]> http://rpghearth.com/taxonomy/term/41/0 Articles, helpful advice, really long hints, ... en http://rpghearth.com/story/press_release_new_character_creator <p>New Character<a href="glossary#term53" title="character: A role-playing game character is a fictional person (or other entitiy) that inhabits the game&#039;s universe. They are typically divided into player characters, who are controlled by the players, and non-player characters, who are controlled by the GM. In any given game, there are far more NPCs than PCs, as NPCs comprise every individual in the fantasy world who is not playing at the moment. Both types of characters typically follow the same rules for creation, interests, abilities and hit points. Some monsters and odd creatures may not be available as player characters, depending on the game system. "><img src="modules/glossary/glossary.gif" /></a> Creator</p> <p>Vegeto’s Bones shows its Fungus Side. Our new plug-in just might have the vaccine for Spores! We expect a miraculous immune response.</p> <p><a href="http://www.xmail.net/vegeto/ddice.htm" title="Vegeto&#039;s Bones" frame="_blank">Vegeto's Bones</a></p> d20 System Roll Them Bones (Gaming Articles) Sun, 15 Jun 2008 21:26:50 -0400 http://rpghearth.com/story/disney_pirates_of_the_caribbean_online <p>by Geek Woman of WomenGamers.com</p> <p>Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean Online doesn't have the sharpest looking graphics or the most interesting missions you'll ever play. What they are going for with this title is as casual interest MMO. With the millions of fans of the movie IP and the millions of DVD's sold it was a pretty sure thing for Disney to poop out this game and expect to make a bundle. Even with its offered free-to-play mode, you can be sure that there is revenue coming in or they wouldn't have made a business model like this one.</p> PC / Console Games Roll Them Bones (Gaming Articles) Mon, 09 Jun 2008 20:43:51 -0400 http://rpghearth.com/story/your_turn_rinse_and_repeat <p>by Sean Nicholls</p> <p>As I noted in Screen Play last year, one of the most frequent criticisms of games is that they can be repetitive.</p> <p>Yet in some games, rather than a tedious bore, repetition can help get the player into a wonderful trance-like rhythm and can be very relaxing and pleasurable.</p> Roll Them Bones (Gaming Articles) Mon, 09 Jun 2008 20:35:15 -0400 http://rpghearth.com/story/killer_gamer_asks_where_have_all_the_bodies_gone <p>By Clive Thompson</p> <p>Something quite interesting happens in the first few minutes of Ninja Gaiden II: The dead people don't vanish.</p> <p>About five minutes into the game, I finished my first battle, and it was a grisly spectacle of carnage. I'd killed about seven guys, and their corpses lay scattered about. Then I went around the corner to save my progress at the "sacred statue."</p> PC / Console Games Roll Them Bones (Gaming Articles) Tue, 03 Jun 2008 23:12:38 -0400 http://rpghearth.com/story/here_come_the_girls <p>By Screen Digest</p> <p>Screen Digest analyst Piers Harding-Rolls discusses the ranks of young girl gamers that have prompted growth in the handheld and online gaming markets.</p> <p>Teens and pre-teens or ‘tweens’ (eight to 12-year-olds) have always had an important role in consuming gaming media, from the very first arcade cabinets and home entertainment systems in the ’70s and ’80s, through to the Nintendo and Sega consoles of the ’90s and more recently the Game Boy and its later iterations.</p> Roll Them Bones (Gaming Articles) Tue, 20 May 2008 21:38:33 -0400 http://rpghearth.com/story/the_disintegration_of_the_hardcore_gamer_and_the_evolution_of_gaming_culture <p>Posted by Gamakarmica, on Gamespot</p> <p>The release of Grand Theft Auto IV has brought on all sorts of comments of the status of gaming at this time. "The revolutionary game that will change videogaming forever" is one of them, while others have been calling it "The Godfather" of gaming. So many outlets are ready to pinhole this game as the next coming to bring games to the mainstream as a permanent foothold.</p> Internet Play Roll Them Bones (Gaming Articles) Mon, 12 May 2008 22:43:53 -0400 http://rpghearth.com/story/help_bring_back_stargate_sg_1 <p>This fellow has compiled a lot of the info you'll need if you'd like to contact the Sci-Fi channel about the pending cancellation of Stargate SG-1. You can write, email or call with his collection of contacts.</p> Movies & Videos Science Fiction Wright & Glassner's Stargate SG1 Setting Roll Them Bones (Gaming Articles) Tue, 22 Aug 2006 18:10:17 -0400 http://rpghearth.com/story/stargate_sg_1_cancelled_atlantis_renewed <p>The future of Stargate is in question today, as SCI FI Channel has cancelled the long-running Stargate SG-1, Multichannel News reported today and a GateWorld source has confirmed. The news regrettably follows the airing of the show's milestone two-hundredth episode on Friday.</p> Movies & Videos Science Fiction Wright & Glassner's Stargate SG1 Setting Roll Them Bones (Gaming Articles) Tue, 22 Aug 2006 00:15:57 -0400 http://rpghearth.com/story/firefly_serenity_documentary_released_for_free_via_bittorrent <p>The makers of the documentary offer a free, Creative Commons licensed .torrent download of their film, Done The Impossible which is also being released on DVD. Must see for all the Firefly/Serenity fans.</p> Movies & Videos Science Fiction Joss Whedon's Firefly/Serenity Roll Them Bones (Gaming Articles) Sat, 22 Jul 2006 23:32:51 -0400 http://rpghearth.com/story/the_perfect_game <p>I had an intense conversation with my best friend about our search for the perfect roleplaying system. He’s very into game mechanics<a href="glossary#term224" title="mechanics: A game mechanic is a rule or set of rules intended to produce an enjoyable set of outcomes in a game. Complex games, such as role-playing games, are built using a large number of interlocking game mechanisms. The entirety of the game experience or set of game mechanics is called game play."><img src="modules/glossary/glossary.gif" /></a>, and I’ve been thinking I’m more of a narrativist<a href="glossary#term106" title="narrativist: A Narrativist, in GNS Theory, is a player who makes a decision in a roleplaying game based on what would further a dramatic story, or a game which encourages this style of play. Narrativism is expressed by the creation, via role-playing, of a story with a recognizable theme. The characters are formal protagonists in the classic Lit 101 sense, and the players are often considered co-authors. The listed elements provide the material for narrative conflict (again, in the specialized sense of literary analysis). "><img src="modules/glossary/glossary.gif" /></a>. I’m not.</p> Roll Them Bones (Gaming Articles) Thu, 30 Mar 2006 11:08:28 -0500 http://rpghearth.com/story/around_the_web <p>Roleplaying Tips Weekly E-Zine Issue #304 - <a href="http://roleplayingtips.com/readissue.php?number=304">Take Ten: Balance</a> is now online. This weeks issue discusses the skill<a href="glossary#term211" title="skill: A talent that a character acquires and improves through training."><img src="modules/glossary/glossary.gif" /></a> 'Balance', and includes Readers Tips such as How To End A Session and Gummi Corpses.</p> Roll Them Bones (Gaming Articles) Wed, 29 Mar 2006 09:19:28 -0500 http://rpghearth.com/story/so_you_want_to_run_a_play_by_post_rpg_part_2 <p><strong >So you want to run a Play-by-Post RPG?</strong><br /> <em >-Part 2- "Keep it Simple, Stupid"</em></p> <p>You may want to get really fancy with storylines and add a whole slew of different genres and influences to game-play, but you need to think small. Don’t bite off more than you can chew, and don’t let you eyes become bigger than your belly. It’s alright to have ambitions, that’s what’s keeping this type of play going, whereas Play-by-chat hasn’t had a facelift in some time, and it’s starting lose popularity over types of play that allow more room for thought and ‘thinking ahead’ instead of constant flaming in a chat room (Play-by-chat isn’t all bad though). Start with a really basic concept, easy rules, easy character<a href="glossary#term53" title="character: A role-playing game character is a fictional person (or other entitiy) that inhabits the game&#039;s universe. They are typically divided into player characters, who are controlled by the players, and non-player characters, who are controlled by the GM. In any given game, there are far more NPCs than PCs, as NPCs comprise every individual in the fantasy world who is not playing at the moment. Both types of characters typically follow the same rules for creation, interests, abilities and hit points. Some monsters and odd creatures may not be available as player characters, depending on the game system. "><img src="modules/glossary/glossary.gif" /></a> creation and a quick transition into game-play. The goal is after a person signs up they need to be able to make a character and ideally be playing same-day. If not you could lose potential new members. This is usually where Play-by-post games die, they don’t get started. There are a lot of good ideas for games floating around out there; the problem is there aren’t enough players to go around –even if you’re doubling up.</p> Internet Play Roll Them Bones (Gaming Articles) Mon, 20 Feb 2006 05:38:58 -0500 http://rpghearth.com/story/150_benign_urban_encounters <p>Roleplaying Tips issue #299 has been posted online.</p> <p>This issue contains 150 benign encounters for your campaign<a href="glossary#term52" title="campaign: A campaign is an ongoing storyline revolving about a continuous group of characters. It is generally made up of a series of adventures within a specific setting. Since the word &#039;campaign&#039; implies a series of military conquests, games wishing to distance themselves from such martial pursuits have alternate names for their campaigns. For example, Ars Magica campaigns are known as sagas and Vampire: The Masquerade campaigns are known as chronicles. Several games, attempting to invoke the serial dramas of television, have used the term series. "><img src="modules/glossary/glossary.gif" /></a>, including things like emptied chamber pots, pesty children, street performers, angry customers . . .</p> Resources Fantasy Roll Them Bones (Gaming Articles) Sun, 19 Feb 2006 12:36:39 -0500 http://rpghearth.com/story/do_you_really_want_to_run_a_pbp <p>It's part of my job as senior editor at the Gateway to check all of the links in my categories periodically. One of the main reasons we do this is because so many sites disappear, and I've noticed lately is that the worst offender of disappearing sites is the PBP or forum based game. On an average, they last 6 months, and many owners give up after only two months.</p> <p>A PBP is very enticing. You've got a great idea for a game and you want to share it - a forum board is readily available, and the price is right - free! So you set up the board; fiddle with the layout, add some forums and a few topics, maybe list your site at the Gateway, and sit back and wait for members, right? Wrong. They aren't coming - at least, not right away.</p> Roll Them Bones (Gaming Articles) Sun, 22 Jan 2006 19:49:51 -0500 http://rpghearth.com/story/interview_with_id_softwares_john_carmack <p>Kikizo Games had conducted an interview with John Carmack. There is a lot of talk about console platforms like Revolution DS and more. Here's one very interesting excerpt: </p> <p>Kikizo: What's next for id after the new Wolfenstein? </p> <p>Carmack: We are working internally on a completely new project, but we haven't made any firm plans yet for the future of the Wolf, Doom and Quake franchises. </p> <p>Read the whole article here: <a href="http://games.kikizo.com/features/id_johncarmack_interview_jan05.asp">http://games.kikizo.com/features/id_johncarmack_interview_jan05.asp</a></p> Roll Them Bones (Gaming Articles) Wed, 11 Jan 2006 17:19:32 -0500