The concept of "fluff" as it is applied to TTRPG's is one of those unspoken premises that gets tossed around without any conversation. I don't use the term because I reject the premise. The premise being that the "crunch" is where the game is at. The "fluff" is there to provide context or thematic elements …
Category: design theory
RPG’s are Fractals
noun noun: fractal; plural noun: fractals 1. a curve or geometric figure, each part of which has the same statistical character as the whole. Fractals are useful in modeling structures (such as eroded coastlines or snowflakes) in which similar patterns recur at progressively smaller scales, and in describing partly random or chaotic phenomena such as crystal growth, …
Building Non-Player Characters
Role playing games, properly understood, are not stories. They are imaginary events resolved by game mechanics which stories emerge from afterward. However, role playing games have a lot in common with stories. One of the most obvious commonalities is characters. I've talked a little bit about player characters here on the blog before but I …
Non-Gaming Resources For Game Masters: Resources on Screen Writing
You are going to get tired of me writing it, saying it, dancing about it but here it comes; RPG's are not stories. They are games that have many story-like pieces. Often they have many commonalities with stories and story telling but they aren't quite the same. We would do well to figure out where …
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Who Is It For? What Do They Want?
One of the critical questions any creator should ask is, "Who is it for?" For a game master creating an adventure or a campaign from scratch, the answer is easy. The people playing my game. For the game designer creating an adventure, scenario or setting; the answer is slightly more complicated. Is the adventure for …
Combat Balance in Dungeons and Dragons
I have had a few players who believed that in Dungeons and Dragons, balanced encounters were very important. In their view the player should always have a 50/50 chance to win a toe to toe fight. The game master should always adjust the relative power of the possible encounters to the capabilities of the characters. I …
Monsters
In European myth and folklore, monsters serve a very important function. They are a warning. The etymological root of the word is the latin monstrum. Monstrum was a sign or portent which disrupts the natural order due to divine displeasure. This is seen throughout myth and folklore. Do bad things and the Krampus will come …
Grumpy Wizard 
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