In Ken and Robin Talk About Stuff 603 we riffed a series of plot hooks arising from the career of experimental filmmaker and Vodou researcher Maya Deren. But maybe that left you unsatisfied, wanting a Yellow King: This is Normal Now scenario hook that drew in all of experimental cinema. You absolutely requested that, so […]
A column on roleplaying by Robin D. Laws GUMSHOE players sometimes clutch when they realize that one of them has to go talk to someone. Break through that moment of indecision by following these simple steps. Interpersonal abilities exist to help make this decision. Start by asking yourself what you know about this person, and […]
Page Turners, the game of dramatic interaction for one player and one game moderator, allows you to explore any story that revolves around interpersonal conflict. Some scenarios supplied in the book mix familiar genre tropes with the game’s character-driven storytelling structure. Sarah Saltiel’s “Addison’s Shadow,” brings the contemporary fantastical imagery of the weird tale into […]
Playtest reports for The Yellow King Roleplaying Game gave me one consistent message: This game is way too deadly! Accordingly, I made it less so, lowering Difficulty Numbers for tests to avoid Shocks and Injuries. I added the more forgiving Occult Adventure mode, where it takes 4 Shock or 4 Injury cards to take a […]
To celebrate the Shadowlands Spanish-language release of the Worldbreaker campaign book for The Esoterrorists, Álvaro Loman interviews Robin on all things GUMSHOE. If we didn’t know better we’d think that Álvaro kind of wants the Ordo Veritatis to be bad sometimes. But how could we think such a thing? The Esoterrorists are occult terrorists intent […]
Page Turners, the game of dramatic interaction for one player and one game moderator, provides rules for play in any genre that revolves around interpersonal conflict. It includes eleven fully fleshed scenarios ranging from screwball comedy to doomed vampire romance, from a behind-the-music rock ‘n’ roll saga to the emotional journeys of the last […]
Although the rules don’t call for it, some GUMSHOE groups add a narrative wrinkle to the spending of pool points from general abilities. They call on players to justify why they’re spending the number of points they’ve chosen to add to their die rolls. “I really want to get over this fence so I’m going […]
We are beyond thrilled to announce that, after two decades of brilliant collaboration, Robin D. Laws has officially stepped into the role of Creative Director at Pelgrane Press. For more than 20 years, Robin has been a driving creative force behind so many of our most significant and innovative projects. He designed Pelgrane’s very first […]
Yellow King: The Wars PCs will often meet soldiers from nations other than France. These GMCs may show up in your storyline unexpectedly. When that happens, reach for this handy article for names and personalities to adjust to your needs. Depending on your alternate history, soldiers from any European nation might be friends or foes. […]
A DramaSystem Series Premise For nearly a century members of the long-lived Zharraeus clan have dwelled on the borderlands near the Big Pit. Operating a combination tavern, inn, and supply store near a dangerous dungeon might give pause to the faint at heart. The hardbitten Zharraeuses revel in their survival in a place where all […]
