Blog Posts

The Joys of Automation

I don’t think any sane individual could write something like BIND without automation tools. Games with a similar scope require a team.

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Balancing Mana Points

One Reddit comment described the problem of using Mana Points in an RPG (as opposed to spell slots):

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Show Me in the Module

One beef I’ve had in games is a chonky source book which says ‘changelings do this’, and ‘always describe the traps, don’t just say 1D6 trap-damage’, and then expecting the reader to create the world in adherence to these principles.

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BIND's Story Point System

The Problem I just wanted to rock up to the table and start the game, but the DM had other ideas. He wanted all of us to write a character back-story. Having three jobs at the time, I didn’t feel enamoured with my homework. The little story meant a hurdle to jump over to get to the actual game.

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Theft as Mnemonics

The old A,D&D Ravenloft modules were some cheesy shite. Even the most sullen and macabre Goth in Gotham couldn’t extract a nugget of honest fear from the campy Hammer Horror rip-offs. But we loved them. Why?

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Why Jaquays?

Linear dungeons, where players see room 1, then room 2, all in order, can feel constraining.

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BIND's Magic, Part I

My third BIND campaign ended in glorious disaster and nonsense which forced me to reforge magic.

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Weaving Stories

My RPG games follow a format which avoids railroading, without any need for elaborate settings or difficult NPC relations. I call it ‘story weaving’, because it lets me stretch the metaphor.

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The Quantum Ogre and the Massive Idiot

Here is a silver piece, old woman. Now tell me my fortune! What will I see on the road?

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Treasure Type P

A,D&D gave monsters random treasures like this: Type Gold Silver Copper Scroll Potion Magical Item S 100-600 1-10 - - - - P 100-800 100-400 - 20% 15% - The system goes like this:

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