If you want better games, you will have to make them.
Category: musings
Evil Is An Option
In my last few campaigns, I've either eliminated alignment or used the Law-Neutral-Chaos spectrum rather than nine fold alignment system. I began creating my current campaign with a quote from Joseph Brodsky firmly planted in my mind, "“Life—the way it really is—is a battle not between good and bad, but between bad and worse.” Thus, …
Colonialism in D&D. A Rebuttal.
The Dweller in the Forbidden City blog posted about a Twitter poll they did on the question of colonialism in D&D. Here is a snip. The author seems to be surprised by the amount of vitriol they received as a result of this poll question. I don't find it surprising at all. The internet is …
The Misunderstood Orc
Wizards of Coast announced the company would be making changes to orcs, drow and Vistani in future printings of their works. The decision for the Vistani makes sense as they are an analogue for the Romani people and to continue to utilize a bigoted stereotype of a real world people is an ugly blight on …
I Dislike “In Character” Conversations
While working on another post about non-player characters, it occurred to me that different groups have different priorities during player to player "in character" social interactions. Some groups enjoy in character social interaction that doesn't advance the party's objectives. In my games, I prefer to limit any activity that does not move characters toward some …
I Do Not Enjoy Opera
My wife likes opera and I have watched several live streams of the Metropolitan Opera with her. The Met has the best musicians, the best singers and the best production crew in the world of opera. My response? Meh. I appreciate the effort that goes into it and I appreciate the amazing skill that everyone …
Prince of Denmark
That's all Shakespeare provides to the reader of Hamlet before you dig into the play. It's fascinating to me that one of the greatest storytellers in the English language gives very little context to one if the most famous characters in the history of drama. All we are told is that Hamlet is the Prince …
