Ever since the start of the tabletop RPG hobby with the very first iteration of Dungeons & Dragons, randomizers like dice were a core feature and mechanic. These randomizers serve several purposes for us as we play: - They limit perfect information- They inspire notions that (almost) anything is possible- They dynamize narration by influencing how much or how little something succeeds or fails…

A tabletop gaming convention centered around board games put on by the folks who run . Incidentally, they also own tabletop.events which is currently my favorite site to help with the logistical elements of running a convention. The convention had about 3100 attendees, though most of the gaming and programming was directly board game related. The group I'm part of, Forward RPG, were invited to send 6 GMs to run tabletop RPGs through the weekend.

A tabletop gaming and friend convention at Lake Bistineau State Park in Doyline, LA, happening November 8 thru 11, 2024 NatureCon is a convention for which I’m responsible for all things events and sleeping arrangements. It started as a friendcon where we’d go out to a state park and play tabletop games, and it’s grown in a great way into the event we run today, which is about 50 folks reuniting once a year to get some gaming in.

This is part of a series where I review a system mid flight as I’m either digesting it via reading or running a campaign. This review format is intended to be raw and rough, based on how I feel about a particular system today, knowing that my feelings about the system will probably be different in the future. I will provide 3 Hits, which are 3 parts I am fascinated by or like about the system; and 3 Misses, which are 3 parts I don’t feel I fully grasp or don’t like.

A LAN video gaming convention put on by folks who staffed QuakeCon. They run 2 events a year and have been going for several years. There is a large BYOC (bring your own computer) room where people play computer games as well as a room with a stage, a video game console room, and a tabletop room (board games, roleplaying games, and mah jong).

How many players should you aim for in your tabletop RPG group? What is the ideal number of players, and how many is too few? Too many? Each of these questions can bring unique challenges and limitations to the table even before the campaign is off the ground. The answer to each of these questions is different for each Game Master (GM) and each tabletop RPG group, but there are some common benchmarks and metrics to examine as you're planning out your next tabletop RPG group.

A tabletop gaming convention created by the cosplayers and RPG DMs that call themselves the Five Sided Fates. In 2025 they're having their second event, which is a 2 day event focusing primarily on tabletop RPG sessions, paint and take minis, vendors, mapmaking, and panels. Most games offered were Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition, though there were a handful of GMs running non-D&D tabletop RPGs.

This is part of a series where I review a system mid flight as I’m either digesting it via reading or running a campaign. This review format is intended to be raw and rough, based on how I feel about a particular system today, knowing that my feelings about the system will probably be different in the future. I will provide 3 Hits, which are 3 parts I am fascinated by or like about the system; and 3 Misses, which are 3 parts I don’t feel I fully grasp or don’t like.

Many years ago now, one of the founders of the Storygame community called Ron Edwards wrote a blog called the Forge where he argued that System Does Matter, objectively declaring the GNS (Gamist Narrativist Simulationist) theory and declaring that systems are vital to the hobby. This became directly associated to Edwards and the storygame movement as a whole. In the modern day, the storygame movement has produced some designers whose work I very much value and am intrigued by (Vincent & Meguey Baker, John Harper, Jason Morningstar, amongst others), but Ron Edwards' name itself doesn't seem to have had the same gravitas.

Do you want to meet more people who play tabletop RPGs? Would you prefer to play a certain game in a certain way, either in person or online, but you don't know many folks who also want to game in that way and are free at that time? The best way to meet other people looking to play a tabletop RPG that you're into in my opinion is to schedule a game at an open location, invite people, and run the game.

YouTube video by Cleric Cabin Games

YouTube video by Cleric Cabin Games

YouTube video by Cleric Cabin Games

YouTube video by Cleric Cabin Games