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 sandbox games and urban horror, and at that intersection sits the absolutely stellar PbtA RPG Urban Shadows (paid link). I expected Urban Shadows to be good at facilitating sandbox play, but I wasn’t prepared for just how good it is. Since the proof is in the pudding, below is the brief recap of goings-on
Urban Shadows is fantastic for spinning up a sandbox game Read More »
When print + PDF RPG pricing is utter bullshit: a brief and salty anecdote in four parts. 1. I have enough DriveThruRPG credit to buy a game I’m interested in. By all accounts it’s a good game and I will probably like it. 2. I buy games in print, but like to also have the
How not to price print + PDF bundles Read More »
Back in 2015, I came across a Gary Gygax quote I hadn’t seen before — one that resonated deeply with me then, and which still resonates just as deeply 18 months later: Role-playing isn’t storytelling. If the dungeon master is directing it, it’s not a game. I love this quote. It’s a strong stance, and
A lesser-known Gary Gygax quote Read More »
Back when my group in Utah was playing The Dresden Files RPG (paid link), I wanted to try something different than my usual beads or stones for Fate points. I initially considered the official Fate coins: They’re lovely, but also not cheap, and like beads/stones they’re all the same. And then I thought, why not just
Using coins as Fate points for The Dresden Files RPG Read More »
After making a string of phone calls where I needed to spell things for the person on the other end of the line, I decided it was finally time to learn the NATO phonetic alphabet so I could stop doing this: Okay, it’s five, P as in pork chop [shit, now I’m hungry], six, three,
The D&D phonetic alphabet Read More »
This Adventure Time dice bag rides in my gaming bag every day, just in case. What’s inside? Why, it’s a big ol’ pile of Rory’s Story Cubes (paid link)! I carry these to every game because they’re one of the most useful improv tools in my GMing toolkit. Here’s my full assortment: That spread includes the
Rory’s Story Cubes are one of my favorite improv GMing tools Read More »
I have a container fetish. Not a problem, mind you,[1] a fetish. Browsing in office supply stores is dangerous for me. When we moved to Seattle, and everything I owned became, at some point, another fucking thing to haul across the country, I threw out a box full of smaller boxes.[2] I own more dice
At Go Play NW, I played a session of Love in the Time of Seið that I would rank among my top five gaming sessions of all time. Designed by Matthijs Holter and Jason Morningstar, Love in the Time of Seið (the “ð” is pronounced like the “th” in “them,” as I understand it) is
Love in the Time of Seið is intimate and intense 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 »
