Balance in RPGs — Again
Balanced rules in RPGs seem to be the big thing these days with many players. As I’m not a member of this “cult of balance” some people believe I am hostile to balance as a RPG design goal. I’m not … Continue reading →
Tag Archives: rpg style
A Really New School Definition of Old School?
There are a lot of discussions and some arguments on what exactly is and isn’t “old school” but most of these discussions and arguments at least have people in the same chapter even if they aren’t on the same page. … Continue reading →
THE House Rule for Rules Heavy Games?
If you wonder why I prefer older versions of D&D or others rules lite games to the rules heavy monsters often published today, you only need to read part of Christian’s Exploring The Magnum Opus That Is Ptolus post over … Continue reading →
RPG Rules Complexity and Casual Gamers
I’ve heard a number of people say that the complexity of the rules of many modern RPGs are one of the major things keeping casual gamers away from the game. While rules complexity certainly is part of the problem, I … Continue reading →
Combat Balance as the be all and end all of Game Balance?
By now you have probably seen (or at least heard mentioned) Mike Mearls blog post on combat balance as game balance: The Issue of Game Balance. It has generated a lot of discussion on RPGNet and theRPGSite. Here is a … Continue reading →
Which Edition of D&D Should I Play?
Believe it or not, “Which edition of D&D should I play?” is probably the most common question I’m asked. In some cases it is because the person asking the question wants to argue with my choice, but most of the … Continue reading →
Amagi Games Site is Back
The Amagi Games site is back. In spite of a couple of abortive attempts to return, Levi Kornelsen’s Amagi Games site has basically been down since a nasty crash months ago. The site is a collection of interesting rules systems … Continue reading →
What I Look For in a Set of Fantasy RPG Rules
I been asked many times why I don’t like later editions of D&D and still play older editions. I think this can best be answered by listing some of the major things I look for in a set of fantasy … Continue reading →
James Hargrove’s Free ZIP! RPG
James Hargrove has recently a very nice rules light RPG called ZIP! The entire set of generic rules is 3 pages of fairly large print (with room for some art) — four pages with the OGL. Yes, the entire game … Continue reading →
Advice on Sandbox Play
There’s been a lot of talk about Sandbox play on RPG forums and blogs in the last year — and not just among old school players. In its pure form a Sandbox GM sets up a (usually small to start … Continue reading →