Blog
18/04/2016 23:09
Character sheet is your friend
When was the last time you actually looked at your character sheet?Do you know what is there?And will someone else see your character by looking at the character sheet?Character sheet is a very underestimated tool.What is importantThink for a moment about your character. What do you see in your...
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04/01/2016 00:08
Example of session generation
The purpose of this post is to show you how we can create a role-playing session using a combination of random generation with the most recent tools at our disposal (resources, archetypes, motives) combined with older tools (Phases, Dark Future, Player-Driven Mission Agenda) and ultimately the...
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01/01/2016 21:20
Character creation – a different approach
The most common advice when creating a character, is to think of a character history. That is, for example, was there something in the childhood of your character that has greatly influenced it? Or maybe your character has a Goal? Or maybe a Motivation? How was your character raised? Did he or she...
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15/09/2015 22:38
From threats to archetypes
There exists a very interesting RPG game called "Apocalypse World", by Vincent Baker. Some people may like it, some may not, but this game is very innovative and has a lot of very useful concepts.
One of those concepts I would like to show you (and shift into something else, eventually) is the...
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13/09/2015 10:52
Don't do stupid evil
You might remember that scene from the book. You might remember it from the movie, too. That single scene when a villain has succeeded against the hero and remains there gloating, being able to finally kill the hero (or his pet turtle)... yet he didn't. And the person watching the movie is already...
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06/08/2015 21:05
Building a character
Yes, yes, yes!
You are about to start an adventure in the world of role playing!
You are so excited!
You have chosen the world to play in, you have agreed on set of rules, both mechanics of the game and social contract. You even found a game master who will run your session, and that is no...
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15/07/2015 22:39
Hands off! Mine!
Imagine game session in progress.
"You approach a small town in the middle of wastelands." Game Master says. "You are quickly noticed by a lookout on a tower and a bell is sounded. This startles you as you have not expected people in this area to be on alert. Something's wrong here. What do...
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19/05/2015 23:24
Do I have to say I pull the safety pin?
Imagine this:
You are in the middle of a heated session, in the midst of a battle, bullets are flying over the heads of your team.
"What do you do?!" - Your GM demands an answer right here, right now!
"I throw a grenade towards the enemy!" - You throw back a quick answer.
...And then the silence...
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06/05/2015 16:17
Social contract
If you play RPGs I bet you had those sessions where everyone were on the roll. You had fun, you understood one another without words. It was simply awesome.
And then - there were those sessions which were ruined due to the lack of agreement - and I'm not talking about determining whether your...
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29/04/2015 12:38
Two soldiers' problem - PRAM in action
So, two soldiers brawl in a bar... who wins?
Two soldiers...
Imagine two soldiers - Albert and Bob.
They are of exactly the same skill level and they both are armed with... well, nothing. Fists. They are brawling in the bar. There is only one difference between them - Bob is tired (hasn't slept a...
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24/04/2015 05:58
PRAM - mechanics analysis tool
What is it for?
Have you ever looked at a RPG game and wondered one of the following questions:
- Will this game work for my group? Is it compatible with our playstyle?
- What type of sessions work with this game? How does this game actually FEEL?
- I do not have d12... can I use a d20 instead?
-...
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21/04/2015 20:38
To play a character or to be a character?
This question has always been a basis for a very heated discussion in gaming world.
Be a character
I have heard many players saying that without "becoming" your character you can't really, truly have fun.
For them it never is "my character does X", it is always "I do X".
They immerse in their...
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19/04/2015 15:31
Your character would never do that!
The problem
One of the most common complaints towards a player (especially a newish one) would be something like "your character does not act according to their personality". For a layman, this means that the player (person sitting at the table) is acting in the way their character (that is, an...
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18/04/2015 21:10
A player's take: why RPG?
Bad opinion
"Those other people", who don't play RPGs usually don't think highly of role playing games. "Their" opinion starts at "not harmful, let them play", goes through "waste of time, sitting in a group and babbling about nothing" and sometimes gets to "dangerous, satanic sect, better closed...
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16/04/2015 08:42
Troll versus elf
Game on.
Our brave team is exploring some caves.
Suddenly, our scout notices a huuuge cavern.
Sadly, it is occupied by old, war-grizzled troll.
The fight starts. And… what now? How should a game master deal with it?
A light, agile elf should easily avoid troll's cumbersome attacks.
A troll,...
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