Thinking Fantasy? D&D? Pathfinder? When you think Roleplaying Games, chances are you go straight to Dungeons and Dragons, White Wolf Systems, Pathfinder, Savage Worlds, maybe even Fate or Hero. Chances are if you say fantasy TTRPG, people will assume D&D. But what about Alpha Duo? Well, okay, playing Alpha Duo Fantasy isn't an option, yet. And I know many, like myself, are only recently hearing about  Alpha Duo  by Purple Aether Games. But for those of you just now hearing about Alpha Duo (you're welcome), Let me fill you in.  Alpha Duo (AD) is designed by D&D Bestselling designer, Jacob Kellog  of Purple Aether Games. AD is a simple (10 page) system easy enough to be a gateway to TTRPGs for new players and a relaxed feel for veterans. More importantly, AD differs from D&D and many other styles of RPGs in that the focus and incentive system is not based around combat.  What more? AD allows for quick scaling of combats and other obstacles. The m...

It has been about three weeks since the 200-word RPG challenge. There were many awesome entries! It was a fun design experiment as this was my first time entering. I made a little change to my original entry. Added a creature type and expanded the description and rules. You can also still see my original entry .  Jumble Rumble Two conjurers face-off in a deadly Summoner’s Duel. To win, summon jumbled creatures to dominate your opponent's creations. Feel free to add options, use dice with more sides for adding extra options, or add more players for a full-on Jumble Rumble! Rules: Players roll a six-sided die for each aspect of their summoned creature. A player rolls for a base creature, followed by an environment and an element. Next, players compare monsters. Players determine points earned against the other monster based on the charts below. The player with the highest score after three summons wins. Base Creature: 1- Dragon: +1 Demons and Celestials ...

When it comes to running a game, there are so many things to worry about (especially if it's your first game). "Have I prepared enough?" "Do I know the rules for this?" "Will the players need to be railroaded?" etc. And on top of that, you then have to worry about, whether you are any good, are you fun and energizing, are you creative enough. No matter how you look at it, there are just too many things to worry about as a GM. You start looking at streamed games (especially those with celebrities) and you worry you are not skilled enough to do the game justice. Let me tell you right now. You got this. Sure, you need some simple math skills and being creative and full of energy helps. But there is one skill above all others that matters most. Teamwork. Teamwork as a player comes naturally for most. Whether you're swinging a sword or slinging a spell, most groups of adventurers find the best way to overcome a threat, is to tackle it head on a...

 Skip Williams, Jonathan Tweet and Monte Cook (October 2000).  Monster Manual 3rd edition. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 34–35. ISBN 0-7869-1552-1. So, I was invited by a friend to en ter into this year's 200-word RPG Challenge  Organized by  David Schirduan  and  Marshall Miller . My entry is a dice game that can be played solitaire or with a friend(s). Each player creates random monsters using a d6. The player whose monsters has more advantages of the others wins. The rules are simple and can be expanded upon. In fact, once the contest is over, I'll expand out the rules for more summoning options. This was the first year I had known about it, and it sounded like fun. This was just a fun little project last week, and I hope you guys enjoy it. You can find my main entry here:  https://200wordrpg.github.io/2017/rpg/2017/04/21/JumbleRumble.html But, for now, I'll come back later to put the game and rules on this page once the contest ends. Ch...

So now that it has been just over a week since last week's, Puzzle of Persistence , I think it's time to finally reveal how to solve this puzzle and how it was made. I first need to give a shout out to RedHood1013. He caught me on FB and presented his solution this morning. 100% Correct. Congratulations! In order to show you how to solve this puzzle, I need to first give you the elements that created the puzzle in the first place. Making Puzzle of Persistence The first element involved in this puzzle is actually a very simplistic cryptography method. It is a method of using names to stand in for numerical values. In this case, each name is actually a number. To derive the numbers, we are using a summed value of each letter's position in the English alphabet. Names are as follows: Valyrie L. - 104 James C. - 51 Kevin A. - 62 Zander I. - 77 Martin G. - 82 Nadia J. - 39 Taking the values of the names, you now can determine which is smallest and which...

Need a new puzzle to drop into your next D&D, Pathfinder, or other RPG system session? Remember last year when I first released my  Primary Wall of Force Puzzle  and been dying for a new one? Many D&D DMs and Pathfinder GMs, and players alike went berserk trying to solve the answer to my 'simple' puzzle last time. It was probably my most successful GM Tip to date. Well, I know it has been forever and a half since my last posting. I felt it was time to start making new puzzles to drop into your RPGs. (Perhaps one a little more memorable). Below you will find the puzzle. I will post the solution next week; however, if you need the answer so you can use this puzzle for your weekend game, then e-mail , tweet , or post on my facebook page . The rules for this puzzle are simple. Follow the logic train. If you use this in a game, make sure you reserve the name spellings. That's your first hint! Name Persistence Valyrie L. and James C. are of equal persistenc...

Making Old Monsters New Again Your players have successfully navigated the treacherous network of caverns in search of [insert name of Famous BBEG #37]. Kicking down the door, they think he is caught by surprise. His laughter echoes among the cavern walls. The ground ripples beneath their feet. The expanse between the party and BBEG #37 erupts in a shower of carrion, rocks, and debris. The master's pet has been summoned. The heroes look upon the new foe with... well... disappointment. The DM has once again tossed another Purple Worm/Pit Fiend/other monster the DM fancies just a little too much. Complete let-down. Oh, but wait! This one has Resistance to ______. And a precast buff spell. Make that THREE spells! Just no. Stop. No. You're done. Go home and think about what you have done. Then come back and we can fix this. I'll wait. Don't worry. Okay, are you ready? So making new monsters isn't your thing. Or maybe you just find it difficult. Don't worry, Th...

The piezoelectric golem found below is compatible with The Pathfinder Roleplaying Game.  Why no picture? Well, drawing is not my forte. Though I could find free artwork or ask an artist for a free submission, I would much rather pay an artist for their work. Please consider becoming a patron and supporting me on my Patreon . The donations will be used solely for upgrading my site as well as being able to pay professionals for their contributions. And no. The name is not a play on Paizo. I am a huge science nerd. Like almost as big as Donald Trump's ego huge. This mechanical, human-shaped figure moves in perfect rhythm. Occasional sparks jolt from softly humming crystals embedded throughout its frame.   Piezoelectric Golem CR 3   XP 800   N Medium construct   Init   +0;   Senses   darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; Perception +0   ----- Defense -----   AC   15, touch 10, flat-footed 15 (+0 Dex, +5 natural)   ...

Dragon PCs Greatest Dilemma : Power or Adventure?  Today's  RPG product review  is on Zenith Games’ We Be Dragons adventure compatible with the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game. (No affiliate links with this review. Crazy, right?) When I first saw this title by Jeff Gomez, I was expecting something along the lines of Paizo’s We Be Goblins series. I was very pleasantly surprised from the start. Fight or Flight? Trying to avoid spoilers here. The adventure is that good. To be honest, anything with a dragon or a phoenix puts me in a good mood. The module is roughly ten pages adventure and eleven pages about the new dragons and some mechanics reminders. Digging into the heart of this story, the players run wyrmlings of vastly different types and attitudes selected from the nine new dragons presented or from a suggested list of similar CR appropriate dragons. Luckily for the players and the GM, there is a note that the family bonds shared by these dragons and the...

What is the Ultimate Intrigue ? Today's  RPG product review  is on  Paizo’s Ultimate Intrigue for the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game.  [This post contains affiliate links] The most intriguing part of Ultimate Intrigue is whether Paizo intended for GMs to decide upon their own mechanics or save it for another book. When it comes to Chapter 3: Mastering Intrigue, the reader meets pages and pages of advice on how to handle different elements of intrigue: heists, social and political influence, a reoccurring nemesis, etc. This is all great, and we do get the start of some real sound mechanics, but then… well… take the section on Pursuit. The section starts off great. We read the set-up for a new way to accomplish a long-term pursuit instead of a quick chase. Quickly, however, the reader is left wondering if Paizo lost their quarry in the pursuit from too many failed advantage checks. The sample advantages listed are great ideas, but kind of just hand wave the...