How to Start A Long Campaign
In this day and age, it may seem too difficult to get a campaign going. But there are ways to make it work, and it can really be worth the effort.
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Tabletop Roleplaying Kicks Ass
Tabletop roleplaying occupies a unique and valuable spot in a culture that is increasingly bland and predictable.
Yes, You Can Limit Player Character Options
As a game master, it's OK to reduce player agency. It can lead to some amazing tabletop roleplaying experiences – you just have to do it the right way.
Delta Green for Players
Delta Green PCs are not like those in D&D and other tabletop RPGs. What motivates them? What do you as a player want to keep in mind as you build out and play your character?
Foundational Setting: Glorantha
I published this video in September, 2025, and am finally putting it in blog form for those who prefer to read. Like Burger King, here at Setting First, we let you have it your way. Watch it or read it, as your preferences dictate: Glorantha, the setting for Chaosium’s
Foundational Setting: Eclipse Phase
You'll never run out of possibilities with Eclipse Phase. Here’s why it is a foundational setting that can provide years worth of adventure.
Foundational Setting: Degenesis
The post-post-apocalyptic tabletop RPG Degenesis provides a foundational setting, the kind that's deep, broad, and made for Setting First play.
Worldbuilding Through Dialogue
In making a tabletop RPG setting come to life, how characters talk isn’t discussed all that much. So let’s discuss it.
Trust in Post-Apocalyptic Campaigns
Post-apocalypse settings vary widely, but the matter of who characters trust is always important.
Low-Stress Community-Building
Throwing people together into a game is not always the best way to build a gaming community. Socializing in a no-pressure environment is a great alternative.
Stretching A Licensed Setting
How your campaign interacts with canon is important, but there are other ways to think about licensed settings.
Post-Apocalypse Verisimilitude
Before you build out plans for your post-apocalyptic campaign, think about what you want from it.
gamemastering
The Individual v. The Collective
What does a player character do when they have to choose between what is right and what is expected of them?
games
A Review of the GODS TTRPG
Arkhane Asylum's GODS follows a path less taken.
gamemastering
Stoicism & The Art of Gamemastering
The Stoic philosophers have something to say about players destroying the best-laid plans of gamemasters.
settings
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.
brain food
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.
settings
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.
games
After Play Review: Paleomythic
Paleomythic combines tight, elegant mechanics, clever character differentiation, and just enough but not too much worldbuilding.
brain food
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?
brain food
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.
brain food
In Praise of Human Artistry
There are some things a human artist can provide that AI tools just can’t match.
brain food
You and Your Characters Need Status
As GMs and players, we can use our understanding of the role of status to inform the creation of NPCs and PCs.
games
The Once & 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.