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An Assemblage of Parts
- Clockwork Reviews (16)
- Editorials (70)
- Featured (670)
- News (62)
- Open Game Table (6)
- Roleplaying Games (238)
- Stories in the Ether (76)
- The Core Mechanic (223)
Featured Stories
- The Trivium Proportion, Part 11 (A Cyberpunk Tale), by David Phillips
20 May 2012 9:00 AM | No Comments - The Trivium Proportion, Part 10 (A Cyberpunk Tale), by David Phillips
13 May 2012 9:00 AM | No Comments - Stories in the Ether, Issue 4 Available Now
11 May 2012 12:24 PM | No Comments - Clockwork Reviews: Glamour in Glass by Mary Robinette Kowal
10 May 2012 9:00 AM | No Comments - The Trivium Proportion, Part 9 (A Cyberpunk Tale), by David Phillips
06 May 2012 9:00 AM | 1 Comment
- The Trivium Proportion, Part 11 (A Cyberpunk Tale), by David Phillips
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4e Archive
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Time-Shifting: A Revenant Crashes My Birthday D&D Session
Posted on April 9, 2012 | No CommentsSure, we in North America just “sprung forward”, but I experienced something in my last D&D session that turned the clocks back years. When an old friend and former D&D... -
A Fork in the Road: Concluding the Revolt
Posted on February 26, 2012 | No CommentsLast week, we looked at Siding with the Rebels. Even if the players lost, that doesn’t mean that they have to be dead and needing a resurrection. It just means... -
A 4e N00b’s Take On D&D Next
Posted on February 20, 2012 | 6 CommentsHundreds of dollars spent, countless hours of research and writing, getting up to speed on a whole new system of rules – only to be told a few months... -
A Fork in the Road: Siding with the Rebels
Posted on February 19, 2012 | No CommentsLast week, we looked at what would happen if the players decided to side with the Duke. If the players aren’t clear as to which side they would want to... -
A Fork in the Road: Siding with the Duke
Posted on February 12, 2012 | No CommentsNow that we’ve got the characters started on their expedition into the Duchy of Darimus and described the geographic and political situation, let’s take a look at the fork of... -
Ouroboros University: A Musical Education
Posted on February 8, 2012 | No Comments“Bards suck” -Zack Sabbath “I take that as a challenge.” -Grumpy Celt Ouroboros University provides the finest musical teaching for leagues around, providing many with instructions in singing, dance,... -
A Fork in the Road: Setting the stage
Posted on February 5, 2012 | No CommentsLast week we kicked off “A Fork in the Road” series with the set up of an adventure designed to put player choice first, rather than scripted outcomes. This week,... -
A Fork in the Road: Starting the Adventure
Posted on January 29, 2012 | 3 CommentsDrop this encounter into your existing 4E D&D campaign to add a bit of Old School D&D fun to your game. -
Back From The (Un)Dead: How a 15-Year D&D Hiatus Ended
Posted on January 24, 2012 | 9 CommentsIn April of 2011, I came home to Dungeons & Dragons after a 15 year absence. It was a decision made outside the vacuum of the TTRPG community, hence totally... -
Ouroboros University: The Amphitheater [D&D]
Posted on January 18, 2012 | No CommentsThe Amphitheater at Ouroboros University features a horseshoe shaped seating area open to the weather, though the stage and the seating closest to the stage are have a roof but no... -
Fifth Time’s a Charm! Will the New Edition of D&D Bring Back What We Lost?
Posted on January 17, 2012 | 12 CommentsIt’s not a rumor any more. It’s a real life, honest to goodness fact – Wizard of the Coast is planning Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition. Doubtless filled with the... -
Ouroboros University: An Introduction
Posted on December 28, 2011 | 2 CommentsThe fey city Ydalir is home to the oldest known university and the madrasah of the City of Brass educates creatures from across the planes who can survive voyage to... -
The Heroes of 4E
Posted on December 26, 2011 | 4 CommentsWhen it comes to heroes, I can’t help but think of the heroes that braved the waters of 4E D&D when it was first released. None of us knew how... -
The Hope Day Massacre [4E D&D]
Posted on December 21, 2011 | 2 CommentsOften times in RPGs an opportunity is missed to spice up the game with celebrations and holidays for the PCs that coincide in time with real-world holidays. I am guilty... -
Oroborus University: Inn without End [4E D&D]
Posted on December 14, 2011 | 2 CommentsSomething is wrong at the Hodgeson Street Inn. The Hodgeson Street Inn is owned and operated by Oroborus University, with David Hilbert serving as manager, and provides fair accommodations –... -
Ouroboros University
Posted on November 14, 2011 | 4 CommentsI am taking something of a holiday from my regular posting agenda for most of November and will return in December. In the mean time, here is preview of my... -
Game Design and Risk vs. Reward, or Why Game Balance Matters
Posted on November 7, 2011 | 20 CommentsLast week I was briefly involved in a Twitter conversation with Sean Preston, Michael Wolf, Tracy Barnett, and Marshall Smith about whether Pathfinder RPG or another system (Savage Worlds) would be... -
Devouring Zombie [4E D&D]
Posted on October 31, 2011 | 2 CommentsHappy Halloween! Devouring Zombie Level 5 Brute Medium Natural Animate (Undead) XP 200 Initiative –1 Senses Senses: Perception +0; HP HP 40; Bloodied 20 AC 14; Fortitude 13, Reflex 9,... -
City of the Dead (Area)
Posted on October 24, 2011 | 2 Comments“There are lanterns in these halls but they are dark and without fuel. Sounds echo in dusty corridors and the clang of a slamming gate might be from around the... -
Mind Flayer Redesigns
Posted on October 19, 2011 | 9 CommentsI have been reading H.P. Lovecraft lately and he is influencing my style a bit… The mind flayers – also known as the illithids – are one of the most... -
Challenging Terrain: Hysterical Mob [4E D&D]
Posted on September 21, 2011 | 3 CommentsI employed this in a game where the scenario had the party members in a crowded temple – every square occupied by something or something – when the thatch roof... -
Gravesites: Tower of Silence (Area)
Posted on September 5, 2011 | 1 CommentHome for the city’s gravediggers’ guild is a solemn, nearly featureless slate gray tower which matches the uniforms of its members. Crows and ravens frequent that gray tower. What People... -
Languages as Skills in RPGs
Posted on August 31, 2011 | 11 CommentsOnce you step away from character languages as something that is all or nothing, but instead a skill that is analog, all kinds of possibly cool obstacles, scenarios, and fun can follow. -
Gravesites: Fey Burials
Posted on August 24, 2011 | 1 CommentThough elves are almost as long lived as dragons and eldarin come from (and return to) another plane, death finds members of both races often enough that funerary customs have... -
Gravesites: Hall of Righteous Bones (Area)
Posted on August 17, 2011 | 1 Comment“Heroes” in the eyes of the city ostensibly receive funerals with pomp and circumstance before their remains are interred in the mausoleum the city reserves for just such an occasion,... -
Those Bastard Ravens
Posted on August 8, 2011 | 1 CommentThis post is part of the August RPG Blog Carnival. The topic this month is “Animals in RPGs“, chosen by this month’s host: The Tower of the Archmage. A significant... -
Adventures in Business
Posted on July 14, 2011 | 3 CommentsA player character running a business in a game can be a reward, a tool to provide story hooks and some flavor. An RPG is a simulation of a fantastic... -
Gravesites: Horror at the Long Stones (Encounter)
Posted on June 29, 2011 | 1 CommentThere are potential dangers to being an adventurer – something every adventurer knows. However, the danger extends beyond immediate threats of harm and evil to unforeseen consequences. Such as what... -
Gravesites: Grave Robbing
Posted on June 21, 2011 | 3 CommentsBecause necromancy rarely occurs at graveside – being difficult to perform properly and get results on holy ground – practitioners of this dark magic make use of grave robbers.... -
The Humble Flumph
Posted on April 1, 2011 | 2 CommentsThe simple and unassuming flumph, serenely floating in a serenity all its own. With an appearance akin to an airborne jellyfish with googlie eyes, they are both unimposing and ridiculous...
