Author Archives: Brent
Faction Friday: The Silver Shields
Goods and messages need to be delivered reliably. That’s what the Silver Shields do. The Silver Shields is a massive confederation of caravans that crisscross the continent, working every major and some minor trade routes. Some kids grow up thinking that goods only get delivered by the Silver Shields, they’re that ubiquitous. Each wagon or … Continue reading
Faction Friday: The Caves of the Undead
Note: This faction is intended more as an element of one adventure than a long-term ongoing faction. Kids in the nearby village of Willowbrook often dare each other to enter the Caves of the Dead. The passages seem to twist and turn forever in a confusing maze. Here’s a good map. The Caves of the … Continue reading
Faction Friday: The Springflower Goblins
Every year, the Springflower Caravan arrives at towns and villages in this part of the country. It’s staffed entirely by goblins who sell only minor magic artifacts. As might be expected, people are suspicious of the goblins and the provenance of the caravan’s goods, but on the other hand, you can’t find artifacts like these … Continue reading
Faction Friday: The Dragon’s Charming Tavern
The PCs are approached by a dwarven woman named Baera, who asks them to investigate the Weeping Willow Tavern. It opened only a few months ago and is always full of people for no obvious reason. Baera runs a tavern on the same street and finds this suspicious. The proprietor of the Weeping Willow Tavern, … Continue reading
Faction Friday: The Emperor’s Wolves
This is an era of bandits and monsters. The roads are unsafe, villages burn, and the emperor holds lavish parties while ignoring the suffering of the people. This hash reality planted the seeds of revolt. Rebels gather among the teeming masses in the Capital, plotting the overthrow of the emperor. This will not be easy, … Continue reading
Faction Friday: The Cult of the Crystallized Dragon
When the city’s sewers were last expanded, the workers accidentally broke into a vault and discovered a life-sized young dragon made of crystal sitting, ominously motionless, in the center of the vault. The workers immediately plugged the hole and told nobody of what they found (none of the workers wanted to deal with all the … Continue reading
Faction Friday: The Spies of Nightbird Tavern
Any city has its share of secrets. Those secrets are valuable, so there are organizations who find those secrets and sell them. What better place to both learn secrets and sell them than a tavern? The Nightbird Tavern is a watering hole that locals have been coming to for generations. Its staff have been serving … Continue reading
A failed die roll should bring negative consequences
Systems and bloggers encourage GMs and players to beware frivolous die rolls. We are warned to avoid die rolls when the outcome would be obvious, or when one outcome would be uninteresting. Okay, so when are die rolls actually interesting? Simple failure is usually uninteresting (in RPGs, at least). Players want to jump across a … Continue reading
How to Write a Murder Mystery for a Tabletop RPG
First, who is your victim? I’d include name, physical description, and social status at least. How did your victim die? Sword through the heart? Decapitated? Drowned? Poisoned? Where did your victim die? In a dungeon? In a study? In someone’s bedroom? In the garden? In a hotel room? In the wilderness? When did your victim die? … Continue reading