Tag: Tropes

Dungeon Master Writer – How RPG Storytelling can improve your writing – Part 2: Adaptation & Characterisation

Weeks ago, I spoke of how much I enjoy storytelling and my love for being a dungeon master. I do really love creating and playing in fantasy worlds and taking players through perils and adventures.

But even though I consider myself a storyteller first, writer second, the art of storytelling, specifically being a Dungeon Master—or any kind of RPG narrator, again just using one of the most popular titles—has had a profound impact on my writing, as I’ve learned many things in taking people through the theatre of the mind.

I began this series last week with lessons on Knowing your Audience and Sensory information. Here’s part 2 for your enjoyment!

Continue reading Dungeon Master Writer – How RPG Storytelling can improve your writing – Part 2: Adaptation & Characterisation

Dungeon Master Writer – How RPG Storytelling can improve your writing – Part 1: Audience & Senses

Weeks ago, I spoke of how much I enjoy storytelling and my love for being a dungeon master. I do really love creating and playing in fantasy worlds and taking players through perils and adventures.

But even though I consider myself a storyteller first, writer second, the art of storytelling, specifically being a Dungeon Master—or any kind of RPG narrator, again just using one of the most popular titles—has had a profound impact on my writing, as I’ve learned many things in taking people through the theatre of the mind. Continue reading Dungeon Master Writer – How RPG Storytelling can improve your writing – Part 1: Audience & Senses

Glorious Genre Blend – Hollow Knight

Lately I’ve been playing a slew of games. I got a Playstation Vita on the cheap side to play Ys: Memories of Celceta and Ys Seven. I got a New Nintendo 3DS to replace my old one (it’s an American 3DS and I’m living in Europe and it has some battery issues) and I’ve started a Bravely Second playthrough. Then there’s Xenoblade Chronicles X, which I had to restart and have been playing on TheLawfulGeek Stream.

But the one game that’s gotten most of my attention in the past few days, one that I continue to play at every given chance is the most amazing blend of genres: Hollow Knight. Continue reading Glorious Genre Blend – Hollow Knight

Igniters – Planning Stage

Last week I spoke of Igniters and how I had to scrap this series of Star Wars novels for legal reasons, or maybe just to avoid having any legal reasons to begin with.

Since then I’ve been thinking about the best way to handle it, what the setting should be, and how to turn what was once Star Wars into a new idea, something that suits me. Continue reading Igniters – Planning Stage

Kaiju and Tranformations – The Tokusatsu Genre – Introduction

I love Kamen Rider. I used to call the series my guilty pleasure, until I decided that “guilty pleasures” is one of the dumbest things in the planet—there is no guilt, associated to it, only the perception that people will ridicule you for liking certain things, to which I say do your worst, bub! Continue reading Kaiju and Tranformations – The Tokusatsu Genre – Introduction

Role Playing Grumbles – The Worst Tropes in RPGs

UPDATE: I went on a bit of a rant with the Powerless Power-Ups section and didn’t make my point very clear. I’ve now edited that.

I’ve been playing RPGs for a long time. I wouldn’t say I started playing this genre as a child, I really didn’t. I got seriously into RPGs with Final Fantasy VII when a friend loaned it to me—though that isn’t my favourite title in the series—and since then I’ve gone through dozens of titles in the genre in a variety of platforms, from the original NES to current gen systems. And my interest in RPGs goes beyond video game but also into tabletop. I play D&D and many other games—though not as many at the moment, sadly.

Role-playing Games, like any other genre have common elements between them. Some of these tropes are very good and even form the basis of the RPG genre in itself, but there are others that I wish I could forget and force others to do the same so we may never see them again in any video game.

This article is about the latter, the sins. Though as a disclaimer, I’ll say that this is my opinion only. They’re my beliefs. Continue reading Role Playing Grumbles – The Worst Tropes in RPGs

TMA-Approved: Ichiban Ushiro no Dai Maou

It’s been a while since I’ve spoken of some form of media I’ve enjoyed. During last week, I was listening to music at work and I started going through opening themes for Anime I had seen in the past few years and one of them in particular stuck in my head: Ichiban Ushiro no Dai Maou (lit. “The Great Demon King in the Back Row”).

Akuto Sai is just another young man heading to the Constant Magic Academy. His dream is to become high-level clergy in the government and work for the benefit of society. But things don’t go according to plan. New students must take an aptitude test and his came back as “Future Occupation: Demon King.” So of course, the moment the school finds out about this, not only does the overall student body ostracise him but he also becomes a target for everyone out there trying to kill the new Demon King before he powers up. Continue reading TMA-Approved: Ichiban Ushiro no Dai Maou