Experience helps you level up but it isn’t and shouldn’t be the only reward for the doing of great things that characters do in a campaign. Looking beyond gear— devices that make numbers go up and render characters more puissant practically— there are other achievements for characters to chase and receive for their deeds. What’s […]
A short follow-up to my earlier potpourri of 1d6 tables because I yet again need to meet some blogging obligations and finish the month strong! In this installment, we'll roll up some bonds and some alternate methods of gaining experience. Let's get some bonding time Ages ago, particularly in internet time, I put out this […]
I should have posted this yesterday. The inspirational prompt is "suspense" but I just could not come up with anything from it. "Suspense" comes to English via French from the Latin suspensus which refers to hanging up, making uncertain, and killing by hanging. This last definition is what I'm going to utilize to pivot to... […]
Using a shorthand to describe how creatures do things, specifically hunting or fighting, helps you run those creatures consistently which, in turn, allows players to learn behaviors and react to them. Here some rough categories that you can apply. Ambush attackers Brute force attackers Pack attackers Scavengers Swarm attackers Trapsmiths Venomous attackers Choose suitable behaviors […]
The seed word for this post is "challenge" but, rather than come at it literally, I'm going to look at a figurative challenge that I am facing: should attacks in combat always do something? If so, what? I'm going to look at this through the lens of my game, Troupe, but you can probably apply […]
A magic item for Troupe or your tabletop role-playing game of choice, found in well-stocked but abandoned libraries. Appearance: a thick tome filled with many browned, empty pages, and worn leather covers. Use: the questioner writes a question on one of the pages then places the book under their head when they sleep; upon waking, […]
When the party is off on an adventure, roll to see what’s happened at their local base of operations while they’re away. What happened? 1d6 Event 1 Nothing 2 Military event 3 Religious event 4 Life event 5 Nature event 6 Political event Military Event 1d6 Military Event 1 Muster of the levee for service […]
Allies are hard to come by in the harsh worlds represented by most tabletop-roleplaying games and systems don't always provide mechanisms for tracking the friends player-characters make during their adventures. Here's a relatively painless way to use a persistent reaction rating to monitor their relationships with notable non-player-characters. Start with the standard reaction roll Make […]
Adventurers should always expect the unexpected but, as referees, how often do we deliver on that premise? Often we lean on the strange and unusual to produce moments of shock but, sometimes, the more shocking thing isn't what the players don't know but what they know, or thought they knew, delivered in a completely unexpected […]
Because sometimes (such as having to catch-up on a month-long blogging challenge), one table or topic is not enough! Specialized Medicine Some hurts might require specific reagents for healing. 1d6 What Where Rarity 1 An herb Mountain slopes Very common (4-in-6 chance) 2 A flower Shaded vales Common (3-in-6 chance) 3 A root Secluded meadows […]
