On some notes for a working draft of a weather system

I recently had an interesting conversation on Twitter. https://twitter.com/SimonTVesper/status/1261323764727513088 It started as a short rant about Chris Perkins (which I won't comment on any further; if the reader is interested, the thread is there) and went in a more constructive direction: toward identifying one of the main problems with the current state of D&D. Indeed,...

On Ysgard

I've put off writing this piece for as long as possible for a few reasons. Ysgard is probably the most clearly visualized plane. It draws its inspiration from Norse mythology and a significant portion of the imagery found in the Planescape texts mirror that cultural milestone. Consequently, there is very little to add when it...

On a working draft of a wilderness exploration system

As with our examination of urban exploration, we must accept that this is a work in progress. The notes listed here are thoughts that have been scrambling themselves inside my brain and I feel it necessary to get them onto the page, where I can sort them out like puzzle pieces. I do not expect...

On a brief interlude

Fret not, dear reader, we will continue on our journey through the Characteristics of Games. Granted, as we go forward, it becomes a bit more difficult to apply the concepts to role-playing games, mostly because RPGs are far more complex and have far more potential than other games. For the moment, however, let's take a...

On some notes for exploring the wildnerness

"The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is an action-adventure game developed and published by Nintendo, released for the Nintendo Switch and Wii U consoles on March 3, 2017. Breath of the Wild is set at the end of the Zelda timeline; the player controls Link, who awakens from a hundred-year slumber to defeat...

On a SMART reward system

Yesterday, I took a look at how to address a natural weather event during the game. The framing was specific to a given situation but the end result was a set of criteria that I think will prove useful for detailing weather events. I expect I can do something similar with other types of encounters,...

The Philosophy of Magic: Names

https://twitter.com/JackHou92094055/status/1231577378838564865 My first exposure to the idea of True Names, in terms of role-playing rules, was the Tome of Magic for 3rd Edition. I'd been familiar with the concept for some time before that, of course. Naming, as form of magic or power, shows up in a lot of fantasy literature; but it goes further...

On good feelings

Monday was a good day. Like, a really good day. I woke up feeling refreshed, got out early to walk the dog and had a relaxing morning. Work started with the usual cleanup tasks, to make sure accurate information was flowing to the assembly line, followed by a series of meetings that brought out more...

On curses

Roughly 15-20 years ago, in that period between graduating high school and going to college, I met this woman through work who told me a very convincing story about how she was cursed with bad luck. I can't really recall the details, except to say that she had suffered a few mishaps and injuries; but...

On love

warning: As with this post, today, I'm talking about a potentially sensitive subject. If this is problematic for the reader, I suggest you proceed with caution. The usual drama is unfolding on Twitter . . . https://twitter.com/LammaticHama/status/1224756441048731651 https://twitter.com/bpbgames/status/1224771452420993029 https://twitter.com/DyingStylishly/status/1224632103146590208 https://twitter.com/ohadelaide/status/1224749865877544961 The offending material, from what I can tell, has been pulled from Wizard's of the...