Month / March 2024

by guyeatsfood

“To Do It, Do It” – TTRPG Workflow

As I write this, I’m deep in prep for my games for two great conventions – Spring Kraken in Germany, and Seven Hills in Sheffield. As it stands I’m running 8 official games between these two conventions, but Kraken being what it is I’ll bring a few extra games to fill any light sessions too. That’s quite a lot of prep. 

Alongside this, I keep reading about people who are planning on running a one-shot for the first time, who sometimes never seem to get going. How do you manage to actually get the prep done? And what does ‘done’ even mean? Here are some best practices I use, which might be useful for you.

While you’re reading this, I should tell you about my Patreon. Patrons get access to content 7 days before they hit this site, the chance to request articles or content, and the chance to play in one-shot games, for a very reasonable backer level of £2 per month. If you like what you read, want to support the blog, and have the funds for it, please consider supporting here. Telling people about the blog, and sharing links/retweeting is much appreciated also – thanks!

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by guyeatsfood

Review: Stronger Scenarios – Adventure Crucible

There’s recently been a few books published about gamemastering, and I’m all for it. So much gets written online in a haphazard and sometimes contradictory way (as a visit to any forum will attest); it’s great to see people with genuine experience put down their thoughts in an organised manner. This is what Adventure Crucible does, a short chapbook available in print from All Rolled Up, and online from Drive Thru, in which Robin Laws gives a surprisingly deep dive into adventure structure and prep.

While you’re reading this, I should tell you about my Patreon. Patrons get access to content 7 days before they hit this site, the chance to request articles or content, and the chance to play in one-shot games, for a very reasonable backer level of £2 per month. If you like what you read, want to support the blog, and have the funds for it, please consider supporting here. Telling people about the blog, and sharing links/retweeting is much appreciated also – thanks!

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by guyeatsfood

The Forlorn Hope – A Cyberpunk Project

Tales from the Forlorn Hope is a classic old-school not-D&D adventure book, of the kind we used to see all the time back in 1992, the year of its publication. Written for Cyberpunk 2020, it has eight adventures, centred around the titular Forlorn Hope bar, where cyberpunks and solos can hang out and get work. I’m very fond of these old adventure books – I think it was Dungeon magazine that got me hooked on TTRPGs before I ever played them – and I’m looking for a gaming project. And it just so happens to be Seven Hills soon, with a theme of PUNK. So, here goes:

I’m going to run all eight adventures, using eight different cyberpunk systems.

While you’re reading this, I should tell you about my Patreon. Patrons get access to content 7 days before they hit this site, the chance to request articles or content, and the chance to play in one-shot games, for a very reasonable backer level of £2 per month. If you like what you read, want to support the blog, and have the funds for it, please consider supporting here. Telling people about the blog, and sharing links/retweeting is much appreciated also – thanks!

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by guyeatsfood

Guest Post: Wearing the Mask(s), by Neil Gow

A first for the blog today – a guest post, by esteemed friend of the Burn, Neil Gow! He’s written below about setting up a one-shot of Masks, the ultimate game of teenage superheroes Powered by the Apocalypse. Neil’s a fantastic PBTA GM – I did a multi-table Masks game last year with him – and as a player in the game he’s writing about, can confirm how well it all slotted together. Check out more PBTA posts on here too!

A Short Game of Masks: Getting It Right

I love a good game of Masks – it’s easily the most satisfying superhero game I have played, understanding that the really important parts of any superteam are not the ‘What’ of an encounter, but the ‘Why’ – emotions, relationships and complications are far more important than how many feet someone is knocked back. Sadly, the traditional short one-shot of Masks tends to deliver half of that experience. You get the build up of some awesome interplay, but rarely any pay off. So, when I had the chance to run a double-slotter (a ‘long shot’ if you will…) of the game at the Revelation convention in Sheffield, I was determined to make it count! So, how did I prepare?

While you’re reading this, I should tell you about my Patreon. Patrons get access to content 7 days before they hit this site, the chance to request articles or content, and the chance to play in one-shot games, for a very reasonable backer level of £2 per month. If you like what you read, want to support the blog, and have the funds for it, please consider supporting here. Telling people about the blog, and sharing links/retweeting is much appreciated also – thanks!

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