Campaign Mastery

World-building through an exotic cuisine technique, it’s easier than you might think – AND more effective. This post is one of those ideas that comes to you out of nowhere but, as you’ll see, as a technique, it’s worth sharing. One of the hardest things to do is to convey a sense of the action […]

In this post, a tool for integrating a character’s evolving personality into their past and backstory. Works in all genres. Wow, but this post is late. The main reason for that is the Worksheets that I’ve linked to later in the article – the article itself was 90% complete last Sunday Night. These took four […]

A process for designing & constructing big or complex things, from spells to magic items, castles to space stations, industrial processes to political campaigns, new chemistries to better TVs and AC systems, using something every RPG already has. The real world caught up with me somewhat in the course of writing this article – I […]

A ‘Power Skill’ measures how adept a character is at pushing an ability beyond its normal limits. These are rules for handling them, from my Zenith-3 System, and adapting them to other game systems, permitting their application to D&D class abilities and Feats and so on. Useful in any genre with unusual abilities. What Is […]

What is a Fairy Colony, and why should you never annoy one? Or attack one? I didn’t want to go full “Fey” so I came up with something different… In the Zenith-3 superhero campaign, there’s a Fairy Colony at the bottom of their back yard. It was placed there years ago (real time) but until […]

This post continues the text of Part 5 of Chapter 5. Its content has been added to the parent post here and the Table of contents updated. 5.8.1.5 Blended Models In general, the rule is one zone, one model. In fact, as a general rule, your goal should be one Kingdom, one model – that […]

This post continues the text of Part 5 of Chapter 5. Its content has been added to the parent post here and the Table of contents updated. I have decided at the last minute to let the featured image (but not the head image) evolve with each post. 5.8.1 Villages The village is the fundamental […]

We’ve used the economy to distribute fortifications, and used those to locate inns. Now let’s wrap some communities around them. Table Of Contents In parts 1-3 of this chapter: Chapter 5: Land Transport 5.1 Distance, Time, & Detriments 5.1.1 Time Vs Distance 5.1.2 Defining a terrain / region / locality      5.1.2.1 Road Quality: An introductory […]

Today, Part 4b of the Topologia campaign completes exploration of the Ironbarb Crags and their many wonders. The Ironbarb Crags (Volcanic Wasteland) – (continued) The base image is colorful-grand-prismatic-spring-3864377.jpg by Mike Goad. I replaced the trees in the original with extracts from the Bryce Canyon photo that I used in the previous post, by Pexels […]

Today, Part 4a of the Topologia campaign explores the wonders – and terrors – of the Ironbarb Crags (part 1 of 2). Having bought myself an extra week to get it finished, I’ve decided that I really need to split this in two so that I’ve got the second part in my pocket. Why? Because […]

With the economic foundations sorted, this part gets back to the distribution of fortifications, defensive networks, and Inns. Table Of Contents In part 1: Chapter 5: Land Transport 5.1 Distance, Time, & Detriments 5.1.1 Time Vs Distance 5.1.2 Defining a terrain / region / locality      5.1.2.1 Road Quality: An introductory mention 5.2 Terrain 5.2.0 Terrain […]

A quick post today about GMs seeking validation plus one or more bonus topics, number depending on time. 1. Keep Your Ace Up Your Sleeve What’s the biggest metagaming mistake you’ve ever made outside of anything approaching a plot train? Let me tell you mine. The scenario was over, and it hadn’t gone according to […]