April 28, 2024: Deck Of Many Games

Here's a handy idea if you're having a hard time deciding on a game and want to rotate through your collection more often. Write the name of each game you're considering on a card (such as index cards . . . or perhaps using a permanent marker on the cards of a game that you've decided you never want to play again but you want to secure some additional utility from it). When it comes time to pick a game, deal a card from your "deck." Put that card aside so you won't draw it again. When you want to play another game, draw a new option from the deck. Eventually all the game-possibility cards will be in the "discard" pile, and it'll be time to shuffle 'em together and start again.

You can tweak this idea to suit your library and play preferences. For example, if you like to play a certain game twice as often as others, you can add two cards with that game into your deck. But the base idea . . . [more]

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April 27, 2024: Tips And Tricks For Your Best Game Night Ever

It's Saturday. Finally, the weekend is here. Your friends are coming over for gaming tonight, so you want it to be perfect. Here are some of our best tips and tricks for hosting a fantastic session that your friends will remember.

1. Before the evening even begins, it's important to curate the guest list. Consider the games you would like to play and think about whether the night is best suited for a TTRPG, a cooperative game, a war game, or a whole lot of dice rolling. Once the games of your choice are locked in, invite accordingly. Also, be sure to send out the invitation well in advance to ensure your friends are more likely to be free to attend. Have a backup game planned if the number of attendees suddenly changes or if someone needs to leave mid-party.

2. There is always a concern about drinks spilling on cards, sticky fingers on miniatures, and Cheeto dust on the game . . .

[more]

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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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Previous Illuminators • Steve's Appearance Schedule

Robert Heinlein is the silver treasure chest; Weird Al walks to Mars. April 28, 2024: Deck Of Many Games Here's a handy idea if you're having a hard time deciding on a game and want to rotate through your collection more often. Write the name of each game you're considering on a card (such as index cards . . . or perhaps using a permanent marker on the cards of a game that you've decided you never want to play again but you want to secure some additional utility from it). When it comes time to pick a game, deal a card from your "deck." Put that card aside so you won't draw it again. When you want to play another game, draw a new option from the deck. Eventually all the game-possibility cards will be in the "discard" pile, and it'll be time to shuffle 'em together and start again. You can tweak this idea to suit your library and play preferences. For example, if you like to play a certain game twice as often as others, you can add two cards with that game into your deck. But the base idea . . . [more] Share this post! April 27, 2024: Tips And Tricks For Your Best Game Night Ever It's Saturday. Finally, the weekend is here. Your friends are coming over for gaming tonight, so you want it to be perfect. Here are some of our best tips and tricks for hosting a fantastic session that your friends will remember. 1. Before the evening even begins, it's important to curate the guest list. Consider the games you would like to play and think about whether the night is best suited for a TTRPG, a cooperative game, a war game, or a whole lot of dice rolling. Once the games of your choice are locked in, invite accordingly. Also, be sure to send out the invitation well in advance to ensure your friends are more likely to be free to attend. Have a backup game planned if the number of attendees suddenly changes or if someone needs to leave mid-party. 2. There is always a concern about drinks spilling on cards, sticky fingers on miniatures, and Cheeto dust on the game . . . [more] Share this post! 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! Previous Illuminators • Steve's Appearance Schedule		Latest Videos You are the 1217th fnord fancier here today. (29830683 since August 1, 1995)