• When Systems Matter

    calendar Jun 20, 2024 · 5 min read · Theory

    In some sense, you don't care about your washing machine. You have no clue where that powder comes from, or where those particles go after the wash. But you care a great deal when your washing machine breaks down.

    When to Blame the System

    When combat drags out for 45 minutes

    the system has failed. Even the purest of …


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  • Musings on the OSR

    calendar Jun 6, 2024 · 3 min read · OSR Mechanics

    I love the notion of OSR books - the bare minimalism, the daring reinvention and questioning of schemas and tropes. So here are my musings on some OSR-style mechanics.1

    Goals

    • like old D&D
    • don't fill the character sheet with 1,000 special skills
    • simple rules
    • lethal game-play, forcing players to be clever

    Why HP? …


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  • Against Collectors

    calendar Jun 5, 2024 · 2 min read · BIND
    I sometimes feel that collections can imply something shameful, and it's especially potent in RPGs. It has something to do with wanting to horde, rather than use; to own rather than do. I can't fully articulate the feeling, but it has something to do with one thing coming from on high as the 'definitive' idea, the …
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  • Extrapolation & Necessity

    calendar May 30, 2024 · 4 min read · BIND Design

    When designing Fenestra, I noticed it had no magical universities. I really mean 'noticed', rather than 'stipulated', or 'invented'.

    People think that if anything's possible at the start, then it'll all be possible later. Options 'A', 'B', and 'C' are each possible, so perhaps we might select option 'A', and later 'B'. …


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  • Magic Rules

    calendar May 17, 2024 · 9 min read · Design Aesthetics Blorb

    Your last three sessions have felt like a mini-campaign, bursting with mystery and possibilities.

    Now that we've captured the baron, how did he get all those goblins into the basement? Did we miss some hidden door to the underdark? Or was the smuggler we got that magic scroll from involved?

    1        "No, it was …

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  • An Archipelago as a Dungeon

    calendar May 12, 2024 · 3 min read · Design
    RPG dungeons often presume a lot of separation between rooms. Anyone starting a fight in this dungeon would immediately tip off all creatures. We can excuse our way around it with oozes, deaf goblins, et c., but it's a heavy restriction that seems to receive less attention than it should. …
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  • The Limited Shapes of Our Bodies

    calendar May 4, 2024 · 2 min read · Theory

    When looking at RPG Attributes, one fact returns to me constantly: Olympic Athletes cannot compete in every sport.

    • Top wrestlers are stocky, and cannot compete in basketball.
    • Top basketball players move quickly, and cannot compete in weightlifting.
    • Weight lifters cannot compete in climbing events.

    A certain amount of …


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  • Designing around Spike-Traps

    calendar Apr 20, 2024 · 5 min read · Design BIND
    When making things, once in a while you spot a pit-trap laden with spikes, and screech to a halt to think about the route ahead carefully. When making chairs, I guess people test by sitting in the chair. Writers and RPG designers can't get this kind of snappy feedback, so I guess we're all a bit fumbly when testing …
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  • Open Source RPGs

    calendar Mar 29, 2024 · 3 min read · FOSS BIND
    New RPG creators and tech-startups both enjoy giving themselves the badge of 'open source' without having to open up a single source file. In the tech world, they call the company 'Open AI', and in the RPG space, they call their licence the 'open gaming licence', or simply declare they have an 'open RPG', then let …
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  • The A,D&D Nymph Image

    calendar Mar 29, 2024 · 3 min read · A,D&D

    My favourite image from A,D&D's monstrous manual is the nymph.

    The write-up leaves no surprises to anyone who knows A,D&D. Gygax et alia created a genre, which entails a lot of making-shit-up-on-the-fly, which tracks well for a DM. He took a standard mythology creature, and introduced it to a Lord of the Rings …


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