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Telengard 2, session 11
We had a smaller group again, as work and family obligations kept a few people away. This was a more ‘role-playing heavy’ session — although really I’m terrible about giving opportunities for...
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Telengard 2, Session 12: All hell breaks loose
Apologies in advance as this is both a very long and somewhat obscure post, even for a session report. These session reports always leave out lots of stuff, but this time the party (and to a lesser...
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Telengard 2 session 13: Two out of three ain’t bad
This week’s session was another small group, with only Mazrim the assassin, Silbahn the paladin, and Willis the cleric (Dodger and George Foreman, men-at-arms, and Blazer the torchbearer were also...
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Wizardawn
I only found Wizardawn recently, through a link on someone else’s blog (Maybe Troll & Flame? or from someone on his blogroll? It was late last night and I forget). This has to be the most useful...
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What I love about our players
I’ll be taking the reins again soon as DM. I’ve had a few drinks and my mind turns to what I love about the players in my gaming group. Tom, my brother: I can pretty reliably outsource all...
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Dreamland
This week I read the fascinating book Dreamland : adventures in the strange science of sleep by David K. Randall. It’s a journalistic book on the current state of ‘sleep science,’ focusing on...
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At day’s close
At day’s close : night in times past, by A. Roger Ekirch, looks like one of those ‘social histories.’ You know, like those books on the history of coffee, salt, or cotton, where some narrow topic is...
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Top ten trolly troll questions answered
All the cool RPG bloggers have already answered these so now I join the dogpile. (1). Race (Elf, Dwarf, Halfling) as a class? Yes or no? Yes. But I am reconsidering now and sort of wish I’d made...
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Favorite dungeon type/location
The day 11 question is a little better… Anyway my favorite kind of dungeon is what people sometimes disparage as ‘funhouse’ dungeons — the kind where tricks and traps are spread around randomly, there...
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Best DM I’ve had
The last question in the challenge is at least a reasonably good one. It’s pretty easy to answer too — the best DM I’ve had is my brother Tom. Sure I’m biased but having been a gaming club in college...
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One Page Dungeon Contest 2014
The One Page Dungeon contest is, unbelievably, entering its sixth year. It began with a discussion about how minimal an adventure module could be, and the blogger ChgoWiz created a one-page template....
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Off the rails in the Undertavern
This weekend I had the rarest of game-related things, now that I’m older: a Saturday night game! I’m happy with the mid-week campaigns I’ve been playing and running but there is a nice bit of...
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The world’s laziest posts, part 1: GIS dungeons
I’m terrible at drawing maps, and designing rational floor plans. Sometimes I’ll Google image search (GIS) things like crypts or temples, which is always turns up tons of great stuff. Like this...
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The Fiend Folio as implied setting
Some time ago, Jeff Rients posted something about running D&D with only the Fiend Folio as the monster manual. I don’t remember exactly how detailed he got with that, and haven’t been able to find...
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Help me, OSR Kenobi, you’re my only hope again, or, Once more unto the well…
The good news is that nieces and nephews and my child (ranging from 4th grade to high school) are totally into playing D&D tomorrow after Thanksgiving dinner at Nana’s house, and everyone is...
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Not with a bang, but a whimper
That’s the way my campaigns end. That’s the way my campaigns end. That’s the way my campaigns end. So I’ve noticed that of the campaigns I’ve run, they tend to end with a nod and wink and “this a...
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Random plots
I saw this web site, “The story starter,” recently — it was highlighted in a blog about writers. It just generates randomized sentences, and they are kind of goofy. Some examples: The absent-minded...
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False advertising
DMGR1/2112. The Campaign Sourcebook and Catacomb Guide. This is actually a pretty good reference book for DMs. There is general advice on designing dungeons and indoor environments, and lots of stuff...
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Stonefoot’s revenge
The first D&D campaign I ever ran was only about seven years ago. I made a lot of mistakes but the best thing I did, I think, was to have a rival party of adventurers to annoy the players’ party....
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