Tabletop Gaming Finery
Before you break your skull open trying to figure out the stats for a quarter etter-cap drow or what stats would accurately portray a KATANA (the longest running headache in the D&D community other than encumbrance, I think), why don’t you take a minute to consider the ultimate power… the beating heart of all gaming … Continue reading TTRPG Advice: Start Reskinning EVeRyTHinG!
Due to some incredibly rainy piss-poor days and being a novice with a camera, I’ve been forced to push back my reviews. Oops. However, something keeps coming up in my chats and mentions, posts and public conversations: Realism. There are generally three sides to this argument, people who want to calculate the air-speed velocity that human tissue begins … Continue reading TTRPG Advice: Realism In Your Game
The point of the game isn’t to win or lose – but Game Masters can (and should) cheat. But there’s a delicate balance a game master must achieve to not be considered a total jerk. Lets take a look at the how and why.
Metagaming, lone-wolf characters who never get involved, min-max characters, broken spell combinations, pocket sand, tucker’s kobolds, player hand-offs: All of these annoying and ceaselessly discussed topics stem from a single point – a patient zero of all problematic TTRPG roleplay: when players are trying to “beat the game” you’re playing. Let’s talk about why this is … Continue reading TTRPG Advice: Stop Playing to “win the game”
The majority of questions I’ve seen in my Tabletop Gaming history surround a single aspect of the game: The backstory. How much should a player prepare? How much should a DM use? Is there too much? Too little? Can a DM change it? While the background generation is very important, I think we can tackle the vast … Continue reading TTRPG Advice: The Player Character Backstory
There is something special about d6s compared to other dice. From a throw at a Craps table, lifting the cup for Cho-han, or making a move in the popular Powered by the Apocalypse system, rolling 2d6s just… it just feels official. Today, let’s take a quick and concise look at my favorite d6s out on the market … Continue reading The Great D6 Roundup: Which D6s are worth your time?
I can’t even predict how controversial this topic is going to become, but we’re going to discuss it anyway. Your story crafting, world building, NPC generation – all of it pales in comparison to one key, critical, and immutable skill: Being a fan of your players’ characters.
Let us climb into the honesty igloo real fast… The entire hobby, all of it, is supposed to be fun. If you’re not having fun, you are – in fact – ‘doing it wrong.’ Likewise, if you’re running a game, I’m sorry to tell you this – it’s your job to ensure as many people at your table are … Continue reading TTRPG Advice: What Makes the Game Fun
We’ve all seen those thread-bare plots used in games and movies, tv shows and novels. But how to connect your “plot threads” into something strong enough to pull your story along is not so easy in a Tabletop Game where other people’s imaginations are involved in the creation of your story. Hopefully I can help … Continue reading TTRPG Advice: Connecting Your Plot
When you put in a video game, even a brutal one like Darkest Dungeon or Demon’s Souls, you are pitted against a faceless and brooding evil – mechanics. A team of developers spent years crafting that game to be beatable yet challenging, unforgiving but surmountable, hair-pullingly frustrating but rewarding in the end. A Tabletop RPG, … Continue reading TTRPG Advice: Persevering a T.P.K (Total Party Kill)
“Natural Progression of Threats” is a phrase I use a lot. Eventually, I’m sorry to say, the wheels will fall off of your game if you just keep throwing damage and hitpoint sacks at the players. Today, we’re going to look at how to challenge and threaten your PCs outside of bodily harm and injury!
“I run up to it and attack.” “I shoot it with my bow.” “Uhhh, I guess I run up and swing at it?” “I attack it.” “I’m going to create a ring of ice around it, that goes up 30 feet, and it’ll have to dive out of the way to keep from being trapped … Continue reading TTRPG Advice: How to Narrate Combat
All roleplay should be grounded in the world – the mundane should always be apparent and moving just under the surface of your game. But every once in a while your RPG of choice might slip into what I call the “UnGame.” The danger you face when the UnGame goes on too long – your … Continue reading TTRPG Advice: The “UnGame”
Today we’re looking at one of those single use props that are completely worth buying. As I’ve always said, each person determines their own level of investment and involvement in purchasing gaming products. If you’re happy rolling in the lid of a shoe box and writing the various card names on index cards – DO THAT. … Continue reading VyseriArt: Deck of Many Things
The truest struggle of the DM/GM/MC/Keeper is knowing how to please as many players at your table as possible at the same time. What makes such a seemingly small goal a herculean task? Your players have no idea what they actually want. It’s your job to show it to them.
The world is a huge place – but social media has made it easier than ever to connect with people and companies you’d otherwise never even know. One such connection I’ve made is with Level Up Dice, an Australian company specializing in higher-end luxury dice. Any of you that have spent much time looking for metal, … Continue reading Level Up Dice: Gemstone Collector’s Set
There is a very thin line between pissing off everyone at the table and an interesting, dynamic, and rewarding secret. Most, if not all, legitimate secrets are kept for one of two reasons: To keep the peace, keep things moving, not burden the group. Gain an advantage by others’ ignorance of the information. How can … Continue reading TTRPG Advice: Keeping Secrets
Have you ever been in a game and things start to slow way down to the point players are losing focus and teetering out of the immersion you’ve built together? Chances are, the stakes have been lowered too far for your gaming experience. In this article, I’m going to show you an easy and time-tested … Continue reading TTRPG Advice: Make it Worse to Make it Better
You have all been wonderful. The amount of support I’ve gotten on both Twitter and this blog have been shocking. So to give back, I’ve decided to do a series of giveaways while I am at 1,000 followers! The first in the line-up is my Steampunk Dice Package consisting of: 1 Eldritch Arts “Gears” Dice Box 1 Easy Roller … Continue reading 1,000 Follower Giveaway Pt. 1: Steampunk Dice Package
Another week of sad postponement for a product review. I’ve got amazing stuff coming up, but due to weather and personal strife – it’s had to take a back seat. Instead, I’m going to talk to you about a very important aspect of Tabletop Gaming that I’ve finally felt adept at: Improvisational Roleplay. What it … Continue reading TTRPG Advice: Improvising