2024-04-17 10:00
When starting to design an adventure for your home group, the first things I always consider are the mood, tone, and theme of the adventure. This will dictate all design decisions, descript… Read More
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Treasure Tables is a weblog for game masters, written by a longtime GM.
2024-04-15 10:00
Licensed games usually take the approach of presenting material that can happen far away from the canon events of the setting. This works especially well in settings like Star Trek or Star… Read More
2024-04-10 10:00
https://polygamero.us/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Gnomecast186.mp3Ang, Chris and Josh chat about mixing up genres in our RPGs and as a result touch on what genre is, and why we can and should… Read More
2024-04-08 10:00
Try all the options
We are all familiar with the trope of a regular gaming group. You know, the one who meets on regular days in the regular gaming location. And while the particularities o… Read More
2024-04-03 10:00
Pass it along…
Face to face, out in the heat, hanging tough, staying hungry…
… Read More
2024-04-01 10:00
Game of the year?
I’ve reviewed so many other things, and I feel like I’ve been missing a fundamental item in all of this. It’s key to understanding all of my other reviews… Read More
2024-03-29 10:00
Planning in RPGs has always been a problem. On one hand, it’s often necessary for a group of players to plan out something their characters are trying to accomplish. On the other, most… Read More
2024-03-27 10:00
http://misdirectedmark.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/GC_185_takingoverGMing_final.mp3
Ang, Jared, and JT get together on the mics to talk about all the ins and outs of taking over the GM… Read More
2024-03-25 12:00
It’s become a bit of a meme for people to declare characters from different genres to be “magical girls.” Prince Adam lives his life, during the day, as an unassuming royal… Read More
2024-03-22 13:30
We know the meme: players latch onto the most insignificant goblin of a side character and ignore the walking plot hook in the fancy cloak. They’ll obsess over the most minor, minute… Read More
2024-03-20 10:00
Welcome to a series of adventure design articles that I’m going to publish over the course of the next many months. The idea for this series hit me hard while I was at the bus stop wa… Read More
2024-03-18 10:00
Library organization is always key…
An Infinite Digital Bookcase
I can still remember the first roleplaying game that I got in the early 1990s, the Advanced Dungeons and Dragons Dunge… Read More
2024-03-15 10:00
In a similar manner to my articles in which I break down the articles from Arcadia that I used to write for Tribality, I now present you a series of breakdowns for the Unbound collection. L… Read More
2024-03-13 12:00
http://misdirectedmark.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/GC_184_DnDandMe_Final.mp3In honor of D&D’s 50th Anniversary, a whole bunch of Gnomes get on the mics to talk about our history… Read More
2024-03-11 10:00
In older editions of D&D, traveling from one place to another was an activity governed by a lot of rules, but not governed by a lot of active input by the player characters. Depending o… Read More
2024-03-01 11:00
Make it your own…
In the vast body of tabletop role-playing games (RPGs), published settings offer a canvas rich with lore, characters, and landscapes that ignite the imagination. Fro… Read More
2024-02-28 11:00
http://misdirectedmark.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/GC_183_Newplayers_final.mp3Ang, JT and Senda chat about the logistics of adding new players to your groups and new characters to your ga… Read More
2024-02-27 11:00
The name Arkham has become entrenched in the public consciousness, even when people don’t know the origin of the name. When I mentioned what I was reviewing this week, my wife said, … Read More
2024-02-23 11:00
My gaming group decided to end our most recent campaign and start up a game of Mutants in the Now . We just completed Session Zero, including character generation, and I now have two weeks t… Read More
2024-02-19 11:00
Thursday is a tabletop role playing game for 2-4 players of time loops, drama, and learning from your mistakes, inspired by Russian Doll
I got a Thursday review copy while getting ready for… Read More
2024-02-16 11:00
Hopefully not a bad moon rising…
In the shadow of night, I see the full moon rise, telling me what’s in store… … Read More
2024-02-14 19:01
Ang, Jared and Josh get together and talk about what we can take from video games and apply to the RPGs we bring to the table.
http://misdirectedmark.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/GC_182_Vi… Read More
2024-02-12 13:00
This time around I wanted to do something a little different. We’re going to do a First Impression, because I wanted to address TTRPG gaming advice books that have made the transition… Read More
2024-02-09 14:00
As GMs, we walk a fine line between balancing a compelling narrative that incorporates our player characters’ backstories, making them feel centered in the campaign’s story whil… Read More
2024-02-05 11:00
Last month, I talked about giving your character some goals and motivations to support those goals. During a social media conversation about that article, a friend of mine dropped the idea… Read More
2024-01-31 12:00
http://misdirectedmark.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/GC_181_Bridgett_Jeffries.mp3
Ang welcomes Bridgett Jeffries, Chaosium Community Coordinator to the Stew, where they talk about what t… Read More
2024-01-29 14:45
In the time since this article was originally published, more information about Evil Genius Games and the business practices associated with the owner have come to light. While we still gre… Read More
2024-01-26 11:00
Years ago when I was coding, I used to have this thing about Future Phil, Past Phil, and Present Phil. It started with some poorly documented code, where I cursed Past Phil for being lazy an… Read More
2023-11-06 11:00
The point of playing a game, any game of any style or ruleset, is to be entertained. There’s a saying that goes around: If you’re having fun, you’re doing right. This is u… Read More
2023-10-30 10:00
Over the decades my free time has become less and less. Gone are the times in my 20s when my responsibilities were low and my time to enjoy the hobby of RPGs was bountiful. What time I have… Read More
2023-10-27 10:00
All images were taken from the PLANET FIST game
A few days ago I got to try out PLANET FIST, a game inspired by sci-fi movies and videogames, especially Planetside 2. In this game by Jess L… Read More
2023-10-25 12:12
http://misdirectedmark.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/GC_175_-Tipsforconventions_final.mp3
Some of us are attending conventions once again and thought we should share our best tips for ho… Read More
2023-10-23 12:00
It’s (at the time of this writing) October. The trees are losing their cloaking leaves, revealing the long skeletal fingers of ancient beings whose roots draw life from deep undergrou… Read More
2023-10-20 10:15
Familiars are many and varied, with a smorgasbord of stats and powers. Each is unique and your choice says something about your character. These versatile minions are a simple way to add a… Read More
2023-10-16 10:00
Even the most classic of villains can use a fresh twist to keep them interesting.
From ghost stories during my days in scouts to wanting to be a fiction writer since I was only three years o… Read More
2023-10-11 10:00
http://misdirectedmark.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/GC_174_Gaming-Group-Anniversary_Final.mp3We have a 20 year gaming group anniversary to celebrate and Ang does it with her crew by record… Read More
2023-10-09 10:00
Such nostalgia…
I don’t know where I’m going, but I sure know where I’ve been. Hanging on the promises in songs of yesterday…”
… Read More
2023-10-06 10:00
We live with our characters. … Read More
2023-09-29 10:00
I almost canceled my new Cyberpunk: Red campaign. Well…I thought about it. I was four sessions in and the game had not gelled. That is a red flag for me. I did some introspection and… Read More
2023-09-27 10:10
http://misdirectedmark.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/GC_173_Welcomebackwalt_final.mp3The gnomes are happy to welcome back Walt to the gnome tree. Walt is one of the original gnomes and an R… Read More
2023-09-25 10:00
Is it time to game yet?
When I first started playing, I was just a teenager and it felt like there was never anything getting in the way of us gaming. We played every weekend and more than t… Read More
2023-09-13 10:00
http://misdirectedmark.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/GC_172_RPGaDayConversation_Final2.mp3
Ang, Chris, and Senda get together to talk about some of the RPG a day questions from 2023.
B… Read More
2023-09-11 10:00
So many choices for the Wayback Machine…
I wanna go back and do it all over but I can’t go back, I know. … Read More
2023-09-08 10:00
All images were taken from the Forgery game
Among the many indie games and zines that came out in Zine Month there was Forgery. This is a solo journaling experience that has you painting a… Read More
2023-09-01 10:00
There are quite a few world building articles (and podcasts) on Gnome Stew. Heck, I’ve even written one. However, that’s not the point of this article. I’m not going to ta… Read More
2023-08-30 10:10
http://misdirectedmark.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/CG-171_Weirdwizard_final.mp3JT sits down with the Demon Lord himself, Rob Schwalb from Schwalb Entertainment to talk about his newest g… Read More
2023-08-28 10:00
In my most recent Cortex Prime game, Aux, one of the players was making a roll to repair an ancient, alien machine. A roll that, back at the start of the campaign over a year ago, was a bit… Read More
2023-08-25 10:00
Last week, my year-and-a-half campaign I ran of Kids on Brooms was brought to an end. However, despite the campaign being over, the story was not. I decided to bring it to an end before we… Read More
2023-08-23 09:00
The first time I came across phases of play in a Role Playing game was Mouseguard. It’s a game based on a comic book series about mice who adventure to help the mouse territories&helli&hell…Read More
2023-08-16 10:45
http://misdirectedmark.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/GC_170_Session0Redux_Final.mp3Session 0. We’re doing it again. Why? Because it’s important. Why is it important? Because it… Read More
2023-08-14 12:00
In addition to creating RPGs that leverage IP like Aliens and Blade Runner, Free League has also been translating and revamping RPGs previously known to the European market. The game we&rsq&helli…Read More
2023-08-11 10:48
Metagaming usually gets a bad rap. When people say “metagaming,” visions of know it all players who have read the Monster Manual cover to cover and memorized the stats, abilitie… Read More
2023-08-09 10:00
I’m not a trained actor. I’ve never taken an acting class. I don’t even really have any talent for acting. But I love playing characters, and one of my favorite things as a… Read More
2023-08-07 10:00
All images were taken from the O’ Captain game
After catching a glimpse of Leon Barillaro’s game last Big Bad Con I was astounded by the huge amount of dice it seemed to require… Read More
2023-08-04 10:00
Today is the second day of GenCon. I’m not sure what attendance numbers will be this year, but many conventions are starting to see numbers close to what they were getting in the &lsq&helli…Read More
2023-08-02 10:30
http://misdirectedmark.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/GC_169_Plotseeds_Final.mp3Not every seed that’s planted in the ground grows which is why you need to get some fertile soil, space… Read More
2023-07-31 12:00
My first memories of fantasy stories come from my sisters and my mother reading me stories from Howard Pyle’s stories of King Arthur. This was my introduction to magic and wizards and… Read More
2023-07-28 10:00
A few weeks ago, one of my players in my Cortex Prime game was not feeling well. We canceled the session. As the next session came up, that same player reminded us they had a family obligati… Read More
2023-07-26 10:00
Horror Is Not My Thing
It used to be when I was younger. The thought of someone killing you in your nightmares terrified me. Being possessed by a demonic entity who could cause you to projec… Read More
2023-07-19 10:00
http://misdirectedmark.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/GC_168_AlexThomasfromGreenRonin_V03_CS.mp3The gnomes welcome Alex Thomas from Green Ronin, the line developer for Mutants and Mastermind… Read More
2023-07-17 10:00
Let me set up my tale with some details:
The Month: July, 1983
Location: Midland, TX
The Weather: Cook Eggs On The Sidewalk Hot
The Protagonist: J.T. Evans
Protagonist’s Age: 10 years… Read More
2023-07-14 09:00
I have a point I’d like to make about social contracts, so before I make said point, I thought I should delve into a brief intro to the topic in case someone reading isn’t famil… Read More
2023-07-12 10:00
Worldbuilding through oneshots is exactly what says on the tin – its a technique where you play a one session game (a oneshot) and use that as the source material to create or expand o… Read More
2023-07-10 12:00
Long-time readers of my reviews (and bless all of you) may have picked up that I love modern urban fantasy and monster-hunting stories and games. When I first saw Apocalypse Keys, I knew I… Read More
2023-07-07 10:00
Make it spicy!
Whether I’m running a familiar module again, or playing through my latest custom one-shot, there are always encounters or scenes that fall a little flat. The energy has… Read More
2023-07-05 10:00
http://misdirectedmark.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/GC_167_Partiesliketheonesyoudanceat-Mixdown-1.mp3We’re talking about parties. Not adventuring parties. Masquerades, balls, shindig… Read More
2023-06-30 10:00
In a recent episode of Panda’s Talking Games, my co-host, Senda and I were talking about how much space GMs give for players to solve problems. Not space as in time, but in possible so… Read More
2023-06-28 10:00
In older editions of D&D, there were checks for the monsters’ morale. If a certain percentage of the monsters were killed or incapacitated, then they’d have to roll to see i… Read More
2023-06-26 12:00
Like most people, there is a sharp contrast between my life before 2020 and after 2020. If you happened to read any of my articles before that time, you’ll notice several times where… Read More
2023-06-23 10:00
All the games!
So, let’s say you are in the market for a new tabletop game. It could be that your current campaign has concluded and you want to try something new, it could be that you… Read More
2023-06-21 10:00
http://misdirectedmark.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/GC_166_QuantamOgre_V01_CS_Final.mp3It’s here. It’s there. It’s every bleeping where. Quantum Ogre. Quantum Ogre. Welco… Read More
2023-06-19 09:43
A decade-ish ago, I wrote an article entitled “The Nine Forms of the Five Room Dungeon”. The premise was simple: using specific rules of construction, there are only nine topolog… Read More
2023-06-16 10:00
Talk Talk Talk Talk Talk
For an upcoming game, I’ve been working on a character that was born in Spain many centuries ago. As part of working up who she is, I have been pondering wheth… Read More
2023-06-14 10:00
It’s all a web of connections!
S.O.M.O. (so•mo) | noun: Scared of Missing Out. A version of Fear of Missing Out that replaces the first word for a synonym so that the author of t… Read More
2023-06-12 12:00
This year has been moving fast, and your humble review gnome has really been having a hard time scheduling reviews for some of the really big projects out there. Turns out, while trying to… Read More
2023-06-07 10:00
http://misdirectedmark.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/GC_165_SchedulingDifficulties_Final.mp3On today’s Gnomecast we talk problems with scheduling. To cover that we have Ang, along wit… Read More
2023-06-02 10:00
Note: I am going to use the terms GMing and DMing a whole lot along the article. GM stands for Game Master, the storyteller, arbiter of rules ; the one running the game. DMing is a subcateg… Read More
2023-05-29 08:56
Last year for my birthday, my wife bought the two of us seats in a professionally run Spelljammer campaign. Spelljammer has long been my favorite DnD setting, but one I never got to play as… Read More
2023-05-26 10:00
I am gearing up for my new Cyberpunk Red game and it turns out that a few weeks before Session Zero, a new supplement, Black Chrome dropped. So of course I grabbed it. As I did, I thoug… Read More
2023-05-24 12:11
http://misdirectedmark.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/GC_164_Demiplane_with_Adam_Bradford_Finalmp3.mp3Jared takes some time to speak with Adam Bradford, the person behind Demiplane. a place… Read More
2023-05-22 12:00
The first time I heard about Osprey Publishing, it was regarding their various military history books. Fast forward a few years, and my friend was explaining to me that they had introduced… Read More
2023-05-15 10:00
In June of 2009, I launched the Ravenous RPG site. … Read More
2023-05-10 09:00
http://misdirectedmark.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/GC_163_Collabrative_World_Building_Final.mp3Welcome to the GnomeCast, the Gnome Stew’s tabletop gaming advice podcast. Here we tal… Read More
2023-05-08 12:00
One of my favorite developments in Dungeons & Dragons 4th edition was formalizing concepts from other editions and settings into the Shadowfell and the Feywild. The concept of these &ld&helli…Read More
2023-05-05 10:00
There are connections to be found…
Somewhere around 2010, I read an article talking about how older adults are slower to make friends than young adults, teens, and children. This conf… Read More
2023-05-01 10:00
The journey ahead
I don’t want to talk about Luke Skywalker anymore. Great guy. Loved him for years. But folks, it’s time to move on. His hero’s journey has been the go-to… Read More
2023-04-28 10:00
As my Night’s Black Agents game is heading into its last mission, our group has begun discussing what to play next. The decision was to play Cyberpunk Red. It was a decision I was happ… Read More
2023-04-25 10:00
http://misdirectedmark.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Public-Access-with-Jason-Cordova_Final.mp3Game Crush is a conversation between folks who love a game. Sometimes it’s with two peop… Read More
2023-04-19 10:00
Alice is Missing is a game kickstarted back in 2020 by Hunters Entertainment, designed by Spenser Starke which I fell in love with from the moment I read its pitch. Even though it wasn&rsqu&helli…Read More
2023-04-17 12:00
Disclaimer: This first impression is based on access to the Demiplane Nexus Vampire Ultimate Bundle, which I received for review from Adam Bradford of Demiplane. The Bundle, as of this writ… Read More
2023-04-12 10:15
http://misdirectedmark.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/GC_162_Hex-Crawls_final.mp3Welcome to the GnomeCast, the Gnome Stew’s tabletop gaming advice podcast. Here we talk with the other… Read More
2023-04-07 11:00
In an ideal universe, dice are fair. Their results follow a uniform distribution with an equal chance to land on each face.
But we don’t live in an ideal universe. In our universe, no… Read More
2023-04-03 12:00
Moonlight on Roseville Beach is a roleplaying game about a very specific time and a very specific place, but that specificity makes it extremely relevant to the modern world, and the time i… Read More
2023-04-01 10:00
The terms of the Game Notion Open Mention Edition License Version 1.0a are as follows:
GAME NOTION OPEN MENTION EDITION License Version 1.0a
The following text is the property o… Read More
2023-03-31 10:00
I am a person who thinks a lot about game prep. At first, it started from a productivity angle, looking to be able to keep gaming as my “free time” was dwindling from a family, c… Read More
2023-03-29 10:00
http://misdirectedmark.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/GC161_Introducing_New_Players_final.mp3Welcome to the GnomeCast, the Gnome Stew’s tabletop gaming advice podcast. Here we talk wit… Read More
2023-03-24 10:00
In the days of yore (e.g.: prior to my introduction to the Internet in 1994), I’d spend countless hours at the library doing world research for RPGs and game design and generally educ… Read More
2023-03-20 12:00
Before I ever had a chance run a game of Dungeons & Dragons, after acquiring my sister’s copy of the 1981 Basic Set, I received my very own copy of the 1983 version of the D&D… Read More
2023-03-17 10:00
If you haven’t been living under a rock, you have probably heard about ChatGPT, the new(ish) AI chat bot released in late 2022. You can access ChatGPT for free here, though you do hav… Read More
2023-03-15 11:57
http://misdirectedmark.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/GC_160_One-Bad-Player-and-Change-final.mp3Welcome to the GnomeCast, the Gnome Stew’s tabletop gaming advice podcast. Here we talk… Read More
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