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 [Read the article]
I love finding new gamer blogs, especially well-written gamer blogs. HELD ACTION is one such website. Here’s a bit I’ve borrowed from his “About” page: “My name’s Tyler. I live in Burlington, Vermont, on the western edge of the group of states collectively dubbed New England. This is my blog about tabletop games I like — mainly roleplaying games with a bit of board games [Read the article]
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 [Read the article]
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]
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 – [Read the article]
In Strands of Fate, most player characters are created with ten aspects. Wait a sec… Let me back up… If you aren’t familiar with Fate, here’s the 38-word rundown: Aspects are simple phrases that sum up everything that is important about your character. These phrases come into play quite often as a simple, major component of the game mechanic, while simultaneously explaining your character’s concept [Read the article]
PAXEast is coming! PAXEast is almost here! If I wasn’t excited before (and I was, mind you) I’m totally geeking out now that the schedule is out. You know it’s a good thing when thinking about it makes you smile like there may be something wrong with you. But Brian, what is PAXEast? PAXEast is a festival celebrating the best of tabletop, video and PC [Read the article]
When you break D&D game play down, players are generally in one of three areas: the dungeon, the wilderness, or the city. Sure, the wilderness sometimes means Baator, and the dungeon sometimes means the wizard’s labyrinth, but these are rough ideas. Even if you don’t spend equal time in each area, your party is likely to spend a fair bit of time among civilization. It’s [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]
Check it out! These are some of the 3D Terrain sets and pieces that we’ve been using in our home games, and a few of them have made it to John’s convention games. They’ve seen some use, and gotten a lot of love. Updated versions of what you see here will soon be available at the Shack, because they’re just too cool not to be! [Read the article]