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A few years ago for an online course about strategic wargame design I devised a list of about a dozen dichotomies between warfare and games. The paradox of wargames is that warfare and games are polar opposites! After writing some 150 “Worlds of Design” columns I decided to do the same for RPGs...

Moderns are accustomed to cheap and readily available maps that show distance as well as road connectivity. That kind of map is rarely going to exist in a low technology/Medieval setting. Two views of the same geospatial relationships (part of the Britannia game map) Distance vs. Time Our...

Last time I talked about the nature of armies. Let’s discuss particular types of armies and how they might interact. Picture courtesy of Pixabay. Last time I talked about the nature of armies, now I'm going to discuss particular types of armies. and how they might interact: The Noble's...

If you’re building a full-scale world for your campaign, that will likely involve armies. Let’s discuss what happens in the real world so that you can avoid straining the disbelief of your players. There are lots of different kinds of armies. This column and next, I'm going to talk about some...

Most RPG settings have some form of godhood. Yet there are some age-old questions that come into play as you create religions. By Unknown author - Os Deuses Egípcios – IMAGICK, CC BY-SA 4.0, File:Deuses Egipcios.png - Wikimedia Commons Gods and “hokey religions” (to quote Han Solo in Star...

What is “Imposter Syndrome?” It’s a common problem for “creatives.” In RPGs it primarily applies to game designers, but some homebrew GMs will also recognize it. Picture courtesy of Pixabay. What’s an Imposter? The Imposter Syndrome applies to game designers, but some GMs will also recognize...

I’ve written about plague in world-building, now it’s time to discuss droughts. Extended drought, and consequent famine, is a common major reason for the failure of empires and civilizations. Picture courtesy of Pixabay. What’s a Drought? I’ve written about plague in world-building...

Unfortunately, for a long time schools taught that "close is good enough" (for everything, not just language). That attitude results in many errors, and in creators who just don't care about how they write. Further, some English instructors tell students that being precise and following...

Thanks for the interesting discussion so far. Freelance RPG editors cannot charge what a professional editor would charge. Because typical RPGs (especially indie) aren't so much professional endeavors as labors of love, where little money is earned. A professional (non-RPG) editor would cost...

Some small publisher/self-published RPG rule sets suffer from poor grammar and syntax. Some RPG creators need someone to edit their writing for quality of communication as well, especially for clarity—rules are no good if the reader cannot understand them. Picture courtesy of Pixabay. We Need...

I tend to evaluate games beginning with the assumption that most published games are played only one to three times before gamers move on to the next game. This is a consequence of the thousands of new tabletop games published every year - among other things. Picture courtesy of Unsplash. A...

How believable is your world? Or to put it another way, how much must players suspend their disbelief to enjoy the game? Picture courtesy of Pixabay. The second spectrum of game master play styles is about how much or how little the game resembles a believable world. Believability becomes...

When it comes to gamemastering, are you focused on improvising the world or making it believable? Let’s discuss the first. Picture courtesy of Pixabay. I like to categorize as a way toward better understanding. Of the two styles, let’s discuss improvisation by the Game Master in making...

"Expectations" for a particular product should have nothing to do with reviews. Far too many people start with unreasonable expectations. Your expectations of what such a product should be, do matter. As long as you're explicit. My take on reviewing is an ordinary post, but I confess I'm not...

It’s one thing to write for RPGs and another to write RPG rules. And one of those differences is playtesting. Picture courtesy of Pixabay. That’s Fast! There are role-playing game writers who can churn out over 2,000 words a day. That’s three “Worlds of Design” columns a day, including...

How can we provide non-violent means of resolving conflicts with monsters and NPCs in RPGs? Picture courtesy of Pixabay. Recently I noticed a discussion online about the percentage of time spent in combat in RPGs. Many felt that in D&D, most of playing time is spent in combat. With war...

Leveling is an integral part of fantasy role-playing games in all its forms RPGs, but it wasn't always that way. How did we get here? Picture courtesy of Pixabay. Video Game Levels Computer role-playing games (CRPGs) have their roots in tabletop games, as established by the original Dungeons...

Plot twists in a story can surprise the reader, but they need to be believable, to derive from what came before. Deux Ex Machina, on the other hand, is poison, breaking immersion and possible annoying the players. Picture courtesy of Pixabay. When I GM I don’t plot stories for players to...

In RPG campaigns the characters often move through several stages of life as they increase their capabilities (and responsibilities). We don’t see this in one-shot adventures, yet distinct stages generally improve game designs. Picture courtesy of Pixabay. One-Shot vs. Campaign Many RPG...

Where do heroes come? Some are destined from birth to be heroes, while others rise to the occasion. Your RPG system of choice likely determines which you get to play. Picture courtesy of Pixabay. Fantasy stories range from nearly-idealistic high fantasy to gritty realism (such as Glenn Cook’s...