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Managing a table of ten players is less like storytelling and more like air traffic control. In the heat of my weekly library sessions...

February 1983. As we step into a new year of gaming Ian Livingstone wonders what might come next. With Treasure Trap starting (or at...

The primary question seems to be opportunity cost. I don't doubt it can feel effective in some circumstances, the question in my mind...

I prefer the more granular nature of the skill list, so you can model specifically what the character knows and is good at, since not...

Even non-pool systems that use, say, 3D6, things like that tend to get less lost in the noise than they do in a D20 or D100 system (and...

I think the bolded steps are the place where a well designed skill system can come in and meaningfully change gameplay. The downsides...

I am a huge fan of Rolemaster from days of old but I don't know if I could handle it in 2026. One of the things I'm really interested in...

My wife comes to mind…

I think that in systems where roll is dice pool based (Burning Wheel and its cousins, BitD and its cousins, Prince Valiant, etc) people...

I think it's already been addressed more cleanly than I will. But if you want a direct answer from me, it's because the process you...

I'm your opposite number: I LOVE skills and skill systems in RPGs. I do look askance at the skill-improvement mechanic you describe...

I've listened to many people complain, over the years, about how they feel like a zombie when the work week begins. And each time they...

Like a MILF, you need to give the humor a little time to mature.

I hear the follow up book will be the Dilf's guide to Dragonlance.