I'm Noel, a computer science PhD and GM who clutches fiercely to his vaunted seat at the table. This is my space for hacking away at my corner of the RPG hob...
Today, in conversation with mandy brown , I realized that prepping slides is neither fun for me nor for my students, but I do it because it's expected. My best classes have been filled with activities, worksheets, and interaction with students 1 . This kind of class prep is way more fun for me than fighting with PowerPoint/Keynote 2 . I think prep for RPGs should be the same. I have been seeking…
One of my favorite GMless games is i'm sorry did you say street magic , largely because of the following rule: A true name: Every Neighborhood has a magic all its own. To confer a true name, come up with two or three descriptive, sensory images that paint a clear picture of the Neighborhood in your mind. Write these at the bottom of the card. True names can be tactile details of the space, but…
I've been reading a lot of Alfred Adler 's psychology/philosophy recently, and it has inspired the following rule: Am I posting to demonstrate that I am better than someone else? If so, don't.
When running an RPG, I often improvise details about the world. And, it is then often true that these details do not make any sense. For example, in a recent Stonetop session, I mentioned that a Hillfolk band the PCs were approaching weren't guarding their approach. That did not make any sense, but instead of retcon, I paused and asked, "wait, why?" The answer, after consulting the setting guide,…
I ran a Stonetop session today where I decided an old Hillfolk woman wanted Blodwyn (a PC) to drop the Twisted Spear on the ground. The woman needed this before her Hillfolk group, the Blue Badger Band, would help hunt a monster that had penned them into their camp. Blodwyn did not like this. She sees herself as the rightful wielder of this potent artifact and had, moments before, declared that…
I am answering the call of [rolls] Pris's Random Blogwagon . I rolled a critical fail so I have to write it right now. I am supposed to write [roll] 2d6 paragraphs [rolls again], which means 9 in practice, based on [3 of Spades] Phlox's blog, from which I chose a random article . In the spirit of Phlox's blog, here are 8 more paragraphs of immediately-written Triangle Agency locations that could…
I continue to work on Triangle U, but it's slow going! As a creative warmup, I'm going to try writing microfiction in the Triangle U setting before I get started on the actual work of the day. This may or may not contain spoilers. I'm not even sure what that would mean, but it feels worth saying. "Ok, let's try that one more time." Everest picked up the stylus, tracing blue lines into the air.…
An unedited creativity exercise, borrowed from Throne of Salt . Enjoy! Comprehension and Deconstruction Going Postal Moist von Lipwig Con artist Strangely trustworthy Hard to recognize Occupation: Postmaster History of white-collar crime Connection: Adorabelle Connection: Lord Vetinari Connection: Mr. Pump The Post Office building Adorabelle Dearheart Connection: Mr. Pump Connection: The Golem…
I have been running Triangle Agency 1 for the past year. This game requires Mission-focused prep: the players receive Missions from the Agency and then they perform those Missions. When I write a Triangle Agency Mission, I write dense interconnected Missions linked to a central Focus 2 ; these Missions focus on detailed NPCs with a strong social context and easily-playable traits (along with more…
The Black-Blood God promised Senator Johnson that, in exchange for extracting more fossils fuels from the Tennessee hills, it would save Senator Johnson's wife from lung cancer. After all, it knows the disease well, having been awoken from its slumber by the deepest coal mining delves. The demon wanted domination. It planned to use the state senator as an avatar, puppeting his body to advance its…