Posts Tagged ‘RPG-Theory’

Time And The Everyday Adventurer

There is no standardized, consistent, approach to how long it should take to do things in an RPG. It’s time that changed. A strongly-related question is how long is a skill roll good for, before a new roll is required. I was musing about what to write for this week’s post when I saw something […]

Leave a Comment

Big Mysteries, Small Mysteries PLUS!

I’ve been fortunate enough to write a number of very well-regarded articles on how to run mysteries in RPGs. There was The Butler Did It: Mystery Plotlines in RPGs (even WOTC linked to this one), The Jar Of Jam and The Wounded Monarch: Two Mystery Examples, which builds on the earlier article, Delving Deeper Into […]

Comments Off on Big Mysteries, Small Mysteries PLUS!

To Roll Or Not To Roll, pt 2

Concluding Campaign Mastery’s contribution to the December Blog Carnival hosted by Rising Phoenix Games is on the subject of “No Dice“. In Part 1, I looked at why we roll dice for various things in RPGs and what these die rolls are attempting to simulate in game-world terms. In a nutshell, the dice represent all […]

Comments Off on To Roll Or Not To Roll, pt 2

To Roll Or Not To Roll, pt 1

The December Blog Carnival by Rising Phoenix Games is on the subject of “No Dice“. This is the beginning of Campaign Mastery’s contribution to the subject. There are times when it can be useful to the GM and his simulation of reality not to require a roll for something. This article is going to explore […]

Comments Off on To Roll Or Not To Roll, pt 1

Chances Are: Lessons in Probability

I hadn’t intended to publish another math-heavy article so soon, but when the muse strikes you have to follow it… To be a top-class GM, you need to have an almost instinctive understanding of probability. Such understanding rarely comes naturally; you have to work at it, exploring different ways of looking at odds and outcomes. […]

Comments Off on Chances Are: Lessons in Probability

The Atomic Theory of RPGs

When I studied Chemistry in Secondary School (which, when I started, was known more commonly as “High School”), we started with the Dalton Model of Atomic Structure, of atoms as fundamental units of matter that could not be subdivided, and then moved on to the Thompson “Plum Pudding” model. In essence, this describes a negatively-charged […]

Comments Off on The Atomic Theory of RPGs

The Meta-Physics Of Magic

(originally titled ‘Flowing Mana and other arcane concepts’) Today, I thought I would share with you a few concepts from my superhero campaign that relate to the “science” of how magic works. I’ve addressed the circumstances under which these were presented in-play in an earlier post; this is more about delivering the high-concept ideas themselves […]

Comments Off on The Meta-Physics Of Magic

The Sixes System Pt 6: Doing More Things

This entry is part 7 in the series The Sixes System

0. Fundamentals (repeated for all posts:) — The Sixes System is a minimalist game system suitable for any and all genres. — It has been used in my Dr Who campaign since September 2014, which has just come to a successful conclusion. — Characters are constructed using a point-buy methodology with NPCs generatable using die rolls […]

Comments Off on The Sixes System Pt 6: Doing More Things

The Sixes System Pt 5: Campaign Infrastructure

This entry is part 6 in the series The Sixes System

0. Fundamentals (repeated for all posts:) — The Sixes System is a minimalist game system suitable for any and all genres. — It has been used in my Dr Who campaign since September 2014, which has just come to a successful conclusion. — Characters are constructed using a point-buy methodology with NPCs generatable using die rolls […]

Comments Off on The Sixes System Pt 5: Campaign Infrastructure

The Sixes System Pt 4: Doing Things 2

This entry is part 5 in the series The Sixes System

0. Fundamentals (repeated for all posts:) — The Sixes System has been used in my Dr Who campaign since September 2014, and has just come to a successful conclusion. — Characters are constructed using a point-buy methodology with NPCs generatable using die rolls for speed. — Success or Failure on tasks is determined by adding dice […]

Comments Off on The Sixes System Pt 4: Doing Things 2

The Sixes System Pt 3: Doing Things 1

This entry is part 4 in the series The Sixes System

0. Fundamentals (repeated for all posts:) — The Sixes System has been used in my Dr Who campaign since September 2014, and has just come to a successful conclusion. — Characters are constructed using a point-buy methodology with NPCs generatable using die rolls for speed. — Success or Failure on tasks is determined by adding dice […]

Comments Off on The Sixes System Pt 3: Doing Things 1

The Sixes System Pt 2: Education, Abilities, and Tools

This entry is part 3 in the series The Sixes System

0. Fundamentals (repeated for all posts:) — The Sixes System has been used in my Dr Who campaign since September 2014, and has just come to a successful conclusion. — Characters are constructed using a point-buy methodology with NPCs generatable using die rolls for speed. — Success or Failure on tasks is determined by adding dice […]

Comments Off on The Sixes System Pt 2: Education, Abilities, and Tools