Archive for the ‘Tools & Techniques’ Category

The Hole We Leave Behind

Shane Warne was one of the greatest cricketers since the game began. His specialty was Leg Spin, which involves using your fingers during the delivery process to get the ball to spin so that it curves through the air, and when it bounces off the pitch, it ‘turns’ to one side or the other – […]

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The Emergent Properties Of Simulated Unreality

Not long ago, I saw a game result that bucked the established trend in outcomes, a potent reminder of the unpredictability of sports. After losing the first four games of a five-game series against Australia (T20 International Cricket), the Sri Lanka team posted a comprehensive win to salvage some pride and deflate Australian egos just […]

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Blind Alleys and Lost Treasures

I spent most of my Sunday evening trying to put together a submission for this month’s Blog Carnival. It’s been a while since I was last inspired to create a submission – way back in June of last year, in fact. Blind Alley I The first thing you notice when you scroll to the bottom of […]

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Image Compositing Project No 3, a Blue Monkey

This entry is part 4 of 4 in the series Image Compositing for RPGs

In the first part of this series, I detailed the compositing modes that I use most frequently, along with a few other hints and techniques. The second part showed project number 1, taking a black and white photograph (grayscale) and adding unconventional colors to transform the image into a blue-skinned alien on some strange other […]

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Image Compositing for RPGs: Project No 2

This entry is part 3 of 4 in the series Image Compositing for RPGs

In the first part of this series, I detailed the compositing modes that I use most frequently, along with a few other hints and techniques. The second part detailed project number 1, taking a black and white photograph (grayscale) and adding unconventional colors to transform the image into a blue-skinned alien on some strange other […]

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Image Compositing for RPGs: Project No 1

This entry is part 2 of 4 in the series Image Compositing for RPGs

Last time, in part 1 of what has now become a series (more on that in a moment), I demonstrated the composite modes that I use most frequently, and some of what I can do with them. But the rule zero of image editing is to always have an objective, a purpose, in mind – […]

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Image Compositing for RPGs, Part 1: Basics & Tools

This entry is part 1 of 4 in the series Image Compositing for RPGs

A picture, it is said, is worth 1,000 words. Sometimes, it’s worth more than that. In an earlier post, I posited that the GM should make darned sure that he gets a full thousand-words-worth out of an image if he is going to spend serious time editing it. Past posts on image construction and editing […]

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15 ways to Un-curse the Infodump

Information Dumps, better known as Infodumps, are a necessary evil in every RPG from time to time. Creating and delivering one is a little like trying to feed vegetables to a child – you get the occasional good experience but it’s more often an uphill struggle. I describe them as a necessary evil because they […]

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A Long Road – Zenith-3 Notes for all Pt 3

This entry is part 3 of 3 in the series Zenith-3 synopsis & notes

This is the third, longest (53,566 words!), and final part of my review / demonstration of the “Tangled Web” campaign sub-structure. I’m going to presume that you’ve already read part two, which you can find at this link and dive straight in right where I left off. And, if you haven’t gotten in on the […]

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Layering Depth Into Encounters

A relatively short and focused article today, designed to give me the maximum running room to get the final part of the ongoing Long Road series out the door. Adding Layers To Encounters Imagine that the PCs are in the middle of a fight, battling a non-sentient creature. It’s been a knock-down drag-out affair that […]

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Budgeting For GMs (and others)

Today I’m going to attempt to make the world’s most boring subject – How I Manage My Money – sexy. No, that’s going too far. I’ll settle for interesting. That might be asking too much, too – but there is RPG Relevance to the subject. The goal will be to not make it boring, and […]

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Old Words, New Directions

999! This is my 999th post at Campaign Mastery! Next week, four figures, a landmark achievement and one that I am quite proud of reaching! Old Words Today’s article is all about looking back, which is a natural thing to do when you approach any milestone. And yet, the connection with the currently-imminent landmark is […]

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