Design

Cavern Mnemonics

Jan 4, 2025 · 2 min read · Design Mnemonics

It's hard to read a full adventure module - you keep having to go back and check you've remembered all the important points. And no matter how much you read, you always need the module open at the table, so that you can check it again. Even when you haven't forgotten anything, you still repeatedly check the book in …

Treasure Type P

Dec 24, 2024 · 3 min read · BIND Design LaTeX

A,D&D gave monsters random treasures like this: Type Gold Silver Copper Scroll Potion Magical Item S 100-600 1-10 - - - - P 100-800 100-400 - 20% 15% - The system goes like this: The players randomly encountered an Owlbear. It has 'Treasure type P'. The DM then rolls 1D8 x 100, and determined that it has 200 cp in its …

Parallel Actions

Nov 8, 2024 · 3 min read · Design

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 …

Generating Hex Maps

Oct 26, 2024 · 4 min read · Design Cartography

Christer Enfors at Hexed Press created a procedure for generating hex maps. It uses the basic notion of altitude to make hexes each have a similar altitude to the next hex. The result is that mountains tend to be next to mountains or hills, and hills might generate a forest as the next hex. The entire thing results in …

Having a Bash at Travel in BIND

Sep 10, 2024 · 2 min read · Design BIND

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 …

The Bluff System

Aug 3, 2024 · 2 min read · Design Bluff System

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, …

Extrapolation & Necessity

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'. …

The Module Decalogue

May 17, 2024 · 13 min read · Design Aesthetics Blorb

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 …

An Archipelago as a Dungeon

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. It also seems odd to find …

Designing around Spike-Traps

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 …