Ask Angry: How to Write a One-Shot
What's a one-shot adventure? What's a single-session adventure? And how is writing them different from writing any other adventure? In this Ask Angry, I answer those questions and also reference The...
View ArticleResistance is Futile: Assimilating Your NPCS (Into Factions)
People like to make a big thing out of factions, guilds, collectives, churches, cults, and organizations. But they don't need to be complicated at all. In fact, they are remarkably simple. You just...
View ArticleGetting There is Half the Fun
They say that the journey is its own reward and that getting there is half the fun. Yeah? Well, not in D&D. Overland travel in D&D sucks. But here I come to unsuck it. Or to help you just get...
View ArticleIn With the Old: Transparency, Design Rationales, and Monster Building
I'm feeling reflective. Let's reflect on some design elements from D&D 4E that definitely shouldn't have been left out of 5E that can definitely make you a better monster builder.
View ArticleAsk Angry: Cleaning Out the E-Mail Edition
As we gear up for the holiday season, it's a good time to look back. Specifically, it's time to look back through the old Angry e-mail and answer some more reader questions. Here's some questions about...
View ArticleMetaphor: What’s the Meta-FOR?
There's a difference between a game's mechanics and its metaphor. But that doesn't mean the two are separate. Or even separable. But it does mean you can empower yourself to create one by understanding...
View ArticleVillains and Plots: The Villain AS Plot
When is an NPC not an NPC? When it's a villain. Because villains are more than mere NPCs. Because villains create plots. And I don't mean evil schemes. I mean stories.
View ArticleWhy Are You Doing This: Fighting Tyler Durden, Game Designer
Hacking is bad for your game. That's an undeniable fact. So, if you're going to hack your game, be prepared to fight for it. Even if you're only fighting yourself.
View ArticleTick Tock: The Weird Clock Speed of D&D
It's time for a random pile of bulls$&% from the brain of the Angry GM. Today's steamer is about clock speeds, decision points, why D&D runs at two different speeds, and how the designers of...
View ArticleConflicted and Misaligned: Storytelling, Conflicts, and Morality
Conflict lies at the heart of every story. And when we think of conflict, we think of the struggle between good and evil. Especially in D&D. But what if I told you that good and evil aren't in...
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