“Sorcery is a sword without a hilt. There is no safe way to grasp it.” ― George R.R. Martin On the surface, it would seem, it should be quite easy to replicate the structures of a class-based “magic-user” in a skill-based system like HEX. But the truth is more complex. […]

“In the war of magic and religion, is magic ultimately the victor? Perhaps priest and magician were once one, but the priest, learning humility in the face of God, discarded the spell for prayer.” ― Patti Smith Of all the ‘classes’ that have been handed down to us from the […]

This thief was an artist of theft. Other thieves merely stole everything that was not nailed down, but this thief stole the nails as well.” ― Terry Pratchett, Sourcery   As we discussed in the previous Class Consciousness entry on Warriors, character classes are a simple way of codifying a […]

Every class, as a class, is almost sure to have more defects than qualities. As soon as you put men together, they somehow sink, corporatively, below the level of the worst of the individuals composing it. ― Aleister Crowley, Magick Without Tears   One of the core precepts of role-playing […]

I’ve also regarded a sense of humor as one of the most important things on a big expedition. When you’re in a difficult or dangerous situation, or when you’re depressed about the chances of success, someone who can make you laugh eases the tension. —Edmund Hillary   What were we […]

“Well, I’m back” — Samwise Gamgee   It has been several months since there has been any activity on this blog, and for that we are sorry, But there was a reason for it. When we began this project, it started a group-enabled world-building exercise.  Were chose to create a […]

“Just as a puppy can be more of a challenge than a gift, so too can the holidays.” — John Clayton Like many game masters, we at the Aerie have been thinking about the holidays. Not only the real-world holidays that lead to cancelled games, but in-game holidays that your […]

“As a kid, I lived in a fantasy world. I used to believe ants could talk. Not once did they say thank you.” —Willard Wigan I think many of us create and play fantasy role-playing games as an escape from reality and way to explore ideas that aren’t bound by […]

“Ours is a culture and a time immensely rich in trash as it is in treasures.” ― Ray Bradbury, Zen in the Art of Writing Creating cities for fantasy games is a complex process that requires you balance several different aspects. You want them to seem believable, and at the […]

“What strange phenomena we find in a great city, all we need do is stroll about with our eyes open. Life swarms with innocent monsters.” ― Charles Baudelaire   Perhaps not as much as haunted ruins or mysterious towers, but cities have long been a staple of fantastic literature. Lankhmar […]