The problem isn’t the mechanic. It’s the framing. Rerolls are inherently dramatic — a refusal to accept failure, a desperate second chance — but most games treat them as paperwork. The solution is simple: give rerolls a ritual.

Kobold Press sent me a review copy of The Art of Kobold Press, a book showcasing the artwork used by the company over the course of its lifespan. That gives me the perfect opportunity to recall my connection to RPG art over the years. I was really fortunate to play RPGs in an era when […]

“Everything’s a reboot. There’s nothing original anymore.” Boring statements. Defeatist. Ironically, not even original complaints. “Everything’s a remix.” Punk as hell. Creates opportunities. Empowering. Whether we’re talking about Marvel movies, the latest Disney live-action reboot, or an American remake of a popular foreign film, the idea that we’ve “run out of ideas” runs rampant amongst […]

https://polygamero.us/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/GC_222_Combating-Analaysis-Paralaysis-final.mp3 Join Ang along with Jared and JT as they talk about how to combat analysis paralysis! What do you do when your players get stuck overthinking and overanalyzing things and start dragging the game down! Links: Cyberpunk Legends Kickstarter DM Andy’s Maps Invincible RPG by Free League

Your weapons are more than just damage dice.

NPCs in your RPGs come in all shapes, sizes, purposes, abilities, and reasons. It’s near impossible to enumerate all of the facets of an NPC or why they are in the storyline. Despite the Herculean task before me, I’ve done my best to outline what I think are the basic elements of NPCs in your […]

Every week, I run a game on Sunday evenings. Currently, I am running Blades in the Dark and Neon City Blues on alternating weeks. Every Sunday afternoon, I start my pre-game so that I am ready for game night. What makes up my pre-game changes depending on the game, where it is being played, etc, but […]

https://polygamero.us/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/GC_221_Triffles_final.mp3 Join Ang, Chris and JT as they chat about what to do when your players get fixated on trifling matters that you didn’t intend to matter in the game. Do you make it matter or do you redirect them, and how do you do either of them?!? LINKS: The Streets of Avalon Playtest Viper’s […]

https://polygamero.us/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/GC_221_in_person-v-virtual-final.mp3 Join Ang along with Josh and Jared as they talk about the pros and cons of playing virtually online versus playing in person face-to-face. Listen to them talk about what they love about both ways of playing! LINKS: Coyote & Crow Digital Kickstarter CzePeku 2 Minute Tabletop Tom Cartos Afternoon Maps

Last month, I started a new way to manage the information for my campaigns, and I have been excited about it. Excited enough, that I started doing something that in my 40 years of gaming I have not really done before, that is to have a post-session debrief. It happened by accident, the first time, […]