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Roleplaying Games, Fiction, Myth, War, and Steel

DAD Articles Fantasy Design The Family RPG System
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The Family RPG System

-=[ DAD Articles ]=-

Damsels, Adventurers, and Dragons Articles

Fantasy RPG design essays, old-school procedure, and table-facing notes for DAD and The Family RPG System.

Treasure, Hard Currency, and the False Inflation Lever

Looks at hard currency, dungeon gold, and fantasy campaign economics without treating treasure like modern fiat money.

Worldbuilding as Historical Constraint: A Practical Method for Creating Playable Worlds

Frames playable worldbuilding as constraint, history, map logic, and consequences at the table.

Advantages of a 20-Mile Radius for Exploration

Explains why a twenty-mile campaign radius gives travel, community, and player decisions useful pressure.

The Trap Problem Is Not Mechanical, It’s Logical

Argues that traps work when their logic fits builders, access, maintenance, and dungeon purpose.

AD&D 2nd Edition: Gygax’s Blueprint, Cook’s Execution

Examines Second Edition’s design lineage through Gygax’s blueprint and David “Zeb” Cook’s execution.

The Mythic Premise: Why Humans Matter

Looks at humans, ambition, advancement, and why human characters matter in fantasy roleplaying.

Damsels, Adventurers, and Dragons Multi-Class Errata

Errata notice for the omitted complete list of permitted multi-class combinations in the Multi-Class rules section.

Permissionless Play and the Myth of Expanded Choice

Discusses DAD’s approach to character actions beyond narrow powers, class features, or permission lists.

Classes and Kits Design Considerations

Defines classes as durable social and practical roles, with kits adding narrower campaign identity.

Adventuring as an Expedition

Treats adventuring as organized expeditions rather than isolated rooms and disconnected challenges.

Dungeon and Ruin Ownership

Looks at law, ruin claims, ownership, and why dungeons exist where authority breaks down.

Adventuring as a Recognized Occupation

Explores adventuring as a known occupation in unstable fantasy worlds.

True Neutral and What Does It Really Mean?

Discusses True Neutral, druids, balance, and alignment meaning in DAD’s fantasy framework.

Principles Behind The Family RPG System

Discusses the design principles behind The Family RPG System and its relationship to cleanroom fantasy design.