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The VOIDRUNNER'S CODEX is LIVE! Explore new worlds, fight oppressive empires, fend off fearsome aliens, and wield deadly psionics with this comprehensive boxed set expansion for 5E and A5E!
Michael Tresca
Recent & Upcoming Releases
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February 18 2025
The Conpocalypse Has Been Scheduled
I wrote previously about geek culture reaching maximum convention saturation, predicting that major companies would eventually switch their focus to smaller venues. Two articles released this January are evidence that the "conpocalypse" is no longer a theory. It's all coming to a head this year.
Fog of War: A History of Keeping Players in the Dark
With its roots in wargaming, Dungeons & Dragons has always had a history steeped in graph paper and dungeons, but the element of the unknown was as much an important factor in adventuring as the dungeon itself. Through the decades this "fog of war" became easier to simulate in games thanks to technology that has become increasingly adept at keeping players in the dark. Picture courtesy...
Dark Tower: The Original Fantasy Troop Simulator
Before Stephen King began publishing his magnum opus there was an electronic board game that capitalized on the Dungeons & Dragons craze known as Dark Tower. Featuring a built-in calculator, lavish graphics, and creepy (if admittedly dated) sounds, Dark Tower swept the gaming world by storm and is fondly remembered by many children of the 80s. Four years after the game debuted, it disappeared. Who finally defeated the Dark Tower and what can gamers do to find it again?
The Game of Life: The Original Character Generator
These days character creation is something many role-playing games include as a matter of course, but at one time creating a full-fledged background was a novelty. Long before you could die in character generation in Traveller, there was another generator that swept the nation: The Game of Life. And it was all due to Abraham Lincoln's facial hair.
D&D as Amusement Park Part III: Ready, SET, Go!
In the first installment of this series we looked at how Walt Disney World creates a series of integrated themes for visitors to explore, which is similar to how game masters create fantasy campaigns. In the second installment we reviewed the tricks amusement parks use to populate those worlds, a burden the GM bears in tabletop play. In this final installment we look at the set pieces that make up a fantasy environment, which has its parallel in RPGs with miniatures and virtual tabletops.
D&D as Amusement Park Part II: Acting Out
In the previous installment we discussed how Disney World's theme of multiple lands has a parallel in Dungeons & Dragons campaigns on several levels. Disney populates its world with a cast of thousands, and the company's technique is illustrative of the efforts game masters struggle with to convincingly portray non-player characters (NPCs) in a fantasy universe. In this article we take a look at how Disney brings those characters to life.
D&D as Amusement Park Part I: Theme
There are a lot of parallels between what makes for a satisfying experience at Walt Disney World and what makes for a satisfying role-playing game session. Both forays into imagination seek to create comprehensive fantasy experiences. While Disney has considerably more resources at its disposal, game masters can uniquely tailor their games to their players. In this article we look at the many immersive layers of the Disney World experience and how those same concepts can apply to tabletop role-play.
D&D Goes to Work Part III: The Gamified Workplace
As businesses discover that most people aren't that enthusiastic about their jobs, turning work into play has become a major focus for employers. Tabletop role-players have naturally adopted the elements of engaging play for decades by playing Dungeons & Dragons. As the business world embraces "gamification," tabletop gamers may be able to teach the industry a thing or two about what makes a game -- or work -- more fun.
D&D Goes to Work Part II: Professional Game Masters
It sounds like the ultimate dream for gamers: being paid to play the hobby you love. With the advent of new technology and a more accessible player base, the idea isn't quite as far-fetched as it used to be. Is it really feasible to become a "professional game master"?
RPG Evolution - D&D Goes to Work Part I: Adventures in Resume Writing
Playing Dungeons & Dragons teaches a wide range of skills, from complex math to problem solving to team work. How can you convince employers that your gaming experience makes you the best person for the job? An "Outrageous" and "Off-Putting" Hobby? CareerBuilder posted "outrageous and common mistakes" candidates make in job interviews according to a survey. Among the unusual blunders hiring...
Where Has the Magic Gone?
Wizards of the Coast has owned Magic: The Gathering for decades, long before it picked up Dungeons & Dragons. Why hasn't there been more synergy between the two? Wizards of the Coast's (WOTC) rise to success was fueled by its card game brand, Magic: The Gathering. So when the company acquired the Dungeons & Dragons brand, it seemed logical that a crossover product was inevitable. Hopes for a...
RPG Evolution - D&D Does Digital Part IV: Online Communities
Wizards of the Coast's forums are yet another casualty of the tension between the owners of the Dungeons & Dragons brand and the fan community. The fans have always strongly influenced the evolution of the fantasy role-playing game, in some cases more than the brand itself was willing to admit. With the flattening of power structures created by the Internet, it raises the question: Who really...
D&D Does Digital Part III: PDFs
Today, Wizards of the Coast (WOTC) releases Portable Document Format (PDF) versions of much of its content, including both new products and older books from its back catalog, but it wasn't always that way. At one point, WOTC withdrew from the PDF market entirely. This article takes a look at the on-again, off-again relationship WOTC has with the PDF community.
D&D Does Digital Part II: Virtual Tabletops
We previously discussed the rise of MUDs and MMORPGs, led by D&D clones that mimicked the tabletop game's innovations while leaving the company that owned the brand (TSR and later Wizards of the Coast) behind. With the advent of networked audio and video tools, a new innovation came to pen-and-paper gaming: the virtual tabletop. Virtual tabletops seemed like an obvious evolution for tabletop...
D&D Does Digital Part I: MUDs & MMORPGs
This is the first in a series of articles about Dungeons & Dragon's expression in a variety of digital media. Our first installment begins with Multi-User Dungeons (MUDs) and Massive Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPGs). Playing With MUD The roots of Dungeons & Dragons have long been a part of the development of text-based online games like Multi-User Dungeons (MUDs) and...
How 3D Printing is Upending the Miniature Industry
The commercial release of the Micro 3D printer was squarely targeted at gamers with ads of 3D-printed miniatures on Facebook. Other enterprising artists have recreated Dungeons & Dragons-style monsters. But when established game companies begin issuing cease-and-desist letters against hobbyists, it raises the question...when do we reach the tipping point where gamers print their own miniatures?
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[Actual Play] Stonetop, or how to make friends and influence people- Latest: AbdulAlhazred
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Pathfinder 2E I think I am giving up on PF2ER
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