The State of the Tower

Torre Belem is CC BY-SA 3.0 by Alvesgaspar, hosted by Wikimedia Commons The Wizard’s Tower, that is. Wizard’s Tower is one of two new games which we are debuting at Metatopia this year. In Wizard’s Tower, you play the wizard’s somewhat lax house-sitters, frantically...

Worldbuilding: Unanchored Detail

CC BY-SA 2.0 by Alan Hawkes, part of the Geograph project and hosted on Wikimedia Commons Think of a series of stories you love. Can you think of a moment when a seed of detail, planted in an early book or episode and left behind, suddenly sprouts and blooms several...

Worldbuilding: Count the Days

Perpetual calendar, German, possibly 16th century; public domain image courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art How do beings in our setting count time? Planets orbit stars, spinning around those glowing orbs for billions of years. Some planets leave their parent...

Worldbuilding: Holiday Drive

Candle flame close-up CC-BY 4.0 domdomegg, hosted by Wikimedia Commons When does who celebrate what for which reason? Across 20+ years of gaming, most Players I’ve met liked a good party, either in-person or through the eyes of their Characters. The types of...

Building for Change: Playing groups

Collective work session at Bostanie urban garden, CC BY 4.0 by SA, The Green Ark – Bostanie “So, what you’re saying is, this group brings heavy baggage,” said our GM last night. Our GM was grinning that special grin. All of us knew why. In a group that consists...