Campaign Mastery

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 […]

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 […]

Plans & Changes It’s strange how perceptions and plans can change as a project proceeds. This is the third in my series of articles about Prologues (spelt ‘Prologs’ in the US, and in the rest of this text) – but when I started, this was intended to be one single article, something relatively quick that […]

In part 1, I looked at the dictionary definition of Prolog (Prologue if you’re not from the US), and found it inadequate. So I formulated my own, and then took a good hard look at the implications. In a nutshell, used properly, and when appropriate, a Prolog can massively enhance an Adventure, novel, play, or […]

I’ve been re-reading my Knights Of The Dinner Table collection lately, and eventually reached the issue in which Brian discusses just how bad it can be for the players when the GM starts his adventure by putting a prophecy in the heads of the players. What happens, according to this character in the comics, is […]

I was watching a time-shifted repeat of “My Cousin Vinny” the other day. I’ve written of this movie before – some 3 1/2 years ago, in Review Roundup: Three Products Of Interest – and of the impact of the profanity used by several of the principle cast members in their roles. To quote from that […]

A slightly shorter article than usual, this time around, because my available writing time has been compromised by some medical tests ordered by my cardiologist. I’ve had to squeeze in as much writing as possible in advance – so this article was written on Sunday, biting into my weekend to find the necessary time. (Update, […]

I don’t have many pet peeves – technology that suddenly stops working without explanation, or won’t do what you tell it to in a timely fashion are two of the biggies. Computer Gamers and Game Companies describing what they do as “Gaming” as though all other forms of game-playing were irrelevant is another. Computer Gaming […]

Of late, I’ve had to create fantastic creatures for several of my campaigns, and despite the clear and obvious differences between the game systems employed, I found myself struck by a number of similarities in the process employed. When I tried to articulate those similarities for an article here at Campaign Mastery, it refused to […]

Like most article writers, I accumulate ideas that prove to be too small to be a worthwhile post in their own right. Every now and then, I gather these up and compile an assemblage of unrelated miniature articles as a single item. That’s today’s recipe… 1. Surrounding Language English is full of synonyms, words and […]

Character Development for an RPG is unlike it’s analogue in any other medium. That wasn’t always the case; we have learned how to do it the way most GMs and players do it now, the hard way. But I’ve recently become aware of a perception that the modern way is the only way, and that’s […]

When you create an RPG adventure, what’s the first question you should ask? This very issue became a factor when my co-GM and I set about writing Adventure 31 for the Adventurer’s Club Campaign a week or two ago. The First question should not be how you get the PCs involved. It should not be […]