Hi everyone! Tabletop RPGs are a way to do whatever you want within the world, and there’s one particular occasion that will always remind me of that. Some years ago, I was running a training day for GMs, back when we had in-person conventions. We were practising to run 30-40 minute taster sessions, as we…
Hi everyone! What technology should you include when worldbuilding? Is a lever acceptable in a High Fantasy setting? What’s the lowest level of technology you can have and still call it science fiction? I’ve been asked this sort of question quite a few times on my various panels and I honestly believe that it’s not…
Hi everyone! I think humour in a roleplaying game is super important, pretty much no matter what you’re playing. In a serious game, a little humour – preferably set within the game, rather than breaking immersion – is a way to release any built-up tension, so that you can start to build more. There’s an…
Hi everyone! What should you do when you approach the edge of giving up on your creative project? I’ve talked about this a few times at conventions and such – it’s often hard to keep going full-tilt for weeks and months on end. Sometimes, you need to walk away. When I get like that, I…
Hi everyone! I believe that every rule set has limitations. No, really – I’ve built Era d10 to have as few as possible, but there are things that it will not do very well without a significant rewrite to the core. I thought I’d talk today about the first time I realised what one of…
Hi everyone! “Huge in scope, towering in concept, it is a work that will live on in the reader’s imagination.” Boy, were they ever right. I first read those words almost 25 years ago, on the back of a novel. That novel climbed Kilimanjaro with me, went to university with me on my first day…
Hi everyone! The thing I miss most about Tabletop RPGs at the moment is the ability to meet in person and sit around a table together. I don’t know about you, but there is something different when everyone brings snacks, we sit them in the middle of the table and we start playing. Don’t get…
Hi everyone! I only recently had a conversation on Discord (feel free to join if you’d like to play, by the way! We run regular games! https://discord.gg/JMNnbsB) about my most dramatic tabletop moment. Today, I’m wearing my GM hat, and don’t worry, I’m not just going to tell you a story of sessions gone by,…
Hi everyone! In my opinion, one of the hardest parts of writing RPGs is framing the sentences so that they are specific, descriptive, open to a minimum of interpretation, and fit within the layout. Some of you may already know that I am currently working through character creation, equipment and rules editing for Era: Lost…
Hi everyone! I’m fortunate enough to have a banner which shows off all of our Tabletop RPGs very nicely. It’s a go-to for me in many situations, and it all comes from one person, Alexander Korchnev, my longtime ally and graphic designer extraordinaire! I thought I’d take a moment today to talk about the importance…
Hi everyone! One of the most common questions I get asked by anyone who gets to know my work situation is “How? Do you just not sleep?” I thought, since today’s topic is “Rest”, I’d answer that question! First, a little about my average week. I work a full-time job separate to Shades of Vengeance…
Hi everyone! What “Message” do I have for RPG creators everywhere? I know how hard it is. You don’t get to the number of books I have published without knowing. It’s hard to put your work out there, because you think no-one will like it. Maybe people will laugh? It’s hard to bare your soul…
Hi everyone! I’ve actually got a “stack” of books on Kickstarter right now, so I thought I’d talk about that today, if that’s all right! I’ll try to make it not too boring! I believe that one of the most important things about a game that goes out into the world is to provide support…
Hi everyone! What do you want from an RPG session? I know what I want – I’d like to participate in a group telling a story. That story should have ups and downs, difficulties that are overcome (both mental and physical), and the characters trying to be who they are throughout that. Whichever side of…
Hi everyone! When people want to make creating a career, they often wonder when they will feel they are able to see the “light at the end of the tunnel”. I thought I’d talk about that today, because it’s something that was on my mind for at least a couple of years. Creating regularly, consistently…
Hi everyone! I’ll be honest, I laughed when I saw this one was a prompt. I think it’s probably a good moment to reflect back on the last 7 years or so and talk about the “Shade” that means most to me – Shades of Vengeance! To me, Shades of Vengeance is about something. It’s…
Hi everyone! “What are the top couple of pieces of advice you’d give to new RPG creators?” I take that to mean I’m only allowed to give two, so hold on… 1. Believe in yourself If you want to create something then sitting on the idea for ever will mean that it never happens. Put…
Hi everyone! Today, I’m going to be talking about this image, which is absolutely the first thing that popped into my mind on the prompt “Forest”. Being inspired is often a very hard thing. While I generally don’t struggle much with it, I often find it extremely useful to pin down the details by having…
Hi everyone! I found another image for the RPGaDay2020 event, thanks to someone else posting. I thought it was cool, so I’m using it for this post! Today’s topic is “Tribute”, and I think it’s a good opportunity for me to talk about something very close to my heart: credit where credit is due. I…
Hi everyone! I’m back again today, and there’s only one thing I want to talk about based on the “Vision” prompt. It probably is somewhat linked to the fact that this game has been on my mind for several days for a variety of reasons! Era: Forbidden was a game I put together with my…
Hi everyone! I like to do this every year – #rpgaday2020 being the latest – and give my thoughts on various aspects of RPGs, and my experiences within the community. I’ve missed days 1 and 2 because of GenCon, so I’ll do the first three days quite briefly right here and move onto the next…
Hi everyone! We’ve been super, super busy during lockdown – like all of you, I’m sure! I wanted to take a moment to reassure everyone we’re very much still here and talk about a few things we’re doing that might interest you! Our team is running daily games (and have been every day since the…
The Era: The Consortium Living Campaign has now been running for just under 3 months and we’ve seen a lot of changes to the Consortium as a result!(Asking “What is the Living Campaign?”? – read this! https://www.shadesofvengeance.com/era-the-consortium/living-campaign/) We’re about to publish the first official update of the position in The Era Zone Issue #5, and…
Hi everyone! Did you know that we’re offering daily games online at the moment? We’re trying to combat the insanity invoked by staying inside all day every day – I feel it as keenly as you, believe me! – by offering a wide range of Era games via our Discord: https://discord.gg/6C4H9Cv For those who don’t…
Hi everyone! We have a wonderful new team member, Angel, and she’s been helping me to get several of the books that we never quite got up on the website onto the store! As a result, you’ll see quite a few new items if you look at the store now, particularly a lot of “Character…
Hi everyone! It’s been a very difficult month, and I apologise for the lack of posts. Like many of you, I’m self-isolating from the outside world, and that’s meant a big change to lifestyle. We’re making fantastic progress on Era: Survival – funded, and working towards that vital first Stretch Goal. That will mean that…
Hi everyone! Fantastic news for fans of our post-apocalyptic game today, as we launch our latest Kickstarter! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/shadesofvengeance/era-survival-expansions-2?ref=96fdfm Era: Survival – Expansions into the Unknown 2 aims to offer at least three brand new expansions for games taking place in the world of Gaia, where Infection runs rampant. But we’re hoping to do much more…
Today’s Spotlight is about one of our newer RPGs that really tackles the psychological and supernatural aspects of horror. You are a member of one of the few defenders of humanity fighting against an unseen enemy. The five clans who became known as ‘The Chosen’ have been fighting this enemy – the Anonassi – for…
Hi everyone! We’ve just launched our latest Kickstarter, The Era Zone 2020!https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/shadesofvengeance/the-era-zone-2020?ref=aqgkct It’s, once again, offering support materials for every one of our games! You can join us on Kickstarter, where you’ll be able to get a subscription throughout the year (Digital or Physical) and help this attempt to continue producing material for all of…
Since spring is still a while away, make use of the grey skies and winter cold for some extra ambience as you try to work together to overcome the apocalypse! In Era: Survival – Colony, band together as you choose your role to organise and defend against the threats towards your settlement: natural, mutant and…
