roleplaying game
Domain level play not only offers new ways to interact with the fantasy world but can offer a change of pace. Now that players control armed forces you can offer your players a distraction from the regular campaign. Using mass combat rules (ACKS offers some and I believe Birthright does Read more
In part one of this series I gave the definition and origins of domain level play. In part two I put it in context and addressed an objection. In this post I will give practical advice on how to try it yourself. Let’s deal with the million dollar question first Read more
In part one of this series I described what domain level play is and how it started in the fantasy RPG hobby. In this post I will attempt to explain the context in which Gary Gygax and his compatriots assumed domain level play to exist. Once this context is understood Read more
Domain level play is when, in a fantasy world, a player’s character establishes a domain of their own. This could be a castle, fortress, wizard’s tower or fortified cathedral and its surrounding land. This gives the character a home base and makes them the lord of a place and its Read more
I wanted to summarize my thoughts on how magic is handled in Dungeons & Dragons and see if there are other people who feel the same. Although the rules for D&D have changed from Original to 5th Edtion the general approach to magic has stayed the same. There is one, Read more
The Ease of Making Your Own Campaign Setting I wanted to address a misunderstanding I see among people running fantasy roleplaying games. Many people, especially people new to game mastering, have this idea that creating their own world for the games they want to run is difficult. They look at Read more
I recently found the time to read through my copy of Adventurer Conqueror King by Autarch. I picked it up because I heard it was an OSR clone of B/X (Basic/Expert) Dungeons & Dragons (also called Moldvay/Cook) that added a much improved implementation of domain level play. I’ve always been Read more
I was invited by Joseph Aleo to talk about Mage: The Ascension on Mage: The Podcast today. Mage has always been my favorite roleplaying game and it was great to have a chance to talk about some of the game terms. Mage: The Podcast is a new podcast with only Read more
If given the choice of stepping into a magical medieval world for a few hours and walking around would you do it? Would you walk down a village street, see the fey in their forest circle, watch a wizard call forth mystic powers? Or would you be content to take Read more
One distinction for roleplaying games I don’t hear discussed is toolbox games vs. focused games. There is so little discussion that I had to invent the terms to discuss them with my friends. Most games are focused games. They have one setting detailed in the rule book where the game’s Read more