Whatever fantasy roleplaying game you’re playing, you probably have weapons, armour, and other gear. But how much do you think about this gear when you choose it at character creation?
Gear with Grit and Story: How to Choose Your Loadout (Part One)
Deeper character creation: dramatic poles revisited
One of the most powerful storytelling tools I’ve encountered this year is also one of the simplest: dramatic poles.
13th Age: The Best RPG I’ve Never Played (Review)
Back in January, there was an exceptionally good-value Megabundle for 13th Age where I picked up 19 PDFs for less than $40 (£34). It’s a game I’ve known about (and admired) for some time but never really devoted much attention to. Following the OGL debacle, I’ve been keen to diversify the RPGs I play and … Continue reading 13th Age: The Best RPG I’ve Never Played (Review)
How To Make A Compelling Backstory
Do you need a character backstory? Here are the questions that are worth answering.
What does your favourite character look like?
One of the most popular articles I wrote last year was a bit of a surprise. Inspired by Legend of the Five Rings, I came up with 20 questions for deeper character creation. A year later, it is the most-read page on my site! The first question in the article is ‘What do you look … Continue reading What does your favourite character look like?
Everyday Heroes: a great new RPG for modern adventuring
d20 Modern was one of my favourite games of the 3rd edition era. Everyday Heroes is its spiritual successor – and it's great!
How to run low fantasy D&D
Low fantasy is gritty, grounded, and high stakes. How can we make that work in 5th edition D&D?
The One Ring, 2nd edition: a charming and visually stunning love letter to Middle Earth
A few weeks ago, the fine folks at Free League very kindly sent me a review copy of The One Ring: the core rulebook, the DM screen, and the starter set. Regular readers will know that I rarely review things I haven’t paid for, so I have tried not to let this influence me too … Continue reading The One Ring, 2nd edition: a charming and visually stunning love letter to Middle Earth
Deeper character creation: the game of 20 questions
Some players strive to be more than just another elven wizard. The game of 20 questions is a neat concept for building richer, deeper characters.
How to run a session zero
Want to start a new campaign? Run a session zero first. Here's how!