One problem with many tabletop RPG campaigns is dungeon glut. Some companies promote this style through designs of linear encounters. It is the shortest rout to avoid a train wreck but this is ultimately a rut that games need to get past. At the very least, give the players multiple paths to choose so their choices have some real impact on the game ( Read more... )

A couple of years ago I made a list of completed campaigns I've played and picked the top 5. That list hasn't changed, I'm sad to say, but there have been more games with their own high and low points. It's time for a new list:

• Quest for the Omelette This is my name for Brian's 3.5 home-brew game attempting to reach epic levels. I was greatly ( Read more... )

A lifetime ago (high school), I played a series of games by Spiderweb Software called Exile. The basic premise was pretty simple: instead of killing their political enemies like a normal little evil empire, the tyrants of the Exile world threw them through a one-way portal. A few decades of this has caused a whole society to, well, if not thrive ( Read more... )

Though I have never been a great fan of horror movies it seems I do like the horror genre in fiction. At least, I enjoy the monsters, mythos and realistic reactions of horror. In sci-fi/fantasy all too often people are either scared peasants or hardened fighters. Even if the inner monologue of the narrating character claims they have some realistic ( Read more... )

One of my favorite mini-campaigns was Red Hand of Doom where you must fight back against a horde invading a valley. I thought this kept the adventures focused on a goal that could keep us motivated but allowed for several variations in denying assets/allies to the invaders. One issue that arose was the lack of civilization that we could interact ( Read more... )

I've got two campaign ideas in my head at the moment. I think one would work better as a game an the other as series of stories but I don't know which is which ( Read more... )

John's First D&D 3e game

This will probably confuse John if he ever read it given how much complaining I did at the time.  Then again, I was playing spoiled rich bitch sorcerer.  The highlight of the game was a point where I decided that the character played by Alexis was my boyfriend, despite what he or his child-hood friend played by Misty had to ( Read more... )

The Video-Game Game

One of John's 3rd ed. D&D games.  It was sillier fare, which you would expect of campaign based on video-game tropes.  Still, there was town-building, a closed plot and interesting characters.  I recall barbarian skydivers (who needs parachutes, we have hit points!), the church of shape-changing (get your jiggy on), whip-wielding ( Read more... )

Game-O-Jiggy-Death

This D&D/d20 game was bad in almost every way.  Scott's cheating was constant.  Death was a constant companion, with 2-3 a game for some players.  Toward the end of the game, one character recieved 1 point of damage reduction every time he died.  Every week was more outlandish than the last.  A sigificant portion of the largest ( Read more... )

Living Greyhawk/Living Arcanis

Though set in different worlds with different characters and attempts at different tones, these two campaigns will forever be linked in my mind.  Both were fundamentally 3rd ed D&D.  The list of players matched most of the time.  They were both national campaigns that ended.  They both used standard quests and many a ( Read more... )