Play-by-Post Combat and Forum-Based Dueling
Let me preface this by saying that this originated from a collaboration between Pseudosyne and me (Alias) on RPGForumsOnline.com in the form of a dueling class. We later worked this into a seminar to share our thoughts o[...]Read on >>
Sufficiently Advanced…
Arthur C. Clarke penned what are called the three laws of prediction. While they are not somthing that is stated over and over in stories but rather over and over in conference rooms at science fiction/fantasy conventio[...]Read on >>
The shortest route is not a straight line (Exalted session report)
My name is David, and I’m an addict. Exalted just does something special for me. It has a rich and detailed background that is so much spicier then the traditional fantasy setting, coupled with characters capable o[...]Read on >>
Traveller – travelling
Session 3 of the Traveller campaign (which still needs a name, it occurs to me) was good fun, despite leaving me (again) with the worrisome sensation that nothing especially exciting happened. Still, the players enjoyed [...]Read on >>
The Tome Ep 85: Wyatt at GenCon
Geoffrey D. Winn snagged James Wyatt to talk about the Player’s Handbook 2, Manual of the Planes, the Adventurers Vault, Eberron and so much more. Plus I announced the Secret Code Contest!!! Participating shows are[...]Read on >>
New spam blocker
So far WP has caught all the spam comments I’ve gotten, but they’re a pain to individually moderate. I’ve installed a spam-comment blocker that does some tricks with server-side timestamp hashes and jav[...]Read on >>
GenCon Survivors 03 – Survivors Avec Frontieres
Accidental Survivors: the Modern Gaming Podcast All music in podcast by Mindscape Music GenCon Survivors 03 - Survivors Avec Frontieres Welcome to the another episode of the Gen Con Survivors. The GenCon Survivo[...]Read on >>
Now, when you least expect it, Tirapheg Week!
Fittingly enough given the non-sequential progress of tirapheg week, a being from beyond space and time! Statted up for Labyrinth Lord, with a dash of the epic pseudonatural template from 3rd Edition D&D. Previous in[...]Read on >>
The Second (Third?) Party UPDATE!
So, funny story...word has spread through various means and I will be running my introductory game for somewhere between 6 to 10 new players...a larger group than anticipated, but not unheard of...certainly a much larger[...]Read on >>
Turning A Simple Sentence Into A Paragraph
Turning a small thought into a full-blown post can often be a difficult process. I stumbled into Joe Davis’ demonstration of exactly that process today, so I’m publishing it under the “Asides” cat[...]Read on >>
New Gods of Mankind (Atomic Array 006)
New Gods of Mankind (Atomic Array 006) Luke Johnson talks about New Gods of Mankind from Dark Skull Studios. Ever want to play a god? This game might just be what you’re looking for. Being a game about godhood, it[...]Read on >>
GenCon Survivors Interviews 02 – Andy Peregrine
Accidental Survivors: the Modern Gaming Podcast All music in podcast by Mindscape Music GenCon Survivors Interview 02 - Andrew Peregrine of Cubicle 7 Entertainment Welcome to a GenCon S[...]Read on >>
4e General First Impressions
So I got to play a proper session of 4e yesterday. This is opposed to the, supposedly, improper session I played last week. My group, separated by a couple hundred miles, plays over Skype. Skype was acting up last tim[...]Read on >>
Out of action on SJG GURPS forums
In any case anyone should ask around for me on the SJG GURPS forums, please tell 'em I'm off those forums these days. With regrets, of course; just a wee busy. Those forums just come up with too much interesting stuff. [...]Read on >>
Be My Frankenstien!
September 23, 2008 from The Hydra's Grotto
Filed under: Advice/Tools, Game Design, Legacy DnD, Other Systems, RPG, RPG Hub
Over at Jeff's Gameblog there is a discussion about how D&D has always been a sort of frankenstein of games. I was discussing this with my friend Sam, talking about using board games and such to illustrate aspects of[...] Filed under: Advice/Tools, Game Design, Legacy DnD, Other Systems, RPG, RPG Hub
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GenCon Survivors 02 – Border Bound
Accidental Survivors: the Modern Gaming Podcast All music in podcast by Mindscape Music GenCon Survivors 02 - Border Bound Welcome to the another episode of the Gen Con Survivors. The GenCon Survivors episodes [...]Read on >>
4e Organization
So I had the experience of creating a PC for a D&D 4e campaign recently. Our Night's Dawn Trilogy based World of Darkness game ended, somewhat abruptly, and we are on to the next game and system. I've poked through[...]Read on >>
The Tome Ep 84: Kenson at Origins
Steve Kenson of Green Ronin gave me an update on how things were going at Green Ronin with True20 and more. Also, I mention that you can impact the show by visiting the forums. We’re a member of the Vorpal Network[...]Read on >>
Interface-Zero (Atomic Array 005)
Interface-Zero (Atomic Array 005) B. Matthew Conklin III and Patrick Smith joined us to talk about Interface-Zero, the True20 cyberpunk setting from RDP. It all started on the top of a publisher’s wish-list. There[...]Read on >>
Dirk’s Background
So game night is next weekend, and I needed to come up with a background for my character in a setting that is the pacific northwest but the "european" peoples have just discovered the west coast. From my DMs description[...]Read on >>
Get Rid of the Fluff
Fluff has bad nutritional values. It’s not surprising to hear a lot of people claiming that they “don’t like books with a lot of fluff” or that “that kind of gameplay is too fluffy” si[...]Read on >>
Episode 035: True20 Review
WARNING: Instances of very strong language may offend some listeners. Accidental Survivors: the Modern Gaming Podcast All music in podcast by Mindscape Music 1. Geek Week Watching Burn Notice [...]Read on >>
Horror in Games: Making the Mundane Magical
This has been a perennial topic on my and others blogs: How do you evoke horror in games?The World of Darkness allows you to play vampires, werewolves, and other supernatural and horrific beings. To do this fairly and[...]Read on >>
Why Changeling: The Lost is my favorite nWoD Game
The title and subject of this post makes me feel like I'm writing a corny grade school essay, but I really do love Changeling, and would like to share the many reasons why. I should say though that I don't dislike a sing[...]Read on >>
On the fly chargen and “laying pipe”
(Grabbing a post out of my private drafts and posting it now in response to a request that I update my journal...)Robin Laws has a column which discusses "on the fly chargen" vs. the need to "lay pipe", that is, establi[...]Read on >>
Make Your RP Successful!
Make Your RP Successful! by being involved in somebody else’s You finally find a role-play forum gurgling up the Siren’s song of promise. There are tons of threads, and on every breed of subject matter your eager [...]Read on >>
The Lost Genre Part I: Never Was
Swords and Sorcery. There has been some speculation as of late as to why this genre has almost disappeared from the fantasy landscape. Erik Mona editor of Paizo's fine Planet Stories line, Howard Andrew Jones, one of the[...]Read on >>
Horror in Games (Stolen from Turtles All The Way Down)
This was my reply to Turtles All The Way Down. Another Lovecraft quote I like: “Never state an horror when it can be suggested.”—H.P. LovecraftLately, similar to brining fear into a game, I’ve been thinking of ho[...]Read on >>
Spycraft 2.0 is approaching
Forbidden Planet recently turned 30 and gave away some nice big 30% discounts, I couldn’t resist and picked up a copy of Spycraft 2.0. This is a scary book, it has 500 pages and I can’t find any fluff in it. [...]Read on >>
Prejudice in Fantasy Worlds
I was thinking today, while bored at work, about human history with regards to prejudice and war. Yes, I think about topics that are a little overly complex when I'm bored.Anyway, this got me thinking about aliens and a[...]Read on >>
The Tome Ep 83: Rob Heinsoo at GenCon
Rob Heinsoo, designer at Wizards of the Coast, took the time to talk to Geoffrey D. Winn at GenCon 2008 and shared a bit with him about 4th edition’s success and some upcoming books including Martial Power, Player[...]Read on >>
Let’s get Something Clear
Because I’ve seen some general confusion regarding this topic, I thought I would shed some light on an issue that seems to be corroding the minds of the youth worldwide… 3 Simple Things That is a rather fun a[...]Read on >>
Teaching 4-Year-Olds English: A GM’ing Lesson Learned
Sounds spurious, don't it? What does teaching 4-year-olds English have to do with being a GM? Well, I thought I'd elaborate a little bit on my Edge of Interest™ remark in my previous post.The Edge of Interest is esse[...]Read on >>
The Happy Medium Principle (When Ought A GM Call For A Dice Roll Part ii)
A friend of mine has never played a pen and paper rpg before. He has played games like Baldur's Gate though, so he has some familiarity with how a past DnD system works. Trying to explain what pnp gaming is like to someo[...]Read on >>
Continuum 2008: ‘Pavis: Gateway to Glorantha’
This is the second in a series of special recordings from Continuum 2008. This was recorded at Continuum 2008 at John Foster Hall, University of Leicester, Manor Road, Oadby, Leicester, UK on Saturday 2nd August 2008 [...]Read on >>
Continuum 2008: ‘The Future of Glorantha’
This is the first of the special recordings from Continuum 2008. This was recorded at Continuum 2008 at John Foster Hall, University of Leicester, Manor Road, Oadby, Leicester, UK on Saturday 2nd August 2008 at 10:00 [...]Read on >>
What I Learnt About Glorantha
This is the fifth and final of the special recordings from Tentacles Fumble 2008. This was recorded at Tentacles Fumble 2008 at Castle Stalheck, Bacharach, Germany on Sunday 11h May 2008 at 13:00 in the Seminar Room. A[...]Read on >>
Jeff’s Huge Gloranthan HeroQuest 2.0 Game Part 3
Actual Play This is the fourth in a series of special recordings from Tentacles Fumble 2008. This is a demonstration of the new HeroQuest 2.0 rules in an old setting of Glorantha, Pavis. This will also be the new star[...]Read on >>
Traveller – the plots thicken
Tuesday's Traveller session was another success, despite my concerns that not an awful lot was happening. As is often the case during the early stages of campaign development, this session (only our second) was all about[...]Read on >>
The Tome Ep 82: Ed Greenwood Origins 08
Ed Greenwood, creator of the Forgotten Realms, took the time to talk to us at Origins 2008 and give us his insights on why the Realms make a good game world, how to use powerful characters in your game well, some insigh[...]Read on >>
Jeff’s Huge Gloranthan HeroQuest 2.0 Game Part 2
Actual Play This is the third in a series of special recordings from Tentacles Fumble 2008. This is a demonstration of the new HeroQuest 2.0 rules in an old setting of Glorantha, Pavis. This will also be the new start[...]Read on >>
Jeff’s Huge Gloranthan HeroQuest 2.0 Game Part 1
Actual Play This is the second in a series of special recordings from Tentacles Fumble 2008. This is a demonstration of the new HeroQuest 2.0 rules in an old setting of Glorantha, Pavis. This will also be the new star[...]Read on >>
The Great Gloranthan Gathering at Tentacles 2008
This was recorded at Tentacles Fumble 2008 at Castle Stalheck, Bacharach, Germany on Friday 9th May 2008 at 18:00 in the Rittersaal [Knights Hall]. Covering new and future products from Moon Designs and Mongoose Publish[...]Read on >>
Morphology Independant Critical Chart
Hit location charts, critical hit location charts and in particular critical charts with hit locaitons have always been tricky things in gaming largely because they tend to revolve around humanoid morphology. Jeff Reints[...]Read on >>
Grimy Dungeons and the PCs That Are Covered In Them
This article is much less high-handed than my norm. It's just a thought that amused me.A post over at Trollsmyth, as well as couple of preceeding posts by the same, got me thinking about the effects that the kind of ins[...]Read on >>
How to Create a Magic Item
I’d like to tackle the magic item creation process with the spin that I usually take for my games: start with meaning and derive mechanics. I’ve tried to make the nature of the process abstract enough to be a[...]Read on >>
The Final Design Goal
In previous posts I have talked about the design goals for Codex. These aren't mechanical goals, but rather goals about what kind of game I want Codex to be. Largely a lot of these have to do with marketing and the desir[...]Read on >>
Some Games I’d Like To Play
Dungeons and Dragons 4e: At first I dismissed this because of some negative reviews I read, but then some friends convinced me I was being far too hasty, and that a lot of the negative complaints (it's like an MMO) actua[...]Read on >>
Story Within A Story Game
This is something I'd like to see or make for a game:An inter-related set of story-worlds that are all stories that are being told within the other worlds. Or, at least, one story world that constantly refers to another [...]Read on >>
GMs: Friend or Foe?
Something I've been thinking of lately (and was reminded of in my last post re: a Speed of Plot question) is a GM's approach to GM'ing. The approach chosen underpins everything from campaign creation to encounter/situat[...]Read on >>
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