I think it’s important to have an idea of where the game is going at all times.
Genre Police: Approaching Death
So if we were to think about death and injury in our games, I’d hope we can see that there are lots of different ways to work it around.
Genre Police: The Road Winds Ever Onwards
I’m going to take a moment to introduce you to my ‘Blending of Shadows’ campaign and show you how to evolve a game into something new while continuing to keep the throughline of the narrative.
Genre Police: Evolve Or Die
I am sitting in the afterglow of a summer full of blockbuster moments in campaigns, at least one epic ‘Empire Strikes Back’ style campaign ending, and there are few players who are leaving for other things or shuffling which nights they play on.
Survivor’s Guide to the Ascension War
So, you want to play Mage: The Ascension? Makes sense, it’s an amazing world and system!
Genre Police: Passing Down(time)
Last article, I talked about the narrative session structure (‘NSS’ for short), a way of viewing a game session so you can think about pacing in a constructive way.
Genre Police: Making Mistakes
I discussed decoupling narratives and how we can change and challenge stereotypes.
Genre Police: Pacemaker
We’ve never talked about structure when it comes to the nitty gritty of a game; how to build and run a session, how to build and run a campaign.
Genre Police: All Adventurers Welcome
The reason I have done this is that I want people to be able to play characters that look like themselves without resorting to stereotypes – not every person with darker skin has to be from some desert empire.
RPG designer John-Matthew DeFoggi on how a time jump can serve your players and setting
J-M DeFoggi has written and developed for Shadowcraft, 13th Age, and Torg Eternity. Osprey Games published his Jackals: Bronze Age Fantasy Roleplaying and subsequent campaign and lore books, and he is now the Lead Developer at Strange Owl Games.