Category: Gaming

writing, gaming, creating

Real Dice, Dice App, or Diceless

RPGaDay Day #1 asks: Real Dice, Dice App, Diceless – how do you prefer to “roll”? Well, as one-half of a business that creates hand-crafted game rolls / dice bags, it seems like I would have to opt for dice right? Yes, to a certain extent, though I’m open to other possibilities. I have, for…
Read more


August 1, 2016 0

John Carter: First Blood

The John Carter alpha playtest rule-set might best be described as loosey-goosey at the moment. Some might have felt too much so, as I had one player with existing experience of the 2d20 system and JC currently leans in the direction of super-extra-lite. From my perspective, I can see that more structure needs to be…
Read more


July 26, 2016 0

Call of the Murderhobos

I have been thumbing through The Black Hack with the aim of running the game at some upcoming events. Rather than taking the easy option and having a go at the standard approach, I thought I’d hack the Hack and see whether I could get something with a Cthulhu / Chill vibe going. I imagine…
Read more


May 3, 2016 0

U is for Unorganised

While under most circumstances a lack of organisation can lead to stress and last minute disappointment, sometimes those negatives serve as a balance to a big positive. My local gaming group – STockportĀ Unorganised Role Players – has the whole unorganised thing down part. STURP started out as the idea of a local bar person at…
Read more


April 27, 2016 0

R is for Running Games

No matter how much I try to enjoy being a player in tabletop role-playing games, I can’t find that groove to really enjoy it. I don’t hate it, but I don’t get the same sense of satisfaction as when I run the game. I have had long suspicions that the issue comes down to the…
Read more


April 27, 2016 0

G is for Games

It would be remiss of me not to mention Games for today’s letter. Games have become my life. I have no recollection of when I played my first game, but I still have the Snakes and Ladders board my sister and I played on as kids at my Gran’s house. The board has an orange…
Read more


April 8, 2016 0

C is for Cthulhu

While HP Lovecraft created Cthulhu as one character of many, he has become a real focus. It seems that you can’t go to any geek event without finding something emblazoned with the green watery horror. Every game seems to have a Cthulhu variation. Every t-shirt, soft toy, and bobble-headed plastic figure range has, at least,…
Read more


April 4, 2016 1

Cypher A|State

I have been reading A|State, a roleplaying game and setting from the early noughties. Published by Contested Ground Studios, who also published the excellent Cold City / Hot War games – the latter which I see played quite regularly at local conventions. I first read A|State a long while ago – ten years? – and…
Read more


March 29, 2016 0

Webs within Wheels

Preparation makes a lot of difference when you’re setting out to run any game. Greater minds than I have spent a lot of time writing on the subject. Gamers can find much advice on the matter scattered amongst guides, short essays and those parts of a game’s core book dealing with GM skills. I mentioned…
Read more


January 20, 2016 0

Room for All Adventure

I ran a game of Lone Wolf last night and I fear that I might run investigation games too much to jump start my pace to that more appropriate to rollicking adventure. Last week playing AD&D it seemed we had pace and progress – move to the next room, defuse the trap, beat the monster,…
Read more


January 12, 2016 0