(from a discussion on RPG Haven) Game design is engineering, not art. I'm not putting a "higher" value on "art" here...

Most gamers, when they ask what a system is like, mean "What's the task/conflict resolution system like?" To me, the resolutio...

I'm a traditional game designer. That means I'm skeptical of new things - it's my job to prevent the baby being tossed out with ...

My one great love in game rules is a self-balancing system - one which lets you push it if you are willing to pay the price, but it pushes y...

Death Spiral is the internet RPG shorthand for any mechanic which uses life-status point (HP/Constitution/Life Points/etc.) thresholds to a...

Here's an abstraction I love. Random Damage as hit location. The higher the damage, the more vital the area hit. The lower the damage, t...

That post title... that's like Military Intelligence or Jumbo Shrimp, right? An Oxymoron? Ummmm.... no. I'm really going to talk abo...