Rounding up the mavericks: Hoodies, pulps, and participles

Corralling a few interesting things I've run across in the last few days... Git along, little dogies! Bulletproof hoodies!? via Gunpowder and Ink... I love hoodies. Especially ones that can stop up to a .44 magnum.There is also this:LIFETIME WARRANTY: If you get shot (God forbid) with our hoodies on, we’ll send you a replacement...

Superheroes: No school like the old school

I don't know how many people even remember the old Marvel Super Heroes roleplaying game anymore. It's old-school -- published by TSR in 1984 and updated with an advanced version in 1986 -- and also short-lived, as was already out of print by the time I found it in the early '90s. It had been...

How to solve the murder-hobo problem

It's a dilemma almost as old as the tabletop roleplaying hobby itself: In a game that revolves around exploring and (often) looting dangerous places filled with dangerous creatures, how does a DM cure players of the seemingly irresistible urge to simply murder and loot literally every living thing they come across? I mean, combat and...

Two great offerings from the Mixed GM

First, some awesome ideas on what Dwarves might do with all the other things they dig up. It can't all be jewels and precious metals, you know. What if they used some of their more... interesting... finds to prevent their enemies from digging too greedily and too deep? Read Dwarves and Dinosaurs for a look...

Maps in roleplaying games: Unexplored opportunities

Tabletop roleplaying is a game that revolves around maps. If you're not placing figurines on a map surface, you're navigating a mental map that has been provided to you by the gamemaster's description. There's a sizable cottage industry in map illustration in the Tabletop RPG hobby. But often, beyond providing the locations of things that...

A great playtesting opportunity: Devil’s Staircase

Devil's Staircase is a diceless tabletop roleplaying game with a really cool system that uses playing cards to build characters and resolve actions. It's set in the Wild West era, which makes it even cooler. Right now it's open for public playtesting -- and the core rules are available for free during the testing period....

Medieval Demographics Made Easy

Medieval Demographics Made Easy is a concise guide to populating a medieval-ish landscape, written especially with tabletop gaming in mind. It's great for writing and general world-building purposes, too. Check it out.

World Anvil – A new worldbuilding tool

Are you a world builder? Writer? Tabletop roleplaying gamer? If so, you need to check out World Anvil. It's an online world-building tool designed to help you create your world and present it to the public. There are also features specifically for tabletop gaming, giving DMs and players a place to build campaigns and share...

A compact random personality generator

Reading through the Chimera roleplaying system rulebook, I came across this nifty little chart for quickly generating NPC personalities. Two D12 rolls, one on each column, give you a range of random, unique personalities. Roll Outlook Roll Demeanor 1 Bigoted 1 Violent 2 Paranoid 2 Overbearing 3 Bleak 3 Arrogant 4 Fearful 4 Capricious 5...