Please consider the following content warnings before proceeding forward with the article. I will touch upon real-life trauma and tragedy as I explore “the line” in horror gaming. In this think piece, I’ll be exploring “the line.” What’s the line? You know the line. That line in horror...
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When do you game? Is it a weekly thing? Does the date and time change, or is it consistent, like some kind of gaming pact? Holiday Traffic The holidays have a way of disrupting a gaming group’s routine and testing the commitment of each of its members. For some of us, from Thanksgiving to...
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As a GM, do you really get to play like everyone else at the table? Do you get to enjoy the setting and the rules of a game in the same way? Do you experience the unexpected as deeply as you would from the perspective of a single character? Do you get to feel like you’re one of the party, standing...
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To create a game is to learn that the act of gaming is more important than your creation. The same can be said for preparing a game. Â Â Â The activity is bigger than the product or plan. The product is a tool of the activity, not the other way around. The same could be said about any creative...
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WHERE you play the game is important. I mean, it’s not as important as having good people, and a good game, but a well-thought-out game space can enhance the enjoyment of any event. Here are a few design principles that I’ve uncovered in the process of creating game spaces in my own home, and in surveying game spaces in other people’s conventions, stores, and homes.
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I’ve hit a rut recently where a few bad experiences have soured me on role playing games. I’m still in love with the various card/board/dice games that I play at random with friends. However, I’m starting to dread cracking open the dice bag, whipping out my character sheet, and...
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As a GM, you’ll often be forced to make snap decisions about an element of the game that might turn out to have lasting consequences — and it’s inevitable that some of those calls will be inconvenient or just plain wrong. Sometimes you make these decisions because your players...
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It’s been a while since our last forum roundup, and there’s one piece of news and two threads I’d like to share: • Not Dead Yet: We now have a forum for non-gaming discussion. I’ve held off on creating a forum like this for ages, but I think now is the right time....
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“I make a called shot to his nuts” is one of the most potentially troublesome things a player can declare during a session. Why? Because assuming the game you’re playing doesn’t support doing damage to specific areas (hit points, anyone?), it’s one of two things: a...
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In today’s link roundup, tips for new GMs, and maps, maps, maps: • Four Common Pitfalls for New GMs: Kit Reshawn’s excellent Roleplaying Tips article covers GMPC issues, spotlight time, clues and PC deaths — all great topics for folks who are just getting started on their...
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