Well, tonight is Halloween so I thought I'd write up something about it. I think we're all pretty familiar with the monsters and scares and stuff as a Halloween trope, but I wanted to look a bit more into what else is going on with this day of the year, where it came from, and … Continue reading Halloween Special
Thoughts on the LevelUp 5e Playtest III – Rogue
Well I was waiting for the next package to drop, but like a fool I was waiting on the LevelUp5e homepage rather than digging around - I missed it by weeks. Probably need to update that guys! So this package is the Rogue class. First thoughts - it's a lot shorter than the Fighter document. … Continue reading Thoughts on the LevelUp 5e Playtest III – Rogue
More site changes and a new challenge
If you've been paying attention to my site for a while, you might have seen a couple of tweaks recently. Here's what's changed. I've added a Resources section. I'm going to use this area for my Appendix ï section, a collection of links to great resources, and a new Downloads section.The downloads are a work … Continue reading More site changes and a new challenge
RPGs that influenced me – DnD 2e
For this series, I'm taking another cue from Dungeons and Possums. I'll be going through a few different games I've owned, played, or read and feel had an impact on me and my games going forward from then. I've said before how I got into roleplaying - at lunchtimes during school, we sat down and … Continue reading RPGs that influenced me – DnD 2e
Ginnungagap – a game of twenty questions
Another chance to flesh out one of my settings. This time we're a mercenary, somewhere on Midgard. Let's go to the Ginnungagap! What is the deal with my cleric's religion?You worship all the Gods, but one more than others - you know the sacred rites of Odin or Loki better than those of the other … Continue reading Ginnungagap – a game of twenty questions
More work on the Hollow World
Let's take a look at where the Hollow World is going. First of all, if there are disparate cultures loosely based on various real-world cultures, how are they interacting in such a way that a party could include members from all across the Hollow World?Well, the simple answer is trade routes and crossroads, and the … Continue reading More work on the Hollow World
Revisiting the DMG in 2020 – Flavours of Fantasy
As a sort of follow up to my post reviewing 5e after half a decade in print, this is a series that takes a look at parts of the DMG in 2020. I cracked open my physical copy of the Dungeon Master's Guide recently. It doesn't see a lot of use - I'd been running … Continue reading Revisiting the DMG in 2020 – Flavours of Fantasy
Thoughts on the LevelUp 5e Playtest II – Fighter
The second playtest packet for the LevelUp 5e project is up - this time we've moved from the changes to heritages and on to changes to classes - this has the first ten levels of the fighter in. First impressions - I've seen some of this stuff before in the Tome of Battle, the supplement … Continue reading Thoughts on the LevelUp 5e Playtest II – Fighter
Borrowed mechanics – 20 Questions for Player Characters in D&D
Once again stealing some ideas from another blog, but going in an entirely different direction, Gnome Stew had a recent post about using twenty questions to help build up a character for roleplaying.Now, the basis for that post was Amber, a diceless system that's pretty popular. I've never played that though. I have, however, played … Continue reading Borrowed mechanics – 20 Questions for Player Characters in D&D
Out West – a game of twenty questions
Another post in the series to flesh out settings, this time we're heading to the Weird West. I've done grumpy dwarf and helpful citizen, this time I'll be a grizzled antihero, like half the folk in the setting. What is the deal with my cleric's religion?You tell me, greenhorn. You worship one of the old … Continue reading Out West – a game of twenty questions
Sky Island Saga – a game of twenty questions
Another in the series of using twenty questions to bump up the setting information - this time we're looking at my swashbuckling romantic fantasy setting, Sky Island Saga. Last time I was a grumpy old dwarf, this time, I'll be a more helpful citizen of a Freehold. Hello traveller, new to the skies? You must … Continue reading Sky Island Saga – a game of twenty questions
Dream settings II – Inspired by others
I went to my drafts folder and found the prompt from my Dream Settings post still sat there waiting, which was odd because I was sure I'd edited the original post previously.Yeah, strange. So I started rewriting the post and then realised it all felt familiar.Here's some stuff I didn't cover last time though. As … Continue reading Dream settings II – Inspired by others
Frostpunk – a game of twenty questions
I was digging around on Dungeons and Possums again, and came across a post that references one from Jeff Rients back in 2011.Now, whatever you think of Jeff Rients (I'm no real fan based on certain views), I think these questions will be useful to flesh out some details in my newer homebrew settings. So, … Continue reading Frostpunk – a game of twenty questions
Hooks for Spelljammer stories
I've previously posted about Spelljammer and building up randomised plot hooks for it, but I didn't have any ideas at the time.After going for a walk the other day, I instead came up with the below ideas. Not enough for a random table, and too detailed, but some ideas I might take forwards. A Dwarven … Continue reading Hooks for Spelljammer stories
Thoughts on the LevelUp5e Playtest
If you've missed it, EN Publishing is working on a set of rules to make 5e crunchier, or more advanced, or something.I signed up for the playtest materials. I don't know if I'll have a chance to use them, but I can give my feedback and initial thoughts, and maybe try and use it if … Continue reading Thoughts on the LevelUp5e Playtest
Old Stuff – DnDNext first impressions
The last of my posts rescued from Troll in the Corner, this one posted on May 24th 2012.This was just the initial impressions before playing a game of it - which I did very shortly afterwards.I later went on and ran Caves of Chaos with a different version of the rules at some point in … Continue reading Old Stuff – DnDNext first impressions
Divergence from the D&D norm
Once again, I find myself going back through Dungeons and Possums' older posts and finding gold.I'm going to talk a bit about how most of my games diverge from the 'normal' of D&D, but I want to try and focus more on Hollow World too. I'll start with a quote from Dungeons and Possums, rather … Continue reading Divergence from the D&D norm
Spelljammer – Random tables
An old Web DM video about Spelljammer got me thinking about random tables, not least because Pruitt has never published the random tables he created for random encounters (please, please, please?). Basically, I sat down, watched the video a couple of times, had a go at finding Pruitt's sources, and built some of my own … Continue reading Spelljammer – Random tables
Old Stuff – Adding extra sensations
Another post from Troll in the Corner, this time from February 3rd 2012. There’s an important rule in GMing: show, don’t tell. Now, when you put a setting together, you of course tell the players various things, but once the game is in full swing, it’s obviously much more important to involve the players in … Continue reading Old Stuff – Adding extra sensations
Draft One Page Campaign Opener – Beyond the Pale
Centuries ago, the good people of the Commonwealth took ownership over the lands of the Pale by conquest and divine right. In the ensuing time, life has been good both for the people of the Commonwealth and the locals, with both seeing great strides in the cause of civilisation. Unfortunately, there are still those who … Continue reading Draft One Page Campaign Opener – Beyond the Pale
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