There’s almost nothing better in the RPG world than getting a proper ending to a campaign’s storyline. It could have been something you’ve really focused on for only a few months, or it could have been a marathon-style campaign that lasted years. Either way, finding a good final tone to your story is very important. […]

I was late jumping on board for Eberron. When 3e Dungeons & Dragons was in full swing, I was busy picking up all of the Forgotten Realms and main product line books, and I couldn’t make any room for a new campaign setting. In fourth edition, I took a look at the setting, in part […]

Join Ang and special guest Laura Hamel for a discussion about running, working for, and attending online conventions. Do these gnomes share enough virtual tabletop savvy to avoid being thrown in the stew? Download: Gnomecast #97 – Online Conventions with Laura Hamel Check out Laura’s Gnome Stew guest article “Taking Your Convention Virtual.” Catch Laura’s […]

There are times when a campaign gets long in the tooth. While the game play might still be enjoyable, there are times when the players and/or GM will get the urge to move on to the next campaign, the next system, or the next idea. It’s a natural progression of things, so if you’re running […]

I never thought I’d ever see “Bob’s Burgers” and jiangshi ever be referenced in the same document, but life has a way of throwing surprises at you. Jiangshi: Blood in the Banquet Hall is a new game up for Kickstarting (follow the link here) until August 14th and it promises to fulfill your diner management […]

*Di’s 7 Swords is a collection of views, opinions, and her overall stance on what elements make good Tabletop RPGs. These are by no means absolute catch-alls, and simply reflect a single person’s beliefs. Table of Contents Preamble [The 1st. Resolution Mechanics Must be Fast] The 2nd. Endless Depth in Customization The 3rd. True Strength […]

Hello and welcome to “Di’s 7 Swords of TRPG Design,” a highly egotistic [proclamation] on Tabletop RPG design and gamemastery. What I mean by this is that I plan to declare my views and opinions on what I believe makes a good game — be it from the design angle or the gamemastery at the […]

The review that I’m writing today came about somewhat out of the blue. When people started discussing alternatives to Dungeons and Dragons, one game was mentioned a lot. Quest is a game about playing archetypal characters in fantasy adventures, with simple rules and a clear variety of options. There are various reasons that people have […]

Recently, WizKids has released several sets of interlocking three-dimensional tiles (called WarLock) that can be used to physically build encounter locations. This is clearly their answer to Dwarven Forge tile sets, and while it isn’t cheap by any stretch of the imagination, it is also very, very cool. TL;DR: if you have the money and […]

Just a warning. This post is a bit less structured than my normal posts and is a bit more stream of consciousness. This topic is something that has been on my mind for a while but not something I have a fix for, so I cannot lay out a structured approach of problem and solution. […]