Long-form analysis on tabletop RPGs, video games, sports, politics, and culture
The Best Licensed Tabletop RPGs What is a licensed tabletop RPG? Something that’s licensed means it uses an intellectual property (IP) owned by someone else. For example Middle-Earth Enterprises owns the exclusive rights to The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings. If anyone wants to make a movie, write a book or make a game, … Read more
Beyond D&D Part 2 If you haven’t read Part 1 yet, that’s probably the best place to start; it sets up everything this post builds on: 👉 Beyond D&D: A Complete RPG Guided Tour Through Tabletop Design Philosophies By now you’ve noticed how each game shifted the way you think about RPGs, from Knave’s stripped-down … Read more
Beyond D&D: A Guided Tour I’ve created this guided tour for GMs and players who are looking for games to play instead of D&D. It features 12 games arranged in a specific sequence, designed to show the full spectrum of RPG design philosophies. Think of it like a cruise with carefully chosen stops, each game … Read more
The Top Full-Spectrum Tabletop RPGs What the heck is a full-spectrum game? Here’s a definition for you: A full-spectrum game is a tabletop RPG world where success requires mixing multiple gameplay modes—combat, stealth, hacking, diplomacy, magic—often in the same adventure. These are very versatile tabletop RPG systems and settings. These modes interact by design, where … Read more
How to Learn and Play Ars Magica Let’s talk about Ars Magica. It’s a great ttrpg with a vibrant following, it’s been around since 1987, it’s now in its 5th edition, but it’s somewhat notorious for its complexity. Even the name of it needs explaining! I’ll explain it. Ars Magica is Latin, and translates as … Read more