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I dislike magic item stores. Here's why. Picture courtesy of Pixabay. Magimart: Still a Bad Idea I don't like the idea of "Magimarts" -- something like a bookstore or small department store, often with a public storefront, where adventurers can come and purchase (or sell) magic items. I said...

As GM do you need to worry about originality in your adventures? Picture courtesy of Pixabay. I previously discussed Innovation in game design in 2017. This time I’m talking about making up adventures, “homebrew” as it’s called, to be used with your campaign but unlikely to be published. How...

GMs with more experience can improvise better than those with little experience. That doesn’t help the GM shortage. Picture courtesy of Pixabay. The Virtues of Published Adventures We previously discussed improv as a form of play, which has changed out of necessity from being the only way to...

A French company is interested in reissuing the game, but interest is very far from actuality in this industry. The original publisher of the second edition is no longer interested in publishing board games, wants to concentrate on RPGs.

There’s been a surge of interest in GMing by improvisation rather than preparation, as in the “old days.” What are the ramifications? Picture courtesy of Pixabay. A Different Way to Play I previously discussed improvisation in game mastering; this piece looks at it from a different angle. In a...

What is a player’s motivation when they first play an RPG? Picture courtesy of Pixabay. Not Just for Actors This phrase is often associated with an actor in a film or play, but in the context of tabletop role-playing games the questions are: What does a player they think is going to happen...

Is combat an end in itself, or is it a means to an end; and is that a worthy end? Picture courtesy of Pixabay. Why Are We Fighting? Long-term tabletop gamers may often ask themselves: is combat an end in itself, or is it a means to an end; and is that a worthy end? With many rulesets the...

I avoid Artifacts of Cosmic Power that are likely to destroy the world in the long run. Picture courtesy of Pixabay. Longtime readers know that I usually prefer a fantasy role-playing game that leans heavily toward “a life we believe could exist but does not.” That means, after the initial...

In September 2020 I wrote a column about Tolkien’s influence and how world builders are “trapped” by his influence. I was not writing with Tolkien in my sights. But now I am. Picture courtesy of Pixabay. Tolkien’s List How influential has J.R.R. Tolkien’s work been on RPGs, and is that...

Following up on the previous column “You’re Playing it Wrong!,” what should the “spirit of a game” be? Picture courtesy of Pixabay. The Wrong Way to Play? Can there be a “wrong way to play” in games? This is a difficult question even if we don’t get tangled up in notions of “sportsmanship”...

Does it matter if you play a game “wrong”? Picture courtesy of Pixabay Getting it Wrong in Two Parts The question of possibly playing a game “wrong” has at least two separate parts: first, how much must you adhere to the game rules and second, what should the spirit of the game be? Board Games...

I suppose as designer of Britannia I ought to "approve this message"!

Yes. Though I doubt that anyone would object if one of the AD&D clones was played.

It’s hard out there for new RPGs. Specialized conventions can help. Not D&D People who play the most widespread RPGs such as the latest editions of Dungeons & Dragons and Pathfinder don’t need a specialized convention, they should be able to play a part in conventions with broader topics. Most...

As a game designer, when you need a solution to a design problem do you search (the Internet, RPGgeek, enworld?) to find a mechanic that will solve the problem? Pictures courtesy of Pixabay. As a game designer, when you need a solution to a design problem do you search to find a mechanic that...

How odd. What happened to the usually-talkative denizens of Enworld?

In each instance of lengthy adventure fiction (and games), there’s usually a standard mode of operation, often including a vehicle/means of transportation. Picture courtesy of Pixabay. Operation vs. Transportation First, a few definitions. The Latin “modus operandi” means “mode of operations...

Where's your party’s base of operations? Picture courtesy of Pixabay. A party’s base of operations says a lot about the party itself. It can be a place like the Village of Hommlet or (in Spelljammer) the Rock of Braal, a place the adventuring party goes to and lives in when not adventuring...

There was a time when finishing the mission was core to RPG play. Picture courtesy of Pixabay. A Different Style of Play If you have not played RPGs for as long as I have, this may be new to you. Goal-oriented play is an approach to gaming that was common in the early days of Dungeons &...

Is frequently rolling lots of dice good design for an RPG? Picture courtesy of Pixabay. Board vs. Role-Playing Games In my opinion, the less dice the better. Keeping the game’s mechanics simple is good for everyone, players and GM and observers. My design motto is “a designer knows he has...