Valiant Friday: Playtest Packet #3 Design Diary
Wolfgang Baur talks about design decisions for Playtest Packet #3, Monsters!
Posts by Wolfgang Baur
Warlock 34 Excerpt
The gnomes of Niemheim are not the only gnomes of Midgard, but they are by far the best known. Mostly, this is because they are particularly dangerous and entirely willing to kidnap, murder, and steal as needed to protect their strange woodland realm.
Warlock’s Apprentice: A Grand Tour of the Eleven Hells
The Eleven Hells of Midgard are the least-visited, least-studied, and most-feared planes known to the mortal world, ranking in the realm of whispered horrors and extremely scanty documentation. Those who visit rarely recommend them.
Warlock’s Apprentice: Dwarves at War
The news from the Ironcrag Cantons is always of interest to lowland humans, given how often the followers of Mavros hire dwarves to serve as mercenaries in the Seven Cities or to help the Magdar Kingdom hold the line against the Mharoti in the east. In recent years though, many small dwarven companies are forming …
Warlock’s Apprentice: Feast Halls of the Northlands
Among all the northern folk, the feast halls and the long halls are a gathering place for entire jarldoms, families, and clans. The enormous shield-hung rafters, the roaring fire pits, and the long benches and tables are unlike the more genteel dining and drinking halls of Dornig or the south. Beyond their warmth and sense …
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Warlock’s Apprentice: The Dry Lands
Most branches of the great World Tree are noisy and full of powerful spirits: the battle cries of Valhalla, the shrieking of various hells and planes of torment, the fulsome chorus of celestial planes devoted to the harmonious celebration of the divine. The Dry Lands: The Plane of Mot, Dark God of the Undead By …
Warlock’s Apprentice: Owls, Roses, and Thorns
Elvish courts have always been strange places—to mortals anyway. They are somewhat like royal courts among humans, but because of elvish and fey longevity, the fey courts are far more dominated by single figures and for much longer periods, and these factors invariably leave their mark across centuries, setting down quirks, customs, traditions, and arcane …
Midgard’s First Five Years
We’re at one of those milestones that snuck up on me a little: the Midgard Campaign Setting has been in print for five years as of today! It’s interesting to look back and see what’s changed. Part of me says, “Whoa, five years! What’s new?” and part of me thinks, “Good! Growth and confusion and …
Midgard Notebook: Writing, Game Design, and the Oral Tradition
Writing, Game Design, and the Oral Tradition I’ve been thinking a lot about exactly how we tell our stories. Mostly, this is at my youngest daughter’s request or instigation, though (given that she is 5 years old) she probably did not intend to induce such writerly pondering. She just wanted me to change the way …
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Midgard Notebook: March of History
March of History There’s a sense in some fantasy campaign settings of being entirely encased in amber, and with good reason: players want the world to remain familiar and useful for play. Removing dragons from Dragonlance or advancing a timeline 100 years in a world of your own invention without consulting your game group… well, …
Midgard Notebook: Villains and Corruption
Villains and Corruption One of the great elements of Midgard since the earliest days has been its villains and cults. These draw their power partly from their magic and secrets but also from the flaws of each heroic race. In particular, cults and villains thrive because humans are especially susceptible to corruption, such as by …
Midgard Notebook: New and Old Schools of Midgardian Magic
Midgardian Magic One of the principles behind the revised Midgard Campaign Setting is the “Dark Roads & Deep Magic” ethos. Not surprisingly, this means additions to player and game master options alike with the incorporation of new schools of magic from the Deep Magic series. The existing school of heavily Midgardian magic are well known: …
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Midgard Notebook: Thoughts on the Midgard Races
The Midgard Races The revised edition of the Midgard Campaign Setting is coming along nicely, and it’s time to talk about what’s new and what’s changed. This article is part of an occasional series on the process of refining and sharpening the setting to address its development since its first hardcover compilation. One of the …
B is for Beasts
When I was a wee lad growing up in a rather Germanic household,the Advent calendar was one of the joys of each year. A picture or a chocolate lay behind each of its 25 little cardboard cutouts, and—because you only opened one per day—the last window in the Advent calendar was always for Christmas. It …
Judge’s Commentary: Monarch of the Monsters 5—Low CR Design
One of the joys of a monster design contest for me is always seeing monsters at the low end of the CR spectrum. It is much easier to design a monster at a medium-to-high power level, because you have more options: the creature can have more powers, more magical fallbacks, and elements that only a …
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