Why I Play

 Posted by on February 2, 2011  Filed as: Editorial  8 Responses »
Feb 022011
 
Why I Play

In the earliest of the 1980s, as I approached the yawning abyss of adolescence, I discovered Basic Dungeons & Dragons, and it rang a note in me that I’d always been listening for. Here then was a game that would allow me to step outside myself, to be something great and heroic, to be someone valuable and significant, to be a person that was not [Read the article]

Feb 012011
 
Favorite Site of the Month - Feb/2011

Hi.  My name is Chris, and I’m an RPG-site-aholic. I love finding cool RPG sites and adding them to my Reader.  I especially love it when, later, I start poking around their site and find all sorts of golden nuggets.  It’s like a double win! Well, that happened the other day with Dungeon’s Master, and I’ve been loving it.  Not only do they have a TON [Read the article]

Jan 312011
 
Playing with FATE, a New Project!

In our opinion, no other game brings out the role-player in you, like FATE can. No other game brings out the collaborative story-telling, like FATE can. And no other game can simply be as rewarding – as FATE can. However, with the many incarnations of FATE (and its radical approach to gaming), it can be a little intimidating to tackle. But fear not! We’re here [Read the article]

PVP is cool. …I mean, NOT cool.

 Posted by on January 29, 2011  Filed as: Better Gameplay?  16 Responses »  Topic(s):
Jan 292011
 
PVP is cool. ...I mean, NOT cool.

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]

Jan 282011
 
The Best of Mutants and Masterminds

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]

Jan 262011
 
A Beginner's Guide to Superhero Gaming, Part Two

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]

Jan 242011
 
A Beginners Guide to Superhero Gaming, Part One

So you want to be a superhero gamer. You want to run, punch and fly faster, harder and further than ever before. You tire of being constrained by mere dungeons and battlemats, and want to create a character that is entirely the product of your own imagination, not the product of race plus class. You want a system that doesn’t skimp on the details yet [Read the article]

Using Henchmen to Help PCs in a Fight

 Posted by on January 22, 2011  Filed as: Better Gameplay?  5 Responses »  Topic(s):
Jan 222011
 
Using Henchmen to Help PCs in a Fight

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]

Jan 202011
 
You Wrote the Plot, Let the Players Write the Story

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]

Jan 182011
 
FATE: My only real role-playing game.

A few years ago, I was sitting at work in the jail as a new-hire.  I was talking with a couple of guys about gaming and they brought up that the next edition of game XYZ was coming out.  The game was taking an entirely new direction, offering all these new, cool options, mechanics, and support. “Radical!  I can’t wait to try it out!  Tell [Read the article]