I’ve written about Mouse Guard’s qualities before. It’s one of my favorite systems, from its core dice mechanic to its setting and flavor. But some things are better appreciated with a bit of perspective, and so it is with Mouse Guard’s failure rules. After years … read more »
We’ve talked before about overpowered character abilities, but that was only scratching the surface of all the balance issues that roleplaying games wrestle with. It’s one thing to have character options that are more powerful than they should be, but what about the weapons those … read more »
Mike, Chris, and Oren discuss extended conflict rules in roleplaying games. They describe the differences between simulated combat systems and mini games, before they’re drawn into a debate about their weaknesses and strengths. Finally, they cover what encounter mechanics in general can add to a game, versus what risks they pose. Read more »
Creating a large, year-long campaign is an ambitious project to undertake. When done well, the payoff is spectacular, and everyone involved will talk about it for years. However, it definitely requires a lot of planning. If you’re not careful, you can spend more time planning your masterpiece than playing it! But … read more »
Oren, Mike, and Chris dissect spell mechanics across roleplaying systems. They talk about the best and worst magic systems, and discuss the challenges inherent to building rules for magic workers. Read more »
The Mouse Guard roleplaying game is based on a comic book series of the same name by David Peterson. The basic premise is mice with human level intelligence trying to protect their fragile civilization from all that threatens it. I have never read the comics. But I love this game. Read more »
The party leader is the Captain Kirk, Malcom Reynolds, or Gandalf (maybe Aragorn, depending on when you are in the wizard resurrection cycle) of your group. They are at least nominally in charge and the one who provides direction. They often end up making decisions … read more »
