April 26, 2024: Character Playlists

One of my favorite aspects of TTRPGs is character creation. I freely admit to being one of those players that puts a lot of effort into developing characters with detailed backstories and fleshed-out personalities. Part of that process is creating character playlists – a soundtrack that can stay static or evolve as the campaign goes on. They're a bit like the mixtapes I used to make for friends (remember those?) and feature songs whose tone or lyrics fit the overall mood of the person I'm playing at the table.

I thought that character playlists were a particular quirk of mine, born from my love of music and inspired by my admiration for film composers. But as it turns out, I'm far from the only person who uses music to help them get to the heart of their tabletop hero. As I've become involved in more virtual tabletop games, I've learned that many of my friends have playlists . . .

[more]

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April 25, 2024: Confessions Of A Munchkin Fan: How This Game Created An Obsession

All my life, I have enjoyed playing board games. My earliest memories are playing Mouse Trap, Monopoly, chess, and Cathedral with my family. One Saturday in college, a friend purchased Munchkin and introduced it to myself and another friend. What was this game, and why did I love it so much? It was funny, complex, and so different from anything I had played before. I was instantly hooked.

Instead of weekend parties, which was par for the course amongst my classmates, my friends and I dedicated hours upon hours to playing this hilarious game. Each Saturday, we would gather at the family home of my friend Alex and begin playing around noon. But we didn't just play one game of Munchkin; we played over and over again all day and into the night. John Kovalic was suddenly my favorite illustrator.

After a month or so, it became evident we were playing so much that we needed to add . . .

[more]

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April 24, 2024: Easy Encounter Idea: The Hook

Here's a quick tip for anyone who crafts encounters for The Fantasy Trip or GURPS (or any other RPGs, if one could envision such a thing): Come up with a hook.

It sounds easy, but it's trivial to forget . . . or, at least, I tend to forget it. Keep it short, simple, and maybe a little wild. Brainstorm a handful. Then see what sounds interesting or that fits what's already happened in the campaign. Here are some ideas to get you started.

• A fight where gravity is weird.
• A battle on a time limit.
• An encounter where the heroes want to get hit.
• An encounter where the PCs need to protect something breakable.
• An encounter where the PCs need to break something protected.
• A combat on a moving location.
• A situation (possibly combat?) told via flashback.
• A fight where the enemies are in disguise.
• A fight where the heroes are in disguise.
• An encounter . . . [more]

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April 23, 2024: App Recommendation: Exit: The Game Apps

I make no secret regarding my love of escape-room-type games. I must've played them all, from Soho down to Brighton (well, from Indianapolis to Muncie, at least). Our household also has played our fair share of tabletop escape games as well, to much enjoyment. One of the game series in this vein is the Exit: The Game games, by Thames & Kosmos. We like those boxed games, but that's not what this post is about.

Rather, this post is about the two Exit: The Game video games, available via iOS (how I played it), Google Play, Steam, and quite possibly other platforms I'm missing. Those links are for the first game they released: EXIT: The Curse of Ophir. There's a second one called Trial of the Griffin. I liked them both.

For those who've played a number of point-and-click or adventure-type games, these will feel familiar. They are not. At least, not exactly. In particular, the puzzles are . . . [more]

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April 22, 2024: Join The Munchkin Big Box Bandwagon

Hold onto your dungeons! Munchkin Big Box has arrived on BackerKit!

In celebration of nearly 25 years of the classic game Munchkin, we are releasing Munchkin Big Box, the ultimate collector's edition! Designed by Steve Jackson Games and first released in 2001, Munchkin has become a massively popular, fan-favorite game.

So, what's in Munchkin Big Box? The core set includes:

A big, big box that can hold over 2,000 cards plus your favorite game accessories
More than 650 cards, all illustrated by John Kovalic, with lots of new ones added. We will tell you more details about those soon!
14 Illustrated Card Dividers
A Game Board
Six Dice in Different Colors
A Side Board
Two Kill-O-Meters
A Redesigned, Consolidated Rulebook
12 Colored Standies (six male, six female)
Two Sets of Colored Standie Bases
A Playable, Commemorative Bookmark
A Collector's . . .

[more]

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Previous Illuminators • Steve's Appearance Schedule

The upgraded Handheld is vacillating. April 26, 2024: Character Playlists One of my favorite aspects of TTRPGs is character creation. I freely admit to being one of those players that puts a lot of effort into developing characters with detailed backstories and fleshed-out personalities. Part of that process is creating character playlists – a soundtrack that can stay static or evolve as the campaign goes on. They're a bit like the mixtapes I used to make for friends (remember those?) and feature songs whose tone or lyrics fit the overall mood of the person I'm playing at the table. I thought that character playlists were a particular quirk of mine, born from my love of music and inspired by my admiration for film composers. But as it turns out, I'm far from the only person who uses music to help them get to the heart of their tabletop hero. As I've become involved in more virtual tabletop games, I've learned that many of my friends have playlists . . . [more] Share this post! April 25, 2024: Confessions Of A Munchkin Fan: How This Game Created An Obsession All my life, I have enjoyed playing board games. My earliest memories are playing Mouse Trap, Monopoly, chess, and Cathedral with my family. One Saturday in college, a friend purchased Munchkin and introduced it to myself and another friend. What was this game, and why did I love it so much? It was funny, complex, and so different from anything I had played before. I was instantly hooked. Instead of weekend parties, which was par for the course amongst my classmates, my friends and I dedicated hours upon hours to playing this hilarious game. Each Saturday, we would gather at the family home of my friend Alex and begin playing around noon. But we didn't just play one game of Munchkin; we played over and over again all day and into the night. John Kovalic was suddenly my favorite illustrator. After a month or so, it became evident we were playing so much that we needed to add . . . [more] Share this post! April 24, 2024: Easy Encounter Idea: The Hook Here's a quick tip for anyone who crafts encounters for The Fantasy Trip or GURPS (or any other RPGs, if one could envision such a thing): Come up with a hook. It sounds easy, but it's trivial to forget . . . or, at least, I tend to forget it. Keep it short, simple, and maybe a little wild. Brainstorm a handful. Then see what sounds interesting or that fits what's already happened in the campaign. Here are some ideas to get you started. • A fight where gravity is weird. • A battle on a time limit. • An encounter where the heroes want to get hit. • An encounter where the PCs need to protect something breakable. • An encounter where the PCs need to break something protected. • A combat on a moving location. • A situation (possibly combat?) told via flashback. • A fight where the enemies are in disguise. • A fight where the heroes are in disguise. • An encounter . . . [more] Share this post! April 23, 2024: App Recommendation: Exit: The Game Apps I make no secret regarding my love of escape-room-type games. I must've played them all, from Soho down to Brighton (well, from Indianapolis to Muncie, at least). Our household also has played our fair share of tabletop escape games as well, to much enjoyment. One of the game series in this vein is the Exit: The Game games, by Thames & Kosmos. We like those boxed games, but that's not what this post is about. Rather, this post is about the two Exit: The Game video games, available via iOS (how I played it), Google Play, Steam, and quite possibly other platforms I'm missing. Those links are for the first game they released: EXIT: The Curse of Ophir. There's a second one called Trial of the Griffin. I liked them both. For those who've played a number of point-and-click or adventure-type games, these will feel familiar. They are not. At least, not exactly. In particular, the puzzles are . . . [more] Share this post! April 22, 2024: Join The *Munchkin Big Box* Bandwagon Hold onto your dungeons! Munchkin Big Box has arrived on BackerKit! In celebration of nearly 25 years of the classic game Munchkin, we are releasing Munchkin Big Box, the ultimate collector's edition! Designed by Steve Jackson Games and first released in 2001, Munchkin has become a massively popular, fan-favorite game. So, what's in Munchkin Big Box? The core set includes: A big, big box that can hold over 2,000 cards plus your favorite game accessories More than 650 cards, all illustrated by John Kovalic, with lots of new ones added. We will tell you more details about those soon! 14 Illustrated Card Dividers A Game Board Six Dice in Different Colors A Side Board Two Kill-O-Meters A Redesigned, Consolidated Rulebook 12 Colored Standies (six male, six female) Two Sets of Colored Standie Bases A Playable, Commemorative Bookmark A Collector's . . . [more] Share this post! Previous Illuminators • Steve's Appearance Schedule		Latest Videos You are the 192nd robot sea monster here today. (29828229 since August 1, 1995)