Mar 022011
 
Con Man II: Playing at Conventions

This series is an extremely subjective report about gaming conventions. Despite the temptation to be second person dictatorial (“You must, you should, you shall”), I’m going to keep this first person apologetic (“I did, I think, I was”), because I really can’t tell you what your convention time will or should be. In part 2, I explore playing at conventions. If anyone makes the mistake

Feb 282011
 
Con Man I: Registering for Conventions

This series is an extremely subjective report about gaming conventions. Despite the temptation to be second person dictatorial (“You must, you should, you shall”), I’m going to keep this first person apologetic (“I did, I think, I was”), because I really can’t tell you what your convention time will or should be. In part 1, I examine registering for conventions. One of my biggest flaws

Feb 262011
 
Warriors and Warlocks, a New Fantasy

We’ve talked a lot on this site about adapting D&D 4th Edition to a more “Classic” feel, but if you’re burned out on D&D’s method of, “kill monsters, take/sell their stuff, and then go shopping,” re-skinning the game isn’t your only option. If you’re not particularly attached to a particular set of rulebooks, it may be more viable to look for something that was designed

Feb 242011
 
How to Fight the Convention Gods, and Lose!

What follows is a dissertation that not only proves the existence of Convention Gods, but that said Gods are both Chaotic Neutral and all-powerful.  I will present my argument as a series of battles, with the final battle concluding the war.  By the end of this reading you will understand that you simply cannot fight Convention Gods and expect to win. Battle 1: Desire –

Feb 132011
 
Houseruling Aspects Into Your Game

Hello, Wrath of Zombie here! Tourq emailed me and asked if I would do a guest article for the Stuffer Shack about incorporating Aspects from FATE into other games, and I have to say I’m very excited about the opportunity. What Are Aspects? Aspects are an amazing mechanic used in the FATE system to help players and GM’s develop the characters and story.  The truly

Feb 072011
 
The Devolution of Lizardfolk

The Lizardfolk (or Lizardmen in earlier editions) have been part of Dungeon and Dragons since 1975, first appearing in the Greyhawk Supplement written by Gary Gygax and Robert Kuntz. That makes the Lizardfolk a part of D&D far longer than myself. I really got to know them when I was DMing my first campaign in 3X. Not even knowing their history, they struck me as

Feb 032011
 
Embrace Your FATE

Although the FATE system has been around for a few years now, 2010 really shaped up as the year of FATE.  Last year we saw the release of The Dresden Files (urban fantasy), Diaspora (hard sci-fi), Legends of Anglerre (fantasy), and Strands of FATE (universal).  All of these games have added to the critical acclaim of Spirit of the Century (pulp action) and Starblazer Adventures

Feb 022011
 
Why I Play

In the earliest of the 1980s, as I approached the yawning abyss of adolescence, I discovered Basic Dungeons & Dragons, and it rang a note in me that I’d always been listening for. Here then was a game that would allow me to step outside myself, to be something great and heroic, to be someone valuable and significant, to be a person that was not

Jan 282011
 
The Best of Mutants and Masterminds

To finish off our Supers week at the Shack, we have Jonathan Baldwin’s take on the game – Mutants & Masterminds. I love comic books. I always have (it’s not exactly a secret). I love everything about them; the over-the-top story-lines, the colors, the grand and exciting battles, the ridiculous speeches and origin stories, rings of power, radioactive spiders, last survivors of a dying world…

Jan 262011
 
A Beginner's Guide to Superhero Gaming, Part Two

Last time we looked at what makes superhero gaming different (some would say superior, but that’s fightin’ talk) to other genres of role-playing. This turn around, it’s time to get down & dirty and take a close look at how Mutants & Masterminds Third Edition might just be the ideal system for your first foray into the world of the spandex’d hero. For those of