Gemstone Shards

Since the beginning of tabletop role-playing games in the 1970s, most fantasy game systems have had a classical polytheistic religious model, largely drawn from Egyptian, Greco-Roman, and Norse mythology, and the majority of published settings for these systems have complied with that trope. Does your game world have to follow the trend, or are there other options? Join Gregory and Mike as they take a look at the different forms religion takes in the real world, and ways that might play out in your homebrew setting!

Now that we've discussed some guiding principles for using languages in your game world, it's time to put them into action! On today's episode of Gemstone Shards, Gregory and Mike present some useful ways to build your world with fantasy languages, including places to find them, where in your setting to use them, and tips on inserting them into gameplay in a way that feels realistic and believable!

On our last podcast, we asked, "What is the 'Common Tongue', and just how common is it?" Now it's time to look at the other languages of your game world! Many fantasy game settings posit the existence of multiple human languages, while assuming that elves, dwarves, and other non-human races have unique racial tongues that all members of that race share. Is this realistic? Is it good world-building? Should I even care? Join Gregory and Mike as they answer these and other questions about languages for your fantasy world!

Most fantasy role-playing games assume that all player characters speak a "Common Tongue" that allows them to communicate with each other and the non-player characters they encounter. But what exactly is the Common Tongue? Where did it come from? Does everyone on your world actually speak it? Join Gregory and Mike as they kick off their series on languages for your game world by asking, "Just how common is the Common Tongue?"

As a game master, are your non-player characters (NPCs / GMCs) actively building your world, or are they simply there to serve as foils, merchants, and quest givers for your players? Join Gregory and Mike as they discuss the many ways you can use GMCs to build your game world’s aesthetic, reveal its history, and create the momentum that keeps it alive and growing, even when the player characters aren’t onstage!

While not essential, you may find it helpful to listen to Episode 018 (“Player Characters vs. NPCs”) first, as it introduces some concepts that will be expanded on in this episode.

One of the defining features of roleplaying games is the existence of two types of characters: those controlled by the players (PCs), and those controlled by the game master (NPCs or GMCs). On this episode of Gemstone Shards, Gregory and Mike ask the questions, "Is there a difference between the PCs and NPCs on your world? If so, what?" They'll also look at the reasons why player characters adventure, what role your NPCs play in your world, and how well-developed game master characters can help prevent negative PC behavior in your game!

So, you've carefully evaluated all the classes and subclasses your system offers, and decided that some of them really don't fit your game world. Now what? On this episode, Gregory and Mike look at ways you can alter classes to suit your aesthetic, ranging from simple changes in terminology to complete overhauls. They'll also talk about custom character classes, and examine the issue of character classes for NPCs!

In Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition there are thirteen official player character classes, almost one hundred official subclasses, and dozens of "semi-official" subclasses from Unearthed Arcana and other sources! On this episode, Gregory and Mike discuss: what the existence of various character classes says about your game world, reasons why you might want to exclude a class, and what to do when your players are inexorably drawn to that subclass you've just carefully evaluated and decided to exclude.

In your game world, are there clear and obvious distinctions between player character races, or are elves, dwarves, humans, and halflings only differentiated by their stat blocks in the Player's Handbook? Join Gregory and Mike as they discuss the tropes of fantasy races, why you should avoid racial monocultures, and how you can make your world more immersive by establishing real differences between your races!

Does your world have to contain every official player character race offered in your system's rule books, or should you exclude those that don't fit your aesthetic? Where did your world's races come from? Why is a half-elf's non-elvish parent automatically assumed to be human? Join Gregory and Mike as they answer these questions and many more about the role player character races play in building your game world!