A quick postcard from the Nest this month as we prepare for the Origins Game Fair, in Columbus, Ohio in mid-June. We’re excited to be sharing the Indie Press Revolution (IPR) booth #823 with excellent RPG-publishing colleagues like Evil Hat, John Wick Presents, and Bully Pulpit – it’s a boothapolanza not to be missed! We’re […]
The upcoming Book of Ages describes dozens of potential ancient Icons, the heroes and villains of past Ages of the Dragon Empire, from the Enchantress to the Explorer to the Steel Colossus and the Zealot. These Icons once bestrode the world. Some vanished when the wheel of history turned and their power faded; some endured […]
by Steve Hammond Whoot! Infrastructure and other problems are behind us, and we are flying. A ton of progress in May and the Black Book is essentially back on schedule. This month we have a video showing the complete character generation experience for Trail of Cthulhu. In the video you can see how we handle […]
Hideous Creatures: A Bestiary of the Cthulhu Mythos expands on Mythos-monster issues from Ken Writes About Stuff, summoning a fetid host of new horrors and adding new facets to existing creatures. One section that’s especially close to my heart are the in-character documents, which present an oblique look at a particular monster in the form […]
Some of the most powerful roleplaying experiences I’ve ever had have come from running DramaSystem games. Starting with the Hillfolk roleplaying game, and continuing with Blood on the Snow and Series Pitch of the Month, DramaSystem offers a wealth of setting options for players to inhabit, and create compelling stories of interpersonal conflict and emotional […]
This month for me featured online games – a playtest of a Yellow King RPG adventure, new releases from virtual tabletop providers, and Steve Dempsey ran his 60th Fearful Symmetries session. It’s not quite the same as playing in person, but I find that aside from the convenience of online play, players spend more time […]
Demonologist The demonologist is the class for players who like things a little risky—who like playing close to the edge. Sure, you get to raise demons and bind them to your will, but if you falter you’ll unleash something very nasty into the world (and potentially against the party). Demonologists get three talents, and how […]
In Part One, I discussed the basics of running a pre-written GUMSHOE adventure. Based on a recent poll about half of you write your own adventures, or adapt ours, with a few brave souls improvising completely. This article covers the improvisation that’s required when characters go in unexpected directions or ask unexpected questions, whether in […]
I’ve started running a new 13th Age campaign for my Fire Opal Games comrades and their families. The PCs are (apparently) questing to recover a goddess who most of the world has forgotten. The Elf Queen has several statues of the missing goddess in one of the halls she devotes to her friends, and she […]
As the project increasingly leaves my hands and heads to Pelgrane HQ and post-production, it’s time to show off a smidgen of the reality-shattering art you’ll see in The Yellow King Roleplaying Game. Brittany’s legendary city of Ys rises from the waves, by Shel Kahn, from Paris A postcard of malign implication, collage by Dean […]