As March, and my theme of March Madness draws to a close, I feel like I would be remiss if I didn't spend some time talking about the sanity rules from the d20 SRD. I believe these rules were originally part of the D20 Cthulhu game, written by Monte Cook and John Tynes, and published way back in the mists of time (2002) by Wizards of the Coast. I'm not going to do a full review of these rules, but let's go ahead and take a look at some of the interesting bits.
A blog about roleplaying games, board games, and any other geeky stuff I decide to ramble about.
30 March 2018
21 March 2018
Rambler Reviews: "Perilous Places: The King's Mercy"
This week, I am continuing
my March Madness Theme by taking a look at Perilous Places: TheKing's Mercy. This twenty page PDF is another offering from the
Dungeon Master's Guild, written by Paul
Baalham, and featuring another take on emulating the progression
of madness (or in this case despair) in the minds of hapless
adventurers. The supplement is laid out nicely, is done in full
color, and there are good illustrations throughout, including an
image of each new monster and unique item presented, which I truly
appreciate. Let's take a closer look, and I'll let you know what I
think about this supplement and the “Despair Track” that it
introduces.
14 March 2018
Rambler Reviews: Madness sub-classes for the Barbarian and the Monk
Continuing with my March
Madness theme, I'm taking a look at sub-classes with a madness theme
for both the Barbarian and the Monk class. Incidentally, both
supplements are from the same author. How did I choose these classes
or these sub-classes you ask? I won't bore you with all the details,
but I will tell you that the process involved typing in the search
term “madness” on the DM's Guild website and then downloading a
couple of relevant results. Okay, so it turns out that I will bore
you with all of the details. Anyway, let's take a look at what I
found and I'll tell you what I think.
09 March 2018
Rambler Reviews: A Tale of Three Madness Systems
What happens when the mind
is confronted with something so terrible, so alien, that it alters a
person's understanding of reality?
Why, that person slowly descends
into madness of course!
This theme, and the exploration of this
"descent into madness," is quite popular in literature and
cinema. The works of Edgar Allen Poe, H.P. Lovecraft, and Alfred
Hitchcock come immediately to mind as exemplary of this genre, and
there are no doubt dozens and dozens of other examples. This theme
is so familiar, and so pervasive, that sooner or later the
question of how to emulate madness in role-playing games will
inevitably come up.
In Fifth Edition Dungeons
and Dragons, this question comes up on pages 258 – 260, in Chapter 8 of the
Dungeon Master's Guide, under the heading: "Madness."
Maddeningly, it also comes up in Chapter 9 on page 266 under the section “Fear
and Horror,” which (poorly) references the aforementioned madness
rules in Chapter 8, while in turn those madness rules in Chapter 8
reference the rules for “sanity checks” on page 265 of Chapter 9.
Unless the intention was to actually drive people mad, there is no
reason for these obviously related rules to be scattered and
separated as they are by a few unrelated pages. But I digress...
Today, I'll be taking a
look at these official madness rules, as well as a couple of other,
similar systems that are available for download over at the DM's
Guild.
07 March 2018
Introducing March Madness
I'm not a basketball fan, so when I hear everyone saying "March Madness" at this time of year I don't think about sports - I think about actual, jaw-clenching, lose-your-mind madness. So this month I'm dedicating my blog to madness in role-playing games.
What does that mean? One thing it means is that I'm going to take a look at some different rules and supplements that simulate fear, madness, and corruption and tell you what I think about them. I'm also going to review at least one madness-themed adventure. Beyond that I'll probably talk about some monsters like mind-flayers and gibbering mouthers, and I might even dig up some Cthulhu RPG stuff to talk about. It's going to get crazy!
Also, not much is set in stone yet, so if you have anything or know of anything madness-related that I should look at let me know!
What does that mean? One thing it means is that I'm going to take a look at some different rules and supplements that simulate fear, madness, and corruption and tell you what I think about them. I'm also going to review at least one madness-themed adventure. Beyond that I'll probably talk about some monsters like mind-flayers and gibbering mouthers, and I might even dig up some Cthulhu RPG stuff to talk about. It's going to get crazy!
Also, not much is set in stone yet, so if you have anything or know of anything madness-related that I should look at let me know!
02 March 2018
How to Create a Good Backstory, or: Why Nobody Cares About All That Stuff You Wrote About Your Character
First off, I want to say that I think having a backstory for your character is important, and I think the inclusion of backgrounds as a part of character creation in Fifth Edition Dungeons and Dragons is inspired. However, too much backstory before you even play the game can be a bad thing, and actually work against your enjoyment at the table.
Now, before you try and pummel me to death with the hand-bound ream of parchment that you’ve penned your character’s history on, hear me out.
Now, before you try and pummel me to death with the hand-bound ream of parchment that you’ve penned your character’s history on, hear me out.
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