The Myth of Meta-Gaming
With each new edition of a role-playing game, the hobby gains new players, and that’s a good thing. But each new crop breathes new life into old arguments. Since 5th edition, I’ve been seeing,...
Category: Game-Mastering Advice
The Einolar, Part 2: The Treesmith’s Treasures
The previous article in this series introduced the basic features of the Einolar Wood Elf culture. These elves are animistic–and potentially cannibalistic–individualists with a culture based on democratic consensus and reverence for the forests...
The Sins of Game Mastering, Sin #7: Gluttony “Everything in moderation, including moderation.” -Oscar Wilde
Gluttony is a rather peculiar sin, as it is arguably the most specific and least complicated of the lot. In simplest terms, gluttony traditionally relates to the over-consumption of food and drink, but it...
Gleeking Out on the Streets of Runerock Or, the Fine Art of Interpreting Crappy Stats
An excerpt from the journal of one Jacker Stump, age and origin unknown, as transcribed by Bennonois, clerk to the Court of Canes, City of Runerock. (A warning to brothers of the Order:...
Breakthroughs & Setbacks: How and Why We Should Bring Back Skill Challenges. Kind of.
Some skill checks answer simple, immediate, yes/no questions. Do I see that goblin hiding in the bushes? A 15 — why, yes, I do. A simple yes/no die roll is appropriate and satisfying for...
Raicho the Recusant
An Experiment with Narrative Because character is best revealed through narrative, I thought I’d present most of this installment of Dice Unloaded in story form. It’s an experiment. Raicho the Recusant—fourth and most controversial in...
Calendars and Cosmology – Making Calendars Creative
Calendars are a fantastic resource for making your game world distinct and cohesive. They reinforce the cosmology, culture, and unique character of your imagined world while providing you with a powerful campaign-management tool. Indeed, the very...
The Sins of Game Mastering # 6: the Sin of Avarice
For at least another hundred years we must pretend to ourselves and to everyone that fair is foul and foul is fair; for foul is useful and fair is not. Avarice and usury and...
Get Medieval: Medieval Ruins
When we think of ruins from our modern perspective, we often think of the relics of the medieval world. Decaying castles, ruined monasteries, and the remnants of city walls feature prominently in our pantheon...
Ruin Logic
What should I put in my ruin? a GM asks on Facebook. The question is smarter than it might appear. If you are aiming for an immersive, coherent world and an exciting adventure, it can...
