I love Bennies in Savage Worlds. Bennies, usually represented by a poker chip or some other token, allow players (and game masters) to re-roll skill checks and attacks. Players begin with a set number of bennies per session – usually 3 – and spend them throughout that session. Critically, they can earn more bennies for … Read more
In the post pandemic era, playing in the real-world’s gotten increasingly difficult. As people have moved away, we’ve stayed connected through online gaming, but I’m still itching to roll real dice in a real-world game. At the same time, I know a bunch of my friends are interested in RPGs, but don’t have the time … Read more
Why would they like my intro game? Hopefully, for the same reasons the rest of us love role-playing games – it’s a great time hanging out with friends, expanding your mind, and exercising your creativity. Also, because as a game master, I’d tailor the game to the folks I’m playing with. When my gaming group … Read more
While I have a dedicated game room / office, I think I’d hold a first game in my dining room. It’s got more room to move, easy access to the kitchen for snacks and drinks, and it’s easy to welcome in new arrivals (the front door being only two rooms over from the dining room). … Read more
My mom got me the Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set (the Moldvay boxed set, to be specific) sometime in 1981 or ’82. It’s hard to say exactly when; the Moldvay edition was released in 1981, and the next revision didn’t come until 1983. I got it sometime between those two dates. The exact timing doesn’t … Read more
The answer to what makes for a great introductory RPG depends on what your goals are. Are you looking to get people hooked based on a well-known brand? Are you looking for exciting game mechanics to draw them back to the table? Are you looking for a straight forward game mechanic that’s easy for non-gamers … Read more
My initial thought was … no one. I already introduced Dungeons & Dragons to my kids, and frankly, it feels like everyone my age who wants to be playing role-playing games is playing role-playing games. Except, as I dig into that thought a little more, I realized I’ve got options (if not time). RPG Dinner … Read more
It’s February, which means snow, long days that are slowly getting shorter, and zines. So many zines. For the last three years, Kickstarter promoted ZineQuest, a celebration, and promotion of print and PDF zines for role-playing games. This year, Kickstarter moved ZineQuest to August to coincide with GenCon. That left a vacuum in February, which … Read more
I’ve participated – as a consumer and fan – in ZineQuest for two years running. This year, there is no ZineQuest, but there is Zine Month, a creator-centric, platform-independent website for promoting zines. As I think about backing a few new zines for 2022, I decided to look back on how 2021 went. 2021 Strategy … Read more
I have to admit, when the various consent and safety tools started coming out for role-playing games, I was a little skeptical. After all, my group’s been together for 25 years; the issues these tools are meant to address rarely if ever, came up in our games. Playing together for 25 years means my group … Read more