I recently made the mistake of reading the Batman: Metal storyline. My review is straightforward; it was awful. But it got me further thinking about a problem that I have with storytelling in general. Mainly, I suppose, it would be fair to say – Serial Storytelling. Look at D&D. From the time of BECMI, the …
Changes in Attitudes: Dice and Play
I want to expand on some thinking I did after my post about Charisma checks. One of the things that I touched on was the concept of how the dice were used; specifically my comments about old school D&D play and the rulings vs. rules concept. One thing that is important to remember in that …
Game Design is Frustration
I know we all like to complain about the game design of our "favorites" but I'm not here to downplay anyone else's work... I'm here to sympathize. Working out the specifics of a game is maddening. Ever since I moved away from supporting the Adventurer Conqueror King System, I've had this hole in my life …
Charisma = Backwards?
I recently came across the video - Charisma Checks in Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition are TOTALLY BACKWARDS - from Taking20. I don't know much about the channel but they sometimes pop up in my Youtube recommendations and this one caught my eye. One of the really relevant sections starts at about 3:25 when he …
Shadowrun vs. Pathfinder: Complexity and Cognitive Load
I recently wrote about my disaffection with gaming – something that’s been creeping over me for a while. There has been a more tangible example recently of my struggles to enjoy my at-the-table experience and how it manifests in game systems. We’ve been playing the Pathfinder 2e playtest. Now, I played a lot of Pathfinder …
Continue reading Shadowrun vs. Pathfinder: Complexity and Cognitive Load
Gaming is a Young Person’s… Game
I was in a little secondhand bookstore, in a basement of an old building, looking buying a couple books of poetry by obscure authors when the guy behind the counter said to me, "Poetry is a young man's game." We talked about it a little - I being only in my mid-twenties at the time …
Back to the Shadows
I recently posted about my frustration with some of the oddities of Shadowrun 5e on Facebook and was asked to elaborate on some of the specifics of what I'm encountering. This is a much easier medium to write a long post in than Facebook though, so I'm putting it here - where it will post …
