The Old Ways are the Best Ways
Look at 'dat dragon... Yes, another two weeks without a post. Yes I know. I know it's bullshit. Even more so that the last time I went on an unannounced two-week hiatus. Anyway, to give you a quick recap, since I go[...]Read on >>
Needles of Knitting +5: Using The Craft Skill To Its Best Advantage
There's no such thing as wasted ranks in the Craft skill.[...]Read on >>
D&D Encounters Dark Sun (Week 13)
This week I was back behind the DM’s screen. We had a full party of six, three players using the pre-generated characters – Barcan, Phye and Castri – while the other three players brought their own PCs – the fami[...]Read on >>
how to be classy
Be a wine snob! Wine snobbery, along with an upper-class accent and a superciliously raised eyebrow, is one of the great, easy markers of the upper class. If the PCs hobnob with nobles, then they must drink wine. Invent [...]Read on >>
Have I been too hard on Essentials?
I have talked a bit about the upcoming D&D Essentials on this blog before. Mostly about how I think it is a stealth edition and how I think the rules updates are coming a bit too fast and furious nowadays.[...]Read on >>
Miniatures: Otherworld Skeletons
As you know, I've been painting Otherworld goblinoids with reference to the AD&D Monster Manual. To take the odd break I've also painted the first set of Otherworld Skeletons and the occasional PC. Here are some pict[...]Read on >>
Wounds and Wound Penalties
Most RPGs have combat as their central conflict resolution mechanic, and why not? The kinds of stories that most gamers seem to want to play, it even makes sense. If you make a grand epic of swords and sorcery, at some p[...]Read on >>
Miniatures: OW and GW Undead II and PCs
Here are some additional undead and PCs.I painted up a set of old GW armoured skeletons. Some weeks ago a commentor asked for a comparative shot with an Otherworld skeleton and here it is (sorry it took so long, life has[...]Read on >>
RPG Circus Season 2 Episode 16 – Pay No Attention to the Man Behind the Screen
Welcome to Season 2 Episode 16 of RPG Circus Episode Topics Interview with Jess Hartley Review of Shadow, Sword, & Spell The Pros,Cons, and Myths about Game Master Screens Show Links Crafty Games Time of High Adv[...]Read on >>
Reminder! Enter the international Savage Worlds give away by tomorrow!
To celebrate another wonderful game system, Savage Worlds, we've gotten together with the fine folks at Pinnacle Entertainment Group to give away a few Savage Worlds books. Since the PEG folks graciously provided the Sa[...]Read on >>
So what’s different between MM3 and previous monster formulae?
I have to wonder. Obviously the newer standards are doing more damage. Here’s a Harpy Screecher. And here’s a Meenlock Stalker. This is an MM3 level 9 controller. The Meenlock does more damage (roughly double the [...]Read on >>
Computer Problems
Hey folks, just wanted to drop a line and say I've been out of comission due to computer problems. I'm hoping to get back in a day or two.[...]Read on >>
Dark Sun- Pathfinder’d
First, sorry for being absent all last week. I was away back in my native Montana hanging with my folks and friends imbibing large amounts of good Montana Micro Brews, howling at the moon, and sleeping with my cousins.. [...]Read on >>
Letters Home
We recorded an episode of 4 geeks 4e last night. For this episode, we discussed how we approach campaigns from both the DM and player sides and I mentioned that one trick I've used as a player is having my character wri[...]Read on >>
Random Generation: Interview With Chaotic Shiny’s Hannah Lipsky
Readers of this site know I'm absolutely crazy about random generation, tables, and charts in role playing games--I love 'em, and think they're tremendous fun. Today, I have an interview with Hannah Lipsky of Chaotic Sh[...]Read on >>
Killa Burger
Now for a bit of blatant commercialism.For the last few months we've been eating at a great new fast food place called Killa Burger.Their website is here.And their masterpiece burger......it's not like going to MacDonald[...]Read on >>
The Moral Stages of an AD&D Player
My brother was in town last week, and our reflections on our AD&D days of yore led me to think about how the ethical/moral assumptions of our gaming group changed over time--at least, in regard to how [...]Read on >>
The Penny Arcade Expo
I am so excited to be attending the Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) in Seattle this year! I have never been to a gaming convention before and I am looking forward to this epic adventure! I hope to come back with inspiration for [...]Read on >>
5 Reasons Why You Should Check Out Fudge
For some reason Fudge, the roleplaying game by Steffan O’Sullivan back in the nineties, is something like the unloved uncle to the popular FATE system. A lot of gamers have heard about FATE, especially after Evil Hat r[...]Read on >>
Minions on the Table
September 2, 2010 from Critical Hits
Filed under: 4e, DM Advice, Encounter Design, Monster Design, RPG, RPG Hub
Monsters can lose a battle before it begins if they have bad tactical positions. This is even truer with minions. Even if we assume, narratively, that your minions have no way to know they’re little competition for the[...] Filed under: 4e, DM Advice, Encounter Design, Monster Design, RPG, RPG Hub
Read on >>
Skyskiff Windspirit
“Hold tight now!” The captain called. Rathgar pulled the skyskiff’s tiller. The ropes and planks creaked in the wind as the small craft tacked into the wind. “Ease a bit to the north… there, j[...]Read on >>
From the Attic: An interview with David Wesely
If David Arneson was one of the father of the roleplaying game David Wesely is the grand father. His Braunstein games inspired Arneson to create Castle Blackmoor which led to all that followed.Theory in the Closet interv[...]Read on >>
Explosive Resistant Inebriation Tools
A look at one way in which the industry of being inebriated has changed the potential for LARPers.[...]Read on >>
Magical Location Design: Ravyn’s Guide to Geomancy
September 2, 2010 from Exchange of Realities
Filed under: GM Advice, RPG Hub, World Building, roleplaying
In yesterday’s post about creating magical locations based on their purpose, I mentioned the possibility of the purpose being to channel magic, and said I’d discuss it later. “The following day” counts as[...] Filed under: GM Advice, RPG Hub, World Building, roleplaying
Read on >>
The almost secret tower of Leasspell, part 2 (map)
It was a chilly morning. Billobi stood by the window of his room on the second floor, and looked out over the treeless scenery; the ground was covered in white mist as if the clouds had become too heavy and sunk from the[...]Read on >>
Making Dark Sun Defiling a bit more…..brutal.
So, I’m digging the Dark Sun setting for 4E. I never got to play 2E, but I did get to hear the brutal tales of it from an old roommate and good friend. But there is one part that bothers me….the “Defili[...]Read on >>
[V:tM] One Nosferatu haven
My haven My haven is a little detached house just outside town. Subway goes near so it's easy for me to go to city when ever I need to, as I don't have a car or even a license to drive one. Not that the lincense is[...]Read on >>
V:tM Nosefratu character. Q&A
These questions are from V:tM corebook. This chronicle has ended already, but I decided to post this Q&A part of the character creation. Character is not mine, but player's of mine.How old are you?I was Embraced in t[...]Read on >>
Advanced Feats: Secrets of the Alchemist Now Available!
You and your companions are trapped underground in a lightless hell with miles of lethal traps and hungry monsters between you and the surface. Betrayed… lost… your situation seems hopeless. But each of you h[...]Read on >>
The Random Bard Table
The genre site Topless Robot had a “Create a Random RPG Table” contest this past week, inspired by the legendary Random Harlot Table in the 1E DMG. The existence of that table still boggles my mind. I found o[...]Read on >>
Jojo was a Spanner
In tonight's Continuum session, the PCs visited a Corner named "Let It Be" in London. Let It Be is a Thespian's corner that watches over the Beatles rooftop concert in January 1969, protecting it from Narcissist interven[...]Read on >>
Inspired by Facebook (and Shelly Mazzanoble)…
In this lovely informal Facebook poll, our good buddy Shelly Mazzanoble asked her friends to identify themselves into one of three categories: “DM”, “Player”, or “Both”. I, of course[...]Read on >>
My chronicles in interwebs!
I did use blogspot to save my roleplaying campaigns, gaming sessions, characters, npc's etc. but decided to try out wiki. I found, that I am too lazy to edit wiki, so turned back into blogging. I know, that blog is not b[...]Read on >>
World Building 101: Another Day at the Races
Several months ago I discussed player character races, largely in terms of choosing which races exist in your setting and how they might differ from the bog-standard versions described in the core books. Today’s articl[...]Read on >>
Creature/NPC: Dark Bugbear
While we of the Society have already revealed and catalogued numerous perversions and blasphemies committed by the Drow, the Spider Lovers never fail to supply us with new depravities spawned by their admirably fertile i[...]Read on >>
Ettin Sampler
This is a continuation of yesterday’s post about the ettins who add humanoid heads to their bodies. I really do intend to get back to the elves, really I do. Hoss has six extra heads arranged about his waist like &[...]Read on >>
Monster: Lithira
Lithira Armour Class: 8Hit Dice: 3*Move: 180' (60')Attacks: 2 hoovesDamage: 1-4/1-4No. Appearing: 2-20Save As: C3Morale: 7Treasure Type: SpecialAlignment: NeutralXP Value: 50Found in oases and the grasslands th[...]Read on >>
Rebuilding The Past
In our campaign Epicurus sat in that second story window and would shaft bad guys below. Writing about my Winter War campaign yesterday got me down. That always happens. One of the things I lament is all that gorgeous te[...]Read on >>
On Ibis, City of Sorcerers – Part Eight
Ah - the final preview of Ibis. I have about 30 more locations to write and a few maps to draw to finish the city-state for inclusion in NOD #5, along with the second level of the dungeon that appears in NOD #4, Mines &a[...]Read on >>
Has 4th Ed. Turned the Corner?
With the imminent release of the new-old Red Box can we now look to the future-past? Will Grognards ascend the basement stairs to rummage through their Mom's purse for the $20 MSRP? Does it matter? To me it does. I w[...]Read on >>
Toronto Fan Expo: The DM Master Class Seminar
One of the highlights of my visit at last weekend's Toronto Fan Expo was the one hour panel I had the honour to share with RPG legends Ed Greenwood and Robin D. Laws. We ended up speaking to packed room of 100+ people. I[...]Read on >>
Icosahedrophilia Podcast, Episode 100: The Valley of the Shadow of Death, Part 5
I fell a couple of days behind schedule, adventure fans, but here for your listening pleasure is the monumental, historic 100th episode of the Icosahedrophilia podcast, presenting “The Valley of the Shadow of Death[...]Read on >>
Haste – Or, Speed Kills
It was one of the rare opportunities, where my friend Darren DM'd a campaign and I got to play. My LE Gray Elven MU with a 19 intelligence and an eye in the back of his head (mutation) was probably around 10th level or s[...]Read on >>
Dungeon Trick Generator
I’m really excited to announce that the first version of my Dungeon Trick Generator web app is done! The concept is simple – each time you load the page, it generates a trick that can be easily [...]Read on >>
“Let them eat static”
Much as I love the final trench run in Star Wars, and the destruction of Caprica from the original Battlestar: Galactica, I present to you the best space battle scene ever filmed. And the reason? Because it concentrates [...]Read on >>
William Gibson’s Take on Google
From the New York Times Op-Ed article: Science fiction never imagined Google, but it certainly imagined computers that would advise us what to do. HAL 9000, in “2001: A Space Odyssey,” will forever come to mind, his [...]Read on >>
destination unknown #6
destination unknown #6; 08.30.10; Books/Dresden FilesI had hoped to get a lot of writing done during my vacation, but I was unable to. I doubt I'm the only one who imagines the ideal vacation as a cabin in the woods with[...]Read on >>
Public Algol Game & The Autarch’s Voluptuary
Next Monday, September 6th, at the Waves Coffee House located at Broadway & Spruce in Vancouver/B.C., the Red Box Vancouver crew and I are getting together for a public Planet Algol game, using the Lamentations of th[...]Read on >>
Let’s Roll Up A Heroes Character!
I'm not even going to discuss how many times I've redone the Body Powers Table since I posted my corrected Take Three. Lord. I mean, improvement and all, but...lordy, lordy. Anyway, I'm so s[...]Read on >>
Ubercon: Edison, NJ Nov 5-7
Is anyone interested in attending some AD&D games at Ubercon this year? I just got a very nice invitation from the good folks who run it. I'm sort of on the fence on this one, as it's the weekend after Halloween, whi[...]Read on >>
Things People May Be Discussing (alpha):
abilities action already attack based bonus box challenge check checks city class classes combat come dioxin don dungeon everything fact getting giancarla group head heimdel hit horakh however keep let level list magic makes mind once paladin party player points read run second seems session setting skill skills star story table thg three try until whole work
foo
