This morning, on Twitter, a brief conversation came up wherein we ever so gently touched upon the topic of setting and system. It’s no surprise I was interested in the topic and, while I can write concisely, the space was far too limited to engage in any sort of meaningful dialogue about the nuances of how these two things operate. If you’re here today to hear me rambling about “the creature” or other such nonsensical things, go ahead and check out. We’re going to get all nuts-and-bolts and examine the interaction between these two important facets of game creation today [...]

Today is the last day of DBloC, the Daily Blog Challenge! I’m happy to report I made it through this interesting experiment relatively unscathed, but it did take its toll just a tad bit. Let me clarify, however, I enjoyed each and every post, but there were a couple of things which did not make me happy about when I started it. First off, I’m a fragile flower when it comes to the time change–this occurred early on in DBloC–which contributed to my fuzziness early on, but I adapted quickly. I also did the posting at the end of the [...]

We’ve talked about a number of considerations for the GM in running his game, but there is one thing, surprisingly which we’ve not covered yet, and that is how the intangible element of time can greatly impact play. Whether you’re running a campaign or an adventure, the manner in which time is handled can certainly impact your game. In any system where there is the recovery of assets, be they fatigue, power points, or health, it is natural and expected for the players to want to rest somewhere until their characters are back at full health. Some game systems have [...]

Commonly referred to as an info dump, exposition is an important part of all roleplaying sessions. It is how we, in our roles as gamemasters and designers, contextualize the adventure, and give it meaning to the players and, thus, the characters. Exposition provides some backgrounds for the group and can be very detailed or tantalizing shadowy tidbits about the plot, theme, setting or important characters. While it really helps to get everyone’s heads into the game, if overused or abused, exposition can kill an adventure’s momentum dead in its tracks. Knowing this, however, can also be used in the design process [...]

There comes a point in every project, plan, and goal where the little kid inside of you in the backseat of your mind pipes up and asks “are we there yet?” Unless you’re some sort of mutant, you know this to be true, especially when it’s on a longer/larger project where the sparkly, shiny newness of it can wear thin or grow dull in your eyes. You cannot throw in the towel. You have to dig deep, and keep on working. We’ve talked about it here a bit, and as the weather grows colder and we’re coming off a lazy [...]

With a wink and a smile at Ms. Austen, from whom I cleverly clipped part of today’s title, we delve into scene creation. We’ve talked about them in broad strokes, but a number of folks often have issues putting them together, so let’s deconstruct a scene and see if we can poke its tiny, little nuclear heart, and find out what makes it tick. A scene is the basic building block of a story, but what is it? You can say the same things about cells as well, however, it doesn’t help you understand anatomy. There are as many definitions [...]

Happy Thanksgiving! Today, we’ll pick up where we left off yesterday. The Casual Play Style: This play style supports fun and laughter, and roleplaying may (or may not) be light or bow its head before high action. Interestingly, the casual play style often has tactical elements, and miniature use is often mandated or strongly recommended. There can still be a story or running throughline, but the game often serves to draw people together and let off some steam. The term can be misleading,  however, as it is often the casual gamers who pride themselves on knowing all the nuances of any [...]

People often confuse some of these things and use the terms interchangeably, so let’s clear the air and give them precise definitions. Plot Point: A self-contained adventure expanding out the world and driving the overarching story forward. Set Piece: A revelatory or exciting part of a story. Adventure Path: An interlinked series of adventures, linear in nature. Savage Tale/Side Adventure: A self-contained scenario which should expand out the world. When we use the term “the world”, it covers the setting, themes, inhabitants, and everything else the creator of the world has in his arsenal. Now, we have that out of [...]

You are an artist, a creator of worlds. You have a palette of infinite colors and you have brushes made from the hairs of a thousand camels. You are ready to do battle with the canvas. You may slug down some coffee, drink a coke, or imbibe a thousand Red Bulls (one in honor of each dead camel) to prepare yourself for the act of creation. When you approach the canvas, however, you are afraid. Nausea  starts in the pit of your stomach, and soon spreads its paralysis throughout your body, and eventually into the recesses of your brain labeled creativity, bringing you to [...]

A number of folks make up house rules and apply tweaks to their games. Some folks say there is no right or wrong way. Sadly, those folks are trying to be nice. I’m going to set you straight here. You may not like what you hear, but think of it as tough love or a rules boot camp, or a wake up call. Or delude yourself into thinking I don’t know what I’m talking about and revel in your mediocrity. House Rules: You want house rules. Fine. Go for it. I’ll tell you, as a designer, rules are a base [...]