Anthony Li has been pretending to be someone or something else for about as long as he can remember, which some people might consider a problem. He cut his teeth on 2nd Edition AD&D when he was 14 years old and his only regret is that he didn’t start rolling dice sooner. Due to an unhealthy addiction to Magic: the Gathering he missed the entire cultural phenomenon that was the 3.X era of D&D. After a brief stint with 4E, he was dragged kicking and screaming into the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game where he has since acclimated, adapted, and thrived. Most of his roleplaying experience has been behind in the GM screen where he has trained his dice to confirm crits on command. He always roots for the bad guys.
So last time I went on for a bit about planetary rotations and stellar orbits and what not. And that’s all well and good but the odd movements of celestial bodies does not a compelling science-fiction setting make. Remember, players need a reason...
With the official release of Starfinder fast approaching, I thought it would be an opportune time to start prepping some homebrew material for my group. As is my custom, these brainstorm sessions get turned into Prep With Me articles...
When I first started writing this blog many, many moons ago, I touched upon the topic of the use of GM privilege to “cheat” in such a way that improves the experience at the table. I recognize that the...
I’m stepping out from Behind the Screens as a guest author filling in for James on Code/Switch. I’m here today to talk about the rather personal topic of my favorite Dragonlance character, Tanis Half-Elven, and the peculiar parallels of being an...
Variety is truly the dice of life. Unless of course that variety throws a wrench into your carefully crafted Game Mastering. Players aren’t the only factors that can take your game completely off the rails. Because the best laid plans...
Annnd I’m back! This week I thought I might present a bit of an introspective offering. There’s an oft repeated axiom out there that goes a little bit like this, “Do what you love and you’ll never work a day...
The term “special snowflake” is often leveled pejoratively at characters whose wacky design doesn’t quite fit into the confines of a narrative’s setting, campaign, or background. This broad definition can be specifically applied to strange or out of place character concepts...
It’s been exactly a week since Paizo, Inc. announced its plans for the Starfinder Society Roleplaying Guild (SFSRPG for short), an organized play program that takes place in the distant future of the Pathfinder Campaign setting. In the next few...
The “Social Contract” is a term that’s often bandied about in discussions about group dynamics and roleplaying games. As a GM, it’s important to understand what a the Social Contract is and how it affects you, your players, and your...
On Saturday night, I received news that I’d never wanted to hear. A friend lost his battle with depression and was no longer with us. A fellow party member had passed away – in real life. Bobby was an avid gamer, a friend,...