Cairn is great…the core rules are simple (derived from Into the Odd) and there’s a ton of useful tables in the book for starting the creative processes for games. The rules are all online, and printed copies are inexpensive. I have the boxed set and it comes with three copies of the player’s guide and further copies are available very reasonably, how’s that for user-friendly? If you haven’t checked it out yet…it’s definitely worth it. ...

Horror is a common feature of RPGs with Call of Cthulhu consistently being amongst the most popular games, along with lesser known games like Chill and Kult and even Dark Conspiracy which is due a new edition soon. Even D&D has long had a horror flavour, with Ravenloft and its most famous villain “Strahd von Zarovich” consistently being republished alongside new editions. When running horror, you want probably want to establish a creepy tone…Silent Hill works because of many different things: music, visual representation and of course the environment. ...

Combat is, like it or not, a major part of most RPGs. Players will often find their way into situations where violence breaks out, and often it can be a slog of rolling to hit with a character’s weapon, then dodging an opponent’s weapon mixed in with some magic. Various versions of D&D have attempted (with varying degrees of success) to change the narrative, but frequently combat is roll to hit, roll for damage and repeat… ...

Introduction The first RPG I can remember buying is the classic Maelstrom back in 1984, I still have that book upstairs. It’s well used, but I never actually got to play it. At some time after that I remember buying the Corgi edition of Tunnels & Trolls (the small paperback editions) which led to the Mentzer red box, and lots more T&T and then AD&D 1st edition, and then…2nd Edition and…Runequest and Traveller… ...