This dungeon has no map. You know the entire layout by heart, because it looks exactly like the place you grew up. The yawning, rocky entrance leads into a maze of tunnels, which change shape as weak, gritty rock collapses piece-by-piece. Stretching off the long maze, a wide, lazy river flows from the kitchen to the …

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Parallel actions speed up resolution in a way nothing else ever could. 5 Players vs 10 Bandits Look at how the table acts, focussing for a disturbing moment on the players, rather than characters. Standard One-at-a-Time Initiative The GM calls for initiative: Alice, Bob, Charlie, Drake, and Emily roll Initiative. The …

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They say you have to playtest, but they forget that I'm a lazy man, so when it came to travel rules, I didn't feel like simulating a bunch of journeys. So it's time to get the computer to do the work for me. Setup An encounter roll occurs every 1D6 intervals in BIND (where an interval = 'one quarter of the day' = '6 …

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A random RPG mechanic popped fully-formed into my head, so now it will pop into yours. The player first states what the character will do: I cut the heads off three goblins. I stab him in the neck. ...and the opponent makes a counter-proposal. I shoulder-barge a bandit, and throw him into the river. Or he could duck, …

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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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Ronald Knox wrote ten rules on how to avoid ruining a murder mystery with an unsatisfying solution. They apply very well to writing and running RPG modules, with a little alteration. And just like any module or murder mystery, I'm going to start with a problem, then undress it slowly. How to Ruin a Story Suppose your …

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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. It also seems odd to find …

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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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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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