Old-School Renaissance A movement is happening in the shadows of the big fantasy RPGs. It calls itself the old-school renaissance, or OSR for short. You might have seen its logo popping up around the web. Like most grassroots movements, there’s no specific date when this got started. It’s tough even to say whether what we’re […]
Howling Tower: Old-School Renaissance Read More »
We’ve hit the first stretch goal for the Midgard Bestiary for 4th Edition Kickstarter! Thanks go to everyone who has joined us. To celebrate, take a look at the zmey, which designer Brian Liberge tackles in our latest design diary. At the end of the alphabet comes the zmey. Originally found within the tales of
Designer Diaries: Midgard Bestiary, 4th Edition Style (Part 3) Read More »
Monsters of Sin epitomize the very worst of our natures—and they prey on others’ weaknesses. This second book in the Monsters of Sin series for the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game is devoted to Envy, the desire for what someone else has – whatever that someone has! It includes:
Monsters of Sin: Envy Now Available Read More »
I, Wolfgang Baur, eccentric game designer, receive letters from Kobold fans all over the globe. Kobold Quarterly and Open Design products are being played and enjoyed in North America, South America, Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia. This Fall I will release the Midgard Campaign Setting, a worldbook featuring seven fantastic regions of mystery and adventure. The other
The Kobold World Conquest Challenge Read More »
The kobolds are scurrying with their final preparations, and it’s going to be quite a big show this year, new hotel, lots of things to show, and LOTS of Midgard games run by some truly talented DMs. Here’s the details for the PaizoCon Kobold extravaganza. Friday RPG Freelancing 101 (Event #13530) 8 AM, Robert Hughes
PaizoCon 2012 Schedule Read More »
As ever, readers who are new to the diary, please read the earlier installments first. (Art by Chris McFann.) DAY FIFTY-FOUR (I think. Later than this morning, most likely in the . . . I’m going to go with mid-afternoon, now, probably? Also, I’m pretty sure the dates on this diary have gotten a little
Oh, I’m Going to Get Killed Any Minute Now (Part 22) Read More »
On Monday, we announced the Monsters of Sin PDF series. Today we explore sin with the lead designer on this project, Ryan Costello. Come take a look at what he has to say. So, the Monsters of Sin series is underway. What inspired you to visit monsters in this way? Are they part of your
Sinful Beasties: An Interview with Ryan Costello Read More »
This week, we have the first part of a two-part article from Jerry that explores Diablo’s traps, which might make a few GMs out there happy. Players should take heed, though: Sometimes your characters can take advantage of traps, too! Old Traps, New Ideas Traps are pretty common in a lot of D&D campaigns, especially
From Diablo 3 to D&D: Traps with a Twist (Part 1) Read More »
Faith must be tested! It is not enough to say the words and perform the proscribed rituals. Lip service is not faith. A true test of faith requires that the believer suffers, or so some trapsmiths and their clients believe. For this reason alone, trapsmiths have developed an extensive portfolio of faith-testing traps. Most of
Trapsmith: Test of Faith Read More »
The best roleplaying sessions I ever played were a GangBusters campaign run by the game’s designer, Mark Acres. This campaign was legendary around TSR. Everyone wanted in, so Mark routinely wound up handling twelve or more players at a time. Understand that GangBusters is a tabletop version of simple, straightforward cops and robbers set in
Howling Tower: Gangsters Have Much to Teach Us Read More »
We hit our funding goals for the Midgard Bestiary for 4th Edition! Thanks go to everyone who kicked in on this project. Now, since we have many days left in this project, let’s take a look at the Table of Contents (as they stand right now) so that those of you who haven’t yet backed
Designer Diaries: Midgard Bestiary, 4th Edition Style (Part 2) Read More »
“You kill those who stand between you and your goals. You strive to pull down the mighty, and usurp their power. You plunder ancient tombs and spend your coin on the pleasures of the flesh. Tell me, Pathfinder: will you be able to stand against the Monsters of Sin? Or have you already fallen to
Monsters of Sin for Pathfinder: Avarice Read More »
As ever, readers who are new to the diary, please read the earlier installments first. (Art by Chris McFann.) DAY FIFTY, late night, [panic mode activated] Aaaaaagh! Date on Friday AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH! DAY FIFTY (very early) With . . . with . . . Abliguritia Thundersmasher-Roth! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH! DAY FIFTY-ONE AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH! It is Tuesday now. Lots of
Oh, I’m Going to Get Killed Any Minute Now (Part 21) Read More »
Welcome to the third installment in Jerry’s Diablo 3 to D&D series of blog posts. You can read about skill runes and treasure pygmies (the first two parts) before starting with socketed items. How It Works Aside from whatever magical properties armor and weapons has, most items function in only a few different ways. That’s
From Diablo 3 to D&D: Socketed Items Read More »
Rolling boulders are a dungeon staple, and their only drawback is that they are a one-shot deal: once evaded they lose their effectiveness. Magic can be used to upgrade the basic design. To see a good example of magic augmenting a trap, take a look at the ball of tentacles trap is a good example.
Trapsmith: Crushing Iceball Trap Read More »
Cities and towns crop up frequently in most RPG campaigns, assuming you’re not spending all your time in a megadungeon. Given their importance in establishing a setting in general and in immediate game events, I’ve never been very happy with the way most RPGs deal with them. Published town descriptions all too often focus on
Howling Tower: Social Studies Read More »
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