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The Bardic Inquiry

The Bardic Inquiry

TTRPG Theory, Reflection, and Design


  • July 9, 2022

    PILGRIMON: A Pokémon inspired RPG Devlog 1

    PILGRIMON is a game I recently made for the TTRPG Pokémon jam on itch.io. In this post, I ramble a bit about how I began to develop the early version currently available for download and discuss my design decisions and next steps for the PILGRIMON project. PILGRIMON Themes Several other Pokémon roleplaying systems exist with… Continue reading

    Design
    Pokémon, Roleplaying, RPG
  • June 30, 2022

    Frame Scenes in your Roleplaying Games with the Inverted Pyramid

    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

    Uncategorized
    Framing Scenes, GM tools, Inverted Pyramid, Roleplaying, RPG, Scenes
  • May 15, 2022

    How to create a NPC for your RPG campaigns

    How to create a NPC for your RPG campaigns

    For me, NPCs are the heart of my RPG campaigns and the manner in which I create a NPC for my RPGs has changed over the past two campaigns. Now, no matter what system I use, my NPCs will always include four key elements: a drive, threat, dilemma, and conflict. Originally inspired by an RPGgeek… Continue reading

    Design, Reflections
    Dungeons and Dragons, GM tools, NPC, prep, RPG
  • February 27, 2022

    Using Orbital Crypt’s 18-Slot Inventory

    Orbital Crypt recently described an 18-slot inventory system “inspired by the old word” to track resources in their campaigns. In the past, I wrote about the place component of campaigns using point-crawls and recently wrote about the time component using a campaign tracker. I read Orbital Crypt’s post about the 18-slot inventory just as I… Continue reading

    Design
    Dungeons and Dragons, Inventory, RPG, Slot-based
  • February 12, 2022

    Web DM Campaign Tracker and Blades in the Dark Clocks

    One element of my planning for my TTRPG campaigns that I have yet to formalise or implement a tool for is campaign tracking. Jim Davis recently described a campaign tracker he uses in planning for his sessions over on the Web DM YouTube channel and I think pairing it with a Kanban board alongside Blades… Continue reading

    Design
    GM tools, prep, RPG
  • January 2, 2022

    Planning and Running my Roleplaying Campaigns

    There are four major components to my roleplaying campaigns that support me in planning and running them. When I sit down to plan a series of bad jokes campaign for my group I always start with the big question. This is the focus of the campaign, and it is what I tell my players when… Continue reading

    Reflections
    Campaign Preparation, Roleplaying, RPG
  • December 18, 2021

    Preparing for a Game as a Player

    Preparing for a roleplaying game session is not just for the game master, players should do it too. Regardless of the type of game you are playing whether that be a dungeon crawling game in which bad players tell others what to do or some emotional journey where you learn about just how damaged your… Continue reading

    Design, Reflections
    Dungeons and Dragons, Players, prep, Roleplaying, RPG
  • December 12, 2021

    Hyper Dynamic GM Tools Do Not Empower Players

    Dynamic adventures are more engaging than static adventures but dynamic GM tools can be problematic. Continue reading

    Reflections
    GM tools, Mysteries, Puzzles, Roleplaying
  • August 16, 2021

    Tracking Relationships between PCs and NPCs

    Tracking Relationships between PCs and NPCs

    Non-player characters (NPCs) play a large role when I run games. Sprawling locations, engaging plots, and player characters’ (PCs) drives or flaws are all centred around these NPCs. They provide a means for my voice as a game master which allows me to deliver hooks or information about the world, and contrast for the PCs… Continue reading

    Design
    NPCs, Roleplaying, TRPG
  • August 8, 2021

    GRIMOIRE Release

    GRIMOIRE Release

    After several months of work and some development blog posts, GRIMOIRE is now complete and I have released it on my itch page. Throughout the development of this game, I have learned a lot that I will take into future projects. Anything from how long it takes to write hundreds of prompts to the difficulties… Continue reading

    Grimoire, Reflections
    Grimoire, Solo Roleplaying
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About Me

An ARPIA award-winning Australian tabletop roleplaying game designer.

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Find MY GAMES on itch.io or DrivethruRPG.com

Top Posts

  • How to improve player engagement in roleplaying games using questions
  • Frame scenes in your roleplaying games with the inverted pyramid
  • Cognitive load theory in roleplaying games
  • Kaiju generator
  • How to write a backstory for a DnD character
  • How to create a NPC for your RPG campaigns
  • How to play a solo RPG (Ultimate Guide)


Recent Posts

  • 4 tips to schedule a consistent DnD group
  • I used Obsidian to manage my first Spire campaign, here is what I learned
  • How to play a solo RPG (Ultimate Guide)

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