Tag Archives: d20

Changing it Up – My Switch to a Different System

Posted on August 13, 2012 by Matt | 4 Comments

I have long touted myself as a devout d20 system player, and never for the life of me could I imagine straying away from the rule-set when it comes to running a game. Sure, I’m completely open to trying new systems out as a Player, but as a GM, it might be safe to assume that sticking with the rule-set you know best is likely to garner the most success when it comes to running a campaign. Well, boys and girls, in my quasi-masochistic journey of redefining myself as a GM and Gamer in general, I have decided to break ties with the d20 system I know and love and venture into rules of a more “savage” variety…

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Posted in Gaming, Inspiration, Pop-Culture, Role Playing Games, Table Top Games, The Creative Process

Tagged Actual Play Podcast, Alternate History, Cthulhu, Cthulhu RPG, d20, d20 system, gamerstable, Gaming, Gaming Systems, GenCOn 2012, Generic Gaming Systems, GMing, GMing Advice, Mouse Guard, Players, Role Playing Games, Role-Playing, Roleplaying Games, Rolling Dice, RPG, RPGs, Rule Systems, Rule-sets, Rules, Savage Worlds, Steampunk, Steampunk Cthulhu, Storytelling, Tabletop Roleplaying Games, Victorian, Victorian England, Victoriana, Victoriana 3rd Edition, Weird War II, World of Darkness

Rules Heavy vs. Rules Light – Zen and the Art of GMing

Posted on May 21, 2012 by Matt | 3 Comments

I am currently at a major crossroads when it comes to the way I approach running a game. Anyone who has listened to the early episodes of the podcast knows that I spent an abhorrently long time in the pre-planning stage of my campaign. Finally, after years (literally) of juggling ideas around in my head, I was given a hard deadline by the rest of the group to start the game, and that’s when it all went sideways…

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Posted in Behind the Scenes, Conventions, Gaming, Pop-Culture, Role Playing Games, Table Top Games

Tagged Campaign Planning, d20, D20 Gaming, Empty Your Cup, England, Epiphany, Game Master, gamerstable, Gaming, Gaming Podcast, GM Advice, GMing, Happy Jacks RPG Podcast, Kung Fu, Kung Fu San Soo, Martial Arts, Monkey in the Cage, Podcast, railroading, Roleplaying, Roleplaying Games, RPG, RPGs, Rules Heavy, Rules Light, Starting Over, Steampunk, Tabletop Roleplaying Games, Victorian London, World Building, Zen

So Much Gaming, So Little Experience

Posted on May 7, 2012 by Matt | 8 Comments

During last week’s episode, we talked about our personal gaming ruts. Since we wrapped that discussion, I’ve been constantly working ideas through my head as to the ways I plan on breaking out of these ruts and becoming a better Player, a better GM, and most importantly, a better person all around. Here are some of the conclusions I’ve come to thus far.

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Posted in Uncategorized

Tagged 10000 Hour Rule, Albert Camus, Black Belt, Black Widow, Captain America, d20, D20 Gaming, d20 stats, d20 superhero, DM, DMing, Expert, Game Master, Gamer, gamerstable, Gaming, Gaming Conventions, Gaming Groups, Gaming Strengths, Gaming Weaknesses, GM, GMing, God-king RPG, Happy Jacks RPG Podcast, Hawkeye, Hulk, Iron Man, Kung Fu, Kung Fu San Soo, Malcolm Gladwell, Mutants and Masterminds, Outliers, Pathfinder, Player, Practice Makes Perfect, Steampunk, Tabletop Roleplaying Games, The Avengers, The Society of Odin, Thor, Variety is the Spice of Life, Variety vs. Longevity

My Many Characters – A PC Snapshot

Posted on April 23, 2012 by Matt | 1 Comment

I love to create both Player Characters and Non-Player Characters as I feel that the individuals that populate game worlds are as important (if not moreso) than the game world itself. The rest of the group has verbalized many, many, many times that I can get so wrapped up in my affinity for creating that it often gets in the way of actually playing a table-top RPG. Be that as it may, I know that I am first and foremost a player, so this week, I’ve decided to share some of my favorite creations – past, present, and in limbo.

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Posted in Behind the Scenes, Comic Books, Comics, Gaming, Movies, Pop-Culture, Role Playing Games, Table Top Games

Tagged 3rd Edition, AD&D 2nd Edition, Auschwitz, Barbarian, Battlerager, Black Hawk Down, Campaign, Campaign Settings, Character Creation, Charlie Day, Charlie Kelly, Clangeddin Silverbeard, Cloverfield, Commander Shepherd, d20, Dean Winchester, Demigod, Dungeons & Dragons, Dwarven, Dwarves, East End, Eberron, Eric Bana, fighter, Gaming, GMPC, Heroes, Heroic, I love Dwarves, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Jack O'Reilly, Jensen Ackles, Josef Mengele, KGB, Liev Schreiber, Mass Effect, Michael Stahl-David, Mutton Chops, Nazi Super Soldier, Non-Player Character, NPC, Occult, Paladin, PC, Player Character, Ranger, Razumihin Silverpick, Sabertooth, Soviet, Spycraft 2.0, Steampunk, Supernatural, table top, Tabletop Roleplaying Games, The Battle of Stalingrad, The Black Donnellys, The Forgotten Realms, The Society of Odin, Tommy Donnelly, Victorian London, white wolf, Wolverine, World of Darkness, X-Men Origins

Shaking off the GM Rust

Posted on April 2, 2012 by Matt | 3 Comments

What you expect when running a game...

Ok, so I admit it. I’m really rusty when it comes to sitting in the GM seat. We’ve run through about three sessions of my Society of Odin Steampunk d20 game, and so far I would grade my performance a solid B-.

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Posted in Behind the Scenes, Gaming, Pop-Culture, Role Playing Games, Table Top Games

Tagged d20, D20 Gaming, Game Master, Gamemaster, Gamemastering, GM, GMing, Improvisation, NPC's, own it while you pwn it, PC, Players, railroading, Roleplaying, Roleplaying Games, Steampunk, Tabletop, Tabletop Roleplaying Games, Victorian England, Worldbuilding

Game Mechanics, Game Mechanics Everywhere!

Posted on March 26, 2012 by admin | 2 Comments

Game mechanics, rule sets, whatever you want to call them, they for the foundation and the underlying laws of the games that we play. I used the image of the Rules Lawyer to point out that while the rules are essentially what make the game world turns, it’s my belief that most of us gaming out there tend to follow the concept that the written rules are more a set of guidelines rather than the be-all-and-end-all of the gaming table. For all of you Rules Lawyers out there, I say cool it! We all get it, but really, just stop.

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Posted in Gaming, Geek Gear, Pop-Culture, Role Playing Games, Table Top Games

Tagged 3.5 edition, AD&D 2nd Edition, D&D, d20, d20 fez, d20 system, Dice pool, Dungeons and Dragons, Game Mechanics, Gaming, Gaming Mechanics, GURPS, Hellboy, OGL 3.5, Pen and Paper RPG, Roleplaying Games, RPG, Rules Lawyer, Shadowrun, Shadowrun RPG, Tabletop, tabletop rolepaying games, white wolf, World of Darkness