The Hollows and Hobgoblins Blog

Tag: play

  • Some Free Games for You

    Here is some of my work that I am making available for free. They’re labors of love that I want to share. They aren’t very polished, have little to no art, are only a few pages long, but they are playable games I’ve had a lot of fun with. Here’s what I’m sharing:

    (1) The Raid: Rumors and Secrets. A cyberpunk setting where every player has a secret, and so might the employer.

    (2) Shadow Dominion: inspired by the game Night’s Black Agents, the setting is a group of Jason-Bourne-type operatives fighting vampires. This game has a specific setting unlike NBA, and is much simpler to learn and run.

    (3) Fantastic Secrets: a GMless game that is a dungeon crawl on the surface, but is really about the secret motives each PC has and why.

    (4) Cthulhu Darker: Really more house rules than an independent game, these are my modifications to the game Cthulhu Dark, and my notes on how to run a Lovecraftian game.

    (5) How to GM: Finally, not a game at all, but a document I’ve written distilling what I understand to be the best practices for GMing an RPG, based on my 40 years of experience doing so.

    You can check them all out at this folder:

    https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1dhytj0RWw6FVBvSijDIbyQLtDQcZY0P1

    All I ask is please come back here and drop me a comment! Tell me what you liked or didn’t like, and especially if you tried a game what your experience playing was. Happy Gaming!

  • The Basics of Roleplaying, Part Four: Approaches to Gamemastering

    In the last three parts of this series, I’ve covered what roleplaying is, why we enjoy roleplaying games, and how to be a good player. Now we turn to part four: how to GM.

    There are so many aspects to gamemastering that no single blog post could cover them all. This is simply an introduction to the basic approaches, and I encourage you to explore the many other resources available.

    When it comes to gamemastering, in my opinion there are basically three approaches: (1) prepare a railroad for the players; (2) prepare a situation; or (3) improvise on the spot.

    Railroading

    The term “railroad” is often seen as pejorative, but I don’t mean it that way. Similar terms include “linear adventure.” What I mean by railroad is that you, as the GM, have prepared specific encounters in particular locations that will occur in sequence, from the opening scene to the final scene of a session (or even a campaign).

    Many people react negatively to this approach. A common criticism is that it reduces player agency—the idea that player choices should meaningfully impact the game world. If you have player agency, that means had you made different choices, the shared fiction would have developed differently.

    Although there’s some truth to this, I’ve noticed that some people have a limited notion of player agency. For example, some argue that a dungeon with only one entrance is railroading because players must use that entrance, while multiple entrances provide meaningful choice. This view is quite narrow. What significant difference does it make if there are multiple entrances when players have no choice but to enter the dungeon? And what if, regardless of which entrance they choose, they’ll encounter the same group of goblins because that’s what the GM planned as their first encounter?

    While railroading isn’t my preferred approach, it can work well for some groups. Players still have choices in how they deal with each encounter, so they still have some agency – their choices matter in terms of what happens in that particular scene. Whether this level of choice is satisfying enough depends on player preferences. So I wouldn’t declare railroading inherently flawed—it’s simply a matter of preference.

    If railroading appeals to you, plenty of resources are available online. Most mainstream GM advice, particularly for Dungeons & Dragons, focuses on this approach. Check popular YouTube channels about being a good Dungeon Master, and you’ll find they’re primarily discussing railroading techniques.

    But a word of caution: ask yourself: do you enjoy GMing this way?

    Here’s where railroading often encounters problems: you’ve planned a series of encounters based on your own logic, but your players may think differently. Typically, players draw unexpected conclusions from encounters and head in directions you haven’t prepared for. This creates pressure to get them “back on track,” forcing them toward encounters you’ve prepared rather than where they want to go. This can frustrate players and diminish their enjoyment.

    This is why I personally don’t recommend railroading.

    Preparing a Situation

    Another approach is what I call “preparing a situation.” This means creating a fictional scenario with inherent, dynamic tension that engages players with something meaningful to their characters. Essential elements of a situation usually include several NPCs with conflicting motivations and goals, that create friction with each other and with the player characters. It’s also a good idea to include a few interesting locations, items or objects, innocents who need saving, or other people or things the players are likely to care about.

    With this style of gamemastering, the next essential element is to prepare an opening scene that informs players about the situation—just enough to get them started and see what’s at stake for them. After establishing this opening, you simply have your NPCs and the world respond naturally to player actions. Players will react to these responses, and the NPCs and other elements will respond to this reaction, and so on, creating a cycle of action and reaction. There’s no preplanned climax or encounters beyond the opening scene; outcomes are determined organically through play. Eventually a climax emerges naturally, rather than being planned in advance.

    In this style, you focus on playing your NPCs and the setting rather than trying to manage the actions of players. I’ve written in detail about this approach (including with fleshed-out examples) in a document you can download for free:

    https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Lf–HTDeQ7o2SgNuiSeQazuH-eRKd-Bq/view?usp=drivesdk

    Improvisation

    Finally, there’s on-the-spot improvisation, where you prepare nothing and make everything up as you go. This might seem entirely different from the other approaches, but I’m not entirely convinced. Even when improvising, our ideas come from somewhere—setting concepts, NPCs, etc.

    We may think we’re creating everything spontaneously, but if we have a specific endpoint in mind—like a climactic confrontation with a villain at a particular location—then it’s still a kind of railroad, just without predetermined steps. Conversely, if we’re simply playing NPCs responding to events and player actions without a planned endpoint, that’s essentially the “situation” approach described earlier. Is pure improvisation truly its own method?

    Regardless, if you do want to GM improvisationally without preparation, having some resources for inspiration helps tremendously. Random tables, computer-generated settings, NPCs with motivations, random taverns, towns, dungeons, treasures, and monsters can all provide elements to riff off of.

    Over to You

    These are my brief thoughts on the basic approaches to gamemastering. There’s much more to say about running specific encounters, making combat exciting, and other topics—much of which depends on your specific game system. Many people have already written extensively on these subjects.

    So, what do you think? Are there other basic approaches to gamemastering I’ve missed? What approach do you use? What tools or resources have you found helpful? Are there other topics worth covering in this basic series? I welcome your comments.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

  • The Basics of Roleplaying, Part 3: How to Play Well

    In the first part of this series, I examined what roleplaying games are by exploring what people actually do in them. In the second part, I outlined the different reasons people enjoy participating in these games. Now I want to focus on how to play roleplaying games well—specifically, how to be a good player.

    When playing, we often need to balance our own enjoyment with contributing to—or at least not hindering—other people’s fun. Fortunately, good roleplaying tends to emerge naturally when we’re doing what we enjoy while remaining curious about what other players find enjoyable.

    The Number One Principle: Be Curious

    Be curious about:

    1. The world and setting that the GM is creating for you
    2. The other player characters—who they are, what they want, and what they’re willing to do to get it
    3. Your own character—we often discover who our character truly is through play, as they interact with the setting, the GM’s characters, and the other player characters

    Core Principles for Collaborative Play

    1. Be Curious and Engaged

    • Ask questions about the world. GMs invest significant effort in establishing the setting and scene details, and they appreciate when players show interest. Understanding more about your shared imagined world gives you more elements to play with, creating a richer experience for everyone.
    • Show interest in other players’ characters. We all appreciate when others take an interest in our creative work, which is exactly what our characters represent.
    • Be proactive. Look for hooks to engage with rather than passively waiting for the GM to direct you (unless the scenario explicitly calls for that, such as a mission briefing). Put yourself in your character’s shoes and decide what they would do based on their motivations and abilities.

    2. Play With the Party

    • Avoid lone-wolf behavior unless the group has explicitly agreed to it. While some games are designed for characters to pursue separate goals in different scenes, it’s generally wise to check whether the other players prefer when characters stick together.

    3. Be a Good Scene Partner

    • Share the spotlight. Don’t try to dominate every scene—ensure other players have opportunities to actively participate.
    • Support other characters’ moments to shine. Help create situations where each player can have breakthrough or significant moments, and have your character acknowledge their efforts when appropriate.
    • Ask other characters questions and engage in dialogue. This helps everyone learn about each other’s characters and explore what motivates them.
    • Set others up for impressive moments rather than always taking center stage yourself. The most memorable sessions often happen when players elevate each other.
    • Be a fan of the other player characters. Enthusiasm is contagious and creates a positive table culture.

    4. Embrace Failure & Complications

    • Don’t resist bad rolls or consequences. Some players treat failed rolls as personal failures and struggle to enjoy the game when things go wrong. In reality, failure can lead to interesting situations and compelling stories. Often, failure drives the most engaging story developments.
    • Play to discover what happens. If you knew the session’s outcome in advance, wouldn’t that be boring? When a roll has significant stakes and the outcome is uncertain, the anticipation creates genuine excitement.

    5. Learn the Rules

    • Take time to learn rules relevant to your character. This doesn’t have to happen all at once, but make an effort to become familiar with them over time.
    • Know your character’s abilities and how they interact with game mechanics to avoid time spent looking them up.
    • Help the GM track your resources (spells, equipment, etc.). This prevents the GM from becoming overwhelmed and keeps the session flowing smoothly.

    6. Communicate Out of Character (OOC)

    • Check in with other players during intense scenes, especially if you’re unsure about their comfort level.
    • Clearly distinguish between your opinions as a player and your character’s thoughts and feelings. In emotionally charged scenes, other players might confuse character emotions for player emotions, so be transparent about when you’re roleplaying.
    • Use safety tools when needed. The simplest are:
    • “Let’s fade to black on that” when you prefer not to hear potentially disturbing details
    • The “X-card,” where saying “let’s X that out” signals you don’t want something included in the setting or gameplay
    • Remember that good play requires trust, and communication helps build it.

    7. Show Up Ready to Play

    • Be on time.
    • Come prepared with your character sheet, dice, and notes from previous sessions.
    • Minimize distractions.
    • Put away your cell phone. Checking your phone while the GM is describing something or another player is having an important moment is disrespectful and demoralizing to the group.

    And there you have it—my current thoughts on being a good roleplaying game player. How does this list compare with your own experience? Did I miss anything important? Is there anything I should have left out? I welcome your comments!

  • The Basics of Roleplaying, Part 2: What Do We Like About It?

    In the first part of this series, I described to the best of my ability what roleplaying is, specifically in the context of game-mastered roleplaying games, by describing what people tend to do during a game. Now I want to explore why we do it—what is it about roleplaying games that keeps enthusiasts coming back for more?

    A Brief Note on RPG Theory (I’m Not Doing it)

    Before diving in, I want to clarify that I won’t be delving into complex roleplaying game theory, as some others have done. Some people have developed elaborate models and theories about player preferences, compatibility between different play styles, and so on. I’m not convinced this theoretical approach makes much practical difference for most players or designers. The academic terminology often becomes ambiguous or exclusionary—take the term “narrativism,” which is an ambiguous term. You can have a narrative about anything. This term can be interpreted in numerous ways, and has created its own circle of theorists who deride those who use it improperly, and claim superior understanding and requisite status for themselves.

    Whether RPG theory has any validity is something I’ll leave for others to judge, but I think it’s simply fact that it rarely impacts or influences those who play or design games, with very few exceptions.

    What People Actually Enjoy About Roleplaying Games

    Instead, I want to discuss the general elements that people find appealing about roleplaying games. Understanding what you enjoy can help game masters prepare better sessions, or assist designers in creating more enjoyable experiences for themselves and their target audience.

    Character Focus

    To start, I’ll begin with what I just mentioned, what some might call “narrativism”. I don’t care what other people might mean by it in other contexts, but what I mean by it here is simply focus on the character, who they are and how they change. One thing many players enjoy is focusing on a character: their motivations, goals, moral center, and how these aspects evolve or change when the character faces difficult or extreme situations. Some players are essentially playing to discover who their character truly is and how (and if) they change through various challenges.

    This is just one element that some players enjoy—it’s no better or worse than any other preference, and all such preferences are legitimate.

    The Game Element: Winning and Losing

    At a fundamental level, many people enjoy roleplaying games because they are games with uncertain outcomes. There’s excitement in caring about your character, playing them striving toward their goals, and seeing whether or not they succeed. This uncertainty is what makes roleplaying games actual games—your character might not get what they want, creating a sense of stakes and potential loss.

    Problem-Solving

    Some players particularly enjoy creative or technical problem-solving. You see this in certain fiction, especially science fiction stories that emphasize clever technical solutions over character development. In roleplaying games, this might involve using magic in unexpected ways to escape a trap, spying on enemies through ingenious means, or combining tactics to defeat opponents. Rather than inventing some pretentious, ambiguous term for this preference, I’ll simply call it problem-solving.

    Combat Focus

    Related to but distinct from problem-solving is the focus on combat. Some players greatly enjoy games with significant combat elements, similar to why people enjoy wargames. In fact, a common origin story for roleplaying games traces them to wargamers who wanted more detail about individual characters in their battles. Some players appreciate the technical specifications, tactics, and strategy involved in confronting enemies in a shared imaginary world.

    Setting Immersion

    Another appeal is setting immersion. Players enjoy embodying characters because the setting itself is compelling—many science fiction fans have dreamed of serving as an officer on a Federation starship, or fighting orcs in Middle-Earth. The opportunity to experience a beloved fictional setting firsthand is a powerful draw.

    Character Immersion

    Whether you consider this separate from “character focus” or not, some players specifically enjoy the experience of embodying someone who isn’t themselves—stepping into another perspective and doing things they wouldn’t or couldn’t do in the real world.

    Emotional and Atmospheric Experiences

    Some players seek specific atmospheres or emotional content in their games. Horror roleplaying games create fear, while games like Ten Candles generate feelings of sorrow and nostalgia. These emotional experiences can be valuable and enjoyable in the right context.

    Social and Political Intrigue

    Though less common, some players prefer games focused on political maneuvering and social dynamics, such as Vampire: The Masquerade. The enjoyment comes from navigating complex social situations, increasing your character’s status, and outmaneuvering rivals.

    Conclusion

    These are the primary elements that I believe people enjoy about roleplaying games. There’s nothing particularly profound about this analysis, and I’m not interested in theorizing why people like these aspects—I’m only concerned with identifying what they actually enjoy. I also see no reason to think that these aspects are incompatible with each other, or that a game cannot or should not do more than one of them – such pronouncements are way too theoretical. The only way to test whether or not a game does more than one of these well is to have many people try it and see.

    But that’s neither here nor there. In my next blog post, I’ll discuss some best practices for basic roleplaying based on what we’ve covered so far.

    Until then, your thoughts and comments on this post are very much welcomed. Did I leave anything out? What is it you enjoy about tabletop roleplaying games?

    Footnote: For those who want to know what I mean about the kind of RPG theory I was alluding to earlier (and the big mess it can be), here is an example: https://www.arkenstonepublishing.net/isabout/2020/05/14/observations-on-gns-simulationism/

    Note that I mean no disrespect to the author, who does a great job with the various concepts he mentions. I’m just not sure any of it is worth spending any time on.

  • Roleplaying Basics, Part One: What Is It, Really?

    Hi everyone! I thought I’d spend the next few posts exploring the fundamentals of roleplaying games (RPGs). Not because I claim any special expertise, but simply because I enjoy thinking and talking about them. I’m also hoping this sparks a conversation, inviting you to share your own thoughts and perspectives.

    Part of my motivation is personal: I’m working to articulate my understanding in my own words, moving away from the specific jargon of a group I was previously involved with (AdeptPlay). This series is part of that process.

    What Roleplaying Isn’t: Storytelling

    First, let’s tackle what in my opinion is a common misconception. Despite what many books and articles suggest, roleplaying is not storytelling, at least not in the conventional sense. I believe framing it that way is misleading.

    Think about traditional storytelling: the storyteller typically arrives with a fully formed narrative – beginning, middle, end, plot points, the works. They then recount this pre-existing story to the audience.

    Roleplaying doesn’t work like that. While a story certainly emerges from a roleplaying session after it’s over, the act of playing isn’t about reciting or playing to a pre-written script.

    Crucially, the quality of the story that emerges after the session often has little correlation with how much fun the participants had during the session. You can have an incredible, engaging time playing, yet the resulting story, viewed objectively, might lack classic story structure or polish. Conversely, you might endure a dull or frustrating session where your contributions felt ignored, but the sequence of events, when looked back upon, coincidentally forms a structurally “good” story.

    Because the process isn’t storytelling, and because the quality of the resulting narrative doesn’t necessarily reflect the quality of the play experience, I find using “storytelling” as the primary lens for understanding RPGs to be unhelpful, even misleading.

    So, What Is Roleplaying? (Focusing on Game-mastered Games)

    Okay, if it’s not storytelling, what is happening during a roleplaying game?

    There’s a vast spectrum of RPGs. One major distinction is between games with a designated Game Master (GM) and those without (often called GM-less games). For this post, I’ll focus on games with a GM, simply because they are very common, though GM-less games are a fascinating topic for another time. (Note: It’s difficult to make sweeping generalizations about GM-less games due to their huge variety.)

    At its core, a GM’d roleplaying session is a conversation. Participants talk about what’s happening within a shared setting.

    For example, in a Star Trek Adventures game, the setting is the familiar sci-fi universe of the Federation, Klingons, Cardassians, Romulans, etc. Concepts like starships, phasers, transporters, and tractor beams are part of the assumed background shared by everyone playing.

    Most participants are Players, each typically controlling one or more specific characters within that setting. One participant is the Game Master (GM).

    Players assume the roles of their characters, describing their actions, words, and sometimes thoughts. They might also ask the GM questions to clarify the situation or environment (“What else do I see in this room?”).

    The Game Master has the power and responsibility to describe the setting, determine how the environment and its inhabitants react to the player characters (PCs), and portray all the other characters in the world, known as Non-Player Characters (NPCs). From a player’s perspective, NPCs are part of the setting managed by the GM.

    The Flow of Play

    The way play proceeds is, the GM presents a context, the players describe how their characters react, and the GM describes the outcome or the world’s response. The conversation flows back and forth between one or more players talking, the GM responding, and the players responding in turn.

    At certain points, most RPGs introduce an element of chance. Players, and sometimes the GM, might roll dice or use another randomizer (like drawing cards). The outcome of this randomization influences what happens next in the shared setting. Did the character succeed at their risky action? Did something unexpected occur? The result is incorporated into the ongoing conversation.

    This cycle—conversation, action, occasional randomization and determination of the outcome, followed by more conversation—repeats until the session reaches an endpoint. This might be due to external factors (like running out of scheduled time) or internal narrative developments (reaching a satisfying conclusion, achieving a goal or failing to). Occasionally, a session might end because players decide they aren’t enjoying the game anymore, which can happen for a myriad of reasons.

    Essential Elements of Gamemastered Roleplaying

    If that describes the process, what are the core components that make it work? Based on the flow described above (and please comment if you think I’ve missed something crucial!), here are what I see as the essential elements:

    Shared Setting: The group agrees to play within a specific fictional world (Middle-earth, the Star Trek universe, World War II, a post-apocalyptic wasteland, etc.) with common background assumptions about how that world works.

    Agreed-Upon Rules (The Game System): The group uses a specific set of rules (Dungeons & Dragons, Star Trek Adventures, Alien RPG, Call of Cthulhu, Apocalypse World, or one of the countless others). This system defines:

    • The distinct powers and responsibilities of the GM and the Players.
    • How characters are created and what they can do.
    • How and when randomization (dice, cards, etc.) is used to resolve uncertainty.
    • The ways characters and the setting can change.
    • Essentially, the game system dictates who gets to say what, when, and with what effect within the flow of play.

    GM Preparation: For most GM’d games, the GM does some preparation beforehand. The extent varies wildly by game system and GM style, but it generally involves creating or selecting fictional elements to drive the action and create conflict. This often includes:

    • Defining specific locations within the setting.
    • Creating NPCs with their own goals and motivations.
    • Establishing what’s at stake or what risks the player characters might face or care about.
    • For instance, if the GM knows the players want to reach a treasure cave on a mountain, they might prep the journey. This could involve creating a forest path, populating it with conflicting NPCs (like a lost baby dragon, goblins wanting to capture it, and its worried mother searching frantically), creating a dynamic context with choices for the players to navigate.

    Scene Framing: Someone (usually, but not always the GM) needs to kick off the action by describing the initial context: where the PCs are, what time it is, and what’s immediately happening. Examples: “You’re walking through the forest under a bright sun when a small dragon crashes through the trees into a clearing ahead.” or “You’re aboard your freighter, the Beowolf, en route to Hypatia Station when you pick up a distress signal.”

    Player Character Embodiment: Players respond to the framed scene by describing what their characters do, think, or say, guided by their character’s established goals, personality, and motivations.

    Active Listening and Building: Participants listen to each other. When a player describes their character’s action, it’s generally accepted as having happened in the shared world unless the rules or the GM intervenes (often by saying something like, “Okay, let’s see if you succeed at that,” and calling for a dice roll). Other players and the GM then react and build upon that contribution.

    GM Adjudication and Setting Response: The GM uses the rules and their prepared material (or improvisation) to describe how the world and NPCs react to the players’ actions. If a player character threatens a goblin, the GM portrays the goblin’s response based on what they know about its nature. If the outcome is uncertain (Just how intimidating was the threat? How tough is the goblin?), the GM might call for a dice roll based on the game’s rules. Similarly, if a character tries to scale a slippery wall, the GM might determine the difficulty and ask for a roll to see if they manage it.

    Player Response and Iteration: Players react to the outcomes and the GM’s descriptions, deciding on their characters’ next actions, continuing the cycle.

    Change and Consequence: As play progresses, the shared imagined world is dynamic. NPCs might change their goals, allegiances, abilities, or leave or die. Player characters can also change – gaining new abilities and powers, gaining or losing resources, changing their motivations, facing injuries and setbacks including death. Locations, organizations, and the overall setting will evolve based on the actions taken.

    Play continues cyclically and iteratively until a natural endpoint is reached for the session.

    Wrapping Up (For Now)
    So, that’s my initial take on describing what basic GM’d roleplaying is, focusing on the process rather than trying to define it by the story it might produce after the fact. I haven’t touched on what makes it good or effective yet – just the mechanics of what happens at the table.

    Over to You!
    What’s your perspective? Did I miss anything crucial in this description? Is there anything you think I’m off the mark on? I’d genuinely love to hear your thoughts in the comments!

  • Monsterhearts, A Clue or Two

    A letter from Benjamin Gilbert

     The whole history of the fire we published in the Times was a lie, of course. The fire had nothing to do with that foolish Swede in the wood shop, we just used him as a convenient scapegoat. It was all because of the vampires. 

     Hunters from the east were on their trail, and had been for awhile – one of the creatures they called “Jonathan” was particularly disruptive, hardly bothering to cover his tracks as he left a trail of destruction, broken lives and broken families from New York to Oregon. He ravaged Seattle for weeks before we finally trapped him and his henchmen in the wood shop. The owner, may he Rest In Peace, was part of the plot, and invited them in so they would be unable to harm innocents when we confronted them. The vampire Jonathan – an exceptionally tall man, with dark hair, striking blue eyes, and an ugly scar down the right side of his neck – tried to compel us with that curious mental power they have, but we’d taken precautions – the standard herbal remedy from the old country proved effective. But we were unprepared for his extraordinary speed and power, and that of his companions. 

     DeMarigny took out two of the bloodsuckers with stakes, and I wounded one with my silver knife, but failed to slay it. Grossman’s bullets proved entirely ineffective, and Jonathan snapped his neck in the blink of an eye. DeMarigny and the other hunters fought like lions, but the vampires were just too fast. Jonathan knocked the knife out of my grasp and pinned me to the wall with an insane strength. He forced me to watch, helpless, as they drained DeMarigny of his life.

     Gloating, the evil vampire looked into my eyes. “Now that your friends are dead or dying, I think we’ll take our time with you. You organized this hunt, and are worthy of special interest.” 

     Although my heart quailed within my breast, I put on a brave face. “Do your worst!” I cried, “I go to meet my maker with a clear conscience!”

     Jonathan’s grin grew wider. “No, you won’t,” he crowed, “because I will turn you. You will join us, and I will personally supervise your transition as you feed on the innocent and helpless. You will receive a punishment beyond death.” With these words, fangs sprouted from his mouth and he bit down, piercing my neck. I am not ashamed to say I cried out then, in greater despair and horror than I had ever known. 

     When I was weak and dizzy from blood loss, he opened a vein in his arm and forced me to swallow some of his blood. “You will die soon now,” the vampire said, “and when you wake up, you will be one of us.” I was too weak to move or respond, and lay slumped against the doorframe. The exit was inches to my right, but may as well have been on another continent. The creatures turned to begin feeding on those wounded hunters they hadn’t yet killed, and tears fell from my eyes as I heard their cries of despair and pain. 

     It was then that she appeared. Beautiful, with a face showing traces of an ancestry from the east, and dark hair that fell in curls onto her shoulders. Kneeling down, she looked at me, and I thought I saw pity in her eyes, combined with a steely determination. I struggled to rise, entreating her to flee, to save herself, but she shook her head. “Invite me in,” she whispered, “and I will help you. This I promise.” 

     It was then I knew she was another creature of the night. My first instinct was to refuse her, but then, what did I have to lose? My fate was already sealed. “Come in,” I managed to croak. 

     Instantly she entered, followed by companions of her own. They were like a storm, unleashing a savagery upon Jonathan and his faction that words cannot describe. It was in this struggle that the fire started. I managed to crawl out of the burning building, and watched as the battle between the vampires continued, first onto the roof of the woodshop and then onto neighboring rooftops. The conflagration spread, as burning vampires set nearby buildings alight as they screamed and died. And so the Great Seattle Fire began. This was the truth we dared not print in the paper. 

     I died at some point during the night. Ling found me later, and cared for me, showing me how to feed. She had her own reasons for wanting Jonathan dead, but of these she forbids me to speak. She believes that monster perished in the fire, but I am not so sanguine. It is this Jonathan’s fault that I now walk as a creature of the night, condemned to darkness and to feed on the living for as long as my foul existence continues. And I make it my only goal to take vengeance upon this villain, and all those like him, who prey on the innocent with cruelty and malice. 

     I write this so that those on the inner council may know the truth, and be warned, and so take appropriate action. In my next note I will confirm for you the best and most reliable methods for warding against and destroying vampires. I urge you to employ these methods and protections throughout the region, using whatever excuses as may seem fit to the council. 

    I am most sincerely,

    Benjamin Gilbert

    A vampire

  • Monsterhearts Episode One

    I’m MCing Monsterhearts 2 for my gaming group right now, so figured I might as well post the updates to this blog. Here’s the first one!

    Characters: 

    Nix, the Hollow, a magical construct possibly created by a government agency

    Tien, the Ghost of a teenage boy who died when forgotten in the cold by his friends, many of the current students of Seattle High

    Morrigan, the Ghoul, died in a car wreck with a friend, but was resurrected, possibly by a secret government experiment 

    Homeroom is abuzz with gossip when the police arrive to question Ms. Waterkin about the disappearance of Jamie Tyler, a student at Seattle High. The other major subject of discussion is tonight’s party at Sandy’s house, the rich and popular girl who lives in Blue Ridge; “everyone who’s anyone” will be there, which excludes our main characters who were not invited. 

    During gym and lunch, we discover that Lucas (NPC) is into Nix, who is dramatically uninterested in him. Tien has a crush on Odessa, who unfortunately is hanging around Harvey, the mean jock. Tien gets intimidated by Harvey, but is able to shut him down and embarrass him in turn. Meanwhile Lucas invites Nix to Sandy’s party, who accepts, but then plans to bring Morrigan along. Tien approaches Odessa about the party, but discovers she doesn’t really want to go – she’s worried about Jamie, and wants to help look for her. Based on a clue that Jamie was last seen headed to Discovery Park, they decide to go there to search.

    Nix and Morrigan ambush Lucas and he reluctantly drives them both to the party. Sandy is perturbed to see Morrigan, who she deliberately said wasn’t welcome, but she doesn’t stop them from entering. The party is in full force with loud music, flashing lights, kegs and people doing kegstands, dancing, and teenagers diving into the outdoor pool. Nix notices that a small crowd has gathered around an exotic and beautiful dark-haired girl, who Lucas calls Lyra. She senses there’s something different about Lyra, and Lucas takes Nix through the crowd to meet her, with Morrigan pushing along behind. Very quickly Nix concludes that Lyra is a vampire, and so does Morrigan. When her eyes fall on Nix, Lyra’s eyes widen. She dismisses her hangers-on and drags Nix into an empty bedroom, where she questions her closely. Nix doesn’t reveal much, but gets the impression Lyra knows she’s not human, and is concerned she might be a construct made by one of her enemies. Lyra tries to seductively bite Nix on the neck, but Nix flings her off. The vampire smiles, then quickly vanishes. In the meantime, Morrigan tries to goad people into dangerous stunts, like jumping off the roof into the pool. She winds up on the roof of the house with Nix.

    At night in Discovery Park, Odessa and Tien search for a hidden grove that Jamie used to go to with some weird friends of hers. They find the grove, but hear a twig snap nearby, and a red light dances around the clearing. Tien tells Odessa to stay quiet and not move, then moves towards the red light. It turns out to be Harvey, who is also out looking for Jamie. Tien and Harvey have words, then Tien calls out for Odessa that it’s safe to come out – but she doesn’t reply.

    Meanwhile, Nix refuses Morrigan’s temptation to jump off the roof, and climbs back onto the third floor through a window. She’s alarmed to see an apparently stoned and distraught teenage boy inside, who says, “I don’t want to do it… I don’t!” Nix asks him what’s wrong, and he says, “I don’t want to kill you!” as he draws a gun and levels it at her. She tries to persuade him to drop the gun, but he just starts crying, and pulls the hammer back. Morrigan hears this and bursts into the hallway, and rushes the boy, grabbing for the gun. She misjudges and the gun goes off, hitting her in the shoulder. In the ensuing struggle, the boy loses the gun but slashes Morrigan with a knife, who falls down a flight of stairs. He turns to attack Nix, sobbing about how he’s sorry but he has to kill her.

    Back in the park, Tien is horrified to see Odessa up high at the furthest reaches of a tall Douglas Fir, in the cold embrace of Lyra. He flies up to meet them and pleads with the vampire to let Odessa go. Stroking Odessa’s hair lovingly, Lyra says she’s pleased to meet Tien, and offers to make an alliance with him. In return for Tien’s help against her enemies, she promises to give him what he’s wanted for so long – vengeance against all those friends who left him to die in the cold. She will even release Odessa to him, unharmed. The vampire asks for a sign of his sincerity – subdue Harvey, who is still cluelessly wandering around the grove, and bring him to her.

    At the party, Nix jumps out the window and climbs down a drainpipe to the ground. Knife-wielding boy pushes his way through the gyrating bodies on the first floor with little notice, except for some snickers from a couple of stoners. Outside, he finds Nix and attacks her, crying about how “she” is making him attack. Nix falls to the ground as they grapple, and is cut in the arm; sand spills out of it. Morrigan, badly wounded but still functional, stumbles towards them.

    Meanwhile at Discovery, Tien subdues Harvey, and flies with his body towards Lyra and Odessa. Lyra smiles in triumph when she sees him, but Tien flings Harvey at her with all his strength. She cries out and is stunned by the blow: she manages to hold on to Odessa, but no longer has her in a tight embrace. Harvey’s unconscious body bounces off her and falls through the trees, breaking multiple branches on the way down to the hard ground.

    To be continued…

  • Game Chef 2013

    I’ve submitted a game, called Finding Haven, here, for Game Chef 2013.  It’s a sci-fi role-playing game inspired by stories like Logan’s Run and alien invasions like V combined.  I’m grateful for any feedback you have, please leave a comment here or on Praxis.  Thanks!