GMs set the tone of the campaign when they begin its design. This is just fact. Players, on the other hand, set the tone of the campaign after the game has begun. Again, this is just fact. But problems can arise when the former clashes with the latter. Recently, How to Be a GURPS GM: […]
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Carpe Blogiem: Sometimes the Call Comes Back
Welp, here I am again looking for some new players – my B-Team is pretty solid, but my C-Team remains cursed. Luckily, I’m starting up a new campaign come Mayish so here we go again. Expectations I’ve got 2-3 slots open for C-Team, here are the requirements: The ability to play weekly and regularly from […]
Continue readingGamemaster’s Guidepost: Campaign Creation Best Practices
We’ve all been there before. New campaign, who dis? Getting started on a new campaign for your players is easy, but it’s also hard. As the GM, you need to be able to describe to your players exactly what you are trying to do. This summary of what you want to do is where things […]
Continue readingGURPS101: Cybernetic Distortion
I got to thinking about cyberpsychosis and cyberpunk (since that’s popular again). Here is what I thought of. New Rule: Cybernetic Distortion All implanted cybernetics have a chance to cause issues in the form of nerve damage, overstimulation, and other neurological issues. This is Cybernetic Distortion. A disadvantage-like mechanic that balances the fact that […]
Continue readingGamemaster’s Guidepost: Coping With Campaign Fails
The job of the gamemaster is at its most core to be a storyteller, but it’s the players job to tell it. That sounds a bit wonky, I know, but bear with me. GMs create the framework for players who then fill in the bits and bobs with their actions within the game. . . […]
Continue readingGamemaster’s Guidepost: What Makes a Worthy Campaign
I’ve talked about what makes a worthy GM and what makes a worthy player . . . but there’s something missing. And that something is . . . what makes a worthy campaign? Normally, a GM comes up with the idea he wants to run and plans the campaign out over days or weeks and […]
Continue readingGamemaster’s Guidepost: Being a Worthy GM
This thread on the forums brought up something that is near and dear to my heart: “How do you determine if a GM is worth your time as a player?” The subject is actually a little complicated so I’m going to invert it a bit and instead ask: “How do you as a GM determine […]
Continue readingGURPS101: More New Talents I
Here are a few new talents – mostly culled from my own campaigns. Born to the Blade 10/level Broadsword, Fast-Draw (Knife, Sword, or Two-Handed Sword), Knife, Rapier, Saber, Shortsword, Smallsword, and Two-Handed Sword. Reaction Bonus: None! You’re natural adeptness with a blade is enough. Alternative Benefit: On the other hand, instead of a reaction […]
Continue readingGamemaster’s Guidepost: Gamemastering Wuxia Campaigns
Running a wuxia campaign for GURPS is not exactly hard, but it can be daunting at first. I’ve ran two such campaigns so far: The Middle Kingdom – which was a kind of modern kung fu flick with a Narnia vibe; and Ten Thousand Jade Petals – which is more fantasy with wuxia and xianxia […]
Continue readingCarpe Blogiem: Ruminations on a Wuxia Campaign, Revisited
You might recall me working up a wuxia campaign later last year. You might also remember how it crashed and burned after only four sessions. It happens. You can prepare, plan, and propel a campaign and it can still crash. It sucks. This one died because I lost players. When I lose players I tend […]
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