As I’ve previously noted, my Blades in the Dark games require low amounts of preparation. One of the reasons that can work is that I try to have reusable prep. When a score comes up, or when free play gets dangerous, I need to have a list of dangers (complications, consequences, etc.) already handy. These … Continue reading Dangers and complications for Blades in the Dark
This is a ritual I created together with my friend Jessie, a player in my Blades in the Dark campaign, for her Whisper character "Aleizabel" ("Eyes"). "White Ghosts Walk in a Row" by Florence Harrison 1. What does the ritual do and how is it weird? The ritual wards the caster and someone else from … Continue reading Ritual: Ghost Ward
Emmessi Tome by Craig J Spearing For an upcoming campaign focused on hunting monsters, I started putting together a list of variant or house rules I'd like to use. Some of these are "official variants" directly from the books; others come from friends; and others are things I just wanted to include. The current version … Continue reading Draft of variant rules for a new campaign
I recently learned about Harlem Unbound, a RPG by Chris Spivey (Darker Hue Studios) that looks at the Cthulhu Mythos through the lens of 1920s Harlem, especially from the black perspective. This is a game that is as much about racism as it is about otherworldly horror. It's especially paramount when dealing with a genre … Continue reading Unbinding Harlem
A year ago, I ran a module in which the adventurers needed to get into a city unseen. They received a message to meet at a particular location outside the city; when they arrived, no contact or obvious hideout awaited them. The adventure text told the DM to have the players make a Perception roll: … Continue reading Avoiding boring failures
My next D&D campaign will definitely port over more Dungeon World moves (rules) and other concepts, and I plan to write more about them as that happens. One that has been on my mind for a bit is the move for travelling through hostile territory to a known place, called Undertake a Perilous Journey: When you travel through hostile territory, … Continue reading Undertake a Perilous Journey in D&D
Normally, I don't really have to deal with rules at a detailed level. As the DM, everything in the rulebooks and subsequent clarifications from the authors are still just guidelines, and I can make a call and run with it. Similarly, when I play in other people's games, I try really hard to rein in … Continue reading Thieves’ Tools and Lockpicking
