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Why is it essential? That the part that is unclear to readers.

If you check the KS posts the at cost print coupons should still work. I know they are extra $$$ but they are still available for use. And last I checked they haven't been all used. I know it is a bit of a pain now as the posts are buried back up the feed but they are still there. Appreciate...

The game store owner in my home store complained that the NERO chapter I ran, was stealing his business. I felt bad, but only to a point, because he was one of those owners who would give you his personal opinion on gaming all the time. Most of the players who lived in my hometown grew to...

A boffer LARP is a style of live-action roleplaying that developed in the 1980s. It gained a major boost in popularity in the late ’80s when Ford Ivey founded NERO in Massachusetts. Thanks to a timely Dragon Magazine article, NERO chapters spread across the U.S. Ford Ivey pioneered a system of...

I’d appreciate it if you didn’t attribute a position to me unless you reference a direct quote. As it stands, this misrepresents my views. I’ve stated clearly and consistently, here, on my blog, and in other forums, that what I describe is a way to approach tabletop roleplaying, not the way. My...

Last time I checked, they were two separate words were embodying different concepts. And this is first time you mentioned plot.

I ran a modified Phandelver adventure myself, and it sounds like the castle in question is Cragmaw Castle. But I am going to disagree. It's not a problem of plausibility and logic. Why? Because even with only your side of the story, there are too many butterflies who were flapping their wings...

When I play, I make characters distinct from myself, whether it is tabletop or LARPs. I run into the same issue as you do. What you may not know is that the same problem exists in boffer LARPs like NERO. Players who dress in the minimum costume required (tabards and shorts) and who are there for...

That's good to be in agreement about a point. However, I feel we still disagree about the implications of the two assumptions, namely that they are both equally capable of producing the same variety and scope of outcomes. Both styles, referee-first, player-first, value consistency and...

Let me push back a bit. I’d like to know if this would be considered a story. Or this? If I submitted either of these to a literature professor for a short story assignment, I’d get an F for not understanding the assignment. They contain no plot, no character arc, no narrative progression...

So we are on the same page, this is what kicked off the subthread: What I’m doing during pre-game is more akin to being a travel agent, not a storyteller. The players ask about various places that interest them. If those places are already in my notes, I describe what’s there. If not, I say...

Makes sense. I know my reply is short, but what you just said sounds reasonable. That raises a question I recently asked a friend who enjoys BW, PbtA, and similar systems. Let’s say you finish your Stonetop campaign in a year or two. Would you feel comfortable using the system again for...

Back in the '80s, I dropped the AD&D XP system in favor of the following approach. I don’t use all of it anymore, but I still award XP for defeating monsters, and what most would now call a milestone award. That milestone award uses the same formula I originally created for a roleplaying award...

This seems like a significant distinction between the different styles of play. To be clear, it is not a downside. To me, it looks to be a consequence of focusing on player-first,, and the fact that many of these RPGs go for a prep-light build, it's a you-go character-centric approach. On...

I want to point out an inconsistency: I agree with this. "Concerns of the characters" has a broad scope and can encompass many kinds of goals and motivations. But this phrasing, if interpreted narrowly, risks painting referee-first campaigns as having a limited scope. Exploration is only one...