Casting Shadows

December’s RPG Blog Carnival for 2013 has reached the end of its run. Despite the tremendous distractions of all the things December brings with it, the RPG blogging community contributed quite a few useful posts on the topic of Taking Charge. Some look forward into the year to come. Others are timeless reminders of good practice. With 16 18 solid contributions from different perspectives, types of gaming experience, and areas of focus, this month’s Carnival has definitely put the concept of not being a passive recipient of a game, or a victim of how it runs, on display for everyone:

Step Right Up!

Casting Shadows (this month’s host) contributed three articles on the theme. The first looked at ensuring you have a game no matter how far you are from fellow gamers. The second demonstrated how to lay new ideas on the table, make them your own, and put them into play. The last shared an example of a player who really knew how to take charge and make things better for it:

• Taking Charge of Long-Distance Gaming
• GM and Player Roles
• Being Like Water

Ramblings of Jacob and Delos was recruited to repurpose:

• Getting your party in the same library

Krazy Ivan’s RPG Emporium was kind enough to share:

• Taking Charge! where taking control of the gaming year to come is given shape and form.

Hamell.net offered characters something to take charge of…:

• Followers, D&D Style

HERETICWERKS gave great insight into characters taking charge of their fate:

• B2 – Players Taking Charge

Tales of a GM discussed:

• Social Contracts

TinyD10 looked at adventure planning in:

• Taking Charge of the Adventure!

The Pathfinder Chronicles explored coming to terms with a new and different game in:

• Game Mastering a Diceless System: Lords of Gossamer and Shadow

Trollish Delver took a walk on the wild side by giving us:

• Getting your players on track

The Gassy Gnoll took one for the team by laying out the joys and sorrows of teaching the game:

• Taking Charge of the Gaming Lesson

Mind Weave Roleplaying Platform shone some light into lesser-travelled ways to take charge

• Taking Initiative

The Warehouse of Trinkets reminded us that taking charge is a shared responsibility:

• Taking Charge

Tower of the Archmage was quick to remind us we need to know when to take charge:

• GMs are the worst players

Red Dice Diaries showed up to grab the last of the candy apples, and make sure we know how to take charge of taking charge:

• Taking Charge of Campaign Preparations

Joe Banner arrived to see the last boxes packed up and the sign taken down, but was still good enough to regale us with his thoughts on taking on a Dungeon World and taking charge of that experience:

• Taking Charge of Dungeon World

The Black Campbell caught up to us on his motorcycle as we were pulling out on the highway to emphasize the great advantage of having someone in the group take charge and be the GM:

• Taking Charge as the GM

Next month

Next month Hereticwerks will host the January 2014 RPG Blog Carnival on the broad and powerful theme of transitions. That too, will be quite a journey down the brightly lit fairway with the scent and sound of untold possibility in the air~

What is the RPG Blog Carnival?

A blog carnival is a cooperative posting event on a specified topic or themes across a spectrum of familiar and unfamiliar blogs. Each blog offers one or more post on the topic as they see it and so, in a virtual way, the carnival travels from place to place revealing more and more attractions, wonders, and the occasional life-changing Ferris Wheel ride.

To follow the carnival, check back regularly through the month and read the comments list on the host’s commencement post. This is where participants will be leaving links with their articles. At the end of the month, a wrap-up post will be made on the host site conveniently sharing all the links, and perhaps a summary, for easy access. Past blogs can be accessed from the Archive, which is currently being maintained by the RPG Blog Alliance.

To participate in the carnival is easy, once you have written a post on the topic, leave a comment on host page with a direct link. You can use the Blog Carnival image on your post to single it out for easy recognition by your readership. If you contribute more than one post, link them together and leave a link for each one in the Carnival’s commencement page comments as each one goes live.

Related articles

• December ’13 RPG Blog Carnival: Taking Charge (runeslinger.wordpress.com)