I've been trying for days to come up with a better topic than some of my favourite rare magic items from D&D 5e, but I think that will have to do! So, I'm not going to focus too much on the 'obvious' items - the Handy Haversack, Portable Hole and Ring of Spell Storing are … Continue reading RPGaDay 2020 prompt 22 – Rare
Tag: writing
RPGaDay 2020 prompt 21 – Push
I'm debating adding some push and pull roleplaying mechanics into D&D. I've talked a bit about this kind of thing before, but I think I can actually make it work this time. Pretty easy really - I want to give players the option of an Inspiration system that takes a cue from FATE points, so … Continue reading RPGaDay 2020 prompt 21 – Push
RPGaDay 2020 prompt 20 – Investigate
I think I've talked pretty recently about how I handle mysteries and investigation, so I think I'll talk about the recent Web DM video about alternate skill checks and how they might play out for an investigation. Basically, that video centred on the use of alternate ability modifiers for various skills. Investigation is an Intelligence … Continue reading RPGaDay 2020 prompt 20 – Investigate
RPGaDay 2020 prompt 19 – Tower
One of the things that I've rarely used in a game is a stereotypical Wizard's Tower. I think I'll have to add one to a game I run in the near future - a small dungeon that goes upwards (as well as probably downwards), with some minor encounters on each level. It would be very … Continue reading RPGaDay 2020 prompt 19 – Tower
RPGaDay 2020 prompt 18 – Meet
You all meet in the inn.It's clichéd, but it works. But how else do you bring your players together? In the last long-running game I played in, I met the party in an inn - but it was Planescape, so they were all sat around having a drink when a portal opened above them, and … Continue reading RPGaDay 2020 prompt 18 – Meet
RPGaDay 2020 prompt 17 – Comfort
I've seen a good few people part ways with D&D recently, and I completely get it. There's some real issues with the way it's being run and how things are being handled by the company that own it, but I haven;t managed to walk away yet. I've tried out a good few other games over … Continue reading RPGaDay 2020 prompt 17 – Comfort
RPGaDay 2020 prompt 16 – Dramatic
I don't have much of what I would call 'a flare for the dramatic'. I'm not amazing at the dramatic reveal, and I prefer foreshadowing events over surprise twists. I don't know if that's something to do with me or how I read plots or anything. The first M. Night Shyamalan film I saw, The … Continue reading RPGaDay 2020 prompt 16 – Dramatic
RPGaDay 2020 prompt 15 – Frame
OK, I'm going to take a moment to give you a quick rundown of my current Saurial/Planescape idea. It's only been a short while, but it's changed some. I may have added in some Spelljamming... Whoops! So, the current framing idea/elevator pitch looks like this: The PCs are wandering the Great Bazaar in Sigil. They … Continue reading RPGaDay 2020 prompt 15 – Frame
RPGaDay 2020 prompt 14 – Banner
As part of the session zero for the Song of Ice and Fire RPG, the players are tasked with building a noble family to be the centre of the game - they can be attendants, young nobles, venerable maesters, and so on.The catch is, they are any of the big noble families we pay much … Continue reading RPGaDay 2020 prompt 14 – Banner
RPGaDay 2020 prompt 13 – Rest
So, do we talk about the D&D rest mechanics, or taking a break from tabletop gaming? Or how other games handle rests? I guess I'll talk a bit about how I handle rests.I've been mostly inspired by various homebrews that change how things work, add in extra levels and things.Here's what I do currently: - … Continue reading RPGaDay 2020 prompt 13 – Rest
RPGaDay 2020 prompt 12 – Message
I'm always conflicted about how to handle messages between players in a game. At a table, great, pass a slip of paper. If you're OK with phones, send something by text.If you want to cobble together a group message thing for between sessions, cool. Can throw two groups together to include the GM in one, … Continue reading RPGaDay 2020 prompt 12 – Message
RPGaDay 2020 prompt 11 – Stack
I present to you a stack of various RPGs from my shelves! And some dice too! I tried to grab a mixed bag, pulling from various places. So, we have: Hillfolk - sadly unplayed but backed immediately in Kickstarter. I loved the idea, and especially the ideas for the alternate settings presented at the end … Continue reading RPGaDay 2020 prompt 11 – Stack
RPGaDay 2020 prompt 9 – Light
I'd love to talk a bit about rule-light rules systems today, but I realised that I really haven't played that many. The closest I could say I've come to is FATE, but even then I've played very crunchy versions (Dresden Files and my Sands of FATE games included). So instead, I'm going to talk about … Continue reading RPGaDay 2020 prompt 9 – Light
RPGaDay 2020 prompt 8 – Shade
I've always been intrigued by the idea of Augmented Reality as viewed through a set of shades. Way back in the before, in the ancient times, the idea of mirrorshades was just to hide one's eyes from view, but gradually shades and spex innovated.We had Google Glass for a little while. When's the last time … Continue reading RPGaDay 2020 prompt 8 – Shade
RPGaDay 2020 prompt 7 – Couple
I wasn't sure what to talk about for this prompt, but I had a couple of ideas!(I'll wait for your delighted guffawing to subside...) I'm currently working on a couple of new things. First, I'm trying to pull together some ideas for a Planescape adventure involving Saurials.Saurials are basically Dino-people who had been used as … Continue reading RPGaDay 2020 prompt 7 – Couple
RPGaDay 2020 prompt 6 – Forest
A lot of my homebrew settings feature forests in a prominent role. I'm not entirely sure why that is - maybe it's a western fantasy trope that's stuck in my head? (Murkwood?) Cambria is similar in some ways to Dark Sun, but very different in others. It's a planet-wide (ish) cityscape that's fallen into disrepair … Continue reading RPGaDay 2020 prompt 6 – Forest
Another month of RPGaDay in August
O know, I know, I only finished up RPGaDay 2019 this month, but I actually caught it early enough that I can jump on during the month this time! So, starting tomorrow, I'll be back to one post a day for the month of August. Hopefully I'll manage to keep that going!
Draft One Page Campaign Opener – Frostpunk
"The old story goes that the world was once a garden, pleasant and mild, neither too hot nor too cold, and at this time all of the peoples of the world were created.This ain't that world no more. Two great powers rose, and fought, one led by the God of Winter, one by the Goddess … Continue reading Draft One Page Campaign Opener – Frostpunk
A couple of additions
I've added a couple of pages to the site over the last little while - Firstly, a list of additional material to be used when I'm building Planescape games, on top of all of the official stuff written in the 1990s. I'll be adding to this as I go, and I'm thinking about what other … Continue reading A couple of additions
Late to the party: RPGaDay 2019 prompt 31
"Last" None of us really knows what's coming next. Between various things, games can fall apart.We never know when our last game is going to be, or when our last game with a specific person will be. I've mentioned before that my Planescape DM passed at the end of last year. It's been six months … Continue reading Late to the party: RPGaDay 2019 prompt 31
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