Modern Investigation
by Dru Pagliassotti So you’re sitting around trying to figure out the next adventure for your modern or near-modern RPG—spy-based, occult-based, whatever, you’ve got to come up with some sort of investigative plot. Feeling...
Category: Generic
1980s – Two Tribes
Background In the early 1980s the threat of a nuclear war was almost overwhelming as the tensions between NATO and Warsaw Pact countries heightened following the elections of Margaret Thatcher in the UK and...
Covert Action
A goal of the secret agent is to gather intelligence information, using techniques ranging from the use of gadgets, raw brainpower and skill. Today, new communications equipment and computer assistance makes the collection and...
1970s – The Troubles
Background On 30 January 1972 British soldiers shot 26 unarmed civilians during a protest march. This event later became known as Bloody Sunday. The subsequent cover-up only served to boost the status of, and...
A Little Personality
By Dru Pagliassotti One of the great mysteries of GMing is how certain nonplayer characters (NPCs) become “regulars” in a campaign. The GM can seldom decide that this or that NPC will become a...
1960s – Checkpoint Charlie
Background The formation of the Soviet Union in 1922 saw restrictions put in place to keep citizens from leaving and in the aftermath of World War II, there was a mass migration of people...
British Licence Plates
by Dave McAlister In England, Scotland, and Wales today, licence plates, or registration index marks as they are more properly called, are usually made up of up to seven characters. Over the years the...
Adventure Writing: Ending the Successful Adventure
By Dru Pagliassotti The hardest part of a story to write is the last line—and the hardest scene to run in an adventure is the closing scene. Unlike a story or a show, you...
Adventure Writing: Nonplayer Characters
By Dru Pagliassotti “What does the bartender look like?” Good question. And there you are, scouring your mind for a few cliches. “Uh, he’s human, kinda balding, and overweight, and he’s got an apron...
Adventure Writing: The Opening Scene
by Dru Pagliassotti “Okay, so, you’re all in a bar, and this guy walks up….” Sound familiar? You know it does. You’ve used it and been in it, I’ve used it and been in...
1960s – The Space Race
Background In April 1961, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first person to orbit Earth. This was closely followed in early May 1961 when astronaut Alan Shepard became the first American in space (though...
