Author Archives: Brent
“Okay, How Do You Do That?”
Players often get caught up in the game mechanics of what their character is doing and don’t think through the fiction of what they’re doing. A classic example is a rogue who says he “stealths” across a bare field in full sight of an enemy. The GM can check this with a simple question: “Okay, how do … Continue reading
The Treasure Table: This is What You Get?!?
About five months ago I signed up for The Treasure Table, a monthly subscription box aimed specifically at Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition DMs. The first box was supposed to arrive in February. No box. I received an email from the guy behind this, explaining that he was having problems with his shipping company. Apparently he’d never used … Continue reading
Monster Monday: Hunting Drake of Tarakona
The savage continent of Tarakona, where draconic races battle for supremacy! The studious Komodos explore the ancient ruins that cover Tarakona in groups of 5 to 10, typically made up of rangers, investigators, and tamed hunting drakes, who then report back to a team of researchers in a Komodo stone city. Drakes make for vicious … Continue reading
Faction Friday: The Desert Goblins
The Desert Goblins can be used either as a friendly faction that sends the PCs out on a mission, or as a foe that the PCs must overcome. This band of goblins was defeated by a dwarf adventurer, Balrin Darkhollow who decided to lead the group instead of destroy them. As a friendly faction, a party of unsuccessful dwarf adventurers … Continue reading
Game Design Hour: How Polished Should My Play Test Materials Be?
So you’re writing a tabletop RPG, and you’re going to run a playtest with a couple of friends. What do your playtest materials need to look like? I’ve already covered the three phases of prototyping, so let’s look at those recommendations and dig deeper. At this point, I replace the low-quality materials with something better, but … Continue reading
Game Design Hour: How to Schedule a Play Test
Let me introduce you to Sonja. Sonja wrote a cool little tabletop RPG. She wants to playtest it, running it with a few people to get a feel for the game, but her attempts to scheduled a game have so far met with failure. She came up with a two-pronged, systematic approach. First, she identified … Continue reading
Monster Monday: Komodo Ranger of Tarakona
The savage continent of Tarakona, where draconic races battle for supremacy! The studious Komodos explore the ancient ruins that cover Tarakona in groups of 5 to 10, typically made up of rangers, investigators, and tamed hunting drakes, who then report back to a team of researchers in a Komodo stone city. The rangers scout ahead … Continue reading
Faction Friday: Raising a Dragon
Tobias Sinthalel can be used either as a friendly faction that sends the PCs out on a mission, or as a foe that the PCs must overcome. This wealthy noble has managed to procure and hatch a dragon in secret, which needs copious amounts of food, and needs a certain proportion of humanoids in its diet. … Continue reading
Game Design Hour: How to Find Play Testers
This is part of a series of blog posts where I confront issues relating to tabletop RPG game design. First off, you may be asking: Do I need play testers? Can’t I play my game with a few friends, then just post it online? Of course, yes, you can just publish it. And if you’ve got a … Continue reading