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Sertorius Sample Player-Character: Enos Ozihel
Here is a sample Sertori from our most recent campaign, Enos Ozihel an orc devotee of the lich-god Ozias. This was made using our fillable character sheet available on the Bedrock Games website...
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Evil Characters Part One
I was involved in a discussion the other day about evil characters in RPGs. The original topic was another subject entirely but evolved into a debate over the merits of allowing evil player characters...
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Wuxia Inspiration: The Swordsman II (Film) and Swordsman (TV Series)
I have been going back and watching a lot of movies from the shelf that I haven't seen in a while as we work on Wandering Heroes of Ogre Gate (a free RPG based on Sertorius). In that stack are a bunch...
View ArticleWANDERING HEROES OF OGRE GATE PLAYTEST V
The session resumed from where we ended last week with the characters continuing south the speak with the head of Nature Loving Monk Sect about an alliance with Zhoaze Island. They stopped briefly in...
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THE SERTORIUS SETTING: GAMANDRIA PART ONE
Today I want to discuss Gamandria, the fantasy setting where Sertorius takes place. I will talk a bit about the nature of the world, what sources inspired its development and how it was created by the...
View ArticleDungeon Arts
Later today I will blog about music in gaming. But first I want to give a shout out to our friend Greg Taylor who makes some pretty stellar virtual tokens and dungeon tiles for online gaming. If you...
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Sertorius: Musical Inspiration
Like a lot of GMs, I listen to music when I prepare for a game session. I find the right song helps get me in the mood and inspires ideas as well. When we worked on Sertorius I was going for a...
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Seizing the Throne: When Player Characters Become Monarchs, Tyrants, Prophets...
Call it wish fulfillment but I think one of the things I enjoyed about gaming when I first experienced it was that I could try to rise to a position of power and importance in the setting. Whether it...
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Sects in Wandering Heroes of Ogre Gate
Wandering Heroes of Ogre Gate is set in a world of martial sects where grudges and revenge lead to frequent bloodshed. In my current campaign the players have embroiled the sects in a war over an...
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Character Death
Sometimes characters die. If you game long enough, normally you experience your fair share of tragic and unexpected character death. Now opinions vary considerably on when and where character death is...
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SERTORIUS CAMPAIGN: ORCS OF THE NORTH II
We continued our Orcs of the North campaign, with the group deciding to accompany their fallen companion, Aetos, to kill General Brogustu. Here is who we had in the party this session: -Enos Ozihel...
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WANDERING HEROES OF OGRE GATE PLAYTEST VI
We resumed our Heroes of Ogre Playtest on Friday but technical issues with the video call forced us to stop early and play with one less person. So we only made a little bit of progress. The game...
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Wuxia Inspiration: Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame
Wandering Heroes of Ogre Gate (WHOG) draws on a number of sources for inspiration. I watch a lot of wuxia movies and TV shows, and these have had a big influence not only on Ogre Gate, but on Sertorius...
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SPLITTING THE PARTY
"Don't split the party" is common advice, and it is wise to heed it at times, but it has its uses and can enhance the game on both sides of the screen when done well. The trick is to not do it in a way...
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Balance in Game Design Part I
I have been gaming since the mid-to-late 80s and have held a number of different positions on game balance over that time. Since I started designing my own games, my attitude has shifted over time as...
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Just Say Perhaps: When powerful characters smash your setting
I have made frequent comment in interviews on the need for the Gamemaster to adapt to PC power levels in Sertorius. This means being open to the possibility of drastic change in the setting at the...
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DESIGN TABLE: PONDERING KUNG FU TECHNIQUES IN WANDERING HEROES OF OGRE GATE
Tonight we have another session of Wandering Heroes of Ogre Gate and I have been thinking a lot about Kung Fu Techniques. In Ogre Gate, Kung Fu Techniques operate mechanically much like spells in...
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Gather All Ye Gamers: Bringing together many styles of play
Back when I first started gaming, there were many books and articles talking about different player types like the min/maxer, the rules lawyer or the thespian. Many of these described personality...
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Sertorius: Thai Influences in Gamandria
Sertorius is set in the world of Gamandria, a place that draws on many historical cultures familiar to fantasy fans. Most notably the ancient Mediterranean cultures. But there are other influences as...
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WUXIA INSPIRATION: THE ONE-ARMED SWORDSMAN
Wandering Heroes of Ogre Gate (WHOG) draws on a number of sources for inspiration. I watch a lot of wuxia movies and TV shows, and these have had a big influence not only on Ogre Gate, but on Sertorius...
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