Hello. My name is Jared. This is my blog, where I intend to put things that I write. Here's some things that I'm likely to work on and post about here: A...
There sure are a lot of RPG books out there these days. Like most things, most of them aren't very good. Here's a quick and simple method for deciding if a book is worth your time and potentially a portion of your limited shelf space. Run them through... The Gauntlet There are five categories, and a total of six possible stars. The categories are of necessity a bit loose, but they serve. They are…
A strip of sparse atolls and archipelagos run around the equator—the rest of the planet is open ocean. One of the largest islands holds Hadoga City, which houses nearly the entire permanent population. Flora and fauna are sparse on land, largely replaced by meager off-world crops and livestock. All the native biodiversity exists in the water. The main industries on Hadoga revolve around oil.…
I am a long-time admirer of Talislanta , though I've never yet run it or played it. We'll discuss some of the reasons for that later; for now, understand that I was quite excited and somewhat trepidatious when Everything Epic (a company I've never heard of) announced a new edition, the sixth, on one crowdfunder or another a couple of years ago. It took some research and soul-searching for me to…
Chilly and dry. 1-3. 2d6 mindless thralls (HD 1), doing chores. 4-5. 1d10 giant bats. 6. A lion, pet of Isaac Davirin (Room 4). A warm fireplace, and plush furniture. Five vile nuns (HD 2, 3 spells/day) sit drinking tea. They hiss at strangers and demand explanation. A dark library. Among dense historical codices, three random spells (1d6 turns to find each). The Butcher (HD 6, cleaver) performs…
First you need a map. Go use watabou's generator . Turn off the notes and objects and stuff, you just need the rooms. Make it smaller than you think you should—fewer rooms, I mean—players always find dead trails to follow. If this is your first dungeon, shoot for maybe ten or twelve rooms. Print it out or something. Ask yourself, "What is this place like, in general?" Think of one or two broad…
Dark and frozen. 1d6 Encounter 1-3. It snows for 2d6 turns. 4-5. 1d6 neanderthals (HD 1). 6. Xidius the Grave (M-U 4) and 1d4 snow golem servitors (HD 2). A frozen river bisects this floor. Walls crumble where it passes. A statue of a polar bear standing upright. A plaque reads, "His Majesty King Hector IV." A dire snow fox mother (HD 3) and her litter of seven kits (HD 1). Their pelts are…
Principles: As few words as possible, as many words as necessary. No passive voice. No bold keywords. No bullets unless completely necessary. Conditionals belong in present tense. Take your time, there's no rush. Use a period first. Consistency is king. Novelty is the enemy of clarity. Sentences, paragraphs. Stay in the fiction (keep the mechanical bits minimal and separate). Write to be read. Do…
With Micah Anderson. And he said to them: I saw Satan like lightning falling from heaven. Hexes require a week of travel to cross on foot. The map wraps around itself in all three directions. Check for random encounters each day. Characters are dead. They hunger but require no food, they thirst but require no drink. They have no HP, and they cannot die because they are dead. When a character takes…
Dim and quiet. 1d6 Random Encounter 1-3. 1d6 Undox Cultists (HD 1). They know if you've stolen from Crazy Croc. 4-5. A kobold (HD 1), dragging a sack of junk toward Crazy Croc's (room 1). 6. A thief (HD 2), casing you. A mindless, clockwork crocodile bolted to the floor. It shouts, "Welcome to Crazy Croc's Discount Boutique! What can I do you for?" Pick any item from piles of junk and he shouts…