The Play Better Podcast!

I was a guest on the Play Better Podcast! Please take a moment to listen and consider subscribing. In it, I talk a bit about the White Wolf days, and about the new product “Encryptopedia.” Cameron, Ryan, and Molly are excellent podcasters and they cover board games, card games, and roleplaying games. Subscribe here Listen to the episode here Purchase Encryptopedia here until February 14th

Why do I need a systemless sourcebook anyway?

When I first started roleplaying (when I was 8 – nearly 40 years ago), I had no clue what I was doing. I tried to learn D&D from the blue-covered box set with the dice and the crayons – but let’s face it, it wasn’t written for 8-year-old audiences. I didn’t actually get D&D until I played AD&D with some friends, and started running games the second game I played. I had no idea how the rules worked, but the story was what I loved. Now we have a couple of generations of people who have spent years and years playing … Continue reading Why do I need a systemless sourcebook anyway?

Live and Let Dye – the Adventure

I am currently wrapping up production on the first adventure for the Encryptopedia sourcebook material, “Live & Let Dye.” This adventure focuses on the activities around a very important social event, the Dyer’s Guild Ball. Every year, the Dyer’s Guild hosts Color Season, where they debut the newest alchemical dyes for textiles and paints. The Dyer’s Guild Ball is held shortly after, both as a means of showing off the youth of the city and introducing them to society, and as a way to show the beauty of the new colors in elaborate suits and gowns. Of course, such a … Continue reading Live and Let Dye – the Adventure

The Ring of Elites!

Only a few people have pre-ordered Encryptopedia. I prefer to think of these folks as “the Ring of Elites” – y’all are great and I am very appreciative of your patronage. Every time my inbox lights up with a sale it’s like a combination Yule and Birthday present all in one. Not only will they get Encryptopedia first before everybody else, they will also get an adventure to get their fantasy spy games started. One of the things I’m loving about crafting this adventure is that I am able to open up story settings that you normally don’t see in … Continue reading The Ring of Elites!

How are my descriptions?

I have been working on a new fantasy espionage sourcebook for SCM – Sam Chupp Media. This is going to be a “systemless” sourcebook in that I’m providing setting, ideas, and structure so that you can take your favorite game system and apply what you’ve learned from the sourcebook to play. In the book, I offer some sample characters to fit the roles of various fantasy espionage agent types that I’ve created. Because it is unlikely that I’ll be able to afford character art for these, I have tried to write some descriptions of them as I see them in my … Continue reading How are my descriptions?