7th Sea Players Guide
Since the dawn of RPGs, publishers have tried to produce a viable swashbuckling-themed RPG. GDW's En Garde was one of the first post-D&D RPGs to hit the market. 7th Sea aims to succeed where others have failed.
Button Men
Button Men is one of those rare birds: a game that looks extremely simpleminded on the surface but in reality demands cunning and foresight. A game of Button Men is a lot like a game of chess. The basic rules are…
Ideas from Earthsea
In the second installment of his "Idea Mine" series of articles, Mearls tells us all how to build better dungeons by using LeGuin's Earthsea series of novels.
Magic in the Shadows
One of the things that has always impressed me about the Shadowrun game is how well magic, cybertechnology, and mythical creatures are integrated into the setting. The design team has done a very good job of ensuring…
Mearls Does Milwaukee
I went to GenCon as Mearls the Gamer, not Mearls the Wannabe Game Designer or Mearls the Gaming Outpost columnist. This was my vacation, dammit! That being said, I tried to maintain a journal to record my thoughts and…
One Shots
One Shots is the first supporting product for Atlas Games' excellent Unknown Armies RPG. One Shots contains 5 stand alone scenarios complete with pregenerated characters. Each scenario is meant to be played in a single…
Origins Awards
The Origins Awards 1999 are right around the corner and Mike Mearls gives his opinions on which nominees should get your votes.
Parable of the Sower
Apocalyptic gaming has remained the red-headed stepchild of gaming genres: it's been there since the beginning, but it has never had a successful title as has fantasy, SF, or cyberpunk.
Return to the Keep on the Borderlands
Remember Keep on the Borderlands, that module with the crazy dungeon and the keep full of people who did not have names? Well, forget that moldy old tome. Return to the Keep on the Borderlands (RTKB) is here.
Review: Dungeons and Dragons Third Edition
There's a lot of commentary, and more than a few reviews, floating around the Internet about the new edition of D&D. This review is based on over 20 hours of playing and DMing the latest edition of the game at GenCon…
Shadowrun 3rd Edition
The trappings of a typical cyberpunk dystopia are all there: ridiculously wealthy coporate elites dwell in isolated enclaves while the vast mass of the poor eke out a miserable existance in post-industrial ruins. In…
Thar Be Newbies!
It's the first editorial not by our editor. Mike Mearls discusses the friendliness and ease of the hobby to those just starting out in it.
The Price of Power
Power doesn't come cheap. If it did, we'd all be living in mansions, spending our weekends sucking down margaritas on some isolated tropical beach. That isn't the way the world works, and that isn't how games should…
The Swords Against Sorcery Project
Contrary to what the title suggests, this has nothing to do with jiggly camera work or spooky witches. The Swords Against Sorcery project is an attempt to create a simple set of miniatures rules that you can play when…
Usagi Yojimbo Roleplaying Game
Usagi Yojimbo represents yet another attempt to crossover the comic books/TV/movie market with RPGs. But don't let that deter you from buying this gem of a game: Usagi Yojimbo is a very tight, efficient package. I have…
When Zombies Attack
When great-grandma Edith shows up to eat your brain, the first guy to the gun shop is most likely to live. Law and order be damned.
You Too Can Play RPGs!
Gaming is one of those hobbies that presents rather daunting obstacles to the would-be enthusiast. The books can be awfully intimidating and RPGs are so radically different from other forms of entertainment that it's…