2023-12-01 16:00
Apologies for my lack of involvement over the last few months, real life gets in the way sometimes. I do have a post still in draft for the September Carnival theme, then Orktober took over… Read More
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Plastic Polyhedra Blog
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Roleplaying. Boardgames. Wargames. Card games? Any and all games!
2023-10-16 17:29
I've had a couple more games of GorkaMorka and started building my own minis to represent my mob (as I borrowed them last time). Rules-as-written there are a few things to consider when choo… Read More
2023-10-07 13:49
It seems I've been drawn into a GorkaMorka campaign at my FLGS; I'd forgotten how much silly fun that game is. It was pretty cool that about half the players at the table had their original… Read More
2023-08-17 15:30
With the release of a new edition of 40k I've been tempted away from my usual love of skirmish games* and see what all the fuss is about - so I've picked up the Genestealer Cult combat patro… Read More
2023-08-10 17:31
This month the RPG Blog Carnival is all about Cabals and Congregations - which got me thinking about the organisations and factions we use (or rather don't use) in our games.When I play D&am&hell…Read More
2023-08-06 21:51
Apologies for the lateness of this post, I've been AFK for the last week or so. Also Blogger seems to be marking comments as spam a few days after I approve them, which makes the… Read More
2023-07-20 14:02
As this month's RPG Blog Carnival topic relates to weather and seasons, what better time to get round to reviewing one of my favourite setting books?Photo ironically taken on the only non-ra… Read More
2023-07-01 09:11
And so the RPG Blog Carnival rolls into town once more, this month's topic is "Terrain, Seasons, Weather" - and how you use them in your games.Inspired by a post I read about the impact of d… Read More
2023-06-23 14:53
I have a soft spot for Blood Bowl that goes back to the 90's (anyone remember the polystyrene "astrogranite" board?) and I've been keen to dust off my newer copy and get it all painted up.On… Read More
2023-06-13 17:06
A new month rolls around already and June brings with it the topic of "Travels, by Wave, Cloud, or Portal" from Seed of Worlds for the RPG blog carnival.Exploration is something I love about… Read More
2023-05-11 21:59
When I, or my group(s), run a game there is a tendency to build each session on the previous ones, weaving a story based on what went before and where it feels like the characters are headin… Read More
2023-04-26 16:00
A while back I got into Warcry, a light and fast skirmish game which is perfect for time-strapped modern life!The previous Blood Bowl minis were a pre-test for these to try out Army Pa… Read More
2023-04-24 22:46
When I saw this as the title for the April RPG Blog Carnival my mind started ticking over campaign and setting planning and how I want to go about it.Image credit: cosmicgrooveartIt's easy t… Read More
2023-04-03 22:16
Sorry for not being more active, real life takes its toll once again.I haven't really had any time to read around the blogosphere or to get anything written, but here's a whistle stop tour o… Read More
2023-03-26 22:35
As I'm currently enjoying running Mothership as much as I used to enjoy running Stars Without Number, and this month's RPG Blog Carnival theme is "Taverns, Bars, and places to meet", I thoug… Read More
2023-03-17 23:43
I've been putting off painting my minis for a while now, mainly because I worry that the output doesn't justify the time invested.So today I've decided to treat my as-yet-unpainted Blood Bow… Read More
2023-03-05 16:00
Leaving level 2 behind us the party descends the slime waterfall to level 3, which I rolled "Song" and "Edge" on the spark table for so I'm running with it, at least for now!Rolling a few sp… Read More
2023-03-01 22:52
First things first, let's wrap up the February 2023 RPG Blog Carnival!Alesmiter brings us procedures for speeding up wilderness travel - "Let's see how we can accelerate this if we… Read More
2023-02-26 16:00
Looking back to the other posts for February's "Fungal Wasteland" I've tried to tie everything together as the rooms draw to a close:The fungus-folk's prophecy from week 1 was a loose… Read More
2023-02-24 16:00
I found out what minis come with the first 10 issues of the Warhammer Stormbringer magazine and have been wondering what warbands I could put together for Warcry on the cheap ever since... h… Read More
2023-02-19 16:00
My plan for this dungeon23 sidequest is coming together now:Mothership metroidvania, second areaThis is the second area in section A, where restoring the power will open up routes to section… Read More
2023-02-17 15:00
Who are the players and what do they do?Explorers of a "weird, whimsical, endless sky". The main focus is on exploration and travel.This is a supplement (setting?) for any roleplaying system… Read More
2023-02-12 16:00
As I missed posting my progress last week due to diverting time to work on the meta-spark-table, here are that week's and this week's rooms:I've tried to use a lot of the sparks I generated… Read More
2023-02-05 16:00
As you may know, this month I am very much thinking about procedure. Being a fan of procedural generation generally, and spark tables specifically, I'm building up a mega meta-spark-table wh… Read More
2023-02-01 16:00
I've been thinking a lot about procedures, and reading a lot about OSR procedures, while working on dungeon23 (you can follow my progress here if you're interested) and so the topic for this… Read More
2023-01-29 16:00
I'm starting a Mothership campaign and it's a good feeling so I have - understandably - been pondering a Mothership megadungeon. Gradient Descent exists. The nature of Mothership got me… Read More
2023-01-22 16:00
I switched to using a diary last week; prior to that I had been trying for more of a "one page dungeon" but I got lost in trying to make the flow work around the rooms I was writing, and how… Read More
2023-01-18 16:00
As I have been working on this megadungeon I have been increasingly interested in the old school ways of dungeon generation. I'm building a location not an "adventuring day". A heavy a… Read More
2023-01-10 16:00
I'm starting a new campaign and always find starting to be the hardest part. It's all about inertia.In the spirit of the previous post, I've come up with a quick tool/checklist to help me be… Read More
2023-01-06 16:00
It's a time for beginnings. My - lapsed - group and I am beginning a new campaign and beginning tabletop gaming together after a long period of doing other things. I have begun working… Read More
2023-01-01 23:31
Happy New Year! I've been meaning to start making some dungeons for a while now, so what better time to start than now. Whether I actually do or not, I've thrown together this spark ta… Read More
2022-02-17 16:00
Some of my friends love 5e, only play 5e, only will play 5e. I find 5e unwieldy and time consuming to prep and run, whereas I love the flow of OSR and PBTA games. But 5e has been around for… Read More
2021-12-03 16:03
...for people - like me - who don't like painting minis!Let's get this out of the way: I've never been a quick, or good, painter despite doing it for the last maybe 30 years. Getting back in… Read More
2021-11-24 15:12
I was, on reflection, probably too busy with the other elements in my life to dedicate the time and the attention she needed. She was inflexible, demanding, frustrating, a source of great jo… Read More
2021-11-04 16:00
I've been pretty busy with work and life recently, but I have picked up the new Infinity starter and managed to get a couple of games in.Having new minis means I really should get back into… Read More
2021-09-14 15:00
A better-late-than-never wrap up of all the great posts from August's RPG Blog Carnival, plus bonus gems on the subject of dungeon building:If you build it, they will come... Image (cc) Kanu… Read More
2021-08-01 11:00
I want to get better at building adventures.Dungeons are essentially adventures where the shape, flow, and structure is clearer, so August 2021's RPG Blog Carnival topic is "Let's Build A Du… Read More
2021-07-25 12:31
Let's start by saying I lean somewhat toward Chaotic. My notes, traditionally, are scribbled on margins, envelope backs, and other blank spaces sighted within my apathy radius.I also have re… Read More
2021-07-20 15:00
With face to face gaming likely to be coming back soon, and the new Code One starter box for Infinity incoming, I'm pretty excited about the idea of getting back into any game - but Infinity… Read More
2021-07-13 15:00
First off, Sheep and Sorcery featured an unspeakably cool post that is not only a serviceable and colorful light OSR game but also a reference post for some excellent, flavoursome rando… Read More
2021-07-06 15:00
The seed for one of these travel quests came from a conversation with a friend along the lines of "what if the party were all bards and the campaign was actually a stadium tour," and the res… Read More
2021-07-01 15:00
Recently I have stumbled upon a few thoughts on inclusivity in our hobby: B/X Blackrazor on JuneteenthVarious insightful posts on Cannibal HalflingIt's not something that's personally… Read More
2021-06-28 18:27
Most players love finding loot, but how often do we do anything with it apart from hoard it or go equipment shopping?Wealth could be a deeper and more meaningful part of the story, and this… Read More
2021-06-23 21:41
Inage (cc) Yowan2008I haven't been tending to the blog for a while, sorry. Covid has affected gaming opportunities, I have not had a personal laptop, I have had difficulty getting thin… Read More
2021-02-17 20:57
I have come to dislike maps.Don't get me wrong, I love actual maps - I'm a big fan of the cartographic arts - but not so much in my games.Drawing maps takes timeImage (cc) xkcd webcomicWhen… Read More
2021-02-01 22:50
This is the round-up for the January 2021 RPG Blog Carnival.First off, a big thank you to Rising Phoenix Games for such a nice handover from last month's carnival.Campaign Mastery considers… Read More
2021-01-11 20:56
I saw there is a One Page Derelict jam on itch.io and thought it would be fun to write up my first Stars Without Number adventure, set on a derelict refuelling station. If these tables… Read More
2021-01-07 21:00
Some older, some newer. All worthy of your time.First off, one I stumbled on and used in my Stars Without Number campaign: Coins and Scrolls has a comprehensive - and often hilarious - d500… Read More
2021-01-04 20:15
Sometimes things just fall into place.Having received The Black Hack for Christmas, and enjoyed reading through it, I have had a yearning for doing something old school; a hex crawl, or a me… Read More
2021-01-01 20:32
Happy New Year! Image (cc) victoriaclareI'm pleased to be hosting the first RPG Blog Carnival of 2021, to join in simply write a blog post on any of these topics...Character or NPC crea… Read More
2020-12-18 20:53
Whether through invitation, trickery, kidnap, or the manipulation of dreams, the party find themselves entering a beautiful gingerbread house. Boiled sweet windows, gum drop door-handl… Read More
2020-12-14 21:00
I recently found out about this collection of 58 double-page adventures and promptly ordered myself a copy from Melsonian Arts Council.It arrived today and I've thumbed through already. &hell…Read More
2020-12-09 21:00
Total Party Kill. Game Over. The Bad Guys Win.I don't know how I feel about a TPK in RPGs, and I suspect I'm not alone in that. This month's RPG Blog Carnival at Rising Phoenix is all about… Read More
2020-11-27 21:00
I've blogged before about how much I love the community, so what better time to celebrate one of its best parts?How the RPG Blog Carnival works:Every month there is a different topic for the… Read More
2020-11-26 21:00
I love storytelling as a DM, and I love player agency and character stories. The railroad was never for me so I have always shied away from published adventures in favour of building m… Read More
2020-10-09 20:00
Some stuff you may have missed from the blogosphere - now I'm off to find out what I may have missed since last year!Image (cc) Kevin DooleyI've been pointed to some interesting starting mat… Read More
2020-10-07 20:00
I've been away for a while, sorry.Image (cc) Nick KenrickGaming life went through a drought, then there was Covid which has brought some interesting changes to the way we play.I'm now runnin… Read More
2019-09-25 15:00
I had meant to do this for the August RPG Blog Carnival but missed it due to real-life problems. However the idea stuck in my head so now it's here, hope you enjoy.Image (cc) miszlaThi… Read More
2019-09-23 15:00
Let's imagine I'm starting my new campaign, and to keep prep low and help tie all the emerging plotlines together I'm using my 5x5 grid of Places, Antagonists, NPC's, Things, and Scenes.Imag… Read More
2019-09-12 14:35
I have been working on a procedural character generator for 5e, as I find the system isn't necessarily built around making characters interesting, but it's involving learning a new language… Read More
2019-08-30 15:58
I have been playing around with ways to make my planning easier, more dynamic, and more focused. The idea I've hit upon is mainly inspired by Technoir's "Transmissions" and the sheets… Read More
2019-07-30 15:00
Some important concepts from my work in computer software can definitely be applied to campaign planning. Let's talk about two of them.Image (cc) Tim ProbertSeparation of ConcernThink of any… Read More
2019-07-04 16:35
Infinity is an awesome game. I love how dynamic it is and the minis are brilliant. I hate how overwhelming it is for new players, which stems from:Having many, many, special rules and equipm… Read More
2019-06-26 15:00
Image (cc) Cameron DaigleI happened to chance upon the brilliant Twitter bot @doskvolscores and it prompted me to start thinking about bots and automation.I had been playing with some of the… Read More
2019-06-24 15:18
Since my last Carnival post I've been thinking about Faerie NPCs, what sort of things they might want and what interesting trades they might offer unwary PCs … grab a set of polyhedra… Read More
2019-06-23 05:33
Yesterday I took my two eldest to Ambush which is run annually by my FLGS at our local showground. I wasn't sure what to expect, and how long they'd want to stay...After a look round t… Read More
2019-06-20 15:12
Image (cc) Dean PetersThere is an age old argument for and against the "Railroad" and the "Sandbox" when it comes to RPG campaigns.Railroads are pre-set linear story paths that the players c… Read More
2019-06-18 12:41
Image (cc) Rachel SwallowsHere's a brief rundown of some of the gems I've found in the RPG blogosphere since the last digest, I'm going to try to do this every month...Sheep and Sorcery brea… Read More
2019-06-12 18:16
Last week I got to run a one shot of Dungeon World - for all my enthusiasm about it I had never actually played it - but I'd heard good things. I'd also heard good things about Trilemm… Read More
2019-06-11 15:00
Image (cc) paganjesus on DeviantArtI'm the kind of person who likes to have a project, so I'm setting myself one right here.For years I've been looking for a way to weave the player characte… Read More
2019-06-10 12:48
Image (cc) amorphisss on DeviantArtFae don't seem to feature much in Dungeons and Dragons games (that I have played) and I think it's probably because they're low challenge in combat. But wh… Read More
2019-06-05 17:00
Image (cc) BiPiCado on DeviantArtMidway through my recent SWN campaign I started reading some "Powered By The Apocalypse" games and I really liked the ideas of a) tying the story to the char… Read More
2019-06-04 17:00
Image (cc) desuran on DeviantArtI've talked about Stars Without Number a lot. I think I'll probably continue to do so; I love it. One thing I did find hard to keep track of was Ship Combat… Read More
2019-06-01 17:00
Image (cc) Ivy Dawned, on FlickrWay back when, round about 2010, there was something called the RPG blogosphere. It was awesome. It was like some kind of interconnected network of… Read More
2019-05-29 17:36
Image (cc) Kridily on DeviantArtDungeons & Dragons is a bad game.* Bad naughty. It's irresponsible in that it doesn't show us how to be Dungeon Masters - my favourite term fo… Read More
2019-05-24 19:36
Image (cc) Blazbaros on DeviantArtI'm always toying with ways to tie the PCs, the world, and the story together. These are weapons that can be found and used by starting characters but… Read More
2019-05-24 14:07
A personal update: due to time constraints and the current focus of my gaming this blog is going to focus on RPGs only from now.I have loads of ideas for resources, and I want somewhere to s… Read More
2019-05-23 13:51
My Villagers Kickstarter pledge arrived the other day, I must say I'm pretty impressed.Everything fits nicely in the box, although it seems half empty I realised the space is for those who g… Read More
2019-05-18 15:10
Having been away a long time I wasn't sure what was left of the blogosphere but it's great to see all these marvellous things already:Library of Attnam has a handy list of d101 Sci-Fi gadget… Read More
2019-05-17 15:07
Liberator by Phil Parker, on FlickrHow could I not recommend the magnificent Stars Without Number as a top tier FREE GAME?Stars Without Number - Free Edition is the game that changed how I D… Read More
2019-05-15 21:19
One thing I loved when reading Dungeon World was how all the moves fall into the same basic pattern:10+ (on 2d6 plus modifiers) means clean success7-9 means success, but with a cost or limit… Read More
2019-05-14 12:13
Festivals can add colour and a change of scene and pace to our games, so grab a set of polyhedrals and let's see what's going on!The d4 - origins:It's ancient, dating back to before the curr… Read More
2019-05-13 13:02
I'm painting up some Infinity minis so my FLGS can run demo games. I'm even making resources too, because I love this game so darn much. It's a hard slog, so I'm postin… Read More
2019-05-11 10:53
I'm playing in a 5e campaign from next week, and god I find 5e dull and uninspired. So I left it to this generator.Marigold Silvereyes is a halfling barbarian, a war orphan who was good with… Read More
2019-05-10 14:51
Hello. I've been doing a spot of housekeeping with the intention of getting this blog back up and running, I'm now getting plenty more gaming in and have more time to talk about it! Read More
2016-07-18 10:32
Hi. Haven't been around much lately, sorry about that!I have to say Eclipse Phase is the first RPG to really grab me in years; I love the dystopic utopia of the setting and, for me, it… Read More
2011-06-21 18:45
Just heard that Khurasan minis has closed down until the autumn ... so much for the Vespulids for our homebrew wargaming rules then!So, my options now are:Back to my pre-waspid idea of GZG N… Read More
2011-06-19 19:10
Just got socks? I thought I'd share a code I got emailed for 20% off at RPGNow, valid for any and all of:4e Players: Hero's Handbook: Dragonborn for those who feel drawn to the new drag… Read More
2011-06-18 21:16
It's been a while - insanely busy at work, I'm afraid - but although I've been too busy to post, I've not been too busy to game! See photographic evidence below:Our group's been workin… Read More
2011-05-06 09:21
Image by Kaptain Kobold via FlickrIt's been a while... sorry!I have been busy - after trying out a few free SF wargames rules, our group is working on our own 15mm near-future skirmish rules… Read More
2011-04-03 11:12
Image via WikipediaI've been playing RPGs for 26 years, and in that time I've seen all kinds of GM screens. Some really cool (a castle wall, complete with towers and crenellations), an… Read More
2011-04-03 11:12
Image by mediafury via FlickrThe plan, following my jaunt into free-flowing GammaWorld goodness, is to structure my game-mastering so that:There is no "Adventure Path Railroad" my players ha… Read More
2011-04-03 11:12
Malifaux: Image by waferthinninjaI'm not going to lie to you, because, at root, this is a blog about Skrapyard, the skirmish miniatures game that Precinct Omega Publishing has in development… Read More
2011-04-03 11:11
Image by SoulCookie via FlickrAt first glance, Errant rpg seems to be a reskinning of d20 - STR, CON, DEX, INT, WIS and CHA; saving throws; ACs; DnD flavoured races and classes...Howeve… Read More
2011-04-03 11:11
Image by Steve B Chamberlain via FlickrButt kicking - for goodness!Picking up our PFRPG campaign, Caedric and Falstoff dove bravely into a goblin infested crypt to rescue a kidnapped child… Read More
2011-04-03 11:08
Image by Joriel "Joz" Jimenez via FlickrYarr! My Freeport game for Pathfinder is gathering speed - in my head at least. I've been reading through the Pirate's Guide and getting a… Read More
2011-04-03 10:45
Maxmini Orc heads - for flavour!First decision made: I'll be running Pathfinder in Epic 6 mode because at least I know what I'm doing and I know my players like the system.I'll also be… Read More
2011-03-27 21:07
From Maxmini.euAfter a few conversations* on Twitter, I realised how much I missed the old Orks from Rogue Trader / 2nd Ed. 40k... where everyone woz an individyool, and we cud let our creea… Read More
2011-03-20 20:55
I have invented the blogback. It's like a pingback or trackback, but more personal. Here's the idea: on a Sunday, every month (or once in a while), I'll go through my Analy… Read More
2011-03-20 15:43
Flicking idly through some con pics, I happened upon these kobold minis: Not weak and weedy first level sword fodder here - these Kobold Ironscales from SodaPop Minis are refreshing, a… Read More
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