After the end of our long-running Obsidian Frontier campaign, we decided to venture to a little-explored region of Greyhawk: the Archbarony of Blackmoor. Inspired by Dave Arneson‘s legendary campaign setting of the same name (one of Dungeons & Dragons first-ever settings), Blackmoor promises a mix of ancient magic, weird technology, and the strangeness of the Egg of … Read more
Several years ago the Gamer Working Group — my lunchtime gaming crew — chose to playtest Numenera. I created the wandering town of Walkabout for what I expected to be a short campaign, but alas, the game never really clicked with the group. That was largely because of the lack of literal world building; the game was all … Read more
The Refuge of Durak is a pocket dimension that served as an oasis of law for the planar explorer known as Durak the Rigid. An archmage and planar explorer, Durak held to his moral code in any situation, steadfastly embracing his ideals even in the face of absolute chaos. Durak the Rigid’s home — the alternative material … Read more
The Ghost Walk Star Cluster is located at the edge of the galaxy and is known for its spectacular views of dying stars, it’s just-ignited protostar nebula, and the gossamer strands of illuminated gas that inspired its name. Approximately fifty light-years across, the Ghost Walk Cluster is composed of approximately 20 stars, most of which … Read more
I prefer to roll my planets the old-fashioned way: with dice and beautifully detailed tables (I’m looking at you, Stargate RPG). That said, we don’t always have the time to lovingly handcraft a new planet, which is where random planet generators come in handy. In addition to providing summaries of new worlds for immediate use in … Read more
A Satisfying Conclusion: Gnome Stew looks at strategies for ending your RPG games, be they convention one-shots or multi-year campaigns. How a Star Trek card game quietly continues, 10 years after its official end: I played a few rounds of the Star Trek Collectible Card game by Decipher back in college. Though fun, I never got into it. … Read more
Geeks of a certain age remember the novel Watership Down by Richard Adams, which told the story of a desperate band of rabbits fleeing their doomed warren. Geeks of perhaps a slightly younger age remember the movie based on the book … and the nightmares it gave a generation. As a 46-year-old Gen Xer, I fall into … Read more
Blogworthy is a regular column dedicated to blog posts that I’ve read and enjoyed. It’s a direct outcome of my RPG Blogs Reading List on Feedly. How I Keep My Mornings Sane: Berin Kinsman talks about his electronics-free, relaxing morning routine. I’m looking to revamp my own morning routine, so this was a worthwhile read. … Read more
There were a couple of reasons. Re-establish a writing routine: New content’s been spotty on Nuketown for the last couple of months. A big reason for my participation was getting back into the groove of writing every day. I don’t know if I’ll keep it up in September, but I accomplished my goal of posting more regularly. Reconnect … Read more
As I’ve gotten older, I think the characters I’ve enjoyed the most are the ones who’ve grown organically during the game, becoming something I didn’t quite expect when I sat down at the table. Briggs Foehammer: I expected my character for our Heart of Darkness online campaign to be a paragon of the new dwarven … Read more