From the Archives – Gamer Cheat Sheet: Locks, and How to Open Them

Todays edition of Gamer Cheat Sheets deals with a non-conflict oriented staple of RPGs: locks and how to unlock them. As someone who has picked a lock or two in my life, I can honestly say that the satisfaction of “solving” a lock is incredible. The subtle pop of an unlocked lock feels like a…

Culture, Etiquette, and You

RPGs involve people. Sure, some might be about anthropomorphized animals or the like, but they’re still essentially people for all intents and purposes. That may seem obvious, but it has some inevitable consequences. If you have people, then you have societies. Societies develop standards of conduct to bind them together. This means mores, protocol, and…

Today’s Gentle Reminder: CTFD.com

What is it about RPG forums that brings out the ‘crazy’ in an otherwise responsible role-playing enthusiast? What possible emotional investment can one possibly have in some faceless string of digital characters that expresses a conflicting opinion? How can some pixelated persona that I guarantee looks nothing like their avatar incite visceral hatred in a…

The Explorer’s Metropolitan Mayhem Machine

For centuries, like-minded citizens have huddled together against the threats and mysteries of the untamed wilderness around them. (Check out last week’s Environmental Encounter Engine for some of these organic twists that could grow out of your campaign!) They have built fires and erected walls and laid out place to live and labor. It was…