Blog Posts
- Home /
- Blog Posts
Happily Ahistorical
RPG worlds need histories, so I had to write some history for BIND’s world, Fenestra. This was a big mistake.
Read MoreHow I Made BIND's Monsters
BIND began as a D&D-reaction. “Mathematically, these rules stand some serious improvement”. After that, I only wanted some generic fantasy monsters to make an example game.
Read MoreWriting for the GM
I don’t have the reading time for RPGs I once did (or for anything). I’d like to chalk if up to being an adult with a job now, but perhaps the truth is just ‘internet’.
Read MoreWhy BIND Rules Don't Allow Players to Go for the Eyes
(a story about spreadsheet failure) I’ve considered changing BIND’s ’to-hit’ system to let players ‘go for the eyes’ (or a headshot, or otherwise decide to attempt a vitals shot), and decided against it. My reasons sit below, but expect lots of boring numbers. You have been warned. (or just skip to the conclusions)
Read MoreNew Handouts
BIND’s maps have their numbers and comments applied by its writing tool, LaTeX. This makes handouts really easy, because the same map can present different layers to different people.
Read MoreDungeons Need More Space
The dungeon ecosystem doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, but I think Tolkien has a fix.
Read MoreNo Introduction Necessary
It’s been commented that BIND has no introduction, saying ‘what is a roleplaying game?’, and I don’t think it needs one.
Read MoreMinified vs Minimalist Rules
Tiny rulebooks are all the rage, and it’s great. The game of go has (arguably) 3 rules. Chess has a dozen rules. Monopoly has that little booklet-thing which nobody reads. RPGs often have 400 pages of rules without counting an adventure module, and often lack proper indexing. This hobby is mad, and the backlash against that madness feels refreshing.
Read MoreSpreadsheets are Great
Whenever I’m unsure about a rule, I pull out a basic spreadsheet, and start populating numbers.
Read MoreAlways Say the Target Number
A player rolls the dice, and the table watches the result, like a roulette ball bouncing about. Rothgar has a +4 to make the jump, but the chasm demands a Target Number (TN) of 12.
Read More