13 September 2021

Shiny TTRPG links collection #34

Previous list found here. The original inspiration for all of this - weaver.skepti.ch End of Week links. You can find more links on the weekly blogroll on r/OSR.

Lizardman Diaries, one of my favourite random table creators, talks about their methods for creating random tables/generators.

Random encounters, wandering monsters and intentions on Donnut Valley I would definitely agree that part of the point of having a DM at the table is to shape the outputs from a random encounter list into the thing that makes sense in the context as opposed to 'suddenly, aboleth' just because it was on the table.

Collaborative world building for your table: Factions and the follow up how-to workflow on Hopeful Wierd Wonder blog - the workflow is a go-to for how to 'ride the avalanche' of managing player input into your world-building.

Why So Brutal? on jdmcdonnell.com talks about the different weight of character death in early D&D and how it mattered less in the style of game they played. A useful perspective.

Blood, Death, Satan & Metal talks about Quick Combat: Redshirts and the Save Versus Death - some nice crunching to get a rapid 'save on a d6' for massed combat. I like it.

A genius idea on Reddit from the DM for the Gutless Unkempt - they call them level up speeches, I used to do something similar in background vignettes - but I love the way they are used here as markers for leveling up.

This is a great post on radical transparency at the table - the list of things delegated from DM to players is gold for 'non-critical tasks' - I would say it goes a level beyond what I would consider but in my sliding of items (narration) back from the delegation pile, I am positively acknowledging that is part of my playstyle. I might set a different threshold for when when to risk breaking world immersion to say you fumbled something but I acknowledge the continuum.

Two interesting posts on Weaver.skepti.ch this week - first a translation of Comment devenir un Mentat (originally published 2013-05-06) by retired Colonel Michel Goya with a fascinating view on how military expertise is built - great for saying where your battle-winning NPC's are coming from. Second is a piece on the different reactions to (mock) combat setbacks by LARPers and reenactors.

On the retro adventure game mentality (Them Deeper Bones, design diary 8) by Petri Leinonen

Weird Revisited: Herculean Labors on From the Sorcerers Skull

Late Night Zen has Part 2 of the cursed library bestiary - one for the Stygian Library fans.

I Don't Remember That Move has 'encounters in the blue desert' including some delightfully strange monsters.

In Search of Better Travel Rules on Rise Up Comus.

Good thinking on Augury Ignored on what are the three main types of hexcrawl - obstacle, conquest and exploration.

Some cool practical magic items from The Tea-Set of Civility.

Too much/not enough player knowledge and pre-existing settings on Coppers and Boards - the layout of the 4 levels of background/lore knowledge in the players is helpful to see.

If Our Lives Be Short, Let Our Fame Be Great has towards a 3e hack.

Free art assets on Grey Gnome.

Let Us Talk About Combat on Vanishing Tower about putting narrative oomph into the dice rolls and their consequences.

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