Genre Police: Meta-Lurgy
Geek NativeSometimes people talk about characters as ‘meta’. It’s almost always used in a negative context. But one survey shows that people don’t use ‘meta’ in the same way, and sometimes it can be good to ‘meta game’.
Tag: Group Dynamics
Genre Police: Keep On Marching
Professional GM Ben Jackson-Ellery shares some wisdom and practical tips for anyone hoping to set up and run tabletop RPG campaigns “West Marches” style.
Canon, Your Homegrown Setting, and You
RJD20Our lives change constantly, as do our views and levels of creativity. For those of us who construct vast Dungeons & Dragons settings and worlds for our players to place their characters in and explore, this brings a dilemma. How do we stay true to all the wild escapades, heart-racing adventures, and ground-breaking campaigns that occur in our world? We all have an opinion on the role of canon in works of fiction—and we should carve one out for our own worlds as well.
Genre Police: Towards a shared language
Have you heard of gamers talking about West Marches style of RPG campaigns? Do you know what it means? The Genre Police kick off a series on RPG terminology and using a shared language for our games.
Genre Police: Dialling Back In
The number of players can really be one of the most important decisions you make as a GM and can actually affect your ability to play.
Genre Police: Storming The Dungeon
Ever notice that the dynamics of your campaign can change?
Like you can have a run of really spontaneous sessions that everybody loves, and then, a few weeks later, it feels like the campaign is a bit in a holding pattern.
Don’t worry, you aren’t doing anything wrong. The social group of players has moved into a different stage of social grouping.
The January 2021 Blog Carnival: Characters, Stories, and Worlds
TomThe RPG Blog Carnival rolls round to another year; please take part and follow it around the blogosphere in 2021…
(When) is it OK to TPK?
Character death is part of the stakes of a lot of our games. It keeps us on our toes as players. Hitpoints or harm are often one of the resources players have to manage. There can be a great deal of drama – and satisfaction – in epic battles against overwhelming odds, even if we lose.
Game Theory – Charming Morals (or the Morality of the Charm)
Sea of Stars RPGWhen, and how, should the GM use charm effects?
Why do you travel?
Gonzalo CampoverdeTravel is one of the three pillars of #DnD and the topic for May’s #RPGBlogCarnival. What does travel look like in Eberron?