![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jaegamerI read a lot of gaming blogs and listen to a number of gaming podcasts - I'm on a constant quest to improve my skills as a GM and my enjoyment as a player. I get a lot of good ideas from the indie gamers at The Forge; things that I may not agree with, but that make me think and examine my own assumptions.
Today's gem is Resolution Lag from RPG Blog. Wow. This essay completely nails my biggest dissatisfaction with just about every game system I've ever tried. I'm an immersive roleplayer, even as a GM, and it always seems to me that things slow to a crawl when combat (or conflict) begins. It's my primary complaint about DnD 3.5 (and D20) - the d20 "whiff" factor. I miss you, you miss me, I miss you, attacks of opportunity, a gazillion modifiers to keep in mind... combat takes forever. I'm bored and ready to move on long before the fight is over.
I like my games fast and cinematic, and yet am unwilling to decide everything by GM fiat. There is a place for randomness in my GMing/playing world; I just don't want it to stall the game's momentum.
I have yet to find a system that's frictionless enough for me, though Eden's Cinematic Unisystem comes closest.
Today's gem is Resolution Lag from RPG Blog. Wow. This essay completely nails my biggest dissatisfaction with just about every game system I've ever tried. I'm an immersive roleplayer, even as a GM, and it always seems to me that things slow to a crawl when combat (or conflict) begins. It's my primary complaint about DnD 3.5 (and D20) - the d20 "whiff" factor. I miss you, you miss me, I miss you, attacks of opportunity, a gazillion modifiers to keep in mind... combat takes forever. I'm bored and ready to move on long before the fight is over.
I like my games fast and cinematic, and yet am unwilling to decide everything by GM fiat. There is a place for randomness in my GMing/playing world; I just don't want it to stall the game's momentum.
I have yet to find a system that's frictionless enough for me, though Eden's Cinematic Unisystem comes closest.
Gaming Blogs I read:
- 20 x 20 Room Intelligent discussion of rpgs
- Anyway Indie discussion on the weblog of Dogs In the Vineyard creator Vincent Baker (who is a frickin' genius, as far as I'm concerned)
- Deep in the Game More indie discussion
- Clinton Nixon's Blog The creator of Burning Wheel (more Indie gaming)
- Fair Game Meguey, a female Indie game designer
- Gamegrene "For the gamer who's sick of the typical"
- Gamethink Perspectives from in and around the business of rolegaming on its present condition and possible futures. Here be some ranting, but no doomsaying.
- Heads or Tales Matt Snyder's blog - author of Nine Worlds
- In the Shadow of Greatness About Roger Zelazny, but includes a lot about Amber gaming
- Jeff's Gameblog A gamer's blog; usually interesting
- Kitkowskiland Andy Kitkowski, gamer, designer and Japanophile
- The Masters' Council Excellent Gamemastering forum
- Matt Wilson's Blog The creator/author of Prime Time Adventures, one of my favorite Indie games
- The Non-Euclidian Staircase the occasional ravings of an opinionated gamer, reader, and movie fan
- Robin Laws Livejournal If you don't know who Robin Laws is, trust me, he's a god. Go read him, now.
- The RPG Site Resources and News for roleplayers
- Roll the Bones Speculations on gaming, chance and risk
- Treasure Tables Advice and support for GMing, and one of the best sites out there.
- Unrealities of Mine Roleplaying, LARP and board games
- Welcome to Frank's World On design and playability
- The World Famous Crank Report Gamer blog
- After Serenity A couple who are running a Serenity RPG campaign
- All Games Considered Tabletop gaming; variable quality but I'm still listening.
- Gamer: The podcasting Mostly about LARP, but still interesting
- Does My Geek Look Big in This? Beer reviews, gaming and movies - very entertaining, though I tend to skip the beer part. They often discuss the nuts and bolts of their Serenity game.
- DragonHearth Tracy Hickman - He talks as much about writing as gaming, but it's all good, and I get insights from his gaming 'casts.
- Geek-Fu Action Grip Mur Lafferty's wonderfully entertaining podcast about the world of geekdom, which of course includes gaming.
- Have Games Will Travel a weekly, twenty minute podcast hosted by freelance writer and game reviewer Paul Tevis. It features reviews of board, card, and roleplaying games; gaming industry news; and reports from gaming's biggest conventions and trade shows. Enjoy!
- Pulp Gamer Paper and pen gaming
- Sons of Kryos Indie focused, excellent interviews and reviews.
- Yog Radio Call of Cthulhu gaming - one of my top 5 favorites, even though the podcasts can be long and they do ramble on a bit. I'm never bored by them. Ia ia cathulhu!
