Essays, actual play, theory talk, and general navel-gazing about story-focused roleplaying, aka “indie” games. And trindie. And OSR. If you’re small and scrappy, I want to talk about what you’re doing! If you’re fighting to grow, I want to talk about what you’re doing! Basically if it’s roleplaying (tabletop, freeform, larp, whatevs) and it’s not the monolith of D&D, it’s in my wheelhouse.
Part 1 of ? In the Cultivating A Storytelling Mindset series Last month, guest writer Paul Mitchener talked about how to use history in fruitful, productive and most importantly non-harmful ways in your roleplaying. One thing that jumped out at me from that piece is that I’m definitely more interested in exploring interesting, difficult tension… Continue reading Interesting Tension
Something I’ve learned during the pandemic is that I use roleplaying as a distraction. Sure, yes, I’ve got a weird obsession with the metasocial meaning of rules structures. And I agree that gaming can be a safe way to explore emotional and interpersonal stuff. But at least during These Unprecedented Times, I need gaming to… Continue reading Extra Extra: Shattered City Is A Needed Distraction
One of the most interesting play-aesthetic gaps in gaming to me is the chasm between how players want to resolve in-game social conflicts. You can prefer natural, normal talking, or you can prefer going to the dice. Maybe some folks don’t feel strongly about social conflict resolution, but I haven’t met them. It should come… Continue reading The Cudgel and the Contract
I’ve run an awful lot of history-themed RPGs and written a few. It’s an area I love gaming in, both taken straight, and mixed with a dose of fantastic elements. Yet I would be doing the topic an injustice if I did not admit there are difficulties, both in subject matter and attitudes. So what… Continue reading Guest Column: Playing With History
We wrapped up a short run at Nathan Paoletta’s Imp of the Perverse this week. Strap on the air tanks and headlamps, we’re taking a deep dive. Quick Overview Imp of the Perverse is a horror game set in the early America of Edgar Allan Poe. It’s called “Jacksonian” but most of the period (1830-1850)… Continue reading Deep Dive: Imp of the Perverse
