I published a little essay a few weeks ago entitled the D.I.O. Manifesto. Brian at Deathtrap Games asked me about it the other day. I hadn't thought about the post much since I hit "publish." It had been sitting in my drafts folder for a while before I decided to put it up on the …
Category: inspiration
People and Monsters
Monsters are beings animated by the spirit of Chaos. There is some Law in them, otherwise they could not take on a persistent form. They are not life with a balance of Law and Chaos. They are imbalanced. More Chaos than Law with just enough Law that the forces of Chaos cannot control monsters. Chaos can intimidate or frighten monsters into servitude, for a while.
Alignment, Cosmology, People and Monsters
I've developed/borrowed/stolen a cosmology for my Swords and Wizardry games. It has been in my head for quite some time but not written down. Hopefully, it is somewhat coherent.
Five “Off Label” Tools for Game Masters
Pharmacists call certain applications of drugs "off label" when a drug is prescribed for a condition it has no approval for. Here are some "off label" tools for game masters.
What I Learned from Secrets of Blackmoor: Part II
In this post, I'm going to lay out some concepts I picked up, in part, from the documentary . These lessons align with an important observation made by Rob Kunst. That observation is this; Role playing games are a combination of open and closed systems. Role-playing games are games in which players can do things that …
Continue reading What I Learned from Secrets of Blackmoor: Part II
Be Like Licorice
"We're like licorice. Not everybody likes licorice, but the people who like licorice really like licorice." Jerry Garcia I enjoy dark humor. It's like food. Not everybody gets it. I enjoy doom metal, Texas style BBQ, bourbon, and Ethiopian coffee. I like dark, disturbing, morally ambiguous fantasy. I really like these things. I have a …
Congratulations to Rick
Rick at the blog Don't Split the Party is celebrating 40 years of continuous gaming in his campaign setting. That's quite an achievement. In an age where Wizards of the Coast says the average D&D campaign lasts less than six months, I am impressed by the longevity of Rick's game. I enjoy reading Rick's blog and have …
