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Temporary Kingdoms

I was reading about how during the American Revolutionary War, Henry Knox hauled an entire battery of cannons from captured Fort Ticonderoga 300 miles through the dead of winter to give George Washington’s army the artillery it vitally needed to threaten the fortified British. It sounded like an epic trek: cannons falling through the ice […]

Ben Robbins | March 11th, 2014 |

They Have Perspective

I just sent out the sneak peek of my next game as a reward for the fine folks who backed Kingdom at the Perspective level. If you’re a Perspective backer and you didn’t get the link, let me know. I usually play my cards pretty close to the vest when it comes to projects I’m […]

Ben Robbins | March 6th, 2014 | ,

“How Weirdly Powerless”

How weirdly powerless Power is. There’s a built-in irony, caused by these limitations, by not allowing a character both perspective and power. And of course, that makes perfect real-world sense, doesn’t it? When you take power, you become something set apart from your peers, and can’t claim to properly represent them. You have, in fact, […]

Ben Robbins | February 11th, 2014 | ,

Actual Play Roundup: A Beetle Pushing the Sun

A few of the latest and greatest Kingdom games from around the world. Are they playing Kingdom in Korea? The answer is yes. Plains Tribes — “Originally I was a little bit worried about how the tribal roleplaying would turn out, whether it would descend into a stereotype-fest a la every Hollywood movie with Indians […]

Ben Robbins | February 5th, 2014 | , , ,

Kingdom on IPR & Amazon

Kingdom is now also available through Indie Press Revolution and Amazon. Amazon is actually out of stock (already) but there are more on the way to their warehouse. And of course you can always buy the book or PDF direct. Indie Press Revolution distributes to various cool Friendly Local Game Stores, so if you want […]

Ben Robbins | February 1st, 2014 |

Brain Trust

I was very lucky making Kingdom. Not only did I have a horde of playtesters with appetites like feral cats (a good thing) but I had a rock solid brain trust: Caroline Hobbs, Marc Hobbs and Pat Kemp. It’s not just that I played a lot of great Kingdom games with them — though I […]

Ben Robbins | December 28th, 2013 |

A Kingdom (book) of Your Own

Kingdom books are now on sale. Go get you one. You’ll notice that you can order Microscope books too. Now that I’ve jumped into the deep end and set up the infrastructure to ship piles of books for Kickstarter, I’m going to give direct sales a try. Books and PDFs will still be available at […]

Ben Robbins | December 12th, 2013 | | 2 comments

Start the Presses

The final Kingdom proof came back from the printer. It looks great, so I’ve given the order: start the printing presses. If you already bought the PDF, you’ll be getting an email link to download the updated version that includes the final corrections and changes that were made before the book went to print. Kickstarters, […]

Ben Robbins | November 22nd, 2013 | | 2 comments

Battle of the Planets

I’ve been working so much on getting Kingdom to the printer that I haven’t gotten to play in a while, which is a crime where I come from. Happily some good folks at Story Games Seattle were up for plunging the universe into interplanetary war. Because, y’know: Thursday. Star*Watch: the Interplanetary Patrol I was a […]

Ben Robbins | November 18th, 2013 | , ,

Kingdom: What Changed

If you’re a Kickstarter backer who got the advance release of Kingdom at the end of July, this is a review of what changed in the final version. There are lots of places in the text that have been revised or cleaned up to make the game easier to understand and play without actually changing […]

Ben Robbins | November 9th, 2013 |

Hail to the Playtesters

Here’s a thing about games you’re working on: they are just ugly piles of cogs and gears until you play them. And you can’t just play by yourself. You need other people. Brave souls willing to play with you. People willing to spend precious hours of their lives trying something that may be ruinously half-baked […]

Ben Robbins | November 8th, 2013 |

Kingdom Released

Can’t wait to make a Kingdom of your own? Today is your lucky day. It’s done. You can purchase and download it right now. After the Kickstarter advance release, I spent a lot of time tweaking and fine-tuning, polishing every single moving part to make sure that when you played, you would have a great […]

Ben Robbins | November 2nd, 2013 |

Early Kingdom Emerges

People are playing Kingdom right now. Well, Kickstarter backers are, anyway. It’s a rules-only release while the appendices and other supplemental materials are being finished. I promised I’d get them playing Kingdom by the end of July and I made it with four hours to spare. Piece of cake! People are already reporting the Kingdoms […]

Ben Robbins | August 6th, 2013 | | 1 comment

Ruby Slippers

Question: Hey Ben, are you making a lot of changes from the last version of Kingdom? Answer: Yes and no. It’s like Dorothy’s ruby slippers. There are things that were there all along, I’m just honing the rules to bring them out (and removing the things that don’t contribute or that distract from the awesome). […]

Ben Robbins | July 12th, 2013 | | 1 comment

Six Years of Power

Michael over at Futile Position had a few short questions for me about Kingdom and Microscope. Unfortunately for him I had a few very long answers: Interview with Ben Robbins about his new world-building story game Kingdom (Futile Position) As a special bonus this interview also includes a recap of almost the entire second Crossroad […]

Ben Robbins | June 19th, 2013 | , , ,

Such a rare and sacred time

“When you’re sitting at the gaming table, it’s such a rare and sacred time…” You know how you think you don’t have much to say about a topic but then once you get started you go on and on and on and then before you know it you’re jumping around waving your arms to emphasize […]

Ben Robbins | June 17th, 2013 | , , ,

Kingdom Q&A

A ways back I did a Share A Game thread about Microscope on RPGGeek. And despite the resulting lawsuits, civil unrest and stock market crashes, they’ve graciously allowed me to come back and talk about Kingdom. All those questions you’ve had about how Kingdom actually works? Now’s your chance to ask: Share A Game: Kingdom […]

Ben Robbins | June 13th, 2013 | ,

Cowboys, Muppets & Mystics

How’s the Kingdom kickstarter going? Pretty swimmingly, I must admit. But there’s still a long way to go and there’s still a lot of people out there who haven’t even heard of Kingdom. Back when I was getting ready to launch I debated what would make good stretch goals. I mean, yeah, I could make […]

Ben Robbins | June 4th, 2013 |

My Kingdom for a Kickstarter

If you want a game where you make a community together, fight over what it’s for and then (perhaps) weep as it burns to the ground, this is your lucky day, because the Kingdom kickstarter is live: If you like the game, or just like the idea of the game, spread the word. Tell your […]

Ben Robbins | May 29th, 2013 | | 1 comment

Meanwhile, at the Hall of Justice…

“Hey, you haven’t talked about Kingdom in a while. What’s up with that?” Good question, caller. Imagine a cave. A dark cave. In a swamp. Lit only by the intermittent glow of fireflies. Now in the cave put a figure. A figure facing a wall of rock. Solid rock. Rock from the heart of the […]

Ben Robbins | April 7th, 2013 | , | 1 comment

“We reject Kings, Princes, Santas and other Tyrants…”

She looked me dead in the eye and uttered two words: “Santa. Kingdom.” A lot of the time we play serious, challenging games; dramatic examinations of life, society and the human condition. But sometimes you know you need a break and some surefire ace-in-the-hole fun. And in a situation like that you might just decide […]

Ben Robbins | December 20th, 2012 | , , | 1 comment

Kingdom Playtest Deadline: December 20

Calling all Kingdom playtesters! The playtest has been going great but I think we’re ready to wrap it up. Your deadline to send in feedback is December 20. I’ve gotten lots of feedback already. It’s sitting in a giant iron pot that hums and glows and occasionally shudders with the wails of the damned. It […]

Ben Robbins | December 9th, 2012 |

Playtesting While the Kingdom Burns

After careful deliberation, painstaking revision, and piles of fantastic feedback from players around the globe, the new version of Kingdom is ready to come out and play. Is it hot? Yes it’s hot. But it needs playtesters, playtesters to slake its savage fires and tame its molten heart. That could be you. If you gave […]

Ben Robbins | October 5th, 2012 | | 18 comments

Starfall

Sneak peak from a Kingdom playset I’m working on: Starfall, weapons-smith to the galaxy. A hidden world-clave of scientists and technocrats, Starfall is the ultimate arms dealer to the planets. Humble and discrete, they are both corporation and independent nation-state, the kingmakers of all interplanetary affairs. Starfall’s weapons have no equal in known space. They […]

Ben Robbins | August 27th, 2012 | , | 1 comment