The Glatisant: Issue #41
The Tabletop Gaming Newsletter from Questing Beast
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Reviews
Ranger Lemure reviews Doom of the Savage Kings.
Dungeon Craft reviews the MAZES RPG.
Chris McDowall reads through classic Traveller, the OD&D of scifi RPGs.
The Alexandrian has a critical review of Critical Role’s Candela Obscura.
Dreams in the Lich House reviews the adventure Bee-Ware by Kelvin Green.
Beyond Fomalhaut reviews Hawk’s adventure Tomb of the Twice-Crowned King.
If you would like to submit a product for review consideration on Questing Beast, mail it to: Ben Milton, 6505 E Central Ave, Box #127, Wichita KS, 67206, USA.
Sales
Humble Bundle has a collection of 22 RPG guides for $18.
Modiphius is losing the Conan license at the end of June, and has put $433 worth of books on sale for $30.
The Middle-Earth Roleplaying retroclone Against the Dark Master is 50% off.
The Forbidden Lands core set is 50% off.
Demon Driven to the Maw is 75% off.
And now a word from our sponsor…
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News
Legendary artist John Blanche, who created the iconic look of Warhammer 40k, has retired from Games Workshop. A redditor posted a few galleries of John playing Mordheim with him.
In Polygon’s report on Games Workshop’s 10th edition of Warhammer 40K, they note how the company has been depersonalizing the brand.
. . . sources tell Polygon that Games Workshop’s painting presenters on YouTube and on Games Workshop’s own streaming channel are no longer allowed to show their faces on camera. That depersonalization of the brand extends editorially to the Games Workshop Community website as well, which no longer allows employees to denote their last name . . . This policy shift may, at least in part, be the result of past presenters spinning themselves off into successful branded YouTube channels and even non-Games Workshop hobby product lines.
Ian Livingstone has launched a crowdfunding campaign for a book on the Art of Fighting Fantasy.
Chris McDowall takes a tour through the OSR blogosphere.
Deiku Games interviews Luke Rejec on Ultraviolet Grasslands 2.
Theory and GM Advice
Knight at the Opera: People Are Problems: NPCs as Challenge Elements
To me, an NPC is essentially the same thing as a trap, puzzle, monster, or magic item. They are simply another asset in my toolbox for crafting obstacles and opportunities to challenge my players. The reason it's hard to think of them through that lens is because... well, for one thing, they're people. But also because they are the most flexible and potent tool for crafting challenges, so all-encompassing in their possible design purposes that it's hard to make any generalizations about them. But today I'll share a few things I know.
To Distant Lands: Zelda-Style NPC Personalities
Mindstorm: Spell Friend and Enter
Monte Cook: Player Success versus Character Success
The Alexandrian: Types of Dungeons
Sean McCoy has a useful thread on pricing and developmental budgets.
The Dododecahedron: Toolbox Design
Pretendo Games: A Few Ways to Hate Armor Rules
Grumpy Wizard: Make Good Rulings
Underground Adventures: Dear Players, Description is not Fluff, It’s Meat
In FKR games, because the conversation is the game, with the Ref acting as the interface through which Players interact with the game world, description of action is not just set dressing and fluff, it does not just add to the experience as an added bonus, it is the necessary moving part that keeps the ball rolling.
The Alexandrian: Secret of the Reaction Point
History
One of my favorite videos this month was a look at Chaos Orb, a MtG card that exemplifies the spirit of early Magic.
Rogue Hobbies explains some of the stranger Warhammer miniatures.
Worldbuilding
The Graverobber’s Guide: 1d6 Fun Crimes
Ranger Lemure: Designing Realistic Dungeons for D&D and OSR
Map Crow: Better Hexcrawls in Mythic Bastionland
That’s it for this month, see you in the next one! This newsletter makes use of affiliate links, which help support Questing Beast at no cost to you.