Orcs Don’t Know What Chess Is

I read a great article out in the blog highlands, but I can’t remember it’s source. It inspired this post, and if anyone knows which one I’m thinking of, let me know so I can credit them. The original post was about how to make known languages a better part of a character. Their solution … Continue reading Orcs Don’t Know What Chess Is →

Ludonarrative

Art by Marcel MercadoToday we're going into the... gears... of tabletop rpgs Ludonarrative is a fancy word thrown around in the video game industry for the narrative that arises from the mechanics, rather than the writing. Like how the scarcity of ammunition might directly scale with the feeling of scraping by for survival in System … Continue reading Ludonarrative →

3d10 Exotic Weapons

This is an addition to the tables from my last post. Here are 10 more unique materials and schools of weapon crafting. Plus 10 types of weapons that are a little less common than the last 10. You can combine them into a 3d20 table so you can have a set of Ceramic Cathedral Nunchucks. … Continue reading 3d10 Exotic Weapons →

3d10 Exceptional Weapons

Art by Tottor Atta Here are some tables to generate a weapon that is exceptional, and special, but not explicitly magical. At most, a little mystical. Roll for a weapon, what material it's made of, and what school of smiths built it. You might have to think of some strange explanations for some combinations, but … Continue reading 3d10 Exceptional Weapons →

Mystery of Magic

Roleplaying games often include magic or magic wearing a funny hat. Spells, the force, elemental bending, science fantasy technology. This draws from a long tradition in speculative fiction, people having capabilities far beyond mortal ken. This usually comes in the form of very specific, delineated powers. But in literature and film, it’s usually a much … Continue reading Mystery of Magic →