Topics regarding design and game theory.
I am exploring the creation of icons for a sandbox campaign setting. Icons can be useful in a sandbox for several reasons. Icon agendas provide a overarching plots for PCs to interfere with; Icon relationships provide many ‘sides’ for PCs to align with, often with conflicting or ambiguous goals; Icons …
A couple days ago I briefly considered using something like 13th Age-style icons in a sandbox setting. Having had a couple days to let it sink in, I still like the idea and I’m ready to develop it further. Defining Icons Icons in 13th Age are powerful NPCs. They are personally powerful …
One of the cooler ideas in 13th Age is the icons, thirteen powerful figures who have their fingers in intrigues all around the campaign. In fact, I consider the breadth of their influence their defining factor rather than their personal power. I am starting a new project where I will facilitate the creation of …
I have long agreed with the premise of Justin Alexander‘s article, Don’t Prep Plots. The gist of it is that if you prepare an adventure or scenario with a plot, it is easy to become attached to the outcome, and the game play can become ‘fragile’, where deviation from the …
A realization on the way home from work, combined with discussing it with a friend online, means I’ll be changing a few definitions I’ve used for a while. GreyKnight, I think this one qualifies as a ‘Revisit old post and completely change everything’ result on the Keith Davies Blog Post …
Jonathan Roberts of Fantastic Maps (who worked on a little thing I linked to on the right) is working on a hex mapping web application. This morning I got access to it and put together a little map. Quickly. Pretty easily. There are some interface improvements to come, but overall I’m excited about …
This hybrid domain was originally posted as part of an article on Pathfinder subdomains (where you can see how I built it, as with Heavy Lifting: Guardian Domain). Abyss Domain (Hybrid) Associated Domains: Chaos, Evil Granted Powers: You are tainted by the powers of the abyss. Fury of the Abyss (Su): As a swift action, …
I like how the Defense subdomain (of the Protection domain) looks when applied to the War domain, shifting the focus so it’s a little less aggressive. I think this might be the start of a hybrid domain that would be suitable for more defensive combatants and guardians. This article originally …
A couple years ago I took the Demon subdomain and created the Abyss domain to replace it. The process used might be useful for combining other domains, using a subdomain as a starting point. For instance, the Heroism subdomain (Glory domain) might be useful in bridging Glory and War, and …
I’ve just added a new entry to the Hall of Fame regarding geomorphs and their design and use. Michael Wenman of Observations of the Fox has been publishing a collection of mapping tutorials, and lately has been exploring and explaining geomorphs. I’ve been inspired by this series to start working on my own, …
