The first time I went to Gen Con was in 1987 when Mark Rein•Hagen and I had just launched our new game-publishing company, Lion Rampant. Our plan had been to sell copies of our new RPG, but the game was behind schedule, and the only thing we had to sell were $3 packs of “Whimsy […]
My First Gen Con: Jonathan Tweet Read More »
My first Gen Con was particularly exciting because I “had” to go. Fresh out of college, I’d been an intern at the offices of Iron Crown Enterprises in the summer of 1990. In early August I was offered a full-time position as an editor starting in October, but my manager, Coleman Charlton, said that I
My First Gen Con: Monte Cook Read More »
This week sees the release of Sunken Empires, and already bursting at the seams, there was simply too much material for its pages alone. It was packed to the GILLS! Ha! Ahem, anyway… this week, to celebrate, Kobold Quarterly presents new gaming bits, complementing what’s already packed within Sunken Empires and all from the same
Behind the Curtain: Maps with Jonathan Roberts Read More »
When we launched the Kobold Quarterly Adopt-a-Soldier Holiday Contest, we heard some perspectives on gaming in the army from Ed Healy and in the navy from Rich Baker. SrA Ian McGonigal, one of our two contest winners (along with civilian Jospeh Kramer), recently gave us some insight into gaming among those who slip the surly
Adopt-a-Soldier Contest Winner: Senior Airman Ian McGonigal, USAF Read More »
Thanks to everyone who entered the Adopt-a-Soldier Holiday Contest and to the many others who helped spread the word. Your efforts doubled the number of Adopt-a-Soldier sponsorships in less than a month—so if you’re in the military, there’s a Kobold Quarterly gift subscription waiting for you right now. Head over to the product page and
Adopt-a-Soldier Update: Q&A With Matt James Read More »
Kobold Quarterly’s Adopt-a-Soldier program is open to all branches of the military: sailors, marines, airmen, and guardians are all eligible to receive free gift subscriptions from sponsors. Sailors have relied on games to relieve the monotony of long voyages ever since oars first touched water. To get the scuttlebutt on gaming in the navy, we
Adopt-a-Sailor: Q&A With WoTC’s Richard Baker Read More »
Novelist and game designer Jeff LaSala is perhaps best known for his Dungeon Crawl Classics: The Transmuter’s Last Touch and his Eberron novel, The Darkwood Mask. Both of these, it is important to note, involve kobolds. Lots and lots of kobolds. In fact, it is safe to say that Jeff LaSala is a bona fide
Unconventional Dreaming:
A Conversation with Jeff LaSala Read More »
Kevin Ross is back. Miskatonic River Press is back. With a Call of Cthulhu license from Chaosium, Cthulhu is once again dreaming, and all across the world, investigators are being scared witless. A veteran horror RPG writer, Ross has contributed to over 30 products, for companies such as Chaosium, Pagan Publishing, and Miskatonic River Press.
How Would You Stop the Seasons? A Conversation with Kevin A. Ross Read More »
A quick interview on how to write better adventures and then how to run them most effectively, with Brandon Hodge and yours truly over at Roleplayingtips.com. We blather a bit about how to plan an adventure, how to spice up an encounter, the most useful design tools, and related topics.
Interview with Brandon Hodge Read More »
The great minds at Critical Hits have interviewed Joshua Stevens, the KQ regular and Open Design leader of The Red Eye of Azathoth project. It’s a quick interview that covers Josh’s inspiration (hint: a bar napkin may have been involved), why Open Design projects have been so successful, and likely patron contributions to the project.
Interview with Joshua Stevens Read More »
Maps do much more than tell us where we are or how to get where we’re going. Maps tell us about the world they depict and the cartographer who created them. As RPG cartographer Jonathan Roberts says, “A good map should be functional. The primary purpose of any map is to be clear and precise.
The More Fantastical It Can Be:
Map Talk with Jonathan Roberts Read More »
Game designer Hank Woon, Jr. got his start with Demonblade, a 15,000-word adventure that appeared in Dungeon 97. The best part of Demonblade for Woon was that he got to include a new prestige class, the Keshen Blademaster, who hail from the land of Kesh and are fierce enough when encountered alone. And profoundly deadly
That Sense of Awe, Wonder, and Mystery:
a Conversation with Hank Woon, Jr. Read More »
Ralf Schemmann is a designer for ProFantasy Software Limited. Currently, he works on “styles” for Campaign Cartographer. He is also a web designer and freelance cartographer with a love for classical fantasy campaign maps. “The guidelines I use are generally very loose, since maps vary so wildly,” said Schemmann. “The most important one is probably
In Praise of External Limitations:
Map Talk with Ralf Schemmann Read More »
Steven D. Russell has written for E. N. Publishing, Bastion Press and Expeditious Press, among others. He’s worked on Monsters Evolved, Verrik Evolved and The Rituals of Choice Adventure Path. These days he focuses on being the Lord Protector of Rite Publishing. Like many designers, Russell is first and foremost a player of games. “I
Steven D. Russell: A Player of Games Read More »
Greg Stolze has worked on games for White Wolf, Atlas Games and Arc Dream Publishing, among others. He’s a game designer with a love of streamlined rules and good storytelling. Stolze, in the words of James Lowder, editor of the Origins award-winning Hobby Games: The 100 Best, has been “a key player in several of
Tea Leaves! Rat People! Odin!
A Conversation with Greg Stolze Read More »
Harley Stroh mostly writes adventures—good old, down and dirty dungeon crawls reminiscent of the AD&D modules of yesteryear. His scenarios feature vengeful rat kings, bat-riding goblins, and twisted, giggling evil gnomes who worship the eldritch crystal that deformed them. In a Stroh adventure, there are plenty of new monsters, exotic magic items, and more than
Interview: Harley Stroh Read More »
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