QQ&A: Pitching puzzles
How do you design a puzzle that’s not too easy and not too hard, but just right? That’s far simpler than you might think.
The Story of Starcraft 15: Protoss Brood War
Brood War is what expansions/DLC should be, taking the gameplay and story in new, interesting directions. Here’s the Protoss campaign.
The Story of Starcraft Part 14: Economies and Abstractions
Economies. Arguably, every RTS has this mechanic. But what can we do with them? And how do they shape the story?
Rep System GMing 02: The Big Picture
Do you struggle to keep track of all the details of your encounters? Does GMing overwhelm you? Then I reckon I know what’s going on in your mind - and what to do about it.
QQ&A: Control freak GMing
Can you be a control freak and a great GM? The conventional wisdom is no. Here’s how that wisdom might be wrong.
The Story of Starcraft Part 13: The Protoss Campaign
Fenix deserves better. So does Tassadar. But, despite messing up two popular characters from this game, the Protoss campaign sticks the landing.
Rep System GMing 1: Overview
Are you great at thinking on your feet? Can you keep track of sequences and processes – everything from plot threads to combat initiative? Are the lore, rules and details of your world always on the tip of your mind? If not, here’s how.
QQ&A: Dwindling resources
Do you track ammo? Rather than counting the arrows in your quiver or having an infinite supply, there’s a richer way to track resources of any kind.
The Story of Starcraft 12: The Protoss Characters
Characters aren’t characters - they’re archetypes. For the protoss campaign, the cast reflect their whole empire.
Improv 8: The Full Improv Process
It’s been a fun journey. Here, I lay out everything we covered in less than 250 words. Thanks for reading.
QQ&A: Overwhelm
Game Masters have a lot to keep track of. That means it’s easy for the players to overwhelm them, deliberately or otherwise. Here’s the mature way to stop that.
The Story of Starcraft 11: The Protoss Units
Starcraft is science fiction. Or is it? Yes, yes it is. Or IS it? Yes. Stop asking. Except no, as the Protoss units show.
The better alternative to the poor alternative to reality
Video games. They’re a billion-dollar industry. Check the data and you’ll see a bunch of trends pointing upwards. People like them. But why?
The best stories tell themselves
Bold claim: the disasters of Game of Thrones’ last season were preventable, if only the writers had read this simple guide I wrote for Dungeon Masters.
QQ&A: Splitting the party
Hardcore players get “Never split the party” tattooed on their sleeves, and for good reason. Here’s how and why you might encourage them to do it anyway.
Improv 7: Alluding to the encounter
You’ve improvised an encounter, but the players don’t go for it. Is that the end of the story? It doesn’t have to be.
The Story of Starcraft Part 10 – The Zerg Campaign
The Zerg were a major threat when you played as the Terrans. Now, it’s your turn to use the creepies and the crawlies.
QQ&A: Levelling’s ludonarrative “lunacy”
Is this a problem? Of course not. And here’s the solution.
The Story of Starcraft 9: Zerg Characters
How can a hivemind have characters, narratives and drama? A good piece of writing explains why the Zerg campaign has characters, while establishing them as even more interesting villains.
The Story of Starcraft 8: Zerg Units
Unit design tells a story. As such, what stories do the Zerg units tell?