What’s The Story, Muthur?
To the point, tabletop gaming
Popular Posts
How To Run A Dungeon - Fixing The Lost Mine of Phandelver
Here’s the problem, if you grew up in the 90’s or later, and have only ever played 5e - it’s likely that your only detailed point of reference for what a dungeon experience is like comes from video games - maybe something like Zelda (Ocarina of Time - best game ever made. Fight me!) The issue here is that they teach the player that a dungeon is this linear place, to be solved in a set way, with battles in predefined places.
The Rusted Colossus 03: | How To Prepare Room Descriptions in 4 Steps
Now then. I was on Reddit the other day, poisoning my mind, as you do. I came across a really good question;
How do you parse dense descriptions?
The poster was asking in the context of a GM prepping for a game - having read a short story’s worth of prose for a room description, then wanting to transform this veritable word salad into short notes that can be quickly and effectively used at the table.
Deadly, Not Frustrating: Keeping OSR TTRPGs Fun & Fair
A common reason I hear for folks being turned off from OSR games is their perceived or real deadliness. Most folks getting into the TTRPG hobby these days are the children of Matt Mercer, and following Critical Role as their primary example, so it’s natural they're sold on the idea that TTRPGs are supposed to be a long interactive story with traditional structure, and deep and satisfying character arcs.
Tension on a Timer: How Progress Clocks Keep Your Game Exciting
You’ve all felt that, right? That anticlimactic feeling that comes from presenting your players this mountain to climb, only for them to simply roll Athletics and pass. “Well done, you’re at the top, well that was dull”.
Random Encounters, Not Random Chaos: A GM’s Guide
Rather than worrying about random encounters not fitting into your Lizards-Ate-My-Toast approved, predefined story beats, consider instead the current zeitgeist, a mood, a vibe specific to what is going on this session.
A core dice roll is a bundle of variables that shape how a game feels, how players assess risk, and how much work the GM has to do. This post breaks down the five big factors inside the dice loop: who sets the target, what shape the randomness takes, how odds get modified, how outcomes are interpreted, and when you should actually roll in the first place. Each of these choices changes tension, pacing, tone, and player responsibility.