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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Familiars: A Witch’s Best Friend
Rules for familiars when a magical black cat simply isn't weird enough for you.
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.
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?
Is GenCon Worth It?
I discuss whether GenCon is worth it to RPG designers, ordinary gamers, and how to make it even more worthwhile.
GenCon: This IS My First Rodeo
Your intrepid reporter in the field presents the latest on-the-ground news from the first day of GenCon.
A LEGO Jam Retrospective: Trouble in Paradisa
In which I talk about how to write an adventure in a weekend and a method for connecting NPCs in a web of relationships.
Endangered in Dungeons
Oops, you hunted the random encounter to extinction. What comes next?
Between Two Jams
In which I implore your participation in two game jams this summer: the Lego RPG Setting Jam and the Barkeep Jam. I extol their virtues and cajole all creators to join in the fun.
Wizard Diss Tracks
Wizards are petty creatures, prone to getting into arcane beefs with their fellows. I present rules for wizards researching diss spells to further their beefs along with a d66 random table for origins of the beefs between wizards.
We Live Again
Rules for resurrection, soul transference, reincarnation, and cloning (in roleplaying games. If I knew how in real life, would I really be spending my time pretending to be an elf?)
