Somewhere in the spectrum of activities that demand remembering details, roleplaying would land somewhere between improv theater and long-form math. While players are only concerned with their own characters, a Game Master has an entire world to grasp and be familiar with. Throw in player rewards for role playing weaknesses and plot hooks and the…
Read MorePlaying TimeWatch again was like reuniting with an old friend… only to realize that they were actually a trio of bear cubs in a trench coat the entire time. You’re first happy and overjoyed to see it again. Then taken aback as you realize something isn’t right. You’re then confused… but it’s a good kind of confused. Because in place of a friend, you now have three adorable bear cubs to play with and a new trench coat to wear.
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T.S. Eliot once wrote “Good writers borrow, great writers steal.†While it is true that many great ideas are reinterpreted and reimagined in ways that can make them fresh and new, the temptation to lift already-established fiction and place it piecemeal (or entirely) into your own for the purposes of gaming can be a problem….
Read MoreI picked up Bubblegumshoe on a whim earlier this summer. I’d played only a scant handful of Gumshoe games, and while I have a well documented love for coming of age YA fiction, the “teen detective†genre hadn’t left a strong impression on me. But I love Evil Hat’s work in general, and I was intrigued by a game that very explicitly discourages violence as a problem solving method, so into my DriveThruRPG cart it went.
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One of the most difficult things for a GM to deal with is the divide between a good setting and a difficult system. Depending on your group’s preference, the table can share responsibility for understanding the rules, like having certain players specialize in specific aspects of the game (having a “combat czar†or a “magic czar†for instance) or just voting altogether to do away with chunks of the system that you don’t like. Other times, however, the burden of understanding the system falls squarely on the shoulders of the GM.
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As Jeff Goldblum observes in the new Independence Day: Resurgence trailer, aliens (or any other kind of world-ending scenario) “likes to get the landmarks.” Destroying iconic monuments makes for flashy set pieces and gut-wrenching twist endings (I’m looking at you, Planet of the Apes). It’s also an easy shorthand for just how powerful these destructive forces are, as they can destroy in mere moments what it took humans months, or even years, to build. Whether it’s a long-running commentary on the hubris of humanity to try to leave a lasting mark on the planet, or just an illustration of how far special effects have come that there are always new and innovative ways to destroy the Golden Gate Bridge or the Sydney Opera House, I’ll leave that for smarter people to decipher. I’m just here to list my advice for building up (and tearing down) a post apocalyptic city in your role playing game.
Read MoreBilly finally gets to run a Rotted Capes game! Not only that, but he also took the time to create a Rotted Capes Quick Reference Guide for you all!
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The seat of my power, though, the place where I reign supreme is the niche of found footage horror films. I can hear some of you sneer at the mention of such a maligned genre, but bear with me. Also, you’re wrong and found footage is awesome. I estimate the number of movies I’ve consumed from this genre to be somewhere in the low thirties, so believe me when I say I’m always willing to watch something in this brand of cinema.
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