Category Archives: Articles

In-depth articles not necessarily related to a single game product.

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Game Masters as Leaders

  By Jacob Wood • June 19, 2018

There has been an idea simmering in my head for a while now, so I decided to write down the basics and share it with you.

Last August, I received my Bachelor of Arts degree in Management and Organizational Leadership. Through my degree program, I learned a lot about communication, facilitation, organizational theory, and various leadership styles.

As I read and studied my textbooks, I kept coming back to this theory that being a great Game Master is like being a great leader. There is a lot of overlap between the two titles, and building your skills in one helps build your skills with the other. A lot of my time spent GMing has helped me improve on some of the skills I depend on as a leader, and learning about leadership has taught me to be a better GM.

Around the time I finished my degree, I thought I’d … Continue reading →

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Part-Time Gods 2e, Interview with Eloy Lasanta

  By Jacob Wood • May 23, 2018

Introduction

Eloy Lasanta, a friend of Accessible Games and all-around good guy, is running a Kickstarter campaign for Part-Time Gods 2nd Edition (PTG2e). It is already successfully funded as of this article’s publication date, but he’s working on some fabulous stretch goals which will enhance the game.

When I first learned of PTG2e I was stoked. I am an enormous fan of the first edition, and I can’t wait to see what’s in store for its future. Eloy described this as the game he always wanted to write but didn’t have the experience for, but now with dozens of books to his name he’s finally in a place where he can really make this setting ascend to greatness. As soon as I heard about the Kickstarter campaign I reached out to Eloy to do an interview, and what follows is a transcript.

Interview

Eloy is the owner of Third … Continue reading →

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Interview with T. Dave Silva about Metahumans Rising

  By Jacob Wood • September 29, 2017

Metahumans Rising Logo

We have another interview for you, this time from T. Dave Silva of House Dok. His new supers game, Metahumans Rising, is currently on Kickstarter.

Interview

Accessible Games: First of all, thanks for taking the time to talk about accessibility with us. For those of us who aren’t familiar with your work, can you tell us a little about yourself and what you’ve published in the past?

DS: As a gamer for about 30 years I’ve played, I don’t know how many, different RPGs. I think that the indie press shift for role playing games has really opened the door for people to express ideas or themes that might not have been represented in the past. It’s part of what inspired me to try and publish our first … Continue reading →

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Interview with Todd Crapper about High Plains Samurai

  By Jacob Wood • June 8, 2017

High Plains Samurai Kickstarter ImageTodd Crapper, also known+ as The Warden, is the founder of Broken Ruler Games and the designer behind the award-winning Killshot and ENnie-nominated ScreenPlay. His latest effort, High Plains Samurai, is currently on Kickstarter.

I had the opportunity to talk to Todd about his new game and his plans for making it accessible. If you’re into RPGs with over-the-top action and adventure, read on.

Interview

Accessible Games: First of all, thanks for taking the time to talk about accessibility with us. For those of us who aren’t familiar with your work, can you tell us a little about yourself and what you’ve published in the past?

Todd Crapper: Certainly. My name is Todd Crapper (though I have also published under the pseudonym of … Continue reading →

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Guns, Babies, and Gamestorm 17

  By Jacob Wood • April 14, 2015

Introduction

Once again, Gamestorm came to the Portland area on the third weekend of March. This year was a bit different for me as it marked the first year I participated as an industry guest. I spoke on a few panels, ran a few games, and played… unfortunately not very much. But the time I spent at Gamestorm this year was fun, and it was nice to see some old familiar faces and to meet a few new ones.

Friday, March 20th

Gamestorm is a four-day event running from Thursday evening through Sunday afternoon. I had to work the day job on Thursday so I didn’t get to arrive until Friday morning, but that’s when most of the real fun starts so I don’t think I missed much.

I kicked off Friday morning with a 10 a.m. panel about Accessibility in Gaming. This is the first year I’ve been a … Continue reading →

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Gamestorm 16: Day Three

  By Jacob Wood • March 29, 2014
This entry is part 3 of 3 in the seriesGamestorm 16

This entry is part 3 of 3 in the series Gamestorm 16

Day three of Gamestorm 16 was a lot slower and more laid back than previous years. I had no real plans other than to hang out with some friends and play a few board games, and that’s exactly what I did.

My friend’s wife joined us for the entire day, and my own wife had plans to show up in the afternoon. The day was short (most areas of the con closed around 4:00 p.m.) but it was still a lot of fun.

Late Start, Lifeboats

Since we had no plans, we didn’t even leave the house until around 9:30 a.m. The three of us reached the convention hotel around 10:00, and we went and grabbed a bite to eat before getting started.

We started out looking for a game to play, … Continue reading →

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Gamestorm 16: Day Two

  By Jacob Wood • March 28, 2014
This entry is part 2 of 3 in the seriesGamestorm 16

This entry is part 2 of 3 in the series Gamestorm 16

Introduction

Day two of Gamestorm 16 started bright and early. Though I didn’t get to sleep until after 1 a.m. the night before, I was up at 7 and ready to go. I had a game of Monster Kart Mayhem to run at 9:00, and I was eager to get started.

Registration Fail

If you read my previous post, you’ll remember that there were some registration issues with Gamestorm this year. Unfortunately, the lack of pre-registered games meant that only people who wandered by the table where sign-up sheets were placed would have any chance of even seeing the game. To top that off, there could be dozens of these sign-up sheets on any given table, and that meant there wren’t a lot of tables with ready-to-go players.

… Continue reading →

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The Day My Girlfriend Made Me Look Like a Complete Failure with a Puzzle

  By Jacob Wood • January 8, 2014

In today’s post, special guest Matthew Yeoman discuss the day he made a revelation about The Great Equalizer: puzzle games. Thanks for the great insight, Matthew!

On to His Post!

Hello to the Accessible Games readers. My name is Matthew and I’m the writer and researcher for Puzumi.com. We sell laser cut acrylic glass puzzles that have a strategy game twist to them. These puzzles relate to the subject of how my girlfriend made me look like a complete #fail…read on for my tale of woe and oh…

 The Day my Girlfriend Made me Look Like a Complete Fail with a Puzzle

Here’s the backstory: I’m a professional writer and a bit of a wordy know it all. Hey, I’m aware of my strengths and flaws! My girlfriend, Vanda, is from Mozambique and is a native Portuguese speaker who has been speaking English for around 2 years … Continue reading →

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Off the Cuff #5: Setting Expectations

  By Jacob Wood • October 9, 2013
This entry is part 5 of 5 in the seriesOff the Cuff

This entry is part 5 of 5 in the series Off the Cuff

Introduction

What do players expect from their Game Masters? The answer to this question is more complicated than it may seem at first glance.

The short answer is, like so many answers are, “it depends.” Let’s set the ambiguity aside and take a closer look at this question. If we can figure out what players want, we can understand what we as GMs can do to deliver.

Players Just Want to Have Fun

I feel it’s safe to assume that all role-players want to show up to a game, sit down at the table (or other seating place of choice) and just have fun. They want to socialize with friends, participate in a shared storytelling experience, and walk away happier than when they came in.

For many people nowadays, stress is a large … Continue reading →

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Off the Cuff #4: Filling Plot Holes

  By Jacob Wood • October 2, 2013
This entry is part 4 of 5 in the seriesOff the Cuff

This entry is part 4 of 5 in the series Off the Cuff

Introduction

There has been a lot of great feedback on this series so far, but one of the many things I keep reading is the concern that Off the Cuff GMing may lead to plot holes. It’s true that if you’re not careful you can improve yourself into a situation where the world ceases to make sense and verisimilitude is shot, but with a bit of practice and some forethought you can avoid this pitfall.

As a side note, I just got to use verisimilitude in a sentence.

Going Places

One of the easiest ways to maintain some amount of cohesion in your stories is to define—however clearly or loosely you choose—your goals for the game session or campaign. Set goals, but don’t be afraid to alter them as necessary.

For example, … Continue reading →