mapsmonstersamazing

[mapsmonstersamazing]

I love it when I peruse a new cyberpunk or post-apoc indie RPG, and in the setting lore chapter, one of the leading lights of the Resistance is randomly some sort of rock star or avant-garde musician (as one does), then months or years later I bump into an identical musician on Bandcamp or Soundcloud or whatever and discover that it's a real person the game's author knows, and they just... put their buddy into their game as a major NPC. Sometimes the game's text explicitly encourages player characters to fuck them.

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Running D&D in 2024 is like, the player community collectively convinced each other that dungeon crawls, resource management and attrition are bad, so now everyone runs games where characters can expect to get into one or two fights a day and characters are never stretched for resources, and most Reddit threads about D&D are GMs asking for help challenging their groups because of said ignoring of the resource management aspect and getting told that a good GM could make it work so obviously they must be a bad GM.

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So you have a 5e/PF2 player who is actually interested in another game. What games can you try? I think that first you need to identify what they're particularly interested in which I will cover as I go through my recs based on what speaks to players. Im gonna try to include a balance of Industry and Indie games but sometimes I won't be able to do that sometimes tbh, but I'll try.

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I have a player who enjoys the outline of those games but wish to dig into something more crunchy

• Most of Fantasy Flight's Warhammer Games (Fantasy/Sigmar/40k) dial up the crunch by a great deal. It's almost a classless system, but many of these games include Roles which inform how you're going to go about making your character. Also a fair few of these games utilise XP as a currency which is very fun. That leaves progression much more up to the players. To me the standout and most perfected of the FFG games is Second Edition of Dark Heresy, as it's the base system at it's finest. The biggest drawback is that these games are not typically setting agnostic, as a lot of the abilities are tied into the specifics of the setting. While I am not aware of one for Sci-Fi, there is Zweihander which is basically built in Warhammer Fantasy's image as well as an offshoot for dealing with rules for Flintlock Fantasy (though the creator is kinda odd from what I heard but that's neither here nor there). Also I do want to shoutout Deathwatch for making Tacticians a role that has mechanical benefits with the Command system.

• GURPS (General Use Role Playing System) is kinda the poster child of modular mechanics that anticipate some sort of gameplay loop with combat. One of the easiest systems to learn in relation to the sheer breadth of content the game can provide. There are rulebooks for so so many action oriented genres and setting types and can be linked together to make some specific ass settings. I knew a guy who made a Sci-Fi Kung Fu vs Samurai type of game using a few rule books. All rule books do follow a similar formula, but be warned that some modules end up getting dangerously close to being incompatible, so look before you leap

• Cyberpunk 2020 is my preferred cyberpunk system. It has been a long time since I last read the rules but it plays very differently and has a learning curve. Cyberpunk RED is less... esoteric (?) but feels lacking in a lot of the mechanical charm that 2020 has. Turn order is very different from an initiative systemusing a more act when you would like with essentially a turn buy that resets when all participants have expended their actions. Also 2020 features the use of Designer Drugs a lot more heavily as an alternative to Cybernetic upgrades.

I have a player who is interested in action oriented/combat game, but wants the narrative of combat to take the limelight, as well as a focus on Narrative in general.

• Orbital Blues. Maybe one of the best games I've read in awhile, both Indie and Industry. Very easy dice mechanics to learn, and does some very unique stuff. It features using HP as a Metacurrency on par with FFG's Warhammer's Fate Points. Every character has 'Troubles' and as those eat at your character, eventually something gives and then 'Trouble's Brewing'. In a fun way, this is a game that rewards some failure as the only way to progress your character is to eventually tlet those Troubles catch up. It borderline makes failure the key to progression. Additionally, it features one of the coolest death resolution mechanics I have seen which really adds some real flavor to narrative combat: The Swansong. The Swansong essentially makes your character invincible for the duration of the scene, but your character is guaranteed to die at the end.

• I'll keep this one brief, as it will appear again with a more in depth overview as it does such a damn good job of appealing to multiple types of players. Eureka has one mechanic I think that will appeal to this type of player and that is 'The Woo Roll'. The Woo Roll invokes that awesome chaos of John Woo movies where unintentional environmental damage is what makes or breaks a successful combat encounter compared to a harrowing one. More on this game later.

• I hear both FATE and Exalted are good at this but this is mostly word of mouth for me. Check them out if you are interested but I can only be but so much help for this recommendation

I have a player who wants to focus on a narrative game that does not assume combat to be a primary space for Rule Resolution (it could still be a part and even a major part but the game does not assume combat for every game)

• Kids on Bikes/Brooms is the quintessential game for this type of player. Easy and simple to learn, the game cares almost exclusively on interaction. This is definitely the game for a player who values improv skills in what they look for in playing. There's not too much to say mechanically as it is a very barebones game overall, but that is actually one of the games appeal

• Vampire the Masquerade/World of Darkness is definitely a great game for this player. It has rules for many different avenues of conflict resolution (combat is probably focused on the most out of these three games, but not assumed). It does have a baked in setting but if you want your own take on supernatural lore, I don't see any reason you couldn't outside of some assumptions about different supernatural elements. A well made party would be able to cover many different form of conflict. Really, I think most editions and variants cover this very well including VTM5 (though the lore, while improved in some ways, leaves much to be desired)

• Again, Eureka covers much of this, but I want to still get into it more later.

• A personal recommendation based on my own interests, is Play Ball! by Robin Caulfield. I just outright love Baseball tons, and spent a long time finding a sports RPG. It emulates that essence of Sports Anime very well, with a wonderfully concise system (Players only have to read like 13 pages to know all the rules that apply to them). It definitely focuses on the Student/Athlete dynamic to its advantage. If your student or personal life is tumultuous, then your performance as an athlete might be in jeopardy. It's the best sports RPG I ever read and does an amazing job of translating the feel of Baseball into an RPG. If you want something very different, this is your game.

I have a player who is interested in being a witch from the Alps rescuing cats in specifically solving situations and/or mysteries

• I could recommend Call of Cthulhu, but frankly that game focuses more on resource management at the end of the day. My real recommendation (and sorry for the excessive build up) is Eureka by @anim-ttrpgs. Im not as well versed as I'd like as I only have the August 1st 2024 release, which is not the best format as it is still in development. This game has a lot of not-neccesarily rules but still rules that can spice up any game. Im particularly a fan of the Tick system for keeping track of time in a consistent and flexible way. Similar to Orbital Blues but better as both success and failure progress the plot and characters. The combat is wild and sits comfortably on a razor's edge. The traits listed so far do a good job in defining characters and living up to more archetypes/tropes that really give it an authentic noir vibe. I can do this enough justice so just check out their blog or @sirobvious. Really, it's very good and I can't wait for the more refined version.

You have a player who just wants a better version of Modern D&D

• D&D 3/3.5 is basically like Flapjack in that so many games take direct inspiration from this edition. I would say PF1 but something about that system rubs me the wrong way and idk why. If you're really into r/3d6 character building, then these are your editions.

• D&D 4e deserves its own bullet point because despite being the odd one out, it does so much right. It really captures that heroic fantasy in a way that the rules of 5e want you to think of. The average 4e character is definitely stronger than the average 3/3.5/5e character and is the only one to properly balance Spellcasters to martials. Its main pitfall is bloat in Powers and enemy HP, which I find is relatively easy to correct for.

• I have not read any material regarding this but MCDM's Draw Steel is a game worth keeping your eye one. Matt Colville is a creator I can trust as he has genuine chops in game design and knows what he wants out of his game.

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This basically sums up my opinions on where to go from here. I'd been working on this post for months (mostly because Tumblr kept deleting and losing my drafts of this before but I finally got it out. If you have particular recommendations based on a certain archetype of player, feel free to add more as my knowledge is not infinite.

[mapsmonstersamazing]

Have you played PANIC AT THE DOJO ?

By Vel Mini

Panic at the Dojo is a tabletop game for 3-5 players set in a modern world where martial arts reigns supreme, and magic exists a little bit. All mundane personal conflicts (overdue rent, petty theft, movie opinions, and whose turn it is to wash the dishes) are decided by high level martial arts fights. People yell at each other, throw out punches, swing swords, make explosions, improvise with ladders, shout attack names, and unleash their special techniques passed down for generations. At the end of the day, someone gets what they want and everyone else has to limp home empty handed. Basically, imagine if the Jackie Chan Adventures cartoon was a documentary, and also a tactical combat focused tabletop game.

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Universes Beyond is a stupid idea, but since WotC are doing it anyway, here's what they'd do if they had any backbone:

Clive Barker's Hellraiser, making the subtext in phyrexia Domme Text, and to get a 4-hour Spice8Rack video about the Gender of it all.

Twilight, to piss off the gamer bros and because they can finally do a Vanilla Matters theme around Bella Swan.

Pride And Prejudice, since the incongruity will be funny and I want a Dark Depths functional reprint that summons a Mister Darcy With His Shirt Off token.

Achewood, because I want 'Depression' to be a keyword, I want a Mexican Magical Realism theme deck, and I want 'Rapper' and 'Pornogropher' to be creature types.

Lady Chaterly's Lover, because I want a Rhystic Studies video on the erotic card art and booster packs sold in brown paper envelopes.

Tomie, Mr Junji Ito has already done custom art for them, and I think a spot removal card called "Bizarre Psychosexual Murder-Suicide" would be funny in tournament reports.

All Quiet On The Western Front, because "make your opponent too miserable to keep playing" is already a strategy with lantern control, and the obvious escalation is actual depression.

The Rider-Waite Tarot Deck, since I think it would make a very specific type of nerd extremely angry when they inevitably get it all wrong; I bet they'd make Death a Black card and the flamewars would be beautiful.

Atlas Shrugged, so I can watch Spice8Rack spontaneously combust live on camera.

Cannibal Corpse Lyrics, because 'make your opponent to uncomfortable to keep playing' should also be a valid strategy, and I also want a Rhystic Studies video on the art.

Dungeon Bitches, because I would like them to give me money for the license please, and also to crack gamer eggs on an industrial scale.

Sponge Bob Square Pants, what do you mean they actually did this one.

Kaguya Sama: Love Is War, this one is not a joke I would buy this, and they should let me design it I have so many good ideas.

And of course:

And of course:

Yugioh.

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What I look forward to in 2025

Continuing my various projects and try not to start too many new ones

Publishing another game and training my layout skills. if I could finish a certain game, the better

So many interesting games from a lot of crowdfunding, mainly:

Interstitial

Hollows

A fools errand

Threadcutters

The Between

paint the town red...

I want to play a lot of games :

More solo games

DIE RPG

Spire/Heart

Break!!

Wildsea

Slugblaster

Stoneburner

A campaign of World Wide Wrestling

Community Radio

Here we used to fly

Yazeba's b&b

And i will try not to go crazy during Zinemonth or Zinequest

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The Fuck Funko Indie Bundle

So recently a company hired by Funko Pop issued a bogus report to the company that keeps itch.io online, and got the site taken down for a few hours.

It was a bunch of bullshit involving corporate overreach, AI, and a gut check for everyone who makes their living selling things on itch.io, including indie TTRPG creators like me and my friends.

So I put together a bundle with some other indie TTRPG makers to raise some money to help us start 2025 on the right foot. Every purchase is split evenly between us, and goes toward things that let us keep filling the world with art.

Give some money to some indies, spread the word, leave positive ratings and comments, and make living easier for people who make beautiful thoughtful art.

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We need to make $200 in the next 2 weeks to keep the studio afloat

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Fun Crafts With Dirt!!!

First, make a small hill:

Make sure it's high enough to see all of your neighbors!

Now dig a circular ditch around an area in front of your hill:

Don't forget to use that extra dirt from the ditch to make an embankment:

If you're feeling especially funky and creative you can sharpen some logs and put them on top of that embankment for a palisade:

CONGRATULATIONS! You have now made your own Motte (not the apple sauce brand, that's Mott) and Bailey castle!

Proceed to exercise your feudal authority over your neighbors at your leisure.

[mapsmonstersamazing]

This shouldn't work. But life finds a way...

More content on Patreon

[mapsmonstersamazing]

Monte Cook has a very strange and varied history as an RPG designer and writer but the best way I could sum it all up is: Monte Cook is an RPG auteur for D&D players.

[mapsmonstersamazing]

Neoclassical Geek Revival is a really weird game. While the name would make one think it's some crusty OSR game that is mostly just remixing old ideas that could not be further from the truth. It's a strange game that is in many ways very old school but is more than a simple heartbreaker (mostly because in contrast to the archetypal heartbreakers this game is clearly written with an awareness of movements and games within the hobby besides just D&D).

First of all, it's a game that is particularly interested in its own weird dice and number tricks. Dice can explode. Sometimes you're specifically looking for the maximum of a given die (for an example: if a character is out of combat for maximum of d6 rounds, marked as ?d6, it means it's checked every round by rolling a d6 and on a 6 they are no longer out). There is a dice chain where dice can "increase" or "decrease" in strength, like a d10 becoming a d12 or a d8 becoming a d6. You can INVERT dice, so a d4 becomes a d12 or a d10 becomes a d6. Besides a normal linear progression, some rules utilize a cumulative progression of 1, 3, 6, 10, 15, etc.

Then you start getting into the specifics and things are once again weird: there are classes but instead of picking one class and sticking to it you basically build your character by allocating pieces into the different classes. Level 1 characters start with three pieces of pie. You COULD allocate all three into Warrior, to make a pretty straightforward fighty type, or you might want to mix it up by adding a single piece of Bard into two pieces of Warrior for something not unlike a warlord, kinda. The number of pieces you allocate to a class also ends up affecting a specific modifier, used in a wide variety of conflicts. Warrior adds to Combat, Rogue affects Stealth, Mystic affects Occult, Bard affects Presence, and any pieces allocated to Fool (basically the class that represents someone who survives adventures based on pure luck instead of skill) affect Faith.

This is where you get one of the things that sets the game apart from most OSR games: many old school games are often based around the idea of singleton mechanics and procedures to cover specific situations. NGR rejects this in favor of a single conflict system that then gets applied to situations besides combat! It is literally what some people think of when they hear mechanics for social interaction, i.e. dealing 1d6 rhetorical damage to an opponent's argument to get them to relent, but applied to multiple different situations.

Interestingly, the game does not have hit points: all damage accrues against stats. In an argument "social damage" (called Influence) accrues against a character's Will, and once it exceeds it the character has lost the argument. But characters have a pool called Luck (which you can increase by allocating pieces to Fool) which can be used 1:1 to mitigate damage of all kinds. The game even has tricks for FORCING opponents to spend Luck, as a means to chip at their defences before targeting them with something that REALLY hurts (like insulting an opponent in a physical conflict).

The game also has no list of spells, instead just giving players the systems for making their own spells. Same with monsters in fact.

And sometimes you just get hit with a rule that makes you think "why has no other game ever done this." Like the rule for giving experience in dungeon crawl focused campaigns where each new room explored after the first is worth 10 cumulative XP. So if characters end up exploring five new rooms they get 100 XP (after the first one, 1+2+3+4 times 10).

Anyway it's a neat game, worth looking at and mining ideas from imo.

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Idea: a mangrove swamp fantasy version of Venice! The buildings are barely floating upon islands made from roots, there are tropical birds in the branches and rooftops. People ride down the canals on barges and sleek gondolas pulled by alligators and swimming snakes and giant striding herons.

A powerful faction in the city is devoted to keeping the trees healthy so the city doesn’t sink. They clash with a group of… are they meteorologists? Witches? Some of them claim to predict the weather but actually control it, while others claim to control the weather but actually use scientific methods rather than magic. People pay protection money to either the tree wardens or the storm watchers.

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Someone remind me later to write about scales of failure in game design

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Because of this post I found a random genre generator online, and now I've spent two hours researching transhumanism for a Caltrop Core game.

...I hope you're happy.

make your own TTRPG for FREE and FAST with Caltrop Core! simply go to this link and scroll down to become a game designer!

I made this d4 system as a beginner for other beginners. it ended up being useful for all levels of game designer!

[mapsmonstersamazing]

Okay, so I'm going to explain gleeblor by going back to the feeling that inspired my very first post on it:

I've been running this blog for quite a while and while I would never claim to be knowledgeable of the entire variety of RPGs out there I do consider myself more knowledgeable than the median RPG enthusiast. Now, a lot of people who end up commenting on my posts have very narrow experiences with RPGs as a medium, sometimes having literally only ever played D&D and maybe another game. And when communicating with my audience I often find myself in a situation like. Oh hell, this person thinks that D&D is the default RPG, the template on which all RPGs are based on, and the concept I am trying to explain simply does not make sense to them because they think D&D is the default.

So in the very first post I made about gleeblor it acted as a shorthand for "RPG fact that is self-evident to me but sounds bizarre to someone with a narrow experience with RPGs" and for the alienation I felt with my audience having to explain the fact that. Not all RPGs are D&D. Literally, I described it as feeling like I was an alien explaining a concept that made no sense to humans.

Anyway, things that have been gleeblor to people in my notes:

The idea that an RPG does not necessarily need to have Encounters (this is what started it all and. The incredulity people expressed at the idea that things could even happen in a game if it didn't have Encounters.)

The fact that there are textually queer RPGs out there besides just Thirsty Sword Lesbians

That a game supporting romance is not just a table issue but can in fact be a factor in the actual rules and structure of a game

That a game does not need to have an "adventuring party" structure of the player characters being united in going against adversity together

[mapsmonstersamazing]

make your own TTRPG for FREE and FAST with Caltrop Core! simply go to this link and scroll down to become a game designer!

I made this d4 system as a beginner for other beginners. it ended up being useful for all levels of game designer!