Living Dungeons: Backstory
As game masters, we make a lot of dungeons, and it can become all too easy to fall into a rut. Sometimes the campaign needs a quick hack-and-slash dungeon run that the players don't have to think about. However, dungeons that play a part in the ongoing narrative deserve a lot more attention so that the dungeon itself helps to tell the story and drives the party forward or in a new direction.
The Problem with Puzzles
I love puzzles, both as a Player and Game Master, and I'm not alone in this. A well-crafted puzzle is a thing of beauty that can create unique role-playing moments and help to immerse your players into the game. Although many people enjoy solving puzzles (look at the success of escape rooms), few people enjoy getting frustrated over puzzles they can't solve. And that is the problem with puzzles in tabletop games; all too often, they are nothing but exercises in frustration.
NPC Mages: Where Are They?
Let's take a brief look into how NPC mages are handled in games and why that tends to break the suspension of disbelief. We'll look at the more common problems with how mages are portrayed and some tips and thoughts on including NPC mages in your campaign in a believable way.
Welcome to Crystal Forge Games
For more than 30 years, we have been developing concepts, tools, and accessories for the role-playing games that we love to play. We have spent years creating art, models, campaign settings, scenarios, and even entire game systems for our games. Now that the site is live, we plan to publish these materials, develop digital tools, and offer unique gaming products to gamers everywhere.