Design Role Playing Games Resource Page 1 | Toronto Web Design This page highlights various RPG freebies that have been created by Paratime Design for use with assorted Role Playing Games. Please note that the Zombie Squad RPG has moved to its own location. mearls: Stross's Law Revisited So I named my little theory from my last post after Charlie Stross, and how else should come by and comment but the man himself? Not only that, but he disagrees with me. The temerity! As I mentioned earlier, I owe everyone a more detailed examination of the concept. The general reaction seems to be, "Yes, this is obvious Mearls. Don't overwrite." I'm going to try to answer these questions and thoughts in this post. I originally wanted to draw charts to help explain what follows, but I'm not really sure how to do that with this Windows machine I'm stuck with. The basic premise behind my thinking is that D&D (and many other, but not all, RPGs) remains a viable hobby because it offers DMs a creative outlet. (As an aside, this line of thinking is why I think the low price of playing D&D is a strength, not a weakness. With this in mind, my theory rests on a simple supposition. Picture in your mind a graph that rises sharply at the left end, then drops suddenly at some point.
RPGs on the Web What's New • About This Site • Site Map • What is an RPG? • Company List • Bigass List of Games • Free RPGs • Murder Mysteries • RPG Theory • System Design • Systems & Reviews • Games&Copyright • My Campaigns • Convention Reports • Links • Blog This is a collection of links for over 500 free roleplaying games (RPGs) which are available on the web. Each game is listed with author, a capsule description, a page count, and file format (i.e. Getting Started This is an introduction to the possibilities of free RPGs, including a few recommendations. Full List All entries in a single alphabetical-by-title file, suitable for printing (~112k) Keyword Lists Here the entries are broken into lists which have specific keywords. Categories Explained This goes over my still-in-progress definition of keywords used to categorize the different games on the list. Help Find These Missing Games This is a list of games which probably exist somewhere, but which I cannot find the content to.
hao123_上网从这里开始 Handbooks for Role Playing Games Some bigger files are compressed with GNUzip (where indicated). The terms Dungeons & Dragons, Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, AD&D, D&D, Dungeon Master, Dragon, Dragonlance, Forgotten Realms, Al-Qadim, Monstrous Compendium, Greyhawk, Ravenloft which are mentioned on this page and in the files are registered trademarks of TSR, Inc. All other trademarks of products, company names, logos, phrases, service names, and/or slogans are trademarks of the respective companies, artists, and/or individuals, where applicable. These handbooks, guides, and lists can be used for a variety of role playing games. The Net Book of Plots The Net Book of Plots is a collection of adventure ideas. ASCII Versions HTML Version All of Volumes 1-6 (with a total of 307 plots) are in a new format which made it possible to convert them to a HTML-Version. Handbooks An outdated version of The Complete Net Handbook Version 1.0, May 1993, (gzip, 80K). Cesar's Netbook Guides The Guide to Alcohol (zip, 224K). Appendices Miscellany
adamdray: More about D&D drivingblind responded to one of my previous posts about my disillusion with D&D. The crux of his response was this: For me, I think the continuing appeal of D&D (which remains in denial about the inevitable disappointment) is that it puts so much effort into its structures ... and those structures, taken individually, can be pretty fascinating. Bingo! When 3E came out in, oh, 2000, I jumped on it. Then, as I came to understand the rules and I came to understand The Big Model (specifically reward systems), I realized that nothing had changed and in fact it had gotten worse. But, damn, the toys! After I wrote the post that started this thread, I felt rather freed. Well into the campaign, we had our first real group breakdown. At the same time, there was an argument about XP awards. I split the already-too-large group of 8 or 10 or so players into two groups. The KMATTS campaign died when I had a major falling-out with one of the four core players. The Towers campaign is so cool.
PBE Games: Home Free Dungeons - Free RPG Adventures mearls: Stross's Law of RPG Design Charles Stross invented the githyanki, the githzerai, and the slaads. Those monsters are cornerstones of D&D, up there with mind flayers and lichs in terms of icons that sprang from D&D, rather than from the pop culture and myth that surround the game. I've been pondering the githyanki and others a lot lately. Thus, I christen the following law of RPG design in honor of the inventor of the githyanki: Stross's Law of RPG Setting Design: A setting element should never require more than two paragraphs to explain it in full. Stross is also a brilliant SF novelist, so maybe his creations are simply the products of a mind wholly in tune with that undefinable quality that makes "D&D cool" (IOW, things in D&D that gamers love) what it is. EDIT: I'll provide my thinking for this law soon, before the end of the week.
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