Domain Rulership, Part Eight
Last time in the Domain Rulership series, I talked about some of the relatively rules-light approaches to domain and stronghold play, in the form of 13th Age and Dungeon World. Now I’m turning back toward more involved systems: Fields of ...
Independence Day: Resurgence and Wasting Good Design
Zir’an can wait one more week. I absolutely must discuss Independence Day: Resurgence and how it represents the very worst parts of bad fantasy and game running. As weird as this sounds, this movie is half insanely gonzo awesome and ...
Origins Award Winners 2016
The winners of the 2016 Origins Awards, as given out by the Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts & Design at the Origins Game Fair, are: Game of the Year! – Codenames from Czech Games Best Board Game & Fan Favorite ...
Tribal Knowledge: Playing with a Stranger’s Toys
DriveThruRPG, the DM’s Guild, and the gaming blogosphere are just the newest sources of the huge wealth of setting material that has been published for D&D, to say nothing of WotC’s extraordinarily deep catalog of content. In this article, I’m talking ...
Popstar and Putting a Good Twist on Classics
I am taking a break from the Zir’an series this week to focus on some GM advice from an unlikely source: Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping. I’m a big fan of the directorial efforts of Christopher Guest. When your weakest ...
What’s Up With MF0 Turn Order?!?
Perhaps the most perplexing thing about Mobile Frame Zero is turn order. It constantly shifts from round to round, and even within the round. On the one hand, it’s one of those things that “will be easier once you get ...
Fortune Teller Background (D&D 5e)
This week on the Campaign Trail I look at variant backgrounds again, this time with the Charlatan variant Fortune Teller background for D&D 5e. The Fortune Teller background could fit anywhere, but is especially suited to gothic horror and Victorian ...
Archfey Patrons, Part Two
Last time in my series on the fey, I proposed unique features for other Archfey patrons. I’m describing the Archfey in terms of archetypes rather than names, since WotC has one set of names for them, real-world myth has another, ...
The Secret of Zir’an, Part 2
Last time on Performance Check, I began to take a look at an older RPG by the name of The Secret of Zir’an. While the game’s reputation as one of the worst RPG books ever published is deserved, it’s not ...
Wizkids – Assault of the Giants – D&D Premium Board ...
Wizkids recently announced a new D&D board game that will be coming out next year. I haven’t seen any pictures yet of what will be in the game, but with a hefty price tag, there should be a lot.