Category Archives: RPGaDay2016

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RPG a Day 2016: A Matter of Character – Day 25

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Back to our regular schedule! We’re on the home stretch. As August draws to a close, #RPG a Day 2016 is near its end for this year, and I’m in the midst of getting ready for something important. I hinted at it yesterday, but today’s not the day I’m telling you about it. Instead today the topic is all about characters, specifically…

August 25: What makes for a good character?

This question can be answered from three different perspectives, as a game master, as player a, and as a fellow player. Allow me to get a little philosophical and tackle the subject in that order.

Character Concept

The answer as a GM may be a little trite, as it’s usually this, a good backstory! To a certain degree that’s true, as GMs we weave stories together from the character’s backgrounds, motivations, goals and the campaign elements such as the history, the NPCs, conflicts, etc.). An uninteresting, or worse nonexistent, character background really limits the tools you have in your toolbox. Not all GMs integrate a character’s backstory into the game, but for me that’s an integral part of what makes a campaign significant for the players and interesting for me. Of course, there can be such a thing as too much story! Continue reading RPG a Day 2016: A Matter of Character – Day 25 →

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RPG a Day 2016: Quadruple Threat! Days 21, 22, 23 & 24

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Sorry for the absence gals and guys! After all the boasting of not giving up on #RPGaDay 2016 my three day absence probably had you thinking I had done just that. What can I say? A combination of work, an infirm elderly family member, and an upcoming important event (More on that in a future post; does this qualify as vague-blogging?) just made it impossible for me to post anything since Sunday. So I’m catching up for the last three days and today. Let’s not delay any longer, on with the last few topics for RPG a Day 2016. Continue reading RPG a Day 2016: Quadruple Threat! Days 21, 22, 23 & 24 →

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RPG a Day 2016: Welcome to the world of tables and footnotes! – Day 20

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I’ll tell you a little secret; some Saturday posts get written on Friday so the blogger has less to do on the weekend. Sorry for breaking the magic and showing you the cogs behind the curtain, the inner workings on this complex machine! That’s rather on topic today for we’re discussing challenging games. The topic for today’s #RPGaDay 20016 post is:

August 20: What is the most challenging but rewarding system have you learned?

And the accompanying clarification to this topic is: “What game did you struggle the hardest to learn, but were most glad that you did?”

This may seem like a silly answer, but I admit it, when I first read the book I wondered if I would ever understand this game, if all the verbiage, all the rules, would make sense to me? What did all this discussion about bell curves and standard deviation has to do with the game! Let me tell you about learning to play AD&D 1st edition. Continue reading RPG a Day 2016: Welcome to the world of tables and footnotes! – Day 20 →