Coppers and Boars First Blog-iversary
It’s been a year since I made my first post, which was about Character progression in games. The blog started out as a way to crystallise my vague roleplay game thoughts into coherent and communicable ideas. The majority of my posts are game design theory, tips or insight. I think the best three are Play … Continue reading Coppers and Boars First Blog-iversary
What does ‘balanced’ mean?
This causes many disagreements and misunderstandings. Here’s a list of some of the things that balance can mean in games. Lots of the examples are 5e, mostly because its a good lingua franca. I’ve written each explanation from the point of view of somebody who agrees with that concept of balance. Balance in Character Creation … Continue reading What does ‘balanced’ mean?
What D&D class would Robin Hood be?
What does Robin Hood do and how does he do it? My understanding of Robin Hood comes mostly from three sources – listed in the order I first saw them. Disney’s Robin Hood (the furry one) Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (the Kevin Costner one) Robin Hood (the British TV series one) Amalgamating these sources … Continue reading What D&D class would Robin Hood be?
There is no light side of the Force
In the original Star Wars trilogy, and in the Prequel trilogy, there are no direct references to a light side of the Force. The dark side is mentioned once in A New Hope, and several times in Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. The closest we get is in Empire when Luke asks … Continue reading There is no light side of the Force
Play Worlds, Not Rules – What is a world and how do I play it?
The Free Kriegsspiel Revival (FKR) is all about putting the world before the rules. The idea is that you play out the events of your game and refer to rules only when (and indeed if) needed. I’m deliberately using the term ‘games’ as it is not specific, but typically we are talking about roleplaying games … Continue reading Play Worlds, Not Rules – What is a world and how do I play it?
Some qualities of a souls-like ttrpg
Story-light, lore-heavy Map exploration with loops (Jaquayed dungeons) Deliberate and punishing combat Gameplay mechanics that interact with death Boss Fights A dark/grim overall tone Git Gud – player skill/knowledge increase more important than gear/levelling up If only I could be so grossly incandescent! Solaire of Astora It is entirely possible to make a game with … Continue reading Some qualities of a souls-like ttrpg
House Rules for Chess with kids
I introduced my Chess Club (comprising of eleven-year-olds) to several variants of chess. The children instantly broke up into three groups of 4 and started playing Bughouse chess. That’s chess where if you take an opponent’s piece, you can pass it to your teammate to play as a reinforcement in their game. I need pieces! … Continue reading House Rules for Chess with kids
Minimalist Modular Magic for 5e and DnD clones
Each of the numerical elements – the radius of the sphere; the range; and the damage – can be increased. Each increase in any of those three areas increases the spell level by one.
Qualitative design and quantitative design are not a dichotomy
First, two definitions guidelines. Quantitative design is design in which the numbers (quantities) change. Example: In 5th edition, a greataxe does 1d12 slashing damage whilst a greatsword does 2d6 slashing damage. They both have the keywords ‘heavy’ and ‘reach’. The only real difference is the dice you roll for damage (though the greatsword is also … Continue reading Qualitative design and quantitative design are not a dichotomy
A mechanism for prophecies in roleplaying games
The problem with prophecies Prophecies don’t work as easily in roleplaying games as they do in non-interactive (or less interactive) fiction. The ‘tactical infinity’ of roleplaying games poses problems. In non-interactive fiction (such as a book, movie or tv-show) the fiction’s creator (for ease I’ll call them all authors) can ensure that any prophecies are … Continue reading A mechanism for prophecies in roleplaying games
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Coppers and Boars 