Hoo-boy. I'd like to acknowledge two things right off the bat. One, there is going to be some imprecision in terminology in this post because I am not making a philosophical argument about theism or atheism and so I'm not concerned with fine points of atheist vs. agnostic vs. whatever. That has its place but …
Category: Game Design
Fallout Friday: Don’t do Chems, Kids
Never mind. You should. At least in the Fallout tabletop RPG. Just a short rant about chems. As it turns out, and as usual, the dangers of drugs are vastly underrepresented in gaming. And the benefits are - conversely - amazing. Chems instantly change the complexion of a scene. The most basic chems in the …
Fallout RPG, A new series, Part One
So, I'm two sessions into my Fallout RPG campaign that I'm running. I'm going to start by saying that the "core" of the 2d20 system, the action point economy, and the flow of events in the course of play are all fun. But really, the point of this series is going to be exploring some …
Writing the Wrong Game
We all have that vanity project, right? The one that gathers dust on our hard-drives and old notebooks – a personal RPG that we’ll finish someday. I have one. Actually, funny story, I’ve created two vanity project RPGs in the past… but the BIG one, the one that keeps getting away… that’s still out there, …
Fantasy with Consequences
I have a problem. It’s a problem with fantasy, storytelling, and by extension, RPGs. I like consequences. This problem takes on a lot of forms. Character continuity, status quo issues, debates about agency and authority… and I’m sure more that I can’t even think of just now. But I’ve been playing some games, watching some …
Experience is the Point
I saw a post the other day that mentioned a D&D game where the DM awarded experience points, not for doing stuff, but for playing in line with your alignment. It was touted as a good idea. A comment pointed out the issue that alignment is often subjective. The OP replied with, "Make it Objective." …
Rattling Around Town
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 …
Magic (is stupid)
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. …
Player Determinism
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 …
Phase Two: The Rise of DM Determinism
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 …
The Rhetorical Gamer 