by Nathan | Jan 4, 2024 | Blog, Business of Games, Design
I haven’t done this before, but I thought I would begin the year with a look back at the year that was 2023 – releases, sales and what I worked on. I don’t think this will be a particularly long post, but I am writing it as both a record of what has...
by Nathan | Nov 11, 2023 | Blog, Freeform Universal
Here’s a quick thumb-sketch of an idea for a story or campaign, inspired by Marvel’s Inhumans. In this variation, however, it is more of a mash-up with traditional fantasy tropes, rather than alien experimentation. In the distant past, thousands (if not millions) of...
by Nathan | Nov 4, 2023 | Blog, Design
The Green and the Tan are fast-playing and fun miniature battle rules to use with plastic army men – you know, the cheap toy soldiers you get from discount stores! Easy for new players to get involved quickly, without having to worry about detailed army lists or...
by Nathan | Oct 28, 2023 | Blog, Other Games, Reviews
Black Ops is a skirmish miniature game from Osprey Games. It is subtitled “Tactical Espionage Wargaming” and the back cover copy describes it as a game that “recreates the tension and excitement of modern action thrillers such as the Bond and Bourne films.” The cover,...
by Nathan | Oct 25, 2023 | Blog, Freeform Universal
Freeform Universal works really well just the way it is, but today I am going to share with you two changes I have been working on – tags and trademarks. The first is a pretty simple adjustment to the language we use to describe functions in the game, while the second...
by Nathan | Oct 21, 2023 | Blog, Other Games, Roleplaying Games
Vagrant Workshop have done a fantastic job on two amazing games that utilise the FU system. If you haven’t checked out Earthdawn: Age of Legend or the Equinox Storygame Guide, you should – they are beautiful products, evocative settings...
by Nathan | Oct 18, 2023 | Blog, Design
Every project has a point where it is time to share it with others. In game design, you need to get it in front of play testers to see if things work how you intended. When writing, you need your beta readers to tackle the text and share their initial impressions....
by Nathan | Oct 14, 2023 | Blog, Freeform Universal
FU uses dice to generate a response to a closed question, with Yes, No, And, But providing six distinct possible results. While these answers can be generated with a standard six-sided die, I thought it might be fun to have something a little more custom. Today I am...
by Nathan | Oct 11, 2023 | Blog, Freeform Universal
I have been very remiss in not sharing this awesome piece of work much, much earlier – FU available in German, both as a digital download and as an online SRD! This awesome undertaking is by Tina Trillitzsch and Thorsten Panknin. Check it out here It is my...
by Nathan | Oct 7, 2023 | Blog, Design, Roleplaying Games
Sometimes, as a GM, running in an established world / universe is nice and easy. We’ve read the novels, seen the films and purchased all the supplements that reveal the deepest secrets of the most sinister organisations of the setting. When you tell your players they...
