Category: RPG Pen & Paper

There is a perception that all RPGs lie somewhere on a spectrum. At one end there are games which attempt to simulate a world and the player is bound by the rules of that simulation – e.g. the character starts

A critical component of good game design is how the game’s mechanics mesh with the game’s narrative. If the these elements do not align the player’s ability to suspend disbelief is challenged. For example, most games have mechanics which allow

Fate True prophecies involve predetermination, a fixed time-line or gods of fate ensuring things happen. Which means the prophecy will be fulfilled regardless of what the characters do. As railroading the players this much is something most GMs avoid, adventures

There is an almost universal trope in tabletop RPGs that a player (other the GM) only has narrative control of their own character. That is, they have very little ability to create and define parts of the world – the

Why The GM Is Forced To Bribe Players A typical RPG plot involves the party arriving in town and being approached by NPC A because NPC B has been kidnapped by NPC C. The typical response by players to this

The split between traditional and story gaming. Murdering The Plot A while ago I ran our whodunit adventure Mince Pies & Murder for the Indie+ team, gamers who are heavily into games such as Apocalypse World and Fate. These are

Four key reasons why story telling in RPGs is fundamentally different from other media. RPGs Are A Collective & Social Activity The great story telling media – oral, prose, verse, stage and screen – all have one thing in common.

Stories are defined by a basic structure – a skeleton on which the flesh of creativity can be added. The Arrow of Time In Star Trek (the original series) the crew and ship were identical in all regards at the

A bad story will always cause player frustration. A Long Time Ago After the arrival of a new pack drove them from their familiar patch of forest, Ug, Krg and their offspring find themselves in unfamiliar jungle. Hungrily they begin

Why do we care about some games and not others? What Does Caring Mean? Simple answer: Investment The death of a loved one makes us sad because we have invested grey matter in that person. Our brains develop neurons dedicated