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You are here: Home / Archives for Roleplaying Games

Chatty makes a Killing in Open Gaming Table #2’s nominations

January 20, 2010 by The Chatty DM

I’m still in Florida, getting my head happily baked while my children play in the pool and get their feet frozen in the Atlantic. I got an idea a few minutes ago.  A few days ago, Jonathan Jacobs posted the list of the 375 blog posts nominated for possible inclusion on the second Open Game […]

Filed Under: Musings of the Chatty DM, Roleplaying Games

Railroading in a Good Way

January 20, 2010 by Bartoneus

The term ‘railroading’ usually sends a shiver down the spine of any tabletop RPG player because of the negative implications that come along with it. To be honest, most DMs dislike the term as well and railroading is generally referred to as a problem with an RPG.

Filed Under: Editorial, Featured, Roleplaying Games, The Architect DM Tagged With: D&D, DM advice, dnd, Dungeons & Dragons, railroading, roleplaying, Roleplaying Games, tabletop gaming

Donate to Haiti Relief, Get a Ton of RPG PDFs

January 20, 2010 by Dave

DrivethruRPG is doing something incredibly great. Right now, you can head over there and pick up a mega-bundle of PDF RPG products for only $20. That $20 goes entirely to Doctors Without Borders, an excellent charity providing disaster relief for Haiti. In return, you get what has to be the best deal I’ve ever seen in RPG PDFs.

Filed Under: News, Roleplaying Games

Winners and Losers in D&D

January 19, 2010 by dixontrimline

I want my players to succeed. I really do. I want them to have that spectacular moment. I want them to stare down the ferocious, slathering monster, and say, “Wrong, hellish beast. This is where your reign ends. Prepare to die.” And I want them to win that fight.

Only… only…

Filed Under: Editorial, Roleplaying Games Tagged With: DM advice, playing with strangers

Inq. of the Week: The Original D&D Dilemma?

January 18, 2010 by Bartoneus

Last Thursday Matt James wrote a short piece about the classes in the first versions of D&D and how they developed into the roles we have today in 4th Edition. A lot of discussion happened in the comments of that post, but it led me to create this week’s Inquisition where we can find out precisely which of the oldest classes was most popular.

Filed Under: Featured, Inquisition of the Week, Roleplaying Games

“King of RPGs” – King of Viral Marketing?

January 15, 2010 by Dave

Post updated with a response from Jason Thompson, the author, at the end of this post. Last September, I received an application to the RPG Bloggers Network (back when I was head-honcho) for a blog called “Theo Dudek, Ultimate Dungeon Master.” Aside from being a bit over the top- as many game masters tend to […]

Filed Under: Editorial, News, Roleplaying Games

The Fighting-Man, Magic-User, Cleric, and Thief

January 14, 2010 by mattjames

The original classes of Dungeons & Dragons, their foundation of the current classes, and the current state of the edition wars.

Filed Under: Editorial, Roleplaying Games Tagged With: D&D, dnd

Gears of Ruin: Session 1, Revolutions per Machines, Part 3

January 13, 2010 by The Chatty DM

See part 1 and part 2. First Contact This combat encounter had 3 goals: Give players a fairly challenging fight to give them a better feel for their PCs’ powers. Set a hostile first contact with mechanical monsters, in this case some undead warforged (you read that right) Spring  a surprise on the player by […]

Filed Under: Campaign Logs, Musings of the Chatty DM Tagged With: 4e, Chatty's 2009-2010 Campaign, Gears of Ruin

I Hate Magic Items

January 12, 2010 by Dave

Here’s the thing I’ve come to realize: I don’t like magic items period. Sure, they are a staple of fantasy literature. And I have a soft spot for certain classes of magical items, like the strange artifact or consumable item that has to be used at just the right time. +1 Swords? Fiery Platemail? Rings of Jumping? Never a fan.

Filed Under: Editorial, Roleplaying Games Tagged With: 2e, 3e, 4e, D&D, equipment, magic items

Gears of Ruin: Session 1, Revolutions per Machines, Part 2

January 11, 2010 by The Chatty DM

See part 1 here. Get me some Competence Porn, stat! The first scene had a few goals.  Introduce the PCs to the first important NPCs of the campaign, give them a quest for the night, but more importantly, make them look good! The scene started with the PCs waiting to be summoned to show up […]

Filed Under: Campaign Logs, Musings of the Chatty DM Tagged With: 4e, Chatty's 2009-2010 Campaign, Gears of Ruin, Tropes

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About the Author

  • The Chatty DM

    The Chatty DM is the "nom de plume" of gamer geek Philippe-Antoine Menard. He has been a GM for over 40 years. An award-winning RPG blogger, game designer, and scriptwriter at Ubisoft. He squats a corner of Critical Hits he affectionately calls "Musings of the Chatty DM." (Email Phil or follow him on Twitter.)

    Email: chattydm@critical-hits.comWeb: https://critical-hits.com//category/chattydm/

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