“Drop. Your. Sword.” If there is anything more iconographic of a threat resulting in the disarmament of an opponent it’s the near final scene of Princess Bride. In my mind, there’s not much more powerful than the moment where Wesley/The Man in Black has nothing left to fight with but his wit and it’s more […]
Continue readingCarpe Blogiem: It’s Been an Aeon…
My new campaign setting, Aeon, has proven to be quite interesting. The base idea of the setting is the question “What if superpowers became real one day?” It’s not a particularly novel idea. But it became more (and I can’t really discuss what I mean by this – because my players read this blog) the […]
Continue readingCarpe Blogiem: 2015 – A Year In Review
Like my last two years in review. Here are how things went for me in 2015: The Good (What I did well or that went well) I was published in Pyramid a lot this year: #3/75: Hero’s Jackpot (5/5 stars), #3/76: Dungeon Fantasy IV (4.5/5 stars), #3/77: Combat (4.5/5 stars), #3/78: Unleash Your Soul (5/5 stars), #3/79: Space […]
Continue readingBoil and Bubble: The Power of the Soul
Recently a poster on the forums asked: “I was wondering how someone would model soul stealing spells and creating soul gems (that function basically the same way as Mana-stones). I don’t see any spells, besides maybe soul jar, that represent ripping the soul of of a being and converting its energy into a Mana-stone.I was also […]
Continue readingDesigner’s Notes: Vehicle Imbuements
GURPS Power-Ups 1: Imbuments is one of those books that is so simple and yet so ridiculously complex. It lends itself quite well to just about any campaign frame as it can be easily explained as belonging to whatever supernatural or cinematic abilities are available in the setting. What’s more Imbuements are extremely easy to expand […]
Continue readingTriple Threat: Hellwasp
Hellwasp These monstrous insects can grow upward to two feet long (not including a 6” to 12” stinger!) and are shades of mottled red and gold. It’s iridescent wings bioluminescence at night and is often confused with swamp gas emissions and/or St. Elmo’s fire. Since they prefer dark, humid environments they can often be found […]
Continue readingDesigner’s Notes: What’s In a Lair?
I haven’t exactly kept it a secret that I dislike the current rules for bases in GURPS Supers. The concept overall is sound – which is why I kept some elements of it – I dislike the idea of paying points for gear generally, but I especially dislike it in this instance because in just about […]
Continue readingGamemaster’s Guidepost: A Novel Approach to GMing, Part III: Here’s the Plan
Guest Post by Scott “Rocketman” Rochat It’s the heart of a hundred novels and screenplays: the team of experts, moving like a well-oiled machine. With wit and muscle, they work their way past every obstacle, thanks to their intricate and well-rehearsed plan. But there’s a reason audiences don’t watch a rehearsal. Put it at the […]
Continue readingGamemaster’s Guidepost: A Novel Approach to GMing, Part II: Do I Feel A Draft?
Guest Post by Scott “Rocketman” Rochat “…I do like to take a story and reorder it, put things in different places. This allows me to see things in a new and sometimes surprising way.” –Carol Windley, Boston Globe interview Revise. Revise. Revise again. Few words are hated more by an author. And few might seem […]
Continue readingDesigner’s Notes: The Perky L33t
My second Appendix Z, “The Perk L33t” was actually one of the first things I wrote after my debut article “It’s Pure Chemistry!” I’d just read W.A. Frick’s “Console Cowboys and Cyberspace Kung Fu” and I thought “Wow, this is amazing – how the heck did he come up with such a perfect application of BAD […]
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