PJ Coffey

So what would you like me to talk about? D&D or not D&D? Okay. Well, one of the things I saw online was from Ben Robbins at his blog, AskLudy.com. Mr. Westmarches. Yes, Mr. Westmarches, and also Mr. Microscope, as you might know him. He's put together a very interesting take on... how we should be running role-playing games.

So what would you like me to talk about? D&D or not D&D? Okay. Well, one of the things I saw online was from Ben Robbins at his blog, AskLudy.com. Mr. Westmarches. Yes, Mr. Westmarches, and also Mr. Microscope, as you might know him. He's put together a very interesting take on... how we should be running role-playing games.

So it's like a... Well, the word manifesto is one that I use with a certain amount of caution because in these later days, that might imply to some people that he's their... like making pipe bombs and so forth, which is very much, I'd like to say, not the case.

So it's like a... Well, the word manifesto is one that I use with a certain amount of caution because in these later days, that might imply to some people that he's their... like making pipe bombs and so forth, which is very much, I'd like to say, not the case.

Well, maybe we read different things, which is a very reasonable way to go about it. But yeah, he's worked together with people like Caroline Hobbs, Mark Hobbs, Joe Wendays and Ace Hamilton to produce a Principles of Ground Table, which is a pretty short document. You can spend like 30 seconds reading it, talking about equality and respect and the importance of fiction.

Well, maybe we read different things, which is a very reasonable way to go about it. But yeah, he's worked together with people like Caroline Hobbs, Mark Hobbs, Joe Wendays and Ace Hamilton to produce a Principles of Ground Table, which is a pretty short document. You can spend like 30 seconds reading it, talking about equality and respect and the importance of fiction.

And it feels like this is an attempt at some sort of a movement to get RPGs back to their roots, which happens every so often. But I thought I'd bring it up because it's quite important. It's recognizing that things like safety tools, for example, are a means to an end rather than an end in themselves, if that makes sense.

And it feels like this is an attempt at some sort of a movement to get RPGs back to their roots, which happens every so often. But I thought I'd bring it up because it's quite important. It's recognizing that things like safety tools, for example, are a means to an end rather than an end in themselves, if that makes sense.

Yeah. Yeah. And also how games can help understand the world better and so forth. It's big on concepts, light on specifics at the moment, but I thought it was something that could maybe stir some conversation and so forth. Yeah.

Yeah. Yeah. And also how games can help understand the world better and so forth. It's big on concepts, light on specifics at the moment, but I thought it was something that could maybe stir some conversation and so forth. Yeah.

focused it's more exploration focused so people can drop in drop out different routes and things like that i've never actually played inner west marches game well i tried to run one i tried to run one once because like yeah as part of the outreach i was doing to try to get more people in southampton playing role-playing games and not everyone can make a regular session

focused it's more exploration focused so people can drop in drop out different routes and things like that i've never actually played inner west marches game well i tried to run one i tried to run one once because like yeah as part of the outreach i was doing to try to get more people in southampton playing role-playing games and not everyone can make a regular session

I stopped doing that because the players organized themselves. So it was the same players running a regular session on the same day. And I was like, okay.

I stopped doing that because the players organized themselves. So it was the same players running a regular session on the same day. And I was like, okay.

Yeah, I'm just running a regular campaign for the same people. And they're very happy, but I wasn't happy because I was specifically trying to reach new people. So it clearly wasn't doing that. But yeah, no, I mean, I like the idea. When you have a surfeit of players and a deficit of GMs, this is a good way to go, potentially. And in practice, yeah.

Yeah, I'm just running a regular campaign for the same people. And they're very happy, but I wasn't happy because I was specifically trying to reach new people. So it clearly wasn't doing that. But yeah, no, I mean, I like the idea. When you have a surfeit of players and a deficit of GMs, this is a good way to go, potentially. And in practice, yeah.

Well, it's the same thinking presumably behind the idea that Bladesingers can be elves only. Like, do you play a Bladesinger in D&D? You have to be an elf, apparently, for some reason. It's not explained in lore. It's just how it is. So if you want to play a Bladesinger, tough. You're not an elf. Out you go. So it's like an arbitrary thing for simply story reasons.

Well, it's the same thinking presumably behind the idea that Bladesingers can be elves only. Like, do you play a Bladesinger in D&D? You have to be an elf, apparently, for some reason. It's not explained in lore. It's just how it is. So if you want to play a Bladesinger, tough. You're not an elf. Out you go. So it's like an arbitrary thing for simply story reasons.

But again, there's no mechanical reason to back that up. It's just like how they want to, how they see their property going. Like, yeah, you can definitely talk about different things, but yeah. Yeah.

But again, there's no mechanical reason to back that up. It's just like how they want to, how they see their property going. Like, yeah, you can definitely talk about different things, but yeah. Yeah.