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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I've decided against having online printing available for BIND. This may change, but here's the thinking so far: Printing means I need to have the book mailed to me, but posting to Serbia means a whole bunch of faff. Of course, a voice in my head reminds me I could always find a way. Send the book to a friend, and have …

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I've rather gone off the notion of 'collectibles'. Collectible RPG books are special because they can't meet the demand. We can't all have a copy of those original D&D books, or whatever swanky thing White Wolf brought out with the expensive full-page art. In this vein, I've been making the campaign book - 'Missions in …

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A lot of the motivation for writing this book was because A,D&D never seemed to live up to its promises. The newer editions were a clear improvement, but never seemed to release the original game's shackles. An image of burly men, bursting through a door, ready to destroy anything in their path covers the AD&D Dungeon …

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RPGs should avoid asking people to roll dice more than once for any result. Aesthetically, multiple rolls don't feel right. Rolling dice should feel like casting rune-inscribed bones across a table. Multiple Rolls Guarantee Success The door is locked, but can be picked with a roll of 18 or higher. This sounds like a …

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Referring to elves as a 'race' makes perfect sense. They're clearly different from the other humanoids, have their own features, and biological properties and oddities.1 But 'sylvan elves'? The elves who live in forests, but generally act like any other elf? They're clearly just elves living in a different climate. …

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I want contradictory things for BIND, so I've been trying to do both. And I have finally made it work...I think. Rules are Like Onions Rules for resolving actions now comfortably fit on about three pages at the start of each adventure module. The rest appear where needed: Adventure modules come with price-sheet …

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RPG worlds need histories, so I had to write some history for BIND's world, Fenestra. This was a big mistake. The writing smelt bad, in that peculiar way that most fantasy writing is bad, before half a page went down. The problem came from having to write - every word was vestigial, nothing really mattered; it wasn't …

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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. Unfortunately, art costs money, which I didn't have. The first RPG I'd made lost me a lot of time wandering through cheap stock-art, with a licence …

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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'. Whatever the reason, I want to write better for GMs. Here are the principles I've picked up from reading/ writing (no credits given - I can't even …

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