What if we imagine the original D&D game as the evolutionary link between wargaming and modern roleplaying games of all sorts? Every derivative game has some part of the original, signs of its ancestry. Like with organisms, variations from the original are introduced in the process of creating a game. Further, more game “offspring” tend to be produced than the gaming environment can support. Traits that ensure survival in a given environment become more common in descendants.
Archives for 2010
Teaching RPGs, a Quick Retrospective
I’m off to New York City in a few hours to attend Comic Con 2010. One of my main activities over there will be to participate in the “Learn to Play D&D” experience at the Wizards of the Coast booth using the newly released Red Box.
Since I’m going to teach D&D to new (or returning) players, I thought it would be appropriate to do a little retrospective of the posts I wrote on the subject and those I found on the net.
Burlap Sex Alone Does Not A Relationship Make
Listen, BioWare. You know you’re the only development studio for me. It was never that your games were the prettiest. They’re nice, but you never made me save vs. pants-change like, say, God Of War 3. It was never that your gameplay is the smoothest or most innovative. Don’t get me wrong, Mass Effect 2 was a nice step up from its predecessor, with its powers and equipment systems all nicely overhauled and refined and that superfun mining minigame. That’s not why every BioWare game is a day one purchase for me. But you’re screwing up the main reason you’re awesome. Quit it.
Critical Hits: 5 Years and Counting
This has been our biggest year yet: not just in post count, traffic, or any number of other metrics. It’s been the year with the biggest changes and the most happening here on Critical Hits, and I couldn’t be prouder of where we are today.
Critical Bits for the week ending 2010-10-03
From the Archives:: LAN Party: Specificity is a Necessity http://bit.ly/c1fVPa #charchive # Please welcome Critical Hits columnist @dixontrimline to Twitter! Check out all his past articles too: http://bit.ly/cFw8Bb # RT @newbiedm: New post: "Dungeons & Newbie DM's" http://wp.me/pkce6-Ec #dnd # From the Archives:: Report Card: Space Marine Units (Part 2) http://bit.ly/bH4HRC #charchive # The Parallels […]
Playing Essentials Again (and Again and Again)
In an attempt to quell my obsession with the new Essentials rules, I played several games and made up several characters. And boy are my arms tired.
Don’t Do As I Do
As it turns out, I’m a pretty terrible DM, and you can become dramatically better by simply avoiding everything I do, including telling stories and pursuing reality.
The Architect DM: Fantasy Buildings 101
When it comes to designing locations and buildings, the DM/GM has a much more daunting task ahead of them than most players or even the DMs themselves realize. Thankfully in most of the RPGs we play and run it is far from crucial that the design of the world is 100% accurate and entirely believable. Most players are willing to suspend their disbelief to an incredible level and almost all DMs don’t really have the time to make sure every location they put into their game is believable. However, creating an environment that is believable can actually make your players lives easier because they will buy into the game on a more unconscious level. This added level of believability just might turn out to be the whole new layer of depth that your game needs.
Goodbye, From a Grandson
I lost my grandmother yesterday. She was 83 years old and one of the most awesome people I’ve ever known. Everything I write seems terribly inadequate, but I do want to try and share how important she was to me and who I’d eventually become.
Critical Bits for the week ending 2010-09-26
RT @Neuroglyph: Tried a 4E build comparison: Check out "Dueling Shadows: Essentials vs. Traditional 4E Assassin!" http://tinyurl.com/2e9e3pr # Tests happening about D&D PDF books? (rumor) http://bit.ly/9fvPGy # RT @KoboldQuarterly: 25 Essential Expressions of a Gelatinous Cube. http://cot.ag/dfxMFH ^wb # RT @Comixace: DC Ends Wildstorm and Zuda lines. http://bit.ly/9iBK5E # RT @Nikchick: We are doing an […]
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