W. F. Smith 2/18/25 W. F. Smith 2/18/25

You Don’t Need a Game System Before You Play: The Calvinball Experiment

I played a 3ish-month campaign where we made up the rules as we went along. Here are the rules we came up with and my impressions of this experiment.

W. F. Smith 2/7/25 W. F. Smith 2/7/25

Control Weather Should Not Be a Spell

Control Weather is a cop-out of a spell, combining what should be many different magic effects into a single spell that is high level and accordingly puts a very interesting field of magic out of reach for most of the campaign.

In addition to my lament, I present a new character class: the Tempestarius.

W. F. Smith 1/28/25 W. F. Smith 1/28/25

Sharing the Spotlight is Insufficient

A simple GM technique for sharing a small bit of narrative control with your players.

W. F. Smith 1/14/25 W. F. Smith 1/14/25

Monster, Maiden, Madonna, Medusa

The medusa is a cool monster that was the victim of TSR’s honeypot encounter design like so many other female-coded monsters. A close reading of woman monsters in Keep on the Borderlands, White Plume Mountain, and Numenera.

W. F. Smith 1/2/25 W. F. Smith 1/2/25

2025 Is the Year of the Beta

In 2025, we shall all release a playtest-ready beta version of that TTRPG we have been working on.

W. F. Smith 12/17/24 W. F. Smith 12/17/24

Pedantic Wasteland: Lighthouse at Shipbreaker Shoals

A review of Lighthouse at Shipbreaker Shouls, a DCC Adventure by Anne Hunter (aka DIY & Dragons).

W. F. Smith 12/10/24 W. F. Smith 12/10/24

1849 California Gold Slush

A handful of blog posts that never made their way to the finish line. There are a handful of golden nuggets of good ideas in here! But also there are at least six bad ideas.

W. F. Smith 11/29/24 W. F. Smith 11/29/24

It’s the Barter Economy, Stupid

Rules for abstract wealth, abstract supply, reputation, bartering, carousing, starvation, and random treasure in dungeons, and how all of these rules come together to form a cohesive whole.

W. F. Smith 11/19/24 W. F. Smith 11/19/24

D20 Tabletop Roleplaying Game Gift Ideas that Aren’t Just More TTRPGs (or Dice)

When you are shopping for a tabletop roleplaying game obsessive, most of the recommendations are for more TTRPG books or more dice, when they probably already have plenty. Here are 20 gift ideas that aren’t just more TTRPG books or dice!

W. F. Smith 11/14/24 W. F. Smith 11/14/24

They’re Eating the Blogs

I am adding a new way for more people to read my posts, but they’ll take my blog over my dead body! I muse about the state of blogging and give some encouragement and advice for people looking to start their own.

W. F. Smith 11/5/24 W. F. Smith 11/5/24

You Got Democracy in My Medieval Fantasy!

Too many fantasy settings feature the political systems of the real world middle ages, but there isn’t a good reason for this prevalence. I make the case for using democracies in you setting from the perspective of increasing player agency and engagement in the factions in your campaign.

W. F. Smith 10/30/24 W. F. Smith 10/30/24

Horror Prologue Gameplay

Vecna Lives! has a famously poorly designed prologue but with the bold idea of showcasing the villain by killing off a bunch of high-level characters, as if it were the prologue to a horror film. I present a way to accomplish this in a way that doesn’t diminish player agency and which can be used for other monster-centric horror adventures.

W. F. Smith 10/26/24 W. F. Smith 10/26/24

Being a Vampire Doesn't Suck

The world is a vampire, set to drai-ai-ai-ain, and now so can your player character! A complete guide to playing a vampire, including unique vampire powers and weaknesses and a random table of vampire-hunters.

W. F. Smith 10/22/24 W. F. Smith 10/22/24

Playing as a Ghost

Rules for and commentary on playing as a temporary ghost character after a player character meets their bitter end in the dungeon.

W. F. Smith 10/15/24 W. F. Smith 10/15/24

Familiars: A Witch’s Best Friend

Rules for familiars when a magical black cat simply isn't weird enough for you.

W. F. Smith 10/8/24 W. F. Smith 10/8/24

So Many Free Taverns for Your Games: Barkeep Jam Retrospective

Going through the 32 entries for the Barkeep Jam and summarizing the contents so you know which ones to pick up for your pubcrawl adventuring needs, with some commentary on adventure design sprinkled throughout.

W. F. Smith 8/20/24 W. F. Smith 8/20/24

Which Sacred Cow Doth I Kill?

The worst part of the otherwise excellent "Roll Under" system is that rolling low on a d20, contrary to popular conceptions, is a good thing. Can we keep the bones of roll under while bringing it into conformity with mainstream worship of the natural 20?