• general

    A blogger’s dozen (Part I): 13 ideas for RPG articles

    Gamer people! Are you looking to exercise your Writing skill with an article for a gaming blog or magazine, but find yourself trapped in the multi-turn Long Action of staring at a blank screen? Hey, I’ve been there… I’ve let pile up a gigantimungous list of ideas for gaming-related articles. In the interest of unburdening my dust-collecting trove (how did I actually get dust inside of Evernote?), here’s an initial baker’s dozen* unleavened dough lumps for the consideration of writers. (Right, as if not enough ideas is the problem that gaming bloggers have. Just humor me, okay?) * A “baker’s dozen” is a name for 13 of some thing, taken…

  • general

    Away and back again

    Ack. I’ve been away from the website for over a month (and from posting anything at all for a long time); I’ve been away from the usual online haunts for at least that long, and even away from gaming for that long. Such is the busy life. (“You call that living!?”) First, a big thanks to a few kind souls who wrote to tell me that there was a problem with the Games Diner main page not displaying properly. Yep, there was trouble, and I think it’s fixed now. Again, thank you! If the site doesn’t work at any time, Dear Readers, please let me know – it’s much appreciated.…

  • general

    What is a roleplaying game?

    “What’s a roleplaying game?” Who among us hasn’t responded to that question posed by the uninitiated, or enjoyed a good reply put forth by other gamers? Actually, I don’t know how many versions of the latter I’ve heard or read. “An RPG is a form of collaborative storytelling…” “It’s a kind of play-acting…” “Remember back when you played Cowboys and Indians…” And so on – a hundred ways to start out explaining. RPG gaming is nothing overly complex, as we know, yet it’s one of those things that’s easy to demonstrate in person, hard to describe otherwise. (My gaming group started its RPG career playing D&D profoundly wrong, as the text’s…