Blades in the Dark – Open Table Character Creation

Feels like a sinister faction symbol... Cabin fever, so I've been dorking with another open table concept. I mentioned Blades for open OPEN tables and it's been stuck with me. I've even stole the game structure for my open table Maze Rats game. I love the ebb and flow of score and downtime that Blades …

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Rogue Runs in Darkest Dungeon

Let’s take a (short) break from life and RPGs and talk video games. I love Darkest Dungeon. It’s been a huge inspiration for my past darker games like Skorne, Maze Rats, and Hot Springs Island. In my head, I can't separate the feel of Into the Odd and Darkest Dungeon. I’ve used the music of …

Your perspective

Imagine a solved Rubik's Cube. You stand on one side, I on the other. We're both looking at the Cube straight-on, so I can't see what you see, you can't see what I see. We have a different perspective even though we're looking at the same object. Subjectivity is truth. What you see is no …

Productivity and DEATHGROUNDS

Back to the wall. Beware the pikes, hooks, and halberds... You are your own worst enemy. You waste precious time dreaming of the future instead of engaging in the present. Since nothing seems urgent to you, you are only half involved in what you do. The only way to change is through action and outside …

Playing Cards Universal

"Blood-soaked spears bring glory to the Redhand Conspiracy. Dried spears bring the daunting glares of superior officers. Carry a flask of boar's lifeblood to make it seem as though the kills never stop." Spotted on the Free Kriegsspiel Revival Discord: When a player does something, draw cards from a deck: 1 card if unskilled, 2 …

So you want to make money online by running RPGs for kids?

Tag yourself. I'm the fat teardrop pointing at the shooting star that is your future side-hustle of gaming. This summer I started a small gig: running RPGs online for kids on Outschool. I've since GMed for 30 players in 10 different games. It's made me a better teacher, designer, and Game Master. And did I …

Go Socialising in Electric Bastionland (d6+d6)

"The judgemental glares of the other party-goers. Clearly you are not as serious about fun as they are." Page 254 Ask what they want to get out of it, give them a choice of how to do this.Make one appealing but expensive.Make one exciting but dangerous. Bullet point #1 is up to you. I've got …

Scrapyard Style

Welcome to the next episode of "Conquering Perfectionism." I'm your host, contestant, director, producer, and proud audience member: Sam. A piece of advice I've been given about being a perfectionist is to try new things. Revisit the process of sucking and getting better over and over. So I've been making art. Also, as I've been …

Creative Corner

Whimsicality. It's in games like Troika, Break!!, many of your Final Fantasies and in adventures like Garden of Ynn and in settings like Ultraviolet Grasslands. My media consumption injected me with a hankering for more of it recently. I've written about how my eternal GMing duality is Whimsical and Grounded (although Gritty is probably a …

Maze Rats: Scrapyard Edition

Celebrating the end of student teaching with the purchase of blank index cards and black gel pens. Saw Scrap Princess's work in Tomb of the Serpent Kings first. Eyeing up Fire on the Velvet Horizon as well... Basically, the point is that making art is very relaxing. You don't even have to be good to …