When I was 11 years old I went to High School. All my life I’d been a bit of loner, much more comfortable in my bedroom with the door closed and the music blocking out the world beyond. Back when I was four, my best friend was my dog, Heiko; the strongest connection I felt … Continue reading The Why Of Fantasy Roleplaying Games
When I interviewed GURPS Line Manager Sean "Dr Kromm" Punch back in April, he said something that resonated with me strongly and has stuck with me ever since. Roughly paraphrasing, Sean outlined his belief that the main difference between GURPS and most other roleplaying games revolves around the idea of the prescriptive versus the descriptive. … Continue reading Taking The D100 Prescription
Dad bought RuneQuest in 1980. I stole it within a few days, following his rejection of the whole idea of roleplaying games. Despite the buzz in the wargaming magazines of the day, Dad was never going to be a convert to a fantasy game: too many great historical battles to explore, too many historical periods to glory … Continue reading Dreaming Of Glorantha
I missed writing for the blog on Saturday - sorry about that. To tell the truth, I am rather ironically experiencing some of the work-induced, invasive, and destructive feelings that inspired the podcast in the first place. I’m a high school teacher and, contrary to popular belief, we don’t just work from 9 until 3.30 … Continue reading Feeling Overloaded
I finished the Fire Gate tower key for the Fire Citadel megadungeon, which I am building for play using GURPS Dungeon Fantasy within a revived rendition of my Mystamyr setting. Finishing the first dungeon key is significant because it marks the beginning for actual play: in other words, from today I have enough to run … Continue reading Megadungeon Mapping
In 1988, six seventeen-year-old friends assembled to take an expedition through the famed halls of Khazad-dum. They were, of course, fantasy roleplayers and I was one of them. Many times have I told the tale of Goriel Swiftfoot and the slaying of the Balrog of Moria. This week, I found some photos which capture some … Continue reading 24-Hours In Moria
We moved into our present home in 1998 and stashed a load of boxes in one corner of the top room to unpack later. Recently my wife and I visited that corner, uncovering those old boxes. The first stuff we found was a mix of really old treasures and accumulated bits that date back to … Continue reading The Star Frontiers Exercise Book
If you’ve ever been to my house, talked to me about gaming, read my blog for any length of time, or listened to my podcast you’ll know this is true: I have a problem when it comes to buying game books. The stacks in my “hobby room” – the space dedicated to housing the rat … Continue reading I Have Enough Books
The summer holiday has arrived. I am done with work for five weeks and there are far fewer things for me to be worried about, day to day. With this in mind, I found myself back at the place I often arrive when I stop being a Game Master: I am playing alone. I feel … Continue reading Travelling Solo, Again
I've decided to hang up my Game Master's hat (if such a thing exists) and ask myself the question that has been quietly nagging at me for months: "What's it like to play these roleplaying games?" I know that, in a very real sense, the Game Master is a Player in the game. Yet, as … Continue reading What’s It Like To Play?
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