Magic Words, Max Barry Style
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Twenty Things That May Or May Not Be True About Dragons
Josh just posted a list on his Bernie the Flumph blog called “Twenty Things That May or May Not Be True About Orcs.” You should go read it. It’s entertaining and educational. It’s also a concept that begs to be stolen—I mean, expanded upon to include other monsters, which is exactly what I’m going to…
Why Bennies?
Since I’ve gotten used to playing QAGS, I feel limited when I play RPGs (at least traditional ones with distinct GM and player roles) that don’t have some kind of mechanic that allows players to bend the rules and take narrative control. At this point, I think every game needs some kind of Yum Yum/Hero…
GMing Dreams
About a month ago, someone on Reddit asked for tips on using dream logic in games. He or she planned on introducing a trickster villain whose presence twisted reality into a dream-like state. I posted some suggestions and thought “that would make a good blog subject,” then promptly forgot about it. Now I’ve remembered that…
Timothy Leary On Games (Part 2)
Last week, I applied Timothy Leary’s definition of a “game” to role-playing and ended with a promise to discuss other passages in his presentation “How To Change Behavior” that, despite having nothing to do with role-playing, are strangely applicable to our hobby. Here’s the first passage I was talking about: “All behavior involves games. But…
Timothy Leary On Games (Part 1)
This article, which reprints Timothy Leary’s International Congress of Applied Psychology presentation, “How To Change Behavior,” recently showed up in my newsfeed. What does Timothy Leary have to do with gaming? Well, in the case of “How To Change Behavior,” the whole presentation starts with the idea of looking at behavioral sequences as games: “The…
Review: Dark Dungeons: The Movie
I feel like I need to start with some disclosures. I first played Dungeons & Dragons in something like fourth grade and have been a gamer ever since. Hell, I even started a game company. I’ve also been fascinated by Jack Chick for at least 20 years. I have a binder full of Chick comics…
Casting Your Game: WWPHITM?
As most of you reading this probably already know, QAGS has a Word called “Who Would Play Him/Her In The Movie?” While I really doubt we’re the first game to use that kind of descriptor, it surprises me that it’s not suggested in more RPGs. Personally, I define it for nearly every character I play…
Dynamic Character Sheets
Last week, I talked about the fact that character sheets are inherently incomplete and that it might be a good idea to rethink them. This week I’m going to float a new definition of a character sheet: “A character sheet should describe the relevant traits of a character at a particular point in time and…
You Are Not Your Character Sheet
“You are not your job. You’re not how much money you have in the bank. You’re not the car you drive. You’re not the contents of your wallet. You’re not your fucking khakis.”–Tyler Durden, Fight Club If Tyler Durden were a GM, he might add that you are not your Charisma, you’re not your Gimmick,…