Yearly Archives: 2015
Improvising With GUMSHOE by Steve Dempsey This article discusses an improvised variant of the GUMSHOE rules. It can be just as easily used for Fear Itself, Esoterrorists, or any other GUMSHOE game. Most games of GUMSHOE are played using a scenario that the GM has written. Not only does she introduce each scene and play […]
This toy version of GUMSHOE introduces you to the basic concepts of the system which powers Trail of Cthulhu, Esoterrorists and Night’s Black Agents. Note, I’m not a game designer (whatever wikipedia says), and this version of GUMSHOE really is just for demonstration purposes. GUMSHOE was designed to power games which feature some investigative elements. […]
My booth pitch for Hillfolk describes its rules engine, DramaSystem, as emulating the structure of serialized cable TV shows. So let’s take an example heavily watched in geekland, “Game of Thrones.” Here’s a scene breakdown of the first episode of the fifth season with an eye toward identifying the petitioner and the granter and seeing […]
In The Dracula Dossier, one of my favorite campaign frames — inserted at Simon’s insistence, and written mostly by Gareth — is “Unto the Fourth Generation,” in which you play the whole saga of Operation Edom from 1894 to 1940 to 1977 to now. That’s right, you begin as the original 1894 heroic band — the cast […]
Kelvin Green reviewed the 13th Age’s Eyes of the Stone Thief on his blog. Thanks, Kelvin! He says, “Eyes of the Stone Thief is quite different from any other megadungeon I’ve seen, but then a traditional approach wouldn’t have been the best example of what makes 13th Age different from other Dungeons and Dragons variants […]
Here is an example of Trail of Cthulhu combat, in which three plucky adventures confront a crypt-dwelling corpse-eater. Dramatis Personae The consumptive Professor Oberon Lankwiller Player: Larry Health 5, [no rating in Firearms], Scuffling 4 Weapon: Webley revolver +0 Hit Threshold: 3 The brash Tag Hunter Player: Tina Health 13, Firearms 10, Weapons 8, Scuffling […]
As the galactic vengeance-seekers of The Gaean Reach Roleplaying Game, you may from time to time find it necessary to invoke the legal system as a tool in your hunt for Quandos Vorn. Naturally you will not in the end turn this arch-villain over to the proper authorities, but rather exact your own revenge. Still, […]
The Complete 13th Age RPG Starter Kit at More Than 25% Off Get the ENnie award-winning 13th Age roleplaying game, 13th Age Bestiary, 13 True Ways, AND ALSO the 13th Age Soundtrack — all at more than 25% off what you’d pay if you bought these titles individually. Go to the Pelgrane Online Store and look for 13th […]