Chris Stevens – Page 4 – STUFFER SHACK

Maximum Tool’age, for running the BEST gaming sessions…

In order to make the best furniture that they can, a carpenter learns how to use several different tools, and then puts those tools in their toolbox. When woodworking, they simply pull out the tools that best help them get the job done – and with a greater selection of tools to choose from, they’ll make a better quality product.

It’s the same thing for gamemasters. Running a game requires having and using a few different skills. You don’t have to use all of those skills, but having a bigger selection of skills to choose from makes for a better night of gaming. For maximum enjoyment of the game, you should continually dial in your preferences by always trying different things and learning new skills (putting more tools in your toolbox). With a fuller toolbox, you’ll naturally adjust your style to one that better suits you and your group.

In this article, I’m going to tell you which tools I keep taking out of my toolbox, session after session. They might not be your preferred tools, but if you put them into your toolbox, you’ll simply have more tools to choose from to run a better game… Continue reading “Maximum Tool’age, for running the BEST gaming sessions…”

Store Update… I’m being flanked! But I will prevail…

So… for some reason, Stuffer Shack has received a lot of orders over the past few months (way more than normal). Apparently, gamers like what we put out… Mini Counters to track your figures, Condition Markers to mark your figures, Horse Minis for your figures to ride, Exotic Mounts for your figures to ride in style, Number Tokens for quick bad guys, and then some Monster Minis for some real bad guys! I think I’m forgetting a few things, but you get the idea…

Anyway, this post is really less of a “Hey check this stuff out!,” and more of a “Hey, I apologize. I certainly appreciate the business (thank you), but if you place an order, it might take a week for me to get to it.”

I am starting to get caught up, but I’m not there yet. The backlog of orders has been pretty big, and I’ve honestly felt really bad about it.

Thank you for reading, and game on!

Chris

Shadowrun: Anarchy… What the Heck?!

It’s no secret… Shadowrun (any edition) has not exactly been a rules-lite game. It’s a meaty cyberpunk-fantasy dystopian setting with a very solid fan-base, and it also comes with a hefty set of rules for a very “simulationist” feel. I’m not saying that’s a bad thing (I have my favorite edition and have played many, many hours of it); I’m saying that that type of game isn’t for everyone.

Enter Shadowrun: Anarchy

Shadowrun: Anarchy uses the Cue System (from the same company, Catalyst Game Labs). It’s a rules-light RPG system that is all about getting started quickly and creating a story.

Using Cues, you’ll create a plot and narrate your character’s way through the story. Your character sheet has stats, gear, and abilities, and you still throw lots of d6s to resolve things, but there’s less dice-rolling and much less rules. It’s a simpler, faster, and more narrative system, and it still carries part of the Shadowrun mechanic (throw a bunch of d6s… 5s and 6s count as successes).

Most importantly, everyone is a player at the table, and everyone takes turns as the gamemaster throughout the session. It’s a collaborative type of narrative story-telling, as opposed to the traditional RPG setup. Included in the mechanics are Plot Points with which one can spend to do extra things, but more importantly to further the story.

I imagine that this is definitely not something where you’d be sitting there at the table, waiting for your turn and getting bored, because you’d be too busy leaning forward, engaged in the scenario with your friends. Actually, I don’t think I’d be doing it justice by saying that it’s a rules-lite game (it is); it’s better served to be called a rules-narrative game.

This post is in no way a review; I’m simply blabbing about something that seems cool that came out recently, and I think it could be a lot of fun. Currently, the PDF is $14.99. If you think this could be your thing (this version of Shadowrun), then check it out – I think I will…

Take a Break Sunday: Is this not the coolest fantasy video?

Never played Elder Scrolls Online, and I’m really late to the party on watching this video. However, I loved it so much I had to bring back Take a Break Sunday…

Writer Initiative, Patreon, and your reader rewards…

Stuffer Shack is a resource website that posts on table-top roleplaying games, and we’d like to help support budding RPG designers and authors who want to write professionally. We’re calling it “The Writer Initiative.”

At Stuffer Shack, we’ve had over 100 authors (both aspiring and established) post their content, and we’ve always tried to say “thank you” by offering stipends. Well, because talent and effort should be rewarded (in a notoriously difficult industry), I’ve decided to do more…

First, I’ve set up a Patreon page. With it, readers have an easy way to throw a couple of bucks to the various authors who post at Stuffer Shack. It’s very easy to pledge (or cancel), and reward tiers start at just $1.50 per month (and they are pretty awesome rewards).
Second, Stuffer Shack is its own first patron, and we’re pledging $40 per month!

All of it. All the money goes to the writers. Our website hosting, contest prizes, and miscellaneous fees are already paid for.

The writers are not a closed group; they’re any author and gamer who wants to write professionally in a difficult-to-crack industry.

We tend to post up to a few articles per week. If you’re a fan of Stuffer Shack, then you already know that our content includes roleplaying game tips, game and supplement reviews, editorials, tutorials, as well as downloads to use for your characters, encounters, and adventures.

Of course! Supporting writers in our industry is important, but so are you! Over at our page you can read all about the rewards we offer our patrons. In short, they include free stuff from our store, 50% off discounts, extra chances to receive DriveThruRPG credit, early downloads of our PDFs, and premium ad space (in our newsletter or upcoming ARCHIVER magazine, or directly on our website) – if you have a website, product, profile, or cause, we will show it. Click here to see them in their entirety.

And you know who will benefit from your support? EVERYONE! As writers are thanked and rewarded for their efforts, their work will continue to improve. They’re grateful, and they WANT to make you happy. Most want to write professionally, and you’ll be helping them get there.

One last note…

Become our patron1 — Click above to for more information, including reader rewards…

I’m very thankful for your consideration. Gaming writers really do write for the love of it all, and it’s just awesome that we get to help out. They get to eat, we get good stuff to read, and our games get that much better…

Thanks again,
Chris Stevens

Want to earn $10 blogging about RPGs?

Want to earn money doing what you love? …because we pay $ for your gaming articles. Period.

On this site, we have a gaming store where we sell cool things, and we share the profits with the authors who post here. I appreciate the work that authors put into the articles – and I simply want to give something back. It’s not a couple of buddies that I game with who write here; it’s a wide variety of authors from all over the world.

Make money blogging — (ok, maybe not THIS much money)

We’re looking for:

Articles that provide gaming tips and reviews,
Editorials that opine and challenge gamer and geek culture,
And supplemental content that others can print or download, and use for their games.

Currently, we pay $10.00 per article. In addition, this will increase as we continue to move forward.

We’ve posted articles that were written by gamers, veteran game designers, and everyone in between. Submitting articles is easy to do, and chances are that if you have an idea worth writing down, someone will think it’s worth reading.

At the Shack, we post things like:

One Cool Thing About Monsters, by Robert J. Schwalb
Gamecraft: The Stress-Free GM, by John Lewis
Review: Wreck Age RPG, by Jacob Blackard
The Challenge of Asmodeus, an adventure by Brian Liberge
Finding Mansion Maps for your Game, by Justin Schmid
Dontcha Just Hate Us Bad Guys?, by Dixon Trimline

So, if you like money, and you like gaming, why not put the two together and submit an article? If you have any questions, you can read our Submission Guidelines and Terms & Conditions, or you can email me directly [stuffershack at yahoo dot com].

Thank you for reading.

P.S. I know, $10 is not professional pay – it’s more of a “thank you” stipend. But, with a little luck and hard work, this will steadily increase. Besides, stuff is in the works…

A “Who am I?” Quicksheet for memorable & unique characters

So I was hanging out over at Guild Master Gaming, and I saw that Daniel had posted “A Tip to Help Create Player Characters and Non-Player Characters.” I liked the idea and whipped up a quick character trait sheet for my own games You can hand this to players and tell them to fill it out as they desire, or you can use it for quick NPC creation.

I like it for both uses for obvious reasons, but for NPCs especially. NPCs can really solidify a setting, and I think a lot of players get a lot of appreciation from running into recognizable, memorable, and unique NPCs from time to time.

Click here to download the PDF.

Thanks go to Dan Yocom.

Random “Thank You” email, and now we’re giving free stuff away…

Every once in a while, someone contacts me to say that something that they bought in our store is awesome and has added tons of fun to their game… just like this one that I got today… Continue reading “Random “Thank You” email, and now we’re giving free stuff away…”

3D Terrain that is 70% off…

If you know me, you know that I like 3D terrain, especially when the price is low and the awesome is high. For ~~the next day~~, the Ravenfell Core Set is ~~70% off (just $4.49)~~. To be honest, I think it’s still a great deal at full price, though. The cool thing about Fat Dragon terrain is that you can print it out over and over, making your terrain as big and awesome as you’d like.

Continue reading “3D Terrain that is 70% off…”