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From the Attic: The Computation Book from Bat in the Attic

Bat in the Attic — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 12:00:00 +0000

The best cool tool for creating dungeons is a really big sheet of graph paper. The only problem is that it is too cool. You want to save it for the extra special dungeon that never seems to get done. But back in the 80s I found another one just as cool...

Consequence Case Study: Exalted from Life and Times of a Philippine Gamer

Life and Times of a Philippine Gamer — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 06:09:30 +0000

At the request of Lugh, we’re taking the discussion on consequences a little further today, and taking apart an actual game I’ve run and examined how consequences may have worked (or failed) in the context of the case. First off, let’s go over the anecdote: One of the games I’ve run that involved a huge [...]

Keeping the Ball in the Air, or The Art of Consequences from Life and Times of a Philippine Gamer

Life and Times of a Philippine Gamer — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 09:41:38 +0000

Part of how I GM has always revolved around consequences. My default assumption is simple: “The player characters are the protagonists, and they should be able to inflict significant and long-term changes to the setting.” This sort of premise places a remarkable amount of responsibility on the players, who must then consider the actions of [...]

How to write a free RPG – Chapter 8: Publish from The Free RPG Blog

The Free RPG Blog — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 12:00:00 +0000

Finish your game. Finish your game. Finish your game. Stop procrastinating and finish it. The act of creation can be exciting and a struggle but if you don't finish it, you'll never know if it was any fun to play. Publishing is what you do once you hav...

Doing The Impossible from Reality Refracted

Reality Refracted — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 13:37:00 +0000

It seems I have once again set this blog to update at the wrong time. Sorry for that.RPGs are funny things. Especially the campaigns that you run at your own table. Why? Well, I don't know if you've noticed, but I'd wager that the impossible happens at...

Concepts You Shouldn’t Allow from Reality Refracted

Reality Refracted — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0000

This is something of an odd topic because there is a lot of variance between different play groups, and so I'd imagine that there will be a lot of different opinions on just what you should and shouldn't allow a player to be. Some GMs, especially ones ...

The Secret to Background Creation from Dragon Age Oracle

Dragon Age Oracle — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 14:00:55 +0000

Do you enjoy the Dragon Age RPG? Wish you could invent your own Backgrounds? Do you think this is a short introductory paragraph? WHO CARES!? Here is my official “How To” on creating your own Backgrounds. The Breakdown Creating a Background is easier than you think. Dragon Age Set 1 actually offers a complete breakdown […]

Know Your Conflicts from Life and Times of a Philippine Gamer

Life and Times of a Philippine Gamer — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 13:57:27 +0000

Sometimes it’s easy for GMs and players to make the mistake of thinking that Combat is the only form of conflict that can harm characters. While combat is admittedly one of the easiest and most obvious means to inject tension in a game, it always helps to remember that there are other ways by which [...]

The Problem with Story Points from Siskoid's Blog of Geekery

Siskoids Blog of Geekery — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 10:05:00 +0000

...and a possible house rule solution.In many of my latest role-playing endeavors, the games have used some kind of Story Points mechanic (I even imposed optional Cinematic Points to a high-octane, John Woo-ish GURPS series). I think they work very wel...

The Multi-Strand Game from Reality Refracted

Reality Refracted — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0000

I promised I'd talk about this at the beginning of the week and then got distracted by other things. That said, today I want to actually talk about it before I break my promise.Now, I don't know if this kind of game is actually called a "Multi-Strand G...

Selfishness Ruins Games, Or The Importance of Meeting Halfway from Life and Times of a Philippine Gamer

Life and Times of a Philippine Gamer — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 14:45:41 +0000

Dialog, negotiation and compromise. These are important things for any social activity, and roleplaying games are not exempt from this. I often get rants from people who either GM or play in a campaign that they’re unhappy with. Almost always, the cause of their dissatisfaction lies in the fact that either the GM or his [...]

Make Or Break Time (What Would You Do?) from Reality Refracted

Reality Refracted — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0000

As I write this, I'm fresh out of a game where going in the GM was not sure if he had just killed us all with what he was planning for the session. The good news - for the PCs anyhow - is that everyone made it out alive. We handled the situation in a w...

Players: Take Some Time To Read Up On The Setting from Life and Times of a Philippine Gamer

Life and Times of a Philippine Gamer — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 14:27:23 +0000

There’s something deeply rewarding about being able to play in a game that has a complex and elaborate setting. Legend of the Five Rings, Exalted, World of Darkness, Fading Suns, Shadowrun, Eclipse Phase… these are all games which have a fairly steep learning curve when it comes to understanding the nuances of their settings. These [...]

How to write a free RPG – Chapter 7: Testing from The Free RPG Blog

The Free RPG Blog — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 12:00:00 +0000

Your game needs to be tested before it’s devoured by the general public. Testing ranges from simple mechanics tests all the way through to a full blow campaign play test. If you do not have a group to test with and cannot find a kind group to test it...

Ask The Stargazer: “Would you be willing to provide some insight into your thoughts on layout for free RPG PDFs?” from Stargazer's World

Stargazer's World — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 11:00:34 +0000

A couple of days ago Stargazer Games fan and fellow amateur game designer Michael M. contacted me via email and asked me to share a few tricks on doing the layout for free RPGs. Here’s what I came up with: Get a desktop publishing software When you...

Small Obstacles are Sometimes The Best from Reality Refracted

Reality Refracted — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 17:00:00 +0000

So, my Friday game has come and gone. Over all it was a successful game, though I did learn a few things about the weaknesses and strengths of the format I've been using for the game - more on that later in the week. However, something did stand out to...

TPK Avoided . . . so why am I depressed? from Sea of Stars RPG Design Journal

Sea of Stars — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 20:43:52 +0000

So, we were playing Pathfinder last night and we got to the final battle, our four 5th level characters (barbarian, cleric, sorcerer and alchemist) against the Frost Rider -the big bad-, his ghoulish thug and four mephit minions. The sorcerer is my character, more charming than combative but not useless in a fight. Things started [...]

Favors and Compromise – Politics Part 3 from Reality Refracted

Reality Refracted — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 17:00:00 +0000

Today I'm going to conclude my talking about Politics with this last bit. We talked on Tuesday about the NPCs and doing prep on it, with some great additional bits of advice in the comments. Yesterday we talked about games and distractions. Today I wan...

Role Playing 101 #10: How the Patron moves your Adventure from Dark Dungeon 2nd Edition

Dark Dungeon 2nd Edition — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 15:38:00 +0000

Last issue I touched upon story hooks – and player motivation. The simplest story hook you can think of is actually an employer, or as some call it – a patron. And if the patron is right, he or she can motivate all or most of your team. If the hero...

Sandbox games: A collection of links from Stargazer's World

Stargazer's World — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 11:43:50 +0000

When I had the idea of running a sandbox game I did some research first. Especially when you try a new game or a new style of GMing things can go terribly wrong when you’re unprepared. So in order to avoid that I got some help from people who’ve ru...

Court Games and Distractions – Politics Part 2 from Reality Refracted

Reality Refracted — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 17:00:00 +0000

As I mentioned yesterday, this Friday one of my games is moving more heavily into the realm of politics. I am simultaneously scared and excited by this. Why? Well, I've got an awesome group and I want to do this right for them. However, politics is an ...

Running Politics from Reality Refracted

Reality Refracted — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 17:00:00 +0000

This Friday my L5R game is taking a very rokugani turn into an area where I'm not super comfortable in my ability as a GM. Where is that you ask? Well, the PCs are taking a bit more of a court focus, which means that politics is coming into play. What ...

How to write a free RPG – Chapter 6: Organisation from The Free RPG Blog

The Free RPG Blog — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 12:00:00 +0000

In this Chapter, you'll learn how to organise your free RPG. Organisation is very important because a poorly organised game can be confusing and will put people off playing it. An RPG is both read and referred to. It needs to be reference material as w...

Book Review: The Kobold Guide to Board Game Design by Mike Selinker and Others from Open Design from Game Knight Reviews

Game Knight Reviews — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 11:00:01 +0000

Games. We all play them. It’s what makes us “gamers,” right? Whether you enjoy the occasional card, board, or roleplaying game, the one constant for me has been the “fun factor.” If I’m not having fun playing a game, it’s probably not worth playing. But until I started writing my own game materials more . . . → Read More: Book Review: The Kobold Guide to Board Game Design by Mike Selinker and Others from Open Design

Get Adventure Ideas from the Dragon Age Wiki from Dragon Age Oracle

Dragon Age Oracle — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 20:14:48 +0000

One of the challenges I’ve had as a Dragon Age GM is coming up with adventures to run in the world of Thedas. I wasn’t fortunate enough to finish the video game, and I never played the second one, so my knowledge of the world of Dragon Age is very limited. One of the biggest […]

[Friday Map] The Cinder Throne from A Character For Every Game

A Character for Every Game — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 18:51:48 +0000

Last week I was asked “How do you get your maps to look so “clean”? Are these maps scanned from …

Writer’s Block from Reality Refracted

Reality Refracted — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 17:00:00 +0000

Writer's Block is the name for the phenomenon that - traditionally writers - is used when no matter how hard one tries, they're unable to find inspiration for how to continue a story. It can be applied to almost any endeavor one can undertake, but seem...

If you don’t want to suck in older edition D&D then… from Bat in the Attic

Bat in the Attic — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 15:11:00 +0000

Start at 5th level.Why fifth level? Because from long years playing both older D&D and GURPS a 5th level character feels roughly as capable as a 150 pt GURPS Character (100 pts in 3rd edition GURPS). And starting GURPS Character feel about what sta...

Role Playing 101 #9: Use Story Hooks! from Dark Dungeon 2nd Edition

Dark Dungeon 2nd Edition — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 15:03:00 +0000

No matter how you structure your storyline, and no matter if it's linear or completely free, you have no game if your heroes do not participate. For some game masters I've met this may not seem a problem. In their adventures the heroes are no more than...

[D&D Next] Think Before You Rant, An Appeal For Constructive Feedback from Life and Times of a Philippine Gamer

Life and Times of a Philippine Gamer — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 06:55:18 +0000

D&D Next has been on the top of everyone’s mind in the RPG community as of late, and already the fires are burning hot. Staunch advocates of any one of the four editions of the game have begun to air their opinions, a result of WotC’s declaration that they were willing to listen. And in [...]

Endings and Beginnings from Reality Refracted

Reality Refracted — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 17:00:00 +0000

When you're running a game with a strong narrative bend to it, there will come times when things need to come to an end or when things are just coming to a beginning. These moments can be very powerful moments in the game, and can generate the kind of ...

A tale of two RPGs from Bat in the Attic

Bat in the Attic — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 14:55:00 +0000

Last Saturday I got the chance to run Champions (Hero System) for the first time in ten years. I used Hero 5th Edition as that was the last version I got the books for. To me the Hero System is voluminous but not particularly complicated. Also I simpli...

How to write a free RPG – Chapter 5: System from The Free RPG Blog

The Free RPG Blog — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 12:00:00 +0000

The mechanics of your game provide the players with tactical and strategic choices. They will spend resources, take risks, win and lose. The mechanics must mesh with the concept of the game and support the setting. The first question you must answer is...

The Architect DM: Winging It from Critical Hits » Roleplaying Games

Critical Hits — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 21:26:00 +0000

Let me know if this situation sounds familiar to you: You're the DM/GM for your gaming group and you've just wrapped up an adventure, and you have at least a whole week until the next one. You sit down the next day, or even that very night, and start the adventure planning process. Over the next few days you stay on track but before you know it the next adventure is looming and you feel like despite your best efforts the game is still not as ready as you feel it should be.

Setting the scene and using my maps from A Character For Every Game

A Character for Every Game — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 12:08:13 +0000

Sorry if my prose is a bit terse or below par this post, I’m writing it while on painkillers from …

Refereeing Skills and Abilities from Bat in the Attic

Bat in the Attic — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 13:17:00 +0000

I had success doing the following while refereeing anything involving skills or abilities.Player(s) describe what they are doing as if they are there as the character.Think about how to use the mechanics to resolve it.Tell the players how it going to b...

Virtual Table Tops and the Future. from Bat in the Attic

Bat in the Attic — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 18:19:00 +0000

I been using Fantasy Grounds, Virtual Tabletop software for several years now. In conjunction with Skype it been the perfect tool to use for running the weekly campaign that my friends and I have. There are other VTTs like Battlegrounds, Open Grounds, ...

How to write a free RPG – Chapter 4: Setting from The Free RPG Blog

The Free RPG Blog — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 12:00:00 +0000

In this Chapter, you will learn how to write an unique setting; what to include and how to avoid common pitfalls. The setting is the imaginary world that will act upon the characters and that the characters will change with their actions. Even if you a...

Comments on LEGOS Heroica from Bat in the Attic

Bat in the Attic — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 18:01:00 +0000

Over the fall my youngest son, Gregory and I collected all four Heroica sets and had a lot of fun playing with them. Grognardia has a nice in depth review of the components and game.The only thing he missed emphasizing in his review is that the Heroica...

[GMing Advice] Run Your Game With Emotion from Life and Times of a Philippine Gamer

Life and Times of a Philippine Gamer — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 07:37:30 +0000

One of the things I’ve noticed in my years as a GM is that my best games come from campaigns that revolve around something that I feel strongly about. No matter what emotion was involved, these games were made more memorable due to the fact that I had a strong emotional connection to them, and [...]

Year end crystal ball gazing from Bat in the Attic

Bat in the Attic — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 17:11:00 +0000

The end of a year brings with it reflections over the past and thoughts about the future. The Escapist has an interesting series of articles on the past, present, and future of D&D.I think that musing about D&D is only natural given the social ...

Role Playing 101 #8: NPC Interests Behind the Scenes from Dark Dungeon 2nd Edition

Dark Dungeon 2nd Edition — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 17:47:00 +0000

Last time we considered how you can use a framework, or a sandbox as a starting point for adventures. Such a framework outlines the most important non-player characters, locations, and possible enemies and stakes from which adventures may arise. Also, ...

The Importance of ‘Normal’ from Reality Refracted

Reality Refracted — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 17:00:00 +0000

When playing/running a RPG it can be very easy to get caught up in the dramatic and swept away with the tides of high adventure. However, there is also a need for the normal to exist. The normal grounds things in the world you've created and gives a ba...

JiB on GM’ing: Pathfinder Variant Rules, Character Advancement from The Douchey DM

The Douchey DM — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 23:23:50 +0000

Our final exploration of the variant rules for Pathfinder found in the Ultimate Combat Guide discusses character advancement, the effect of magic and magic items, and takes a look at creatures and how to convert them to use the variant rules as well. Several people have raised some very valid thoughts, questions and even concerns […] ↓ Read the rest of this entry...

How to write a free RPG – Chapter 3: Writing and style from The Free RPG Blog

The Free RPG Blog — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 12:00:00 +0000

In this Chapter, we will look at the act of writing itself. By the end you will know some habits to keep and pitfalls to avoid. The second part of this chapter focuses on style and details how writing in a particular way can help the GM and players pic...

The iPad from Bat in the Attic

Bat in the Attic — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 11:00:00 +0000

Thanks to Kelly Anne, and my family I got a iPad for Christmas. It was literally my only present but what a present it is. The two things I want to use the iPad is for entertainment (Netflix, etc) and to use to organize my notes at the table.First off ...

Computers, Rolplaying, iPads and all that from Bat in the Attic

Bat in the Attic — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 18:10:00 +0000

I program for a living, creating interfaces for metal cutting machines, and at home I am a computer hobbyist in addition to my tabletop roleplaying. In the 25 odd years since my family got a Radio Shack Model I, my main interest with computer has been ...

Protagonist Driven vs. Antagonist Driven from Reality Refracted

Reality Refracted — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 15:24:00 +0000

Wow, I'm doing really bad this week on these updates. I apologize. Not really sure what is going on, but between missing a post and setting the wrong time, this has probably been the worst week for the blog in a very long time. My apologies for that.To...

Taking everyman skills to the next level: The Absence of an Alibi from Campaign Mastery

Campaign Mastery — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 14:59:51 +0000

Introduction to ‘Everyman Skills’ As GMs develop in experience, and begin to develop their campaign worlds more extensively, they generally arrive at the idea of everyman skills. Typically, this idea will first emerge in a modern-setting campaign, or future-tech campaign, though this is becoming less true all the time. The idea is that characters, by [...]

Role Playing 101 #7: Game Mastering with The Framework from Dark Dungeon 2nd Edition

Dark Dungeon 2nd Edition — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 13:56:00 +0000

Many game masters start out running linear games. You start at a beginning scene, proceed scene after scene in a predetermined order, and end with the predetermined finale. Maybe the outcomes of each scene - or room, or sublevel, or level, or subquest ...