Best Reads of the Week January 24 - 31, 2015!

Welcome back to the Best Reads of the Week! Every week I read through more than 350 blogs looking for the best rpg related articles to bring them directly to you. This week we've got new magic items; rotating Game Masters; alternative initiative mechanics; great advice; and so much more! If you see a post that you like be sure and tell the author how much you enjoyed it!

If you've got any questions about this month's lists be sure and check out the FAQ. And as always, thank you for your comments, shares, plus 1s, and for taking the time to read this list. See you on the next set!

BEST READS OF THE WEEK

JANUARY 24 - 31, 2015!

Red and Pleasant Land Layout Review by +Jeff Russell, from the blog Blessings of the Dice Gods: If you're at all curious about +Zak Smith's latest role-playing game efforts than this interesting and thorough review by Jeff Russell is an excellent place to start. Jeff has a critical and discerning eye that makes reading through his thoughts on the book well worth the time.

New Magic Item: Moraxo's Magnificent Silver Ink by Darnizhaa, from the blog Castle Triskelion: I love new magical items - especially ones that can be easily transferred into my games regardless of the system I'm using. Moraxo's Magnificent Silver Ink is just such an item and yet another example of why Castle Triskelion is a great blog to be reading!

Pondering Tim's GM Rotational Idea by +Chris C., from the blog The Clash of Shield on Spear: Building on Tim's idea of using a rotational Game Master, where different players take turns running the game, Chris comes up with a number of great places to explore those possibilities. To be perfectly honest, this list is a great place to start for any Game Master stuck for where to start building a campaign!

Wizards of the Coast Cannot Win by +Mark Craddock, from the blog Cross Planes: Since the release of Fifth Edition we've seen bloggers, forum commenters, and game room profits arguing over whether Wizards has been giving us everything we've been looking for, if they've fulfilled their promises, and if they're going in the right direction. I always wonder about how their decisions are affecting gaming stores and Mark discusses things from that perspective.

How the Queen of the Demonweb Pits Opened Dungeons and Dragons to the Multiverse by DM David, from the blog DM David: Discovering the history of this hobby is a difficult task so when you discover someone like DM David spending his time to diligently explore that past you must pay attention. This excellent post is well worth reading for anyone interested in how the Multiverse finally came into the Dungeons and Dragons game.

Leskylor by Blanca Martinez de Rituerto, from the blog Dungeons and Drawings: Sometimes the best thing you can ask for your games is a place to go to be inspired by a beautiful picture and a loose narrative that can be moved into your game with little to no fuss. This post by Blanca Martinez de Rituerto typifies that sort of inspiration and is yet another reason why I never miss an update from this highly underrated blog.

Rethinking Initiative by Newbie DM, from the blog Newbie DM.com: Inspired by a conversation on twitter that Mike Mearls was having about initiative the Newbie DM began contemplating new ways of doing the traditional game mechanic. For those of you thinking along the same lines this is a great place to start your juices flowing.

Roll for Initiative . . . or Don't - Alternative Approaches to Initiative by Derek Myers, from the blog Dungeon's Master.com: Building on and vastly expanding upon the ground work of the Newbie DM this post proposes several alternative methods for initiative. A great place to further expand your thoughts on the possibilities for alternative methods.

"Fun" vs "Balance" by Boric Glanduum, from the blog The Dwarven Stronghold: There are lots of debates that surround this hobby, and most of them are incredibly boring, but seeing this debate from Boric's perspective reminds me why I like challenging games far more than balanced games. It's a debate that brings up a divide between generations and the understanding of what makes a game fun. Well worth reading. 

Special Snowflake Settings by +Andrew Shields, from the blog Fictive Fantasies: What constitutes an ideal representation of a setting. A few short paragraphs? A few pages? Do you need distinctive information detailed ad nauseum or just a few brief lines? The discussion kicked off in this post by Andrew Shields has legs and I would love to see where it goes. 

The Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh by Fractalbat, from the blog Fractalbat: I never had a module that could qualify as my go to module. I've never had one that worked for me no matter what group I brought it out on. Reading this post by Fractalbat makes me wish that I had. 

Rotational GMs, an Idea by +Tim Shorts, from the blog Gothridge Manor: From what I've read in the early days of this hobby it was more common for multiple Game Masters to rotate duties, however, in recent years that has gone by the wayside. So this idea by Tim is not only good one, but one I really want to see the results of. 

The Gospel of Gamer John: "We Can Do Better" by +Charles Akins, from the blog Dyvers: You'll find lots of people out there in this world who try to tell you that nothing ever gets better and nothing you do will ever matter. In this hobby, though, we know better. Here we make our own books, art, scenery, miniatures, tables, and more. So stop listening to the bullshit.

Cast this Spell then Kill Your Family by +James Young, from the blog Polemic 10': Alternative types of wizards always fascinate me - especially when the author is clever. In this post by James Young we're presented with an alternative style of wizard (along with spells) created with the Black Company novels in mind. Really good article and it reminds me that I need to start that reading that series soon. 

On Not Being Understood by +Kasimir Urbanski, from the blog The RPG Pundit: A simple short post that accurately describes the problem of being misunderstood.

Say No to Audition Work by +Ryan Macklin, from the blog Ryan Macklin.com: When you're first entering into any industry you're going to encounter people who are attempting to use your naivety  to their own personal gain. Don't let them. Don't let them use you and abuse your ignorance.