Death is Meaningless, and that’s okay

One of the things that I've seen several times recently is the idea that before a player's character dies in a game that there should be some meaningful reason behind their deaths. We, the DMs, shouldn't allow the dice to arbitrarily kill a character because of a few bad die rolls. I'm baffled by the…

LRCGB: In Defense of Greyhawk They Stand, Sort of

The defense of the City of Greyhawk is a bit of a question mark. So the first defense is the New City Wall[1]. This has been tested by a few bandits and "bands of ruffians"[2] but has never encountered any serious efforts to overcome it. This is coupled by the Old City Wall which serves…

Are Magic and Technology Compatible?

Often it seems as though we, the role-playing enthusiast community, tend to think of Science and Magic as two wholly separate things at desperate ends of “what is: and “what could be.” We limit what can happen in our fantasy games by stating that Magic cannot exist where Science thrives; and in so doing, we…

Money and Power, Part 2: Guilds and Unions

One of the things that I think many of us struggle with is whether to use "guilds" or "unions" in our games. So as we're dealing with the financial juggernaut that is the City of Greyhawk we need to take a minute to talk about the difference between the two and to explain when one…

Let’s Read the City of Greyhawk Boxed Set: When You Talk About Money, You’re Talking About Power

The text states: The exact amount of financial dealings going on in Greyhawk is impossible to calculate, for it passes through many hands, leaving its mark in countless ways. Suffice to say that no place on the Flanaess sees as much value pass through its gates during the course of a year . . ."Niles,…

Series Page Updated

Last night I took a little bit of time and updated the series page so that it would be easier to read the blog and explore the topics I've been discussing. If there's a series that I have done, but for some reason have missed added to the series page please let me know and…

Dungeons and Dragons isn’t a Combat Game

From the AD&D 2e Dungeon Master's Guide: Since this isn't a combat game, the rules are not ultra-detailed, defining the exact effect of every blow, the subtle differences between obscure weapons, the location of every piece of armor on the body, or the horrifying results of an actual sword fight. Too many rules slow down…

Work, work, workety, work

I'm still here, and still writing but work has been super draining. I've been pulling 11 hour days for the last month. Good paychecks, but damned if they don't drain you getting them

Slight Delay

Just a quick note. Due to some personal issues I won't be posting again until the 1st. Sorry for the delay

How I Pick a Pre-Made Advenute

I find the cover I like best and then go with it. I know it's superficial, vapid, and a terrible idea but if the cover grips my imagination then I can't wait to start reading the adventure. So far I've had lots of fun that way. How about you?

A look at the Goblins of 1982

I've often thought of goblins as these sorts of cowardly beasts abused by more powerful humanoids, but recently I came across an article by Roger E. Moore, ". . . but no least: The humanoids Goals and gods of the kobolds, goblins, hobgoblins, & gnolls," that has begun to change my mind on the subject.…

The Light Worm of Dragon 61

In DRAGON magazine #61 there appeared a curious creature called the "Light Worm" that has occupied my imagination over the last few days. It was described as follows: The light worm looks very much like a giant snake, but there are several distinguishing features. The worm's coloring is black on the underside and alternating bands…

Using Bennies in Dungeons and Dragons

One of my low key favorite systems is the incredible Savage Worlds. It's consistently my go to when I'm looking to be inspired and to shake up my every day perception of how gaming should be done. Among the many great ideas from this system is the "Bennie." Savage Worlds explains the rule as follows:…

In Vatun We Trust

We’ve Lost Our Way When it Comes to Maps

Have you picked up a mainstream RPG book lately? Did you look at the map inside? It's utterly depressing. Map by Mike Schley from Curse of Strahd[1] All of the maps that we use now look the same. Our iconography is the same. Our roads meander meaninglessly along, in windy paths that go nowhere to…