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Blog posts : "General"

Spinward Solo

A few years ago, I agreed to GM a game of Traveller. I decided to use a fairly early version, namely The Traveller Book, which is a collected edition of the "little black books". In order to reacquaint myself with the rules, I decided to run a solo PBP for myself, randomly generating characters but …

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Vampire Republic: notes on a setting for Revolution Comes to the Kingdom

The People's Republic of Transylvania is unlike any other nation in the world. For almost century, it has been ruled by an elite of vampires. Known simply as "the people", these vampires see themselves as the rightful masters of Transylvania and view normal humans as inferior subjects.

Under vamp…

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Deadworld: a 5-room dungeon

Room 1: Entrance
The entrance to the catacombs is located behind a large stone slab carved with depictions of the god Mictlantecuhtli and other underworld deities. Two skeletal guardians wielding flaming scimitars block the path, challenging all who wish to enter the Ministry of Death Administratio…

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Notes on a Grim Fandango-esque RPG

Setting:
The Land of the Dead, a vast afterlife realm divided into disparate domains ruled over by the mysterious Ministry of Death. Souls newly arrived must find their way through this strange land, navigating cultural mores, malignant forces, and their own inner journeys toward redemption.

Cha…

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Interesting Decisions

Someone asked on Discord:  When do you choose to ignore/alter certain rules in game? E.g. in Feng Shui 2, if all characters are using the same weapon, what happens if you ignore the "reload" rolls for simplicity? And would you know if ignoring affects it until after you play?"

My answer: 
I tr…

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Cthulhu Dark campaign play (Eternal Lies)

 

I'm reading Eternal Lies, the globetrotting 1930s campaign for Trail of Cthulhu by Jeff Tidball and Will Hindmarch - credited as "with" Jeremy Keller, which I'm unsure how to interpret. But anyway. 

My circumstances are such that while the number of sessions available isn't a problem, tim…

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Investigations and Invisiclues in RPGs

First, this: http://fightthepwk.bravesites.com/entries/general/free-paid--information-skills-for-investigative-rpgs

I eschew GM-initiated investigative spends in GUMSHOE games. Instead, I treat all relevant info as available for 0 points if a suitable skill is used. 
Actually spending points is …

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How to do Good Mystery Scenarios

A Google+ post, reposted here because I want to refer to it.... 

 

Setting the right stakes
Consider the Highlander TV series of the 1990s. This was a programme that had a few very good episodes. They were never the episodes where the climactic scene hinged on the question “Will MacLeod bea…

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Looking at Laserburn (part 1)

 

This is LASERBURN, a set of 'sci. fi. combat rules' by Bryan Ansell. 

It was published in 1980 via Tabletop Games. Bryan Ansell was at that time already running Citadel Miniatures (and indeed one of the miniatures made by Citadel gets a mention in the book as a vehicle you might use i…

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The Enemy Within - Empire in Flames: Altdorf Redux (S5E15)

 

Captain's Log:

That moment of peace had passed. Ah well, you've got to work towards it to make those moments so satisfying! It was time to go see Heinrich and all the Elector Counts. There's so many of them yet I cannot remember the names of more than, say, three! They were all seated a…

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The Enemy Within - Empire in Flames: The Battle of Wolfenburg (S5E14)

 

Captain's Log:

Speaking to Dr. Faustmann Faustmann and his companions gave us nearly the same details of the Imperial civil war. Heinrich Toddbringer was up ahead in Wolfenburg, just past what seemed like a legion on both sides of the conflict. It was decided that we would have to be qu…

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The Enemy Within - Empire in Flames: On the Wings of a Horse (S5E13)

 

Captain's Log:

I managed to fasten one of our spare backplates onto my plate armour as a breastplate. It certainly looks odd but it gets the job done! Walking down a mountain was a nice change to the routine. A very pleasant feeling of serenity washed over me like a cooling splash of water. G…

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The Enemy Within - Empire in Flames: The Hammer (S5E12)

 

Captain's Log, by a mind clear as day!

I stepped off that horrific vessel with my crew and was faced with a large cavern. The moaning and cries of pain from the stalactites shocked me to my very soul! Dwarf prisoners of a foul Chaos magic were imprisoned within those hateful hanging spi…

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The Enemy Within - Empire in Flames: The Lair of the Dead (S5E11)

 

Dumpling and I took lanterns and descended those cold steps, after the brief respite we were given by the captain's predilection for spontaneous storytelling. These interruptions in our holy mission can be irritating at times but I believe that he needs them to persevere. To reaffirm his s…

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The Enemy Within - Empire in Flames: The Goblin Nest (S5E10)

The daylight outside trespassed through the portcullis behind us and lay there upon that murky den. We gave one last look to the outside world before readying our armaments and marching forth into the darkness. It's always a scary thing, losing that light, but it has to be done. Sentry rooms were al…

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The Enemy Within - Empire in Flames: The Cold Black Mountains (S5E9)

It was the 22nd of Ulriczeit when we continued walking those damned mountains. You lose your ability to stop and ponder after a while, walking this jagged shell of the earth. The legs become like great weights attached to your body but you learn to care less and less. I felt like I was dragged t…

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The Enemy Within - Empire in Flames: The Goblin Nest (S5E8)

Captain’s Log… is it still 2514? That won’t matter much soon, if Chaos wins…

The enormous bulk of that dormant monster is all the cover we need from the goblin patrols outside. Thing is snoring loud enough to wake up at least half of Altdorf! It only went to sleep eighty or so years ago w…

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The Enemy Within - Empire in Flames: River Trouble Redux (S5E7)

Captain's Log: Kaldezeit, 2514.

Ever since the halfling cook got on board the enthusiasm for meals has risen considerably. Harbull isn't around so I can say things like that now. It's nothing to do with whether you're a halfling or a lady, the old cooking. I reckon that Werner's the best chef out…

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The Enemy Within - Empire in Flames: Dumpling Returns (S5E6)

Captain's Log: Still Kaldezeit I hope... 2514.

Had to get past Nuln as quickly as possible. The Comet makes fine speed as a vessel but by Sigmar the threat of impending civil war was all too real! We tried to not speak of such things on the boat, of course. I know I would keep the subject at the …

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The Enemy Within - Empire in Flames: The Quest Begins (S5E5)

Captain's Log: 9th of Kaldezeit? 2514.

We got the Graf's body back to the Imperial, thankfully. The plan is to get Graf Boris a proper burial when the riots die down a little. That... might take some time. I could hear the violence outside and, sometimes, blood would drain into the cobblestones o…

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