Tales from the RPG trenches are stories, anecdotes and reflections inspired by actual events in my 45+ years of playing roleplaying games. When I finally went to see Hamilton, I think I was the last person in the continental United … Continue reading →
I appreciate the game masters who can run ornate online games. With maps all ready, and character tokens, and even images to go with prominent non-player characters. I’ve gotten to play in a few such games now, since the beginning … Continue reading →
Right now I’m playing a halfling thief in a Shadowdark campaign, and today was a session worth talking about. Now Shadowdark is a new roleplaying game. So new, in fact, that the paper edition isn’t out yet. But my game … Continue reading →
I don’t know why I’m thinking of this. Back when I was in grade school – in the 70s for those of you keeping track – I didn’t fit in with the other kids all that well. I was the … Continue reading →
No, that’s not a typo for Necronomicon. I suspect it was an attempt to cash in on the Lovecraft reference without the risk of Chaosium coming after them, since Chaosium had the exclusive license to produce RPG material involving the … Continue reading →
Sometimes I miss Advanced Dungeons and Dragons. Technically I mean the second edition, but when it was released I don’t remember anyone differentiating between first and second editions. It was the new edition and everyone I knew made the change. … Continue reading →
Back in the early 1980’s, there was no Open Gaming License. If anyone wanted to publish a sourcebook for Advanced Dungeons and Dragons, they had to license it with TSR. Well, in theory, anyway. In practice, third-party companies put out … Continue reading →
I have a fondness for obscure books and games. In these posts I’ll talk about some of them. What the Hell Is That? It Came from the Late, Late, Late Show, published way back in 1989, is a roleplaying game … Continue reading →
I have mixed feelings about orcs. I love fantasy. I love to read it and I love to write it. But when I’m reading a fantasy novel and I come across orcs – or an obvious analog – I sigh. … Continue reading →
I might need some more dice. What do you think? I come from the old school of role-playing gamers. I got my start in the mid-70’s with Dungeons and Dragons and branched out enough that through the early 90’s I … Continue reading →