Homebrewing is the act of either altering an existing system’s rule set or the creation of your own rule-set, typically with foundational elements from another. Today’s #GMAdvice centers on both how to get started with homebrewing as well as some common pitfalls GMs experience when branching out in this area. Getting started usually just comes…
Continuing from last week’s #tbtRPG Isaiah the Gray story: “Who are the Gray?” asks Isaiah. Captain Issac ponders a moment. “The Gray are simply a group of people dedicated to preserving the Force itself. Light and Dark, Jedi, Sith…these are just titles given to aspects of the Force and the people who interact with it.…
Today’s #worldbuildingMonday covers what I consider to be an under-served topic for TTRPG players: crafting. Crafting is seen almost as an indulgence for hardcore players. It’s too rarely a point of emphasis and typically only encompasses weapons, armor, and potables. Today’s post is a series of tips to how to better ingratiate crafting into your…
Today’s #GMAdvice is all about how to run an improv role playing game story. Whether it’s 1 on 1 or with a group of players, improve RPGs can be incredibly fun. There’s much less setup, little to no paperwork, fewer items to keep track of, and you can all just jump right it without any…
Continuing from last week’s #tbtRPG Isaiah the Gray story: Captain Issac answers: “We are the Gray.” Isaiah looks concerned. “But…that’s my name.” “A coincidence of fate, I’m sure.” replies the Chief of Security T’Enora. Isaiah and Jimmy C share a “it’s not so simple” type of look. Captain Issac says: “Where we see coincidence or…
A common lament I hear in new players is having to “deal with all the math” of tabletop role playing games. When new players first realize that a significant percentage of the most popular TTRPGs do involve more “math” than they might have otherwise assumed, in many new players, this fact can be a turn-off…
How players manage their inventory is a significant worldbuilding component and one you shouldn’t take lightly. Today’s #worldbuildingMonday post centers around some advice & tips for GMs & worldbuilders to facilitate that inventory management process. To set the table, the traditional spectrum of inventories spans from realistic – i.e. how much the player character would…
For GMs who have a complicated, nuanced, and detailed set of lore at the bedrock of their stories, today’s #GMAdvice is for you as it tackles some best practices around ingratiating players into that lore. When players invest in and treat your lore at face-value, it’s a very fulfilling feeling and most oftentimes makes for…
Continuing from last week’s #tbtRPG Isaiah the Gray story: Still strapped in, Jimmy C turns to Isaiah and asks: “Well, where to next?” Isaiah meditates a moment on his surroundings: there are several dozen people on this ship, all of whom possess some degree of force sensitivity. Moreover, this ship possesses a highly advanced level…
Why did modern RPGs start with the Fantasy genre? Today’s post tackles this open-ended question and helps drive the conversation forward on where we go from here. Beyond the availability of a rule set to facilitate playing fantasy stories, there is likely no one, universally true answer. But my theory directly relates to yesterday’s post…