Evil Machinations

Goolies and Ghosties and Things That...

Posted on Oct 27 2009 | 2 Comments

In keeping with the Halloween spirit, here’s a list of horror RPGs to check out: All Flesh Must Be Eaten. An award-winning zombie survival game. Try to keep your brains intact . Call of Cthulhu. The granddaddy of horror RPGs. Based on H.P. Lovecraft’s world. Remember, once your sanity score reaches 0, you no longer have to roll… Chill. Designed... Read More »

21 Sure-Fire Ways to Lose Players

Posted on Oct 23 2009 | 2 Comments

Problem players are a perennial subject on GMing blogs. But problems can go both ways. Here are some GM behaviors guaranteed to cause friction in your group. Please feel free to add more. Force your PCs into a predetermined plot line and refuse to let them deviate from it. View the players as opponents to be beaten. Don’t listen to player suggestions.... Read More »

Post Round-Up: EM’s 10 Most Po...

Posted on Oct 21 2009 | No Comments

I haven’t done a round-up in a while, so here’s a list of Evil Machinations’ ten most popular posts: “Where Are We Again?”: Creating Unique Fantasy Cities and Towns. A list of web resources to help you build a city of your own. What GMs Really Want. A survey about what type of articles you want to see more of. This is it’s... Read More »

Unintentional Sexism in RPGs (Even W...

Posted on Oct 19 2009 | 2 Comments

We’ve all seen a lot written about women in roleplaying games. We’ve read about the kinds of games women prefer (roleplaying vs. combat-heavy). We’ve read about how the “boys-club mentality”... Read More »

Your Teacher Was Right … Creat...

Posted on Oct 14 2009 | No Comments

The six “W’s”. You know — the questions your teacher talked about over and over. The ones that every book on how to write covers: who, what, when, where, why, how. These questions are good for more... Read More »

Dancing with the Dark

Posted on Oct 12 2009 | 4 Comments

Morality. A big topic, with even bigger answers. What is good? What is evil? Are evil actions ever justified? Can we ever truely overcome evil? If we can, should we? Do moral issues have a place in RPGs? Undoubtedly, yes.... Read More »

What GMs Really Want (Poll)

Posted on Oct 07 2009 | 3 Comments

As a GM, what information are you looking for? What kinds of topics would help you run your game better? Where do you find yourself struggling? What ideas do you want to see more of? Take the poll below and tell me! <br /> <a href=”http://answers.polldaddy.com/poll/2088406/” mce_href=”http://answers.polldaddy.com/poll/2088406/”>What... Read More »

Beyond ‘Fred’: Roman Nam...

Posted on Oct 05 2009 | 6 Comments

Finding a good name is sometimes the hardest part of designing an NPC. You want something more exotic than “Fred the Fighter”, but “Frewxyque the Grand Thunder Duke” becomes too hard to say with a... Read More »

From the Basement: In Nomine

Posted on Oct 02 2009 | 3 Comments

Angels and demons. The core of In Nomine. If you’ve ever dreamt of playing one of the Heavenly Host or a Satan spawn from the depths of Hell, this is your game. Even if you haven’t, it’s still worth checking... Read More »