In my other life, I’m an actor in the city of Chicago. I’ve noticed roleplaying exercises are really popular up here (particularly in the improv community), so it’s nice to see that kind of exchange between two of my biggest passions. I’ve also noticed my roleplaying in tabletop games has improved as a result of […]
Beyond the hedges that guard the Elder Kingdom, the Blackwood is defined by its wilderness. The Elven Wilds are the dark and befuddling forest of tales come to life. Driven by elves like stormclouds are driven by the wind, the Elven Wilds are ever-shifting lands of emerald green foliage, of heavy grey fog, of deadly […]
Personally, I have a very hard time paying attention to Actual Play sessions if they last more than an hour. I’ve noticed the AP broadcasts for my Savage Worlds setting, The Blackwood, typically last between 3-4 hours (with one monstrous 6-hour outlier). I wanted to find out what most people prefer when it comes to […]
The Blackwood is Grimm’s Tales directed by Zhang Yimou. You are errants, searching the forest for a way to save the settled people of the Elder Kingdom despite a landscape of deadly beauty and a crumbling ruling class. Visually, I’m inspired by games like The Witcher. Tonally, I want to capture the bright but surprisingly […]
Beyond the village there stands a tall hedge To keep the Blackwood at bay. Kept safe from danger, from pagans and elves, If only we follow the Way. It was the Elder King who raised the first hedges, who showed his people the strength of their ancestors. The wisdom of his Way taught family and […]
Part 1: Getting Help Part 2: What is Myth? So we’ve defined myth as a larger-than-life story which acts as a guide to one’s culture. Further, myths make the universal into something personally meaningful through the exercise of rituals (an ingredient we often forget in today’s world). We’ve determined that rolling dice is a […]
Mythic Gaming pt. 1: Getting Help Last time, I mentioned a Ted Talk about using D&D as a child to gain vital tools to make sense of the world. Is there a better example out there right now than Stranger Things? No spoilers, but a group of nerdy kids eventually uses the teamwork, knowledge, and […]
As Ethan Gilsdorf reveals in his Ted Talk, tabletop RPGs can be a vital tool for kids to make sense of the world. Equal parts escapism and wish fulfillment, tRPGs provide a sandbox for young minds to explore new ideas and hypotheses beyond the threat of the real world and its consequences. In Ethan’s case […]