What follows is how I prepared the May 24th D&D Next playtest materials for play as DM: how I "unboxed" the adventure.

First, the Bestiary.
I appreciate that paragraphs (namely, the Legend and Lore ones) are given to aspects of evil humanoid cultures other than how inhumane or what flavor of jerk they are. The goblins' somewhat tragic underdog niche, the hobgoblins' discipline and devotion, and orcs' superstition were fun to read and role-play. These humanoids were undeniably unsympathetic and brutish, but they also had a story as people, they weren't XP-bag bogeys that only lived to die on the end of a sword.

This aspect of them was necessary to make Caves of Chaos as flexible as it was; the group I DMed actually allied with the goblins and then hobgoblins and coordinated raids with them ...

I'm looking to make a RPG based system of gameplay, for Magic the Gathering.
Unfortunately, I have no idea how to go about it. So far all I have in mind is some sort of leveling system, and rewards for completeing task's. (or as I would like to reffer to them "gambles".) Before each round every player must make at least one "gamble", but cannot excede three gambles per round. For example, I might pick something along the lines of "I must destroy 6 creatures using instants or sorcery's in the round." And if I completed the task then I would recieve a bonus. Which would result in a much higher (or slightly higher) reward of "cp" which are points that I could spend on Perks or extra points for my deck (I will explain the points in a bit) or a higher starting life total. Each LVL 1 player would...

I've been working on-and-off for the past few years on a secret project that can now be revealed to the world: Jeffrey Thomas' Lovecraftian sci-fi setting known as Punktown is on track to be published as a Call of Cthulhu-compatible role-playing game by Miskatonic River Press in 2013.

www.examiner.com/article/introducing-pun...

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Discovered RPG Stackexchange the other day via Obsidian Portal's Hate podcast.

Now, I haven't used Reddit much at all, but from what little I do know RPG Stackexchange is a lot like Reddit, just for RPG stuff.  People post questions, those questions get ranked higher (or lower) by other users, and people post anwers (which are also ranked higher or lower).

There's also a reputation system in place. Users cannot vote posts up or down until they have a certain level of reputation. And that reputation only increases if you ask good questions and give good answers. 

When thinking back at fond memories of playing Dungeons & Dragons, I almost always recall sessions and situations where a greater goal was completed. The moments that have stuck the most in my head are the ones where the group completed a quest/mission that had meaning, and ultimately smoothed out the rough edges of a longer story. I bring this up because as I journey through my own personal goal of becoming a better game designer, I want to find ways that provide for this experience in a more meaningful way.

Around the time that I started work on Monster Vault : Threats to the Nentir Vale in 2010, I was exploring the more philosophical foundations of RPG design principles. What I had learned from mentors and experience alike, is that exploration and discovery are just as important (if

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I have been engaging with some D&D regulars on Twitter over the possible outcomes of adventures and their story. In many regards, a lot of adventures and plots usually climax with a rigorous fight—one where success is contingent upon slaying the antagonist. But what if you want something more dynamic than that? What if success and failure revolved around something less defined? Let’s delve into this and more.


Image from SlyFlourish.com. Artist: Jared Von Hindman

I’ll be honest. In 1988, when my older brother first introduced me to Dungeons & Dragons, I was captivated by the idea of kicking butt with a sword, and slaying foul beasts with my physical might. Back then; I was a snot-nosed little kid that was inspired by movies like the Labyrinth, The Dark Crystal, and Willow.

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I am trying to figure out what I want to do for this group, I am at a crossroads of sorts and I am not sure the direction I want to go. My first instinct is to end it right now and part ways. It is hard to put down exactly where I am at on this, last week I feel like I cheated everyone and myself on trying to put an end to the game.

You should always trust your first instinct

The concept of being trapped in the shadowfell was interesting, Having Ronin back was a perk because while there had been a plan of removing him from the game originally bringing him back was cool but was a bit wasted in the fact that Kat was not there to play Luusi. The emotional impact was not there and that frustraited me to no end, this is not me saying I was mad Kat was not there, it is more of saying I planned ...

This blog post origionally appeared on my blog at www.risingphoenixgames.com/blog/. You can go there to read more on this topic.

The Japanese sword known as the katana is a symbol of a time, a people and of beautiful yet deadly efficiency. Let’s rip open what makes the katana such a remarkable weapon, explore the essence and myth that surrounds it and slice a path to inspire more depth from this weapon in your own role-playing campaign.

 

The History

The katana was the traditional sword of the samurai. It developed from the tachi sword, which is similar but worn with the cutting edge down, while the katana was worn with the cutting edge up, and could be kept tucked in the sash (obi) around a samurai’s waist. The katana could be quickly drawn and a deadly cut made

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