#Mythos investigation game

[legionofmyth]

Vaesen: Nordic Horror Roleplaying - Adventure Ideas

🎲 #Vaesen: Nordic Horror Roleplaying: Embark on haunting investigations, unravel dark mysteries, and confront otherworldly creatures in a chilling Nordic setting. #Horror #TTRPG #RPG #FreeLeaguePublishing #YearZeroEngine

Vaesen – [PDF]Embark on haunting investigations, unravel dark mysteries, and confront otherworldly creatures in a chilling Nordic setting with these Vaesen adventure ideas. Step into the Mythic North, a land where real myths come alive. Vaesen – Nordic Horror Roleplaying by Nils Hintze takes you on a chilling journey through a Gothic setting steeped in Nordic folklore. Encounter bloodcurdling…

[skunts-own-truth]

Hey, all! Just learned Trail of Cthulhu by Pelgranepress is getting a 2nd edition! Updated and made a bit more fresh for ease of use, with a lot of best practices worked into the game after years and years of Gumshoe play. I’ll always be attached to Gumshoe as a system, having play tested for a number of games and scenarios to come out for it over the years, and I really can’t recommend it enough!

If you’ve never heard of Trail of Cthulhu or Gumshoe, the core premise of the system is to never have a moment in-game where investigators can’t move forward in an investigation because they failed a information gathering test. In Gumshoe players always gather core clues. The fun comes from how they use those clues, and the horrors they unlock as they delve deeper into darker corners of a world they thought they knew!

If you want to give it a look, sign up for their newsletter on Backerkit! They give you a quick start PDF with a fun scenario about mysterious figures being sighted around a crashed ship.

[companionwolf]

k-cell has, in chronological order over an in-game week, done the following so far (under cut because Long):

- assured a old woman they're not cops

- witnessed a fucked up man

- lied.

- they've lied so much.

- made me go -_- at failed alertness rolls

- been lied to back by a NPC

- gotten very lucky

- squandered that luck immediately

- snooped around a man's bedroom

- STOLEN stuff from said bedroom

- LIED EVEN MORE

- failed to realize a 15 year old was bullshitting them

- LIED LIED LIED

- intimidated a cop so hard he didn't even double check their credentials

- gotten so many crit successes wtf

- told a gay freshman journalist to fuck off (politely)

- failed their fucking search rolls -_-

- continued to lie so good that no one is double checking them ie badges and that's KILLING ME DEAD EACH TIME

- made me question whether to remain them to l-cell on account of the LYING

- continued to roll so good it made me go WHAT THE FUCK out loud

- made me remember they all are high in CHA and Persuade which. Right. OK.

- passed their SAN rolls again? stop being so competent you assholes!

- GOT JUMPSCARED BY A CORPSE AND LOST THEIR SHIT (well everyone except Kai because xe are in the other room)

- punched said corpse (done by Kit)

- FLED THE FUCKING MORGUE WITHOUT . THEY DIDNT . THE CORPSE . IM LOSING IT SQUIRTLE

- decided 'we aren't going back there the mortuary assistant can deal with Whatever The Fuck that Was' via. Well. They should not have made the choice they did the way they did. Dumbasses.

- stopped at a Cane's because they ARE in Texas

- immediately gotten slapped by two emergencies at once post Cane's stop

- KILLED THE FUCKED UP MAN

- fought two more corpses lol and cleaned the morgue + burned bodies

- ate breakfast like a family <3

- went 'we're the handlers now' as they pointed at Jasper the mortuary assistant and went 'pick a K name you're stuck with us due to fuckery'

- questioned some college students

- LIED.

- SNUCK into a missing college student's dorm room

- STOLE from that dorm room

- KILLED A CAMPUS COP AND SHOT A SECOND IN THE FACE

- forgot to get rid of the camera footage in the dorm (:

- adopted another fucking Friendly unofficially (the gay college freshman journalist); their handler is going to lose it

- chopped up a corpse

- had their lovely dinner interrupted by the police who are looking for them uh oh

- got found; immediately killed the cops and then disposed of the bodies via the morgue

- preformed surgery (done by Jasper)

- lied again as is their default move

- stole more stuff

- gave each other hair cuts and dye, but only Kit managed to make a good disguise

- found out about the tunnels under the college campus

- BROKE into the tunnels

- trespassed into another missing student's dorm room and stole things from there

- HACKED THE DORM SURVEILLANCE SECURITY SYSTEM (THEYRE IN)

- didn't realize the tunnels connect to the sewers, ended up making a dramatic exit from the campus

- RAN OVER A COP (dead cop #: 5)

- entered the sewers

- nearly shot the Friendly named Kaden down there in the face (done by Kara)

- gotten judged for having shitty disguises by Kelsey, Kaden's partner

- learned more of my garbage lore of this game from the friendlies

- bickered AGAIN despite all circumstances because of course

- decided to stay with the friendlies ('in the sewers?' it's complicated but yeah)

- gotten new disguises by Kelsey, who didn't fail a SINGLE FUCKING ROLL

- gotten told they're being idiots

- checked out a green box Kelsey told them about and found some shit

- uses rock paper scissors as a way to make a choice again -_-

- stayed up drinking because fuck it

- made me scream because I realized they're not as fucked as I thought

- REGRETTED THE DRINKING

- lied. I wish I wasn't surprised by this

- made some plans that may backfire

- hung around and watched a sports game and drank a little more

- finally headed out to do their shit -_-

- made me consider renaming them to l-cell again, but because they're lucky bastards (station visit went amazing)

- examined all the stolen stuff finally

- tried to study sigils in a notebook they'd stolen and lost 5+ SAN at once (Katersky); immediately just lost it

- visited the other green box

- learned how to get into the Location, with caveats and warnings

- emulated this gif

- met a friendly named Everrett, who's got a strange agent recuperating in his house

- learned that the agent is called York, and he's had a Fucking Bad Time

- got told that any survivors in that place he was stuck in, they're not people anymore, not really

- which begs the question: is that why August was like that? what about the other returned missing persons? what about York? Kaden and Kelsey?

- all I say is (:

- made me realize I've given them too much stuff by way of physical items, but in my defense I did take away their insane luck via no opposed rolls

- prepared themselves to lie even more

- had a nice moment to chill + watched the local news for a while

- gotten more advice from Kaden and Kelsey about surviving the Location

- learned about the Caldwells

- gone to the bar to talk to the college explorer's club members

- failed at practicing how to draw sigils (Katersky)

- bought a round of drinks for the club as a show of goodwill (or something)

- realized HEY THAT MAP IS OURS (Kaden and Kelsey)

- verbally fought with the explorer's club advising professor Martha (Kaden)

- did laundry

- had a little moment with the notebook (Katersky + Koda)

- regrouped and discussed the fuckery

- split up again, this time to talk to suspects in the missing persons cases

- found some evidence for one of the suspects involvement

- LIED LIED LIED

- LIED SOME MORE FT BREACH OF JOURNALISTIC ETHICS

- made Katersky do his fucking homework

- successfully got access to the returned people's support group

- got attacked physically at support group and things escalated very fast

- made some choices re the above that ultimately got one of the agents (Kit) killed and two others (Kai + Kara) taken by the police

- did in fact kill ANOTHER police officer during the above also; can you guys fucking STOP THAT SHIT PLEASE

- met R-Cell and immediately made those agents go 'what the Actual fuck'

- learned how to create gravitic warps (Koda)

Basically, the current TLDR is:

(Guy with pizza is all of R-Cell in unison)

[stressfulsloth]

I've seen a couple of takes about Disco Elysium being copaganda going around recently, and beyond the fact that DE is relentlessly critical of the police force in general and makes explicit reference to the failures of the system that allow the officers in game to abuse their power, I also think it's important to note that there very literally is an in-world version of copaganda that the writers of the game use to parody that romanticised view of the brutality of policing. The RCM at their inception were structurally inspired by in-world copaganda- their culture, their "fashions, even weapon preferences, borrow heavily from classic Vespertine cop shows." Every investigation is it's own little drama, every officer imagining themselves to be the bad-ass hero of their own crime serial. Detectives name their cases like they're naming episodes of a TV series in a "robust but literary system"; a title that "draws inspiration from snoop fiction and Vespertine cop show staples". They give themselves nicknames to sound like cool, suave fictional officers- Ace, Dick Mullen, etc.- from the cool, suave world of copaganda.

The legend of the RCM's inception, the "point of contention" over its uncertain origins, is even an extention of that; the whole organisation is shrouded in this self-fictionalising mythos that allows for distance that in turn obfuscates much of its violence to the officers that participate in it. They get to convince themselves that they're not abusing their power; they're the hero of the story! The dichotomy of "good guy" taking out the "baddies," a manifestation of the libertarian fantasy of the "good guy with a gun" who does what it takes, just like in Annette's detective novels, and at the same time who rails against oversight bodies like Internal Affairs/'the rat squad' because due process slows down the immediate satisfaction of Swift Justice, despite Internal Affairs existing to protect the citizens from overreach on behalf of the police. "Wanton brutality" from police in their real world is a cold bitter reality but Dick Mullen was "made to crack skulls," "bend the rules and solve cases no one else can," and which version of that story is more comforting to the overworked, underfunded officers of the RCM?

The level of fantasy and detachment required for the cops to still see themselves as the good guys after everything that they do in the line of duty mimics The Pigs and her breakdown too; she parallels Harry so clearly. Both "did right by the kids" in the past, hoping for a better future- Marianne (The Pigs) by looking out for Titus and the Hardy boys when they were young, Harry in his role as a gym teacher. Both abandoned and left behind by the system that the RCM uphold- a brutal capitalist landscape with no safety nets. Both turning the source of their trauma into a costume, a performance, a shield, shaped by "radio waves and cop shows." The Pigs uses RCM items scavenged from the Esperance where they'd been thrown away, while Harry uses the Dick Mullen hat that Annette gives him but both are essentially in costume.

Harry identifies himself with the fictional detective as a kind of wish fulfilment; Dick Mullen is "wicked smart." He doesn't fuck up his cases and when he's sad it's not pathetic; it's effortlessly cool brooding and everyone sympathises. Everyone loves him. His violence- "skull crack[ing]"- is justified because he's a "good guy" enacting that violence against the victims of police brutality sorry "bad guys". He doesn't ever face repercussions; "Dick Mullen won't be sent to the clink for the sake of some legal niceties!" So if Harry is Dick Mullen then his failures, his breakdown, they're all just a part of being a "bad-ass, on-the-edge disco cop." He's not wrong, he's a hero! This idealised fictionalised idea of the police force, this "new, sadly better, reality" that both Harry and The Pigs cling to is "escapist stuff," "receed[ing] into a ludicrous fantasy world," so far removed from the brutal material reality that they're in.

My point is, idk. Disco Elysium is so far from being copaganda. It is a multi-million word long dissection of it, of the purpose of policing, of state sanctioned violence and its interaction with capital and the fallout experienced within the wider community as well as the trauma cycle created for individual officers. A dissection of how copaganda interacts with RCM culture and perception, and by extension how we interact with irl perceptions of police through that lens.

[theresattrpgforthat]

Do you have any games that involve urban fantasy with less focus on fighting than something like Dresden or Shadowrun?

THEME: Urban Fantasy (Minimal Fighting)

Hello there! What I've got here is quite a mix, I wasn't sure how much violence you wanted (or didn't want) so I have a little bit of romance, a little bit of nostalgia, and a little bit of horror!

City of Mist, by Son of Oak Games.

City of Mist is a role-playing game of film-noir investigation and super-powered action. It is set in a modern metropolis rife with crime, conspiracies, and mysteries. The protagonists are Rifts, ordinary people who became the living embodiment of a legend, their Mythos. While your Rifts may seek to strike a balance between the mysterious nature of their Mythos and their mortal aspirations, the powers within them always threaten to tear their lives apart. They have unwittingly become a part of a secret world of clashing stories, and soon other legends will come looking for them with demands.

City of Mist is a combination of PbtA and FATE, giving your characters descriptive tags to use for both their benefit and their detriment as they go about solving mysteries in a supernaturally-saturated city. The primary theme of the game is mystery, and thus more than anything your characters will be primed for investigation. That’s not to say that there isn’t violence - but violence and fighting can be de-emphasized if the group is more interested in the mystery side of things.

Character Creation involves a combination of mundane and supernatural themes, as your character is endeavouring to strike a balance with the parts of themselves that they recognize (student, parent, office worker, ex-partner) and the parts of themselves that are hard to understand (mythical beast, deity, folktale, urban legend). What’s important to define is your daily routine, your personality, and what kind of supernatural powers you have.

This game isn’t explicitly anti-violent, but it absolutely provides you with ways to solve problems that aren’t violent, so I think City of Mist is worth checking out.

Scary Monsters & Nice Sprites, by Pammu.

Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites is a narrative RPG about spending your night in one of the only clubs in your city that’s safe for creatures of the night like yourself. All you want to do is have some fun just like the humans do. Play a supernatural creature of choice, put some sick EDM on the speakers and get your game on!

This game works best for an even number of players, up to 6, and is GM-less. It combines urban monsters with flirting, dark clubs and hookups. Each of your characters will look for a partner by doing things that will appeal to the other players. If they like what you do, they’ll reward you with tokens, which you can spend to improve the atmosphere of the club. Fill another player’s intimacy meter, you’ve won them over, and the two of you decide how the night ends for both of your characters.

If you want a game about flirting and the magic of a nightclub, this is your game.

The Far Roofs, by Jenna Katerin Moran.

The Far Roofs is an original role playing system and bundled campaign using pens or pencils, paper, six-sided dice, ten-sided dice, playing cards, and a bag of letter tiles. It's complete in one volume: with this one book and the equipment above, you'll have everything you need to play. 

As the story progresses, your characters will gain access to over 150 unique, narrative-focused powers developed and refined over the course of a decade for the Chuubo's Marvelous Wish-Granting Engine RPG before being simplified and adapted for use herein.

The Far Roofs is still being Kickstarted, but Moran’s work on Chuubo’s Wish-Granting Engine produced a game that emphasizes wonder and emotional experience. The Far Roofs looks to deliver along the same lines, and the examples of play point towards investigation, social interaction, and magic powers. Jenna Moran is also known for her unique and evocative storytelling in her work, so I think it’s definitely worth checking out.

Lighthearted, by Kurt & Kate Potts.

Welcome to the magical 80s dream world of Lighthearted. You are a Prep, Jock, Geek, Rebel, or Outcast, like those kids in The Breakfast Club, except you are just about to start magic community college. Through play, we'll explore how you grow out of your high school cliques all while dealing with magical mishaps, college parties, vampires, and worse—finals!

Lighthearted is a complete tabletop roleplaying game that uses the language of film and television to reimagine the coming of age stories popular in 80s teen movies like Weird Science and Sixteen Candles, but with a modern fantasy spin. It's set in an alternate 1980s with fantasy elements weaved into the most outlandish bits of 80’s pop culture. There are fantasy religions mixed in with mall culture, dark magic cold wars, and magical glamours instead of plastic surgery.

This is a game of magic and coming-of-age, as you play first-year students at a magical community college. You’re off to the big city, and the big world - will you survive your first college party? Your first vampire?

The whole game feels like the neon lights of a vibrant night-life combined with the nostalgia of an 80’s film. Your magic is attached to how you feel, so as your emotions change, so will your effectiveness at certain actions. If you want a game that’s as light as its name, and you are seeking out rosy-tinted nostalgia, this might be your game.

Changeling: the Lost, by Onyx Path.

Once upon a time, they took you from your home. They promised you a place at their side, and meaning in your life, and they surrounded you with beautiful things. But the beautiful things were oh so sharp, and they laughed when you bled.

Day by day, they changed you. But day by day, your will grew stronger. On the last day, you smashed your way through the beautiful things and ran, not noticing as you bled or feeling as you cried.

You fought with courage and cleverness and took yourself home. Now the beauty and the horror are yours, to have and to hold and to live.

Welcome to once upon right fucking now.

So I’m familiar only with the 1st edition of Changeling, but as far as I understand, the setting and core premise of the game is the same in the 2nd edition. Changeling: the Lost is a game of fairy trauma. Your characters are survivors of a fae horrorscape, a place both wondrous and terrifying all at once. This game is solidly in the horror genre, but it contains within it a taste of the magical, and it’s also the reason I got into roleplaying in the first place.

As in many Chronicles of Darkness games, fighting is an option in here, but it’s not a wise option. Getting into fights pulls at your characters’ ability to understand the difference between our world and the world of Fae, it’s very easy to sustain supernatural damage that is hard to heal, and, well, sometimes it’s hard to tell who your real enemies are in the first place.

I’d say that Changeling is more of a political game than anything else. Your characters will have to dance through the highly literal wording of faerie pledges, and untangle difficult relationships between Courts that are both safe havens and potential beds of sedition. This is a violent game, but much of the violence possible in Changeling isn’t physical - it's emotional.

This Night On The Rooftops, by C.M. Ruebsaat.

This is a game about gazing out over the smokestacks after dark, with the wind in your hair and a friend at your side and a thousand lights of progress on the streets below. 

This Night on the Rooftops is a collaborative storytelling game for 2-5 players about friendship, growing up, and revolution. You will play members of a gang of children in The City, a fantastic world of industry and dying magic, where witches labour alongside factory-workers to make ends meet.

This game looks slightly less modern, but it takes the fantasy aspect of witchcraft and places it inside an industrial city. The game uses a modified version of the No Dice No Masters rule set, which is excellent for stories that have an ebb and flow to them, managed through the use of token expenditure. This game is also GM-less, giving everyone at the table the same amount of control over what happens next.

Since the characters are a gang of teenage witches looking to make ends meet, this game doesn’t strike me as one that prioritizes fighting or violence. The city looks big enough to grind up the characters if they’re not careful, so they’ll likely have to find solutions to problems that don’t get them (or their dependants) in trouble. If the game is like other No Dice No Masters games that I’m familiar with, the group will also have a big say over which elements of the city are the most intriguing to them.

Partners: The Urban Fantasy File, by Tin Star Games.

Some murders are just elf defence…

Vampires are real, magic is real, elves are real - and murder is still very very real. This expansion takes you and your Partner down the moonlit streets of urban fantasy, where the dead sometimes get back up again but crime is still a mystery needing two heads to solve.

The base game for this, Partners, is a two-player mystery-solving game about a pair of detectives, a straight-shooter and a wildcard. You’ll need the base rules to play, but this supplement brings in dead elves, suspicious vampires, and other common characters in any urban fantasy genre. It can work as a one-shot, or as a series of episodes. If you want a game that's primarily about solving a mystery more than anything else, this is is for you.

Solacebound, by Sascha Moore.

Young monsters played at the boundary between the worlds. They slipped and stranded in a human city. Isolated and unwelcome, they search for each others help and a way back.

Solacebound is a GM-less Game for 3-5 people to play over a few hours. Search a sprawling, oppressive city for your friends, find out who is willing to give you a roof, bash back against authorities, cook together and console each other. Will you find a way back home before all passages close?

You are teenage monsters trying to find their way through an urban environment, in a place that is hostile to them. You survive by hiding out, finding each-other, and do things together to make sure you keep each-other healthy. Cards from a deck act as resources, but also as an oracle to help you describe the fallout of any given action, and the emotions that are attached to it. This is a game about metaphors, about what it is like to live in a place that fears you, so I definitely recommend making sure the entire table knows what this is about before starting a game.

You Might Also Want to Check Out

Subway Runners, by Gem Room Games.

[haveyouplayedthisttrpg]

Have you played MARVELS AND PRODIGIES ?

By Samantha Hancox-Li

Marvels and Prodigies is a game of contemporary Lovecraftian horror. It is intended for players who want the classic experience of investigation and horror, but who also want the possibility of exploring deeper into the Mythos—the possibility of themselves becoming dread sorcerers, ecstatic cultists, blessed avatars.

[thenoeyebunnynobunsusmaingallery]

I forget that I clean my page and delete these designs. Anyway, we have Osana redesign here. The Trio is complete.

Anyway let me tell the whole new story I made for this game if you would like.

[Scarlet Blossom Secret] : Yandere Simulator Concept redesign

"There was an accident that lead to the death of the student. Could is really be an accident?"

The story about the young investigator, Tora Yamada, who is still a high school student. He has met a strange accident in his school which has many questions for him.

"There is no way it could be an accident... " That's what he believe and it leads him to discover the horrible truth behind his school.

I prefer the Mystery/ Suspense genre to present this series. Maybe because I draw too much Cthulhu Mythos and Lovecraftian stuff? (Because there is the investigator as the main character) Perhaps I was into Hannibal Series when I work on this?

Spoiled : Tora and Aya' relationship is like Hannibal Lector and Will Graham from the series.

As I said it is a whole new story. Tora is the young investigator, he works with his uncle who is the detective and wish to be like him. (I still not sure how to present his family's story, but I think he lived with his uncle and his sister.) He is also a smart student in the school which people seem to look up to him.

Aya is the new name for Yandere Chan. I do like her name, Ayano, but Aya sounds like a nickname for her. She is like Tora, who is a smart student and people look up to her, but she is so shy, and not that social. Unlike the original, Aya is Tora and Osana' friend, they are in the same class and enjoy spend their time together. Although she secretly has a crush on Tora, she still pretend to be normal when she is around him and Osana.

The truth is, Aya was the culprit of the accident that Tora investigates. she loves to see Tora try to find out the truth and wonder if he is going to reach her one day. So she manipulated people (The love rivals) to commit a crime and sometime she pretends to help Tora find the truth.

Now for Osana. She is Tora's childhood friend and also his helper for his investigation in the school to find the news or rumors. She appeared to be out going and friendly to everyone, so people loves her. However, she is not as good as Tora or Aya in the study, so she needs their help for that. She can be bossy sometime because she worried about Tora who doesn't care about himself.

Osana closed with Aya because they are girl after all. But it also made her being manipulated by Aya sometime later.

That's all for them now.

Thank you for reading until the end.

[zapperman26]

Player's 8-Step Guide to Character Creation and Roleplaying

Being a player in any Tabletop role-playing game (TTRRG) comes with an immediate hurdle: making your character! Choosing your character options and rolling up stats is easy; Deciding on the type of person, attitude, goals, backstory, etc., and how all that will play out when role-playing is more challenging. Coming up with a unique character in which you intend to roleplay, most likely for extended durations, is never easy and can leave one wondering where to start. To help new and old role-playing game players, here is a ten-step guide to help craft your characters into purposeful, meaningful, and enjoyable additions to any campaign!

Step 1: Understand What Kind of Game You Are Playing

An excellent place to start is understanding the game and campaign you are making a character (or Importing an existing one) about!

At the most basic level, understanding and reading up on the TTRPG system you will be playing should be your starting point. It allows you to understand the options to craft your character(s) and grasp how the game will be viewed and played.

 For example, Dungeons and Dragons, even in campaigns where combat is less the focus, is constructed with it in mind down to its very bones; every class features extensive combat abilities and utilities  (even the most support-focused like Bard or Artificer), and that, naturally, would steer players to design their characters with that expectation in mind: battle. 

In contrast, Call of Cthulhu, a horror RPG system based on the HP Lovecraft Mythos, is built around social interaction, research, and the player's insignificance in the face of the unknown. Most player options are more specific and modern, with skills like accounting, psychology, and occultism that point more towards a game of investigation, attempting to outwit, outrun, and outlive the Lovecraftian horrors, with combat only as a last resort. 

A character made for one system, like D&D, will, most likely, be very different than a character created in another, like CoC, due to what said systems focus on as a game, one being more combat-focused and the other more roleplaying-focused. 

That is not to say a person can’t make a character that goes against or actively breaks the mold of the system present, but intentionality is vital. To intentionally break the rules in a way that works requires a firm understanding of what got broken in the first place. Such as playing a Warlock in D&D with Intelligence as their casting ability instead of Charisma or having Cthulhu Mythos skill points at a starting level in Call of Cthulhu. With all that in mind, establishing a firm grasp of the system you intend to play allows the character(s) you make to have the most options available and provides a better experience of how it fits (or breaks) within the game’s system. 

Once you know how to play the game(s), what the Game Master (GM) intends for you in the campaign comes next!

Step 2: Collaborate with Your Game Master and Players

Knowing the system of the game you are playing is the first hurdle; after that, knowing what kind of campaign your Game Master has in mind for you all and how your fellow players intend to interact with it is what you should learn next.

A campaign, in its length, in-house rules, setting, themes, worldbuilding, etc., is as essential to consider when constructing your character as the system rules. Every GM will have varying levels of customized elements for their campaign, no matter how inflexible the game system is. They could use a custom gameplay mechanic, setting, or even rules, so getting a good grasp of those changes and the base game (as discussed earlier) is the recipe for success when making your character at the most foundational level. It also never hurts to allow your GM to give feedback on your character to help fit into the campaign as best you can.

The relationship between GM and player(s) should always be open and receptive to what all parties can get from the games they play together. An excellent way to make that happen is collaborating with the GM during the process of coming up with and creating your character. You can make sure your ideas are both acceptable and fit in with the campaign, but also give your GM feedback on story ideas for your character and try to weave your backstory into the narrative they plan. Whatever a GM decides to help you with during character creation, your working together should ideally enhance your involvement in the campaign with your fellow players. Players whom you should also work alongside when making your characters.

Your fellow players are undoubtedly in the same boat as you, trying to develop a fun character as best they can, so why not work together? Your mileage will vary on how far you can take potential collaboration: it can be as simple as all mutually choosing unique character options and roles for a more balanced group of PCs or go as far as all to create backstories that feature each other somehow! In any case, working with your fellow players can offer much extra value for your mutual enjoyment of the game!

Naturally, this step works best for a campaign with friends or family who are easy to approach and collaborate with. Plenty of campaigns you might play will be with total strangers, but that should not stop you from trying to understand the GM's expectations (and how to meet them) going in or even trying to bounce an idea or two off a fellow player(s). 

Where do you go from here, now that you know the rules and have insights from the GM and fellow Players? It is finally time to roll your character up! 

Step 3: Roll Up Your Character!

Past all those rules, collaborations, and planning, it's time to roll up the stats and write down your character's abilities!

When and how you go about this will vary depending on how your GM wants it done. Sometimes, it's okay to roll up your character independently; some prefer to do it in a Session Zero or even a private  one-on-one, but you need to roll up your character to play!

It might seem like a know-brainer step that does not require a guide to tell, which is not wrong, but what choices and options you take should be done with seriousness. At its core, it is a game, and you should always pick what you want to play, but it is also the basis of your character. 

The stats, skills, powers, etc., you give your character will be the basis on which you interact with the game and express your PC. The following steps will go over not just how to make the best of your choices when you first roll them up but also how to make the best of what you don’t have available to you and when it's best to leave intentional gaps in your character. 

The first place to start is to see how your stats and skills can inform how you write and express your character in roleplaying. 

Step 4: Play Into Your Strengths, Embrace Your Weaknesses

Most Tabletop roleplaying games come with a collection of statistics, abilities, and skills (be they random or actively decided on), and those choices will make up the foundation of your characters in some way or another, so lean into it during roleplay.

 A typical example of character statistics is the classic six RPG attributes: Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Wisdom, Intelligence, and Charisma, with one or more thrown in depending on the game (if not the names changed around), but these are relatively ubiquitous and easy to translate into your character’s backstory and how they roleplay. 

For example, suppose you're playing a Fighter in D&D who leans heavily into physical attributes (Strength, Dexterity, Constitution) but lacks the remaining mental attributes. In that case, you can easily write them and roleplay them as a “brain over brown” dullard with little going on in their heads. The inverse of that example, the stat block could be a Wizard, a scrawny intellectual with a big personality, but could get knocked over by a hamster if they got in a fistfight. These are two examples on the extreme ends of the spectrum, but they represent how you can express yourself by how your character’s stats ended up. 

Your stats (and how you play them in roleplaying) also roll into the class/profession/role(s) you pick for your character, be them fantasy classics (wizard, paladin, bard), more modern professions (investigator, artist, athlete), or futuristic roles (starship pilot, mad scientist, cyborg), you can then add your stats into the equation to make something exceptional!

 You could make a good-natured musician with little brains but a charismatic presence and strong body, an anti-social investigator with a sharp mind and mean right hook, or a brilliant mad scientist with incredible stage presence but little athletic talent. The statistics and the class you pick go hand in hand, so make something fun with them!

There also exist plenty of systems that don’t use the attributes mentioned above or express them way differently (EX: Slayers, Shadowrun, Cyberpunk Red, etc.), but depending on how the statistics and player options operate, the above advice should still be just as applicable despite the differences. 

In short, using the statistics and skills you are best and worst at to their fullest, in conjunction with The type of character role you are playing, is a surefire way to make a unique and fun character! 

Of course, when coming up with something “unique,” it never hurts to get inspired, especially from your favorite media!

Step 5: Don’t Be Afraid To Be Inspired

Nothing is 100% original, and you should not place the expectation on yourself that your character(s) have to be either! A crucial part of the creative process is taking what you like most from other art/media and slowly evolving it into something that fits your style, and your characters should also be something like that. 

Do you have a favorite protagonist in a fantasy series, like Harry Potter or Geralt of Rivia, that you like and want to try and make your spin on for your character in D&D? Go for it! Make a wizard who is the chosen one of a prophecy from a wizard school or a blood hunter with sorted affairs with sorceresses! Do you want a tragic backstory where your father is secretly the evil enforcer of an evil space empire, like Star Wars? Go for it! It might seem like stealing or unoriginal, but realistically, none of these character ideas or story beats will be 100% replicable and change almost immediately when put into practice. No matter how derivative, these concepts you place upon your character(s) will get filtered through your tastes, roleplaying sensibilities, and the campaign setting, then swiftly morph into something wholly new and, ideally, you as a result!

Inspiration is always the starting point for any great idea. Never feel bad or fake for trying to make something just because it resembles something that came before. You can always do whatever you can to make the details that matter, big and small, something different until it becomes something new. 

You do not need to fill in every little detail or use every possible change at the onset; sometimes, it is better to leave some gaps open so you and your character can grow as you play the game. 

Step 6: Allow For Improv and Intentionality in Roleplaying

Improv is one of the core elements of all roleplaying games, so lean into it! Any player can relate to having to come up with some stray character detail, quirk, or backstory element on the fly, and, quite frankly, it is something you should aim for when making your character(s). 

A roleplaying character is not the same as a main character in a novel; it does not require complete intentionality of actions and a slew of backstories to back that up. What matters most is enough details to make your roleplaying meaningful and engaging in the campaign. 

The amount of detail can range from (contradicting what was said above) a long-winded backstory you put countless hours into or half a page of bullet points you fill in the blanks for as you play. It varies from person to person what they feel constitutes a backstory worth using for proper roleplay, and there is no wrong answer, but what matters is the ability to be flexible with it and allow for improvisation. No backstory, no matter how well thought out and intricate, will have covered everything that might come up (EX: You wrote a 30-page backstory for your warrior where his family died and he was drafted to be a child soldier but did not write down what his favorite kind of pastry was when you encounter a baker who asks), and that is okay! Make it up! Live in the moment of roleplaying!! That is exactly how these games are meant to be played and, quite often, allow for organic expansions on the characters, making them even more fun to play!

Conversely, having details thought up for your character that you actively seek to use with intentionality never hurts. A character that is, frankly, just a pile of statistics and items with no backstory that you play with at the whims of what is directly in front of you is not a roleplaying character. That description would be the best fit for an storyless avatar in a video game like World of Warcraft, tacitly involved in an overarching narrative but not truly a participant in a meaningful capacity. Stats are not enough. It takes some measure of personal connection, stakes, and investment in the conflict(s), world, and NPCs to make a roleplaying character something that is both real and active in the campaign. 

Circling back to “just write the exact amount of backstory you feel is most comfortable,” at least some elements you can navigate your character would be the play. The backstory elements can be as simple as, for example, when a mad scientist character got their start in their profession, some friends and enemies they have (described in single sentence blurbs), and an assortment of topics they are interested in and have opinions on which they prattle on when prompted. That is not a lot, but it is enough to have some connection to how the campaign unfolds, as the GM, ideally, can either use those details to make the character feel involved in the plot or at least collaborate with you to make it work for how the campaign is unfolding.

Improvisation and intentionality, as it pertains to a Roleplaying character in a TTRPG, is a tightrope walk. You need to keep a good balance on just enough details to make the path more meaningful and structured but enough slack to have fun with it as you move forward. 

You are, ultimately, playing someone you want to keep moving forward and have fun with matters most for your character. So, make a character you want to play above all else!

Step 7: Make A Character You Want to Play and Be Played With

In a game, you, shocker, want to play something you enjoy! It is the same for a TTRPG character, in their gameplay elements, story, and how you interact with fellow players and vice versa. You should always be conscious of that fact from the moment you roll up a character to the end of a campaign.

At the most basic level, selecting your character’s classes/professions/skills, whatever the game may allow you to choose, you should go for something you would personally enjoy. You might not know if the choices you made to play with were a good fit, so try to change them if you can! Any good GM will allow some wiggle room to change or even replace your character if given a good enough reason. Do not be afraid to communicate your needs in the gameplay of a TTRPG. The gameplay is half the battle; the story is the next, and you can also have some say. 

No matter what sort of system or campaign you are in, you (as your character) still engage with it and should steer things in the direction you enjoy most. It is not uncommon for a campaign to go in a direction or two you might not like, for example, an NPC from your character’s backstory represented in a way you don’t like or NSFW elements becoming more commonplace, and in those instances do not be afraid to speak up! Talk with your GM and fellow players and either make sure the game going forward steers clear of the things you might not have been okay with or at least tone it down to help your overall enjoyment. Roleplaying games are a group activity, and everyone’s thoughts and opinions should have weight when deciding how things play out. A fact that you should also be cognizant of with how you play.

While championing sticking up for what you enjoy and avoiding what you don’t, the above paragraph is not a license to disregard what your fellow players and GM like. Remember, it is a group game, and EVERYONE has a valid voice in the proceedings; ergo, you must consider how you present yourself through your actions. Suppose you are roleplaying or making decisions actively detracting from everyone else's fun or bringing forth elements (like the ones in the previous example). In that case, you should be open to hearing them out and changing your approach to playing, just like how you’d want them to do the same.

In short, TTRPGs are about having fun, and you must do what you can to facilitate that and not hinder your fellow player’s fun in the process. 

Step 8: Have Fun!

As we just went over, playing a TTRPG is all about fun, and, for a player, that starts with the character you play. These steps and tricks aim to make creating a player character and roleplaying them much more straightforward and ( ideally) fun by giving you some good tips and tricks to clarify the process.

Conceiving a roleplaying character, one you intend to put your heart and soul into, takes time and effort. It requires a firm grasp of the rules you intend to play and some help from your GM and fellow players. You also need to embrace what you have and make the best of what you don’t, using what you are passionate about to give it life and being sure to behave like you’d want your fellow players to act. All of which, while daunting, can be done after using this guide!

Ideally, by reading this guide, the creation and execution of your roleplaying game characters will be all the more manageable, and your TTRPG experiences will be all the more memorable for it!

[bubbleteycosplay]

What ifs Sigyn's stories

Part 27

So many different universes, so many different possibilities. And in some loves Sigyn and their different stories. Pictures and brief information have been written about some of these possibilities.

But what is her full story, we don't know. But we can spin them further in our thoughts ^^

The whole project here serves to show the possibilities and potential that Sigyn would have had within the Marvel Universe. How she could have been reintroduced, her story made new and more exciting. #JusticeForSigyn stands for creating Sigyn content because Marvel doesn't give us any.

Inspired by @fauna-and-mythos @dailylogyn @dank-art @jonquilclegane @sigynoffidelity @sigynthevictorious @thewitchysystem @shenanigans-and-imagines @timeladyjamie @therese-lokidottir @puckwritesstuff @sigynappreciation @sigyn-obsessed @ellecaterina @roruna

You will love me (AU)

Everything is going well for veterinarian Loki Odinson: he is successful in his career and has just gotten engaged to the beautiful Amora. But Loki catches Amora with his older brother Thor at his best friend's wedding. He breaks off the engagement and throws Amora out of his apartment that night. He then breaks off contact with both of them. He moves away and starts a new life.

12 years later: Loki kept his vow, he never saw Amora or Thor again. He has been married to Sigyn for 6 years and they both have two three-year-old sons and the happiness couldn't be better about the impending birth of their daughter. But then Loki's mother Frigga dies and leaves a will that forces Loki to reconnect with his brother. At the same time, he receives anonymous messages claiming that he killed Amora on the night of the wedding. Loki investigates and finds that Amora has actually disappeared since then. And then events come to a head: In a forest near his parents' house, a suitcase containing women's clothing is found, which also contains Amora's identity card. And not far away lies a corpse. And he is arrested as the suspected perpetrator. Sigyn, who believes in her husband's guilt, takes on the investigation herself.

You only love twice

Five years ago, Sigyn had to learn the hard way what happens when you break the rules. She has lost everything. The trust of her husband Theoric. The man she had loved since childhood. And quickly her life. Love is a weakness that she can never afford again!

When offered a chance at redemption, the seductive Vanahnin is determined to complete her task: tracking down a dangerous assassin, a mysterious killer who is after the queen, her own mother, whose identity seems to be constantly changing.

But when Sigyn's investigations lead her into a trap, she is saved by a shadowy figure.

As a man with few memories, Loki only knows that Sigyn is the key to getting to Frayer, and he wants revenge no matter what the price. But a kiss ignites the unbroken passion between them and he can't bring himself to use her.

Can Loki trust her? Or is history doomed to fail? Because it soon becomes clear that Frayer may have discovered that Loki and Sigyn have become closer... and then her own daughter will be in the line of fire.

In the witch's ice garden

Sigyn wakes up in a castle in Jotunheim that is not her home. Nevertheless, a little boy she doesn't know claims to be her sons. And then there's the creepy guy Loki who pretends to be a husband...

Sigyn actually wanted to go on a forest trip with her sisters - but she ends up in Jotunheim, where a scenario from a horror shocker awaits her... A woman she doesn't know who is trying to kill her and her two little boys. To find out the truth, Sigyn must fight for her life in a deadly game. Which is stronger? Her conscience or her survival instinct?

The girl that fell from the sky (AU)

Sigyn has no time for love, especially not in winter. During the day, the former racing runner works as a ski instructor, and in the evenings she helps out at her parents' Pension Schneeglöckchen. When she gets to know the new long-term tenant, her well-rehearsed routine, like her heart, is thrown out of sync. Most women would love to do the attractive doctor's bidding, but Sigyn doesn't even think about it.

And him? The Christmas season is approaching, and Loki has only one wish: that the time of contemplation and cookie baking passes by as quickly as possible. The assignment to work as a doctor in a ski resort is therefore very convenient for him. Luckily, the guesthouse where he stays turns out to be a kitsch-free zone. But even the first meeting with the quick-witted daughter of the house causes the hermit to sweat profusely, despite the frosty temperatures...

Red Queen

This is a universe divided by blood - red or silver.

The Reds are commoners ruled by a Silver Elite who have god-like superpowers. And for Sigyn, a normal red girl from the impoverished Vanaheim, it seems as if nothing will ever change.

Until she comes to Asgard to start working in the palace. Here, surrounded by the highest beings in the universe she hates most, Sigyn discovers that despite her red blood, she has a deadly power of her own. One that threatens to destroy the balance of power.

Fearing Sigyn's potential, Frigga hides her from public view and declares her the long-lost Princess of Vanaheims, now engaged to one of her sons. Although Sigyn knows that a single misstep would mean her death, she quietly works to help the Red Guard, a militant resistance group, and overthrow the Asgard regime.

But this is a world full of betrayal and lies, and Sigyn has begun a dangerous dance - Red against Silver, Prince against Prince, and Sigyn against her own heart...

A sweet secret for dessert

Sigyn is a confident party girl and financially independent thanks to her lucrative divorce. But since she was attacked by unknown perpetrators and seriously injured, her interests have shifted: instead of dancing in the club, the beauty can now be seen doing martial arts, instead of hot dates, sweaty strength training is on the program. Sigyn never wants to be at the mercy of a man again.

When Loki first sees him, he is immediately mesmerized by her strength and beauty. He's never wanted a woman as badly as she does. He needs a lot of patience to find his way to Sigyn Herzen, but he doesn't give up. And Signyn? She definitely doesn't want a new relationship, but she can't deny that she finds Loki more than a little hot. But she doesn't know if she can really trust him, and when the dangerous shadows of the past catch up with her, she searches for answers. Alone...

The magic of the snake

Loki comes to Vanaheim to call on the tribal chiefs of Vanaheim to join the army in a campaign planned by Father, the King of Asgard. When he sees Sigyn, he wants to take her with him as his lover.

However, Sigyn is reluctant and insists on a competition. She takes on Loki herself, defeats him and embarrasses him in front of the entire tribe. Loki is not satisfied with this, he seeks revenge. He wants to have the young Sigyn as a slave and dominate her. But these are not the only adventures Sigyn has to go through.

The night you left

It only takes a moment to unravel a perfect life...

When Sigyn's fiancé disappears without a trace the night after her marriage proposal, her life is turned upside down. But has Loki abandoned her or is he in danger?

As Sigyn desperately searches for answers, it quickly becomes clear that Loki was not the easy-going man she thought she knew. And as she uncovers a hidden tragedy, she realizes a terrible truth: that you can run away from your past - but your secrets will always catch up with you...

Daughter of the Gardens

Sigyn has had a special relationship with plants throughout her life.

Trees thrive near them. Her fruit becomes larger and riper than Frigga observes her niece's talent with great joy, because the flowers in her garden bloom long before their time.

But the reason for all these miracles is that Sigyn is Iduna's daughter. And Iduna protects Asgard Gardens from any intruders. But Sigyn has nightmares that haven't plagued her for 3 years now. And when Loki suddenly appears, she is convinced that he is the cause of her nightmares.

She is convinced that Loki will be the one responsible not only for Asgard but also for her mother's future death.

She doesn't know if it's a race against time or just her imagination. But Sigyn is ready to face this challenge and realizes that an unknown magic lies dormant within her. A magic that far surpasses that of all others. Only Loki recognizes her potential and is determined to exploit it for himself.

A queen without title and throne

As a woman, Sigyn doesn't have many options after the death of her father, the clan leader of the Red Dwarfs. The world she lives in is a dangerous place where women only rule through marriage. Since she is still far too young to get married, she automatically loses her claim to the throne and is sent to her mother's home world of Vanaheim, where she is supposed to live. Her uncle doesn't know what to do with her, so he takes care of her further education from then on. So that one day she can support her cousin in his government obligations. So a lonely life begins for the young girl, behind high palace walls. But these are not the only high walls that surround them, even Vanaheim's capital is surrounded by high walls in which the people have to live, a promise of security. But Sigyn's rebellious heart doesn't long for adventure. And after her best friend: Theoric, the son of a Absant from Asgard.

Part 28 is in progress ^^

Here you can find the last part

[spouseoftherisingsun]

^old finished projects vs recent sketches^

current list of projects under the cut for the curious

Baba Yaga: Out of the Woods

Key words: HOME, COMMUNITY, FOLKLORE, WHIMSY

What is it? Rogue-lite narrative-heavy video game, wherein you play as Baba Yaga trying to escape the suburbs and return to the Russian woods through a combination of crafting quests, NPC encounters, party-building, and puzzle-solving.

What do you need to work on? Additions and second drafts of outline, pitch, bible, screenplay, concept art, and storyboards. Research on twine?

Untitled Arthuriana Project

Key words: NAMES, REBIRTH, THEATER, OTHERWORLDLY

What is it? A project reinterpreting the Arthurian canon particularly with favor to and focus on the extended mythos of Morgan le Fay, the medium for which is undecided, with favored options being: animated series, animated film, book series, comic series.

What do you need to work on? First drafts of outline and pitch. Additions and second drafts of bible, screenplay, concept art, and storyboards. Revisiting medium decision.

Witches of the Four Movements [s.t.c.]

Key words: POWER, HISTORY, MYSTERY, COLORFUL

What is it? An original fantasy project of epic scale, focused on four independent storylines tied together by the relationships of the four secret witches propelling each plot, and the two secret witches yet undiscovered that are unintentionally interfering with them.

What do you need to work on? First draft of outline, pitch, and storyboards. Additions and second drafts of bible, screenplay, and concept art. Revisiting medium decision.

House of God

Key words: POSSESSION, FAITH, HORROR, FIRE

What is it? An eerie trilogy that starts with a team of grad students assigned to the excavation and restoration of an abandoned rectory.

What do you need to work on? First draft of pitch, bible, concept art and storyboards. Additions and second drafts of outline and screenplays. Revisiting decision between film and television.

Primewick

Key words: CARETAKING, TRAPS, EERIE, DOMESTIC

What is it? A speculative thriller about a motorcyclist who crashes and wakes up in the care of an odd woman living in her old friend's massive, secluded estate.

What do you need to work on? First draft of pitch, bible, concept art, and storyboards. Additions and second drafts of outline and screenplays. Revisiting medium decision.

Untitled Ghost Project

Key words: CLARITY, MEMORY, GHOSTS, MUNDANE

What is it? A speculative drama about an amateur independent journalist dropping out of college to return home and investigate a cold case of the disappearance of a local teacher and single mother, and how locals, especially the missing woman's now-grown children, cope with the renewed operation. (This work shares a storyworld and narrative elements with Primewick.)

What do you need to work on? First draft of pitch, bible, screenplays, and storyboards. Additions and second drafts of outline and concept art. Revisiting medium decision.

Caspar Unlimited [s.t.c.]

Key words: IMAGE, INTIMACY, TRAGEDY, REALITY TV

What is it? A television series taking place in a contemporary world characterized by supernatural and speculative events, combining mockumentary footage following the lives of various employees of corporate empire, Caspar Multinational, and typical drama footage following the documentary crew and cast ostensibly part of it.

What do you need to work on? First draft of outline, concept art, and storyboards. Additions and second drafts of pitch, bible, and screenplays.

Untitled Labyrinth Project

Key words: COLLABORATION, CRAFT, UTOPIA, RUINS

What is it? Slow-burn, esoteric, science fiction mystery about a group of strangers who find each other in a labyrinth of unknown origin.

What do you need to work on? First draft of outline, pitch, bible, and storyboards. Additions and second drafts of screenplays and concept art. Revisiting medium decision.

Untitled Weird Project

Key words: CRIME, HIJINKS, CHASE SCENE, FUTURISTIC

What is it? Animated feature exploring a futuristic city run by silly rules and filled with whimsical characters, including a gang made up of germs and diseases evolved into humanoids; a zombie-vampire pair of lesbian bounty hunters; a skateboarder in his forties wanted by the law for failing to commit to the bit; and his general practitioner, a blue-haired, nine-year-old cyborg obeying disembodied voices of medical talents long passed on.

What do you need to work on? First draft of outline, pitch, bible, screenplays, and storyboards. Additions and second drafts of concept art.

Bad House

Key words: DEBT, FAME, THEATER, FOLK MUSIC

What is it? A comic-concept album-tarot deck combination following a schtick-rock band called Bad Box made up of masked characters in the wake of a scandal that revealed the identities of its two founding members as they tour and promote their latest, and sonically much-toned-down, concept album, which is inspired by and features a few covers of the House of the Rising Sun.

What do you need to work on? First draft of outline, pitch, bible, screenplays, and storyboards. Additions and second drafts of concept art.

Untitled Clue Project

Key words: VIOLENCE, SECRETS, GAMES, GLAMOR

What is it? A television series based on the mechanics and premise of the game Clue/Cluedo, where each season features the same cast of actors assigned a new role, in a new setting, and with new context.

What do you need to work on? First draft of pitch, screenplay, bible, storyboard. Second drafts of outline and concept art.

if you got this far thanks here are some bonus pics of poor quality, pls reply with which project looks most interesting bc i have no basis for inferring atm

[nothingenoughao3]

Re-Animator/Arkham Horror Custom Game Content: The Investigators

I don't have a title for this project yet, but it's basically its own expansion pack at this point. If anybody has any ideas for a rad name, lemme know!

These cards have only been playtested in a non-representative game; I will probably try to playtest them again tonight!

Card info reads as follows:

Francesca Danelli the Journalist 4 Sanity 6 Stamina

Home: Newspaper Fixed Possessions: $7, 1 Clue Token, 1 Special (Retainer) Random Possessions: 2 Common Items, 1 Spell, 1 Skill SPECIAL: She is a Wartime Journalist. Any phase: Francesca gains +1 to combat rolls when wielding guns. She gains 1 extra Clue token from all in-game events or items, excluding Clues collected from unstable Locations.

Focus: 2 SPEED: 0 1 2 3 SNEAK: 5 4 3 2 FIGHT: 1 2 3 4 WILL: 3 2 1 0 LORE: 2 3 4 5 LUCK: 4 3 2 1

Creator Comments: The hardest part was, let's be real, trying to make Francesca into a character who isn't defined entirely as "one leg in the really toxic love triangle between her, Dan and Herbert". It's a shame that "Bride" never gave her space to be somebody. Being an international journalist who is habitually embedded in war zones in the late 1980s is truly rich soil for a character to grow in.

Francesca is slow because she's unfamiliar with Arkham's layout; this gives her a higher Sneak so she can escape monsters if need be. Her low Will and low-ish Sanity mean she may well break from the horror of seeing monsters before she gets a chance to fight them, but everybody's gotta have weaknesses. She has mid-grade Luck to help her cope with random encounters.

Her high Lore is partly to justify giving her a Spell, but mostly because "Lore" as a stat relates to how well an investigator correctly understands and copes with the Mythos as they encounter it in-game. And, well. Francesca had Herbert's number from frame one, didn't she? She could've gotten an award for Most Correct Character In "Bride" On Literally Every Call She Made, if she hadn't decided that Dan was Dudley Do-Right.

[legionofmyth]

Vaesen: Nordic Horror Roleplaying - Vaesen

🎲 #Vaesen: Nordic Horror Roleplaying: Utilize the Year Zero Engine to blend investigation, folklore, and horror elements to unravel mysteries and face the unknown. #Horror #TTRPG #RPG #FreeLeaguePublishing #YearZeroEngine

Vaesen – [PDF]In Vaesen: Nordic Horror Roleplaying, Vaesen refers to supernatural creatures that are inspired by Nordic folklore and myths. These entities embody the dark and mysterious aspects of the Mythic North. Vaesen can take various forms and often possess eerie and unsettling traits. They include creatures such as trolls, hulders, draugr, nisses, and other mythical beings deeply rooted in…

[picnokinesis]

My friend is running a text-based rpg campaign, and I'm absolutely in love with it, so I decided to draw a 'cover' for each day in the story. We'll see if I can do one for each day, but I'm SO proud of how these turned out so far - all of them are inked in my notebook first, and then coloured digitally. If anyone's interested in the story, I've explained more about it all under the cut!

OKAY. So the game is called City of Mists, and basically it's...kinda hard to explain, but I'd call it 'cyberpunk noir', but with a 90s technological aesthetic. Kinda like when you read Issac Asimov's books and they're using computers but it's all cassettes and film-based technology. Anyway, it's awesome. Every character has a normal life in the city - their 'logos' - but there are some characters who are called Rifts, who have something mythological manifest within them - their 'mythos'. Now, the mythos can kinda be anything, but the point is that it's a legend or story that manifests within the character, and thus gives them new abilities. And every Rift has to balance their logos and their mythos - because to delve too much into your mythos means you forget your normal life and become entirely consumed by the mythos...but to focus too much on your logos means to lose, and forget, your mythos entirely. The 'mist' of the city obscures mythological and supernatural things from those who haven't 'awakened' yet - but Rifts can see through the mist.

So, my little guy is - sighs. Okay. Y'all are gonna laugh. Please be aware that I know, okay? I know. It's fine. This is a choice I've made. But he's called Nakis Sandhu, and he's an investigative journalist (NOT with amnesia) who, when he was a kid, was involved in a train accident that killed his parents, but him and his twin sister miraculously survived. He's trans, and he has a van - he doesn't live in it, thank goodness, but it is important because his mythos is Captain Nemo from 20,000 Leagues Under the Seas (this is why he looks like Sacha Dhawan, because like....Sacha Dhawan should play Captain Nemo and I'll die on that hill). And so Nakis, when his mythos awakened, turned his van into the Nautilus - Captain Nemo's submarine - and so it now works underwater too, and can travel undetected. He also becomes like, a technological genius and can invent stuff on the fly, but he never studied engineering or anything - it just comes to him in flashes of inspiration.

Nakis' main thing is that he's trying to figure out what happened in the train crash when he was a kid. He saw something different to everyone else, because he saw through the mist - what everyone else thought was an accident was actually two Rifts duking it out (I think). One of these Rifts was a blue bull that is apparently called 'the Bull of Thunder', and the other was a man with fire based abilities - called 'The Burning Man'. On Day 2, Nakis discovered a metal case that had belonged to the Burning Man, that had been hidden for twenty years - since the day of the accident - and was full of clues, including some photographic film that needed developing. Unfortunately, seems that there's a strange filter on the photos, so it's impossible to tell what's on them...luckily, my guy made friends with a photographer on Day 1 (who I believe is another player character) whilst investigating something else, and as a result he's now passed the film on to him, in the hopes that he'll be able to clear them up.

One funny thing: Day 0 was supposed to be a 'chill' day to figure out how the game mechanics worked, and figure out what your character would do on a normal day. Nakis immediately went to investigate something and then nearly ended up drowning RIP. On Day 1, when continuing to investigate the thing from Day 0, he...got shot in the shoulder HAHAHAH but he's fine, he's doing great, he didn't bleed out in his apartment which is always a win. He also bumped into another player character by doing this - so yay!

[lotusflowerbreakingthesurface]

—𝓛𝓸𝓽𝓾𝓼𝓕𝓵𝓸𝔀𝓮𝓻'𝓼 𝓟𝓲𝓷𝓰𝓧𝓲𝓮 𝓞𝓷𝓵𝔂 𝓑𝓵𝓸𝓰—

Finally, I finish it after working for so long (*꒦ິ꒳꒦ີ). I think I might be crazy to do something like this, but honestly I'm so forgetful that I want to keep things on track and sometimes curiosity gets a hold on me (｡>﹏<). And so, here is the "Tags Page" that is slightly different from the desktop version (which is much more simple, but since there is tumblr limitation, just go there for more complete links).

Since Chinese fandom culture is different from Western fandoms, I tried to compile the tags, sorted them out and found the equivalences. It's far from perfect, but if you're interested you can take a look below the cut. Basically, it's just a compilation of tags and keywords from PingXie fandom (and maybe you will find them in other fandoms too). At any rate, I hope it can be helpful (˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶)

The banner/divider original pictures by 刘巴布

Note: This post will be updated occasionally, so no reblog, but I'll put it in pinned post. If there is any mistake, feel free to tell me. Thank you.

Last updated: 13/12/2024

[(x)—no tags; (#)—coming soon]

✧ 架空向 (Alternate Universe/AU) #au

✧ 原著向 (Canon Compliant) #canon compliant

╰✦ if线 (What-If Scenario/Canon Divergence) #canon divergence

╰✦ Canon Rewrite #canon rewrite

╰✦ 半架空 (Semi-AU) x

✧ 古风/仙侠 (Ancient Style/Xianxia) #ancient style/xianxia au

╰✦ 古穿今 (Ancient and Modern) #ancient and modern setting

✧ 土匪 (Bandits & Outlaws) #bandit/outlaw au

✧ 大逃杀 (Battle Royale) #battle royale au

✧ 蛋糕叉子 (Cake & Fork) #cake & fork

✧ 咖啡店 (Coffee Shops & Cafés) #coffee shop au

✧ 校园 (College/University) #college/university au

✧ 刑侦/黑道 (Criminal Investigation/Underworld/Mob/Triad) #criminal investigation/underworld au

✧ 克苏鲁/克系 (Cthulhu/Cthulhu Mythos) #cthulhu au

✧ 赛博朋克 (Cyberpunk) #cyberpunk au

✧ 电竞/网游 (E-Sports/Online Games) #esports/online games au

✧ 童话 (Fairy Tale) #fairy tale au

✧ 草原 (Grassland) #grassland au

✧ 黑客 (Hacker) #hacker au

✧ 高中 (High School) #high school au

✧ 历史/近代 (Historical/Late Modern Period) #historical setting

✧ 修仙 (Immortal Cultivation) #immortal cultivation au

✧ 星际 (Interstellar/Space) #interstellar/space au

✧ 幼儿园 (Kindergarten) #kindergarten au

✧ 黑手党 (Mafia) #mafia au

✧ 医生pa (Medical) #medical au

✧ 人鱼/鲛人 (Mermaid/Merman/Merpeople) #merpeople au

✧ 江湖 (Martial Arts) x

╰✦ 武侠 (Wuxia) #wuxia au

✧ 军旅 (Military/Army) #military au

✧ 现代 (Modern Setting) #modern au

✧ 职场 (Office/Workplace) #office/workplace

✧ 监狱 (Prison) #prison au

✧ 民国 (Republican Era/Republic of China) #republican era setting

✧ 皇族/皇室 (Royalty/Imperial) #royalty/imperial au

✧ 祭品 (Sacrifice) #sacrifice au

✧ 谍战 (Secret Agent/Spy) #secret agent/spy au

✧ 娱乐圈 (Show Business/ShowBiz/Entertainment Industry) #show business/showbiz au

✧ 灵魂伴侣 (Soulmates) #soulmates au

✧ 包养 (Sugar Baby) #sugar baby au

✧ 无限流 (Unlimited Flow/Infinite Flow) #unlimited flow

✧ 吸血鬼 (Vampire) #vampire au

✧ 狼人 (Werewolf) #werewolf au

✧ 野生动物保育 (Wildlife Conservation) #wildlife conservation au

✧ 末世丧尸 (Zombie Apocalypse) #zombie apocalypse au

╰✦ 废土 (Post-Apocalyptic/Wasteland) #wasteland au

✧ A/B/O (Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics) #a/b/o

╰✦ E/A/B/O (Enigma/Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics) #e/a/b/o

✧ 年龄差 (Age Difference) x

╰✦ 年操 (Age Changes) x

╰✦ 大瓶小邪/年上 (Older Xiaoge × Younger Wu Xie/Older Top) #older top/gong

╰✦ 小瓶大邪/年下 (Younger Xiaoge × Older Wu Xie/Younger Top) #younger top/gong

✧ 失忆 (Amnesia) #amnesia

✧ 古代 (Ancient Times) x

✧ 兽化/拟物 (Animal Characteristic/Transformation/Inanimate Objects) #animal characteristic/transformation

✧ 黑化 (Blackening/Dark Character) #blackening/dark character

✧ 相亲 (Blind Date) x

✧ 男友外套 (Boyfriend Jacket) x

✧ 不doi就出不去的房间/不做就出不去的房间 (Can't Escape the Room Unless/Trapped Together) #trapped together

✧ 竹马 (Childhood Friends) #childhood friends

╰✦ 青梅竹马 (Childhood Sweethearts) x

✧ 养成 (Cultivation/Raising Spouse/Partner) #raising spouse

✧ 解毒 (Detoxification) x

✧ 狗血 (Dog Blood/Cliche Story) x

✧ 先do后爱 (Do It First Love Later) #do it first love later

✧ 喝醉 (Drunkenness) #drunkenness

✧ 双洁 (Dual Virgins) x

✧ 敌人变爱人 (Enemy to Lover) #enemy to lover

✧ 驱魔 (Exorcism) x

✧ 初见 (First Meetings) x

✧ 初体验/初次 (First Time) #first time

✧ 论坛体/直播体 (Forum/Live Streaming/Format: Streaming) #forum style/live streaming

✧ 朋友变恋人 (Friend to Lover) x

✧ 炮友 (Friend With Benefits) #friend with benefits

✧ 团宠 (Group Pet/Everyone's Favorite) x

✧ 蛊/下蛊 (Gu/Curse/Poison/Witchcraft/Bewitched) #gu/witchcraft

✧ 花吐症 (Hanahaki Disease) #hanahaki disease

✧ 天授 (Heavenly Gift/Tianshou) #heavenly gift/tianshou

✧ 户口 (Household Registration) x

✧ 吃醋/醋 (Jealous) #jealously

✧ 一见钟情 (Love at First Sight) x

✧ 寿命 (Life Span) #life span

✧ 婚书 (Marriage Certificate) x

✧ 见家长 (Meeting the Parents) #meeting the parents

✧ 乌龙/误会 (Misunderstandings) #misunderstandings

✧ 音乐向 (Music) #music fic

✧ 双向暗恋 (Mutual Pining/Two-Way Secret Love) #mutual pining

✧ 一夜情/419 (One-Night Stand) x

✧ 前世今生 (Past and Present Life) x

✧ 早恋 (Puppy Love) x

✧ 偏执 (Paranoia) x

✧ 创伤后应激障碍 (PTSD) x

✧ 纯爱 (Pure Love) x

✧ 报复 (Revenge) x

✧ 规则怪谈 (Rules-Based Urban Ghost Story) #ghost story

✧ 墨水瓶/腹黑张起灵 (Scheming/Black-Bellied Xiaoge) #black-bellied xiaoge

✧ 暗恋 (Secret Love) #secret love

✧ 哨向/向哨 (Sentinel & Guide) #sentinel & guide

✧ 蛇毒 (Snake Venom) #snake venom

✧ 灵魂互换 (Soul Swap) x

╰✦ 互换身体 (Body Swap) #body swap

✧ 直男 (Straight Man) x

╰✦ 掰弯/直掰弯 (Straight to Gay) #straight to gay

✧ 强强/双强 (Strong & Strong Couple) #double strong

✧ 系统 (System) #system setting

✧ 藏 (Tibet) x

✧ 穿越/重生 (Time Travel/Transmigration/Rebirth/Reincarnation) #time travel/rebirth

✧ 暗恋/暗恋变明恋 (Unrequited Love/Requited Unrequited Love) x

✧ 窗户纸 (Window Paper/Pierce the Window Paper/Ambiguous to Clear Relationship) #window paper

✧ 动作与冒险 (Action/Adventure) #action/adventure

✧ 虐 (Angst) #angst

╰✦ 先虐后甜/虐但he (Angst with a Happy Ending) #angst with a happy ending

╰✦ 高虐 (Heavy Angst) #heavy angst

╰✦ 微虐/小虐 (Light Angst) #light angst

✧ 甜饼 (Fluff) #fluff

╰✦ 日常甜饼 (Domestic Fluff) #domestic fluff

╰✦ 玻璃糖/糖刀 (Thought it was a knife, but it was actually sugar/Fluff & Angst/Glass Candy) #angst but fluff

╰✦ 玻璃渣 (Thought it was sugar, but it was actually a knife/Glass Shards) #fluff but angst

✧ 奇幻/神话 (Fantasy/Mythology) #fantasy/mythology

╰✦ 幻想元素 (Fantasy Elements) #fantasy elements

╰✦ 西幻 (Western Fantasy) #western fantasy

╰✦ 奇幻 (Xuanhuan/Fantasy) x

✧ 未来/科幻 (Future/Science Fiction) #future/science fiction

✧ 恐怖/灵异 (Horror/Supernatural) #horror/supernatural

✧ 喜剧 (Humor/Comedy) #humor/comedy

✧ 伤害与安抚 (Hurt/Comfort) #hurt/comfort

✧ 浪漫 (Romance) #romance

✧ 正剧/剧情 (Serious Drama/Tragicomedy/Drama) #drama

✧ 悬疑解谜/悬疑推理/神秘 (Suspense/Mystery/Puzzle) #suspense/mystery

✧ 悲剧 (Tragedy) #tragedy

✧ 无明显感情线 (Ambiguous Relationship) #ambiguous relationship

✧ 婚前婚后 (Before & After Marriage) #marriage fic

╰✦ 包办婚姻 (Arranged Marriage) #arranged marriage

╰✦ 逼婚 (Forced Marriage) #forced marriage

╰✦ 冥婚/阴婚 (Ghost Marriage) #ghost marriage

╰✦ 先婚后爱 (Marry First Love Later) #marry first love later

✧ 兄弟/亲人 (Brothers/Family Relationships) x

╰✦ 骨科/伪骨科 (Inc*st "Real Brothers"/Pseudo-Inc*st "Pseudo-Brothers") #real brothers/pseudo brothers

╰✦ 伪父子/养父子 (Pseudo-Father and Son/Adoptive Father and Son) #pseudo father and son

✧ 建立关系 (Developing Relationship) #developing relationship

✧ 已交往设定/已确定的关系 (Established Relationship) #established relationship

✧ 假装情侣 (Fake/Pretend Relationship) #fake/pretend relationship

✧ 慢热 (Slow Burn) #slow burn

✧ 师生恋 (Teacher-Student Relationship) #teacher & student relationship

✧ BDSM/Dom & Sub/DS Play #dom/sub

╰✦ 轻度ds (Light Dom/Sub)

✧ 生子/男孕/孕期 (Childbirth/Mpreg/Pregnancy) #mpreg

✧ 下药 (Drugging) x

╰✦ 春药 (Aphrodisiacs) x

╰✦ 西班牙大苍蝇 (Spanish Fly) x

✧ 半强迫/半强制 (Dubious Consent/Dub-Con) #dubcon

✧ 强制 (Forced/Non-Con) x

✧ 强制爱 (Forced Love) x

✧ 双性转/百合 (Gender Changes {Both Xiaoge & Wu Xie}/GL) #pingxie gender changes

✧ 囚禁/囚 (Imprisonment) #imprisonment

✧ 双性邪 (Intersex Wu Xie) #intersex wu xie

✧ 发情期 (Mating Cycles/In Heat/Estrus Period) x

╰✦ 易感期 (Rut/Susceptible Period) x

╰✦ 结合热 (Bonding Heat/Combination Heat in Sentinel & Guide AU) x

✧ 墓室play (Tomb Play) #tomb play

✧ 女装 (Women's Clothing) x

✧ 阿坤/坤狗文学 (Ah Kun/KunGou "Dog" aka Ah Kun/Wu Xie) #zhang qiling (ah kun)

╰✦ 坤根 (KunGen aka Ah Kun/Guan Gen "Sand Sea Wu Xie")

Note: There is a slight different between "KunGou" and "KunGen". The first refers to the pairing of Zhang Qiling when he was known as "Ah Kun" × "Gou" or Wu XiaoGou "吴小狗" (Wu Puppy) which is one of Wu Xie's nicknames in all states he was in, especially when Zhang Qiling is around. And the latter refers to the pairing of Zhang Qiling when he was known as "Ah Kun" × "Guan Gen" (关根) which is also Wu Xie's false name in Sand Sea, it indicates Wu Xie in the specific period of Sand Sea, where Zhang Qiling is not around.

✧ 张秃 (Bald Zhang) #zhang qiling (prof. zhang/bald zhang)

✧ 张家 (Zhang Family) #zhang family appearance

✧ 反苏文 (Anti-Mary Sue/Villain-Homewrecker OC/Anti-Dream Girl) x

✧ 掉马甲/马甲暴露 (Dropping the Vest/Identity Reveal) #identity reveal

✧ 小妈文学 (Falling in Love With the Stepmother) x

✧ 公路文学 (Falling in Love on the Road) #falling in love on the road

✧ 破镜重圆 (Getting Back Together/Reconciliation/[idiom] A Shattered Mirror Put Back Together) #getting back together

✧ 缺德文学 (Immoral/Unethical) x

✧ 一吴所知 (Oblivious Wu Xie; a pun of idiom “一无所知” [not knowing anything at all]) #what wu xie knows

Note: It's related to Wu Xie's nickname "杭州木头"

✧ 带球跑 (Running Away With the Ball/Running Away With the Baby) #running away with the baby

✧ 偷狗文学 (Stealing the "Dog"/Zhang Qiling Takes Away Wu Xie From the Wu Family) x

✧ 追妻火葬场/追妻文学 (Wife-Chasing Crematorium/Suffered a Lot to Win Someone Back After Dumping Them) #wife chasing crematorium

✧ 授權翻譯 (Authorized Translation) #authorized translation

✧ BE (Bad Ending) #bad ending

✧ 角色研究 (Character Study) x

✧ 清水 (Clear Water/No Smut) x

✧ 联文 (Collaboration Fic) #collaboration fic

✧ 沙雕 (Crack Fic) #crack fic

✧ 双视角 (Dual POV) #dual pov

✧ 双时间线 (Dual Timeline) #dual timeline

✧ Fanfic Series #fanfic series

✧ Major Character Death x

✧ Medium Fic {6-20 Chapters} #medium fic

✧ 缺失片段 (Missing Scene) #missing scene

✧ Multichapter/长篇文 (Long Fic) {≥ 20 Chapters} #multichapter/long fic

✧ One-shot #oneshot

✧ 连载 (On-Going/Unfinished) #on going/unfinished

✧ Open Ending x

✧ Outsider POV #outsider pov

✧ PWP #pwp

✧ 虐文 (Sadistic/Abuse/Cruel Fic) x

✧ Sequel Fic x

✧ 短篇文 (Short Fic) {2-5 Chapters} #short fic

✧ 甜文 (Sweet Fic) #sweet fic

✧ 临时角色死亡 (Temporary Character Death) x

✧ 双结局 (Two Endings) x

✧ 张起灵视角/哥视角 (Xiaoge POV) #zhang qiling/xiaoge pov

______๑♡⁠๑______

[adarkrainbow]

Should we include Lovecraft among fairytale authors?

This question might surprise you, and yet it should be asked.

Today when people speak of Lovecraft's work or Lovecraftian horror, they mostly think of the type of fiction popularized by games like "Arkham Horror" or the Call of Cthulhu RPG. People of the 1910s, 1920s, 1930s USA, mostly the East Coast, mostly New-England, fighting eldritch monsters, alien abominations and other multi-eyed blobs while investigating creepy cults, ancient witchraft (well... ancient usually means "Salems' trial) and other star-alignments. Not very fairytale-y.

And yet, Lovecraft wasn't just all this. Lovecraft is usually considered one of the early fantasy authors, and he has an entire set of works not taking place in our world, but rather in fictional cities, otherwordly civilizations, alien planets - and all being... well pure fantasy of gods, sorcerers, strange monsters and fictional wanderers in a world of ghosts, magic and curses. They are still famous to this day, and they are an essential part of his "mythos" and yet people seem to completely forget about them. The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kaddath, The Quest of Iranon, The Other Gods, The White Ship, The Doom that Came to Sarnath, The Cats of Ulthar... Much more dark fantasy than what people associate Lovecraft with today.

In this "fantasy" side of his (that fans of the mythos sometimes classify as the "Dreamlands"), we see the HUGE influence of Lord Dunsany, that Lovecraft admired and tried to imitate, but also the influence of... The One Thousand and One Nights. One of the main reasons Lovecraft had such an "Orientalist" obsession was because he was a huge fan of The Arabian Nights, and tried to recreate them in his own work. This Orientalist obsession was also caused in him by Beckford's Vathek, the unique "Oriental Gothic" novel that marked literature (Edgar Allan Poe, Lord Byron, Thomas Moore, John Keats, they all paid homage to Vathek) - but we fall back on our fairytale topic, because Vathek itself was meant to be a Gothic horror version of the One Thousand and One Nights (and quite fittingly it was published in the 1780s, aka the end of the "fairytale era" in France, the time when literary fairytales only existed in parodies, deconstructions or subversions).

Due to this huge influence, the question should be asked: Should Lovecrfantasy works, his Ulthar, Sarnath, Iranon, Kaddath, be considered part of a fairytale-verse?

Well my answer is no. No, Lovecraft doesn't write fairytale-like things and I never saw fairytale vibes in his work.

But then why am I making a whole damn post? Because of Clark Ashton Smith.

There's a lot of things people ignore or go wrong with when it comes to Lovecraftian fiction or the "Cthulhu mythos". This is because The Cthulhu mythos was built out of many rewrites, derivative works, adaptations and pop-culture vibes. People forget the mythos was originally called "Yog-Sothoth mythos". People forget Cthulhu wasn't the focus of the mythos. People forget water was supposed to be Cthulhu's main bane and enemy, as it was the sea that trapped him and prevented his powers from working - so making him a sort of sea-god is the opposite of what Lovecraft intended. Lot of stuff like that.

But what people forget the most is that the "Cthulhu mythos" we know today wasn't created just by Lovecraft himself - but by the "Lovecraftian circle". Yes, Lovecraft invented it all first, created and oversaw the whole thing - but he encouraged and asked his friends and pen-pals to include in their writings elements and characters of his fictional worlds so as to "expand" the mythos, and in return said friends and pen-pals created their own dark gods and evil sorcerers and cursed tomes that Lovecraft included in his own works, to form a full circle. The Lovecraftian circle.

For example, it might surprise people to learn that Conan the Barbarian is part of the Cthulhu mythos. And yet he is! Robert E. Howard was one of the most prominent members of the Lovecraftian circle, inventing several important parts of the mythos as we know it today - and his most famous heroes, like Conan the Barbarian or Solomon Kane, all had to face a part of the "Lovecraftian mythos" at one point or another. Today we don't associate the prototype of heroic fantasy with "eldritch horror", and yet it was - but Robert E. Howard had a quite different take on the monstrous gods of Lovecraft, who were much more physical and... let's say killable Xp In fact that's one of the things with the Lovecraftian circle: each author had its own take and vibes on the eldritch deities of Lovecraft's pantheons. Sometimes the emphasis was put on them being alien beings and physical monsters, sometimes they were more like the classical gods of Antiquity (just uglier), other times yet they were more abstract ideas and concepts...

And the third important author of the circle, outside of Lovecraft and Howard, was Clark Ashton Smith, who was REALLY much more of a fantasy author than the other two. And he also was VERY much into fairytales - a lot of the same Arabian Nights as Lovecraft (heck, Smith even wrote a sequel to Vathek!), but he also was a big fan of Andersen and madame d'Aulnoy fairytales as a kid. And, if you ask me, you can feel a lot the "dark Arabian Nights" vibe into his Zothique work.

As I am writing these lines, I am reading compiled works of Smith. Smith was very prolific and created several "cycles" covering various alternate periods of Earth. There's the Hyperborean cycle, set on the fictional Hyperborea country of legends, and in the Prehistoric era before the Ice Age - this is where many of the "classics" gods of the Cthulhu mythos comes from, like Atlach-Nacha, Abhoth or Tsathoggua. There's the Poseidonis setting, an island meant to be the last remaining part of Atlantis after its sinking. There's the Averoigne cycle, which I am looking forward to explore because Averoigne is a fictional region of medieval Southern France infested with witches of all sorts. But the compiled volume I am reading currently is his Zothique collection - set in the continent of Zothique. It is supposed to be the last remaining continent of Earth, a new Pangea that reformed itself at the end of the planet's history, and where all the "ancient gods, old demons and primal magics" resurfaced after being forgotten and ignored for many civilizations. And despite being located in a far-far future, Zothique is heavily Arabian Nights inspired - as Smith intended the Zothique continent to be what remained in the future of "Asia Minor, Arabia, Persia, India" plus North and Eastern Africa.

If you want to check the "horror Arabian Nights" vibe of this setting, just read "The Dark Eidolon" which is very much 1001 Nights-like. (Interestingly The Dark Eidolon was one of the inspirations of Michael Moorcock, famous for setting up the modern dark fantasy with works like The Elric Saga)

[theresattrpgforthat]

Hello!

I've always wanted to do a stealth game/campaign, but all my attempts to hack it into DnD have failed. Do you have any suggestions for a stealthy system? Not something as abstract as Knives in the Dark (tbh, I just have never been able to get into it) but something that hits the Assassin's Creed feeling of watching the target, making a plan, and then sneaking through the base taking out guards and hiding their bodies and such. Preferably on a grid map or similar, s we're terrible at theatre of the mind.

Thanks!

THEME: Stealthy Games.

Hello there, so I did some digging and I found plenty of stealth games, although none of them seem to really require a map in order to play. That being said, I don’t think that should stop you from providing maps to your players, even if they’re abstract! Some of these games might ask you to sketch out a rough map of the town or building that you’re in, which may help you provide your players with some visual references as they sneak around, trying not to get caught. When it comes to stealth, I think of three things: horror, heists, and spies.

Delta Green, by Arc Dream Publishing.

Born of the U.S. government’s 1928 raid on the degenerate coastal town of Innsmouth, Massachusetts, the covert agency known as Delta Green opposes the forces of darkness with honor but without glory. Delta Green agents fight to save humanity from unnatural horrors—often at a shattering personal cost.

Delta Green comes highly recommended as a great way to play an X-Files type rpg, mixed in with the Cthulhu mythos. It uses a d100 system and is based in the modern day, casting your characters as former members of government agencies, recruited into a super-secret bureau that investigates supernatural things - and keeps those things hidden from the common public. The stealth of this game is mostly about covering up the eldritch and unnatural, even if it means framing someone else or condemning a beloved building.

Your characters in this game have some familiar pieces to them, such as six stats with the same titles as you’ll see in games like D&D. However, you’ll also have pieces like Bonds, which represent relationships that keep your character grounded, and a Sanity system that I’m personally not crazy about (I do not recommend this game for a group that doesn’t like trite mechanization of mental health disorders), but that gives you a way to incur penalties that aren’t just physical damage.

This looks to be the closest to a traditional rpg on this list, and with all the elements to keep track of, I can see how a physical map would be helpful. However, keep in mind that there isn’t a pace or speed stat attached to these characters, so things like line of sight or distance probably won’t be super granular - if you are shooting things you may have broad range bands to determine how difficult something is, but the final decision will be a GM decision, not something necessarily determined in the rulebook. Because the setting is a modern one, I think finding visual references for locations in this game would be very very easy.

If you want a taste of the game before you put your money down, you can check out the Free Starter Rulebook!

Minutes to Midnight, by Oliver S.

Minutes to Midnight is a game powered by Blades in the Dark about a crew of spies, trying to disrupt the balance of power in a modern cold war. They will have to stand strong in the face of their vicious opposition and handle a fragile web of untrustworthy informants, devious intrigues and deadly lies.

We play to find out if our agents can thrive in the cutthroat world of espionage. While the public may never know about their impact, their actions shape the political landscape and outcome of conflict. Will the players prevent the outbreak of a global disaster and use their influence to create a better future? Will they attempt to send the opposing bloc into a turmoil and establish a lasting hegemony? Or will their actions lead the world down a path of war and nuclear destruction?

The Forged in the Dark system uses a cycle in between missions and downtime, sinking your characters into the heart of the action as they pursue clandestine missions in locations built by the group in a session 0. Since the game takes place in the real world, using maps of real cities might be a great way to keep they players visually engaged, and using a city that the group has been to or is familiar with might also make it easier for the group to visualize the kinds of buildings and streets where their spies may be sneaking, scheming, and sleuthing.

Madstones, by xiombarg.

Those who know magic exists at all are the rich and teams of breakers like yourself that go into the jartowns for the Archons. Jartowns are created by burning folk alive in a wicker man, in a ritual known only to the oldest jet-setting Archons.

A jartown is an isolated area of spacetime that was cut out of our reality. Most jartowns consist of a small amount of space (enough for a suburb or town) and a loop of several years. Jartowns become more magickal and horrific with each loop, creating madstones. 

Madstones are small things, from actual stones to human organs, infused with concentrated, distilled magic. They're secretly coveted by the wealthy.

In this tiny 24XX-based tabletop RPG, players are breakers, desperate folk from the occult underground who find a way into the jartowns, hothouses for magick, to perform errands for the ultrarich Archons.

Play as a variety of roles, from sawbones to sinner to spook, and choose to hail from one of four origins, including jartown native.

24XX games are another toolbox that you can pick up and play around with to help you get started with creating your own experiences. Your character consists of a few skills and gear packaged together in a character class. In Madstones, these classes are various specialists, trained to deal with different elements that might pop up when you go delving into eldritch pockets of reality. There is both a stealth and a combat specialist in this game, but there’s also classes for things like a getaway driver, a hacker, and an occult specialist.

24XX games also exist because of their OSR predecessors, meaning that combat is risky, and often deadly - and therefore finding other ways to solve the problem is implicitly encouraged. However, the openness of the system means that your players don’t necessarily need to resort to stealth - they might prepare an elaborate ritual, create a unique piece of technology, or just decide to run away as fast as they can. In regards to maps, I think you could probably use a typical dungeon framework: leading the characters through various rooms or sections of the pocket dimension, and throwing horrors and weird environments their way.

Night’s Black Agents, by Pelgrane Press.

The Cold War is over. Bush’s War is winding down. You were a shadowy soldier in those fights, trained to move through the secret world: deniable and deadly.

Then you got out, or you got shut out, or you got burned out. You didn’t come in from the cold. Instead, you found your own entrances into Europe’s clandestine networks of power and crime. You did a few ops, and you asked even fewer questions. Who gave you that job in Prague? Who paid for your silence in that Swiss account? You told yourself it didn’t matter. It turned out to matter a lot. Because it turned out you were working for vampires.

Vampires exist. What can they do? Who do they own? Where is safe? You don’t know those answers yet. So you’d better start asking questions. You have to trace the bloodsuckers’ operations, penetrate their networks, follow their trail, and target their weak points. Because if you don’t hunt them, they will hunt you. And they will kill you.

A combination of modern spy fiction and vampire intrigue, Night’s Black Agents uses the GUMSHOE system, which is an investigative roleplaying system that provides your characters with resources they can spend to get into secret locations, compete against vampiric agents, and pick up information to help you put together the details of a conspiracy. In Night’s Black Agents, finding clues isn’t left up to chance - you will always get information as long as you tell the GM that you’re using a relevant skill. The obstacles in this game are more likely going to involve getting in and out of sticky situations - and if your opponents are vampires, well, stealth is likely going to be a more appealing than trying to slit their throats.

GUMSHOE games don’t need grid maps either, but a rough map of the city or country is probably very helpful, and it might be fun to draw the floor plans of various buildings that your players investigate in order to help them determine what areas may be the most interesting places to search for clues.

The Breathing, by Fistful of Crits.

You reside in The Archive, an unending and depthless structure spiralling deep into the dark and misty depths, devoid of life and presided over by a being known only to you as The Archivist.

The Archive is made up of windowless rooms and halls that vary greatly in their height, size and danger. All these spaces house numerous shelves containing the collected knowledge of the world outside of The Archive; a place you have been told you must earn your access to. The price of your freedom comes from the discovery of new or forgotten knowledge that can be found in the deepest parts of the structure. 

You, and a few others, are known as The Breathing, in a place full of creatures who were once like you but ultimately failed in their bid for freedom; now known as The Breathless. 

The Breathing is just an example of a broader style of game, using a system called Breathless. Breathless games use a series of polyhedral dice that deteriorate as you use them, with different dice attached to different skills. Throughout the game you pause to “take a breath”, and re-set your skills, bringing your dice back to their threshold. However, pausing to take a breath also gives the GM a chance to introduce a new trouble or complication, creating a cycle of mission, rest, mission, rest, etc.

As a game system, Breathless is pretty light and is fairly easy to hack. But the lightness of the rules also allows for creativity and add-ons, which could include rules for movement or placement. Since the game rewards finding ways to solve problems without having to resort to direct conflict, I can see games like this encouraging characters to think carefully about when to use their resources and when to just… sneak around the problem. If you want to include maps and a grid, you could provide a blueprint of a room inside The Archive and watch the players try to navigate it using their limited resources, with designated “rest areas” that they would have to get to in order to take a Breath.

This certainly isn’t a solution in a box, but it might provide some interesting tools to help you build the experience you’re looking for.

Night Reign, by Sinister Beard Games.

Night Reign is a roleplaying game of stealth, guile, violence and devilry for a GM and one or more players, set in a quasi-Edwardian metropolis perched on an inhospitable peninsula beset by toxic black rain and ruled by a corrupt cabal of Noble Houses.

You take the role of members of The Red Right Hand, a conspiracy loyal to the recently deposed royal family, using your talents in assassination, infiltration and dark sorcery to strike out at your oppressors.

A game all about the things you do in the shadows, Night Reign uses cards to resolve conflict, rather than dice. It also uses a token system to help you overcome obstacles without having to resort to violence - loud, messy, dangerous violence. The Ruled by Night system (which has an SRD that you can download for free) is about balancing the suspicion you’ve already raised against an increasing cost to being stealthy. You spend Shadow tokens in order to be able to attempt to do something, and try to get a hand as close as possible to 21, or at least higher than whatever the GM draws. Your characters will also have powers that can be very effective, but are likely to draw a lot of attention, so using them is risky.

Because of how this game runs, things like movement and speed are not likely to be tracked. However, I don’t think mapping out a location so that the players can understand where things are or what kind of space they’re in is going to hurt the experience. The SRD describes something called City Conditions, which appear to be elements of the fiction that might result from the characters’ choices, or provide obstacles to the players. If you have a map of the city in front of you, you could draw symbols on the map to indicate what’s happening as the story progresses, and even cross out places that have been destroyed.

Heist, by Hark Forsooth Games.

HEIST: Get the Crew Together is a cooperative RPG where you and a group of suave, savvy and slick fellow crooks plan and execute capers, grabbing the fanciest loot from the world's wealthy elite.

Heist is great for fans of shows like Leverage or movies like Ocean’s 11: you’re going to steal something shiny from someone who certainly doesn’t deserve it, and you’re going to do it with style. While combat is an option, your characters will also have to deal with suspicious marks, security systems, laser grids and bank vaults. The characters are composed of special talents and personal flaws, and the GM has the task of designing something the game calls Murphy’s Gun - a major twist that will reveal itself midway through the heist.

It can be tricky to determine what to prep for a game like this, but one thing that you can for sure prep is the location. Design the building, draw the floor plan, and come up with obstacles for the different areas - there’s not really movement tracking in this game but having the layout will certainly help your players come up with ideas about how to get in, get out, and get rich.

Another thing to consider…

Mothership doesn’t have any stealth skills, but what it does have is the incentive to be sneaky. If an alien horror is moving through the ship, you’re more likely to try and stay out of it’s way - and having no stealth skills means that the players have to describe what they’re doing to stay hidden; climb into vents, squeeze yourself into cupboards, and try to wriggle into the space suit. However, this doesn’t mean that you’re not rolling - you might roll to clamber over something or to fit yourself into something, or you might roll to scope out a location to find an exit or suitable hiding place. It’s also excellent in terms of maps - plenty of adventures will provide at least a blueprint of the space station or ship that you’re exploring, which you can use to spook your players with fresh horrors.