Names and stories have been on my mind recently. With Jeff’s wedding last week it was a chance to catch up with some friends retell some old stories and be called by a couple of nicknames I haven’t heard in a while. Also as my wife is with child we get to dream up new stories for the names of a child that has yet to experience them. It’s a wonderful point in time where names are holding more meaning and the use of a different name changes the tone of the experience. Last Friday, at Jeff’s wedding, I couldn’t help but notice the officiant referring to him as Jeffery and butchering his bride’s maiden name (“it rhymes with maverick, damn it!”); fortunately not during the ceremony. It’s as if the man I was standing next to was no longer the person I’ve known for 10+ years but a new married man that I would need to be reintroduced to. The use of a particular name implies a history with that person, to use a nick name implies shared experiences; a first name a familiarity; a last name a degree of respect. Each with name has a new story to go with it.

We can offer you all the tools in the world, but are they worth it if the game isn’t engaging? How do you make sure that your game has a personal touch and speaks to all of your players? Don’t Plan Ahead Focus instead on the here and now. What are the important tasks that [...]

When I started roleplaying I was never one to write in-character fiction. The thought never really occurred to me. I create a story for the character by playing him; why do the extra work? That was the moment the character became a real person instead of stats on a page.