Category Archives: Tabletop RPGs

Ian Reads World of Darkness: Chapter 2: Attributes

Hey everybody, this week I’m talking about the Attributes chapter of World of Darkness.  There’s Strength!  There’s Wits!  There’s…not that many fiddly bits!  I hope you enjoy the second entry in Ian Reads World of Darkness. So this chapter is … Continue reading

Posted in Ian Reads World of Darkness, Writing About Games | Comments Off on Ian Reads World of Darkness: Chapter 2: Attributes

Ian Reads World of Darkness: Chapter 1: The Secret History

So today I cover both the Prologue story and Chapter 1: The Secret History in the World of Darkness core rulebook.  I hope you enjoy it! Prologue The prologue is a very good piece of storytelling.  The story of someone getting … Continue reading

Posted in Ian Reads World of Darkness, Tabletop RPGs, Writing About Games | Comments Off on Ian Reads World of Darkness: Chapter 1: The Secret History

Ian Reads World of Darkness: An Introduction

Hey everyone!  So there’s something I’ve been wanting to do for a while: finally get a chance to actually read the World of Darkness books.  And to make it so I’m accountable for reading them, I’ve decided to start a … Continue reading

Posted in Ian Reads World of Darkness, Tabletop RPGs, Writing About Games | 3 Comments

Status Report

Hey all. It’s been a while since the last update.  I was caught up with finishing college, graduating, and moving over 1000 miles north of where I’ve been living the last five years.  It’s been about a month since I … Continue reading

Posted in Nautilus, Personal, Running the World-machine, Tabletop RPGs, Uncategorized, Writing, Writing About Games | Comments Off on Status Report

Running the World-Machine: Little Touches: Making Memorable NPCs

On this week’s Running the World-Machine, we talk about how to take your non-player characters and turn them from forgettable nobodies into characters your PCs will remember long after the game is done.

Posted in Running the World-machine, Tabletop RPGs | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Running the World-Machine: Little Touches: Making Memorable NPCs

Running the World-Machine: Preparing for a Session

This week on Running the World-Machine, we talk about preparing for a gaming session. How much time you should prepare for, what kind of encounters to use, and more! (Also, sorry this one was a little late and that last … Continue reading

Posted in Running the World-machine, Tabletop RPGs | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Running the World-Machine: Preparing for a Session

Running the World-Machine: Maps

Sorry for being a day late in returning, hopefully it was worth the wait.  In this week’s edition of Running the World-Machine, we talk about using combat maps in your tabletop RPGs:

Posted in Running the World-machine, Tabletop RPGs | Comments Off on Running the World-Machine: Maps

Running the World-Machine: Dangerous Terrain

Why does the enemy always have to be some creature with pointy bits coming at your throat?  In this installment of Running the World-Machine, I discuss environmental challenges in RPGs. (Ed note — Sorry this one is late!  Other projects … Continue reading

Posted in Running the World-machine, Tabletop RPGs | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Running the World-Machine: Dangerous Terrain

Running the World-Machine: Flexibility as a GM

This week on Running the World-Machine, I talk about how being flexible as a GM prevents player frustration, makes your life easier, and makes your tabletop RPG better for everyone involved.

Posted in Running the World-machine, Tabletop RPGs | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Running the World-Machine: Flexibility as a GM

Running the World-machine: Relaxing for Your Player’s Sake

Hey everyone, here’s the first entry in a (hopefully) weekly column, Running the World-machine, which is about gamemastering for tabletop RPGs.  This week’s entry is about staying relaxed as a GM, something that can be more than a little difficult … Continue reading

Posted in Running the World-machine, Tabletop RPGs | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Running the World-machine: Relaxing for Your Player’s Sake