Another season, another MEPACon. I attended all three days of this autumn’s MEPACon, playing in two events and running three. Not bad for a weekend of gaming while still getting in some sleep (though sleep logistics did prove a little challenging). My first game was Flails Akimbo, a zero-level scenario for MÖRK BORG. I bought … Read more
DarkSpace is a sci-fi hack for ShadowDark that takes the rules-light, fast-playing fantasy game to the future. Already out in PDF, the “hack” is now on Kickstarter to fund a proper 200-page print and PDF version of the rules add-on. It just passed $80,000, which means it’s unlocked all of its stretch goals save for … Read more
Guns. Gas. And only one way to go: Straight! Learn how to play Gaslands Refueled in this introductory session at MEPACON’s Spring 2025 convention (April 4-6, 2025) in Lehigh Valley, PA. All you need to do is get from Point A to Point B without crashing into a wall, sliding into an obstacle, or getting … Read more
Back when the new Fallout series debuted on Amazon Prime, the Lair of Secrets crew geeked out about how good the series was … and about the possibility of running a Fallout 2d20 campaign. That led to David Moore putting together a Fallout adventure as our next actual play for the podcast. After doing a 1st level playlets, we decided to … Read more
Developed at MIT between 1977 and 1979, Zork is the quintessential interactive fiction adventure game. Descended from the earlier Colossal Cave Adventure (the game I’m actually much more familiar with), it started players at a simple White House in the woods and invited them to explore an expansive underground empire. I played the M.I.T. release for this … Read more
Fire Emblem Engage is a straightforward entry in the long-running strategy skirmish series. It leans heavily into nostalgia for earlier releases, and eschews the branching storylines of recent entries (Three Houses for Switch and Birthright for the 3DS) in favor of a linear story. As with its predecessors, Engage puts you in control of a … Read more
At Nuketown, we love world building. Here are our top world building resources for role-playing games. Random Generators Hexcrawls Journals Word Building in Action
The key to virtual play is crafting a online Dungeon Master’s Toolkit that works for you. Just like my physical dungeon master’s toolbox, the online one makes my life easier. It cuts down on prep time, creates robust visuals for battle maps and illustrations, and keeps me focused. Adventure Prep Battle Map Creation Virtual Tabletop … Read more
Google Jamboard, a virtual whiteboarding solution that the company coupled with an expensive real-world display, is shutting down. Google is turning it off on October 1, 2024. It never got traction in the virtual or real worlds, but it has a special place in my gaming heart for how we used it with Gamer Working Group … Read more
Dig Dug is a quirky tunneling-based arcade game from the 1980s. It features an … exterminator? … in a white environment suit who ventures underground to wipe out the pests dwelling there. Released in 1982 by Namco, it became a staple of arcades and myriad game consoles. Quote I continued farther into the dark electronic cave … Read more