A Review of the GODS TTRPG
Arkhane Asylum’s GODS follows a path less taken.
Stoicism and the Art of Gamemastering
The Stoic philosophers have something to say about players destroying the best-laid plans of gamemasters.
Choosing A Published Campaign Setting
It can be easy to get excited about a new published setting, but it pays to evaluate it before bringing it to the table.
What is Setting First?
There is no One True Way to play tabletop RPGs, but Setting First is oriented around three particular approaches to play.
Overview of a Long Campaign
Eighty-two sessions into a Degenesis campaign, I reflect on how I’ve run the game so far, what my players and I have learned, and what the game has given us.
After Play Review of Paleomythic
Paleomythic combines tight, elegant mechanics, clever character differentiation, and just enough but not too much worldbuilding.
On the Arcane Nature of Tabletop RPG Books
Why is it that there is no moral panic about computer RPGs in the way that there was in the early days of tabletop roleplaying?
Games Without Frontiers: Running A Long-Distance FRP Campaign
Before the Internet gave us the pleasure and torture of instant connectivity, I ran many an adventure with the help of the US Postal Service.
In Praise of Human Artistry
There are some things a human artist can provide that AI tools just can’t match.
You and Your Characters Need Status
As GMs and players, we can use status to inform the creation of NPCs and PCs.
The Once and Future Twilight: 2000
The new Twilight: 2000 seems to be tailor made for me, but I do wonder when I’ll get to run it.
In Praise of Informed Subjectivity
Give me a subjective review based on actual play, not another faux-objective review based on just reading the rules.
Gamemaster Goodies from UJ
Posts on TTRPG worldbuilding, managing campaigns, running sessions, and thoughts on tabletop roleplaying as a hobby.
Setting, Indie Games, Art, and Mental Health
Why are we drawn to play tabletop RPGs, what can we learn from Guillermo Del Toro, and how do roleplaying games boost our mental health?
The Jumbo Shrimp Rule
Just like our world, a tabletop RPG campaign won’t feel real without a few absurdities.
Verisimilitude & Violence
My understanding of believability in roleplaying games, particularly with regard to violence, has shifted over the years.
Eclipse Phase Remixes the Future
The Eclipse Phase setting can prompt thoughtful gamers to explore their assumptions about political, social, and economic structures in a context of wild adventure.
Murdering the Alternatives
On the benefits of making room in my life for tabletop roleplaying by eliminating something else.
Misadventures in System Selection
How to not pick a game system that fits your favorite setting, and how to do it right.
Foundational TTRPG Settings
There’s a reason tabletop RPG settings that offer a breadth of possibilities are so popular.