There have been a lot of box sets when it comes to the history tabletop games like Dungeons & Dragons . Red boxes , Blue boxes , white boxes , reprints , fan collections , etc. That isn’t the kind of box we’re talking about this time, though. On the surface, roleplaying games may look like the ultimate sandbox: you can do or create anything within the context of the agreed-upon rules. When it comes to actually running your own campaigns, of course, your actual mileage may vary. One key factor in that is the nature of the Game Master's role. Even a seasoned storyteller with years of experience may not have the bandwidth to keep up with a campaign that allows a very wide latitude - this is likely why pre-printed campaigns and adventures remain fairly popular. While we all want to tell our own stories, it's a huge benefit for the GM to have a framework of  pre-made challenges, pre-rolled bad guys, and previously-seasoned flavor text . For those running game, the time savings

Peasants are the common commoner amongst the NPCs of many a tabletop role playing game. It doesn’t matter the setting, there's going to be a variety of "common" NPC that's peasant-like in some way. The subject of peasants has come up in my Dungeons and Dragons gaming group once again as the Peasant Railgun meme makes its way through the internet once again. A crazy idea that's been around for many years. Not sure what we’re talking about? The concept goes something like this: we find a big bad target, line up a group of 2,280 peasants all in a row over the distance of two miles, have them all ready their action, and then have them pass an object (usually a spear) down the line over the course of a six-second round, until it reaches the last person in line who throws the ammo at the target - gaining  "velocity damage" based on falling object damage, and dealing somewhere near 400d6 worth of damage. If this idea sounds ridiculous to you, and you’re a reg

By now, my love of older electronic games should be well-established. Indeed, over the time we've been doing this blog, I've only delved deeper and deeper, more than tripling the number of vintage consoles I have on-hand, hooked up, and ready to go. And while we can look to the pandemic and the money saved by not having to regularly commute lifestyle changes that came with it, the fact is, the propensity was always there - I have always loved older technology, especially if it operates in ways fundamentally different than modern equivalents. And compared to, say, vintage guitar and bass amplifiers (something else I have in... "generous" quantities), consoles are relatively cheap, don't take up much space, and can be used late into the night without risk of noise complaints (provided I'm using headphones). They all have their own quirks, their own histories and unique libraries, and, since they were all released in my lifetime, personal connotations. Each cons

No, the blog isn’t going on hiatus , at least not any time soon... that we’re aware of... yet. Having co-posts, and each writer taking turns from week to week helps provide a good respite that keeps the pressure off - no need for a short term break. While gaming, and in particular tabletop roleplaying games, can be a release of their own, the pressures of life can leave you feeling a need to take some time away. It might be burnout, major life changes, or some other form of stress, let's say your country’s 500th anniversary to plan, your wedding to arrange, your wife to murder, and Guilder to frame for it. Any of those things alone could leave you feeling simply swamped and with a need to take a rest break for your own self-care and mental health. After all, if you haven’t got your health you haven’t got anything. If you’re feeling any of these things, it might be time to take a hiatus. But before you do, why not take a few moments and review some advice from Never Say Dice. Prepa

How did we get by so long without the term “retcon?” As a phrase, “retroactive continuity” goes back to at least 1973, with our current definition appearing a decade later to describe some of the way DC comics was engaging contemporary storylines with characters and plots from decades prior. Even without a name, the concept is about as old as storytelling itself, with some retcons becoming such a significant part of their respective narratives that they’d be unthinkable without them - no one involved in the creation of the 1977 film considered Vader to be Luke’s father, but inserting that retcon into The Empire Strikes Back has defined every iteration of Star Wars ever since. But “retcon” is a term that carries as many connotations as it has applications, with plenty of room for interpretation as to what exactly counts as a retcon, what it effect retconning has on a work, and how that in turn affects an audience’s relationship with that work and its creators. So this week, let’s take a