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The RPGuide

Tips, tricks & general musing about TTRPGs

Erica Lindquist in RPGuide

Taking prisoners

Hey, sometimes characters and their players want to take an NPC prisoner. Maybe they want to question someone or just to spare…

Aron Christensen in RPGuide

Divination

Ah, divination. Precognition, mind-reading, or even access to a network of spy satellites. In many games, characters can get access to…

Aron Christensen in RPGuide

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

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

Villain motivations: They’re just evil

We’ve been talking about what makes a villain tick for a while now. If the players don’t…

Aron Christensen in RPGuide

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

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

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…

Aron Christensen in RPGuide

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…

Erica Lindquist in RPGuide

Link: Theater of the mind for D&D

We’ll be back soon, after we deal with some pesky emergencies. But until then, here’s a link!

RPGuide

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

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