What else do you play?
Where I talk about another category of gaming that I love that isn’t roleplaying. It’s still extremely nerdy.
Emergent Narrative
Some warblings about railroads vs emergent narrative.
Mind’s Eye Theatre – History
A brief history of White Wolf’s Mind’s Eye Theatre.
You Died to What?
Where I bemoan the sad fate of a brave group of adventurers.
Killing Your Campaign
Where I warble on about how it’s a great idea to kill off your campaign.
Alien: Destroyer of Worlds
A couple of months ago, I started running the “Alien: Destroyer of Worlds” cinematic scenario for a group of my players. I’d best describe it as a “multi-session one shot” – the players aren’t going to playing these characters again, but the story will take more than a single session to resolve. I’m going to…
Detritus From The Past
Where I have a good old moan about an RPG supplement that I really can’t stand.
Ghosts in Horror Games
Where I muse about why it’s great to drop ghosts into horror games.
Looking Back at Mage
Where I wonder if maybe I’ve been playing Mage wrong all these years.
In Space, No-One Can Hear You Scream…
Musings on the Alien RPG setting following a game run at Grogmeet 2022.
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Canonical Aliens
The Alien franchise has been running for over forty years at the time of writing. Starting with the eponymous film back in 1979, this behemoth has powered relentlessly forward, spawning not just a host of sequels and prequel movies, but books, comics, video game and RPGs, as well as more merch than even the greediest…
The Dying World – Episode 2
We’ve got a new episode up, where our brave adventurers decide to explore the village they discovered in the last episode. No real updates to character sheets or maps yet as the party haven’t really gone anywhere…
Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 4th Edition – a Review
A review of WFRP 4e where I moan about crunch and art for a lot of the time.
Creature of Havoc
I’ve got a wonderful little app on my phone called Fighting Fantasy Classics by Tin Man Games. At its core, FFC is a virtual bookshelf with a built in engine that allows the reader to play Classic Fighting Fantasy books. There are currently around a dozen to choose from, with each costing a few bucks,…
SLA Industries – History
In 1993, I found my first “proper” job, as a waiter no less. Actually – I say “found”, but the job actually found me, in the form of my mother thrusting a copy of the Evening Times in my direction, jabbing at a classified ad, and suggesting it might be nice for me to earn…
Five Ways of Getting Started in RPGs…FOR FREE!
As a Scotsman, I always have to contend with the stereotype of being tightfisted. Thankfully, this isn’t the case – in fact, if you take a look at my RPG bookshelves my wife would probably prefer if I was… However, tight-fistedness or not aside, it doesn’t stop me from wanting to shop around for a…
The Dying World – Map
Roleplayers are always interested in cartography for some reason. Therefore, I’ve put together this map for the Dying World. Now, there’s not a great deal on it just yet – after all, we’ve barely spent any time with our party – but expect it to be added to over time. Oh, and I’m rubbish at…
The Dying World – Character Sheets For Game 1
For those of you aut fait with the Mörk Borg system, here are the character sheet for our intrepid adventurers as of game 1. NAMEBelumAGILITY1PRESENCE2STRENGTH3TOUGHNESS2HIT POINTS5OMENS1 NAMEFelbanAGILITY0PRESENCE0STRENGTH1TOUGHNESS2HIT POINTS5OMENS1 NAMEKeftarAGILITY0PRESENCE0STRENGTH0TOUGHNESS1HIT POINTS3OMENS1 I won’t be including details of the various pieces of equipment that they are carrying as there are some things there that…well….you’ll have to listen…
The Dying World – An Introduction
So, we’ve added a new mini series to our podcast – the Dying World, a Mörk Borg solo actual play. Our first episode went up on the 3rd of August 2021, and I’ve decided to use this site as a repository for things like character sheets, maps and all that other stuff that it’s kind…
Legends of the Five Rings – History
Back in my university days, I had a lot going on RPG wise. During Fresher’s week, I discovered the University’s roleplaying society and the Star Wars RPG’s joys. A trip into one of Glasgow’s Virgin megastores – a hallowed metropolis of roleplaying goodness! It led to me discover a locally produced game called “SLA Industries”…
Latest Episode – Legend of the Five Rings; history
Join us as we explore the Emerald Empire of Rokugan! L5R is a fantastic fantasy setting that actually began life as a collectible card game of all things.
Latest Episode – The Chosen Ones’ Cast Interview
Join us as we chat with the lovely folks who make up the cast of the Chosen Ones visual novel! We talk about how they got involved in the hobby, their favourite moments from their podcast and how they make it such an immersive experience.
Latest Episode – Getting Paranoid With Allen Varney
Join us as we chat one on one with the man who brought Paranoia back from the dead with Paranoia XP. The delightful Allen Varney takes the time to share with us his history with Paranoia, his thoughts on what makes it funny (and what DOESN’T!) and just what exactly went into the production of…
Latest Episode – Paranoia Roundtable
Our latest episode is now up! Join us for a Paranoid roundtable, when we put on our RED tinted glasses, and reminisce about this most unique of games! Warning; this episode is a biggie, so be sure to find a comfy seat, a snack and a beverage of your choosing before devouring it. Oh, and…
Latest Episode: The Kids Review…Heroes Unlimited
The kids review a classic RPG from the past. WARNING: Contains nonsense.
Shadows Over Bögenhafen – a Retrospective
Why a recent adventure with my RPG group has left me feeling nostalgic.
What version of Paranoia should I play (and how do I make it funny)?
Since releasing our Paranoia podcast, I’ve been asked a couple of questions by numerous people so, rather than rehash the same answer (or something approaching it) over and over again, I thought I’d put it together this short blog post. The first question is some variant of What version of Paranoia should I play? So,…
At your service, citizen…
If George Orwell ever wrote an RPG, it would be Paranoia. Indeed, when you consider that the game’s premise is a futuristic dystopia, ruled over by an omnipresent, all-seeing ruler; where anyone could turn on you at a moment’s notice, where facts that are patently true are denied in favour of the party line and…
Paranoia – Fun Is Mandatory Citizen
After recording every Roll to Save Roundtable, myself and my co-hosts generally sit around and discuss what we’re going to cover next. After last episode’s discussion of Vampire we decided that something more light-hearted was in order for the next episode, and we settled on Paranoia. For those of you who haven’t experienced the fun…
Fangs For the Memories – A History of Vampire: The Masquerade
When you look at the roleplaying games released at the beginning of the 1990s, a common trend emerges; fantasy was out and dark sci-fi was very much in. “Corps” dealt with high tech conspiracies fuelled by super-science and magic, duelling with each other, whilst “Morpheus” covered a world where characters linked minds in a…
A Grim World of Perilous Adventure…
When Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay was released back in 1986, it was building on a setting previously established in Games Workshop’s miniatures’ wargame, Warhammer Fantasy Battle. Even though the latest edition to this game had been released two years previously, the “Known World” as it was called then had not been substantially defined. Warhammer Fantasy Battle…
Five Fingered Bookmark
I can still remember that day in the school playground (that’s “recess yard” or something similar for my American readers…) back in 1985 when Greig McKinnon rushed over to me in an excited frenzy and thrust a book into my hands. “You have GOT to read this. It’s like a story, but you’re the hero…
Star Wars (WEG) – History
Mention Star Wars and Ghostbusters in the same sentence, and most people will assume that you are indulging in some geek-culture comparison. Both were enormously successful films, both have rabidly devoted fan bases, and both spawned a host of franchise off-shots like action figures, cartoon series and fiction. Amongst those spin-offs were role-playing games. …
Dungeons & Dragons – History
Mention the name “Geneva” to most people and they’ll probably think you’re talking about the second largest city in Switzerland. Mention “Lake Geneva” and they will assume the city has a lake – which it does; it’s one of the largest in Europe. However, if you inform them that you’re talking about “Lake Geneva, in…
Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay – History
Back in the mid 1980s, White Dwarf was a very different magazine to the glorified catalogue it has become today. Issue 82 – released in October of 1986 – still bore the strap-line of “The Role-Playing Games Monthly”. The contents very much reflected that; this issue saw reviews for the AD&D “Dungeoneer’s Survival Guide”,…
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