"Fear attracts the fearful." - Darth Maul In May of 2011 (which seems like forever ago), Wizards of the Coast released a 4th Edition supplement entitled The Shadowfell: Gloomwrought and Beyond . One of the coolest things to come in the box set was a deck of 30 cards called the Despair Deck. The deck, to quote from the campaign guide, "represents the unnatural behaviors and neuroses that can come over those who visit the Shadowfell." I would like to that statement one step farther and say that the deck represents behaviors and neuroses that come over those who visit any place of horror. Flipping through the deck, the cards are separated into three main categories: Fear, Apathy, and Madness. Such traits create good roleplaying opportunities, as well as further demonstrating the horrors that adventurers face on a regular basis. I thought the Despair Deck was a great addition to special encounters and events for D&D, and I've re...
Thoughts on Games and Game Design