Are you interested in classic paper-and-pencil role-playing games, but you have no idea where to start? This is the book for you! The Role-Playing Game Primer starts from the very beginning, first showing you how to play, then giving you hints and tips on how to do it better. Later chapters provide guidance for beginning Game Masters, to get you up and running even if you have little or no experience as a player. The RPG Primer is aimed at players and GMs of "Old School" paper-and-pencil role-playing games and their modern "retro-clones." It features several of the earliest and best known of the Old School Renaissance games, including Basic Fantasy RPG (by the same author), OSRIC, Labyrinth Lord, and Swords & Wizardry.

This book contains: An introduction to roleplaying and the Angelverse; a guide to character creation, including pre-constructed Heroes and White Hats, as well as the entire Angel Investigations Cast, for your quick-play pleasure; the Angel Unisystem, streamlined for cinematic action and adventure; a primer on not-so-normal abilities, from magic and psychic arts to demon and supernatural powers; rules for creating special organizations - anything from law firms to detective agencies to hunter societies; a guide to the people and places of the City of Angels; a rundown on the wicked, including vampires, demons, zombie cops, and other critters; blow-by-blow instructions for creating Angel roleplaying Episodes, Seasons, and Series; and a complete Episode to hit the streets and start investigating right away.

Improve your RPG campaign with this comprehensive and interactive guide to making the most out of your gaming experience. Whatever RPG game you play, from D&D to Call of Cthulu to licensed games like Star Wars, every detail is important. From setting the scene to choosing the right music or even adjusting the lighting to create the right atmosphere, every choice helps maximize your gaming experience. The Ultimate RPG Gameplay Guide provides practical advice for everything from pre-game preparations and in-game improvisation to working out a plan of attack with your teammates to learning how to lean into the setting of your game. Including instructions, prompts, and activities, it offers everything you need for successful, fun role-playing with your friends every time you play. Create hours of narrative and make the most out of your storytelling skills by setting the perfect scene for your adventure. Whether you need advice on your character or working better with your gaming group, James D’Amato includes everything you’ll need to take your game to the next level.

The Digital Age has created massive technological and disciplinary shifts in tabletop role-playing, increasing the appreciation of games like Dungeons & Dragons. Millions tune in to watch and listen to RPG players on podcasts and streaming platforms, while virtual tabletops connect online players. Such shifts elicit new scholarly perspectives. This collection includes essays on the transmedia ecology that has connected analog with digital and audio spaces. Essays explore the boundaries of virtual tabletops and how users engage with a variety of technology to further role-playing. Authors map the growing diversity of the TRPG fandom and detail how players interact with RPG-related podcasts. Interviewed are content creators like Griffin McElroy of The Adventure Zone podcast, Roll20 co-creator Nolan T. Jones, board game designers Nikki Valens and Isaac Childres and fan artists Tracey Alvarez and Alex Schiltz. These essays and interviews expand the academic perspective to reflect the future of role-playing.

Exposing a subculture only beginning to enter the imagination of mainstream America, this is the story of live action role-playing (LARP) games. A hybrid of games—such as Dungeons & Dragons, historical reenactment, fandom, and good old-fashioned pretend—LARP games are thriving and this book explores its multifaceted culture and related phenomenon, including the Society for Creative Anachronism, a medieval reenactment group that boasts more than 32,000 members. The history of LARP is detailed and is shown to have arisen from the pageantry of Tudor England and is currently being used as a training tool for the U.S. military. Along the way, the author duels foes with foam-padded weapons, lets the great elder god Cthulhu destroy her parents' beach house, and endures an existential awakening in the high-art LARP scene of Scandinavia.

Open Game Table aims to bridge the gap between the RPG blogging community and the broader table-top gaming fan base by showcasing the best talent in the RPG blogosphere. Within these pages are 47 blog posts from 32 top-quality RPG blogs, plus a Foreword written by RPG luminary Wolfgang Baur. Packed with content and over 60 illustrations by a stable of talented new artists, this book is Pure Gold. A true grass roots effort; it is a tour de force of the RPG blogging universe. Check out the Open Game Table storefront for reviews by WIRED and Bards & Sages.

A starter box for the Cyberpunk RPG line. Everything you need to play the game.

Youre no hero. Youre an adventurer: a reaver, a cutpurse, a heathen-slayer, a tight-lipped warlock guarding long-dead secrets. You seek gold and glory, winning it with sword and spell, caked in the blood and filth of the weak, the dark, the demons, and the vanquished. There are treasures to be won deep underneath, and you shall have them.