Character du Jour: Gloin Sladehammer, Dwarf P.I.
“That’s the thing about dwarves: we never give up. I’ve never quit a case yet, and this is not going to be my first. Some have taken me 75 years to solve, but I cracked it in the end. And that’s w[...]Read on >>
Making Magic Mysterious
I finally began reading the Black Company novels recently. I'm still early in them, so - while I'll say that I'm enjoying them so far - this isn't a review.One minor thing I noticed is that the wizards of middling power [...]Read on >>
Worldbuilding 101: The 10 Scale
When creating systemless settings, a basic benchmark can be used to allow for conversion to the system of choice. For simplicity, every descriptive item that should be measured can be rated on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 [...]Read on >>
Tips for Controlling the Metagame
Metagaming – everything that happens outside of the game – is going to happen. There is nothing you can do as a player or DM to stop it. Whether it is simply the players discussing what roles they... [[ This is [...]Read on >>
Reptile Folk
“Slightly taller than Humans, Reptile Folk prefer scrubland on the edges of deserts. Their nomadic lifestyle and natural armor has made them terrific hunters and trackers. This innate protection also supports the[...]Read on >>
Slipstream: Lost in Space
Humans in Slipstream left a devastated Earth in giant space arks, seeking to colonize Mars. The Robinson family in Lost in Space left an overpopulated, environmentally devastated Earth to set up a homestead on Alpha Cent[...]Read on >>
Myths of Valiant
Long ago, lost in time, was a great and ancient empire called Mano-ade. Mano-ade was so old, no one can remember its beginning other than a few stories of heroes and gods.They were an educated people who worshipped the[...]Read on >>
Dark Heresy: Anton Phibes
Anton Phibes was a famous scholar of the Eccesiarchy and music, renowned for his skill as an organist. He was disfigured in a ground vehicle crash while rushing to the side of his sick wife, Victoria. He survived his inj[...]Read on >>
The Curious (R)Evolution of the Drider
While working on this week's What the Heck*, the "sprites' answer to the drider", I was doing a little research into the drider and I noticed something odd.3e MM: Driders are bloodthirsty creatures that lurk in the depth[...]Read on >>
Dark Heresy: The Emperor’s Hammers
January 2, 2009 from UncleBear
Filed under: Dark Heresy, Fluff/Inspiration, Other Systems, RPG Hub, Star Wars
Legendary for their work disciplining traitors and heretics, the men known as the Emperor’s Hammers do not always work together. In fact, their separate mandates, as Commissar and Inquisitor, have frequently placed[...] Filed under: Dark Heresy, Fluff/Inspiration, Other Systems, RPG Hub, Star Wars
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Political Map of Valiant
This map delineates the political boundaries of countries on Valiant. White spaces are either unclaimed or unknown at this time. Click on the map to see full size. Boundaries include lands claimed in winter. [...]Read on >>
Help! My DM/GM Hates Me!
This is a problem for a number of players. They believe that their DM is simply out to get them. Real or imagined, this can be a huge problem for enjoying the game. So what do you... [[ This is a content summary onl[...]Read on >>
My New Year’s Gaming Resolutions
Resolutions aren’t really my thing. As a productivity wonk, they make my teeth itch, actually. People fail in keeping their resolutions because they’re not actual goals. Most resolutions aren’t specific[...]Read on >>
First Day of a New Year
Holidays can be secular as well as relgious and New Year’s Day is the most common secular holiday amongst the cultures of Valiant. Most cultures on Valiant begin the year on the first day of spring, or 1 Pyrrand [...]Read on >>
RPG Blog Carnival: New Year’s Gaming Goals and Resolutions
Happy New Year! This month I’m the host of the RPG Bloggers Network’s Blog Carnival. What is a blog carnival? It’s where bloggers mutually work on the same theme or topic for a month. The topic I’ve[...]Read on >>
Deadstream: A Savage Setting Mashup
During RinCon I was shooting the breeze with Ron Blessing and John Polack about doing a Firefly-type space western using Savage Worlds. Ron suggested using Slipstream, which didn’t make sense to me until I read it.[...]Read on >>
Cities in Kynafir
This list was made following many of the principles found here. This page gives an excellent rundown on how midieval populations actually worked out. I did fudge things a little though, because Kynafir’s population[...]Read on >>
Just One of the Boys
After deciding that indeed my character, Sir Throserl Baird the Gnome Historian, was going to be a male I began thinking about what this actually means for the way I am going to play. I am concerned that I won’t[...]Read on >>
This is an Awesome Post
December 30, 2008 from The Hydra's Grotto
Filed under: Advice/Tools, Fluff/Inspiration, Game Design, RPG Hub
No not this post. THIS POST, by the great Sham, is awesome. First it shows somthing he is doing. Second it illustrates a principle of game design. Third you get a great how to that you can easily replicate yourself and l[...] Filed under: Advice/Tools, Fluff/Inspiration, Game Design, RPG Hub
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1d20 Dreams for the Dying and Unconscious
This table has taken a while to write. I have been coming up with the ideas sort of piecemeal on my lunchbreaks over the past couple of months. The idea is that in a fight, when death is near and a character goes unconsc[...]Read on >>
Six Half-Baked Vampire Chronicles
December 29, 2008 from How to Start a Revolution in 21 Days or Less
Filed under: Inspiration, RPG, RPG Hub, World of Darkness
Vampire RockstarThe PC coterie is based on mutual membership in a local band. Maybe they hooked up after their embrace, more likely their band is important to local politics (or their music has mystical significance) and[...] Filed under: Inspiration, RPG, RPG Hub, World of Darkness
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Characters du Jour: Whips and Chains
“Guns. How many times do I have to say this. I don’t like guns!” Two whips snaked out at the thugs, the tip curving like a live thing, snatching the Uzis clean out of their hands and tossing them clear [...]Read on >>
Houses of the Blooded: Venworld
Way back in the year 2000, John Wick wrote a fascinating game called Orkworld. It spun out of a bet that was in turn inspired by his wanting to run an orc bard in D&D and being told orcs don’t have bards. Being[...]Read on >>
Dark Heresy: Laetitia ‘Lia’ Urgantha
December 28, 2008 from UncleBear
Filed under: Dark Heresy, Fluff/Inspiration, Other Systems, RPG Hub, Star Wars
The woman known as Laetitia ‘Lia’ Urgantha was stolen from her true parents by Chaos cultists shortly after birth. She was given over to Imperial Nobles who had been corrupted by Chaos, and were working as s[...] Filed under: Dark Heresy, Fluff/Inspiration, Other Systems, RPG Hub, Star Wars
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The Look and Feel of a Hive City
December 28, 2008 from RPG Diehard
Filed under: Dark Heresy, Fluff/Inspiration, Other Systems, RPG Hub
I've been digging on Dark Heresy lately, and a recent browse through the Fantasy Flight Games forums yielded this gem of a thread. The original poster asked what hive cities -- the ubiquitous urban megalopolises in the W[...] Filed under: Dark Heresy, Fluff/Inspiration, Other Systems, RPG Hub
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When Rewards Aren’t Rewards in Dungeons and Dragons
Sometimes more gold does not help a party much. Sometimes even more experience points, magic items, and hordes of gems really aren’t worth very much to characters or to players. Understanding the... [[ This is a con[...]Read on >>
Point of Clarification: Why Balance?
Rereading my prior article, I realize it was clumsily written, poorly organized, rambling, and most of all failed to address my point. So: The concise and clear summary of my argument against using system mechanics to ba[...]Read on >>
Why Balance?
Game balance is a funny thing. On the one hand, it is absolutely vital in board and war games, because they are strictly competitive. On the other hand, it is strictly unrealistic, and may or may not have a proper place [...]Read on >>
Map of Kynafir
Due to some screw-ups in my mapping techniques and scales, I have new, better maps. All maps older than this post for Kynafir and Sobra should be disregarded. The map below shows Kynafir in both winter and summer states.[...]Read on >>
Clerics of the Church of the Thirteen Gods
The priesthood of the Church in Kynafir has a far reaching and deep history, rooted within the traditions of the Thirteen Gods. Unlike the orthodox priesthoods usually found within Western society on Earth, the role of[...]Read on >>
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