CHAINMAIL: 02.12.2024
Including - News as Campaign Glue, How To Know If Your Mechanics Matter | RPG Mainframe, and Crafting with Concepts.
News as Campaign Glue - Hill Cantons
With the massive proliferation of online TTRPG play, there comes a need for new tools to keep players engaged. Not just during the game, but between sessions. Creating a weekly news cycle as proposed in this blog post is super immersive and I've had a lot of success introducing it in play. It's a great way to feed plot hooks to your players in sandbox-style games and it draws your players in, even when they are not at the virtual table.
How To Know If Your Mechanics Matter | RPG Mainframe - Runehammer
If you saw my recent post regarding The 5E Hack, you know that I am exploring more and more rules-light design. This podcast episode really helped me take a look at the mechanics I use at my table and whether they are actually serving the game or just some principle or concept I have in my head as the GM. Check the mechanics you use at your table and check to make sure they are: Exciting, Dilemma-Inducing, and Memorable.
Crafting with Concepts - Tarsos Theorem
A system-agnostic crafting system that is very similar to what I've used in my own games. Super simple, very easy to expand, and extremely easy to implement during play. You can very quickly improvise crafting ingredients on the fly. It's super intuitive.
I hope these resources inspire you! If you haven't already, the best way to stay up to date with everything hothead-related is to join the discord. See you next week!