2020-03-16 12:23
No matter how solid your group is, losing someone always changes the dynamic in some way. For my group, we’ve each fallen into a niche, and we know how to play games that fulfill… Read More
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Treasure Tables is a weblog for game masters, written by a longtime GM.
2020-03-10 11:00
When I was young, I had enough health problems that going outside wasn’t always an option. Playing inside involved getting my mom to tie a towel around my neck so I could pretend… Read More
2020-03-09 13:00
I always want to see people roleplay more in my roleplaying games. Always! I want people to speak in character, using “I” statements instead of “they” statements… Read More
2020-03-05 13:00
Join Ang, J.T., and Phil for a discussion about how technology, communication, and gaming has changed over the years. Have these gnomes adapted well enough to keep out of the stew?
Do… Read More
2020-03-04 15:30
Like a magical surgeon!
*System Splicing is a series looking to break down tabletop RPGs into mechanics you can apply to other games. Splicing is about focusing on add-on mechanic… Read More
2020-03-02 12:00
Now that the Kickstarter for Pasión de las Pasiones is upon us, I thought it might be a good time to revisit the playthrough that my home group did for this game. We were all ver… Read More
2020-02-28 13:00
For those who know me, aside from TTRPG’s my other big obsession is bags. I have a modest collection of various backpacks, sling bags, messengers, and satchels from a number of de… Read More
2020-02-26 13:00
Welcome to The Indie Game Shelf! Each article in this series will highlight a different small press roleplaying game to showcase the wide variety of games available. Whether you’… Read More
2020-02-25 12:00
I think for today’s review, I’ll look at something nice and simple that shouldn’t be at all controversial. Let me just check the internet for a moment.
Oh. Oh my.
Wel… Read More
2020-02-24 15:00
Today I’m going to delve a bit into world building. I can see some readers checking out already because they run a pre-published setting like Forgotten Realms or Eberron. Don&rsq… Read More
2020-02-21 15:05
I’m not sure what I expected when I bought a copy of Warhammer: Fantasy Roleplay 4th Edition. Ever since I began my transition, both as a woman and as a better person, I’ve… Read More
2020-02-20 13:00
Join Chuck, Jared, and John for a discussion about their best and worst gaming experiences on both sides of the GM screen. Have these gnomes learned enough from their experiences to ke… Read More
2020-02-19 15:30
As at least 2,661 might have heard, but Agon is coming out sometime in April! In case some of you are wondering just what Agon is: “Agon is a game of fast-paced heroic adventure… Read More
2020-02-17 12:00
Games that use the framework originally established by Apocalypse World have often been praised for their ability to model existing genres, due to the ability of the rules to heavily c… Read More
2020-02-11 12:00
Space Opera is one of the earliest genres to enter the roleplaying game space, along with fantasy and cosmic horror. While it’s never quite broken through to the same popularity… Read More
2020-02-06 13:00
Join Jared and special guest Kimi Hughes of Golden Lasso Games for a discussion about Kimi’s new game Decuma, on Kickstarter now!
Download: Gnomecast #85 – Decuma Int… Read More
2020-02-05 15:30
I believe anyone would agree that the right kind of music can improve any given situation. However I find that it’s done too similarly to video games; scenes and situations are g… Read More
2020-02-03 12:00
I’ve seen some recent discussion online regarding rules that constrain and inform how game moderators modify ongoing narratives in games, and this made me think about why I like… Read More
2020-01-31 08:00
“Why does everyone keep going, ‘KITTY!’ when I’m a dangerous and deadly predator!?”
One of my regular groups has been playing a modern paranormal game usin… Read More
2020-01-29 08:00
Gamers, such as I, who are devoted to Dungeons and Dragons and similar tabletop experiences, are all about big, showy magic.
It’s all about fireballs and magical webs and dazzling… Read More
2020-01-27 13:00
In the early days of published adventures, quite a few dungeon features were used in a clever* manner to add confusion to the mix. This confusion was largely placed on the shoulders of… Read More
2020-01-24 13:00
Over the last few years, my gaming group has gotten really good at something… finishing campaigns. We have over the last two years and four campaigns been able to bring our campa… Read More
2020-01-23 13:00
Join Ang, Di, and Senda for a discussion about when and how to run a game without the rule books. Can these gnomes wing it well enough to keep out of the stew?
Download: Gno… Read More
2020-01-21 12:00
There are times when I am drawn to a game because it seems like a twist to a similar concept that already interests me. Anyone that has read a good number of my reviews knows that I&rs… Read More
2020-01-20 13:00
Sometimes, you just need a good atmospheric murder mystery. It seems like the options are endless: mysteries involving British trains. Mysteries with British aristocrats solving murder… Read More
2020-01-17 08:00
I recently had the opportunity to chat with Josh Fox about his latest game currently on Kickstarter, Last Fleet. I have a few different genres that I’m drawn to like a bear to ho… Read More
2020-01-15 15:30
…and I love it.
My future
Back in November 2019 I attended Kamcon, a budding convention in Canada in its second year of conception.
While there I did one of my workshop panels, w… Read More
2020-01-13 13:00
Welcome to The Indie Game Shelf! Each article in this series will highlight a different small press roleplaying game to showcase the wide variety of games available. Whether you’… Read More
2020-01-09 13:00
Join review gnome Jared for an interview with special guest Robert Bohl for a discussion about Robert’s new game, Demihumans. Will Jared’s interview skills be enough to kee… Read More
2020-01-06 13:00
With the start of the new year, some folks are starting to think about processing and paying their taxes for the previous year. I’m certainly one of them since I have more comple… Read More
2020-01-03 12:30
I have to admit something. I’m not always thrilled to hear an analysis of a game that includes the term “the rules get out of the way.” I understand the concept, but… Read More
2020-01-01 15:00
Image by StockSnap from Pixabay
“Are you sure?”“It’s going to be a high DC.”*Rolls dice behind the screen*
If you’ve played tabletops to any degree y… Read More
2019-12-30 15:37
As a long-time game master, I have pondered the reasons why some campaigns work over the long-term (and why some campaigns never get off the ground). There are the usual subjects &ndash… Read More
2019-12-26 13:00
Join a whole potful of gnomes as they each look back on their 2019 gaming year. Will all these gnomes be able to close out the year without getting tossed in the stew?
Download: Gnome… Read More
2019-12-24 13:30
*Required because this book is just so damned important.
On the Hello Monday with Jessi Hempel podcast, Satya Nadella described the practice of business as figuring out the unmet and un… Read More
2019-12-23 14:23
Stacie and Harrison, a commission by Casey Sharp @magebomb_
This article was jointly written by Senda Linaugh and Wen Reischl.
It’s a story we all know. The Popular Girl wit… Read More
2019-12-20 13:00
Welcome to The Indie Game Shelf! Each article in this series will highlight a different small press roleplaying game to showcase the wide variety of games available. Whether you’… Read More
2019-12-18 13:00
In nearly every way you can gauge how a campaign is going, my Things From The Flood game was knocking it out of the park. The story was gripping and grim, the players were dialed into t… Read More
2019-12-17 12:30
I don’t know if you have noticed this, but there are a lot of fantasy RPGs out there. So many that you may wonder what it takes to catch someone’s attention, with all of th… Read More
2019-12-16 13:00
Booing the Bards by Steve Stark – Dreamchaser RPG
When do you game?
Is it a weekly thing?
Does the date and time change, or is it consistent, like some kind of gaming pact?
Holid… Read More
2019-12-12 13:00
Join Ang, John, and Phil for a discussion about how to manage games and groups with variable membership. Can these gnomes handle personnel changes well enough to keep them out of the s… Read More
2019-12-11 13:38
Around 9 or 10 months ago I built myself a portable, digital map solution. A TV that was on sale, a wooden frame, a piece of glare-resistant plexiglass and an HDMI cable later and I was… Read More
2019-12-04 13:00
A long time ago… No. Even longer ago than that. Yes. That far back. We’re going to change reality for that long ago, and that change is going to ripple forward into the cu… Read More
2019-12-03 12:30
There has been a lot of discussion in the past year about cyberpunk as a genre, and the core purpose of the genre. Much of this discussion has focused on the comparison of cyberpunk as… Read More
2019-12-02 12:00
GM Screens can be controversial things. A lot of people don’t consider them necessary, and others think they actively create a boundary between players and GMs that should not ex… Read More
2019-11-29 13:00
I have been incredibly vocal on my social media accounts about the importance of involving Asian creators in the writing, artistic, and editorial processes behind Asian campaign setting… Read More
2019-11-29 13:00
For starters, I’d like to thank the fine folks over at Writing Excuses for sparking this idea in my head with one of their recent podcasts. If you want to hear what they have to… Read More
2019-11-28 13:00
Join Ang, Jared, and J.T. for a discussion about the meaning of niche protection and how to implement it in your games. Will these gnomes’ niches be protected enough to keep them… Read More
2019-11-27 12:30
When I was talking with Ang and J.T. on a recent Gnomecast, we were discussing niche protection with characters. The discussion turned to the 4th edition Dungeons and Dragons concept o… Read More
2019-11-25 14:06
As a long time table top gamer, I’ve played a pretty wide gamut of games. I spent years in crunchy Pathfinder and 3rd edition D&D before my tastes in gaming changed and sent… Read More
2019-11-22 13:00
One of the cool things about RPGs is that you constantly evolve through your time in the hobby. One of the bad things about being a blogger for so many years is that everything you ever… Read More
2019-11-20 14:00
All the way back in February of this year, Kickstarter hosted an event called Zine Quest, where RPG creators launched a huge variety of projects – short, small, self-contained pro… Read More
2019-11-18 13:00
About a year and a half ago, I was in one of my local used book stores searching for ancient tomes. While perusing the shelves, I stumbled across a large collection of books by the same… Read More
2019-11-15 12:30
Over the last two months, I’ve been looking at the game Thousand Year Old Vampire, by Tim Hutchings. It is a journaling game that you play by recording facts about your character… Read More
2019-11-14 13:00
Join Ang, Matt, and Senda for a discussion about how many players is a comfortable number. There may also be talk about actual furniture. Will these gnomes find the right-sized game to… Read More
2019-11-13 13:00
Welcome to The Indie Game Shelf! Each article in this series will highlight a different small press roleplaying game to showcase the wide variety of games available. Whether you’… Read More
2019-11-08 15:00
Your world is basic as all hell.
Mine is too, don’t worry about it.
As a GM, I’ve been working on my own homebrew setting for several years. As GM veterans and aspirants, yo… Read More
2019-11-05 12:30
Death often defines the RPGs that we play, even when we don’t realize it. The style of gameplay of many games is determined by the frequency of character death, but even in games… Read More
2019-11-04 15:32
Even the simplest of traps can be lethal when done right.
Traps. We all know what they are and how they work. Bait something with the proverbial carrot, the machinations whir, boom! Tra… Read More
2019-11-01 14:00
Tabletop gamers are fairly all over the place and I would argue that we’re now possibly the most diverse subculture in the world now. We have folks from all genders and backgroun… Read More
2019-10-31 12:00
Join Ang, Chuck, and Matt for a discussion about using monsters in games and making them…spooooky! Will these gnomes brave enough scary creatures to keep them out of the stew?… Read More
2019-10-30 12:00
Image courtesy of Pixabay.com
Content warning: as you’ve probably gathered from the title and picture, this article deals with insects and spiders, topics you or yo… Read More
2019-10-28 12:00
I recently tried to launch a new gaming group, and for the first time in a long time, I failed to get the group off the ground. Well, that’s not entirely true. We had a session ze… Read More
2019-10-25 11:30
Last month I started my detailed playthrough of Thousand Year Old Vampire by Tim Hutchings, given to me by that notable siren of vampiric power, my fellow Gnome (and all-around awesome… Read More
2019-10-24 12:00
The Best Convention…Ever
It’s been almost two weeks since the end of Big Bad Con 2019, and I’ve had plenty of time to reflect on what I am now calling my favourite ta… Read More
2019-10-23 08:39
It’s a Friday night. I’ve got my backpack over my shoulder, a cold beverage in a bag, and I’m headed up a set of very familiar stairs. I’m greeted by an eight ye… Read More
2019-10-21 11:30
Drive-Through RPG is an important fixture of the RPG industry. It is the largest consolidated site for electronic RPG products, mostly in the form of PDFs. There has been a lot of disc… Read More
2019-10-18 12:00
I got a text message a few weeks ago letting me know that my good friend Jim was moving back to town, after 20 years. Jim was the first gamer I met when I moved to Buffalo in the mid-&r… Read More
2019-10-17 12:00
Join Ang, Jared, and J.T. for a discussion about how to use weather in your games. Will these gnomes’ all-weather gear be enough to keep them out of the stew?
Download: Gnomecas… Read More
2019-10-16 13:39
I had a twin once. We did everything together. We learned magic, the two of us. I know she’s out there, still doing it…but I lost it. And I haven’t talked to her in… Read More
2019-10-14 13:00
I’ve never been a fan of when players just say they want to use X skill, such as, “I want to use Perception to check for traps”, or “I want to make a Diplomacy… Read More
2019-10-11 13:34
One of the challenges in creating and running a campaign is keeping track of dates. To do this, you need to create a calendar that fits in with your campaign. Not every world will have… Read More
2019-10-09 12:00
Welcome to The Indie Game Shelf! Usually, each article in this series highlights a different small press roleplaying game. In this installment, however, I’ve decided to take a lo… Read More
2019-10-08 11:30
It is probably no secret at this point that I enjoy games that have mechanics derived from Apocalypse World. I am often stunned at the variety of play experiences that can come from a… Read More
2019-10-07 14:10
*System Splicing is a series looking to break down tabletop RPGs into mechanics you can apply to other games. Splicing is about focusing on add-on mechanics rather than entire sys… Read More
2019-10-04 13:22
I have a lot to tell my therapist.
Where’s the beef? Right here Wendy’s. As of now you and I have beef. And now I’m ready to throw it on my table and toss dice at it… Read More
2019-10-03 12:00
Join Ang for the latest installment of “Meet a New Gnome” as the latest gnome, Di, joins the stew! Learn about Di’s gaming origins, current projects, and plans future… Read More
2019-10-02 07:01
Ever replay a published adventure? If so, how are you making that second time through memorable?
Roleplaying games have a long tradition of replay.
Like an old friend, some GMs pa… Read More
2019-09-30 13:00
Playtesting can be a fraught experience, even in the best of circumstances. This goes double if the designer of the game is involved in the playtest, or if you’re friends of the d… Read More
2019-09-26 12:00
Life is funny. Last month I was hacking up a John Wick game, and today I am here to tell you about work I am doing for Things from the Flood. As it turns out, my player who was going to… Read More
2019-09-25 12:30
A couple of weeks ago, I had the opportunity to play a pre-Kickstarter build of Magpie Games’ Root: The Tabletop Roleplaying Game during a recording of the Terrible Warriors podca… Read More
2019-09-23 13:30
Want to write better adventures?
Want to prep more efficiently?
Sick of players skipping all of your best content?
Prep Smarter, Not Harder, with Encounter Theory
Encounter Theory: T… Read More
2019-09-20 11:30
One day, a few weeks ago, I received a message from the incomparable Camdon Wright. Camdon asked me if I would be interested in looking at Thousand Year Old Vampire, a single player &l… Read More
2019-09-19 12:00
Join Ang as she continues the “Get to Know an Old Gnome” series with one of the original gnomes, Phil Vecchione. Learn Phil’s gaming and blogging origins, his current… Read More
2019-09-18 12:00
Welcome to The Indie Game Shelf! Each article in this series will highlight a different small press roleplaying game to showcase the wide variety of games available. Whether you’… Read More
2019-09-17 11:30
Generally speaking, I don’t usually review short-form products on Gnome Stew. Additionally, I often don’t do formal reviews for products that are free. I also try very hard… Read More
2019-09-16 13:03
Image taken by Mike Sinko and used via Creative Commons Attribution license.
I recently had the pleasure of playing Bad Horse at the gaming table. Yes, that Bad Horse. Leader of the Ev… Read More
2019-09-13 12:00
With this being Friday the 13th, I figured I’d roll with a post about curses. There are a multitude of reasons (some with more legitimacy than others) on why we’re so afraid… Read More
2019-09-11 13:00
I’m not the kind of person who gets sappy over poetry. But there’s this handful of lines from Ezra Pound that always make me feel like there’s a fist beneath my breas… Read More
2019-09-10 11:30
At some point, I realized that I enjoyed reading about how games work and why, as much as I enjoyed reading and learning new games themselves. While I have gone out of my way, in… Read More
2019-09-09 08:00
Gaming can be an excellent social experience, even with anxiety
I pull up to the house, park out front (not t0o early, I hope), and sit for a moment. I consider briefly taking off again… Read More
2019-09-06 08:00
What makes us happy can be different, and that’s okay.
If it wasn’t obvious from the fact that I’ve been writing for the Stew since 2014 or that I constantly talk abou… Read More
2019-09-05 12:00
Join Ang, Chuck, and Senda for a discussion about introducing players to new games. Can these gnomes introduce themselves to the new game of escaping getting tossed in the stew th… Read More
2019-09-02 12:00
In the fifth edition of the world’s most popular roleplaying game, the concept of “downtime activities” has been fairly well codified. Of course, there are “inte… Read More
2019-08-30 13:49
AZRibbonsAndSupplies. Etsy, 22 Feb. 2019,
Whether you use a plethora of painstakingly painted figurines or the classical theater of the mind for your games, you’ll often find your… Read More
2019-08-28 12:00
I am in between campaigns, having just wrapped an amazing arc of Masks, and with a bit of downtime before my Things From the Flood campaign starts (We are taking time off while one of t… Read More
2019-08-27 12:30
At this year’s Fan Expo Canada, I spoke on a number of panels about adventure design, getting started in RPGs, and game mastering best practices. A familiar theme arose in every… Read More
2019-08-23 12:00
Welcome to The Indie Game Shelf! Each article in this series will highlight a different small press roleplaying game to showcase the wide variety of games available. Whether you’… Read More
2019-08-22 12:00
Join Ang, Jen, and Matt for a discussion about how to handle players that are less invested in the game. Are these gnomes serious enough to avoid getting tossed in the stew this w… Read More
2019-08-20 11:30
Fantasy is a huge, almost too wide term when applying the word to genres. Many times the word invokes the idea of heroic fantasy like The Lord of the Rings, or Sword and Sorcery storie… Read More
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