Your party enters a tavern in the distant land they have spent weeks travelling to. The human fighter walks up to the innkeeper and asks about rooms. The innkeeper responds, but in a different language. The wizard steps forward and addresses the innkeeper in a number of different languages he has learned from traveling to other kingdoms. They find a common language, but because of [Read the article]
Have these situations ever happened to you? You’re in a dungeon and because the enemies were a bit tougher than you thought that they would be, the PCs either have to retreat back to town to restock up on supplies or get equipment that would make it easier to defeat them. Or the PCs are at the end of a dungeon and find the clues [Read the article]
Your party has been tracking down the dragon across the wilderness. Traveling over the plains took a long time. The forest was full of minions who harassed and ambushed you. Now, mountains loom ahead as you near the location of the creature’s lair. Blocking your way is a deep gorge you need to cross and you are running short on time. The wizard has assessed [Read the article]
There are a lot of RPG players – way more than Game Masters. So, it was high-time that I wrote a little something for those on the other side of the screen. Recently, I came out with a short PDF called Play Your Character like a Fucking Boss. It’s a follow-up to the successful How to Game Master like a Fucking Boss. In the spirit [Read the article]
“Hello, I’m your neurosurgeon, Doctor Michael Clauberg. Don’t worry, this won’t hurt—much!” It’s usually a bad idea to screw over the rest of your party, but, just sometimes, it’s awesome, possibly even necessary…
Shadowrun: Anarchy is the new, rules-light, narrative-focused, alternate ruleset for the world of Shadowrun (You can read my review Here). It allows GMs and players to get into the action and intrigue of Shadowrun much faster and to stay there much longer without reference to rules and charts and extensive calculations of Shadowrun 5th Ed. There are rules, however light, and every game with rules [Read the article]
In a recent review of CGL’s new Shadowrun: Anarchy, I pointed out that the cast of NPCs published therein were best used as inspiration for your own cast of NPC threats. There were issues with balance, utility, and playability that needed to be resolved before I pit them against my players. In this article, I submit to you the set of NPCs that I have [Read the article]
It’s throwback-time, where we revisit an awesome article from years ago… I have not played in many groups. That stands to reason that I have also not experienced many GMs. However, even with this shortfall, I feel that I have learned, like tons, from my current GM, which has made me appreciate “the game” more and more. One thing that is just such a breath of fresh [Read the article]
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 [Read the article]
Vampires and their spawn are common threats found in many types of RPG games. Unfortunately, it’s far too easy for the GM to roleplay them in a simplistic manner (as simple monsters to vanquish) giving them no backstory or interest, and an opportunity for world-building is lost. But by giving them a culture, examining vampires from around the world, reducing or changing their weaknesses, and [Read the article]