• So You Want To Be a Game Master

    I. Dear Reader, I was reading Justin Alexander’s book So You Want To Be a Game Master this week and something very obvious sneaked up on me. When someone says a book is for “new GMs”, they’re going to have to imagine some kind of person when they say that. When you say “new GMs”,…

    Thomas Manuel

  • Jarring Combat

    I. Dear Reader, The recent Quinns Quest reminded me of one of my least favourite traits of modern RPGs. It’s there in lots of games. It’s when a game which is predominantly very narrative, very loose suddenly tries to become more granular and tactical in combat. There’s nothing wrong with granular, tactical combat. It’s just…

    Thomas Manuel

  • New Itch Games from Feb and March 2024

    I. Dear Reader It’s been a pretty great month for new games. All of these games came from people letting me know through this form. Rabbit Ronin: A samurai picaresque of wandering adventurers, who also happen to be rabbits or pigs or bears and so forth. (Thomas McGrenery) Holdfast Station: A zero-prep, mostly one shot,…

    Thomas Manuel

  • Last Ditch Consequences

    I. Dear Reader, Feeling ill so this newsletter is coming out a little late – but I wanted to highlight a key piece of “GM-friendly design”. I call it “last ditch consequences” which isn’t super clear but is easier to say than “the consequence that the GM can always dish out, even when it’s late…

    Thomas Manuel