Top stories published by RPGuide in 2024

Homepage

Open in app

Top Stories published by RPGuide in 2024

2024

July

August

September

October

November

December

Aron Christensen in RPGuide

Apr 17

Image: A bearded man in armor haloed in long, dangerous-looking spikes and holding a massive molten metal hammer.

Villain motivations: Power

Creating villains who make sense can be tough. They want to do awful things, and why does anyone do awful…

Erica Lindquist in RPGuide

Mar 20

Whoops, I thought that was a plot hook

As a player, I try to be sensitive to the story that my Game Master is trying to tell. I’m…

Aron Christensen in RPGuide

Apr 10

Image: A collection of scattered coins and dice spilling out from pouches and bottles. I’m looking at you, you greedy little dice-hording goblin.

Villain motivations: Greed

Creating compelling villains for your game can be hard. The more relatable the villain, the more pathos we can…

1 response

Aron Christensen in RPGuide

May 1

Image: A shirtless figure seen from behind, axes in each hand and blood streaking the snowy forest before them.

Villain motivations: Revenge

Why does a villain do what they do? Why do any of us, really, but let’s tighten the focus of our existential…

Aron Christensen in RPGuide

Apr 24

Image: A massive black dragon sitting atop a burning village, staring down the tiny speck of a human who has come to face them.

Villain motivations: Pure destructive drive

Creating and running an RPG villain can be a complex endeavor, but the villains…

Aron Christensen in RPGuide

May 15

Villain motivations: Corruption

What makes a good villain? Motivation! A cool look and unholy power is great but an antagonist who does what they do for no reason might feel a little thin. Put some meat on those bones, and some bones to grind under their heels.

Aron Christensen in RPGuide

Feb 7

Image: A kid in a red shirt leaning agains the wind as they fight their way into a storm of flurrying books.

Grounding questions

Players’ generally don’t know everything about the world in our RPGs. Even if they’ve read the books, who knows what details…

Aron Christensen in RPGuide

May 22

Villain motivations: Heroism

A good villain is one of the pillars of a campaign. Without a strong one, your game can collapse under the weight of a failing metaphor. Unlike my strained metaphors, an antagonist needs to make sense, and you need the players to buy it. If they understand the villain, you add a…

Aron Christensen in RPGuide

Mar 6

Image: An alchemist’s workroom filled with books and glowing potions, with schematics on the wall for… something.

Why I homebrew

I’ve always been a homebrew guy. I usually create my own stories and NPCs. Even when I play in an established setting or IP, I just…

Aron Christensen in RPGuide

Jan 31

Encourage player interaction: Stir the pot

A lot of role-playing is improv acting, but not every player is a good actor. They can be nervous or inexperienced, and it can be hard just to talk in character, let alone to generate role-playing. But inter-character interaction can be some of the best…

2023

These were the top 10 stories published by RPGuide in 2024. You can also dive into monthly archives for 2024 by using the calendar at the top of this page.

About

RPGuide

Table-top gaming advice, how-to, and more from the RPGuides, Aron Christensen & Erica Lindquist. Updates when we have something to talk about.

More information