Despite the viral impact of COVID-19 Gen Con is holding a virtual convention online, and once again the Christian Gamers Guild will be holding a Sunday morning non-denominational Christian worship service from 9 to 10 A.M. EDT. The event is ZED20189103, and is free via Zoom for the first five hundred participants. Hope to see … [Read more…]
Hi class! Nice to meet you all. I’m teacher Nikolaj, and today we’re talking about games! But first, an introduction. I’m Nikolaj Bourguignon, a graphic designer turned child caretaker turned teacher. I teach Protestant religion in what I think in the United States would be Primary School—kids aged 6-12. I can do this because in … [Read more…]
This is RPG-ology #32: Doing Something, for July 2020. Although this is actually about a gaming referee technique, I’m starting with an example from a book, my novel Verse Three, Chapter One, freely accessible on the web. It also begins with magic items, but moves beyond that to objects in other settings and genres. As … [Read more…]
Part one of a four-article series on designing and running a one-shot, single-session adventure. See the end of the article for links to the rest of the series. Unfortunately, I’ve never been to a gaming convention, but for years I have been intrigued by the early tournament adventures of the late 1970s and early 1980s. … [Read more…]
This is Faith in Play #32: Zealots, for July 2020. Some years back in one of my games an important local military official was murdered, and under the authority of their cavalier the party took over investigating the crime. They had out-of-character reason to believe that a certain local cleric and his two acolytes were … [Read more…]
The following editorial was originally published in Knights of the Dinner Table #268 and is posted here with permission. https://www.facebook.com//groups/2204725580/permalink/10163173258945581/ Derek W. White’s article from KODT 268, “Quiet in the Convention Center” I’ve been going to gaming conventions for over twenty years and, as an extrovert, one of the things I have enjoyed about them … [Read more…]
This is RPG-ology #31: Screen Wrap, for June 2020. This was originally published on June 29, 2001, at Gaming Outpost, as Game Ideas Unlimited: Screen Wrap. I usually call it “recursive occlusion”; but that’s because that’s what Peter Davison’s Doctor called it in Castrovalva, and now that I get around to thinking about what that … [Read more…]
Volume 2: I Can’t Do Accents. For our second session, two new members joined our party. One permanent addition, and the other dropped in for the evening. The temporary character, my brother, was given the role of guard and a pre-made character sheet. My brother is fairly inept with D&D, not unlike myself, so there … [Read more…]
In light of current events, Origins Online has been cancelled. The worship service will therefore not take place. https://www.originsgamefair.com/origins-online
This is Faith in Play #31: Magic Roads, for June 2020. Some years back I was playing in a game in which the city was ruled by chaotic gods who objected to anything being orderly or sensible. This was particularly noticeable in connection with the roads: it was impossible to make a map. I secretly … [Read more…]