The Virtues of an Epic Failure: Really Critty Stories
On April 17, Nerdarchy released a video about Critical Failures and why to use them.
Spelljammer ship combat primer for 5E D&D
You can’t throw a d20 in 2017 without hitting a space fantasy RPG. Tabletop gamers looking to combine swords and sorcery with science and starships can take their pick of several products hitting the market this year. Starfinder utilizes the Pathfinder engine to explore fantasy...
Gaming Within a Relationship
Well … it happened. I got to introduce someone I was in a relationship with to a table top roleplaying game I was involved in. I have actually done this several times, and have witnessed it from others. In my years I have actually learned a few things from what I have done right and what I have done wrong. Now I have no claim to be a relationship expert, or a love guru, but I do have a road map pointing out a few pot holes on this rather hazardous road. Some things here are from my experience, some are from those gathered from other gamers. Let’s delve into a few things shall we?
Evil is a Spectrum
There is oh, so much talk floating around about evil characters and good characters in tabletop RPGs and how you should or shouldn’t mix them in parties. Every time you get people together talking about Dungeons & Dragons, this is something that’s going to come...
RPG Designing with Purpose
Star-Lord (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
In my previous article, I talked about the pitfalls we fall into when creating character concepts, or more specifically how we overcomplicate the process. That got me to thinking about another side of it. Why are we adding to the game? What’s our endgame? Are we adding to the story, or introducing a mechanic? Or, are we just tacking something on?
What you can learn from your RPG characters
Tabletop roleplaying games afford players amazing opportunities. Through the characters and worlds we imagine at the gaming table, we create adventures and stories filled with heroism, villainy, danger, humor, drama, action and intrigue. Through game play we surprise ourselves through improvisation and collaboration, letting our shared stories twist and turn and carry us along. Through our characters’ actions, we affect the imaginary world and have an impact.
We invest something of ourselves into our characters. Players might portray characters who are exaggerated or ideal versions of themselves, or one aspect of themselves. Conversely, they can explore personalities, philosophies or lifestyles vastly different than their own. In a similar way, GMs create and run adventures that satisfy (sometimes intangible) goals and interests, populating the game environment with people, places and things – and monsters! – that appeal to those goals.
Top 10 Things I Hate As A Gamer
Alright, it is personal gripe time as I have a a few things that are on my grey matter in light of a few friends of mine complaining to me. Here is my top 10 things I hate as a tabletop RPG gamer. This may be things the players do, or just things I hate to do in general. This is not to say this list (done in no particular order) won’t work for another table, or that they are inherently wrong, but that they get my goat when I see them. I highly encourage constructive advice and learning of your gripes in the comment section below. Let’s jump in, shall we?
Critter Compendium brings D&D monsters of the past into the present, with creative new creatures
Critter Compendium by Tobias Beis is a collection of monsters for 5th edition Dungeons & Dragons, available now as a PDF through the Dungeon Masters Guild for $15. The hefty book presents a wide variety and number of creatures from earlier D&D editions converted to the current ruleset, along with original creations that includes artwork by the author. With 135 entries and appendices describing additional creatures and templates, Critter Compendium has enough creatures to populate several campaigns across the whole gamut of challenge ratings.
Five Life Lessons Learned From Gaming
A group of role playing gamers enjoying a night session. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
There’s no lie that we nerds have our own little niche subculture. Get a couple of us together and we will just start geeking out and enthusing about things we love, and for those not in the know, it can sound as though we’re speaking an entirely different language. Sometimes, we have whole conversations in letters.
“Let me tell you about this amazing RPG experience I had where we almost TPK’d and I was hanging on by like 1 HP and we won anyway. The loot drop was amazing ftw.”
D&D Design diary: Blue Magic primal path
[The ongoing live stream RPG review series is on hiatus this week because reasons. In their place enjoy a peek behind how I sussed out my idea for a new primal path for 5th edition Dungeons & Dragons barbarians.]
With my first foray into creating content for Wizards of the Coast’s Dungeon Masters Guild, I offered my own take on a popular concept: the blue mage from Final Fantasy lore.
Top 10 Things I Want to See In 5E D&D
Well, it has been awhile since I did a top ten, and I always loved doing them, so let’s have some fun! I recently started playing in a Fifth Edition D&D game and that has inspired me to think on all the things I want to see in this amazing edition. Maybe we can get a vote on what people like and I will try to bring it to reality. Who knows, the sky is the limit with writers on the loose. These will be pulled from pop culture or roleplaying games, especially earlier editions of Dungeons & Dragons. Without further delay, here is my list in no particular order.
Covering Each Other with Teamwork in RPGs
So, I happen to be blessed and burdened with glorious purpose, and a great team of writers that work alongside me here at Nerdarchy. The fun part is, sometimes we need to live our lives. That is what inspires this article here. See, I am filling in for the intractable Joshua Brickley, and this fits the theme of how teams need to be able to cover each other in times of need. Like the USMC and SEAL teams who train each other in the basics of other necessary jobs, a gaming group needs to be able to do more then fill a single role. Let me go over a few things that may help in such an endeavors.
A sampling of cities from Nerdarchy’s Open Legend live game
Beginning today, April 28, Nerdarchy will host a weekly live stream Open Legend game starting at noon EST on Fridays. Nerdarchist Dave will be at the GM helm, and players Nerdarchist Ted, Nerdarchy.com web editor-in-chief Ty Johnston, staff writer William C (aka Professor Bill of Comic Book University), and staff writers Megan Miller and Doug Vehovec will form a party of adventurers to take on this exciting game system.
A Patreon-exclusive poll helped shape the game world by choosing the theme and genre for the setting, and there will be additional ways for Patreons and viewers to interact and engage with the game as it continues each week. Be sure to check out Nerdarchy’s Patreon to discover all the ways you can support Nerdarchy and get cool gaming tips and learn how to game with Nerdarchy, get exclusive offers, ask priority questions to guests during the daily live chats and more.
D&D AARPG IS your grandparents’ Dungeons & Dragons
For this week’s look into streaming RPG programs, there’s a wonderful series put together by Geek & Sundry called D&D AARPG. In this series, writer and actress Amy Vorpahl guides a group of older players through a D&D adventure. Vorpahl handles Dungeon Master duties, while seniors Annie Coty, Bobby Reed and Art are joined by younger players Hector Navarro and Josh Flaum.
Advice on Security and Gaming from an Expert
“Vice may triumph for a time, crime may flaunt its victories in the face of honest toilers, but in the end the law will follow the wrong-doer to a bitter fate, and dishonor and punishment will be the portion of those who sin.”
― Allan Pinkerton
Security, at its basic concept, is the effort and mindset to keep those people and things one cares about safe. It is a goal I have dedicated over a decade of my life to as my “day job” is that of a security officer. In fact, on this day I continued my training with a defensive tactics, baton, handcuffs, and OC spray refresher course. This brings me to the very point I wish to convey with this article. Security is not the complacent thing that is portrayed in Hollywood and video games. In fact, in my time I have found that most security officers fit into one of very few categories that will be discussed later in this article. None the less, this is the first of what I feel will be many articles on security in gaming.
