•8 min read
I blame the BECMI Thief class for all of DnD's problems
How the BECMI Thief turned shared player ingenuity into one class's dice roll, and quietly traded D&D's player agency for character permissions.
Posts tagged with “Mechanics”
60 posts found
•11 min read
IBO Design Diary - The Progressive Resolution System
How IBO's Progressive Resolution System turns every skill check into a multi-stage risk decision, from sword fights to lockpicking to crafting legendary gear.
•17 min read
IBO Design Diary: What your character is made of
A deep dive into IBO's character system: nine characteristics, d100 skill rolls, backgrounds, apprenticeships, and the Rule of 5.
•5 min read
IBO Devlog: Locks, Ranges, and Revamps
Lockpicking, ranged combat simplification, grapple redesign, and a dev environment rebuild in the latest Iron, Blood & Omens devlog.
•13 min read
War and Warfare in TTRPGs - How to Bring Epic Conflicts to Life
Practical guidance for crafting player-driven wartime stories: pitfalls to avoid, scenario types to run, tools to add tension, and moral nuance.
•7 min read
Movement in Theater of the Mind for DnD 5e
Streamline combat by declaring intentions, using simple ranges, and resolving maneuvers with opposed checks to keep TotM battles fast, tactical, and fun.
•7 min read
Mounted Combat in Shadowdark TTRPG
Streamlined Shadowdark mount rules: melee bonus, charging with polearms, risks of bolting, gear and barding, mounts and costs, plus travel flavor.
•7 min read
The Roleplaying Origins of Early Dungeons and Dragons
Classic modules show early editions centered on negotiation and player ingenuity, contrasting with later skill-driven, performative approaches.
•10 min read
Foraging for Herbs in Shadowdark
OSR-inspired herbalism rules add strategic foraging, preservation checks, an expanded herb list, Ranger balance notes, and GM tips to your Shadowdark games.
•5 min read
Simplifying Runequest's Critical System
Proposes a universal 10s/5s critical scheme for Chaosium percentile games to speed resolution, add special failures, and reduce sheet-checking.