WoD vs CoD: Part 2
October 31, 2021Greetings gamers! Last time we began a discussion comparing the differences between the classic World of Darkness (WoD) and its reboot, the Chronicles of Darkness (CoD) settings. I gave my thoughts on ways in which the WoD setting, while being one of my all time favorite TTRPG settings, suffered from some pretty significant ...
WoD vs CoD: Part 1
October 13, 2021Greetings gamers! As you may have gleaned from previous articles, I am a die-hard horror fan. As a consequence, Halloween is my favorite holiday; the celebration of which I extend to the entire month of October. In the spirit of the season, I am going to share some of my thoughts on the ...
The Best Portrayal of Magic in any TTRPG
September 26, 2021
Magic has been a staple of TTRPGs since their inception with the first edition of Dungeons & Dragons. The very name Dungeons and Dragons suggests a ...
Exploring the Ninth World
August 31, 2021Greetings gamers! Three weeks ago, we took a look at the game mechanics of the generic TTRPG, the Cypher System. This week I will look at the game that the Cypher System was derived from: Numenera. As I mentioned in the article on the Cypher System, Numenera is a critically acclaimed science-fantasy ...
Happy Birthday Jack Vance!
August 24, 2021Greetings gamers! This week we celebrate the life and work of Jack Vance (August 28, 1916 – May 26, 2013), an award-winning American sci-fi and fantasy author. While Vance was responsible for the creation of a sizable corpus of literary works in the mystery, fantasy, and science fiction genres, it was his Dying ...
Beyond the d20 System: The Fate System
August 16, 2021Greetings gamers, and welcome to the latest installment of Beyond the d20 System. In this week’s article, I’m going to take a look at Fate, the last game in our series of TTRPG systems. Fate is a generic roleplaying system designed to minimize dice rolling while leaning heavily into the narrative elements of ...
Beyond the d20 System: The Cypher System
August 9, 2021Greetings gamers, and welcome to the latest installment of Beyond the d20 System. In this week’s article, I’m going to take a look at the Cypher System; the third of four systems of game mechanics that may serve as an alternative to the d20 system. The Cypher System is a role-playing system created ...
Beyond the d20 System: Savage Worlds
August 2, 2021Greetings gamers, and welcome to the latest installment of Beyond the d20 System. In this week’s article, I’m going to take a look at Savage Worlds; the second of four systems of game mechanics that may serve as an alternative to the d20 system. Savage Worlds is a rules-lite generic roleplaying system designed ...
Beyond the d20 System: The Storytelling System
July 26, 2021In this week’s article, I’m going to take a look at The Storytelling System; the first of four systems of game mechanics that may serve as an alternative to the d20 system. The Storytelling System is the successor to the Storyteller System, the ruleset of the World of Darkness line of games popular ...
Beyond the d20 System: Introduction
July 19, 2021These are good times to be a TTRPG gamer. The growing popularity of D&D has been responsible for increased production of D&D products, celebrities playing on livestream, and even an upcoming live action movie. Best of all, popular culture’s interest in D&D has drawn a whole new generation of gamers to TTRPGs as ...
Looking to Run a One-Shot Adventure? Give Paranoia a Try
July 12, 2021All good things must eventually come to an end, and TTRPG campaigns are no exception. Usually, the conclusion of a long campaign is accompanied by a sense of accomplishment, and rightfully so. Taking a group of PCs from meager beginnings to the heights of power requires serious commitment (and often, a bit of ...
Tips for New Players
July 4, 2021It has been said that every cloud has a silver lining. As a recent BBC article illustrates, TTRPGs have been instrumental for many people in maintaining a sense of social connection in the face of Covid-19 pandemic. Already gaining in popularity over the last few years, TTRPGs such as Dungeons and Dragons ...
Sinister Summer Fun with Horror TTRPGs
June 27, 2021Not long after my recent discussion with Matt and Eric about horror TTRPGs, I picked up a copy of the newly-released Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft. Having been primed by our discussion, I read through the entire campaign sourcebook in a single sitting. Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft greatly expands on the ...
Adventuring in The Planes: A Short Introduction to Planescape
June 19, 20212021 is shaping up to be a pretty good year for Dungeons & Dragons fans. Having already released Candlekeep Mysteries and Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft, with The Wild Beyond the Witchlight and Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos scheduled for release in the fall, Wizards of the Coast has promised a couple ...