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 [Read the article]
I’ll admit, I’m a slow convert and I love my d20, but the more I read about FATE, the more tempted I am by it (I love universal systems. I don’t know why. It’s an illness). But since the game isn’t my primary area of expertise, I thought I would offer some counterpoint to the current direction of The Shack – specifically, how FATE relates [Read the article]
The big game is coming up and you need a different adventure for your group of experienced players. Everyone has played through the usual stuff millions of times and it’s time for something fresh and new. You sit down to write… and nothing comes to mind. You’re drawing a blank, unable to even come up with a basic plot line to build upon. Don’t worry, [Read the article]
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 [Read the article]
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 [Read the article]
When I sit down at a gaming table, I want to crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentation of their women… err I mean, I just watched Conan the Barbarian and felt tingles in my wingles. What a great movie, right? And the music, inspiring. Anyway, as I was saying, when I sit down at the gaming table, I want to [Read the article]
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… [Read the article]
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 [Read the article]
So, I was reading a great article over at Dungeon’s Master about adding Henchmen to your 4E game, and I was reminded of a game I played in a while back… Our PCs had gathered henchmen followers and used them to help us in a large battle – not a “thousands of soldiers endlessly hacking away at each other,” but a “these prisoners are asking [Read the article]
You’ve written your adventure and double-checked everything. You carefully planned the traps, lovingly made certain that the monster challenge ratings corresponded with the party’s level. You’ve created encounters tailor-made for each of your PCs and their players. You’ve got fiendish traps, challenging but not overpowering monsters, engaging roleplaying encounters — everything is perfect. Now you’re ready for the moment of truth: actually running it. You’ve [Read the article]