#and a fun and easy thing you can do before playing any new ttrpg is get yourself some dice stats information

[ailinu]

blasting into a discord with my 750,000 simulated dice rolls and stem background to argue about the rules of a game with the designer

[christiansorrell]

TTRPG Read-Through: Patchwork World

Here is a read-through I did last year (originally posted on Twitter) of one of the most unique PbtA games I've ever read: Patchwork World by Aaron King! - Christian

Credits up first. I know a lot of these folks and they are really cool! Excited to dig into this. I've heard good things, and it's been a while since I've read or played any Powered by the Apocalypse.

This is a cool, strong set up for me. I really like settings that ask characters to face a changing world and either take up change themselves or work to restore the old way of things. It's a headspace I find myself in a lot IRL these days so it's fun to explore.

I'm interested to see how the no stats, no playbooks angle of this game works, considering playbooks are typically such a staple of PbtA games.

Standard three-tired success, mixed success, fail forward resolution for rolls here and questions on the moves determine your bonus to the roll. Easy peasy. +2 is the max bonus.

Other types of rolls are described here. Interested to see how they come into play. I also love clocks and use them in pretty much every game I run so it's nice to see those laid out here too.

We just love a lil guy, don't we folks?

A good chunk of the opening here is spent on laying out a lot of solid foundations of roleplaying generally. It feels like a book (so far) that would work for entirely new players. It doesn't feel essential for me, but I never mind a game that supports varied experience levels.

Character creation is wide open, especially since there aren't playbooks and the text stresses that character creation is very much worldbuilding because of this. Fate-like concepts and tags are in here too which are things I generally enjoy. I like the Drawback mechanic.

Moves are in the playback I set in the other room so I'm gonna go grab those. You get two chosen moves and everyone has access to a number of default moves. You've got three other life/XP things to keep track of too. I'm especially interested in Hex.

There are a lot of moves! They seem quite varied and often very weird, fitting well with the titular patchwork world. You can have a duck's slick soul to dodge more easily or a magical space suit or speak to birds or be good at cartography. Overwhelming, but in an exciting way.

You also choose a community as a party. While PCs all have their original homelands (before the end of the old worlds), you know have a community that gets its own little sheet. This is a cool reshaping of the Gangs from Blades. I also like how the community can change over time.

Coming back to a PbtA game after months of more OSR-minded stuff, I think a lot of what these games contain are things that experienced players would say you could just do in any game at any time that it makes sense in the story, but I do find value in stating what's possible.

Esp since many players come to games with artificial limits on their options (whether that's from video games, more traditional RPGs, etc.). I just think good GMing here requires making sure that the players don't limit themselves just to the bevy of explicit options either.

GM moves (mostly to guide the response to failed rolls). I really think the community aspect of this set up is one of the biggest appeals to me so far. That and the wild list of moves, which I'm sure makes for amazing parties of characters.

I always feel like it's never something I should be in my own writing (for some probably unnecessary reason), but I enjoy the first-person, casual writing style throughout the book. Makes for a very chill read.

Good to see this game employs the Branson Reese style of NPC naming.

Stress acts as a single catch-all health and challenge rating for NPCs. Ideally, I'd hope this would help lead to the PCs approaching encounters with more than just violence.

Sections like this are what I'm referring to when I say this book feels very friendly to new players. It's got little anecdotes and thoughts like this throughout.

Look, it's been a while since I've seen A Christmas Story but... it didn't have ghosts in it right?

There's a sample adventure in the back (which I'll skip for this read-through) plus loads of random tables. Some wonderfully bizarre stuff in the characters and faction tables. Really gives you a good idea for how gonzo you can go with the setting.

Love these two in particular

Optional rules include hard mode (which I just think is kind of funny to see in PbtA, but could be cool if you lean heavy into the post-apoc setting) and some optional moves. I like that some moves focus on romance, something I enjoy IRL but never think to focus on in games.

I was wondering why this was the sixth edition!

That's all for the book itself. Going back to the packet to dig into the things I missed. Some expected bits in here but always one or two unique options I really enjoy. Leaking hex is cool (and could have some troubling cascade effects in certain situations).

I definitely wish, at least in sitting down to read like this, that the contents of the player packet was also in the book itself. I think PbtA has this tendency of leading to loads of pages on the table, but it can make them very easy to pick up and play or to learn as you play.

That element is definitely here, but I think the vast number of wide-ranging moves and the excitement that would drum up in my player group would more than makeup for that initial overwhelming feel of "whoa, that's a lot of papers out on the table".

Overall, it's the most I've wanted to play a game in this style in a while. I like that the base setup for the world is very much up to the players to determine via the characters they make. I like that PCs here will probably feel unlike any other folks have played before.

The community aspect feels like where I'd want to center my story around, as a player. Seeing that shift and change over time feels like it would be very rewarding and would help lean into the "the old world is dead, what do we want the new world to look like?" theme I enjoy.

Because Aaron King is cool and recently hit a lot of Twitter followers, Patchwork Worlds is now Pay-what-you-want over on Itch.

I'm not sure if physical copies are readily available. For full disclosure (guess I should have said this up front), I got this copy for free from Aaron! Not for the purposes of this thread or anything, just for fun a while back.

Thanks for reading more ramblings from me! If you like to do that sort of thing, check out my newsletter - Missives from the MeatCastle. It's got writings on my work, cool stuff I've run across the web in the last month, and exclusive rpg stuff! https://meatcastle.substack.com

[roadandruingame]

RaR Musings #19.2: Market Saturation

There are WAY more ttrpgs out there than anybody realizes. I don't think it's possible to not be surprised by the knowledge that itch.io has 40 000 ttrpgs listed, 75% of which are available for free. But I would hazard to guess that most of them fall into one of three categories, all of which contribute to bloat for different reasons:

One Page Rules. There's nothing inherently wrong with this game format, but the speed of development and shallowness of play mean that it very rapidly blows out the listings. Too many options only bewilders people looking for something to play, and while they might pick one at random, learn it, and play it, and have fun, all in the span of an afternoon, they all start to blur together, until it's this insurmountable wall of products that really don't contribute anything meaningful to the medium.

Reinventing The Wheel. Arguably Road and Ruin can fall into this category, but a lot of them are simply making a game for the sake of it. They aren't really game designers, and they bombard rpg boards and forums with questions like "does this dice system make sense?", "I have an idea, does anyone know if it's been done before", and so on. Generic Medieval Fantasy RPG #23,489 is hardly going to make much of an impact on things, and due to either an overfamiliarity with a single product, never having played another product, or possibly only ever having played a single game session, they end up applying a lot of their resources toward reinventing things that have already been made a hundred times over, believing themselves to be some remarkable visionary.

D20 Reskins. This is a little like reinventing the wheel, but I personally loathe this more than the other two. The D20 system that originated in Dungeons and Dragons isn't a bad system, and it's had some 40-50 years and dozens of designers and hundreds of thousands of players to refine it into a game that is just complicated enough and just easy enough to learn and play that it still dominates the market. But for the love of god, stop reskinning DND. It's infuriating that there is still so much fanatic loyalty to a game system that is, often, and often intentionally, underdeveloped and pushed out for a quick buck, and prospective designers who take that disappointment and direct it toward a new DND, one with new classes (they're the same), new enemies (they're the same), new places, items, spells, or mechanics. The world of D20 reskins and DND homebrew is a massive wasteland, players relying on influencers and streamers to tell them how to play and sifting through the ashes for the occasional nugget of good game design, that just gets lost in the noise of everyone cannibalizing a broken and underdeveloped product for whatever scrap of attention and ad revenue that they can get. A couple decades of "don't worry, YOU make the game!" will do that to you.

Any of the above that are successful are rarely the result of good design. OPRs like Goblin With A Fat Ass are more about shock value, getting a giggle out of entertainment junkies who flit from one novelty to the next, desperate for anything that can be sensationalized for even a microsecond. I've heard of maybe 8 "Avatar the Last Airbender" ttrpg projects in the last couple of years, and that's just since I started reading places that they're posted in, and half of any "brand new ttrpg" based on a recognized license is just a D20 reskin, hastily cobbling together any mechanics like guns or driving that aren't readily available in DND.

No, the ones that are successful are the result of clout. DNDtubers and streamers who command an audience of thousands are a great source of recurring ad revenue and product pushing for anything anyone wants to pay them to sell, and the hit-the-ground-running success of rpgs created by prominent streamers in the wake of the WOTC implosion are solely due to that clout. They might not be good designers, they might not be able to do much beyond fix DND, and they might never have built a game before, but that doesn't matter, here's four million dollars.

I sound bitter about this. In a way, I am. Despite making Road and Ruin for fun, I can't deny that I haven't fantasized once or twice about the project getting fans. Even a hundred, even fifty, even twenty, ten, FIVE people who look at what I've done, and genuinely like it, who'd be excited for new developments as I continue to expand on options for probably the rest of my life.

I think about what would have happened if I'd released Road and Ruin a couple years ago, before the "fracturing of the fanbase", or even during it, amidst the clamor of streamers all announcing their own projects. What would happen if I released it now, or what would happen if I waited a couple years for the market of non-DND games to grow a little, as more people accept that DND isn't the only game in town. Is there an opportunity anywhere? Was there, and I missed it?

Then I remember that I'm making this game for me, for fun, and that's all it should be. I already hold myself to a lofty standard, but one of quality, not one of fame and fortune or popularity. I shouldn't anticipate any success, but if I want others to like the game, I should continue considering what other people want, what other people feel. I shouldn't ever put anything in my life on hold, using the project as an excuse, or prioritize it over anything important. It won't be going anywhere, and neither will I.

[alexissara]

Best Of Me Alexis Sara, 2024 Edition.

Before the new year ends it’s time to celebrate one of the things I love the very most, myself.  In 2024 I did a ton of work, a lot of which I wasn’t able to share because it’s part of bigger projects. I wrote two books [rough drafts] in the Love Beyond The Holy Light series and am working on the 3rd, worked on Thirsty Sword Lesbians next expansion, helped my GF with one of her own novels, worked on several other TTRPGs, got to work on Gales Of Nayeli, started working on SRPGs of my own and more. Most of which I am more proud of than the stuff that is here on this list.  However, this is about the best stuff I released this year not things I did so enjoy the stuff I did this year that you can in some way shape or form access this year I think is best. 

10. The Upcoming Sapphic Games Guide This is one of the projects I work on all year long. Since I started doing it in 2023 I’ve been doing my best to find and cover as many possible upcoming sapphic games as possible. This is a big passion project that I put hours and hours into playing demos, reading pages over and over again, looking through devs twitters, watching every game showcase I can, I really and honestly put everything I can into making sure folks know where they can support sapphic games that are coming out. I hope for a world where I don’t feel the need to do this cuz people just say there is sapphic rep and what kind of sapphic rep in their games and that is an easy thing to find but unfortunately it’s way harder than it should be so I am doing the work so folks don’t need to.

9. Why FE4 Remake Can’t Happen Since the release of Fire Emblem Echoes people have had “rumors’ that the next fire emblem game is an FE4 Remake. Ever since then it has been the next game for every single game releases and it was going to be announced at every Nintendo direct. Somehow, this hasn’t happened and in this article I explain why it won’t happen [and shouldn’t]. I’ve been meaning to do this for a long time and it was nice to finally lay it out. 

8. Pokémon Sun and Moon Fic - Lillie: To Stand By the Moon Part 2 

After a little over a year, I finally wrote the second part of my MoonLillie fanfiction. I really want to finish this story but I’ve been busy doing work and didn’t take a lot of time for fanfics in general. I am really proud of this second part explaining what was up with Moon during the events of Lillie’s story and leading into part 3 with Lillie. 

7. Sacred Stoners #1 One of the biggest pleasures of the year was getting to work with Actuallizard my favorite FE Youtuber for an episode of his new podcast Sacred Stoners, in fact on the debut episode where I got to talk about queer rep in Fire Emblem one of my favorite topics in the world. Lizard and Sequitur were so much fun to talk to and I would hang out again any time really. 

6. Dream Game: Pokémon Contest Legends 

The start of what I would like to be a series but likely will only just be this one article, I talked about my dream pokemon game, a Pokemon Contest forward pokemon game that is all about raising pokemon to do well in contests and dressing up and really focusing on the bound with pokemon. 

5. Drums Of War Review 

Drums of War is an amazing romhack and one of my best games of the year in 2023. I really want people to try this game, it’s better than most mainline fire emblem games even if it is a bit hard [I think they’ve added an easy mode since after i beat it]. It’s truly a great SRPG experience and I really do hope one day we could see what Parrhesia would do with a game they could actually sell and not just a romhack. 

4. Super Idols RPG Episodes 38 and 39 

While Super Idols RPG episode 38 didn’t come out this year, the part of the show I was more actively a part of episode 39 did debut this year and I am so proud of my performance on this podcast as Selena, one of my all time favorite OCs and putting her on that stage was really fun.

3. Fire Emblem Engage One Year Later 

To “celebrate” one year of Fire Emblem Engage and talk about how bad it is and how I kept finding myself disliking it more and more over time. Fire Emblem is my favorite game series and going over these feelings I think helps me place where I am with the series for the future which is, that i might not get a switch 2 because honestly, Fire Emblem is one of my main selling points for a Nintendo console but unless Tecmo Koei is making the next Fire Emblem game I honestly don’t trust it. 

2. Sierra Laider My Dragon Age the Veilguard OC Sierra is among my favorite things I made this year and how does she show up on a list like this well, I wrote a massive 31 day challenge of fics for her and I wrote another fic before that challenge for her and I’ve actually worked on more fics and stuff of her while I was playing Veilguard. Actually playing Veilguard I’ve mentally adjusted some of her lore while choosing to Ignore Veilguards shallow writing in other areas but I have a full canon of Sierra and Asher planned out now even going into some post Veilguard stuff. I don’t know if I’ll share their stories but I love Sierra so much and I think I wrote some fun little fics. 

1. Love Beyond The Holy Light Volume 1 Rough Draft 

While the rest of this list is not really order and the numbers are here to make it look like a structured list, number one is actually this, Love Beyond The Holy Light Volume 1’s rough draft now out on Patreon. Love Beyond The Holy Light is my novel project, started as a webnovel years ago, I hosted it on it’s own site and it’s a story I never moved on from, I was realizing every story I was making was Love Beyond The Holy Light, that since I gave up on it so I had to return. So I went back and rewrote it from scratch not borrowing any of my old writing and wanting to take it again from the top better than ever and I really think the story is finally the story it deserves to be. I am so proud of this and I really want people to read my story. I think Love Beyond The Holy Light is really special and folks should check out my story in which a couple of Catholic girls get down so bad for a pair of trans women they give up on their religion and end up helping with a revolution against a theocratic state. 

[talenlee]

Game Pile: Startups

Startups is an Oink Games card game, where the players are investors considering the value of a small number of companies and their eventual value in terms of exploiting one another. It is a card game of simple mechanics with complex choices, where you choose on your turn if you’re going to spend money to explore new options or just take the options other people have served up for you. At the end of the game, your cards in your hand are contributed to your portfolio in front of you, and the player who has the majority of any given business is now in charge of that business, and get money from all the players who don’t.

It is crisp, it is tight, and I feel like what I did in the first paragraph bordered on a full synopsis of the game without actually specifically counting every element of the game out in an agonising list. It was a Christmas gift for me years ago and I finally, finally, finally got to play it and immediately after we played it, multiple people in the group said ‘let’s play it again.’ Before bedtime.

This game rules.

Okay, but how am I going to fill out a whole article about it after that?

First of all, to talk about Startups as a board game involves talking about it in the three ways I default to: The game’s abstraction (the theme and fiction of the game), the game’s enrolment (how it gets you into its rules space where your actions are uncertain), and the game’s stuffness (what material elements of the game present a space for those elements to reach you). This is a structure for game analysis I use in classes, and which I think serves as a useful toolkit for explaining games both as constructed objects, but also games that already exist.

First up, abstraction. The game is about investors in startup companies that are competing in a semi-regulated market. The amount of money you have is fairly intangible, and purchasing shares in companies is much more about opportunities than it is about available money. At the end, the majority shareholders of each business can claim dividends from everyone else involved in that business, yay, but along the way you have to spend money to get access to more opportunities (drawing more cards). The companies’ ability to deliver on their claims is completely immaterial, and the whole thing is represented with a stark and extremely crisp style of art that’s actually a little too fun and a little too cute to really be the corporate logo aesthetic it’s teasing at.

The game enrols you into its rules really quickly. The first turn and the last turn are almost identical, and all you need to learn to play the game is that you pick up a card, you put down a card, and everything about those choices flows from that. The complexity, the places you get all pulled into the rules space, is in watching what other players are doing, what they’re putting down, and determining what they want to do and what they can’t do, and what, therefore, it’s safe for you to do on the way to your goals.

I am personally delighted by the form factor of Oink Games’ games. They come in a little box that seemingly only Oink use to present their games, which is a unique size and shape in an industry of generally standardised oversized game forms. The games are so tiny and so tight and I imagine it means shipping them is very convenient and easy, which belies the price these games command, when you have internalised as I do that the games industry largely pays for transport. What makes up Startups as a material presence in my life is a deck of 50ish cards, maybe 60ish tokens, a rules pamphlet that is bordering on inaccessible at its printing scale, and six large tokens.

And this is where this game, and many Oink games, stands in my mind. A lesson to walk away from these games with.

You might notice that I don’t pay a lot of mind to costs of games, most of the time. Sometimes there are games whose whole financial footprint sits wrong with me; I wondered why the Avatar: The Last Airbender TTRPG was so merely good when it was the most successful TTRPG product of all time on Kickstarter. The way that D&D and Magic: The Gathering exist as games means that they need to be held to enormously high standards and can indeed be left permanently unforgiven for things like how they treated Orion Black. Typically speaking, though, when I discuss finances of games, it is as a matter of how extreme outliers in budget and price exist.

Oink Games, and Startups in particular, are games whose whole form factor is attainable for me. I can make games comparable to Startups. I didn’t make Startups – it’s a really, really good game and part of what makes it so good is clearly round upon round of polished playtesting. Its corporate art aesthetic, its tuned numbers, I do not compare my work to that of Startups because I think my work is just as good, but because I think my work lives in the same space as this game.

Right now, with the stock I have, I charge $15 for games of the scale of Startups. The retail price in my country for Startups is $35. I know Oink are paying less for the raw materials of their game than I am for mine. I know they have better deals for distributing their goods than I am for mine. I know that Oink have made a game for less than I make mine and they are selling it for more than twice as much and that means that Oink value the game, the rules and the experience of that game, very highly.

Oink games are priced like Oink thinks the game is valuable.

Check it out on PRESS.exe to see it with images and links!

[stierhai]

Enstars AUs, 11-17

Continued from here.

Mecha Pilot AUs

[Considering Happy Elements has given us this for April Fool's twice now, you would think I'd be satisfied. However, this has only made my desire for them all the more poignant, and not sated my appetite at all. ]

11. Cyborg Wataru/Evil Empire Eichi, inspired by the first April Fool's AU. Empire eichi finds wataru after absolutely destroying the enclave he's from and cyborgizes the dude he admires and has a crisis about Wataru forever in which he worries if he's done the brain-washing completely or if Wataru is only playing along to sabotage him in the future, or if he's done the brain-washing so completely that while it appears to be the Wataru he wanted it is only a shallow copy who loves him because he's supposed to love him!! And has Wataru do terrible things to prove his love. Meanwhile, Wataru. He's just like, haha the thing that happened was terrible so I'm throwing out that suitcase and addressing it never and instead ENJOYING MY TERRIBLE MECHA PILOT ROMANCE AND MY NEW EVIL EMPIRE LIFE : D : D : D A PLOT TWIST!! THIS IS FUN. THIS IS SO DIFFERENT! I've never gotten to do any of this before! They are terrible, stupid, evil, and very much in love. Pros: I think they'd both be easy and fun to write. Cons: I should probably review the first April Fool's story... Even if I'm not following it completely, it wouldn't be a bad place to start.

12. The April Fool's Official Gundam Pilot AU You know, the one where Eichi cloned everyone so they can participate in mech battles forever and he considers this eternal war to be idol behavior. But rather than the focus characters being Hokuto and Rinne and a few others, let's turn the camera to look at the fish cult. Fish cult in the gundam AU. Kanata clones. It probably goes a little more Evangelion but I'm down with it. Pros: I have the fish cult on my AU list three times. I maybe really want to try my hand at the fish cult. Cons: I wrote a ttrpg setting for a mech game called Sovereign Waltz and one of the major powers was called the Tritonic Church and they were just mecha AU Shinkai Cult. I should maybe try to avoid writing things I've written before. But maybe it will serve as a good outline? A good jumping off point?

Miscellaneous AUs:

[There is no particular unifying theme to the following AUs.]

13. Ghost Chiaki AU: Chiaki dies at some point due to a resurgence of his childhood illness and is the world's most friendly, most annoying ghost who is also scared of ghosts. He is trying to inspire people to heroism but unfortunately. Unfortunately the people who can see him are like. Midori. Eichi. I'd need to decide exactly when the divergence happens but I think Eichi annoyed into being a good person by his dead childhood friend is fun. I think it's a fun concept! And I do think their dynamic is fun in general, so it's good to have an excuse to spotlight it. The sick kids club but one grows up to be an evil motherfucker and the other is like I'M GONNA BE A HERO. Also, they're both so fucking nerdy. An idol nerd and a sentai nerd. Pros: Eichia is sadly an underrepresented ship but I love it and also chiaki the friendly ghost is a hysterical concept to me. Cons: I have never written chiaki, need to decide when the divergence happens.

14. Nagisa, Post-post-post-apocalypse AU To explain: post-apocalypse is the apocalypse just happened, post-post apocalypse means society has rebuilt and is functioning, post-post-post apocalypse is like the decline and downfall of the second rebuilt society. I enjoy the thought of the clone raised in an empty room who is the remnants of the first society climbs out of his isolation chamber into the second downfall and kind of quietly tinkers and rediscovers humanity in a world at its end. It mirrors canon but in a different setting, and I think it'd be good to have Hiyori with his optimism and Ibara with his cynicism reflected in their attitudes towards the epoch and setting. It'd be a good AU to explore that and their influences on Nagisa, especially where Nagisa knows them both from the start. Pros: I am a bit of a sucker for settings that reflect the underlying conflict or arc of a fic. You know, when the metaphor is also the thing that is happening. Also, Hiyori is here! Cons: I have never written for Nagisa or Ibara before.

15: Tetora and Naru, Silence is Golden AU Canon divergence. Tetora stays with Crimpro longer than he does in canon, he believes really strongly in this version that ES is just that bad and he feels responsible for his juniors in Crimpro, so he ends up more complicit. In this, Crimpro is actually responsible for ES's downfall before falling apart themselves, and Tetora is left with a thing he can't talk about because it was awful but it affected him deeply, and a lot of people also feel betrayed about it, even as more negative things continue to come out about ES. I'd want the fic to be something about the rediscovery of identity, because Tetora has tried really hard to be a good person, but he can't actually be at home with that because despite his trying his best to find his place in the world... he can't square his own experience with his ideals, let alone what the rest of the world thinks of him. How can he be any of that, with what happened! And I think that contrasted with Naru, who stood by and watched someone she loved die while she couldn't say a word would probably want to reach out! Though she also has plenty of stuff she can't talk about! Two people who suck at communication! And she has her own identity stuff along with remaking yourself to be more at home with yourself and [the world might see you differently but] I think she's a good person to help Tetora pick himself up after it. I think they should run away together. Pros: let Tetora date his beautiful transgirl roommate, happy pride, thank you. Cons: I need to review the crimpro story, I have never written Tetora before.

16: the AU where Eichi breaks death Self-explanatory. Instead of going all in on idols, Eichi breaks death to get over his sick-kid problems. This could honestly be the rich kid non-idol AU but it doesn't have to be so it gets its own header.

17: the AU where Tori knows what he's going to inherit Canon divergence AU, I think the divergence is pre-canon but goes into the canon timeline. The one where his parents don't hide the child soldier orphan military camps from him and he doesn't just have vague awareness that the Himemiya family is unpopular and they sell weapons. Instead, he knows about the whole child soldier thing and has to come to terms with what happened to Yuzuru. He's torn between his desire to please his parents and his own lack of stomach for what he has in store in his future, and the mental reconciliation of the kindness he was raised with versus the cruelty of what his family has wrought. A soft boy tries really hard not to be soft because holy shit what he's going to inherit is not going to allow for that. (and it is unthinkable to tear down and throw away his family's legacy because above all, he loves his family. He can't leave this mess in his sister's lap.) Pros: SOMEONE should explore what happens when Tori finds out. like, ideally, canon should. But it hasn't! So if it's gotta be someone, why not me. Cons: It's definitely a very different tori than canon and I'm going to have to do some work to make sure he still feels like himemiya tori.

Okay, those are the AUs. If anyone wants to encourage me to write one in particular, feel free to reply!

[woodland-sys]

Ok so that's doable but be aware that its going to be a huge project. I'm not saying don't do it, I know that sometimes its fun to yourself into the deep end and if you've got the motivation than go for it, but make sure you know what youre getting into. Dnd is a complicated game, 5e is simpler than previous editions but still not the easiest to learn for new players and you'll need a really solid understanding of the rules before you can start making your homebrew. Even for experienced homebrewers making one new class is a fairly big undertaking. Trying to make several plus spells, items, and races will take months at minimum. I wouldn't be surprised at all if it takes more than a year.

Are you doing this because you want to have an awesome campaign to play with friends, or just because you really like board game design and want to try your hand at it? Because if it's the former than I would recommend that you try to do as little homebrew as possible. Making homebrew of any kind is difficult, and spells, classes, and magic items are *very* tedious because they require lots of playtesting in order to make them feel fun. If you really love the process it can still be awesome but you have to really really like game design if you don't want it to feel like homework.

Dnd has a lot of moving parts and its very difficult to make something that is both balanced and fun to play. Aside from that, designing your own campaign world is a big project too. I would recommend taking a look at other ttrpg systems to see if there's one that suits the world you have in mind. You'll still be able to do homebrew but it's good to at least shop around to see if there's a base that requires less modification. You could also consider starting with a rules lite system (ex kids on bikes) since those tend to be more flexible and easy to modify.

If your really set on doing this in dnd specifically then I recommend doing it in stages. Start with something small, like a homebrew race (that's still a lot of work, it's just smaller than the other stuff you listed), and make sure you reference dnd races a lot when coming up with traits. You should be very familiar with what kinds of traits are common and how many unique traits most races have. One of the most common problems with homebrew is that it is too strong. This will be particularly difficult to manage because you're completely new. A lot of things can seem not very powerful at first but are actually some of the most breakable mechanics in the game. It's very common for new homebrewers to accidentally make an feature that inadvertently allows a crazy exploit. Since you've never played before, you won't have any experience to draw on to help you judge the power of what you're making, so you'll be relying almost entirely on theory. You'll want to make sure that what you make could slot into vanilla dnd nicely.

From there it will just be a long process of refining what you've made, moving onto the next race, and repeating. Hopefully by the end you'll have developed enough of an understanding of the rules to work on more complicated stuff. I can't really help with homebrew classes or spells though, that stuff is too difficult for me. I'll try to find some resources later that might help though.

Good luck with your worldbuilding and I'd love to see how it turns out if you want to show me (no pressure tho ofc)! Also feel free to dm/send and ask to me if you have any more questions. I can give more specific advice if you tell me more about your goals and what you've come up with so far in terms of worldbuilding!

how do homebrew dnd

[destinylegendrpg]

What is Destiny: Become Legend?

Destiny: Become Legend is a custom tabletop roleplaying game fan project co-created by @frombrad2worse and @cassiefisherdrake , crafted from the ground up with a unique dice system designed to capture the rich universe, expansive lore, and tactical combat of Bungie, Inc.'s sci-fi shooters Destiny and Destiny 2.

To start playing your own Destiny: Become Legend TTRPG games at home, you only need...

The Abbreviated Handbook (Light Mode) OR (Dark Mode)

A fireteam of friends (1 Vanguard and 3-4 Guardians is best!)

At least four 6-sided dice

And that's it! You're ready to begin! All of our content is FREE to access and will always remain that way, so go wild and play this game however you like with any story you like. Click below the cut to find out more about us and this fan project TTRPG!

Who created Destiny: Become Legend (D:BL)?

We are B (@cassiefisherdrake) and Danger (@frombrad2worse), two long-time Destiny 2 fans and the creative force behind the Destiny: Become Legend TTRPG. B is a proud Titan main (Missile Titan Supremacy) and Danger is a filthy Hunter main (with a crippling Gunpowder Gamble addiction). Here's a picture of our Guardians!

As a reminder, we're just fans! We're unaffiliated with Bungie and do not make any money off of D:BL - and we never plan to! All D:BL content will ALWAYS be free to access and play.

What is playing D:BL like?

In D:BL, the players, as Guardians, explore the vast universe, interact with its colorful inhabitants, and fight back against the forces of Darkness. When a situation with an exciting and uncertain outcome arises, you roll 2d6 and add stat modifiers to determine what happens. If things get dicey (pun intended) and weapons are drawn, combat begins. In combat, you have a pool of 4d6 you can expend every turn to fire weapons, activate Light abilities, and perform various Heroic Actions. Combat is designed to be fast-paced, tactical, and exciting - players don't even have assigned turns and must instead discuss amongst themselves their strategy before their enemies can gain the upperhand.

Just like the video games, D:BL is designed to be easy to pick up and fun to play for beginners, but contains a wide array of character customization options to provide a rich and rewarding experience for players that want to dive deeper and build the Guardian of their sci-fi fantasies. It even includes build-crafting for all Subclasses!

Want to see D:BL in action?

Each Monday at 8:45PM ET on our twitch stream, we'll join one of our two fireteams as they race to save the Last City from the invading Red Legion. But something is different about this Red War: the Cabal are working with the Vex! Join us as our heroes race to save the Last City - and maybe even the timeline itself! Many sessions will even come with their own lorebook entry, read aloud at the end of play to further delve into Destiny's depths!

Whether you're ready to find out about the campaign, hear a fan-made lorebook, or just want to see how the mechanics of the D:BL system shake out, join us every Monday, at 8:30PM Eastern / 7:30 Central as we play live on our twitch!

How soon can I play this at home with my other Destiny-loving nerd friends?

Right now! In case you missed it, scroll back up to the top of this post to access the Abbreviated Handbook (in light mode or dark mode) to begin making your own character sheets and stories with friends. This abbreviated handbook is best used by Vanguards and players who are familiar with the video game and have played at least one other TTRPG system (ex., Dungeons & Dragons, Powered by the Apocalypse games). We'll also soon be adding full, unabbreviated players and Vanguard handbooks for completely new players!

Please note that the D:BL system is being updated all the time as we play our own campaign to find our what feels good. The current version is 1.51; this post was last updated July 20, 2024.

Remember that this system will ALWAYS remain free to play! All handbooks, all expansions, all subclasses, all custom exotics - everything! After all, we are a fan project - our only goal is to spread far and wide so we can all have fun with our friends, playing together in the Destiny universe's sandbox. Follow us here or on twitter for updates, news, and stream announcements!

Eyes up and have fun, Guardians!

[heedra]

can i ask what ttrpg systems you prefer to dnd?

yeah! this is a question i’ve answered before so i’m gonna duplicate my answer here! This is in no way a comprehensive guide to every good game out there, but here are a few I enjoy that I have personal experience with or have heard a lot of good things about.

Exalted: This is my personal favorite ttrpg. It’s a very lore-heavy game and setting revolving around playing demigods in a specific, highly detailed mythic fantasy setting. It would be a huge joke to say it’s any easier to get into than DnD, or that the mechanics are any less bloated, and it’s definitely had its fair share of big problems in the past, but I really love where the newest edition (third edition)  has gone so far and is continuing to go. Worth checking out if you like over-the-top fantasy, digging into heavy lore, rolling a lot of dice, and using a whole bunch of intricate bits and pieces to build a character (all things ppl love about DnD). New World of Darkness/Chronicles of Darkness: These games are the newest iteration of the famous World of Darkness gameline originally put out by White Wolf Games. They’re a collection of different urban fantasy games (all of which use the same mechanics and can be mixed and matched) that focus on different supernatural creatures: vampires, werewolves, ghosts, changelings; even mummies and frankensteins! I especially love Changeling: The Lost, and enjoy playing CofD in general for the atmosphere it often evokes. If you’re looking to play a modern fantasy game, I’d give it a look.  I’ll be frank though: White Wolf also has a SHIT record when it comes to handling race in its games, and the classic World of Darkness line, especially Vampire and Werewolf, are some of the worst offenders. Chronicles of Darkness has come a long way since then in a lot of cases, especially with the second editions of a lot of its games coming out, but it’s still good to go into this one critically. MASKS: A New Generation: This, and the next game on this list, run on the Powered By The Apocalypse game engine- a set of game mechanics designed to be simple and flexible for making games with, that use little more than a pair of d6′s at times, mechanically. The games that use PbtA tend to be tailored for a specific concept and premise- and can be as bad or good as the creators can realize that premise. MASKS is a game about playing young, up-and-coming superheroes, and it rules for that purpose, in my experience. It manages to avoid being crunchy wrt superpowers and supports character roleplaying in a pretty cool way. There are other games for playing supers out there that are perhaps less specific in premise, but I love this one a lot. Monster of the Week: If you have listened to TAZ, you might know of this one- it’s another PbtA game, and the gameplay the boys have of it in Amnesty is a great introduction to how many PbtA games operate. For those of you not familiar, Monster of the Week is a game themed around playing paranormal investigators, gumshoes, kids-on-bikes, x-files agents, or Scooby Gang style folks solving paranormal mysteries. My personal mileage with it varies, but it’s a GREAT intro game to both PbtA and tabletop roleplaying, especially given that it works well for shorter campaigns. Blades In The Dark: I haven’t played this one personally, but I’ve heard only good things about it. Blades is a game about playing a band of brigands, ne’er-do-wells, organized criminals, or assassins in a dark, Victorian-Gothic fantasy setting with a unique set of lore. I’ve heard it’s EXTREMELY FUN and effective at providing a great playspace for roguish, daredevil actions, and it’s unique in having a very cool mechanic where not only do the players have customizable sheets and stats, but their entire gang as a whole does as well.   LANCER: Lancer is a good fucking game, whose mechanics are PERFECT for what it does; and what it does is allow you to play a mech pilot. If you aren’t playing a mech pilot, there’s no reason to play lancer- but if you are, god will you have a good time. This isn’t a flaw- it’s by design, and I urge people to check it out especially because of that and how it demonstrates that, sometimes, narrowing down on a specific concept of play actually improves the ability of a game to enhance that experience. Its rules for playing your PC outside of the mech are barebones but effective, and the rules for mech combat, and for building and customizing your mech, are extremely fun and accommodating to homebrew. The setting also has some pretty cool lore! FATE: Fate is less a tabletop game wholesale and more of a very simple, barebones system for running tabletop adventures. A lot of folks swear by it as as simple, easy jump-in point for the hobby, and a great tool for building game ideas that doesn’t constrain them by too many assumptions about setting and build. Chuubo’s Marvelous Wish-Granting Engine: I have not personally played Chuubos, but I would be loathe to leave it out of this list, because I know a lot of people who adore it and because it is a shining example of just how far away from DnD tabletop games can get in design and play concept. Chuubos divorces itself almost entirely from DnD’s assumptions of dice and chance mechanics- it’s an entirely diceless RPG where much of the theme and progression focuses on roleplaying through story arcs and character goals decided upon by the players. It works fantastically for slice of life and more whimsical, Ghibli-style adventure, but is capable of handling multiple genres and flavors of character arc! Jenna Moran’s other games, Nobilis and Glitch, are also very well-regarded and worth a look. Other than that, I highly recommend looking around some in the indie ttrpg community! There are tons of diverse folks making tons of games that range from big, robust adventure rpgs to specific, conceptual microgames! 

[ryqoshay]

Tri-Arame: RPG Night

Primary Pairing Trio: YuuAyuSetsu Secondary Pairings: AiRina, Shizu??? Words: ~2.8k Rating: T’ish for some fantastical violence and a mildly suggestive ending Time Frame: First year of college? Maybe second? Dunno yet Story Arc: Stand Alone (for now... I may indulge more in this later)

Author’s Note: This may be my most self-indulgent chapter yet; doing a crossover of sorts with my own unpublished work and even bringing in my screennamesake. And trying a new formatting style to boot. But after Setsu’s Bond episode revealed she liked TTRPGs, I couldn’t stop thinking about this. Well, except to get sidetracked by writing two other scenes...

Anyway for those who are unfamiliar with my D&D story - read: at least 95% of my readers, probably more but that's the cap for a d20 - names may get a bit messy and confusing. Most of my OCs have a given name, family name and a call sign. And several have nicknames. I’ll give a list of who is playing who here at the start, but for a bit more information on the in-game characters, please refer to the notes in my Followup Post.

Player - Character Call Sign - Character Name Setsuna - Dungeon Master Yuu - Ryqoshay - Rebecca Bouteillevoix Ayumu - Yozakura - Hakumei Yaiba Rina - Nullsilver Luna Ai - Recipere (Rx) - Rachel Ira Xaviera Shizuku - Lady Sanguine - Vivian Sexton / Sanguine

Ryqoshay couldn’t help a smirk as she took careful aim. It didn’t matter that her bodyguard, Yozakura, was engaging her intended target in close quarters, in fact that was a boon. The girl knew her best friend’s fighting style better than anyone, so it was merely a task of picking the right moment. The bandit wouldn’t know what hit him.

Dodge. Feint. Parry. Strike. Now. She released her arrow.

“Nice! A Nat 20! Roll to confirm your crit. Perfect. Now for damage and don’t forget your bonus.”

“Yatta!” Ryqo cheered as the bandit collapsed, clutching his throat where the arrow had struck. The man was dead before he hit the ground and the raven-haired archer scampered toward the blonde ninja. “Yoza-chan! Thanks for keeping him distracted for me!” she threw herself into a tackling hug.

“Y-Yuu-chan?” Yoza stammered. “What are you doing?”

“Yuu-chan?” Ryqo cocked her head to side. “Who’s that? I’m Ryqo, remember?”

“Are you guys talking in character or OOC?”

“O-Oh… uhm, sorry Setsuna-chan… I meant Ryqo-chan.”

“Ne, Ayumu, would a super serious girl like Yozakura really use -chan?”

“Aren’t they childhood friends?”

“Well, yeah, kinda like you and me, but…”

“Honestly, are you two in or out of character?”

“Sorry, Shizuku-chan, we’re still learning our characters.”

“It’s alright. Maybe we can talk more about things after this battle is done?”

The DM cleared her throat. “Anyway, Sanguine, you’re up.”

A manic bout of laughter from nearby caught their attention.

“That’s the last of ‘em!” Lady Sanguine practically shouted as she stood over the bodies of several bandits, her two longswords coated in almost as much blood as she was herself. “Too easy! You guys are a hundred years too early to think you could defeat me. And look, your blood has barely sated my blades. Pitiful! More! I demand more bloodshed!”

“Were we not to leave at least one alive for interrogation?” Recipere made her way over to the redheaded barbarian, healing magicks already gathering around her hands.

“Woops…” Ryqo chuckled, rubbing the back of her neck with one hand, while refusing the remove the other arm from around Yoza. “I was just caught up in watching Viv-ne-chan take down all those bad guys that I didn’t want to be left out of the fun.”

“Woah, I got you, I got you, Vivian.” The blonde cleric said as the barbarian collapsed into her arms.

Vivian mumbled something unintelligible as her rage subsided and her personified bloodlust retreated into her mind.

”What’s up, Setsuna-chan?”

“Nothing, nothing. Don’t worry about it.” The DM’s giggles betrayed her words as she read something from her phone. “I’m awarding Inspiration to Vivian Sexton.”

“Thanks.” Shizuku responded with a smile. “This Vivian/Sanguine persona switching thing is turning out to be quite interesting.”

“Ne, Luna-chan!” Ryqo called over to the team’s artificer. “Was that really all of them?”

Nullsiver Luna held a finger to her lips as she stared at some device in her hand. Silence reigned in the roadside clearing for almost a full minute, the local fauna having long since been scared off by the sounds of the battle that had finally ended. Suddenly, the orange-haired girl pointed and a moment later, an anguished cry sounded from a stand of shrubs a short way into the woods. From the sky, something dived into a nearby tree while something else scampered across the road into the brush.

“Race you there, Yoza-chan.” Ryqo let go of her bodyguard and made for the bushes.

“Y… Ryqo, wait! It’s dangerous, let me go first!”

“Nope!” The archer cried happily over her shoulder. “If you wanna get there first, you gotta be faster than me!”

Yozakura couldn’t help releasing a frustrated grumble before she followed her charge. With her training, however, she easily caught up to and passed the other girl, but remained annoyed as the two approached the scene.

“What in Karla’s name are these things?!” A young man, not much older than the two girls cried, his eyes shifting rapidly among several gathered devices.

“They are my familiars.” A blue-haired artificer stepped into view.

“Wait, Rinari, wasn’t Luna’s hair orange earlier?”

“Yes.”

“Huh…”

“Itov Altiui, to me.” Nullsiver held out her arm, upon which the bird-like contraption landed and stood like a well-trained hawk. “Moxt Tonash, Weyog Kornari, maintain your positions.” She instructed the cat-like and spider-like automatons.

“Where did you come up with names like those, Rinari? I love them! You have to tell me what they mean!”

“I’m interested as well, Rina-san. I was intrigued when I read them in your character bio and would love to work something into a future campaign.”

“… I can send it to you two…”

“Thanks, Rinari!”

“Yes, thank you. Anyway, where were we?”

“Those don’t look like any familiars I’ve seen.” The bandit continued.

“I made them.” Luna responded simply.

“Well, now that we have your attention,” Rx suddenly appeared from the direction of the road, a fully healed Vivian in tow “we have a few questions for you.”

“I’m not telling you anything!” The young man practically shouted.

“Oh ho?” The redheaded barbarian grinned, slowly drawing her swords.

The bandit flinched, but otherwise remained defiant.

“We just want to know where your boss and the rest of your gang is hiding.” Ryqo spoke up.

The bandit spat towards the girl’s feet.

“Take me to your leader!” The archer demanded.

“Yuu-chan…”

“What’s the matter, Ayu-pyon? That was hilarious!”

“As amusing as that was,” the DM interjected “I’m afraid neither of your Intimidation checks were successful. Would someone else like to try their hand?”

“Like I said, I ain’t telling you guys nothing!” The bandit insisted. “The boss will kill me if I gave away our hideout’s location.”

“You realize, of course, that we’ll kill you if you don’t.” Rx stated, matter-of-factly.

The young man glanced among Vivian and Yozakura’s blades, Ryqo’s bow and the three automatons. “You guys ain’t got nothing on the boss.”

“Tell me.” The artificer began. “When you cried out earlier, was it because Weyog Kornari bit you?”

“You mean this thing?” He kicked at the spider, which dodged with ease.

“Yes.”

“What of it? It didn’t hurt much.”

Luna raised an eyebrow but did not attempt to dispute the claim. “I believe I should inform you that you have been poisoned.”

“Yeah, so?”

“You may not feel much now, but you will. Soon. Everyone reacts a little different, so you may notice some blurred vision, shortness of breath, chills, perhaps some perspiration despite the chills…” She spoke in an almost unnerving monotone as she continued to list potential symptoms of the toxin.

The bandit held a hand up and stared at its visible shaking.

“Ah. I see. That would be your nerves being attacked at the chemical level.”

The bandit suddenly convulsed.

“It will hurt. A lot.” Luna continued to explain solemnly. “Until it reaches your heart. Then it will hurt more.” She knelt beside him and held out a tiny vial for him to see. “This is the antidote. Only this can save you as I have ensured my poisons cannot be cured by magical means.”

The young man tried to reach for the vial but ended up clutching at his chest before convulsing again and curling into a fetal position.

“Tell us the location of your base of operations.”

“Alr…” The bandit began before choking off. Despite his entire body shaking now, he managed to make what appeared to be a nodding motion.

“Recipere, Lady Sanguine, please hold him.” Luna requested of her guildmates.

“Right.” Rx replied, moving forward, alongside Vivian.

Once the spasming man was secure, Luna pulled the cork from the vial and upturned it into his mouth. Within moments, his shakes began to fade until he lay still completely.

“Is he dead?” Ryqo asked, poking at his arm with the end of her bow.

Vivian delivered a quick backhand across the bandit’s face. His eyes snapped open and he gasped.

“Ready to talk now?” Ryqo leaned over the bandit with an all too cheerful grin. “If you’re really that worried about what your boss might do to you for spilling the beans, let me assure you we’ll be taking care of him as soon as you tell us where he is. Then you’ll be free to run along and join some other bad guys and we’ll meet again when some other town hires us to get rid of you. Sound like a plan? I think it sounds fun.”

The young man stared up in confusion at the archer. His gaze drifted over to Luna, then to the spider automaton and back to the artificer. With a sigh he began to reveal the location of the hideout.

“Alright, that seems like a good place to call things for the night.” Setsuna said, glancing up over the top of her DM screen. “But before I forget, Rina-chan, Nullsilver was the one to get the bandit to talk and your performance was quite chilling so I’m awarding her Inspiration.”

“Mm.” Rina confirmed with a nod.

“Rinari, that was amazing!” Ai marveled, leaning over to throw an arm around her girlfriend and pull her close. “It honestly sent shivers down my spine.” She giggled as she nuzzled the younger girl’s cheek. “Who would’ve thought you could be so evil.”

“Not evil. Just not good.”

“Rina-chan’s right.” Setsuna nodded. “You’re from a guild of mercenaries, technically none of you are good; you’re all Neutral on that scale. Sure, you’re currently contracted with a town that’s more good leaning, but you could just have easily been hired by the bandits instead.”

“Oh dear, is that the time?” Shizuku sighed as she checked her phone. She looked across the table at Ai and Rina. “We’ve missed the last trains of the night.”

“You guys can stay here if you want.” Yuu offered.

“That’s not the problem.” Shizuku lamented. “She’s not going to be happy…” She started typing something on her phone.

Ai laughed. “Just tell her to join us next time.”

“Next session would actually be the perfect time for a new player to join.” Setsuna pointed out. “We can work it into the story that you guys sent for another merc from your guild to assist in the raid of the bandit camp. And I can adjust the threat levels of the encounter as needed.”

Shizuku nodded. “I’ll be sure to ask her again…” Her phone chimed and she frowned upon checking the message. “I know I’m about to get an earful, but I’m going to call her.” She stood up.

“You can use my room.” Yuu said. “If you’re good with a couch, you can use that, otherwise Ayumu will have to help me find our guest futon.”

“Thank you, the couch will be fine.” The younger girl nodded and excused herself.

“Yuyu, you still don’t have an actual bed?” Ai asked.

“I like it.” Yuu shrugged. “Though I suppose there is one bed I prefer these days.” She pointed a thumb over her shoulder to indicate Ayumu’s bed behind her.

“Of course.” Ai turned to Setsuna. “So, does that mean we’re to take your room, Setsu?”

“Yes.” Setsuna nodded. “Everything is clean because, well…”

“Because you sleep here.” Ai chuckled.

“Y-yes…”

“Honestly, I’m surprised you all fit.”

“It’s actually quite comfortable.” Ayumu spoke up, somehow managing to sound less embarrassed than the dusting of red on her cheeks would have otherwise indicated.

“Well we’ll leave you to it, then. C’mon, Rinari.” Ai stood and took the pink-haired girl’s hand.

“Mm.” Rina affirmed, allowing herself to be led out of the room.

“Setsuna-chan!” Yuu threw herself at the raven-haired girl as soon as the door closed.

“Yuu-san? Wha…?” Though the behavior was by no means out of the ordinary, it still surprised Setsuna.

“I’m sorry!”

“Huh?”

“I spent the entire night flirting with Ayumu.”

“You mean your character flirted with hers.”

“Yeah.”

“But, that was perfectly in character? I figured you two would act that way based on the bios you gave me for them.”

“Well, yeah, but I don’t want you to feel left out.”

Upon realizing what Yuu meant, Setsuna laughed lightly. However, she stopped when she felt herself being embraced from the other side as well. “Ayumu-san?”

“Yuu-chan is right,” the redhead said softly “we don’t want you to feel left out.”

“You guys, I…”

“Hey, I know!” Yuu interrupted. “There’s a bunch of other mercs in the guild, right? Why not write up a character of your own to join in the campaign?”

“That’s a good idea.” Ayumu agreed. “I’d like to see what kind of character Setsuna-chan might play.”

“And then I could have my character flirt with Setsuna-chan’s in-game as well!” Yuu concluded.

Setsuna’s mind spun through several possibilities. But as she glanced back and forth between the faces of her two girlfriends, still snuggled in close, something snapped. “Impossible! I can’t!” She cried before a wave embarrassment washed over her from the outburst. “I mean… I…” she fumbled to explain “I have enough to do as DM running the game. It would be too distracting to try to play a character on top of that. Especially if…” She trailed off.

“Especially if…?” Yuu pressed.

“… Especially if you two were flirting with me…” Setsuna admitted sheepishly.

Yuu laughed. “Don’t worry, Setsuna-chan, it would probably be just me doing the flirting, I don’t think Ayumu knows how.”

“I do too know how to flirt.” Ayumu stated, reaching across Setsuna to punch Yuu lightly in the arm.

“Pouting isn’t flirting, it’s just cute.” Yuu pointed out in an amused tone.

“Mmph...” Ayumu puffed her cheeks.

“Case in point.”

“Ayumu-san was indeed very cute tonight with her reactions to Yuu-san.” Setsuna recalled, thankful for a moment’s respite as Yuu focused on Ayumu. “You played your characters well and were in perfect sync in battle. I’m really looking forward to our next session.”

“We did good?” Yuu blinked.

“Very much so.” Setsuna nodded. “With the exceptions of the occasional name slip and confusion about in or out of character talk, but those kinds of things happen in many games. So, honestly, if I didn’t know better, I wouldn’t have guessed this was the group’s first session together.”

“Oh…”

“Huh?”

“Well, it’s just I thought I wasn’t doing as good as the others because I never earned any Inspiration awards.” Yuu explained. “Ayumu didn’t either.”

Setsuna replayed the night’s game in her head, scouring it for memories of each award. She had recorded them in a document on her laptop, but with her girlfriends hanging off her arms, she was unable to confirm with certainty.

“I know!” Yuu suddenly spoke up, excitement in her voice. “Maybe if we get you some of your favorite snacks for next time, that will earn us a few points?”

Setsuna shook her head. “Sorry, no. Actions taken outside the game like that shouldn’t have an effect in game.”

“Maybe I can give you a massage?”

“That’s even worse.”

“Even though you love me?” Yuu cooed.

“Yuu-san, it is because I love you that I need to take extra precautions. I refuse to participate in the impropriety of playing favorites, or even giving the impression that I am. It would be unfair to the other players and jeopardize the enjoyment of everyone.”

“But is it fair to ignore her completely?” Ayumu interjected.

Had she really not awarded any Inspiration to either Yuu or Ayumu? Setsuna tried to recall again.

“Shizuku-chan was awarded Inspiration for making you laugh with inner dialogue acting.” Ayumu continued. “But Yuu-chan also made you laugh multiple times with her antics, yet…”

“Hrm…”

“Rina also earned some for her great acting and giving us all the chills. And while I don’t think Yuu-chan’s character could do the same, she certainly entertains in other ways.”

Setsuna sighed. “Perhaps I was being too cautious.” She conceded. “I’m sorry.”

“Apology accepted.” Yuu said with a smile before craning her neck so she could press a kiss against Setsuna’s cheek.

That was quick. Then again, it was Yuu. Still… “I can’t fairly grant awards via retcon, but I promise I will try to be more fair going forward. I really do want everyone to have fun with this game.”

“We are having fun.” Ayumu assured.

“It was even obvious that Rina-chan was having the time of her life.” Yuu pointed out. “And maybe Shizuku-chan can convince a sixth to join. And if Ayumu and I weren’t having fun we wouldn’t be so excited about the next session.”

Setsuna smiled. “Thank you. So long as my players are interested in continuing, I’ll do my best to DM a good game for them.”

“We know.” Yuu’s tone changed a bit. “And all that hard work deserves a reward, right Ayumu?”

Setsuna gasped as a hand slipped under her sleepshirt to push fingertips past the hem of her shorts and graze across the skin near her bellybutton.

Yuu giggled. “I think Ayumu’s getting a little impatient to issue your reward.”

Whatever Setsuna was about to say in response was cut off as Ayumu covered her mouth with her own.

Author’s Note Continued in Followup Post

[dungeondivebar]

Dungeon Dive Bar Crawl - Heck Knights In Space!

As we announced last week, we’ll be running a 24 hour stream for Extra Life on November 6 and 7! Check out that link for some more information on the stream and how to tune in.

Each Friday until the event itself, we’ll be publishing an interview with the GM of one of the adventures along with other material to get everybody super jazzed for the stream.

This week we’re talking to Megan, though you may know me better as Retha ;)

How long have you played TTRPGs in general? About five years now. I'd heard a lot about them beforehand, but could never find a group because no one in my tiny hometown was a nerd like me. Finally, in my freshman year of college, I found a group of nerd friends, including Alex, and started a D&D game. 5e was pretty brand-new at that point, so we started in 4e and then changed over not long after.

What is your favorite thing about TTRPGs overall? I love the character design. I'll usually start with a build and work out the concept as I go, but as I build further I usually find the character's personality solidifying in my head, and it's only a matter of time before they have a specific appearance, too. I'm an artist, after all. 

How long have you played Pathfinder and Starfinder in particular? I've been playing Starfinder basically since it was released. I was barely familiar with Pathfinder at the time; I'd played a game with some friends that fell apart after about four sessions, and at the time I wasn't a fan of all the rules and options. Starfinder seemed a bit more reasonable on the options side of things, though, since it was brand new.

I came over to Pathfinder via the lore. I've always been interested in divine casters, and I took an interest in the gods of Pathfinder as they were represented in Starfinder. It's a long story, but I started writing a Starfinder fanfic that had me digging deep into Pathfinder lore, and eventually I got interested enough to actually try to play the game, theorycraft some builds, and get involved in the community of a certain other Pathfinder podcast.

Have you ever been the GM of a campaign or module before? I'm not quite a "forever GM," but I have GM'd a lot. My GMing resumé includes a D&D 4e homebrew that turned into a 5e homebrew, a 2-year Starfinder homebrew, a running play-by-post of the Runelords trilogy, Against the Aeon Throne twice (plus a follow-up homebrew adventure one of those times), an attempt at Hell's Vengeance, a rewrite of Tyrant's Grasp for an all-divine party, the Pathfinder 2e adventure Agents of Edgewatch, and countless one-offs. (Notable one-offs included an all-Shelynite party braving Nidal and a tournament of universes where characters from the Forgotten Realms, Eberron, and Golarion came together to fight Tiamat.)

What is your favorite part of being a GM? Getting to make up my own stories or add my own elements to prewritten ones, and ultimately, getting to decide what system we're playing, though if we're doing a long-term campaign the players get some say in this too. I love setting up opportunities for roleplay. I also like seeing what characters people bring to the table, especially when they have a lot of backstory I can work into the campaign.

What will you be running for the Dungeon Dive Bar Crawl? Can you tell us a bit about it? I'm running a homebrew scenario I've temporarily called "Heck Knights In Space." As the name might suggest, I required all the other players to be Hellknights for this game, which mostly just translates to lawful-aligned in Starfinder, since there's only one archetype for it and I didn't want to force everyone to take it. I don't want to spoil anything for the players if they happen to be reading this, but the module's premise is centered around exploring an abandoned Hellknight Citadel that's been broken into and involves both starship and ground combat.

What are you most excited about when it comes to Heck Knights in Space? Getting the chance to combine two of my favorite things-- Starfinder and Hellknights. As far as the module's content goes, there are some enemies that I've been wanting to use for a while now, as well as some I built myself.

Why do you like Hellknights so much? 

...In all seriousness, though, I'm a very lawful person IRL, and also an edgelord. I first read about Hellknights in the Starfinder Pact Worlds book, and basically instantly fell in love. On a deeper level, I'm intrigued by the different Orders and their different philosophies-- I definitely don't like all of them. You've got everything ranging from a group of detectives whose specific objective is to take out bad-faith actors, to a group of bounty hunters that operate across multiple star systems while using their codes as protection from those systems' own enforcement organizations, to a group whose main "thing" is finding new and improved ways to summon devils and work infernal magic. And they all operate under the same overarching codes, the Measure and the Chain, with what I can only imagine are vastly different interpretations.

What do you like the most about the Starfinder system? The lore! The flavor! Watching people try to come up with a balanced party for starship combat (or not try, and then just utterly fail in starship combat... I’ve had that happen in a few Society games, oof) is always a good show. Building my own enemies to fit the campaign is always fun too, especially boss enemies.

Can you explain how starship combat works for the viewers? Screams internally well here goes nothing. PCs operate from within a starship and choose a role on the ship. The only part of their character build that's really relevant to what they're doing is the skill modifier they're using for that role. It usually becomes a team effort, though, because it's a collaborative game.

There's different phases in which different roles operate, though the captain and chief mate can operate in any phase they need to.

Engineering phase is first, and gives ships' engineers and magic officers a chance to repair any damaged systems or boost operational ones to give a bonus to anyone using them this turn.

Next is the helm phase, where pilots roll off for initiative. It's a bit like Star Wars X-Wings in how it handles initiative: the lower roll actually goes first, because whoever acts second has the positioning advantage. (I think at one point Paizo admitted that X-Wings inspired them). Also in the helm phase, the science officer can scan the enemy ship to gain info about it, or can move your shields around to defend the firing arc the enemy ship is facing.

Finally, there's the gunnery phase, where ships attack each other. Obviously, the gunners act during this phase.

It sounds really complicated, but it's easy enough to understand once you get going, as long as you understand what your role can do!

What do you think players are the most excited about? Depends on the player. I know David is super excited about the starship combat system. Alex is more interested in ground combat; he has a technomancer build he's been theorycrafting for a while. Sam is excited about the huge variety of race options; last I heard he was trying to make fetch shakalta happen. Though if that doesn't work, we might see a familiar face…

What do you think our viewers will enjoy the most? If my brother-in-law is any indication, the callbacks to a specific group of Hellknights in Pathfinder will be pretty fun. ;) 

And that’s it for this week’s interview! Tune in starting at 9PM Central on Friday November 6 for the stream and in the meantime, join us at the bar for new Dungeon Dive Bar episodes every Monday at midnight Central!

[aboleth-eye]

Hello! Would you have any advice for new DMs/things you wish you had been told when you started DMing? I'd like to try it myself, but I've only ever been a player, and just figuring out where to start is a bit overwhelming! Thank you in advance!

Great Question!  Here are my Lessons Learned from when I ran a game for the first time!  

There are Four Lessons I wish I’d known when I got started:  Have Your Resources Handy, Start Small (3 Parts), Things Go Awry, and Have Fun Together!   ((This is going to be a very long post, so I’ll cap it a little less than halfway down))

1.)  Have Your Resources Handy!

If this is your first time running a Tabletop RPG system, even if you’ve been playing for years, HAVE THE BOOK(S), WEBSITE(S) AND/OR PDF(S) NEARBY!  I’m serious about this, guys!  Playing a game or watching someone else play is a totally different monster to running it!  

When you first declare to the group that you’d like to host a game, I recommend you read the rules over at least two or three times before hand–start with a deep read first to get it all in your head, and then you can choose to speed read once you’ve had some time to digest the rules.  

But even if reading ttrpgs is your thing, have the resources within easy reach.  Either have your laptop available with open tabs to any pdfs/scans of the game source material and any relevant websites (like standard reference document pages), and/or have a physical copy of the game book with you.  If you are running certain monsters or encounters, I also recommend you copy down any stats and information to a separate text document (on laptop or printed) so you won’t have to page through stuff during the game.

2A.) Start Small: The Setting

If this is your first time or fiftieth time running a tabletop roleplaying game, and you are running a new system for the first time, limit the scope of project to start.  Writing campaign and world settings can be very intense, and it is very easy to write something too specific and railroad people into your lore and world.

For instance, don’t create a massive world with a continent of named cities and landmarks!  Don’t plan out every inch of your world, or else it’ll turn into a “fill-in-the-blank exploration” story instead of an organic world you can change as your group learns and grows!

My first campaign started in a very specifically written city on the edge of a vast magical desert.  I planned out a timetable of events that would catapult the players into the “open-world”.  The players noticed this and didn’t appreciate it. 

Also, do not bog your players down with Lore!  I’ve gone into campaigns where you need to know information “for backstory”!  This is your first campaign, it’s good to know what to introduce and when!  A group of starting adventurers typically doesn’t need to know your world’s entire array of deities, pages and pages of history, and legends “that shaped the world”!  You can introduce these things at character creation IF THE PLAYERS ASK, and then slowly dish things out as the characters live in your world.

It’s also good to not ties yourself down to specific placement of towns, countries, cities, landmarks, etc.  Leave the map blank save for the starting area, and any broadly defined areas such as forests and mountains.  Once characters finish their first missions and adventures, they’ll explore!  With all the “white space” of your world, you can insert places and things as you journey with the group!  

One of my favorite encounters when I was very new to D&D was when we accidentally burned down a forest.  We were fighting a massive tiger with a pixie NPC in a forest, and the pixie just trapped everyone (tiger included) in entangling vines.  Our pyromancer in the party tried to set the beast on fire, and they rolled a critical failure.  

The beast was set on fire and died!  And so did the pixie!  And now there’s a raging forest fire we have to run from!  We get an oxcart running and we take shifts to outrun the magical fire–FOR THREE DAYS!  It was an incredibly tense situation, and it was fun to add “an entire forest” to the pyromancer player’s list of things they set on fire.

You know what would have made all that suck?  If the DM had decided: “Okay, you pass through this location which is a lich’s hideout and have to face that; then the next day you’ll have to ford a river with the tired oxes.  Finally, you’ll be passing through this county’s border…”  

We just burned down a placeholder  forest, and all the consequences that came with it came AFTER we were finally safe!  The DM didn’t bog us down with heavy lore and their maps during a tense situation; they kept the focus on the action at hand.

Prioritize the players’ story before your own!  That’s the lesson I want to make absolutely clear.  You aren’t telling your story with friends as the characters; the Dungeon Master/Game Master/Storyteller is the worldbuilder who tells the character groups’ story as they interact with the world.

2B) Start Small: The First Encounters

Another item I want to bring up is Do Not Start Your Campaign with a “Unique Encounter”!  Start your campaign setting with a simple task for the players to face.  Here are the kinds of challenges I mean: defeat a bunch of zombies in a graveyard for a reward, go into a mine full of bats to retrieve a homing beacon, follow a simple mystery to find a girl’s lost dog, etc.  The Players’ should be introduced to your world with something simple to follow–that way they can make their marks and introduce how they roleplay to the story.  

Do Not try something you’ve “never seen before”!  Don’t have the characters whisked off to another plane or world while they slept!  Don’t have the players face fifteen or so mooks at once during an ambush!  Don’t have your characters struggle to tread water or leap floating platforms while fighting a monster!  These kinds of encounters instantly put players on guard and feel railroaded!  Give them the chance to decide how they integrate themselves into the adventure.

My first campaign violated this rule.  When the players left the city to enter the desert, they were suddenly beset by 12 monstrous scorpions!  And me, in my ambitious tunnel-vision, thought it’d be interesting to have each scorpion have its own turn.  I rolled twelve Initiatives for the scorpions and it was a LONG combat when it clearly didn’t have to be.  

It all looked so good in my head, but when you get players involved you can tell how grueling and boring something like that could be.  I learned a lot that session.

That combat ended the campaign for me.  I decided to go back to the drawing board because that kind of thinking was not going to fly for me and my friends.

Instead, give your players a task that could easily be solved in one or two sessions!  Do not give your players “only one way” to solve this!  For instance, if your first challenge is to get past some guards, let the players come up with the solution themselves.  They might decide to fight the guards, use magic/science to teleport past them, go off on a side quest to become guards so they can infiltrate them, or even walk up and attempt to socialize with them.  You as the storyteller/DM merely narrate the results of whatever the characters do; just bridge the gaps and think of consequences from the players’ actions.

ALSO!  Have a time limit for your first session, or plan breaks for food/drink/stretching.  This activity of DMing can be very stressful, and you might need a break to take stock of what problems and choices occurred during play.  

2C.) Start Small: The Players

Have your players build starting or low-level characters (I typically start with 3rd level for D&D).  The low levels will mean most powergaming and gamebreaking attempts by certain types of players will be nipped in the bud right from the start.  It will also typically limit the powers and abilities of your group (so you won’t have to memorize or look up high-level stuff until much later).  

Another thing I highly recommend is that you are present during character creation!  Do not let people determine/roll character abilities and stats without you.  Either be physically present when dice get rolled and abilities get determined, or be present digitally in a chatroom, discord or roll20 when electronic character sheets get filled in!  

My first campaign I allowed one of the players to bring a character from a friend’s campaign into it.  The original DM ended the campaign; and even though I had played in that campaign alongside this character I had no clue what they could do.  This made things challenging because this character “suddenly” remembered they could fly–so I had to add aerial combat onto my plate during the first fight of the campaign.

It made the situation tense, especially with my bad early encounters (see the 12 Scorpions combat above).

3.) Things Go Awry

If you’ve come this far, there’s one last piece of advice I want to give you.  Your first campaign is gonna suck in one way or another.

I don’t mean that to be disheartening; I want you to think of it as a learning experience.  Whenever a person learns a new skill or engages in a new activity for the first time, it’s always gonna suck.  (Even if someone has a “natural talent”).  You as the DM/Storyteller are going to notice problems crop up left and right; especially if you don’t take the advice I offered above.  For instance, if you start learning to paint with a new medium or start a sport you’ve never tried; you need to practice with the tools and techniques you’ve prepared to see what works for your style of learning.  

Running a roleplaying game is a very unique mashup of activities.  There’s typically a math element you need to consider behind every action the players take.  You need to workout your improvisation skills to bridge connections and gaps your players make.  You need to get in front of a group of people (sometimes more or less experienced than you) and tell a story that keeps their attention.  It’s a stressful mix of being an improv actor, a storyteller and the physical laws of your world.

Hopefully your players will understand when things get crazy and overwhelming.  Gametime might come to a halt because you need to look up a specific rule or wording that you aren’t familiar with.  It’s okay.  Until you get to know how your game world runs with your players in it, it is totally fine to take a breath and think things through.  Oftentimes you can ask your players for help in making a determination or house-ruling.

Last note on this topic: Get Feedback!  At the end of the session, be bold and ask your players if they enjoyed the session, what they liked and what they didn’t like.  Feedback is how DMs get insight on how the game is playing out.  While you’re DMing, your mind is on a million different topics; let the players tell you how they felt during gameplay, so you know what made them feel good or bad on the other side of the curtain.

4.) Have Fun Together!

This is something that needs to be said, if I’m honest.  Running a game can be a stressful activity that “ruins” some things about it now that you are “behind the curtain”.  This is your first session, in what you hope to be a series of games where you and your friends make all sorts of memories.

However, some DMs get incredibly discouraged and no-nonsense when they run a game for their first few times.  That is understandable, especially if being the “mastermind” is a challenge you haven’t prepared for.  A few sessions in and you might find the game isn’t fun for you and/or your players.  That might be a sign that you need to take a break from hosting–use that time to think how you can make the game fun for everyone, or if this campaign just needs to be scrapped!

The priority of the DM is to bring people together.  If a game system, campaign concept or player actions aren’t making the group (you included) happy; it’s better to stop things and take stock before things go too far.  It is never fun to admit your game isn’t viable or enjoyable, but hopefully you’ll have new experience you can take with you the next time you try your game.  

And heck, if you find you prefer playing at this time, that’s fine!  Even if this attempt didn’t have the results you expected, there is nothing to stop you from trying again later if you wanted.  But now that you know how it is behind the curtain, you are naturally more observant to how your own DM/GM runs their games and you can learn from it.

Remember how good the game system/lore/etc made you feel!  It’s why you wanted to DM in the first place; you recognized you had a story you wanted to tell, and this ttrpg had the tools to bring it to life!  No matter what problems arise when you’re behind the curtain, the game should still bring you enjoyment whether you play or manage the game.  Do not give up on the game just because of one bad session or two!  

When I decided to end my campaign, it really was a painful decision.  I loved the world as it was in my mind, but I was not executing it well so that my players enjoyed it.  I got feedback after that terrible 12 Scorpions combat, and decided to take some time to think about everything.  Our group went back to our original DM, with other members trying to DM in that time; and honestly I didn’t DM until I started a small separate group months later.  

During that gap in DMing I digested what I liked and didn’t like about my campaign, and had more time to reflect on the rules.  I decided to take a few steps back and learn from my mistakes.  I still made mistakes the second and third times I DMed, I make mistakes even to this day.  

But at the heart of it all, I love games so much that I want to constantly make my stories and worlds even better, even to this day.

I take the struggles of DMing as learning experiences, rather than let them define me as a writer, storyteller and game master.  I use them as stepping stones so I don’t fall through the gaps again.  I may have started out with a bad first campaign, but I would never take those mistakes away.  

I hope these lessons were helpful!  I love D&D and tabletop roleplaying games so much, and love giving out advice on how to make the experience your own.  I hope this helps a lot of new people bring their stories to life!  Also, I hope I helped everyone’s expectations into the right state of mind.  

Good luck and happy gaming everyone!!  Much love!

– Aboleth-Eye

[critical-analysis]

Consent in TTRPGs: How to Implement It in Your Game

I wrote a few weeks ago (maybe longer) about why consent in TTRPGs is important and why GMs who are against it are going against the very spirit of role playing games. I thought that this week I'd write something up about how to go about gaining and giving consent, from both a GM and a player perspective.

Here's my previous essay about this topic. If you're not sure what I mean when I'm talking about consent in regards to TTRPGs, go ahead and read that one first.

I'll start with the GM side of things. Making sure you know that your players are completely aware of what they're in for and what kind of game they're going to be playing is important. Even before we get to the point of consent in the way it's been discussed lately, just making sure that your game is the kind of game they want to play is important in making sure they, and everyone else is going to have as much fun as possible. One player not enjoying themselves can really drag a group down and ruin the enjoyment for everybody. So make sure that your players, whether it's an entire group starting a whole new campaign, or an individual player coming into an already running game, know the kind of game you're running. Some people don't like heavy role play. Some people don't like more battle based games. Some people don't like horror. Some people don't like modern settings. Make sure everyone playing knows exactly which game/system you're using, what the genre will be, how RP heavy it will be, how "hack 'n' slash" heavy it will be, etc.

You also need to make sure you and all of your players can agree to a general schedule. Not necessarily down to planning the exact dates ahead of time, but coming to a general agreement about how often you'll play (will you play every week? More than once a week? A couple of times a month?) will help people know if this is a game they can fit into their schedule. Someone with a lot of responsibilities might not be able to play more than once a week, or even every week. Making sure you get schedule stuff cleared up ahead of time can be a big help in ensuring the longevity of your campaign because it will minimize the chances of schedules not matching up and people getting frustrated about not being able to schedule a game.

Those are all just general things that aren't even necessarily "consent", but they're important things GMs should be doing, and they do set the precedent for gaining consent from your players, because it shows them early on that you care about what they need and what matters to them. It will likely make players who do need concessions when it comes to certain things feel more comfortable in letting you know.

Now, lets get into the actual matter of consent. There are different ways to start the conversation, but there should ALWAYS be a conversation.

DO NOT just sit around the table with the whole group and say "does anyone have anything they need to let me know about before we start so that I know what things to avoid?" For one thing, your players might not entirely know what you're talking about. There are players, especially newer ones, who don't really think about the fact that a role playing game could be triggering to them, so they wouldn't even know to ask. There's also the matter of privacy, and players who do need these concessions might not want the other players to know about their traumas and experiences that have led them to need these concessions.

It's just a good idea, even if we were ignoring the need for consent, to have a one-on-one with each of your players before the first session. It will help them feel more comfortable with as GM, it gives you the opportunity to talk about things like what kind of game they're most interested in playing, and you'll have the chance to talk to them about their character, get ideas about how you can fit that character into the world, and help them out with any character building problems they might be having. So you should already be having a private conversation with each player anyway. This is where you start talking about consent.

Some people use consent forms that their players can fill out. If you look around online you can find a few different versions available that have been made by GMs that you can download. Monte Cook Games has one that you can download from their store for free. 

These forms can be very helpful, but they should not be the end of it. You still need to have a conversation with them. Most forms don't allow for much detail that can be incredibly crucial for you to know exactly what you need to avoid and how to craft your story. However, be sensitive to the fact that some people struggle when it comes to talking about their traumas/phobias/etc., and that some people CAN'T. Don't make them. Don't say anything like "well if you won't tell me how do I know exactly what I can use and how can make a story?" And certainly don't threaten them with something like "if you won't talk more about it then I might end up putting something in my story that triggers you without knowing and then I won't be able to do anything about it."

To start with, if you don't need any clarifications at that time, then you don't need to ask about them. But let them know that you obviously don't have the entire campaign completely planned, so their consent/consent form will remain relevant throughout the entire campaign as you plan. If you need clarifications now, ask if that's okay. If you don't, ask if it's okay for you to ask for clarifications in the future as you're planning. Be flexible with how the clarification discussion happens. Present different ways to go about it than them just opening up about their traumas and phobias. Offer "yes or no" questions as a possibility. Tell them that they don't have to explain their experiences or phobia to you, that they can just answer your questions and if a question is too much they can just say "pass".

But be prepared for the possibility that they won't want to talk about it at all. This can be difficult, but it doesn't have to be a roadblock. It's important that you let them know that without clarification you might come up on something in the story that triggers them without realizing it WITHOUT making it sound like a threat or like you're blaming them. Make sure they know that it's important to you that you don't do anything in the storytelling that upset or triggers them, so that you two need to be able to establish some kind of signal in case you do start to come up on something like that, a signal that lets you know you need to bail out.

If they are willing to discuss it, then that's great! But it's still important to remember not to push and to be aware of their body language and behavior to make sure they're not getting to uncomfortable. If you sense they are getting uncomfortable, pull it back. Let them know it's okay if they don't want to discuss it anymore. Let them know that there are ways you can work around it if they don't want to elaborate.

But if they are open to the discussion, the first thing to focus on is what you need to do to make them comfortable and to make sure they feel safe. A lot of it is going to be clarifying whether what they've checked/listed applies just to them or to other characters (PCs and NPCs alike). Make notes on EVERYTHING so that you don't forget a single thing. Some things are going to be about clarifying the levels as to which something is excluded. If they check/list "sex", clarifying whether that means graphic depictions or any mention of it is important, as it clarifying if it applies only to their character or to other characters as well. If someone lists "car accidents", you'll want to clarify if mentioning them at all is a problem, or if it's okay as long as there are no graphic descriptions.

Never, ever, ever, EVER ask them to explain why they listed/checked a certain thing. NEVER ask them to describe their experience. NEVER make them feel like they have to in order for you to agree to what they're asking. They do NOT have to explain themselves. If they want to share, they will. Do not make them feel like they have to.

Figuring out how all of the players, each person's consent, and what everyone wants out of a game can be where it gets tricky, because you might end up in a place where one players wants and needs are in conflict with another player's wants and needs. And that can be tough to navigate.

Now, some of it can be easy. If someone is of the mindset that they need graphic descriptions of blood and gore in order for a game to be fun... quite frankly that's ridiculous. Graphic depictions of blood and gore are not things that play a major role in storytelling and characterization/development. Now, they might be important things if you're playing a certain kind of horror game, but that's something that should be covered in that first discussion before you even get to the consent conversation. If someone says they need graphic descriptions of blood and gore, or that they need graphic descriptions of murder, or that they need eyeball trauma in order for the game to be fun for them, that is unreasonable.

But when it comes to things that have to do with the way the other players write their characters and their backstories, the way they develop those characters, etc.... it can get a little trickier. Because for a lot of players role playing in these games is very personal, and they put a lot of themselves in those characters. They use their characters to work out their own personal struggles. There are things they can pursue in the game that can be empowering for them, or that can be important wish fulfillment. So if you have players with character aspects that might clash with what a person has listed on their consent form, then there could be a problem. These problems usually come in two forms: conflicting with something in a player's/multiple players' backstory, and prohibiting from everyone else in the game from doing a certain thing for the entire game.

You should be familiar with at least the generalities of all of your players characters and backstories before you have the consent discussions so that you know if something on someone's consent list clashes with someone's character. Here are just a few ways this could happen:

A player lists "homophobia" on their consent list, one of the player's backstories has to do with escaping the homophobia of their family/hometown

A player lists "sexual assault" on their consent list, one of the players backstories has to do with surviving a sexual assault

A player lists "harm to children" on their consent list, one of the players backstories has to do with having been abused as a child

If this happens, let the person with these things on their consent form know that there are players who have these as a part of their planned backstory, but that you're going to talk to them, and then you guys will figure out where to go from there.

Go to the players who have these things in their backstories and ask them if it's really important to them that it's there. As I said, some people work things out through their RP characters, so it could be really important to a player to have that as their backstory. And it can be easy to say "well, they can just do it in a different game where this other person isn't playing." But not everyone has another game, and it isn't fair to tell someone flat out that they're not allowed to play the game in a way that would be meaningful to them, just as it wouldn't be okay to tell someone that they just have to deal with something that triggers or upsets them in a game. As them if they'd be willing to make changes to remove this thing from their backstory. Maybe suggest figuring something out that could work as a sort of metaphor or stand-in.

If they say no, be very delicate in how you move forward. Let them know, without naming names, that this thing they're including in their backstory could be triggering to someone else (everyone should have been given the option of filling out a form or having the consent discussion with you, so they should all be aware that it's a thing). Without demanding they tell you their story, ask them if the reason they want to keep it in their backstory is personal and important to them. If they say no to that question, then it's becoming more and more likely that you're just dealing with someone who wants their way no matter what. If they're saying it's not an important personal thing for them AND they're unwilling to adjust the backstory to use something that could work as an analog, then they're definitely approaching the point of being selfish and unreasonable.

But if they it is important for them to have this thing as a part of their backstory and they're unwilling to change it to something else that could symbolize it, this is when you need to start looking to bringing them together, in some way, to compromise. Obviously, the easiest way to do this is to have a sit down with both of them to discuss it. Ask them both if they would be comfortable doing that. Again, do not frame it or phrase it in any way that would make it feel like if they say no they're not going to get what they're asking for. Accept the fact that on both sides you're going to be dealing with very personal subjects, and that they might not want any of the other players knowing about these particular things.

If either one says no to getting together to discuss it, you're going to have to act as a go between.

Either way, the next step is to go to the person with the consent for and explain that this is an aspect of the other player's backstory that's important to them and ask if there's some way a compromise can be reached where they can both get what they want. Perhaps propose a situation where the other player is allowed to have this thing as a part of their backstory as long it's things aren't explained in detail, or maybe even where there's a signal given when they're going to be talking about this part of their backstory so the player with the consent for can excuse themselves. Or ask if it would be okay if it's a part of the player's backstory as long as there are not further depictions of it in the story.

If the person with the consent form says no to compromise, and the person with this thing in their backstory is unwilling to change it, then you're in a situation where you either have to tell one of them "too bad", which might result in one of them not playing in your game. That's a possibility you have to be prepared for.

So your question is 'which one do I tell no to'? This is tough, because either way, you're going to feel like and asshole because you're going to be telling someone they can't have something that's very important to them. For you it might come down to who you feel was the most unwilling to compromise, and that's a completely valid way to go. I don't think there's an answer that's going to be correct 100% of the time. For me, personally, I would probably in most cases tell the person with the thing in their backstory that they have to change it. It sucks for them that they won't be able to put this personal thing into their character and maybe work out some things they need to work out through it. But the truth is, there are still ways that they can play the game where they can enjoy it and have a safe and happy experience. That wouldn't be true if the situation were reversed, if the one being told no was the one with the consent form. If this thing is triggering for them so much that it can't even be in a character's backstory, then there's no version of the game that's going to be a safe and fun experience for them if it's there.

But that might not always be the answer. You might feel that one party is refusing to compromise not out of what they need, but because they just want what they want and don't care about anyone else's needs. You might not like the way one of them behaved during the whole thing. There's not one, single answer to this question, and you'll have to on how you feel. It's definitely important to take their behavior and attitude into account (if they're unwilling to compromise on this they might be unwilling to compromise about other things, make concessions for other players, and generally work together once the game is going), but it's really important that you look at the situation and consider which one would still be able to find enjoyment in the game if you told them they couldn't have what they're asking for, and which one wouldn't be able to have a safe experience if you told them they couldn't have what you're asking for.

Then there are the times when what's being requested would majorly impact the way the other players are allowed to play the game. Now, you might decide to honor the person with the consent reform's request and just cut that thing out of the game. And that's a perfectly valid choice. But if you're going to do that, you have to let your other players know about it. All of your players need to be aware of what kind of game they're getting into, what is and isn't allowed, so they can make an informed choice about whether they want to play or not.

Usually this type of situation comes down to things like romance/sex. A player might put on their consent form that they're not comfortable with romance or sex in games. And that's one of the big topics you need clarification on. If they just say that they're uncomfortable with those things for just their character, then great! Not a problem. The only problem you might run into is that one of the other players might get it into their head that their character has a thing for this other player's character. In which case you're left with the options of either having the player that is uncomfortable about it letting everyone know beforehand so that doesn't happen, or privately approaching the "pursuing" character once it starts happening to ask them to stop.

But you might find yourself in the situation where they say that they're not comfortable with romance or sex happening at all.

A tiny tangent here as we talk about approaching the matter of sex itself, because it's a little more complicated than just romance. "Sex" is kind of vague when it comes to talking about consent in these games, so before you even get to the point of asking about whether they're just referring to their own character, or if they're referring to everyone, you need to try to establish what they mean by "sex." Obviously, refer back up to the paragraph about how to approach asking them for further detail. If they're willing to discuss it, you need to clarify if they mean no sex, ever, not even mentioned, or if it's okay if it's mentioned but just not shown or implied to be happening, or if they're okay with the "fade to black" type of thing. After you've established that, then you can get into how broadly they expect it to be applied.

If they say that they expect it to be applied to every character, which means that none of the other players can pursue romantic relationships or sex at all, then you're in a situation where you're going to have to ask the other players to completely eliminate something that many consider a major part of the game. Like I said, if you want to just do it, make that decision and make all sex and relationships off limits, that's perfectly find. But  you have to let your other players know before you start the game. Both so that they don't try to do it, only the get shut down, but also so that they can make an informed decision about whether or not they want to play. Removing something that big as a possibility from the game is a big thing, and you very will might end up with people who decide they don't want to play. That's something you have to be ready for if you're going to make that kind of decision.

If you're not going to make that decisions right away, then you're going to want to ask your players if they're okay with it. The best thing to do would be to ask one by one so that they don't feel pressured by anyone else, and so that they can't single out the person who made the request. Do not start by saying "would you be okay with this not being in the game, because it would be triggering for so and so". You don't need to bring the consent form into it right away. Just start by asking how they would feel if you made it off limits. Ask them if it's something they really consider essential to the enjoyment of the game. If they're resistant to the idea, then you might want to appeal to their empathy by bringing up that removing it for the game would hel pin making the player with the consent form feel safe playing the game. (Remember though, don't name names).

Be prepared for the possibility that at least one of them say no, that they consider this thing an important part of the game and they wouldn't be okay with it not being an option. I know in reading these things it's easy to see those people as being unsympathetic and unfair, but I would urge you not to think that way, at least not right away. A lot of people have very specific ways they like to play these games, and for some people the wish fulfillment aspect that they get out of these specific things can be incredibly important and meaningful to them. Now, that doesn't mean that you have to side with them, and that doesn't mean that they're necessarily the right fit for your game. It just means that they're not a shitty person just because they're very attached to this aspect of the game.

If you end up with players who say no, they would not be okay with this thing being removed from the game, then you once again have to make a decision about which way you're going to go. And again, that's going to come down to what you think is fair and reasonable. You might decide to eliminate this thing from the game in order to give the player with the consent form what they need. You might decide that if they need this thing that is an important part of the game to other players gone, then your game and group just isn't the right one for them. Again, it's up to you, what you feel is right, how you feel your players behaved when discussing these things.

It is important to remember that not every game is for every person, and that it's okay if that's the case. If someone doesn't like to be scared or they're triggered by horror, then a Call of Cthulhu game probably isn't for them, and you're not being insensitive for saying so. You're not being insensitive for not choosing another game or removing all the horror elements just so they can play. It's okay to just explain that this game probably isn't for them and that they probably want to find another group. (If you have the resources and ability to do so, help them find a new group as much as you can.)

I think that SOME of the things that might come into question when it comes to discussing consent with your players fit into that. Like the above mentioned issue with romance. I've actually been in this situation before. It's one thing if they just don't want their character involved in any sort of romantic situation. But ask all of the other players to also give up that aspect of the game is a big thing. Some might be willing to do that, but some might not. I had a player who had been in some very bad relationships and romantic situations, and she was still at the point where seeing romantic relationships, even healthy ones, was incredibly difficult for her. So her request was that the option for romance be eliminated entirely. But I had players in that game for whom being able to have romantic relationships was a really important element of the game. One of my players in particular had written a husband into her backstory. All of my players looked forward to the chance to have some fun, in-game romantic relationships that they were in control of, and I just didn't think it was fair to take that away from them, so I told the player with the consent form exactly that. That I didn't feel okay doing that, that I was more than happy to make sure her character was off limits for romance and romantic storylines, but I didn't feel okay doing that to the rest of the players. I told her that if she thought she could handle that she was more than welcome to play, but that otherwise our group wasn't a good fit for her.

And that's okay. Not every person is going to fit in every group, and there's nothing wrong with that. It doesn't make the group or the player that doesn't fit bad or wrong. It just means there's a different group or a different game out there for them.

However, there are some things, a LOT of things, when it comes to matter of consent in TTRPGs where that's not the case, where asking players not to include certain things, or not including certain things in your game, is perfectly reasonable, and where not doing so when someone needs it is entirely unreasonable. There are things that games do NOT need, that players should NOT need in order to have an enjoyable experience. A game does NOT need sexual assault, a game does NOT need graphic descriptions of abuse, or graphic descriptions of gore. A game does NOT need depictions of genocide. Yes, there are absolutely areas where compromise is a possibility. I've talked about a few possibilities of that here. Compromising on things like allowing a player to have a certain thing that's triggering for another player in their backstory as long as it doesn't actually occur within the game, agreeing not to graphically describe the blood and gore happening in battle, agreeing not to give graphic description of certain kinds of accidents or physical trauma. Yes, someone seeking to play a game like D&D and requesting no violence might be unreasonable. But requests that graphic descriptions are avoided is not, and nobody NEEDS those things in order to enjoy a game. You shouldn't NEED to include bugs, you shouldn't NEED to include a challenge where a character gets buried alive,  you shouldn't NEED to include rats, and neither should your players.

And this is especially true when it comes to what you are including in your story. As I say extensively in the first essay I did on this topic, part of being a GM is being flexible with your storytelling, because it's not YOUR story, it's a collaborative story, being told by you AND your players. You should be able to be flexible so you can give your players what they want, what will make them most happy, to let them explore the stories they want to explore. That also goes for giving them what they need to have a safe and fun experience. If rats are important to your world building, there's no reason you can't swap out rats for another kind of animal if a player has a rat phobia. If you've included sexual assault as an important piece of one of your story thread, there should be no reason that you can't swap it out for something else if one of your players is triggered by sexual assault.

The ONLY time you should be thinking about whether or not you should honor a player's consent requests is if what they're asking for would limit or effect the things the PLAYERS get to do in the game. As the GM, you should ALWAYS be able and willing to change things in your story in order to allow the players to feel safe and have fun.

Once you've made all your decisions about your players' consent requests, you need to make sure your players are aware of what's okay for them to do and what isn't. You don't have to say "because this person needs this thing". You don't even need to tell them that any of it is because of the consent requests. You just need to, before you start playing, go over the rules that are specific to your game.

It's important that you don't just worry about consent at the beginning of the game and then treat it like that's it, don't have to worry about it again. You should be doing check ins every few months. Sometimes people will realize that they needed a concession that they weren't aware of until the gameplay actually started. Sometimes people will go through things or have experiences after they originally talked to you before they started playing. You need to make sure that you're constantly checking in to make sure that everything is okay, that all of your players are safe and having fun. You can't always trust that they're just going to come to you if something happens. You need to take the initiative and check in with them. That's one of the most important parts of being a GM.

Dealing with your players' consent requests can sometimes be really easy. But sometimes it can be really tough, and you'll have to deal with other players and you'll be forced to make difficult decisions. But part of being a GM is dealing with the tough things that happen between players, and getting your players what they need. A lot of people think that being a GM is just making up the story and telling the players what they need to do. But a HUGE amount of being a GM happens outside of the game. It's not just about telling a story. You're responsible for your players and giving them what the need, and that takes a lot of interpersonal work. If you're not comfortable with that, or if you're not willing to do that, then being a GM probably isn't for you, and you'd be better off just writing your stories and putting them up online. Being a GM is a responsibility. Role playing games can be an incredibly vulnerable experience, and your players are trusting you to take care of them. Don't put people who are in a vulnerably position at risk just because you don't want to deal with the interpersonal, out-of-game part of the job.

If you have any further questions, let me know. There's a whole other essay in HOW to implement changes into your game and story based on players' consent requests, stuff all about how to figure out different things that can send the same message or different ways to get events moving, etc. If anyone is interested in reading that, let me know and I'll add it to the list!

[theonyxpath]

This is the last week for the Mummy: The Curse 2e Kickstarter and as that gets “wrapped up” on Thursday we’re going to run right from that to set up our booth at PAX Unplugged in Philadelphia, PA.

Ah, Philly! City of my birth and youth! City of cheesesteaks, soft pretzels, and bad attitudes! I return, anon!

But before that: please check out the Mummy 2e Kickstarter if you haven’t already! We’d love to achieve the next chunk of the Book of Lasting Death and get some more Utterances and Judges in there – but we need your help! If you’ve already pledged – tell your friends! Wander the streets and alert the neighbors! If you haven’t pledged, well here’s the link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/339646881/mummy-the-curse-2nd-edition

Let’s go out strong! (Like the reverse of the Mummys…)

V5 Chicago Folio illustration by Michael Gaydos

We’ll be coming in strong to PAX Unplugged this coming week, with myself and LisaT, Mighty Matt McElroy, Fast Eddy Webb, Dangerous Dixie Cochran, Neall Raemonn Price, Meghan Fitzgerald, Travis Legge, Danielle Lauzon, and Crystal Mazur attending!

Dixie, LisaT, Matt, and myself will be in our booth handing out our new brochure and answering questions – but most of all, we’ll be directing folks to, and signing them up for, demos in both the booth and at our demo table in the gaming area.

Our table is in Area 119a, we’ve been told, in fact! Look right there in this handy map! (Thanks, Ian!)

Right now, the menu for gaming with the rest of our crew is:

Meghan: Changeling: the Lost 2e and Contagion Chronicle

Neall: Scion Hero 2e and Mummy: the Curse 2e

Danielle: Trinity Continuum and Dystopia Rising: Evolution

Eddy: Pugmire and Fetch Quest

Travis: Scarred Lands and Legendlore 

Crystal: Monarchies of Mau and Chicago by Night

Matt: Scarred Lands and Cavaliers of Mars

So come on by if you want to sit in on a game and we’ll get you scheduled! Plus, with the brochure, we’ll be announcing at least one secret project, and we’ll be glad to answer questions about that.

We’ll also be directing anyone who wants to buy our games to right across the aisle from us at Studio2 – which is just darn convenient! Let me underline that: we aren’t selling books at our booth, Studio2 is selling them for us! Here’s another handy map:

Looking forward to seeing a bunch of you folks there – it is a very cool con!

Now, here’s some follow-ups for some things I mentioned last week:

The Pugmire Wolfenoot sale went really well, and both Pugsteady and Onyx Path were able to send nice-sized donations to the Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind! Thanks to all of you who participated in the sale and helped us help them!

Our Reddit AMA went fantastically for about 5 hours and many, many, in-depth questions were asked and answered. Thanks to all of you that participated and if you have any further questions and are at PAX Unplugged, we’ll be glad to continue the conversations! I’ll be there with bells on – well, at least one bell!

They Came From Beneath the Sea! illustration by Eric Lofgren

Last Friday’s Onyx Pathcast started out normally, but then exploded into a frenzy of creative ideas and after the dust settled (or the verbal equivalent) Dixie, Matthew, and Eddy had brain-stormed six new games!

Their titles are:

* Game 1: Envelopes and Urban Legends * Game 2: The Calamari of Crime * Game 3: Super Dragon Dining Crisis Tensai: Apocalypse Ultima EX * Game 4: Universal Faultlines * Game 5: Barn Raising * Game 6: Love in the Time of Androids

You really have to listen to get the actual details of these games, and the wacky yet very typical way that they were conceptualized by the Trio, but even the titles give you some idea of the range of genres and approaches they played around with.

While I was listening – like I do every week, Matthew – it struck me that while the gang were riffing pretty wildly, the process is really very typical for a lot of our creative meetings. For years we’ve tried to use the rules of Improv in our game brainstorming. Like, don’t negate what the last person threw out to the group, try and build upon it.

The old “Yes, and…” rather than “No”.

There’s more than enough time to apply critical or realistic thinking to the ideas, first you need to let the ideas pour out.

(And this is actually not easy to do! A lot of our Onyx Path crew are extremely realistic about the challenges inherent to creating projects, and have very strong opinions and likes and dislikes (hard to believe, I know), so holding those comments back can run against our very natures.)

But as you can tell with this Pathcast, or with my riffing with Matthew half a year ago in the UK GamesExpo edition of the Pathcast where we combined Transformers, Thomas the Tank Engine, and Scion, there’s something innately and deeply fun and satisfying to just letting loose with our imaginations!

Which is, I think, the single greatest part of the TTRPG hobby, and why so many of us love it so much. And, in our case at Onyx Path, why we are so excited to create:

Many Worlds, One Path!

BLURBS!

Kickstarter!

The Mummy: The Curse 2nd Edition Kickstarter is now IN ITS LAST WEEK and has passed 200% funding and has over 1000 backers with over a week to go. Backers have already unlocked the Mummy 2e Screen as a Stretch Goal, additional Utterances, and a whole new project: the Mummy 2e Companion!

Please check out this blog from several weeks ago for a description of all the amazing features of this new edition!

Be there to witness the majesty and terror of this new version of Mummy: The Curse! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/339646881/mummy-the-curse-2nd-edition

Next Kickstarter: V5 Cults of the Blood Gods!

Onyx Path Media!

This Friday’s Onyx Pathcast features an interview with fabulous freelancer Lauren Roy! Available on Podbean or on your favorite podcast venue!

It’s another busy week for Onyx Path and our merry band of fantastic streamers on Twitch this week, with games of Vampire: The Masquerade, Pugmire, Scarred Lands, Aberrant, Changeling: The Lost, Hunter: The Vigil, and more random drop-in games taking place all the time! If you’re subscribed to our channel, you can find some of last week’s games, including Scion as run by Neall Raemonn Price, developer of the game!

What’s more, if you’re a fan of Scion, be sure to check out The Gentleman’s Guide to Scion over on Matthew Dawkins’ YouTube channel! It’s only on the second video so far, so there’s plenty of time to catch up. Check out youtube.com/user/clackclickbang

Please find us, follow us, and subscribe to us on twitch.tv/theonyxpath If Twitch isn’t your jam, maybe YouTube is! We’re steadily migrating all our content from Twitch to YouTube, but there’s new videos too! Travis Legge and Matthew Dawkins like to dive bomb the news onto different channels at different times, just to keep everyone on their toes, and this week it’ll be on YouTube again! Subscribe to youtube.com/user/theonyxpath

On redmoonroleplaying.com, Klara Herbol runs Vampire: The Masquerade for Matthew Dawkins and the Red Moon Roleplaying team, while Matthew runs Mummy: The Curse for John Burke, Bianca Savazzi, and Craig Austin from Red Moon! Lots of actual plays of tremendous quality there, for you to check out and enjoy.

Occultists Anonymous are back with more Mage: The Awakening fun right here

Episode 62: Another Round of Darts  The cabal’s plans are interrupted by the arrival of an old acquaintance and have to clean up a mess that isn’t their fault…  https://youtu.be/_JZyq57KNOo

Episode 63: Taking It Offline  The cabal meet with the Phantasm Society in hiding and plan how to stop the Hunters before they become more of a problem.https://youtu.be/zlSrGhu1Eis

The Story Told Podcast interviewed our very own Ian Watson regarding the Trinity Continuum:  http://thestorytold.libsyn.com/episode-41-aeon-interview-with-ian-watson 

And did you miss Mage: The Podcast interviewing Matthew Dawkins about Technocracy Reloaded and other books? Never fear, the interview is right here: https://magethepodcast.com/index.php/2019/11/24/m5-meditations-metanarrative-tools-and-mummy-with-matthew-dawkins/

Drop Matthew a message via the contact button on matthewdawkins.com if you have actual plays, reviews, or game overviews you want us to profile on the blog!

Please check any of these out and let us know if you find or produce any actual plays of our games!

Electronic Gaming!

As we find ways to enable our community to more easily play our games, the Onyx Dice Rolling App is live! Our dev team has been doing updates since we launched based on the excellent use-case comments by our community, and this thing is awesome! (Seriously, you need to roll 100 dice for Exalted? This app has you covered.)

On Amazon and Barnes & Noble!

You can now read our fiction from the comfort and convenience of your Kindle (from Amazon) and Nook (from Barnes & Noble).

If you enjoy these or any other of our books, please help us by writing reviews on the site of the sales venue from which you bought it. Reviews really, really help us get folks interested in our amazing fiction!

Our selection includes these latest fiction books:

Our Sales Partners!

We’re working with Studio2 to get Pugmire and Monarchies of Mau out into stores, as well as to individuals through their online store. You can pick up the traditionally printed main book, the screen, and the official Pugmire dice through our friends there! https://studio2publishing.com/search?q=pugmire

We’ve added Prince’s Gambit to our Studio2 catalog: https://studio2publishing.com/products/prince-s-gambit-card-game

Now, we’ve added Changeling: The Lost 2nd Edition products to Studio2‘s store! See them here: https://studio2publishing.com/collections/all-products/changeling-the-lost

Scarred Lands (Pathfinder) books are also on sale at Studio2, and they have the 5e version, supplements, and dice as well!: https://studio2publishing.com/collections/scarred-lands

Scion 2e books and other products are available now at Studio2: https://studio2publishing.com/blogs/new-releases/scion-second-edition-book-one-origin-now-available-at-your-local-retailer-or-online

Looking for our Deluxe or Prestige Edition books? Try this link! http://www.indiepressrevolution.com/xcart/Onyx-Path-Publishing/

And you can order Pugmire, Monarchies of Mau, Cavaliers of Mars, and Changeling: The Lost 2e at the same link! And NOW Scion Origin and Scion Hero are available to order!

As always, you can find most of Onyx Path’s titles at DriveThruRPG.com!

There’s still time to join DTRPG‘s massive sale for Cyber Monday!

https://www.storytellersvault.com/featured.php?promotion_id=CybeM19STV

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/blackfriday.php?manufacturers_id=4261

On Sale This Week!

This Wednesday, we are proud to announce the PDF and physical book PoD versions of both the Trinity Continuum Core Rulebook and Trinity Continuum: Aeon core book are available on DTRPG!

Conventions!

PAX Unplugged: December 6th – 8th, in Philadelphia, PA. We’re going to have lots and lots of gaming for folks to sign up for, a lot of them featuring our game creators! See maps and things above! 2020: Midwinter: January 9th – 12th, in Milwaukee, WI. Check out David Fuller’s Athens, Ohio Scion actual play tie-in adventure (soon to be coming to the Storypath Nexus community content site) that will be running at Midwinter. The event url is below: https://tabletop.events/conventions/midwinter-gaming-convention-2020/schedule/402

And now, the new project status updates!

DEVELOPMENT STATUS FROM EDDY WEBB (projects in bold have changed status since last week):

First Draft (The first phase of a project that is about the work being done by writers, not dev prep)

Exalted Essay Collection (Exalted)

N!ternational Wrestling Entertainment (Trinity Continuum: Aberrant)

Creating in the Realms of Pugmire (Realms of Pugmire)

Contagion Chronicle Ready-Made Characters (Chronicles of Darkness)

Trinity Continuum: Adventure! core (Trinity Continuum: Adventure!)

Duke Rollo fiction (Trinity Continuum: Aberrant)

Redlines

Kith and Kin (Changeling: The Lost 2e)

Crucible of Legends (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Dragon-Blooded Novella #2 (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Many-Faced Strangers – Lunars Companion (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Second Draft

Across the Eight Directions (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Contagion Chronicle: Global Outbreaks (Chronicles of Darkness)

Player’s Guide to the Contagion Chronicle (Chronicles of Darkness)

M20 Victorian Mage (Mage: the Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition)

Contagion Chronicle Jumpstart (Chronicles of Darkness)

Exigents (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Development

Heirs to the Shogunate (Exalted 3rd Edition)

TC: Aberrant Reference Screen (Trinity Continuum: Aberrant)

Trinity Continuum Jumpstart (Trinity Continuum Core)

Monsters of the Deep (They Came From Beneath the Sea!)

One Foot in the Grave Jumpstart (Geist: The Sin-Eaters 2e)

Lunars Novella (Rosenberg) (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Scion: Demigod (Scion 2nd Edition)

Tales of Aquatic Terror (They Came From Beneath the Sea!)

Manuscript Approval

Scion: Dragon (Scion 2nd Edition)

Masks of the Mythos (Scion 2nd Edition)

Titanomachy (Scion 2nd Edition)

Post-Approval Development

Scion LARP Rules (Scion)

Mummy: The Curse 2nd Edition core rulebook (Mummy: The Curse 2nd Edition)

Editing

Lunars: Fangs at the Gate (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Hunter: The Vigil 2e core (Hunter: The Vigil 2nd Edition)

Let the Streets Run Red (Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition)

Geist 2e Fiction Anthology (Geist: The Sin-Eaters 2nd Edition)

Dragon-Blooded Novella #1 (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Cults of the Blood Gods (Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition)

Legendlore core book (Legendlore)

WoD Ghost Hunters (World of Darkness)

Mythical Denizens (Creatures of the World Bestiary) (Scion 2nd Edition)

Pirates of Pugmire KS-Added Adventure (Realms of Pugmire)

M20 The Technocracy Reloaded (Mage: the Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition)

Yugman’s Guide to Ghelspad (Scarred Lands)

Trinity Continuum: Aberrant core (Trinity Continuum: Aberrant)

Terra Firma (Trinity Continuum: Aeon)

Wraith20 Fiction Anthology (Wraith: The Oblivion 20th Anniversary Edition)

Deviant: The Renegades (Deviant: The Renegades)

Post-Editing Development

Chicago Folio/Dossier (Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition)

TC: Aeon Ready-Made Characters (Trinity Continuum: Aeon)

Night Horrors: Nameless and Accursed (Mage: the Awakening Second Edition)

City of the Towered Tombs (Cavaliers of Mars)

Oak, Ash, and Thorn: Changeling: The Lost 2nd Companion (Changeling: The Lost 2nd)

W20 Shattered Dreams Gift Cards (Werewolf: The Apocalypse 20th)

TC: Aeon Jumpstart (Trinity Continuum: Aeon)

Vigil Watch (Scarred Lands)

Scion Companion: Mysteries of the World (Scion 2nd Edition)

Indexing

ART DIRECTION FROM MIKE CHANEY!

In Art Direction

Contagion Chronicle – Going over sketches.

Trinity Continuum: Aberrant

Hunter: The Vigil 2e – Reviewing art that’s already in.

Ex3 Lunars – Just need two artists’ pieces in.

TCfBtS!: Heroic Land Dwellers

Night Horrors: Nameless and Accursed – Contacting two more artists.

Ex3 Monthly Stuff

Cults of the Blood God (KS) – Art all seems ready.

Chicago Folio – Got cover in this morning.

Mummy 2 (KS) – Going.

City of the Towered Tombs

Let the Streets Run Red – Going over artnotes and dividing stuff up.

CtL Oak Ash and Thorn – Awaiting artnotes.

Scion Mythical Denizens – Going over sketches.

Deviant

Yugman’s Guide to Ghelspad – Sending out art notes and contracts.

Vigil Watch – Awaiting artnotes.

In Layout

Chicago Folio

Trinity Continuum Aeon: Distant Worlds – Haven’t forgotten it.

VtR Spilled Blood – Josh is working on it.

Pirates of Pugmire

Proofing

Memento Mori – Awaiting Dev comments.

Dark Eras 2 – Aileen working up the cover.

Trinity Continuum Aeon Jumpstart

M20 Book of the Fallen – Backer PDF errata is with Josh.

They Came from Beneath the Sea!

At Press

Trinity: In Media Res – PoD proofs coming.

V5: Chicago – Shipping to the KS fulfillment shippers. PoD files up and processing.

Aeon Aexpansion – PoD proofs coming.

Geist 2e (Geist: The Sin-Eaters 2nd Edition) – At press, proofs signed off on.

Geist 2e Screen – At press, waiting for proofs.

DR:E – At press, waiting for proofs.

DRE Screen – At press, waiting for proofs.

DR:E Threat Guide – Helnau’s Guide to Wasteland Beasties – PoD proof on the way.

Trinity RMCs

Tales of Good Dogs – Putting up PoD files.

Today’s Reason to Celebrate!

Celebrating Wikipedia-weirdness, in that it’s really easy to see (and construct) all sorts of patterns from the items in it. Like these all here on December 2nd, Cuba’s Armed Forces Day:

1956 – The Granma reaches the shores of Cuba’s Oriente Province. Fidel Castro, Che Guevara and 80 other members of the 26th of July Movement disembark to initiate the Cuban Revolution.

1961 – In a nationally broadcast speech, Cuban leader Fidel Castro declares that he is a Marxist–Leninist and that Cuba is going to adopt Communism.

1976 – Fidel Castro becomes President of Cuba, replacing Osvaldo Dorticós Torrado.

1986 – Death of Desi Arnaz, Cuban-American actor, singer, businessman, and television producer (b. 1917)

Busy date!

[nickanddragons]

New Dungeon Masters - Tips and Tricks

So, you’ve decided you want to be a DM. Well done! Being a dungeon master is an extremely rewarding role in dungeons and dragons. From my experience, your joy comes from watching your players traverse your world, battle your beasties and fall ever-so-easily into your traps. 

Although it may be a seemingly daunting task, being a dungeon master isn’t that hard, though, your DM and many others may have you believe it’s an incredibly hard task, but basic DMing is fairly straightforward. 

First, do your research.  Learn the rules (Dungeon Masters Guide, Players Handbook, Monsters Manual), watch others play (Critical Role, Heroes and Halfwits, etc.), play with more experienced players and dungeon masters (If possible). 

You may already know a few of the rules from being a player, and that’s great! If you haven’t played yet, don’t worry! The basic rules are fairly easy to pick up and you can find plenty of resources online to help you learn them.

EG: Youtuber Dont Stop Thinkings series on learning how to play D&D5e, Tabletop Terrors: Learn to play D&D, and loads of other cool stuff on youtube, tumblr and TTRPG sites

So, I’ve got my DMG, now what?

Now the fun begins! Now you can decide if you want to go out and buy a module (Curse of Strahd, Storm Kings Thunder, etc.) or if you want to delve into your own mind and create your own world. You can also pick up the D&D starter set, which is an incredible resource for new DMs and I would highly recommend getting it if you’re nervous or just want to try your hand at a casual campaign first before your full blown campaign. I also used it to introduce my new players to how D&D works to see if they enjoyed it before they committed to a long campaign (They usually love it.) 

Once you’ve decided on which campaign you’re running, module or otherwise, its time to put together your group. You may be one of the lucky few who has a group of 4-6 friends who all are really keen to play D&D and have never played before and you can all learn together. If not, no problem! There are loads of groups on facebook, twitter and tumblr of people looking for groups to join and looking for a dungeon master. Also, don’t worry if you can’t get 4 people, make NPC’s to come on their adventures with them and fill out their party. 

Help your players create their characters.

Your players may be new and might need your help creating their first character sheets. I recommend doing this with them and a players handbook and not to use applications such as OrcPub (though their character creation tool is really helpful for quick creation as long as you fill in the gaps and double check everything). Guide them through their attribute point allocation whether you’re rolling for stats, using a point buy system or a point array system. 

Rolling for stats - Roll 4d6, and drop the lowest number. Do this 6 times and note the results. Allow the player to place them in each of the attributes as they see fit. Add the racial bonus. 

Point buy - You get 27 points. Each attribute starts at 8. Allow them to allocate points to each attribute. 8-13 cost 1 point each. 14 and 15 cost 2 each. Max base is 15. Add the racial bonus on afterwards. 

Point array - There are many point array systems but I’ll cover the standard array: 15, 14, 13, 12, 10, 8. Add each of these values to the attributes as the player sees fit and then add the racial bonus. 

Then you should fill in proficiencies etc.  You should also walk through your players backstory. Some players are excellent and will go off and work on a huge backstory on their own. This is great since all you have to do is work it in and change it slightly to fit the world your campaign is set in. Some players may not want to do that, so, you should help them to write their backstory. With this, you shouldn’t be writing it for them, (unless they request it) instead, you should be planting the seeds of creativity in their head and guiding them to find their character. After all, it is the character they’re going to be roleplaying. 

Description, depth, and driving the story.

When you enter a new place, how much do you describe? Well simply, how much do you see? You’re going to want to describe what they might see at a first glance or what their eyes are drawn to. For example, your players will see the ‘huge glimmering castle made of white gold with towers that grasp towards the heavens sitting in a deep lush valley ahead of them’ pretty quickly whereas they might not notice (or care to notice) that the 500th tree in this forest is the same shade brown as every other tree in the forest. 

In these descriptions make use of your senses. This trick comes in handy for somewhere you haven’t written a full description of yet. Imagine the place and describe it as you see it using each sense.  “A warm, humid breeze hits your face as you enter the enormous pitch black cavern. The hard stone beneath your feet seems to be covered with some kind of moss that squelches under foot every couple of steps. For some reason, this cavern smells quite different to the others, instead  the usual musky damp smell, you can smell chicken being roasted. You also hear a fire crackling and bouncing off the high walls. The only thing that pierces the engulfing darkness is the sight of a tiny light in the distance.” I did this off the top of my head (and I’m sure you can do much better than I) but I tried to use all of my senses to bring this odd cavern to life, at least enough for my players to get a sense of the feel of the cavern and give them an interesting hook to draw them in.

Rulings

Your job as DM is to moderate the game. You are essentially ‘the computer’. But realistically you aren’t. There are going to be times where you wont have the exact rule for something and will have to make something up on the fly. Remember you should always prioritise fun, after all that’s what you’ve spent hours and hours writing and preparing for and why your friends have given up their free time to be there. 

Roleplaying Roleplaying is one of the key elements of D&D. That may seem obvious but it is one of the things that is really going to immerse your players in your world. An easy way to jump into NPCs is to give them a goal and flesh them out from there. Some basic NPCs may have just one goal for example ‘Go to the market and get some bread’. More complicated NPCs will have, surprisingly, more complex goals. Remember that random NPCs might not want to talk to your PCs. The more details you can come up with (either before hand or on the spot) the better your roleplay will be. Also, you don’t have to do the accents, and don’t worry if you’re not a brilliant actor. You will get better. Maybe start off by telling your players that you’re not entirely comfortable with acting/doing npc voices as to not raise their hopes. I found that once I’d gotten into it I improved within a matter of weeks. 

A great resource from How to be a great GM.

Practice

Okay, so the truth is you may not be the best DM straight off the bat, and that is okay! The more time you spend; playing, writing, practicing your roleplaying and researching ways to improve yourself, the better you will be!  As long as you’re having fun and enjoy playing, you’re doing something right. I hope this helped you in any way. Please feel free to send me questions, corrections and anything I may have missed out. I hope to do more things like this and will take requests!

Good luck and happy gaming!

[swipestream]

Teaching Tabletop Role Playing Games

In 2011 I offered to DM a 4-hour session of DnD as part of a silent auction for NAMI. My friend Toni bid on it, totally not out of pity. On the successful note of raising a whopping $20, Toni told me she wanted to play with her wife and two friends except… none of them had ever played DnD or any other TTRPGs before. Without thinking it through, I said yes. Then when I started to plan the session, I stared at a blank page for what seemed like hours realizing I had no idea how to teach someone else how to role play.

It’s easy to overwhelm someone new in any hobby especially if it’s something you love and understand. Often we unintentionally miscommunicate for a very simple reason–the newbies don’t speak our language yet. Did you glaze past the terms “DM,” “DnD,” and “TTRPG” in the paragraph above? That’s probably because you know those abbreviations mean Dungeon Master, the one who plans and leads a tabletop role playing game specifically Dungeons and Dragons; Dungeons and Dragons, the flagship game of the role playing industry; and tabletop role playing game, the more generic term for the entire hobby. On the other hand, did you know what NAMI is? From context you know it’s a charity, but unless I spell out the full name as the National Alliance on Mental Illness you may not know what they focus on.

Before You Teach…

If you’re fluent in RPGs, there’s a step I recommend before planning a session for newbies. Play a game you’ve never played before. Preferably something radically different from what you normally play. If you’ve played from levels 1-20 in the same DnD 3.5 edition campaign for the past five years, try picking up something story-forward like Protocol or Fiasco. If you normally play the serious Dark Heresy, try the hilarious Crash Pandas. If you have local conventions, you can look for someone new there. If you don’t, ask your normal group to take a session off and try something different. Or, ask online or find a community like the Gauntlet where you can sign up for online games. If you have no idea what game to play, I recommend John Harper’s Lasers & Feelings or one of its hacks like Love & Justice by my copodner (co-host podcast partner) Senda Linaugh. Handily, you can listen to an adventure of Love & Justice on my podcast She’s A Super Geek BUT don’t just listen–you need to actually play something new. 

 Play a game you’ve never played before. Preferably something radically different from what you normally play.

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I get to play new games all the time because of She’s A Super Geek which does one-shots of different games focusing on women as GMs (that’s Game Master, similar to the term DM but considered more generic). When we started SASGeek almost 4 years ago, Senda and I were learning and running all the games. We’ve gotten to a place where a lot of creators, writers, or someone who has run the game a lot come onto the show to run those games for us. It’s amazing, and it means I’m constantly learning new games from the point of view of a player. It can be hard to break out of our fluent understanding of RPGs, so forcing yourself back into that newbie space can break you out of your fluency and give you some insight into what newbies at your own table might be experiencing.

But I didn’t have that experience back in 2011 when I sat down with Toni, her wife, and her two friends. I’m actually not sure of how good of a job I did teaching DnD to them. I remember that we told a good story, and they all had fun. The bard embarrassed herself in front of her crush. The rogue got to back stab their rival (emotionally and literally). The cleric  In the end, that’s what we want newbies to experience. We want them to understand why we spend time in this hobby, what draws us deeper into it, and why it’s worth continuing to learn. We don’t want to bog them down in rules, hard math, or (Cthulhu forbid) table lawyering. We want them to walk away with a hilarious story they want to tell others. So here are a few tips for you as the GM to ensure that happens.

GM Tips

Make the characters–there’s nothing worse than wanting to learn a role play game only to get bogged down in details you don’t understand with the promise of ‘it gets more fun later.’ Create character sheets before hand with gentle role play prompts. If your newbie runs with another idea, that’s ok; but try to give them somewhere to go since they haven’t had experience building a character’s personality. Feel free to use pre-made characters from your system if they’re available.

Plan a straightforward adventure–we all love red herrings, but we’re focusing on teaching the game. Make sure there’s an obvious thing they’re supposed to do. Don’t be afraid to use simple ideas like stealing a magical item from that castle, protecting a caravan as it travels to another city, or rescuing a kidnapped prince. Having a clear goal makes it easier to think of ideas about how to get there. Asking players to think of classic tropes from movies and tv shows can give them a reference point if they become a deer in headlights. A newbie may not know how their character would get into an exclusive club, but they may know what Buffy, Luke Skywalker, or Steven Universe would do.

Have an experienced player at the table–newbies will look to an experienced player to set the tone and show them what’s possible. Just don’t let the experienced player take over the spotlight. Have a talk with them before the game and make sure they’re ok playing with newbies and either holding back or pushing forward depending on how the newbies react.

Don’t overwhelm them with rules–don’t try to explain all the rules in the game up front. Assure the newbies you will teach them the rules as they come up in game. Let them choose their character’s name and go over the basics of reading the character sheet.

Don’t overwhelm them with jargon–don’t use acronyms if you can help it. Try to explain things when the newbies are confused. Ask them if they’re confused. Encourage them to call out when you’re using a term they don’t understand.

Create an inviting first scene–Give the players a reason to interact with each other. Are they all stuck in the same jail? Do they all know a retired adventurer who’s called them together for an unknown reason? This doesn’t have to be a traditional go-around-the-table-and-introduce-your-character-scene, but there’s nothing wrong with that!

Create a skill challenge or small combat as the second scene–It doesn’t have to be an all-out battle. It could be a patron asking the characters to prove that they can handle a task or a simple go kill that low-level monster over there. They’ve stretched role play legs in the first scene. Now they get to work those mechanics a little. If it gets overwhelming, cut it short and move on. You just want to give the new players a chance to get a feel for the mechanics so that they know what’s possible within the game. 

Make sure every character gets the spotlight–since you’ve made the characters, you know what they’re good at. Make sure everyone gets some spotlight time to do what they’re good at. If you’ve got a hacker, make sure there are computer locked doors in the way. If you’ve got a wizard, make sure there’s a book that only they can read. If possible you want the light to shine on each character for something both mechanical and role play-focused. 

Laissez les bons temps rouler*–It’s ok if your straightforward plot goes off the rails. If they’re not having fun, do something different. A bad guy kicks in the door. A distress cry is heard from the next street over. Someone’s sword leaps out of their hands and starts singing. Just keep the game moving and make sure people are having fun!

Giving someone a window into our hobby can be amazing. Don’t be afraid to ask new people to play. You can teach them. After all, we were all newbies at some point. Someone else helped us learn how to play, probably multiple someones else. Being that person for someone else allows us to pay our experience forward, and hopefully they will do the same when the time comes. 

What games have you found the easiest or most difficult to teach? What did someone teach you badly or goodly when you started gaming?

  *Let the good times roll

Teaching Tabletop Role Playing Games published first on https://medium.com/@ReloadedPCGames