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When it comes to history in my games, I prefer authentic vibes over specific accuracy. I don’t want my games to screech to a halt over what type of sword the villainous pirate captain is using and whether it existed in the period. I can get those arguments from the internet any time, any place...

I ran it at Gary Con and will be doing another one at GameHole, which we will hopefully record. The game is pretty wild but the true chaos comes with the Beshrewment chart which gets rolled on if players rack up too many demerits. It triggers those wild swings in a Python episode, like maybe...

I cut the part where I talk about how Barracuda automatically places whenever you roll initiative.

One of the most difficult moments as a game designer is when a potential customer walks up to you and picks up your book. They turn it over in their hands, flip through the pages and then ask “Can this run D&D?” Designers Grant Howitt and Christopher Taylor likely had this scenario in mind when...

They recently released PDF packs of the character profiles from the books you can buy and print. Hopefully the Spider-Verse ones will go up soon.

It can be fun for Game Masters to sit down with a blank notebook and create whoe worlds for their friends to discover. It can also be fun to dive into worlds full of lore and backstory to inspire adventures at the table. I think every Game Master also has a “Goldilocks zone” that balances open...

Most cyberpunk games come down on the heavier side of mechanics and world building. It makes sense since one of the big themes of the genre is modifying yourself through brand name technology to become something more human than human. It’s one of my favorite parts of these games, too. I get a...

If it's a dealbreaker for you, it's a dealbreaker. I think it's a strength for many groups that struggle trying to break free of 5e. That structure might coax out players reluctant to try something new. You don't seem to be in that audience. If you're curious about the system as it applies to...

The “CalArts” style of animation is something of a generational divide amongst cartoon fans. The bulging eyes and bright colors are hallmarks of shows like Steven Universe and Adventure Time which are adored by younger fans. But many older fans think that the artwork is too silly and...

The classes are more flexible that 5e. They are meant to be customized from the jump with a new ability added every level or two completely up to the player rather than locking in at 3rd level. Multiclassing is as simple as getting the GM's permission to take an ability from another class.

Getting players to try something beyond Dungeons & Dragons can be a challenge. It takes time and effort to master D&D. Some players don’t want to learn more rules to play a different game. Grimwild, from designer J.D. Maxwell with art by Per Janke, seems like it might have been initially created...

She and the backers had a running joke about the Shadowbarge aka the container ship with the books landing for Kickstarter fulfillment. When it landed, she made the Shadowbarge an actual monster to use in the game.

I think the Grimdark and Killer DM stuff get overplayed when talking SD. Like people jumping into a Paranoia thread with "This discussion is above your security clearance, citizen". Yes, characters are fragile compared to 5e. But once players learn that lesson they adapt to a more cautious and...

As I said in the review, you can use a lot of this stuff in serious campaigns by stripping out the puns. The classes and spells are still functional.