The Plain People of Gaming: 13th Age monster-tech in GUMSHOE

Continuing Ken’s theme of looting 13th Age for GUMSHOE twists, let’s talk about monsters. In 13th Age, monsters have a sort of rudimentary AI – instead of the GM deciding to use their special abilities in advance, they’re triggered by the result of the attack roll. So, for example, if a ghoul gets a natural […]

See P. XX: Two Things That Bear Repeating About GUMSHOE Scenarios

See P. XX A column on roleplaying by Robin D. Laws As a general rule, writers learn to avoid repetition. In the immortal words of David Byrne, say something once, why say it again? When writing roleplaying material I have to keep reminding myself to strategically violate that general rule. If there’s one thing playtesting […]

The Dual-wielder and the Slayer: Two Alternative Fighters for the 13th Age

[Ed: I like the 13th Age fighter. In combat,  you make a roll, and depending on the result, you are able to chose between a set of options – these are called flexible attacks. Your fighter moves, sees an opening then makes a choice. A better roll reflects better maneuvering and usually offers more choices. […]

TimeWatch’s Excellent Adventure

by Kevin Kulp Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure is actually a TimeWatch game about two agents who never bothered to put any build points into their History abilities. Okay, it’s not. But it could be. It’s no secret that TimeWatch‘s use of the GUMSHOE Preparedness ability is modeled after Bill and Ted. Rewatching the movie […]

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