Improv 2: Context and the Environment
Since I’m a fan of improvising interesting encounters, you might think I dislike random encounter tables. And I do, but not why you think I do. Here’s one thing they get right, though.
QQ&A: Faster combat
I get peeved with turn-based games in general, D&D in particular. If you’re sick of encounters feeling more like chess and less like battle, read this.
The Story of Starcraft Part 2: Gaining the Plot
Before I launch into an epic series about plots and RTS games, the obvious question is… who cares? The answer is me. I care. Obviously.
The happy roleplaying medium
Two warped ideologies, each insidious in its own way. I reckon that, as a roleplaying gamer, you’re less likely to believe either of them.
Magic microaggressions are boring
Is your worldbuilding boring? There are two common traps - thinking all races are the same and thinking all members of a race are the same. Here’s the much, much better approach.
Improv 1: The Overall Process
Thus begins my new series on how to improvise excellent encounters, quickly and easily, even with your attention on running the game. Strap in because this is about to get fun.
QQ&A: Preparing for Adventure!
How do wise GMs prepare? By doing the opposite of these two common mistakes - mistakes that take more time and make your role harder.
The Story of Starcraft Part 1: Introduction
Welcome to my new series - an overly detailed retrospective of Starcraft in the style (as best I can, at least) of the late Shamus Young.
How the void thinks
Let’s say you want to create a species of space-faring clouds of dust. Great – I’m intrigued so far. How do you not mess up the next step of figuring out how they’ll think and behave?
Is D&D a roleplaying game or a different sort of roleplaying game?
D&D is a system at war with itself. Is it a stats-based power fantasy or a rich, compelling story? Here’s how to reconcile those two halves of it.
QQ&A: Improving the tragic backstory
“… and now I’m on a quest for vengeance,” ends so many PC backstories. The bit before that can be interesting, compelling and horrifying… or boring cruft. Here’s how to make it better.
Unboring clerics: crazed lunatics who don’t care about you
Think clerics are priests with big hammers? You’re wrong. Their character build implies they’re warped, nihilistic and on the border of madness.
QQ&A: Invisible NPCs
When an NPC turns invisible, GMs could get lazy, mean or fair. You can probably guess which one I lean towards.
Modern adventuring solutions
Is your adventure tired, outdated and falling behind the others? Maybe you need to modernise and move it into the 21st Century (but not literally. Medieval fantasy still rocks.)
Unboring urchins: more than thieves and victims
Living on the street takes wits and courage. If you want urchins in your setting with more agency than tragic orphans and more to offer than basic thieves, check this out.
QQ&A: Stopping Insight Check Spamming
Rolling Insight on everyone is a dull, tedious way to play. It also makes sense, so how do you stop players from doing it?
QQ&A: The forgotten 5e rule
Intimidation rolls don’t make sense… in most other systems. If you’re sick of your brainless killbot failing to intimidate people, you need to remember this rule.
Unboring quest-givers: More than notice boards
What do you do when the classic tropes aren’t fun anymore? Rather than having the mysterious old wizard tell the PCs what to do, why not do this?
Unboring paladins: more than killjoys
This is my shortest ever post because the fix couldn’t be easier. The paladin is this close to being exciting, but that margin drives them into boringness. Here’s the solution.
QQ&A: How to create and remember NPC names
Coming up with NPC names should be easy, so why isn’t it? And how do you remember names you come up with on the fly?