This post is part of my attempts to write something of a little adventure before Christmas. It’s inspired by the Adventure Calendar jam , but I can’t do daily entries. So instead I will do an entry each week before Christmas. DallE's attempt to illustrate Granholt.  Something is haunting the old village of Granholt, Norway. On the last full moon before Christmas, over the course of three days, a house and its occupants will be found frozen. Candles would be snuffed, the fireplaces refusing to be lit. Some were found frozen in their last moments trying to light their fireplace. The first victim was Old Mrs Lofttun, who was found dead in her bed, clutching a cross. Her cabin on the edge of the village was left abandoned after that. The next victims were mother Sara Myrkløft and little Maria Myrkløft, both found in an embrace by the cold fireplace. The firewood had no single scorch mark even, despite all the spent matches. The third was baker Svein Ravndal, who was baking cookies, but...

A few years back I ran a campaign called Hyperdrift Stories, which combined two different games in effect. You could play as part of the starship Tempest’s crew, or you could play in a strategic game as one of the major factions in Settled Space. We got in about 18 sessions with the Tempest crew and played around 8 turns with the strategic game. Now, I want to do something like this again, but I have some different approaches. I’m running a cyberpunk campaign that is open table - anyone can join. The campaign is set in New Ashford, a mega city with many arcologies, cities buried under cities and powerful corporations locked in a strained alliance.  The abstract map of the city.  What I’ve done with this campaign is set up two systems (for now) that pertain to how you play. Downtime is handled in a very specific “ Citizen Sleeper ”-style gameplay, where each turn lasts a real-time week. In this system you can explore the city, meet new characters and manage resources. This part...

This post holds some options for 2400 -style games. I wrote it for BRUTALIST , but it didn’t make the cut. It’s relatively low-tech and rudimentary to fit the casettepunk-vibe I was going for.  Image generated with DALL-E.   HOMEBASE Establishing a homebase costs 30 Credits - pick a location from the list in the following section. The homebase is fitted with the following setup (upgrades cost 10 credits each). COMMUNICATIONS: Basic shortwave radio. Upgrades: long-range HF radio, secured frequency modulator, signal interception unit. DEFENSES: Basic mechanical alarms. Upgrades: extensive alarm system, reinforced barricades, light sensor security system. LIVING QUARTERS: Basic accommodations. Upgrades: improved living conditions, individualized quarters, makeshift infirmary. WORKSHOPS: Basic repair tools. Upgrades: electronics bench, explosives handling area, advanced mechanic's bay. SURVEILLANCE: Basic lookout posts. Upgrades: periscope surveillance system, rooftop post, t...

The following is a very simple method I use for roleplaying that is easy to understand and quick to play with. Whenever there is an impactful or important situation with a chance of failure or some sort of uncertainty, I like to ask for a roll. Success just depends on if you roll high or not. Generally, if you roll higher than the average of your die, then that’s a good sign. Rolls of 1 or close to 1 can be intuitively interpreted as “bad”.  Image generated with Midjourney.  With this framework I’ve arbitrarily decided that a healthy and capable human should in most situations roll a d6. It’s the baseline.  If there are setbacks or hindrances, then roll a d4.  With the right equipment, experience or training, roll a d8.  If exceptionally skilled, prepared or generally suited to the situation, roll a d10.  If circumstances are extremely advantaged somehow, roll a d12.  The advantage of this approach is that you get almost instant communication to both y...

Consider this a manifesto of sorts. Inspired by brutalist architecture and the development of brutalist web design , I want to get the ball rolling on the Brutalist Manifesto for adventure game design. I consider these to be principles to strive for, but not dogmatically adhere to.   Image generated with Midjourney. Usability Functionality First The form, text and presentation should be functional. They should be usable for the players at the table. The form should be practical and easy to arrange on the table. The text should be concise and easy to read and reference. The presentation should convey information that reduces the need for text. Material-Adaptive The game should function well in any format—printed, online, or hand-written. Whether players are using graph paper or a digital tablet, the game should adapt to their needs. This can mean supplying character sheets for physical play and online play. Consider the environmental impact when designing physical components. Ease ...

Last weekend we were holding FKR Con over at the FKR Collective. I decided to run a one shot in a setting I call FULL CARBON JACKET. It’s inspired by a lot of things, but the most important inspiration is the TV show Ultraviolet. The show was released in 1998 and had a grounded approach that blended detective work, forensics and SWAT style action with the techno-futurist optimism of the 1990s. The premise is that the players are working for the Harker institute, following leads on potential “Code Five” activity. Once the target is identified, they plan to trap the vampire through several means. Salt, ultraviolet lights, carbon jacketed bullets, stakes, silver-fragment grenades, you name it, they got it.  Image generated with Midjourney. The Scenario The scenario I ran was called “A Shadow in the Clinic” and basically featured a rural clinic. This clinic had been infiltrated some time ago by Walter Pitman. In his former life, he was a local farmer and a familiar face in the communit...