A new (?) concept in math / probability that should be part of the risk management planning in any Sci-Fi society – maybe in real life, too. Yes, this is the fourth in a row under the “MozAIc Exchanges” banner. That’s because they’ve had a very long time to build up while I worked on […]

Techniques developed to write last week’s “Getting The Most From AI 2026” and their relevance. plus some bonus tips. Perplexity AI strongly recommended that I write a follow-up to last week’s post detailing the methodology used to construct the article, because it featured a number of ‘clever innovations’ that it had never seen before – […]

AI is a tool. You have to learn to use it correctly. This post is intended as a guide for GMs who want to try using it that way. This post has been lurking in my to-do list for so long that the ground has shifted beneath it, and not all the original advice that […]

Welcome to this month’s RPG Blog Carnival and the topic for this month is time. We’re not talking just about time in your campaign world, and everything that comes with it – things like combat rounds, travel time, and rest periods. We’re also taking a look at real-world time: managing your session, survivng the scheduling...

The US Midterms are <100 days away, so these two real-world original political tools might be useful – and in RPGs, too. My goodness but a lot of elements went into creating this logo! Tile effect by Melanie Simon. Background by StockSnap. Atom by Gerd Altmann, Earth by Alexander Antropov, Jupiter by Adis Resic, Rubick’s […]

Relating the anatomy of a skill roll to the difference between learned technique and natural ability. A short post. I know I’ve addressed the subject before, but this short piece offers a different ‘take’ on the question. I’ve actually set this one aside for more than a year, thinking that there should be more to […]

Some problems are so serious that they threaten the viability of the entire campaign. All is not lost – here are your choices. The Elephant In The Gray Room is a metaphor that I have created to represent Plot Holes. These are matters of huge significance or importance that everyone is overlooking because they are […]

GMs can take a lot of the strain off by worldbuilding within their encounters. It’s easier than it sounds! Any genre. I’ve been increasingly frustrated lately by dramatic headlines that offer two choices, neither realistic, only for the whole of the content that follows to knock down one of the two and assert that this […]

I owe both of our July hosts an apology. Through a scheduling mix-up on my end, I managed to approve two hosts for the same month. That’s on me, and I’m sorry to both Seed of Worlds and Sea of Stars for the confusion. I can only assume Loki had a hand in it. The...

Three roleplaying tips for both players and GMs regarding the conveying of emotions. A short but universally applicable post. Tip One: Tone A basic roleplaying tip for anyone at the game table, today, especially useful for beginners. Tone of voice can be used to convey all sorts of emotional states, including quite complex ones. When […]

Discomfort niggles, nags, distracts, and exhausts – for everyone. Until now, there have been no rules for simulating this. If it’s good enough for elite athletes to take into account, it’s good enough for an RPG. Another quick World Cup -inspired post today. During the Qatar v. Switzerland match (in Portland, I think), played in […]

This post offers a way to create unique original names on the fly, selecting for cultural relevance as you go. It’s another shortish one to help me stay on-schedule while devoting time to the bigger articles to come! I was half-watching a FIFA world cup preview on YouTube when the hosts flashed up a list […]

It’s hard to believe that 20 years ago today, I typed out the first post, the beginning, and started the journey to where we are today. Twenty years is a long time and to be honest I never thought, in my wildest dreams, that the site would still be here, chugging along. It may not...

The title says it all, our 2026 RPG Blog Carnival is fully scheduled. I wanted to say thanks to all those that submitted their blogs for inclusion next year, and we have a nice mix of regulars, folks returning, and a newbie or two. Hosting a Carnival is only part of the fun, while our...