Start with a disdain for complex role playing systems. Add a ton of pop culture references, an understanding of Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey, a simple one die system that is flexible enough to handle every circumstance, tons of humor, candy, bisexual cheerleaders, and the belief that player characters should be ‘naked and on fire’ and you get Hex Games Quick Ass Game System (QAGS).
OK. First off, I would like to apologize for my ramblings on last post. I must have been on some good drugs that night…. But this isn’t the first time this has happened! I’ve been reading too far into the rules for years, trying to find some insight into the game that, in all probability, [...]
Just got back from a fabulous gaming vacation. Read on for some quick hit reviews of some cool new boardgames…
You read Rich Burlew’s Order of the Stick, don’t you? Of course you do – you must. While I myself read only a small handful of web comics, I recommend OOTS without hesitation and really look forward to each new strip. The biggest reason why I know that OOTS is so great is that while it’s up [...]
I’ll be taking a break from all the heavy RPG theory I’ve been doing and share with you what’s been consuming all my free time of late. Flash Strategy Games.
In this week’s article, KarasDjun realizes that he doesn’t know as much as he thinks he does. Focus, if you will, on the paladin ability and spell known as Detect Evil!
We’ve been talking quite a bit lately here at d21 about ways to enhance a story-driven RPG experience. Here, then, some practical examples of how to handle combat in a story-based system.
Never one to be tied to the moment, this week I want to talk about Grindhouse, and what it might mean to DMs and players in RPG campaigns. Grindhouse came out a little over two months ago – April, 2007 – and I saw it the following weekend. It’s a “double-feature-in-one”: two movies, one from [...]
If you can not tell by now, I am completely facinated with Spirit of the Century. (Not to mention Don’t Rest Your Head, Godsend Agenda, M-Force, or Shadows of Yesterday.)
I browse the Wizards of the Coast site every now and then for a giggle. I saw the Elite Opponents article on June 8th and my “Munchkin Sense” started tingling. How can they continue to print this stuff and call themselves professional gamers?!? It’s so shameful….
The Bonus Creature: Thirty-Headed Tarrasque This creature speaks for itself. [...]
In which MetalJim puts off his pilgrimage for another year…
You know how when you play Sudoku, and you get to that point where you know you’ve turned the corner, you’ve broken the puzzle wide open, and all that’s really left to do is fill in those last twenty squares? And it takes another ten minutes and it’s kind of tedious work, a grind to be [...]
In this new era of collaborative storytelling GMs rely on players to help build the story and carry the narrative. This requires the players be more informed than they may be used to…
OK. So I missed a week. I’ve been busy (mainly doing things I shouldn’t have and staying up WAYYYY too late doing them). This week I bring you something I’ve been working on - call it a pet project and a labor of love. It’s the Basic D&D conversion of the Temple of Elemental Evil, [...]
In which MetalJim gets out of the house and gets into shape…
Our gaming group got some time to get together this past weekend and used it to play board games. That’s only noteworthy because the weekend “slot” is our traditional time to do D&D, and board gaming is often left to weeknights, where one or two games of something can be more easily squeezed in and [...]
D&D started with minimal storytelling elements. White Wolf brought story to the fore. The new games offered by independent publishers have taken storytelling to the next level.