Search results

In the first article I outlined some rules of thumb I think are important to keep in mind when designing games. Here's a few more. Article courtesy of Pixabay. As a reminder, these rules of thumb are not listed in any particular order. I consider them all important, and speaking of which...

There are plenty of rules for game designers and even more for role-playing games. Listed here are principles, extreme likelihoods, and observations of behavior, including some "laws." Picture courtesy of Pixabay. I’m not trying to dictate these observations to anyone, they are what I’ve...

Hurin88: Literacy was rare. Perhaps Charlemagne, given his position in Europe and support for learning, had access to Vegetius (though he could not read any language, a cleric might have read it to him), but most in his age would not. Early Middle Ages, "Dark Ages," refers not only to our lack...

I’m going to briefly describe the two major strategic doctrines of warfare, which can be oversimplified to “fight vs maneuver,” then try to apply them to the mostly-tactical nature of many RPGs. Picture courtesy of Pixabay. There are two fundamental ways to conduct war: the Direct method and...

Nowadays there does seem to be hostility, bordering on sheer ignorance, when someone tries to define something. No, it isn't "gatekeeping ("the activity of controlling, and usually limiting, general access to something") and tribalism." And I personally don't care what you think or do...

Some people here are confusing a one-off session of a game with the game itself. If the game provides rules for progressive improvement, then the game could be an RPG, even if there's no obvious improvement in a one-off (even as, in many cases, the characters earn experience). Gaining money...

It’s a daunting task to try to define and characterize a segment as large and diverse as tabletop role-playing games in just a few words. But here goes. Picture courtesy of Pixabay. Some people won’t be happy with my definitions--which is my opinion, drawn from experience. But the purpose...

Even self-proclaimed “Futurists” and science fiction authors have weak track records in forecasting the future, and I’m neither! In this concluding part, I discuss trends in actual play, and in the economics of RPG publishing. Picture courtesy of Pixabay. Actual Play? What about trends in...

This is approximately the 100th “Worlds of Design” column, so a good time to consider the future of role-playing games. In this column I’ll talk about the connection with computers, and in Part 2 I’ll talk about actual play and about the economics of the hobby. Picture courtesy of Pixabay...

In connection with my discussion about differentiating science fiction and fantasy, here’s a related question: How do we tell what’s magic, and what’s technology, especially in light of A. C. Clarke’s famous maxim? Picture courtesy of Pixabay. Having a strong grasp of differences between...

The way heroes are portrayed has changed. Multimedia previously positioned heroes as muscle-bound monsters or barely-clothed sirens. Things have changed for the better, and it affects how we think of our characters in role-playing games. Picture courtesy of Pixabay. Physicality Instead of the...

The nature of tabletop role-playing games is that the players can try to do anything, so it's impossible to cover every possibility in the rules. In a way your rules are like the programming of a video game, because you can’t cover every possibility. Picture courtesy of Pixabay. Among the...

This is a discussion of how one decision in game design can make so much difference in how everything works. In this case we’re talking about RPGs, specifically how experience points (XP) are awarded. What are the consequences of using one method or another (or a combination)? Picture courtesy...

Does anyone know of a writer or critic of fantasy fiction who has created detailed categories of setting that gamers could use? Starting with sword & sorcery, high fantasy, low fantasy, and the like, but getting more detailed? It would be interesting to see. Literacy and Education ranges. Good...

You can write a set of fantasy role-playing game (FRPG) rules without specifying a setting, but there’s a default setting assumed by virtually every FRPG. Moreover, some rules (e.g. the existence of plate armor, and large horses) imply things about technology and breeding in the setting...

In a previous article I shared differences between entertainment media and how it feels imagination is less often required of people today. What changed? Picture courtesy of Pixabay. The most important thing that we've ever learned--the most important thing we've learned as far as children...

The editor has retitled the column, which has focused attention on the chain of imagination rather than on the weakening of imagination (this is "Imagination in games (and how it's disappearing)" part 1 of 2 parts). Yes, I was looking at it purely from the user's/consumer's point of view, not...

In this article I try to rank forms of entertainment, including tabletop games, in how much imagination is needed and why they don’t always translate across different types of media. Picture courtesy of Pixabay. Tabletop RPGs rely heavily on imagination, and many video game genres derive from...

I was telling my wife about GoDice (which immediately record their results electronically on an app), when she suggested an article about how RPG playing tools have changed since D&D was released. This will mostly be about dice and dice rolling, of course. Early Changes to Rolling Early...