Category: RPG Articles
RPG groups for under 18s
The times they are a-changin’ Bob Dylan Back in the early 1980s, very few parents would have played RPGs, but now there are two, maybe even three, generations of gamers in some families. I’m not just talking about video gamers (although that is more common), I’m talking about pen’n’paper RPGs. Pen’n’paper RPGs (PNP RPGs to…
Spy RPGs – keep them intriguing!
Spy-related or espionage games are great fun, whether you’re a player or GM. It’s quite rewarding creating elaborate schemes and plots for such games. If you’re going to do a spy RPG right as a GM, then you will probably need to do some preparation to an extent. The Characters When you’re running a spy…
RPG Meta-plot: is it needed?
Meta-plot is one of those concepts that you either love or hate. Basically, the term is often used in RPGs and elsewhere to describe an over-arcing plot-line or extended storyline. You can see examples of meta-plot in the media too – the Shadow War in Babylon 5, Lucifer rising in Supernatural. Game of Thrones is…
The Secret Fire RPG: The Demons Shall Arise!
Last year I did some work on The Secret Fire RPG for Secret Fire Games – much of the flavour text in that book is from my own twisted mind as it were – mainly the monsters, a lot of the spells, and the setting descriptions. One thing I’ve learned from the game’s release is…
RPG Piracy
YAAR! Or not. In the last week the SOPA and PIPA legislations were pretty much sunk. As is usual for such things there’s two perspectives you can have on this: one is that it a victory for civil liberties and privacy, and that such things are pretty much unworkable. The other perspective is that again…
Cthulhutech – running CT campaigns
Cthulhutech can be quite a daunting game to run, especially if you’re new to running an RPG. The sheer volume of background material can be quite off-putting for a novice GM, or even some more experienced GMs. At the end of the day, it should be a collaborative effort between you and your players. Before…
The Art of “Winging it”
Improvisation isn’t really an art as such but it can work extremely well when your players go off on one of those tangents that they love to do so often… and I know some players love doing it to games. The secret is: don’t let them know that you’re winging it. Or give them enough…
GM Burnout
“It’s better to burn out than fade away!” The Kurgan, Highlander I think there comes a time when everyone “burns out”, creatively speaking – be it storytelling, writing or GMing. I feel it every few years when I’m running RPGs, and I reckon I’m not alone in experiencing it. Creativity isn’t like a tap –…
Playtesting RPGs
Over the years, I’ve participated in playtests for a number of games, often as part of ORC. It’s a good community to run such games in as we have a variety of different gamer age groups – from younger gamers just starting out in their first RPG, to those who first played D&D in the…
Narrative Games
In this article, I’m going to try and provide a few hints for GMs about actually running an RPG (whilst its written for D&D perspective it holds true for all RPGs). Combat Whether its the figures on a board or just keeping track of what is going on, combat is one of the most frustrating…