Thoughts on “My Life with Master”

June 7, 2008

In a recent post, I talked about the value of trying other game systems, particularly the so-called “narrative games” or “story games”. All this was a little abstract, and it strikes me that saying “this is a good thing” without really explaining why isn’t terribly helpful. In this post, I look at a specific example: my recent experience with My Life with Master. Read more

(The Wait for) 4th Edition is the Best Thing to Happen to Gamers in a Long While

April 25, 2008

 Dungeons and Dragons 4th Edition was announced last GenCon, and since then, both game vendors and purchasers have been reluctant to put money into a to-be-obsolete game system. The roleplaying game industry has come to a standstill…. Or has it?

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Virtual Tabletops are More Than Maps

March 27, 2008

Armored man fighting a giant troll Virtual tabletops—my own EpicTable included—tend to put the spotlight on maps. Most (probably all) virtual tabletops provide a lot more than maps. There’s chat, character sheets, rules automation, and various kinds of media that a GM can send to the players…but still, a lot of the focus is on maps.

I’ve said to myself all along that there are other aspects of the gaming experience that are important—especially to the more story-oriented crowd, and I’ve imagined EpicTable following the roleplay vector more than the wargame vector over the next several years. Don’t get me wrong—I think maps are important, and I’m a long-time D&D player, so I’m not throwing away my battlemat anytime soon…but I had an interesting couple of experiences this week that put virtual tabletops into a little bit different perspective for me. Read more