The trap is a D&D icon. Classic dungeons such as Tomb of Horrors and The Hidden Shrine of Tamoachan are famous for their mechanical ambushes. Traps are so central to the concept of dungeons that an entire class—the thief—was developed to deal with them (along with locked doors). In real life, of course, archaeologists have […]
Howling Tower: Placing Traps to Serve a Larger Purpose Read More »
“Dark Roads & Golden Hells is one hell of an achievement… or perhaps eleven of them. Every chapter offers a world of ideas, every paragraph a vision. Open this to any page, and see if it doesn’t draw you in. Open Design has created a dazzlingly worthy successor to the Planescape legacy.” – Colin McComb,
Dark Roads & Golden Hells Now Available Read More »
In the last post, we covered how the Threat Level system works to provide Dragon Age and AGE system game masters with a base score for deciding if a group of adversaries would make an appropriate challenge for their player characters. This post expands on those rules by providing the Threat Level system for the
AGE of Combat: Building Combat Encounters in the AGE System (Part 2 of 2) Read More »
As ever, readers who are new to the diary, please read the earlier installments first. (Art by Chris McFann.) DAY FIFTY-FIVE (later) Well. Planning—and subsequently executing—a company picnic is significantly harder than I initially expected. Here’s my whole freaking Saturday basically wasted, and I’m no closer to having that punch made than I was this
Oh, I’m Going to Get Killed Any Minute Now (Part 24) Read More »
Combat encounters are a staple of most tabletop roleplaying games, and that is certainly the case in the Dragon Age RPG from Green Ronin. Combat in Dragon Age is fun, fast, and cinematic, with both heroes and villains using the game’s unique stunt system to perform daring feats of skill to quickly turn the tide
AGE of Combat: Building Combat Encounters in the AGE System (Part 1 of 2) Read More »
The kobolds descended upon PaizoCon 2012 and made it their temporary home away from home for a few days. In the gallery we’re presenting, you can see a few of the kobolds hard at work, plus some fun mittens, and the all-important booth! Wolfgang and Adam ran games, various kobolds manned the booth, and a
PaizoCon 2012 Gallery Read More »
Back in the fall of 2009, Chris Dinkins and I interviewed a host of game designers and novelists who were also experienced game masters. We sent around too many questions to too many GMs and received far too much material for one article to hold. As a result, a lot of great material got scrapped.
The Lost GM Scrolls: Will Hindmarch on Clearly Stated Goals Read More »
Kobold-in-Chief Wolfgang Baur joined fellow TSR veterans Jeff Grubb, Pierce Watters, Rob Lazzaretti, Dave Gross and Stan! at PaizoCon last weekend. Over the course of an hour they shared fond memories and embarrassing mishaps. Check it out! Thanks to Gamerati for the video.
Video: Secrets of TSR at PaizoCon 2012 Read More »
Demons and devils occupy an odd position in the pantheons of most fantasy RPGs. For the most part, those terms are just two more names in a long list of monster classifications, not much different from fairies or talking animals. They’ve been stripped of their terrifying spiritual implications. That’s a shame, because their unholy aspects
Howling Tower: Plight of the Demon Read More »
As of this writing, the Kickstarter for the 4th Edition Midgard Bestiary has met its $6,500 stretch goal and exceeded it. So if you haven’t already kicked in on the project, check it out. You can also see a sample of the Zmey over on Part 3 of the Designer Diaries for this book! One
Designer Diaries: Midgard Bestiary, 4th Edition Style (Part 4) Read More »
As ever, readers who are new to the diary, please read the earlier installments first. (Art by Chris McFann.) DAY FIFTY-FOUR (date in t-minus 7 minutes) I owe my friends. BIG TIME. Quite literally, actually. I very specifically had to sign actual paperwork documenting that I, in fact, owe my friends and that, very specifically,
Oh, I’m Going to Get Killed Any Minute Now (Part 23) Read More »
Take a look at the second part of a two-part article from Jerry that explores Diablo’s traps. This time Jerry tackles events that can work as larger traps. Traps as Events Does a trap have to be a single-fire, whizz-bang affair? Certainly not. Diablo 3 does a pretty good job of emphasizing constant peril and
From Diablo 3 to D&D: Traps with a Twist (Part 2) Read More »
Master Pett’s Your Whispering Homunculus presents only the finest in British gaming. Indeed, you are not likely to find a more comprehensive assortment of miscellany anywhere. (So much more than just another bloke in a dress.) “Just imagine it!” “Master?” “If we could talk to the animals!” “You can, master. Buy a scroll in the mystic
Your Whispering Homunculus: One Hundred Matters of Great Importance to Animals Read More »
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 »
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