Are you a Butt-Kicker, a Specialist, or a Story-Teller? There is a huge world of games out there to satisfy every player’s and group’s style. And while there are academic discussions in every corner of the internet, sometimes it’s best to start at level one. Join the Level One Wonk in exploring the possibilities that RPGs have to offer, from Aberrant to Zorcerer of Zo. Today we look at a variation of typical gaming that takes a bit more thought: two-player gaming, with just one player and one GM! Ready to stare into someone’s eyes and tell them to roll initiative? Read on.
Monthly Archives: April 2017
The Independents: Do: Fate of the Flying Temple
You have been raised by the monks of the Flying Temple as Pilgrims, taught how to fly and sent out into the Many Worlds to help people with whatever problems are plaguing their lives. One day, however, you return to the Flying Temple to find it vanished, with only a dragon’s egg in its place! The Many Worlds still have problems, and the letters asking for the help of the teenage Pilgrims are still arriving, but there are no monks to give you advice. You can’t turn your backs on those in need, so what choices will you make? Will you hold to the tenets of non-violence that the monks taught you, or give into temptation to take the easy path and suffer the consequences? What is the connection between the newborn dragon and the Temple? What sort of adventure awaits you in Do: Fate of the Flying Temple? Continue reading The Independents: Do: Fate of the Flying Temple
Level One Wonk Reviews: Designers and Dragons
Are you a Butt-Kicker, a Specialist, or a Story-Teller? There is a huge world of games out there to satisfy every player’s and group’s style. And while there are academic discussions in every corner of the internet, sometimes it’s best to start at level one. Join the Level One Wonk in exploring the possibilities that RPGs have to offer, from Aberrant to Zorcerer of Zo. Today we go back to the wonkiness of RPG histories and take a look at Shannon Appelcline’s Designers and Dragons!
Continue reading Level One Wonk Reviews: Designers and Dragons
Playing in Another’s Sandbox
When it comes to playing any tabletop RPG, it’s all about the story. Maybe that story is simple, with a certain amount of murderhobo-ing, minimal ‘story’ in the traditional sense, and lots of loot spent on getting better at being a murderhobo. Maybe that story is quite complex, with character development, multiple arcs, themes and motifs and the like. No matter what, it’s a story of sorts, and everyone around the table is telling it. But what about when parts of that story have been told by someone else? Not just things you’ve used to inspire your game, no. I mean, how does playing in a pre-established setting change things and challenge your group?
System Split: Eclipse Phase
Welcome to System Split! Today, our very own Level One Wonk will examine two very similar systems to see what sets them apart. When the genre, complexity, and even rules system are exactly the same, what makes a game unique? Today we take a first look at the modern dual-statting phenomenon with Eclipse Phase, a game that started out as a percentile system but was later released in Fate Core.
Meet the Party: Savage Worlds
A squad leader who always tries to help others and watch out for his team, but has a tough time wrapping his head around the otherworldly craziness. A sharpshooter and scout who views every trip through a portal as a fascinating opportunity to learn something new, as well as a dire threat. An aged scholar who can still mix it up with the best of them, who has saved the team with her brains more often than anyone else’s bullets. A psychic warrior from another world, hunted by her enemy but determined to help these strange otherworlders in their quest. Meet the Party strives to create ready-to-play characters for a variety of systems and settings, both for your use and to inspire you in making characters of your own. This time, by request of you our readers, we’re going to meet some characters from the Savage Worlds!
Level One Wonk: Player Motivations
Are you a Butt-Kicker, a Specialist, or a Story-Teller? There is a huge world of games out there to satisfy every player’s and group’s style. And while there are academic discussions in every corner of the internet, sometimes it’s best to start at level one. Join the Level One Wonk in exploring the possibilities that RPGs have to offer, from Aberrant to Zorcerer of Zo. Today, we dive deep into player styles and motivations. Have some space cases in your group? Let’s figure out how to help capture their attention! Are you the group space case? Read on, and let’s figure out what you’re looking for.
Cannibal Halfling Gaming 