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Category: D&D

The Scope of History

On July 14, 2021 By MichaelIn Battletech, D&D, Geek Thoughts, Writing About WritingLeave a comment

Seriously… I do need to write about Fallout; so, I’m going to institute (see what I did there) Fallout Fridays for the foreseeable future. I just have other stuff on my mind. One of those things is worldbuilding. Specifically, history. I’m working on my own gaming world again – my little fantasy child that grew …

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Legends & Lore

On July 8, 2021 By MichaelIn D&D, Geek Thoughts, Writing About Writing1 Comment

I know I said I was going to be writing about Fallout - and I have some more content to come - but I've also been trying to work on another project involving a fantasy game and... well... I want to talk about mythology and religion. I'm a big proponent of internal consistency. It's a …

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Do I Like Games?

On May 13, 2021 By MichaelIn Battletech, D&D, Geek ThoughtsLeave a comment

I've always thought that I love games. I built a heck of a collection of them. I specifically gravitated toward roleplaying games. I started a blog about gaming. But looking back, I'm not sure that it's accurate to say that I like games. Let's go way back to when I was a little kid. My …

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Arguing About Rules

On April 27, 2021 By MichaelIn D&D, Geek ThoughtsLeave a comment

There is a certain big-name game designer who seems to hate D&D. Doesn’t seem to matter what edition – he just seems to hate D&D. One of his oft-repeated points against D&D is that it is a combat game. And you know it is a combat game because the only thing it has rules for …

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Rattling Around Town

On February 21, 2020 By MichaelIn D&D, Game Design1 Comment

One of the most fascinating parts of gaming for me is the places that players call home. I'm always drawn to the cities, towns, and villages that populate our game worlds. Some of these cities are famous in their own right - just look at how Waterdeep has taken on central importance in the Forgotten …

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Magic (is stupid)

On January 28, 2020January 28, 2020 By MichaelIn D&D, Game Design, Shadowrun, Star Wars, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Magic, in most role playing games, is stupid. I don't really know how else to put it. Magic is a very complex subject and as it tends to be a power that allows its wielders to exert control over reality; it creates significant hurdles to achieve a balance between fun and fairness, play-ability and wonder. …

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Player Determinism

On July 24, 2019 By MichaelIn D&D, Game Design, Star WarsLeave a comment

The phenomenon of Player Determinism is a strange one to my mind. I’ve found this post the most difficult to write of the three despite it being the one I’m most passionate about. Perhaps that is the problem after all? As with previous posts, I want to start with a general defining of my terms …

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Phase Two: The Rise of DM Determinism

On July 16, 2019 By MichaelIn Conventions, D&D, Game Design, Geek Thoughts, ShadowrunLeave a comment

In my last post (sorry for the delay), I wrote about how D&D – played as intended – is a very specific kind of game. I touched on the idea that D&D expects the DM to be the ultimate, but neutral, arbiter of the game. The DM breathes life into the spaces the PCs explore …

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Approaching the Gaming Table

On July 1, 2019 By MichaelIn D&D, Game Design, Geek ThoughtsLeave a comment

I’ve been away from the gaming table for three months now. Even though I’ve been following the development of Shadowrun Sixth Edition and working on a few design projects, this is the first time since I was eight years old that I’ve really been an outsider to tabletop gaming. Those three months – and my …

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The Agency of Resources

On February 19, 2019February 19, 2019 By MichaelIn D&D, Game Design, Geek Thoughts4 Comments

I hope this doesn't come off as, "get off my lawn, you whippersnappers." I'm a middle-aged gamer who cut my teeth on the D&D box sets of the 80s. I also love a lot of modern games. But I've noticed something of a trend that - while not necessarily a bad thing - tends to …

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