In the spirit of Free RPG Day, I'm releasing the first issue of WEIRD TABLES 4 WEIRD TABLES as a free download. This trifold OSR pamphlet focuses on the B/X Thief. Instead of another list of treasures or encounters, it gives referees six d6 procedure tables to roll whenever a thief succeeds at class skills like Hear …
Category: Autism Spectrum Disorders
Secret Doors, Neurodivergence, and Rewarding Curiosity in Old-School Play
By Dave Kot, MS Searching for secret doors remains one of the defining rituals of dungeon-crawlinggames. A player describes how they inspect the room. Torches burn lower. Wanderingmonsters grow more likely. The Thief kneels beside suspicious stonework while the restof the party stands guard in nervous silence. Few procedures capture the tension of old-school exploration …
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Why Scripted Play Exhausts Me as an Autistic RPG Referee
by Dave Kot Charlie, Eric, and Shawn introduced me to Dungeons & Dragons in the mid-1980s. Our rural bus ride to school gave us about thirty minutes each way to play throughout the week. We used the 1983 Red Box set, and I still own my original copy. I became the referee almost immediately. I …
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EZD6 Dreadful Doomscapes Review
EZD6 continues to earn its place at my table as a reliable system for one-shots and short arcs. Dreadful Doomscapes, the newest playset expansion for Scotty McFarland’s EZD6 system, reinforces my assessment. These modern horror-genre rules do not reinvent the core engine. Gameplay refocuses encounters around something more measurable and immediate at the table: stress, …
Finding Confidence in RPG Combat: Use the Terrain Before the Dice
Tabletop roleplaying combat with miniatures and scatter terrain can feel overwhelming. New players often feel pressure to make the right move while others watch. This performance anxiety can lead to hesitation. Every option feels too risky. I suggest a simpler approach. In old-school play, success did not come from choosing the perfect action. Instead, we …
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🎨Call for Art+! Now Accepting Submissions 🌟
AFV is creating a Community Coloring and Activity Book. We want to feature YOUR creativity! The sun is out and the brisk smell of spring onions in the air tells me it's FUNDRAISING SEASON for AFV! Submit an entry for $5 Receive a book with your submission included! (You may pre-order a book to show …
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🌟Supply Drive🌟
Want to help AFV but don't have time to volunteer? Here's some ideas... Screenshot
Autistic Game Masters Already Lead
By Dave Kot, MS Running a tabletop role-playing game requires sustained judgment in uncertain situations. The Game Master responsibly paces a shared story by applying rules and maintaining social order. Autistic adults often hesitate to take on this role because current cultural narratives overvalue spontaneity and charisma. In practice, effective game mastery grows from preparation, …
EZD6 Adventure: Denial
by Dave Kot, MS Introduction I’ve spent much of my professional life thinking about grief. Like a parasite, it drains strength from people who still need to function and make life decisions. Over the last several years, I’ve become increasingly convinced that tabletop roleplaying games offer a uniquely accessible way to explore grief without forcing …
Structured Mythic Play as Community Practice
A Practice-Based Framework for Therapeutically Applied Roleplaying Games Therapeutically Applied Role-Playing (TARP) games function as structured social environments, where participants engage through known rules, a shared narrative, and collective problem-solving. My work does not claim to replace psychotherapy or clinical mental health care. Instead, TARP exists as a community-based practice that supports social participation with …
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Autism at Face Value 