Starting last year and continuing into this one, there have been stories about a “dungeon master shortage” in the TTRPG hobby, specifically meaning D&D Fifth Edition.
One of the most influential writings I’ve read with regards to game design is Chris McDowall’s Information, Choice, Impact. The article is worth a read, I’d summarize it as: Games are about making meaningful choices. Meaningful choices can only be made with sufficient information.
Monsters should be more than just a threat in the dungeon to your player characters’ physical health and wellbeing. Here is how to make a monster a threat to their reputation in town.
I absolutely love Bugbears. They're tough, sly, furry, and have a lot of personality. So it was imperative that I create a playable race for the Bugbear
In Demesnes & Domination, I included a fighter variant called the Swashbuckler which I originally designed and released as a basic fantasy class years ago
I have been thinking a lot about demons and how I want to use them in my various old-school games, which at the moment are OSE-B/X and NIGHT SHIFT. So naturally, I was going to get to one of my biggest big bads, Leviathan, since he has a history in my D&D games and my modern supernatural horror games.
Late & messy today due to working off mobile on holidays. More links can be found on the previous list found here. The original inspiration for all of this is weaver.skepti.ch End of Week links. You can find more links on weekly blogroll on r/OSR or the RPG Blog Carnival or a roundup of non-blog news on Third Kingdom Games...
Dolmenwood is a fantasy adventure game inspired by Basic/Expert D&D and Old-School Essentials set in a world of fairy tales and eerie folklore drawn from the British Isles. Dolmenwood blends the gloomy and whimsical, the wondrous and weird and a free preview is available.
A key memorandum drafted by Chesebro -- which might otherwise appear relatively innocuous even in how it is discussed in the indictment -- laid the foundation for the scheme grounded, in part, on misrepresenting my work.
What GMs Want (cannibalhalflinggaming.com)
Starting last year and continuing into this one, there have been stories about a “dungeon master shortage” in the TTRPG hobby, specifically meaning D&D Fifth Edition.
RPG News Digest for August 18, 2023 (www.enworld.org)
Critical Role setting book on D&D Beyond, Jeremy Crawford confirms return to previously published 5e D&D settings, new RuneQuest release, and more!
The Glatisant: August RPG Sales (questingbeast.substack.com)
OSR, Traveller, Call of Cthulhu and more
[Nahual] Great RPG Covers (openhearthrpg.substack.com)
#RPGCovers Week Fourteen
[OSR] Hundredhands...! (jerryboucher.blogspot.com)
After taking a much needed holiday, my next monster is the......
[SotWW] A Q&A with Rob Schwalb about Shadow of the Weird Wizard Roleplaying Game (schwalbentertainment.com)
Why should you check out Weird Wizard? Is it different from Shadow of the Demon Lord? What does the future hold for the game beyond the Kickstarter?
[AD&D] Polyhedron: Issue #5 (grognardia.blogspot.com)
Issue #5 of Polyhedron (April 1982)
[OSR] Wealth and the Disintegration of Choice (rancourt.substack.com)
One of the most influential writings I’ve read with regards to game design is Chris McDowall’s Information, Choice, Impact. The article is worth a read, I’d summarize it as: Games are about making meaningful choices. Meaningful choices can only be made with sufficient information.
[OSR] Social Monsters — Prismatic Wasteland (www.prismaticwasteland.com)
Monsters should be more than just a threat in the dungeon to your player characters’ physical health and wellbeing. Here is how to make a monster a threat to their reputation in town.
[White Box FMAG] Bugbear Playable Race (graydeathdungeons.blogspot.com)
I absolutely love Bugbears. They're tough, sly, furry, and have a lot of personality. So it was imperative that I create a playable race for the Bugbear
[BX] Design Notes: The Swashbuckler (arcanesword.blogspot.com)
In Demesnes & Domination, I included a fighter variant called the Swashbuckler which I originally designed and released as a basic fantasy class years ago
[OSR] Ringing the Bell, A Simple Reputation System (www.mindstormpress.com)
A simple system for tracking the deeds of an adventuring group and if they're recognized by the people of the world.
[OSR] Monstrous Monday: Leviathan, updated (theotherside.timsbrannan.com)
I have been thinking a lot about demons and how I want to use them in my various old-school games, which at the moment are OSE-B/X and NIGHT SHIFT. So naturally, I was going to get to one of my biggest big bads, Leviathan, since he has a history in my D&D games and my modern supernatural horror games.
[OD&D] Triangle Alignment - Argent Interregnum (www.argentinterregnum.com)
I have one of the planet’s most specific pet peeves: Displays of information which rely on two independent axes bother me greatly.
[OSR] Shiny TTRPG links #133 (seedofworlds.blogspot.com)
Late & messy today due to working off mobile on holidays. More links can be found on the previous list found here. The original inspiration for all of this is weaver.skepti.ch End of Week links. You can find more links on weekly blogroll on r/OSR or the RPG Blog Carnival or a roundup of non-blog news on Third Kingdom Games...
[D&D 5e] Review: Home - A Light In The Darkness (seedofworlds.blogspot.com)
tl:dr; a neat, curated set of modular hex-crawl rules for a more faction-oriented game with a focus on securing resources....
[AD&D] Fixing AD&D initiative/segments (methodsetmadness.blogspot.com)
In my most recent foray into the AD&D DMG , I found myself a bit frustrated with the combat mechanics.
A Fantasy Sandbox in Detail Part XXIV, the Last Post (batintheattic.blogspot.com)
Part XXIII Index Page This is the twenty-fourth and last post in a series detailing the 34 steps I recommended for making a Fantasy Sandbox
Pointcrawling Character Creation (riseupcomus.blogspot.com)
The blog that brought you hexflower character creation now brings you....POINTCRAWLING CHARACTER CREATION.
Dolmenwood: An Interview with Gavin Norman (www.enworld.org)
Dolmenwood is a fantasy adventure game inspired by Basic/Expert D&D and Old-School Essentials set in a world of fairy tales and eerie folklore drawn from the British Isles. Dolmenwood blends the gloomy and whimsical, the wondrous and weird and a free preview is available.
Travel to the Moon (dumpstatadventures.com)
We can start exploring the many fantastical moons that our adventurers can visit.
[News] He was a top church official who criticized Trump. He says Christianity is in crisis (www.npr.org)
Russell Moore criticized Donald Trump and the Southern Baptist Convention's response to a sexual abuse crisis. Then he found himself on the outside.
[Analysis] Kenneth Chesebro’s Misrepresentation of My Scholarship in His Efforts to Overturn the 2020 Presidential Election (www.justsecurity.org)
A key memorandum drafted by Chesebro -- which might otherwise appear relatively innocuous even in how it is discussed in the indictment -- laid the foundation for the scheme grounded, in part, on misrepresenting my work.
Experiences Running a Shadowdark RPG 0-Level Gauntlet | The Lazy RPG Podcas (slyflourish.podbean.com)
Mike shares his thoughts after running a Shadowdark RPG 0-Level Gauntlet – Hoard of the Sea Wolf King
Games Without Frontiers: Running A Long-Distance FRP Campaign (settingfirst.com)
Before the Internet gave us the pleasure and torture of instant connectivity, I ran many an adventure with the help of the US Postal Service.