Tag: settings

2019-04-11

Three for Thursday: Campaign Ideas

Game masters are always thinking about their next campaign... or three.

Most game masters have at least a few campaign ideas rolling around in their heads. It’s a natural outgrowth of the GM mentality, because you’re always on the lookout for new ingredients to add to your game. Read more

2018-09-23

On Running A Post-Apocalypse Campaign

I’ve run several post-apocalypse campaigns over the years, using a variety of game systems:

Gamma World — gonzo mutant jackrabbits and all
Aftermath! — 20 years after a nuclear war, using my hometown as a setting
Twilight: 2000 — the default WWIII-is-petering-out setting
Basic Roleplaying — zombies take over America in multi-generational campaign
Apocalypse World — small, isolated enclaves eke out a living, avoiding poisoned skies and other enclaves
NEMESIS — WWIII-has-just-ended journey across the remains of America
Mutant: Year Zero —the NEMESIS campaign extended forward by three generations

Along the way I’ve learned a few things about post-apocalypse settings and running campaigns in them. Much of that education has come the hard way, through trial and error, and I’m certainly still learning. As with any GM advice, your game is your game, and some or all of this may not make sense for you and your campaign. So take it as food for thought. With that in mind, whether you’re already game mastering a post-apocalypse campaign or are in the planning stages hopefully some of these suggestions will be helpful. Read more

2018-08-29

Planning a Post-Apocalypse Campaign: Raven Rock

Thinking About the Unthinkable

If a biological armageddon hits the United States, how do vaccines reach Americans quickly? In the event of a nuclear war, who gets the word out about who is in charge and what laws are being enacted?

If you’re planning backstory for a post-apocalypse campaign, these little details can add to the verisimilitude you’re trying to invoke. They’re even more useful if you’re planning a near-future apocalypse-in-progress campaign. For example, when the zombies take over, where’s the President of the United States hiding out? As the GM it’d be good to know, right? Read more

2015-06-23

Roleplaying in Glorantha

Discover Glorantha

Glorantha first sprang from the fertile mind of Greg Stafford in 1966. As he discovered the details of this imaginary world, he kept adjusting its cosmology, magic, history, politics, and cultures. Other contributors got involved, and Glorantha became arguably the most thoroughly developed of all fantasy roleplaying settings.

2015-05-03

Dungeons & Dragons Forgotten Realms Supplements — AD&D to D&D 4

There’s a Lot to The Forgotten Realms

Wizards of the Coast selected The Forgotten Realms as the default setting for D&D 5 in part because the world is so deep. Since the days of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, Ed Greenwood’s fantasy world has been fleshed out in adventures, setting descriptions, and other supplements. Now that I’m getting back into D&D after a long hiatus, I decided to see how much Forgotten Realms material had been published prior to 5th edition. The short answer is: a lot (and I didn’t even delve into the novels, comics, board games, and video games).