RPG Archives – Crumbling Keep

Teenage Angst and Things from the Flood

I am 38 years old. I was born in 1981. That puts my graduating year as 1999.

Have you started caring yet? Don’t worry, I plan on giving you many more dates and numbers inconsequential to your own life.

The reason I mention this is that my prime teenage years were during the sunset of grunge. The economic growth of the late 80s crashed into the recession of 1990. There was a sense of fatalism and that the cultural excesses of earlier times had robbed us of some important authenticity. It’s not a new story, as “The Catcher in the Rye” had been telling it since 1951, but it’s a good one. Nineties culture just made the story that much dirtier.

By Crumbling Keep Posted on June 14, 2019

Crumbling UpKeep 0

A Penny for My Thoughts

Sometimes I like to buy RPGs without knowing a thing about them. I love when stores have sales on their old stock for this reason. It might be the gambler in me, but I don’t mind dropping ten dollars on something I might not ever play. It could turn out to be awesome and that in and of itself is a fun game to play. It could also turn out to be a ten dollar waste, but…. meh.

By Crumbling Keep Posted on April 19, 2019

Crumbling UpKeep 2

Sounds for your Game

Have you ever been in an RPG game where the GM used music? Perhaps you’ve been that GM. When it comes to epic movies, they have epic scores, That should translate to RPGs, right? Instead, the noise gets too distracting, the player’s complain, and everyone hates it. What went wrong?

By Crumbling Keep Posted on April 12, 2019

Crumbling UpKeep 0

Elements of Horror

Once upon a time, I was a young DM playing Dungeons and Dragons 2nd Edition. Yes, that does date me a bit. Long before Curse of Strahd was a thing, there was the Ravenloft box set, which contained all the world building and additional rules you need to play in the demiplane of dread. Vampires, ghouls, zombies, and mists that would wrap you up and take you away. It had all thing things it needed to be scary.

By Crumbling Keep Posted on March 29, 2019

Crumbling UpKeep 0

Conan

Look, I’m going to come right out and say it. This is my favorite fantasy RPG system I’ve played. It feels really heroic, it has a delicious level of crunch, and you can give someone the stink eye until they die. If you have other qualifications as to what makes a great RPG, I’d love to know what they are. I can’t imagine what would top that.

By Crumbling Keep Posted on March 22, 2019

A Traveler's Guide 0

A Traveler’s Guide to Samsarras: Samsarras.

Before all things, there was the void, the realm of Sribinet. It would become the demon realm and birth the first of its kind. Braxult, Queen of Death and Peace, would create the world below, the Isles of Samsarras. They would torture the races of their making and bask in their screams. The songs of agony floated into the heavens. Continue reading “A Traveler’s Guide to Samsarras: Samsarras.”

By Crumbling Keep Posted on March 19, 2019

A Traveler's Guide 0

A Traveler’s Guide to Samsarras: The Ankhor’s Dive Inn

History

Perched upon a rocky outcropping over the sea, Ankhor’s Dive is a haven for the less than reputable visitors to Dane Caelen. This lively tavern and wayside inn draws an eclectic mix of dwarven sailors, human nomads, and elves doing business best not done inside the city proper. It is located on the outskirts of the city, along the northern coast. A torched lined path draws patrons in and, with luck, helps them find their way out again after imbibing fine imported dwarven spirits.

By Crumbling Keep Posted on March 15, 2019

Crumbling UpKeep 0

Giving Your Cities Character

Heroes can spend a lot of time out in the wilderness. There is a lot of action outside of town, what with monsters ravaging the countryside, forgotten dungeons, and that pesky environment to contend with. Eventually, the characters are going to come to a settlement, however. Maybe they just want to grab supplies or have a long rest without worrying about pesky Anhkegs for once. Perhaps the city is actually a focus, and you’re planning to run an urban campaign. Whatever the reason, the forests and plains are giving way to wood smoke and buildings. How do you make this community stand out? Continue reading “Giving Your Cities Character”

By Crumbling Keep Posted on March 8, 2019

Crumbling UpKeep 3

Making It Up As You Go.

There comes a time in every game where the DM is no longer really in control. The fighter is drunk and bullying your favorite NPC at the bar, the wizard is using prestidigitation to clean filthy peasants for copper pieces, and the bard is trying to seduce… well, someone or something. It doesn’t matter.

By Crumbling Keep Posted on March 1, 2019

Crumbling UpKeep 0

When Players Cancel

It’s game night. You’ve spent hours upon hours crafting your magnificent story. It is intricate, spun with many webs of intrigue, desire, and deceit. The player’s are going to hang on your every word, and they’ll need too. Every detail is important. It’s tough being this clever…

By Crumbling Keep Posted on January 25, 2019

Crumbling UpKeep 0

Strongholds and Followers

I’ve been on the fence about grabbing this book for a while. In theory it promises a lot of things that I love: Castles, stewardship, and Heroes becoming more than lone adventurers in the world, . It becomes less about dungeon delving and more about leadership. I’ve read other books that tackle these issues, however, and rarely are they satisfying. Often, they’ll be needlessly complex without pay off. Either that, or they aren’t meaty enough, glossing over the difficulties inherent in ruler ship. I know that is a tall order to fill, but I kind of want both. I want it to be complex and comprehensive, but I want it to flow easily within the already established rule set.

By Crumbling Keep Posted on January 18, 2019

Fiction 0

A Family Gathering

The pool was a brilliant shade of blue, a dazzling contrast to the rocky hill of Red Jasper that housed it. Many alive on Samsarras believe that the demon realm of the Sribinet can not house such beauty, but they are wrong. There are sites of natural wonder in that damned place that would leave them in tears. While many of its denizens are monstrous in appearance, there are others who match that grotesqueness with their inhuman beauty. Those among the living that have seen them are hard pressed to say which they fear more.

Continue reading “A Family Gathering”

By Crumbling Keep Posted on December 10, 2018

Monsters 0

Bak Spiders, only on Patreon!

Were you planning an adventure and thinking how you didn’t have a monster that was unsettling enough? We got you.

Continue reading “Bak Spiders, only on Patreon!”

By Crumbling Keep Posted on December 7, 2018

Fiction 0

The Longest Night Comes!

A log popped and hissed loudly, sending sparks drifting into the stone room. Grahlius drew her child a little closer into her breast, sighing heavily. The little girl reached up, her small fingers twirling around her the wispy hairs protruding from her mother’s chin, just like her wife had used to do. She stroked her child’s hair tenderly, feeling the lack of ease this night always brought with it.

“Mama, why do we fear this night?” Continue reading “The Longest Night Comes!”

By Crumbling Keep Posted on November 27, 2018