Venger Satanis does not shy away from the controversial… He is the author of Alpha Blue, an RPG that places sexual themes into a spotlight, and his new Adventure Writing Like a Fucking Boss puts an expletive directly into the title of each book. Regardless, his distinctive style provides content for a niche in the RPG industry that most RPG authors leave empty, and Venger has recently released Adventure Writing Like a Fucking Boss to empower fellow writers in creating their own unique creations.
To help motivate writers to put his tips to use, Venger is running an adventure writing contest. Winners receive $500, and their adventure will be published for free on OneBookShelf (art, editing, and layout provided by Kort’Thalis Publishing). To learn more about this contest and the man behind it, I went straight to the source for an interview. Continue reading “Interview with Venger Satanis. Also, a $500 Contest!”
The Loreshapers Tabletop Game Design Contest is about making fun tabletop roleplaying games for the masses. The contest has two parts, a 24-hour game component and a 72-hour game component. Stuffer Shack is sponsoring the contest, which means we’re providing two prizes (gift cards to either Amazon, DrivethruRPG, or our very own Store).
The contest theme will be announced on January 1st here in the comments, as well as on the Loreshapers website. Check out the official contest announcement right now to get more details!
A few weeks ago we posted a contest – tell us about your best trap. The winner receives a $20 gift certificate from DriveThruRPG, as well as 6 of our awesome Horse Minis!
For our current contest, I just upped the prize pool to include a $20 Gift Certificate from DriveThruRPG!
A few weeks ago I announced a contest – Tell us about a Trap Encounter you’ve made for one of your sessions. When we get ten entries we’ll pick our favorite and the winner gets six of our awesome Horse Minis. Well, to help us get all ten entries, I just upped the prize pool to include a $20 Gift Certificate from DriveThruRPG!
Use the contact form below and send us a couple of paragraphs explaining your trap. Use any genre, and mechanics aren’t necessary.
We’re looking for trap encounters to post. Will yours be the best?
After looking around the site recently, I noticed that we didn’t have too many trap encounters posted. So, why not have a contest to get some more?
Using any system (or even no system), write up an encounter using a trap that the PCs must defeat. Make it as interesting and challenging as you can so that others can use it in their home games. Make it at least 300 words, and then send it in via the contact form below. That’s it! We’ll post your traps as we get them, and then close the contest when we get ten entries.
After those ten entries have posted, we’ll choose our favorite. The winner will receive 6 Random Horse Minis from our Store. Horse Minis are simply awesome miniatures that your character figures can ride into battle.
So, that’s it! Good luck!
This contest is sponsored by 20FT RADIUS. Click for love.
The RPG Site of the Year contest was created with three goals in mind: (1) To bring to light some interesting blogs that readers may not have seen before, (2) to provide a fun event that readers and bloggers can take part in, and (3) to award that one gaming blog for a job very well done. I think we have hit all three marks again, and I have to say that it’s been a blast…
Gnome Stew is the 2013 RPG Site of the Year Winner!
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Gnome Stew is a powerhouse of a gaming blog, and their win is well-deserved. Congratulations! You win the prizes (below), the SOTY Shield, and the title of 2013 RPG Site of the Year!
Some words on the finalists, in no particular order…
On Gnome Stew:“Gnome Stew has a good layout that’s easy to view and use. It has interesting articles right off the bat, you don’t have to hunt around for anything, and and it’s all relevant to running a game. It simply feels like a useful gaming site should.“ -C. R. Nelson (plus, I really like the name!) Continue reading “The 2013 RPG Site of the Year Winner is…”
The RPG Site of the Year contest and award was thought up and implemented with three goals in mind:
To provide a fun event that readers and bloggers can take part in,
To bring to light some interesting blogs that readers may not have seen before,
And to award that one gaming blog for a job very well done.
Well, I think we’ve accomplished the first two goals, so all that remains is for the 2013 RPG SOTY judges to look over the finalists to determine the winner!
This year we have fewer entries, so we had only four heats. In three of the four heats we had clear winners, but in one of them we had a tie. So, we still five finalists!
Listed in order of their competition days, the five finalists for the 2013 RPG SOTY are:
Thank you to everyone who entered the contest! The finalists will be judged over the course of the next week, and the winner will be posted on Monday, April 29th. Until then, please take a moment to visit the contest’s sponsors!
Pizes…
From VOIDSTAR, a hardcover and PDF of NOVA PRAXIS, and PDFs of STRANDS OF FATE and STRANDS OF POWER. Also, all of the finalists will receive PDFs of both Strands books!
Check out the following RPG blogs, then cast a vote for your favorite!
This is day 4 of 4 for Reader Voting of the 2013 RPG Site of the Year contest. We’ll post the four finalists on April 22nd, and then the winner on April 29th. So, after you vote (below), come back on Monday to see the finalists!
NEARLY ENOUGH DICE PODCAST – Online since: July, 2011 – Must listen to #1:Episode 80 – With Special Guest Paco Garcia Jaen – Must listen to #2:Episode 61 – Kidnapped! Nearly Enough Dice is your weekly geeky catchup on everything that is happening in the world of gaming! Our main focus has always been, and will be RPGs but we cover everything and anything in between! From news, reviews, opinions and advice we cover all that we can in the world of gaming!
DM FIAT – Online since: September, 2011 – Must read #1:Loaded-20: Whedon/Abrams Feud Erupts Over Social Networking – Must read #2: Mature Themes in Gaming: Pregnancy At DM Fiat we strive to expand the reach of Tabletop gaming beyond the stereotypes into a larger, more inclusive community. We believe that:
1: Anyone can Roleplay – We don’t exclude noobs, casual gamers, or even people that play differently from us. 2: We should recruit more people into our hobby – Gaming might not be for everyone, but we should extend an olive branch for first time gamers even if they come from unlikely places. 3: Rules are guidelines – When we post articles on DM Fiat, we don’t mean to say that our way is the only way to play. We think that no matter how you play, the right way is whichever way is the most fun for you and your group.
The DM Fiat blog features news, industry interviews, tips for players and GMs, and anything else that might wander across our map.
GNOME STEW – Online since: May, 2008 – Must read #1: How to Make a Drop Map – Must read #2: Deep as a Puddle: Character Ties Cubed (3x3x3) Written by a team of veteran GMs, Gnome Stew is the most widely read game mastering blog on the planet. We started Gnome Stew because we believe that game masters are under-served in the RPG community. There are few websites and even fewer books dedicated to game mastering — GMs usually get one chapter in a larger work, and that often doesn’t address a lot of what we actually do at the gaming table. Since May 2008, we’ve served up over 1,300 free system-neutral articles and published three books for GMs. Our mission is to help GMs have more fun at the gaming table, regardless of their system of choice, their experience level, or their play style.
GEEK NATIVE – Online since: 2009 – Must read #1: Green Ronin survived the theft of $100,000 and now deals directly with George R. R. Martin – Must read #2: Villains & Vigilantes RPG creators win legal battle over game Geek Native is a site for gamers. The premise is that gamers don’t just want to talk obsessively about their favourite dungeon crawling orc fighter. As a result, the blog talks about computer games, movies, books and a lot more. This is good for the industry. It means Geek Native earns an audience from a wide range of people; ex-gamers read the site, people who could become gamers read the site, as well as gamers. This allows Geek Native to recruit people into the hobby. It means publishers can sell new products or Kickstart to people other than their already established fans. Hopefully, Geek Native helps the industry grow.
Check out the following RPG blogs, then cast a vote for your favorite!
This is day 3 of 4 for Reader Voting of the 2013 RPG Site of the Year contest. Monday – Thursday we’ll have a new group of sites for you to check out and vote on. We’ll post the four finalists on April 22nd, and then the winner on April 29th. So, after you vote (below), come back tomorrow to vote again, then to see the finalists, and then the 2013 RPG Site of the Year winner!
BIG BALL OF NO FUN – Online since: October, 2009 – Must read #1:Shop: Able’s Horse Shop – Must read #2:It’s All the Player’s Fault! The blog is a one-man operation; I do all the writing. The goal is to release at least 1 article a week, usually Tuesday, with more if possible. The focus of the site is to give opinion on rpg topics, both for GM’s and players (though there is a very heavy GM focus), along with articles that are of use at the table.
THE RULE ZERO PODCAST – Online since: April, 2011 – Must read #1:Pick-ups! – Must Listen #1:Episode 7: Undies on the Outside Rule Zero started as a conversation about gaming between two guys that wouldn’t shut up about it. We talk about top RPGs but also show a lot of love for indie games, and frequently discuss tabletop board and card games as well. We both have very busy work and gaming lives, but we try to put a show out every month, and Pete or Chris will often throw out an article to fill the gaps between podcasts. We occasionally have guest speakers on the show, one professional interview so far but we’re working on scheduling another. It’s an open conversation about a topic that a lot of people have opinions on. We have a couple original skits that we use to introduce shows. We’re still working on building an audience and figuring out how to get the word out there, but we’re always open to feedback.
KOBOLD PRESS – Online since: July, 2007 – Must read #1: Your Whispering Homunculus: Twelve Obsessive Collectors (Part 1) – Must read #2: Midgard Icons: Baba Yaga The Kobold Press blog presents readers with weekly content that focuses on sword-and-sorcery tabletop RPG content, with occasional news and product announcements. We also enjoy having contests that allow our readers to submit content and also vote on the pieces that judges deem to be worthy finalists, plus we provide columnists a place to post thought-provoking pieces regarding fantasy roleplaying gaming. We welcome comments and interactions on the site, so come see what the kobolds have to offer you!
EPIC RPG BLOG – Online since: March, 2011 – Must read #1: Swords & Wizardry Appreciation Day Offering – Must read #2: Paranoia PDC Prop Primarily, I’m focused on gaming with kids. My 13 year-olds have been playing for about half their short lives already, and this is one way we keep track of it. I do reviews, especially with a take on the appropriateness for younger kids. And, the boys have begun doing their own con reports recently.
Check out the following 4 RPG blogs, then cast a vote for your favorite!
This is day 2 of 4 for Reader Voting of the 2013 RPG Site of the Year contest. Monday – Thursday we’ll have a new group of sites for you to check out and vote on. We’ll post the four finalists on April 22nd, and then the winner on April 29th. So, after you vote (below), come back tomorrow to vote again, then to see the finalists, and then the 2013 RPG Site of the Year winner!
SHORTYMONSTER – Online since: June, 2012 – Must read #1: To be an Archer – Must read #2: Some advice on running a horror RPG The blog was created to give something back. I’ve been a gamer for almost 20 years, and have split that time on either side of the screen, and as such have seen the gaming world from some different perspectives. Part gaming advice, part column, with a healthy dose of things that prove to be useful, I keep writing because I sharing my ideas. We’re all involved in community story telling experiences, so why not bring them to the whole of the community.
DUNGEON’S MASTER – Online since: February, 2009 – Must read #1: How a Blind Player Improved Our Game – Must read #2: The 5 Ws of Treasure Maps Dungeon’s Master is a D&D resource blog for players and DMs. Our goal is to offer ideas and suggestions for making your D&D gaming experience better. To that end we’ve provided our thought and insights – based on our considerably gaming experiences – on most facets of 4e D&D. This has helped us establish ourselves as the best place to find 4e D&D resource online. Although we began writing exclusively for 4e D&D, our focus has broadened and many of our articles are applicable across editions and RPGs. With over 1,000 articles in out archive we’re bound to have something that meets your gaming needs. We take great pride in our role as leaders in the public play gaming community. By sharing our experiences, promoting upcoming events and providing essential resources we do our part to expand the gaming community locally and globally.
G*M*S MAGAZINE – Online since: July, 2010 – Must read #1: RPGs I Have Played, and few comments about them – Must read #2: Not-always-lethal illnesses and conditions your players should be aware of! Part one! The focus of the site is to bring honest reviews and interesting articles as often as possible. In the last year we’ve expanded by creating a network of blogs and sponsoring that network. We’ve been very lucky to have the legendary Ken St. Andre showing an interest and joining the network too! We’ve also pushed the podcast and video unboxings schedule; a lot. We’ve also covered several conventions both in the UK and Germany too (which is very expensive). Not sure my site is the best out there, but I’m sure going to make the hell of an effort to get as close as I can!
GAME MASTERS – Online since: 1994 – Must read #1: Magic Dice – Must read #2: How I Named My Guild Starting out as a brick and mortar retail location in Memphis, Tennessee, Game Masters is now a website dedicated to the review of games, movies, and other assorted geekery.
Venger Satanis does not shy away from the controversial… He is the author of Alpha Blue, an RPG that places sexual themes into a spotlight, and his new Adventure Writing Like a Fucking Boss puts an expletive directly into the title of each book. Regardless, his distinctive style provides content for a niche in the RPG industry that most RPG authors leave empty, and Venger has recently released Adventure Writing Like a Fucking Boss to empower fellow writers in creating their own unique creations.
This is day 4 of 4 for Reader Voting of the 2013 RPG Site of the Year contest. We’ll post the four finalists on April 22nd, and then the winner on April 29th. So, after you vote (below), come back on Monday to see the finalists!