#<- courtesy of gm

[evilvillain666]

Fun tip for GMs if your players's armor class is so high, you can't damage them:

[gunthermunch]

The knife flirting…

[imsobadatnicknames2]

Not an original observation but it's legitimately insane how common of a story "I don't want to run d&d 5e anymore but I'm stuck running it because it's the only thing my group will let me GM for them" is. It's fucking everywhere in any non-D&D focused ttrpg space.

Like. I think "the person who does like 90% of the work to make the game actually happen gets to pick what game we play" should be the bare minimum of courtesy towards a GM.

[ofstarsandskies]

Victor Genshin AU -- Victor's Friend

"People tend to assume with how I act towards others, especially towards Vision-holders, I am a man without a single friend. Allow to dispel that assumption: I do have one friend." And just like that, a rather confused man in what one might mistake for a uniform is wheeled out like a doll on display.

"Considering what I just heard, I don't know if I should be honored or upset that I'm your only friend because I'm the lone person you've met who fulfills every requirement." Because how low or high is a bar when the requirements are: "Don't Have/Give Up a Vision", "Don't Want a Vision", and "Don't Be Fake"?

[puckinghischier]

Spotlight

luke hughes x fem!reader

summary - reader prefers to stay out of the spotlight being luke hughes’ girlfriend brings

notes - y’all asked for luke, so luke you’ll get. i wanted to try to get out at least one more fic for you guys before my semester kicks off tomorrow. i don’t know how often i’ll be able to write once things get going, but i’m going to try my best not to completely disappear again. i don’t really like the ending of this, but i hope you enjoy it anyways. happy reading! 🫶🏼

request - “go with me?” “only if you’ll hold my hand” “take my jacket, i don’t want you catching a cold”

[2.3k]

You were someone that absolutely hated the spotlight. You hated the feeling of eyes on you, the knowledge that every move you make is being observed and analyzed.

You flew under the radar all through school, until college. You managed to become valedictorian of your program, earning a highly sought after position with a company based out of New Jersey.

The city has always brought a sense of anonymity to you that you’ve enjoyed. The ability to be a stranger everywhere you go brings a certain comfort to you.

That is, until you met one of the most well-known men in Jersey.

You first met Luke at an event your company was hosting in partnership with the Devils to present them with a hefty donation for a new practice facility. You had tried to get out of going, suit and tie events not being your typical scene, but your boss informed you that you were required to attend.

Even wearing the most plain dress you could find, you caught the attention of none other than the team’s rookie defenseman. You had tried to politely make your exit, but Luke was too intrigued by the pretty stranger in the corner.

The two of you had spent the rest of the night talking, despite the feeling of every eye on you as Luke lead you back to a table. The two of you exchanged numbers at the end of the event, Luke inviting you out to a game. He offered to give you a ticket, but you informed him that your company had rink-side season seats, courtesy of the GM after the donation.

You attended games regularly after that night, blending in the sea of red with Luke’s own Jersey on your back—another perk of the large donation— while also chatting with Luke nearly every day over text, which eventually morphed into phone calls, then facetime calls when he was on the road.

Four months after your initial meeting, Luke decided to make it official and put a label on your relationship.

You had worried about the unwanted attention that came with being a ‘WAG’ as you learned the other significant others on the team were nicknamed, but your feelings for Luke were greater than any discomfort you may experience.

Now, though, looking at the hoard of photographers that are stationed around the rink, your anxiety begins to spike a little.

“Honeybee, I promise it’ll be fine. They probably won’t even focus on us, anyways. They’ll want a few shots of me and Jack with mom and dad, but it’s likely they’ll be too busy on the guys with kids to even notice you’re with me,” Luke reassures you, crouched in front of you while tying your skates.

Today was family skate day for the team, Luke having asked you weeks ago to participate with him.

You agreed, despite your limited ability to skate, thinking it was just going to be the players and their families, no media presence. When you arrived with Luke this morning, however, and you saw the photographers trying to get pictures through the windows of Luke’s BMW, you realized you were wrong.

“I’m just nervous, Luke,” you tell him quietly. “I know if they release pictures of you with a girl during family skate it’s going to be the next big hockey gossip topic, and then it’ll feel like I’m under a microscope.”

Luke’s soft eyes look up at you, sensing the nervousness in your own.

“I know, sweet girl. But I promise, I’ll have Tom talk to the media and tell him to withhold any pictures of us together, if that makes you feel better?” he offers, picking up your now skate clad foot off of his knee and placing it on the padded floor.

You think about the offer, but realize it would still cause unwanted attention on you. You don’t want to be difficult, just invisible.

“No, I don’t want to overcomplicate things. It’s fine. Like you said, I’m sure they’ll mostly focus on everyone else,” you smile down at him, watching his own grin overtake his face.

“Well then, it’s time we finally get you acquainted with the ice. I have a feeling you’ll be seeing a lot of it in your future,” he winks, standing to his full height and holding a hand out to help you off of the bench.

He helps you walk over to the entrance to the rink, steadying you after every wobble. Once you reached the gate, you hesitate, halting your movements.

“C’mon, Honeybee. Go with me?” Luke asks you, already having stepped on the ice.

Thinking about what this means once more, and the huge step it is, no only onto the ice but in your relationship, you hesitate for only a few seconds.

“Only if you hold my hand,” you tell him, your words going deeper than just ice skating.

“Always,” he responds, tugging your hands towards him when you step onto the ice, shakily keeping your balance.

“Well, look at you, Wallflower, out here skating with the big dogs,” Jack calls out, skating up towards you and Luke.

Looking over to give him a short smile, you try to keep a majority of your attention on not falling over as Luke slowly pulls you towards him as he skates backwards.

“Figured it can’t be that hard if you do it all the time,” you tease him back, the two of you becoming close friends over the course of yours and Luke’s relationship.

Jack, as rambunctious and rowdy as he can be, is one of the people who works the hardest to keep you out of the spotlight, other than Luke, of course.

On the rare occasion you decide to tag along for team outings with Luke, Jack will act as your own personal body guard, perfectly hiding you in-between him and Luke anytime there’s a flash of a camera or a squeal of a fan.

“Oh, yeah, make fun of the professional. Let’s see you do this,” Jack makes a big show of skating backwards while swiveling, then executing a very poor jump, but still managing to land upright on his skates.

You roll your eyes at him, only glancing up for a few seconds at a time, trying to keep your eyes on your own feet.

“Alright, Jack, that’s enough showing off. Give the poor girl a break,” you hear Ellen scold her middle child as her and Jim skate over towards the three of you, hand in hand.

“Hey, she started it. I was just trying to defend myself,” he holds his hands up in surrender.

Luke guides you over to one of the short walls, allowing you to hold onto it for support for a second, giving you a break.

“Don’t act like you have to have a reason to show off, it’s just your natural state,” you tease Jack again, earning a laugh from the rest of the group.

“You got me there,” Jack doesn’t argue, shrugging his shoulders in agreement.

“Jack! Luke! Over here!” you hear a voice yell, turning to look at the photographer a few feet away from you, leaning over the wall with his camera pointed in your direction.

You feel the spike of anxiety in your chest, attempting to scoot further down the wall to separate yourself from them, but nearly losing your balance.

Luckily Luke was right there to catch you. “Hey, it’s okay. They’ll just get a few pictures of our family together and then move on,” he assures you once he makes sure you’re steady enough to be left alone.

You watch as Jack and Luke position themselves in just the right way that you’re completely hidden behind them, the added bodies of Ellen and Jim only ensuring your hidden state.

The photographer snaps a few shots of the family before giving a thumbs up, looking down to check the quality of his pictures.

You let out the breath you were holding in, sagging a bit at the relief of avoiding any unwanted attention.

“See, told you there was nothing to worry about,” Luke skates over to you again, leading you away from the wall.

“Luke! How about a shot of you and your lady!” the same photographer yells out, causing your relaxed state to turn rigid in a heartbeat.

“Nah, man. No pictures for her today. Just me and Jack,” Luke replies, skating to stand in front of you, blocking you from the camera pointed at you.

“Oh, c’mon, man. The fans will love it!” the photographer tries again, attempting to move positions to catch a glimpse of you.

“He said, no, man. Go get some shots of Cap or something. She doesn’t want her picture taken,” Jack skates up, standing in front of both you and Luke.

The photographer rolls his eyes, agitated at the loss of a good picture opportunity. “Fine, whatever,” the man huffs, turning and walking towards Nico and his family.

“Thanks, you guys,” you mumble out, embarrassed at the interaction.

“I told you, no pictures if you don’t want them,” Luke turns to face you, taking your hands in his once again, pulling you out further onto the ice.

The rest of the skate goes smoothly, no more unwanted attention from the photographers, just you and Luke and his family skating in small circles and having a good time.

Towards the end of the skate, you start bringing your gloved hands up to rub at your red nose, the chill of the ice finally getting to you.

“You cold, Honeybee?” Luke asks you, knowing how chilled you get, even when wearing layers like you were right now.

“Yeah, it’s a little chilly in here. Not that you’d know,” you tease your boyfriend, gesturing to his full set of pads and jersey he was wearing. Not to mention his tolerance for the cold anyways.

He leads the two of you over towards the benches, leaving you leaned against the wall for a second before returning with something in his hands.

“Here, take my jacket, I don’t want you catching a cold,” he tells you, draping your favorite plaid jacket of his over your shoulders.

You put your arms through the large sleeves, loving how you were now engulfed in the smell of his cologne.

Thanking him, you lean up to give him a small kiss, not caring who was watching, lost in your love for your boyfriend.

“Alright, let’s get you out of these skates and back into your normal shoes before people start filing in for warm ups. I have a game to play and you have to get to your seat so you can watch your hunky boyfriend do his manly job of hitting people and chasing a piece of rubber on ice,” he tells you, causing you to laugh at him, bringing a hand up to ruffle his curls.

After helping you remove your skates, and pouting until you give him a good luck kiss, Luke shoos you away so you can make your way to your usual seat, Jim and Ellen opting to join you at the glass rather than sitting in a box with some of the other player parents.

The boys ended up winning their game, Luke coming straight out of the locker room after the game and picking you up in a celebratory spin, claiming you have to go skating with him before every game now.

You laugh at his superstitious self, grabbing his hand and walking towards the exit of the rink with him to join the rest of the team for celebratory drinks, not wanting to bail on Luke after such a game.

Weeks later, when you see an article containing the pictures from the family skate event, you click on it and scroll through the various snapshots.

You find yourself smiling at all of the family pictures of Luke’s teammates, enjoying how happy the guys are to have their wives and kids with them on the ice.

Scrolling all the way to the end of the article, you find yourself stopping on a couple pictures in particular, the familiar pit of anxiety forming in your stomach.

The last two pictures in the article are pictures of you and Luke. The first was taken when he was zipping up the jacket he gave you, the two of you looking at each other with so much fondness you could feel the love radiating from the picture.

The second is when you were craning your neck to give Luke a small kiss, the picture captured right before your lips touched, both of you smiling at the other with the same fond look in your eyes.

Your immediate reaction should have been a level three meltdown, your picture out there with Luke, officially, in an ESPN article of all places, but you were surprisingly calm. You should have been screaming and angry, having specifically told the photographer no pictures, but you couldn’t find that anger within yourself.

The pictures showcased yours and Luke’s love for each other so well, you wanted copies of them for yourself. Suddenly you didn’t care if people knew your name, or your face. You could care less if you were front and center on every hockey gossip page in existence.

All you cared about was the amount of happiness you saw on Luke’s face in the pictures, and how deeply you felt about him.

So, when Luke called you an hour later, panicked and telling you he was in the process of getting them taken down, you told him it didn’t matter. They didn’t need to be taken down, because you didn’t care if you had to stand naked in the middle of the rink during puck drop at his next game, you just wanted people to know you loved him with every ounce of your being.

Your aversion to attention be damned, seeing these pictures made you want to scream your love for him from the rooftop of the highest building in Jersey. You were still opposed to the idea of unwanted and unnecessary attention, but decided right here that there would be no more hiding. You were going to be there for Luke in any way he wanted or needed you from here on out. And if you happened to be caught in a few pictures on the way? Well, you guess you’ll just have to get them framed.

[toskarin]

A question of curiosity - assuming you play them due to your involvement with a bunch of them, what are your favourite kinds of characters (be it mechanically or narratively) to play in TTRPGS? And do you have any associated anecdotes to go with them?

courtesy readmore

mechanically kinda depends on what's on the menu, but if it's combat-focused, I personally really enjoy characters who "deny" things

not really the kind of character who I'd ever expect a GM to put in their element on purpose (I usually make a conscious effort to remind the GM of things I'm capable of so that I don't trample on any fun setpieces) but definitely the kind of character who modifies objectives just by being in play. I also like magic-users in concept, but that's more of a flavour thing

I think that's reflected a good bit in the kind of narrative play I enjoy, too. when I make a character, I prefer to do it with the rest of the party in mind, less to make the character "compatible" and more to make them sharply contrast in ways that encourage the other characters to have moments where they can reaffirm who they are (both in narrative and out of narrative)

there's a fine balance to strike here. on one end of things, you risk yes-manning so hard that the party quickly becomes a problem solving engine with a single striking surface. on the other end of the things, you risk being The Chaotic Neutral Guy

the space in the middle there represents the characters that people often want to regularly interact with, but rarely want to play. the sort of character who isn't actively disruptive, but raises a lot of red flags when they suddenly show enthusiastic agreement for what you're doing. the kind of character you almost need a diminished sense of discomfort to play without getting in your own feelings about

I adore playing characters who are catered to find plot hooks in other players' characters and tug them just enough to pull them to the surface

most parties have characters who disagree on things that aren't easily resolved. that's always fun, but (because people courteously tend to avoid conflict) it's very rare for those conflicts to come up without GM prompting, and "create productive conflict between two characters without leaving out the rest of the characters or starting a fight between players" is often an equally uncomfortable situation for a GM

lots of fun directions to take it!

have an arc that would benefit from a character taking charge but their player doesn't feel comfortable just Doing That? it helps to have someone else try to take charge who obviously should not be allowed, just to get everyone behind the alternative

have someone with a pure heart who doesn't really get to show that in a party of players who don't want to be mean? maybe someone who's a little more morally-compromised could give them a window for explaining what they actually believe

have a character who's part of some mysterious cult that nobody else is going to find the time to look into? the party could benefit from having a nosy character to justify cracking open that backstory

GM needs to fuck something up to remind the party of how dangerous things are? why not add to the mood by showing what your often-cold character looks like when something manages to actually upset them

[WARNING: DOING ANY OF THIS WALKS THE PRECARIOUSLY THIN LINE BETWEEN BEING COMPELLING AND BEING ANNOYING]

observant readers (well, those who have followed for a while) might have noticed I periodically go on rants about the much-maligned "evil character in a good party" and how both sides of the argument represent a communication and courtesy breakdown. that also very much ties into this sort of thing. I won't go over Tolerable Villainy 101 again, but you get the idea

distilled, I like playing the sort of thoroughly worldly bastards who often end up important in their own right, but mostly on accident, by virtue of being important to what makes other characters compelling

[sydsaint]

A little taste of what's to come with our fav GM Reader and her boys. <3

Summary: GM reader flexes her hard-earned experience and the benefits that come with it to Ava at a draft meeting. But offering Ava some wisdom isn't the only thing that she's got on the agenda.

"Your boys lost the match fair and square, Pearce." You smile across the table at your fellow general manager. "Which means that Smackdown gets first dibs at the NXT roster, courtesy of Ava, of course." You turn in your chair to face Ava sitting a few seats away from you.

Ava flashes a friendly smile at you. This is her first WWE draft meeting, so she's still in the feeling-out process of everything. "I'm just happy to be here." She admits.

"And we're happy to have you here." Pearce nods. "But back to business. YN, do you have a pick from the NXT roster to kick the night off?" He turns back to you.

"I do, yes." You grin and twirl your pen in your hand before pulling open the vanilla folder in front of you. "Smackdown will be taking Carmelo Hayes as our first pick from NXT." You inform the room.

A knowing scoff escapes Pearce's lips. He taps his pen against his palm and nods at you. "Excellent choice, YN." He compliments you. "Your eye for talent never ceases to amaze me." He adds knowingly.

"What can I say, Adam? I can't help but have good taste." You laugh and wink at him playfully.

The meeting drags on for a few more hours while you and Pearce go back and forth on draft picks. Ava chimes in when one of you has a question about the NXT roster, but otherwise stays silent and soaks in all the information she can get. Ava especially keeps a keen eye on you. She aspires to be like you one day. A strong woman that commands authority and understands the inner-workings of the company like the back of your hand.

After the meeting finally comes to an end, both you and Pearce are feeling satisfied with your respective picks. The two of you shake hands and part ways until the next executive meeting or PLE show. You are just about shoot the boys a text that you're finished up with your meeting when Ava approaches.

"YN! Hey, again." Ava cracks a friendly and eager smile as she walks over to you.

"Hmm?" You glance up from your phone. "Oh, Ava! What's up, girl?" You greet her.

Ava bounces on her heels nervously and smiles at you. "Sorry to bother you." She bites the inside of her cheek. "But I was hoping that we could talk for a minute?"

"Yeah, sure." You nod and pocket your phone. "I've got some time before my date gets here."

Ava nods and the two of you move to a more comfortable spot to chat for a bit. You both take a seat out in the outdoor lounge and take advantage of the warm sun still hanging in the sky.

"You were great earlier." Ava starts the conversation. "I mean. It's so cool how you manage to control the narative when you're negotiating with Pearce." She gushes. "That's what I want."

"Thanks, Ava." You giggle at her awe of you. "You did good for your first draft meeting too." You offer her an encouraging smile. "I know you haven't been in charge of the NXT roster for long. But you seem to have a good handle on it. Your knoledge of everyone really helped Pearce and I out with our picks." You assure her.

The smile on Ava's face grows wider at your encouraging words. "Thanks, YN. That really means a lot." She blushes.

"Of course!" You nod. "You've got a bright future kid." You knock into her shoulder playfully.

You and Ava chat for a while about work. You offer her some tips about things that you had to learn the hard way in order to move up in the business. Ava soaks up the information and doesn't hesitate to ask questions, which you like.

"Hey, I actually have another question for you." Ava prepares to drop another ask on you. Not that you mind. "If you don't mind, that is." She adds.

"Ask away." You smile at her.

Ava picks at her nails for a second before nervously meeting your gaze. "Are the rumors true about you, LA Knight, Grayson Waller, and Austin Theory?" She asks you sheepishly.

A laugh falls from your lips upon hearing Ava's question. "Well it's no secret that Knight and I have a special relationship." You half-answer her. "But when it comes to Theory and Waller? Well, some things are better left to the imagination, don't you think, Ava?" You tease her and your phone buzzes in your pocket.

You take out your phone and quickly read the new message. Ava watches you curiously as you rise to your feet and pocket your phone before pulling down your sunglasses.

"You're doing great as the GM of NXT." You praise Ava one last time. "But don't ever forget that being the GM comes with it's own special perks." You grin at her as a fast-sounding car whips into the parking lot.

Ava watches you gesture for her to follow you as the luxury car sounds closer and closer. She follows you out to the front of the building where she spots the luxury car she heard now sitting still. LA Knight leans against the drivers-side door and nods to Ava when he sees her.

"You out here picking up strays now, darlin?" Knight peers at you over the rim of his aviators.

"Just giving a newbie some tips from a pro." You grin back at him. "You ready to go? The boys are starting the party without us from the text I just got from the pretty boy." You add.

Knight chuckles and walks around the car to get the door for you. "The party don't really start until you get there, sweetheart. You know that."

"Take care Ava!" You offer Ava one last wave. "Shoot me a message if you ever need anything, alright, girl?" You add.

"Yeah! Okay!" Ava nods, her eyes sparkling with awe as you dissapear into the car.

Knight walks back around the car and pulls his glasses down to get a good look at Ava. "You have a nice rest of your day, sweetheart." He shoots a wink at her before pushing his glasses back up and disapearing into the car as well.

Ava watches the car speed out of the parking lot and shakes her head. Oh yeah. She's definetly got a new role model to look up to.

In the car you laugh with Knight regarding your little display. "Oh her face was so cute." You giggle.

"She did looked pretty shocked, yeah." Knight agrees. "How'd the meeting go with Pearce?" He asks you.

You smile to yourself and look at Knight knowingly. "It went great. Smackdown is about to become the A-show again. Trust me on that, babe." You laugh to yourself. "Because I've got Carmelo Hayes in my office on Friday night. And he's all mine to work with."

"Hayes, huh?" Knight glances over at you for a brief second. "You ain't looking to add another boytoy to the roster, are you?" He asks you.

"We'll see." You shrug, plans for new rivalries and storylines already forming in your head.

[wheelsgoroundincircles]

1972 Buick Silver Arrow III

Conceived by GM styling boss Bill Mitchell, the Silver Arrow III was a dramatic reinterpretation of the production boattail Riviera introduced in 1971.

Just as the fabulous Silver Arrow I show car (read about it here) was based on the production 1963 Buick Riviera, the SIlver Arrow III was based on the production version of the third-generation boattail RIviera introduced in 1971. (There was also a Silver Arrow II based on the second-generation 1970 RIviera, but it barely saw the light of day.)  All the Silver Arrows, of course, were the creation of Bill Mitchell, the colorful boss of GM’s design studio from 1958 to 1977.

Much as he did with the Silver Arrow I, Mitchell had the Silver Arrow III extensively modified to more closely resemble its original design studio counterpart (above).  The greenhouse and rear quarter panels were reworked and the roofline was lowered to produce a sleeker, more dramatic profile. (For comparison, see our feature on the production 1971 Buick Riviera here.) Other classic Mitchell touches included wire wheels, an ensemble of six rectangular halogen headlamps across the front end, and an exquisitely detailed cockpit in silver leather with bucket seats and console.

Introduced at the 1972 Detroit Auto Show at Cobo Hall, the Silver Arrow III boasted a number of advanced features, including four-wheel disc brakes and Max Trac, an early form of electronic traction control that was offered on the production Riviera as well. Above the backlight at the trailing edge of the roof was a set of high-level warning lamps that also served as secondary directional indicators. Additional show-car touches included a fully chromed and detailed 455 CID Buick V8 under the hood.

When the Silver Arrow III appeared on show floor at Detroit, Chicago, and elsewhere in 1972, we’re not quite sure what the ultimate effect was, except perhaps to throw some shade on the more conservatively styled production Riviera. It is known that Mitchell was quite proud of the two Silver Arrows—here, below, he’s shown posing with the pair. Both Silver Arrow I and Silver Arrow III are still in existence today.   -Photos courtesy of General Motors. 

[canowhoopasshg]

This here is my own pride and joy! Best known as

COGITO ERGO BOOM

I think, therefore you explode.

This beauty here is my very own custom Monarch Chassis, courtesy of the Smith Shimano Corporation. This thing fields some of the most advanced guidance systems this side of the Long Rim PLUS the explosive ordnance to back it up. Despite its size and relative capacity for destruction, it's actually pretty quick. Being able to rapidly reposition, see over most other mechs and cover, field a wide array of high range weapons, and hack its opponents with its powerful on board computers and sensors, the Monarch makes for an excellent all-arounder run and gun mech. It's most impressive qualities are it's independently targeting Avenger Silos and its COMP/CON assisted seeking payload, a system that fires a missile at a target you can see only when it can absolutely guarantee the strike will be successful and an advanced computing algorithm that allows the Monarch to bypass all cover, armoring and resistances that it's enemies may have.

Now my Cogito is really something special. I've fitted her with some auxiliary concussion missiles of my own design, as well as a custom Smith Shimano ferrofluid paint job. She's also fitted with a good old GMS personal shield which comes in real handy (especially since the power draw starts pushing my reactor a bit which helps to fuel some other "dangerous" and "irresponsibly radioactive" personal modifications I've made to the Cogito).

As far as weapons she's fielding, We're packing a standard GMS Assault Rifle, because even with all the guided missiles in the system, sometimes all you need is a good old fashioned hail of bullets.

The next weapon is some total piece of shit I mounted before realizing that it didn't even work. Some rare piece of equipment some schmuck on the Icebreaker sold me, called it a "Verbal Gun" or something. I hooked it up with an SSC Stabilizer Mod and everything and when I took it down to the firing range to try it out, the damn thing wouldn't go off! Still looks pretty cool and had a decent camera built into the thing so I scrapped the original Monarch receptors and replaced it with that seeing as it was SSC compatible. Doesn't do anything too crazy but ever since I installed it every so often I'll get a pop up of a little guy on my hud when one of my squad mates takes a hit saying he's hungry and a button pops up to feed him some pellets. We'll whenever I press that pellet button the ferrofluid on my mech freaks the hell out and sorta... bites???? A chunk out of whoever just hit my teammate??? I've tried reaching out about it to my SSC contact but the messages never go through for some reason. Regardless, I'm gonna keep feeding him his "snicker-snacks", not just gonna let the poor little guy starve.

And last but not least. The Gandiva Missiles. Self guided rockets that lock onto anything with a computer and don't stop til they've given them a proper knock on the door if you know what I mean. I can hit anything with these bad boys, with or without my eyes closed. Each rocket is wirelessly in contact with the firing platform which is constantly sending and receiving combat data to a COMP/CON Hivemind out in the Core Worlds. In fact, I've gotten a couple messages from my sponsor contacts about some issues they've been having at the hivemind headquarters about some of their COMP/CON units getting infected with some kind of weird virus and that they suspect it may have something to do with my Gandivas in Calliope and their proximity to our unique dialect of COMP/CON (Shout out to my loyal camera man, Keith). Regardless of vocal quirks, this weapon is top of the line SSC firepower that I've been lucky enough to level at a number of Long Rim baddies.

Stay tuned for next time, where I'll be going over one of the other mechs piloted by Hell's Gate's finest.

Stay Frosty Brothbros! And remember! YOU ONLY NEED ONE ☝️😉!

[prokopetz]

The third major revision of the increasingly overwrought tabletop RPG about what if Samus Aran was secretly three to five space gerbils operating a person-sized mech suit is now up.

This is primarily an "expansions and clarifications" type update, with few major structural changes, apart from splitting scenes into multiple types and providing simplified rules for the less critical ones. Those expansions and clarifications are substantial, however, so if you're updating from the previous playtest draft I'd definitely recommend giving the changelog a once-over.

My next steps, in no particular order:

Finish the mech suit upgrades table (there are currently a couple of unfilled slots, and I'd like to bump it up to a full 18 eventually)

Provide some examples of pre-generated space gerbil roles

Discussion of campaign play (including advancement)

Discussion of playing without a GM (possibly including solo play?)

Add a bunch of big stupid random mission tables (needed for both GMless play and hypothetical solo play module)

As always, comments, criticisms, and bizarre rants are welcome. Additionally, this is probably the first major revision of the game where a full end-to-end run is feasible (at least for a one-shot), so if anyone would like to volunteer to run an actual playtest, please drop me a line!

Illustrations by @pencilbrony

Full changelog under the cut:

Space Gerbils Changelog 2023-01-08

Note: all page numbers refer to the PDF version.

Print-and-play token sheet updated with twelve additional papercraft minifigs, courtesy of @pencilbrony

Added a brief inspirational media section (p. 8) and a not-so-brief glossary (pp. 9–14)

Two new full-page illustrations by @pencilbrony (pp. 16, 28)

Added procedures for randomly selecting starting mech suit upgrades and increased number of starting upgrades to 2 (p. 21)

Added two new mech suit upgrades ("Co-pilot Protocols" and "Copy Circuit") (pp. 21–22)

Re-worked "Hyperdrive" upgrade for compatibility with revised critical success rules (below) (p. 22)

Re-worked "Well Maintained" upgrade so that it doesn't require players to keep track of how many times it's been used in each scene; all upgrades are now either "once per scene" or "once per phase" (p. 23)

Added six new proficiencies ("Bodyguard", "Fringe Science", "Machine Empathy", "Motivational Speaker", "Observant" and "Psychic") (pp. 24–26)

Re-worked "Direct Neural Interface" proficiency so that it no longer benefits from cost discounts for pushing yourself (p. 24)

Re-worked "Special Operations" proficiency to be less complicated and (somewhat) less overpowered (p. 26)

Added a note about re-naming proficiencies (p. 27)

Made starting Stress Limit more explicit (p. 27)

Revised phase flowchart to reflect simpified workflow (see below) and made it available as a separate PDF (p. 29)

Re-worked Setup Phase to allow players to choose their initial positions (p. 30)

Clarified that Extravehicular Activity task may not be performed if doing so would result in no space gerbils crewing the mech suit (p. 32)

Revised protocol descriptions (p. 34)

Added rules for multitasking (p. 35)

Clarified handling of Fallout Phase when multiple tests were made in preceding Action Phase (p. 37)

Critical success now occurs on any success where the chosen result shows doubles or better, not just double 6s; critical success and complications may now occur on same test (p. 38)

"Lost" complication re-named "Scrambled", and now disallows Reassigning in following Operations Phase (pp. 39–40)

"Delayed" complication re-named "Time Loss" (pp. 39–40)

Subsection on complications and physical threats removed and replaced with more general discussion of interpreting mixed outcomes (p. 41)

Workflow for End Phase simplified; the End Phase now always follows the Fallout Phase, and its triggers no longer depend on what happened in phases prior to the Fallout Phase (p. 42)

Clarified and expanded End Phase triggers, and included a trigger for all space gerbils Stressing Out at the same time (p. 42)

Added explicit rules for recovering Stress and conditions between scenes (p. 42)

"Hazardous" condition re-named "Unsafe" to avoid potential confusion with scene Hazards (p. 44)

Brief discussion of mission structure added to "Running the Game" (p. 47)

Scenes now divided into two types: engagements and interludes (pp. 49–59)

Re-named Mission Clock to Threat Clock (p. 49)

Expanded discussion of Obstacle traits (p. 52)

Added eight new Obstacle traits ("Barrier", "Cryptic", "Hazardous", "High Risk", "Jinxed", "Small Target", "Stressful" and "Volatile") (pp. 52–54)

"Secure" Obstacle trait re-named "Big Target" (p. 52)

"Consequence" Obstacle trait re-named "Fixed Consequence" (p. 53)

Added rules for scene Hazards (p. 55)

Added discussion of handing the end of an engagement (p. 56)

Simplified rules for handling non-critical scenes and having adventures outside the mech suit (pp. 57–59)

[disastrousfeline]

my friends (@sekiyo @sagit---taurus @lemonorangelyr @crunchy-lesbun @omaticwriting) and i ended up associating a suspicious amount of mitski with our igf campaign for some reason (several combined hours of rotation) . here's a list (which im guessing will only continue to grow as our collective brain mold grows)

a burning hill

because dreaming costs money, my dear

i'm your man

my love mine all mine <- less about the campaign and more about a specific pc (alice, crunchy-lesbun's character)

goodbye, my danish sweetheart <- kinda like just a snippet of it but shhh

heat lightning

last words of a shooting star <- also more about a specific pc i think (s'more, sekiyo's character)

a horse named cold air <- character associated with it hasn't appeared yet but gm (sekiyo) vagueposted about it so

bonus (courtesy of sagit---taurus, 9 thermidor's player):

[awindinthelantern]

RPG Encounters: Trains

Need a one-session encounter as a bridge between larger story arcs in your Call of Cthulhu game, or Steampunk- or Roaring 20s-themed DnD/RPG game, and are looking for something unconventional? Or are you just a fan of trains (aren't we all?) and are looking for a way to incorporate them into your game in a way that isn't boring for your players? Here are a few session ideas, courtesy of various works of fiction:

Baccano! The luxury express train on which your players are riding is suddenly commandeered by a group of terrorists (who boarded while masquerading as a wedding party), who take the train's passengers hostage. A prominent politician's spouse and children are aboard the train, and the terrorists hope to use them as leverage against the politician to force them to have the terrorists' leader released from jail. The terrorists have already sent their demands to the politician and are waiting for their response via radio/telegraph; if their leader is not released from jail, they will blow up the train, or blow up a bridge the train will soon pass over (GM's choice). Players must defeat the terrorists to secure the passengers' safety. Feel free to make the situation more complicated by making the terrorists freedom fighters, and the politician an asshole who's willing to sacrifice his family rather than acquiesce to the group.

The Lady Vanishes (Depending on your player group's size, this may work best if you split your players up between several compartments, or have them riding together in an open coach) In a foreign country, one or more of your players are sharing a train compartment with 3-5 strangers (six people per compartment), one of whom is a very friendly old woman from their country who makes friends with your players. This old woman accompanies your players to the dining car for lunch, and writes her name in the condensation on the window when the train's whistle drowns out their voice, but when the train passes through a tunnel and is momentarily plunged into darkness, she vanishes from the carriage. Your players will assume she went back to their compartment, but when they return to it she is not there, and the other strangers swear that there was no such woman in the compartment with them. When your players go back to the dining car to question the staff, the employees also swear there was no such woman. No one aboard recognizes the woman your players were with. When they return to their compartment, an entirely different old woman has taken the first woman's place, and the other strangers insist that she was the woman your players were with the entire time. Unknown to your players, the first old woman was a spy carrying information dangerous to the foreign country's government, and the other strangers are domestic agents sent to get rid of her before she reaches her home country. It is up to your players to find out what happened to the woman they met, and rescue her, before the train reaches its destination, and the woman is disappeared forever.

Murder on the Orient Express (This may work best if your players have already achieved some renown) Your players are riding a long-distance sleeper train which will spend one or more nights en route to its destination. On the first day aboard they are approached by a wealthy stranger with a dangerous aura, who tells them that they have been receiving threatening messages and fear for their life, and they want to hire them as bodyguards. Hint to your players that the stranger is up to no good to encourage them to decline. Either that night or the following night, the train is stopped in its tracks by a snowdrift or a rockslide, something that blocks the tracks. The following morning the wealthy passenger is discovered murdered in their cabin by their valet and the carriage porter, who break the lock on the door when they don't answer. Have your players investigate the crime scene, and leave clues that indicate that the murderer was someone aboard the train, and that someone is still aboard the train (if in winter, the window is open but there is no snow on the windowsill, and there are no footprints leading out from the window. If in a warm season, the rockfall blocked the train into a notch or on a cliffside, with no room for the assailant to escape through the window). The sleeping carriages are sealed up at night, which means the murderer is one of the passengers aboard this very coach. Have your players interrogate the passengers to determine who the culprit is.

Demon Slayer Your players board a train and settle in for a night of relaxation or boredom. Unbeknownst to everyone aboard, demonic forces are at work to commandeer the train and suck the life essence out from all of the passengers aboard to grow their own strength. Have your players discover and battle the monstrous forces lurking before they consume and kill everyone aboard. To spice things up, have your characters congregate in the lounge car after dinner, where, amid the dim lamps, several passengers make your players' acquaintances. As an icebreaker, one of the more gregarious strangers elects to tell the group of a ghostly encounter of theirs, and after them the other strangers start telling their own tales of woe or haunting. Soon after, one by one, the strangers start getting killed or injured in ways that resemble the stories they told, hinting that the monstrous evil aboard the train manifests as its victims' worst fears or trauma.

[forgeline]

Angry Smurf. Chris Smith’s “Angry Smurf” pro-touring 1970 Chevrolet Camaro was built as an in-house project at Smitty’s Custom Automotive and painted in GM’s PPG Rapid Blue. It’s powered by a 720HP Holley fuel-injected 427ci Kurt Urban LS7 mated to a Pfitzner Performance Gearboxes six-speed sequential transmission and rides on Speedtech Performance suspension, Motion Control Suspension 4-way adjustable remote-reservoir coilovers, Wilwood disc brakes, 315/30ZR18 & 335/30ZR18 BFGoodrich g-Force Rival S tires, and 18x11/18x12 Forgeline forged three piece GA3R wheels finished with Satin Black centers & Gloss Black outers! See more at: https://forgeline.com/customer-gallery/chris-smith-3

Photos by Tom LeClair courtesy of Hot Rod Magazine

[dicepunks]

Introducing Dice Punks on Tumblr!

Greetings, citizens of Tumblr!

Dice Punks is a pretty DIY actual play TTRPG podcast wherein I, most-of-the-time-GM Adam, and some of my friends play full campaigns in less well-known systems (with some interstitial one- and two-shots mixed in every now and then).

Here's an up-front link to our 2022 Halloween standalone one-shot, in case you want to cut to the chase: 0.5 – Starless – Songs of Myself

Or you can check out the beginning of Nightfall, the 54-episode campaign we just released episode 50 of; it starts with Episode 1.01 – Riotous, Quiet, if you want to check it out! The campaign is set in a world of my own design, using an unholy, quixotic, quarantine-induced combination of Greg Stolze's REIGN and Jenna Katerin Moran's Nobilis, and focuses on, essentially, demigods unionizing.

We'd be much obliged if you gave us a listen to see if our thing is your kind of thing (or maybe someone you know's kind of thing) – thanks for giving this post a look!

A little more info on us below the cut, and this sample of some of our cover arts, courtesy of @anythingsewsembroidery, who is on a few episodes and does a lot of our editing!

[pavukvaleria]

New logo alert!

Both courtesy of our Malkavian player and my lovely boyfriend @tatapnhob The new version has a bit of an Anarch vibe which I personally really like, especially since our players are all Anarch sympathizers. And it just looks cooler, more authentic. And that's the real Portland skyline!

I can't express enough how much having a catchy title and a logo for this chronicle contributed to my motivation as a GM. It really feels like I'm working on a long-term ambitious project and not just something nebulous. Coming up with a title first and foremost helped me create with more of a structure in mind and tell a coherent story (at least I hope it is).

I really appreciate my players for not only showing up to the game every other Saturday for a year and a half but also for making designs, art and stories relating to the campaign. It makes me happy to see my creation get richer lore and more inside jokes thanks to them. PPM let us bond over our shared experiences in an incredible way

[kimabutch]

New icon courtesy of @nilim (thank you Babs)! It's Aidan, my favourite rat bastard (affectionate) NPC from a game I GM. They're gay, nonbinary, a werewolf, a devious shithead, and currently kidnapped.