Neverending Story: Play Style in RPG Worlds

Today’s post is about the nature of role-playing games. Not the rules, not some esoteric factor. But simply about the boundaries, what is “in” the game, the nature of a “campaign.” Maybe I’ll just call it a style of play. Back in my heyday, the late 70s - early 90s, each DM in my extended …

Whaddya Mean, You Don't Play 5th Edition?!!

I just read an article that carried a tone of amazement that there were people playing Original Dungeons and Dragons, instead of Hasbro’s “D&D Next,” the latest re-write by people I’ve never heard of. I also read the comments, where someone basically trashed anyone who would play the original game. So I actually created an …

The Elder Scrolls: My Life with Skyrim Mods

Let's talk about the Elder Scrolls. I started with Daggerfall, and played it many, many times. The sandboxing was a godsend. Then I located Arena. I was a bit frustrated with the older interface and gameplay, but I played through the main quest (with the help of a walk-through when I got stuck). Then along …

On Fan-Made Mods to PC Games: Modding

This is my first time playing Fallout 4. I got the latest version on Steam with all the DLC but haven’t made time to play until now. I’ve waited a long time and as a fan of the series, I’m pretty excited. Before I started I scoured the NexusMods.com site and pulled the most popular …

The Man in the High Castle

I just finished watching season four of this show, and I thought I’d write a post about it. Overall I give it four stars out of five, and recommend you catch it. Especially if you're a younger viewer without a good working knowledge of World War II. But I’ll try to avoid spoilers. First of …

Dave Arneson, and Internet Feuding

Today, October 1st, is Dave Arneson's birthday. He is credited as the co-creator of Dungeons and Dragons. I wrote a post early in September in which I reacted to the resurrection of a very old argument about who contributed more to the creation of D&D, Arneson or Gary Gygax. I was more than a little …

Yeoman Rand, Female Lead of Star Trek

From what I've read, Grace Lee Whitney was hired to play Yeoman Janice Rand as the "female lead" on Star Trek. The female lead! The original concept, Wagon Train to the Stars, had the cast as analogous to the cast of Gunsmoke, and Rand was supposed to be Miss Kitty. She was supposed to provide …

Combat House Rules, 1st ed AD&D

I started a new 1st ed AD&D campaign a few months ago, and I wanted to return to my roots. For my Tekumel campaigns, I had been using a streamlined set of house rules. But for this campaign, with the players' acquiescence, I wanted a grittier experience. So I dug in to my source material …

Tékumel, and Training, for 1st ed AD&D

Ah, training in 1st edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons. I ran it by the book, back in the day. Tons of gold required per week of training, number of weeks dependent on how well you stuck to your alignment. Can’t accumulate additional experience points once you are one point shy of qualifying to train for …

“I’ll Take Game Designers for $500, Alex. Who Were Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson?”

The old argument has re-surfaced online recently. Who deserves more credit for creating Dungeons and Dragons, and thus the modern concept of role-playing games, Gary Gygax or Dave Arneson? Personally, I can’t believe this topic is still floating around today, and I don’t know why anyone cares to argue it. Both men’s names appear on …