Ways to think about characterization as you cultivate a storytelling mindset for your RPGs. Part 2 of ?
Characters In Transformation
Tag: Montsegur 1244
A Decade of Indie Roleplaying: 2014
Off to the races again in my ongoing review of my most impactful small-press games of the twenty-teens. The year 2014 was the Year of the Trindie for me. That is, trad games (conventional GM/player authority split, capability-driven play) with heavy indie influence (classes focused on characterization as much as capability, new ways to handle… Continue reading A Decade of Indie Roleplaying: 2014
Band of Blades and Recompiling Code
My current favorite metaphor for learning game rules: it’s compiling code in my brain. We started a Band of Blades campaign this week, right? It’s a Forged in the Dark game, so it’s based on the same set of ideas as Blades in the Dark and Scum and Villainy. Since it’s my third FitD game… Continue reading Band of Blades and Recompiling Code
Pattern Completion and Intermittent Rewards
The greatest gaming lab ever created is the Las Vegas casino industry. That lab's most significant finding is that humans crave two things in games: pattern completion and intermittent rewards. I've been thinking lately about how my favorite games leverage both of those monkey-level impulses. In particular, I've been thinking about how the very best… Continue reading Pattern Completion and Intermittent Rewards
Gen7 is Methadone for Storynerds
We were missing our fourth intrepid adventurer for last night's Forbidden Lands game, so I busted out Plaid Hat's Gen7. It's the next board game in their Crossroads series, the first being their two Dead of Winter games. While we were playing, I could not help but notice how much playing Gen7 feels like playing… Continue reading Gen7 is Methadone for Storynerds