RPG sites

Gaming
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I spent a little bit of time catching up on my RPG-centric feeds, and I thought I would share some winners.

Gnome Stew is a pretty popular game-mastering blog. They generate a lot of content, which gives me a lot to skim through. Occasionally something comes out of there that is really good. I also like that they are game-agnostic, I’ve learned about a lot of neat systems that I hadn’t heard about anywhere else.

Raph Koster doesn’t make table-top RPGs, but he has great ideas about game design, and you can tell that Raph has been in the game of making games for a long time.

I started reading Sarah Darkmagic in the last six months, but that blog has become one of my favorite D&D sites. Sarah writes like a real person, and is vulnerable, which is refreshing, because my play group is more sensitive than others I’ve played with, and that blog sounds like it is written by one of us. Sarah has some interesting insights, and you should subscribe.

The official blog for Obsidian Portal is called Words in the Dark. I read it because they are good at explaining why they do things to their service, and I am very interested in having a web element to my gaming. I don’t use Obsidian Portal myself, but they are an inspiration.

Yaruki Zero Games is a favorite of mine, since Ewen is a kindred spirit. Posts about TRPGs and other otaku-flavored items, I find myself agreeing with a lot of the things Ewen posts. I am glad there is someone else who thinks about and dissects different games like I do. Also, we share an obsession in creating our own RPG system inspired by anime and video games! I can’t to learn more about the mechanics of Slime Quest.

There you have it, the RPG blogs I follow. If you know of any like this, send links my way. I am not going to follow many more, but I can normally check the first couple pages of archives to see if I am interested in what they are saying. :slight_smile:

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Micah said:

Hey, this is Micah from Obsidian Portal. Glad you like the blog. It’s my favorite way of getting across my reasoning for many of the decisions we make on the site. We don’t claim to be all-knowing or perfect in what we do, but we do think at least a little about what we’re doing and we want everyone to get an inside look as to the why of everything.

It’s good to get feedback and know that people are reading. :slightly_smiling_face:

Hi Micah. I am glad you have the blog, I think you have pinned down transparency really well. I don’t endorse “software as a service” on general principal, but I think that for running what is essentially a software project, you have a decent process for gaining feedback and implementing new features, and then taking the time to document and explain them.

I know that I am sometimes paralyzed to inaction when I need to make a decision that will change the behavior and ability of a site’s users. Keep up the good work!

Also, if you ever release your software under a libre license, I will be your chief evangelist. :slight_smile:

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Sarah Darkmagic said:

Thanks for recommending me! I’m glad you enjoy my blog. I do my best to put my insecurities and questions out there, in part because I know it can be difficult being a new person in the hobby. I’m glad to help!

Hi Sarah! I am glad you are putting yourself out there, I think you are helping both bloggers and tabletop gamers.

I have a love-hate relationship with D&D, and I am phasing it more and more out of my hobby, but your writing is often general enough that I am going to continue to read it in the foreseeable future. Keep up the good work! :slight_smile: