I was noodling about RPG setting material I’ve always meant to read, and I remembered a truly excellent thing: Stephan Michael Sechi, creator of Talislanta, generously makes available virtually ever Talislanta product ever published in PDF, with permission granted to download, modify, and print for personal use only, for free. That’s over 30 PDFs spanning […]
Free Talislanta PDFs, and where to start Read More »
My Seattle group is coming up on a year of Ars Magica [paid link] play, using 5e — my first experience with Ars. We’ve played around 20 sessions (I’ve missed a couple, but I’ve been there for 18), covering about a year of in-game time, and I say without hyperbole that I will happily play this
Ars Magica after 18 sessions: what an amazing RPG Read More »
I missed the boat on Chris McDowall’s Into the Odd (paid link), but eventually figured out that I was missing something splendid. It’s out of print, but the PDF is a dandy $8 and I love coil binding, so here we are. Here’s the blurb: “Into the Odd contains everything you need to create a character
Into the Odd is delightful Read More »
This post is a round-up of three things that crossed my path and grabbed my attention, all RPG-related. Gygax on agreement I found this fascinating 1975 Gary Gygax quote over on The Acaeum: “Dave and I disagree on how to handle any number of things, and both of our campaigns differ from the “rules” found
Agreement, rough edges, and combat as sport vs. war Read More »
I love getting reading recommendations, but my to-read shelves are such an embarrassment, particularly when it comes to comics, that I don’t always take them. But after a visit to Outsider Comics and Geek Boutique (which rocks!), I took one: Rat Queens (paid link). I heard about RQ when it launched, but had too much on
Rat Queens fucking rules Read More »
Lesserton and Mor (paid link), written by Joel and Jeff Sparks of Faster Monkey Games, is a product that I don’t think has received its due. It’s a fantastic, unique, flavorful, and versatile sourcebook for a premade city and its neighboring open-air megadungeon, and it’s incredibly cool. (Update: And it’s now free in PDF!) For starters,
An overlooked OSR gem: Lesserton and Mor Read More »
When I thought about what I wanted to be able to run on short notice at Go Play NW, if the opportunity arose, DCC RPG (paid link) was on the list — except I didn’t want to carry the whole rulebook. Having already trimmed the rulebook down to 18 pages, I wondered if I could
DCC RPG: convention funnel edition Read More »
I’ve rounded the horn on 2016 Hugo Awards finalist novels, wrapping up Naomi Novik‘s Uprooted (paid link) on Sunday night. Seveneves (paid link) was a 5/5 that roared through my brain, and The Fifth Season (paid link) was a 5/5 that took a bit of time to get rolling, so I was curious to see
Uprooted is a fantastic look at a fairy-tale reality Read More »
I wrapped up my second 2016 Hugo Awards finalist novel, N.K. Jemisin‘s The Fifth Season (paid link), yesterday, and it was awesome. The Fifth Season is post-apocalyptic fantasy, which is unusual enough to pique my interest, but it’s doubly unusual: Its setting, The Stillness, experiences recurring apocalypses — Seasons — that can be decades or centuries
The Fifth Season’s recurrent apocalypse Read More »
I’m going to be playing Exemplars & Eidolons (paid link) next week, so I figured I’d better pick up a copy. Because Kevin Crawford is a mensch, it’s free in PDF and cheap in POD. In a nutshell, it’s designed to mash up godlike heroes and old-school D&D adventures. Grab a D&D module, read a
Exemplars & Eidolons: an OSR Swiss Army Knife Read More »
