 […]

Roleplaying Games Besides Dungeons And Dragons . . .

Dungeons and Dragons is to roleplaying, what Kleenex is to tissues. Some people think that ALL roleplaying is Dungeons and Dragons. Dungeons and Dragons was the first tabletop RPG and the 5th Edition is one of the best designed tabletop RPGs out there. It’s incredibly easy for new players to learn, but still has enough […]

Game “Earthlings and Epics” Sparks Galactic Controversy

Gamemaker Cri’tevel is at the center of an interplanetary diplomatic spat after his game “Earthlings and Epics” was used by the Earthling government as an example of “alien contempt for our ways.” “I was not trying to offend,” Cri’tevel said, “Heck, I even based the ability system on an old forgotten Earthling game about dragons. […]