The Bardic Inquiry
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How to play a solo RPG (Ultimate Guide)
This ultimate guide will teach you how to play a solo RPG in six quick steps and cover some common pitfalls for new solo players. In this guide, I will discuss: What is a solo RPG? A solo RPG is just like any other group RPG, except you are both the game master (GM) and… Continue reading
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Caught in the Rain, a Solo Mystery Roleplaying Game Playtest v0.2
Caught in The Rain is the new game that I am developing and it is my attempt at solving the difficulty of playing a mystery roleplaying game as a solo player. Whether it is group play or solo play, the general consensus is mystery campaigns or adventures in roleplaying games are challenging or time-consuming to… Continue reading
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I Tried Node-Based Design in my Mystery TTRPG Campaign, Here is What I Learned
Node-based design was created by Justin Alexander of the Alexandrian and was, primarily, a method for planning and running mystery ttrpg campaigns. Though it can be divisive in the ttrpg community, I was planning to run a mystery campaign in Night’s Black Agents and I did not believe my usual method would work. I thought… Continue reading
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How to Write a Backstory for a DnD Character
To write a backstory for a DnD character, you should avoid writing a detailed recount of their life and instead opt to describe a few key events or relationships. This can improve the colloborative storytelling component of these games and provide you with enough character flkexibility to help you enjoy the game more consistently. In… Continue reading
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How to improve player engagement in roleplaying games using questions
Questions help us communicate and understand each other and we can use them to improve the engagement of our players in our roleplaying games. By asking the right type questions of our players, we can establish a scene more quickly or drive a narrative forward. The type of question we ask depends on the reason… Continue reading
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Cognitive Load Theory in Roleplaying Games
Cognitive load theory is the idea that our working memory is imposed by the complexity and distracting elements of new information before we start to make connections. In roleplaying games, complex and distracting elements of new information can result in a loss of player engagement. In this post, I briefly describe cognitive load theory, how… Continue reading
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Frame Scenes in your Roleplaying Games with the Inverted Pyramid
The inverted pyramid dictates that we start with the most important information and for framing scenes in roleplaying games, this is the purpose of the scene. I frame this as a question within the context of the wider narrative or world and use every player decision to drive the scene towards a conclusion. By doing… Continue reading
About Me
An ARPIA award-winning Australian tabletop roleplaying game designer.
Find MY GAMES on itch.io or DrivethruRPG.com
Recent Posts
- How to play a solo RPG (Ultimate Guide)
- Caught in the Rain, a Solo Mystery Roleplaying Game Playtest v0.2
- I Tried Node-Based Design in my Mystery TTRPG Campaign, Here is What I Learned
- How to Write a Backstory for a DnD Character
- How to improve player engagement in roleplaying games using questions
- Cognitive Load Theory in Roleplaying Games
- GOLEM 0.5 Release
The Bardic Inquiry 