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Countries were originally characterized as progressing through several states to “civilized.” This is not in favor today. Picture courtesy of Pixabay. Though not common today, in the 19th century and earlier, scholars and philosophers sometimes proposed stages that every country “naturally”...

Picture courtesy of Pixabay. Can an overemphasis on attractive art, components, and hardcovers price gamers out of the market? High Quality As the gamer market has matured, we've begun to see board games that are priced at over 60 U.S. dollars or higher. These are luxury products, with more...

Picture courtesy of Pixabay. The Mages of Reality Recently I was re-reading the fictional series Pillars of Reality by Jack Campbell. I classify it as a “young adult” series of six books that’s most science fiction with a little fantasy (mage prophecy) thrown in. I like it a lot if, enough to...

Picture courtesy of Pixabay. We previously discussed the difference between three common ways of playing RPGs; let's explore each in detail. One-Shots (One-Offs) This term may vary depending on your region: American tends to use “one shot” while Brits my more commonly refer to these games as...

Picture courtesy of Pixabay. Play of the same RPG rules can turn out quite differently, depending on whether it’s within a one-shot adventure, a sequence, or a campaign. What’s in a Game? Most RPGs were originally designed for long campaigns, not one-off (one-shot) adventures or a shortish...

Picture couresty of Pixabay. What Flavor of God? Are your fantasy role-playing game gods all-powerful, and are they omniscient (they know everything, which implies they are omnipresent as well)? Monotheistic religions tend to have one deity along these lines, but that's not how many of the...

Game designers of tabletop fantasy role-playing games know that spellcasting is a key part of both the game’s mechanics and the world setting. Which is why it’s important to understand a simple but critical concept in a fantasy world: the noticeability of spellcasting. Not many RPG rulesets...

Picture courtesy of Pixabay. Every world has an ecology; if you want your fantasy world to be believable, you’ll need to pay attention to how it works: how does each living group fit with all the others and with the world? What might your world design goals be in general? What’s an Ecology...

This article is about water-related disasters other than drought. All of these natural events pose significant challenges to fantasy medieval societies, both from the wreckage they cause to the long-term effects when water sweeps through an area, possibly bringing monsters and disease. Picture...

In our previous discussion I explained my perspective on harmony in game design. Now it’s time for the opposite, but sometimes complementary, game design technique, the Kludge. It’s something of an ugly word itself, and that’s not an accident. Picture courtesy of Pixabay. What’s the Opposite...

Harmony and its opposite, the kludge, are fundamental to good game design. Photo by Shubham Dhage on Unsplash What is Harmony in Game Design? The definition of harmony in the context of game design is different from other systems, like music. Harmony is often noted by its absence. Here is a...

Every campaign has their Moriarty, Sherlock Holmes’ master criminal. By Moriarty and Holmes at the Reichenbach Falls by Raymond Bell, CC BY-SA 2.0, File:Moriarty and Holmes at the Reichenbach Falls - geograph.org.uk - 5942977.jpg - Wikimedia Commons The Criminal Mastermind The criminal...

Brevity is the soul of wit … and game design. Picture courtesy of Pixabay. Brevity Write with brevity. Your readers will thank you for it. By “brevity” I mean in a sense of not wasting words; that is, not using words that are unnecessary. Another way to describe this is being concise, though...

Is there an ideal combat method in an FRPG? Picture courtesy of Pixabay. RPGs in many cases revolve around combat. Yet the player who understands Sun Tzu’s maxim knows that fighting is merely a means to an end, not an end in itself (though, I must admit, that also depends on the experience...

Is there an ideal frequency with which characters or monsters hit one another in an FRPG? Picture courtesy of PIxabay. How Random Is Your Game? I was inspired by a recent discussion of armor in Dungeons & Dragons to expound on a question that is frequently asked by new game designers: how...

The lethality of a RPG's spell system has repercussions beyond combat. Picture courtesy of Pixabay. Meet the Spellslingers I recently read the novel Spellslinger (and successors) by Sebastian de Castell. In this story novice spellcasters (adolescents about to take the “tests”) can kill one or...

Why do people buy commercial modules when early RPGs assumed the GM would make up the adventures? Picture courtesy of Pixabay. Why Bother? Of course, it’s much easier to use a module than to make up your own adventures. But there’s more to it than that. Simply put, game mastering takes time...

Planning's not for everybody, but strategizing ahead of time can win the day. Picture courtesy of Pixabay. Improviser vs. Planner In A Different Look at Player Styles: Planners and Improvisers I described planners and improvisors as two different ends of a spectrum of playing styles. My...

When two groups encounter each other, they may place very different values on the same objects. Picture courtesy of Pixabay. Imagine a humanoid tribe that is “beyond the pale” of civilized territories occupied by humanity. They have rarely encountered “civilized” peoples. But those people...

Should monsters behave sensibly in tabletop role-playing games? Picture courtesy of Pixabay. The Sensible Thing to Do? Should monsters behave sensibly (and you might substitute “realistically” if you don’t balk at that term in a fantasy context) in role-playing games? People are all over the...