A brief character background with the broad strokes of what happened to a character prior to them showing up on the stage of the campain can add to the enjoyment of the game for both player and game master. It provides some context. It can help the player immerse themselves into the role of their …
Author: Travis Miller
Travis writes, games and blogs.
Grumpy Wizard presents: Great Moments in Dungeon Mastering
The opening scene of today’s game. Wizard: I am going to check out the scroll we looted from Pim the Exploder Me: Where are you doing this at? Wizard: In the tavern chilling out with an ale. Me: You're in the tavern? Wizard: Yes. Me: Is the rest of the party there? The rest of …
Continue reading Grumpy Wizard presents: Great Moments in Dungeon Mastering
No Prep is Wasted
A common complaint among game masters and a reason why some choose to railroad their players is they hate to "waste" their prep. Time is valuable. Spending a lot of time preparing something your players ignore can be disheartening. This can be especially challenging if you are not very good at improvising when players go …
New School? Old School?
Who cares. There's constant blah blah blah about is this game, this adventure, this thing Old School or is it New School? I can't decide if I care or not. Because a lot of those conversations really come down to asking which club you're in. As I've gotten older, and grumpier, I am resistant to joining these clubs because there's …
You’re Right
I've been reading the recently published This is Marketing by Seth Godin. A passage I read yesterday had been bouncing around in my mind. Alot of the ideas in that book have stuck with me. Good book. Anyway, here is the concept I've been thinking about. People behave a certain way or believe certain things based …
What a Role-Playing Game is Not
Role-playing games are not stories. This is a position with which many game masters and game designers disagree. This misunderstanding by designers and game masters is why most published adventures suck. It is why most published campaigns, adventures and supplement books fail at being game supplements. Games have elements which are similar to stories. Both …
Developed. Not Evolved.
I have heard and read the word "evolution" used to describe what I believe is development in game design. Evolution, in biology, is descent with modification. A bird that evolved from another kind of bird looks like their ancestor but they are modified. You could say that about games that have multiple editions. The tendency …
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