Mike Mearls. The D&D 5th Edition co-creator’s posts about lunchtime gaming inspired my own lunch-time campaign. His work on Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition is a big part of what brought my gaming group back to the venerable RPG. Ken Hite and Robin Laws: Their podcast Ken and Robin Talk About Stuff is a constant source of … Read more
“Get the hell off my lawn and take your damn streaming video with you.” I muttered when I saw this topic in the #RPGaDay list. “If I had time to watch someone else play video games, don’t you think I’d be playing the damn games myself? Live streams. Pah. Actual play. Pah. A gamer craves … Read more
My overarching ambition is to continue making time for games. It’s difficult, with the day job, marriage, one kid in high school, the other in middle school, the day job, and all of the activities that go along with them. We’ve got Boy Scouts, marching band, softball, baseball, Seeing Eye Puppy Raising … it’s a … Read more
Blades in the Dark. At the risk of being repetitive, it’s one of the best things that came out of breaking my right ankle on December 30, 2017. The RPG is set in a fantasy world ravaged by a spiritual war that ravaged much of the landscape. Ghosts and worse roam the wastes; the only … Read more
If we’re talking about recognition in terms of awards, I can’t say. I haven’t been keeping up the Ennies and such, and I’m not so immersed in the larger RPG community that I have a sense for the overlooked gems when it comes to award season. If we’re talking recognition in terms of people knowing … Read more
Star Wars. I’d love to run the legacy follow-up to our Shadows of the Force campaign. Set in the Dark Times following the Mandalorian Wars, it would feature the descendants of our earlier campaign struggling to survive after the collapse of the Jedi Order. It would take place 30 or so years after the end of the previous … Read more
The Amber Diceless Role-Playing Game (Wikipedia) I bought the game and its companion book, Shadow Knight back in the 1990s and it’s held a place on my RPG bucket list ever since. I loved the idea of the diceless mechanic, from the attribute auction where players strategically vied for the best character attributes to how … Read more
Exploding dice (a.k.a. “acing dice”) in Savage Worlds is my favorite dice mechanic among the games that I regularly play. It’s led to some of the most epic moments I’ve had at the table and is in keeping with Savage Worlds “Fast! Furious! Fun!” motto. The best part of it is it that it leads to such unexpected results. Even … Read more
Bennies in Savage Worlds, without a doubt. Players typically start with three bennies, which they can spend to re-roll checks and soak damage. Having three bennies at any given time means that players are comfortable with spending them and still having a reserve. I don’t have a problem with people hoarding bennies because I’m liberal … Read more
For many years I lovingly crafted soundtracks for my sessions, occasionally even adding sound effects. Done well, music enhances immersion in the game and kicks engagement into a higher gear. Done so-so, it still adds to the game, but ends up serving as little more than pleasant background noise. Done poorly, it distracts from the … Read more