Archive for the ‘Tools & Techniques’ Category

Trade In Fantasy Ch. 5: Land Transport, Pt 5b

This entry is part 20 of 20 in the series Trade In Fantasy

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 […]

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Trade In Fantasy Ch. 5: Land Transport, Pt 5a

This entry is part 19 of 20 in the series Trade In Fantasy

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 […]

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Trade In Fantasy Ch. 5: Land Transport, Pt 5 (incomplete)

This entry is part 18 of 20 in the series Trade In Fantasy

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 […]

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Once We Were Heroes and the AI Controversy

This post is a review of Once We Were Heroes by Fool Moon Productions, which uses art that’s AI-Generated. So I’ve had to set some ground rules. This post features AI-generated art. If you object to that art or its use, you can click on This Link to read a plaintext version of the article. […]

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Once We Were Heroes and the AI Controversy – AI Redacted

This post is a review of Once We Were Heroes by Fool Moon Productions, which uses art that’s AI-Generated. So I’ve had to set some ground rules. As the owner/operator of Campaign Mastery, I have spent a lot of time thinking about what the site’s policy should be with respect to art by Generative AI, […]

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Campaign Creation Through Iteration

Iteration is one of the most useful campaign planning tools I can think of. This article demonstrates the technique and why it should be your favorite, too. It’s been a while since I wrote about iteration and how to use it – in fact, the last time it was the focus of attention was, (I […]

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Expectations and Promises, Real and Imagined

We all have expectations when we belly up to the game table. Sometimes, the GM delivers on promises both real and implied, and sometimes those expectations were never realistic in the first place. After struggling with the most recent installment of the Topologia game setting (it really should have been three parts, maybe 4, but […]

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Out Of The Blue: Thinking about Thinking

Can thoughts pass from one dimension or reality to another? In the real world, no, so far as we know, but the realities our games create have no such limitations – so let’s examine the concept further. Certainly, it can seem that way when a radical concept floats into your head, seemingly from nowhere. In […]

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Auto-update and the RPG

A rant about Auto-updating software leads into a discussion about how updates to source material and game systems impacts RPGs at various levels. I hate Auto-update I hate auto-update. There, I’ve said it. The reasons are many, and I’ll look into them individually below, but for me, it’s a colossal pain in the backside with […]

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Trade In Fantasy Ch. 5: Land Transport, Pt 4

This entry is part 17 of 20 in the series Trade In Fantasy

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 […]

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Keep Your Ace Up Your Sleeve (plus 4 more)

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 […]

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Trade In Fantasy Ch. 5: Land Transport, Pt 3

This entry is part 16 of 20 in the series Trade In Fantasy

While working on the subject of population and its distribution, I stumbled onto a method of using a Realm’s economics for worldbuilding and history generation. Originally subordinated to the main thread, I’ve decided to break it out into it’s own post. Note that the unfinished part that’s been set aside for the next post is […]

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