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Category Archives: Role-Playing Games

Red Dwarf Traveller

I’ve been watching the Red Dwarf DVDs after not having seen the show in over a decade, and it occurred to me that it would be interesting to role-play it with good old Classic Traveller rules. I know Deep 7 published the official role-playing game adaptation (and it looked fine to me), but I just [...]

A Computer at the Gaming Table

Every GM seems to utilize a laptop computer at the gaming table nowadays. I can see how it could be handy… or can I? Come to think of it, how useful is a laptop computer at the gaming table? Let’s see if we can enumerate a few.
1. Fact-checking. Laptop computers with an Internet connection can [...]

Questing for a Magic System on Short Notice

If all goes well, I shall be GMing a Fudge game for a small group of colleagues in three days. [Edit: The date has been postponed because I'm scheduled to work late that day.] The consensus seems to be in favor of the fantasy genre, which is fine, but I still haven’t decided which magic [...]

Offensive Damage Factors Considered

One of the things I like about Fudge is the simplicity of determining how much damage a mêlée weapon causes. I’ve seen it boiled down to its bare essence in a variety of ways, but I think this version is the best:
-1 unarmed, no formal combat training
+0 unarmed, formal combat training
+0 small weapon
+1 medium weapon
+2 [...]

Doctor Who Observations Part 3

[This article is in support of my project to design an unofficial (and free) Fudge role-playing game adaptation of Doctor Who (the original show).]
The strength and weakness of Doctor Who as a role-playing game is that it is best suited for small groups, preferably of one to four players plus the GM. If the Doctor [...]

Role-Playing in Ray Harryhausen’s Mythical Greece

Legendary Games Studio has announced the return of the original fantasy role-playing game, the progenitor of the entire role-playing hobby, Mazes & Minotaurs. Published in 1972 and later released as a Revised edition in 1987, M&M defined fantasy adventure for millions of gamers worldwide. Now, Legendary Games Studio is making both the Original Rules and [...]

Musical Cues in Role-Playing Games

Robin D. Laws has an interesting article in his Web log about using musical cues in certain kinds of role-playing games, which reminded me of a plan I had for using music and sound effects for some Star Trek gaming. It’s amazing how important sounds can be to the atmosphere of a setting. When I [...]

Doctor Who Observations Part 2

[This article is in support of my project to design an unofficial (and free) Fudge role-playing game adaptation of Doctor Who (the original show).]
The problem of how to plunge characters into adventure was addressed in FASA’s Doctor Who with the invention of the renegade Celestial Intervention Agency, which kept an eye on Temporal Nexus Point [...]

Doctor Who Observations Part 1

[This article is in support of my project to design an unofficial (and free) Fudge role-playing game adaptation of Doctor Who (the original show).]
In general, I think the role of Time Lord ought to be assumed by a player, as it is in FASA’s Doctor Who, rather than the GM, as it is in Time [...]

Risusiverse

Risusiverse is a wiki for fans of Risus: The Anything RPG (by S. John Ross), a free and easy role-playing game of comedic inclinations. Fans are encouraged to submit material and help build the site into “the recognized resource for Risus.”
One of the things I like most about Risus is the way it lends itself [...]