#dsa rpg

[feivelynart]

I have so many images of my PnP Bard Rahjadan Zornbrecht that I painted but haven't uploaded anything featurng him since the initial character portrait and scribbles, so here's some more.

"Spätweihe Rahjadan" good future timeline, where he becomes an acolyte and later a cleric of the goddess of beauty and love (and horses and wine) there's also an evil-timeline I will probably make a post about at some point.

Rahjadan's current character portrait, I decided to do small updates after each session, he bought a fancy hat washed his dog, slew a harpy (big brown feather) and bought a *problematic* riding crop (actually made of Achaz (lizard people) skin, but he didn't quite understand what that meant and though it is just fancy leather)

doggo cuddle time

First session: Rahjadan got a letter from his pseudo-mob-boss sister he ran away from, where she threatened to kill his dog if he doesn't comply to do some research on and get in contact with the local crime gang for her. He was so distraught about the letter, that he let himself be peer pressured by his then secretly-a-master-thief-GF to break and enter into the new mansion of the (rest of the) party. ("you got debt with her, here's how you get money fast! I'm doing you a favour here, don't be such a whimp.") He proceeded to very dumb about it, got hold of a cursed artefact, got caught, and now has to do communal service (go on a pilgrimage to escort a holy animal to a monastery along with the party but not get paid for it, while he's chronically broke) and because he convinced the guards and party that he didn't mean it and will repent and its all a misunderstanding he can't really be seen asking about the local crime gang, that would look disingenuous, so now his dog is under threat to be brutalized in the future going forward, if his sister doesn't buy his low effort alibi to throw his now EX-definitely-a-master-thief-GF under the bus.

Speaking of family, that's his wannabe-mob-boss cruel older sister, Duridanya

That's his paranoid, mentally messed up dad, Hesindiego.

If his sister is a wannabe-mob-boss his Mother Marchesca was the real mob-boss-terrible-person her daughter aspired to be, but can't quite reach.

She has been dead for 10 years (poison assassination), but here's his parents before they fled the evil theocratic-slaveholder-citystate Al'Anfa, which was about half a year before Rahjadan's birth. Before that his dad was his mother's favourite domestic slave. The family dynamic is complicated to say the least.

While being raised by both parents, Rahjadan got some very conflicting information regarding morality in general and their grand house (one of the richest in Al'Anfa, and the one with the highest reputation for cruelty).

While his Narcissistic Mother would always tell agrandizing stories about the family, their ancestors and heroc (read horrible) deeds that disowned her and has probably multiple times attempted to assassinate her since she fled north to the city of Lowangen,as if she would come back south gloriously conquering one day. His dad on the other hand told him about the horrors and hypocrisy of Al'Anfa he witnessed first hand. His sister always despised him, and wa shis greatest bully for his entire life, once teh parents got wind of her physically abusing Rahjadan as a kid (10 years age gap) , she switched to emotional blackmail and, after the death of their mother and once this was not working anymore she wsitched to financial blackmail.

His dad completely dropped the mask of pretense and "being a good husband" and that they are "a normal family" after Marchesca's death, and became increasingly estranged from his kids, due to untreated trauma/mental struggles. Although Rahajdan and him are still very much on speaking terms, Rahjadan kinda wished he had his "real dad" back and he feels terrible about it, knowing that it was all an act his dad put on for his controlling wife and his kids, and he never really knew his dad for who he was.

Meanwhile his Sister pressures him with crusing dept he got into to sustain his lavish lifestyle (and the fact he can't say no to buying beautiful and shiny things), to do all sorts of shitty and possibly illegal things for her. She began inserting herself into his private and love life until it reached a breaking point and Rahjadan just decided to screw it all, he's gonna leave the city tonight, and be a wandering bard, at least he'll not starve that way and usually have a warm bed somewhere, and is free to do whatever he pleases (he thinks, he's kind dumb actually, intelligence 9 when the lowest possible value is 8 in the TDE PnP system). And thats the state he was in when he met the Plot (TM).

[oldschoolfrp]

The party sets out for adventure -- Ugurcan Yüce cover for The Dark Eye introductory box set, Schmidt Spiele -- Schmidt France version "L'Œil noir;" originally released in German as "Das Schwarze Auge" (DSA). This art has been attributed to a second alternative version of the 1984 1st edition, and to the 1988 2nd edition.

[valtharr]

When i was younger here in Germany most ttrpg players i know played a system called "Das Schwarze Auge" (DSA), which has a fantasy setting comparable to D&D. (and honestly the rules are rather complicated in places, too) But over the last couple of years i kinda saw this game fade into background. Because of the dominance of US-American popculture D&D overtook the market. And while i generally enjoy D&D, it kinda worries me how much the system just pushes other systems out of the picture.

I mean, DSA sucks too (at least the version I played. Unnecessarily complicated resolution mechanic plus I really don't care about medieval fantasy at all...)

Like, I get what you mean, but let's be real, DSA was the D&D of Germany. It had generally the same role in the German TTRPG space, and I personally don't think one cultural monopoly is inherently better than another?

[tagedeszorns]

Something not Warhammer-related: Revro, the professional Imman-player.

In Germany, the role-playing game system DSA ("Das Schwarze Auge" - "The Black Eye"), now also forty years old, is more popular than D&D. It has much more complex rules (both blessing and curse) and is more geared towards building a character that fits into the incredibly detailed world and interacting with the creatures and circumstances there. The power level is lower and the characters rarely become overpowered heroes. On the other hand, there is the opportunity to explore all kinds of well-developed areas, cities and political contexts and you can easily be a travelling blacksmith, a cartographer or a wonderfully useless, incredibly nerdy mage. Or a trader, a mercenary who is actually a cook (or vice versa) or a tattoo-artist.

Of course, this also means that an average DSA adventure is not a dungeon crawl.

Which led to our game master "gifting" us an NPC who is a celebrated Imman player in Havena the not very mage-friendly town we are currently involuntarily staying in. Imman is a very popular team sport, distantly related to hurling. Revro, that's his name, plays for the Havena Bulls and has developed a crush on my clueless mage. Much to the continued amusement of the rest of our group.

Doesn't matter - my mage is happy. Finally, someone who is willing to listen to his elaborate explanations of old-puninian number magic!

And because I had so much fun with Revro, I sketched him and hope we can keep him.

[lamiasage]

Commission for my dear friend @/intro-verve on Twitter, showing Pettar Peddersen, one of his DSA characters :)

[famigsart]

I drew our group in DSA

Everyone has the trait "good looking" except one guy. It happened by chance too. We all wanted some hot characters I guess XD

This one is mine

Valerio Loriano! Bard and Swords man!

[stuffedcrocodile]

The Oldest TTRPG Forum on the Net

Did you know there is an online forum for tabletop role-playing games that has been around since the late 70s, and which still is active and operating? Admittedly in a much diminished state than at it’s heyday. I don’t know if you ever heard the term Usenet before, and even if you did, if you don’t just connect it with data piracy. Because that’s what it is mostly used for nowadays. What it…

[doomaday]

When you suddenly decide you want a background and your pen stops working, so you Fingerpaint it all and also make Up a Concept while doing so aka. How to NOT paint backgrounds #art #procreate #rpg #dnd #dsa #dasschwarzeauge #thedarkeye #tabletoprpg https://www.instagram.com/p/CqIrkepN5uk/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[linestyleartwork]

I was once again allowed to paint a map illustration for "Das schwarze Auge" and Ulisses Games: "The Andergast Borderland" for "The Seed of the Black Oak". It was a pleasure again!😊

AD: Steffen Brand

[hoschimoto]

The Purple Tower – Der Purpurturm, The Exploration of Orclands, Volume I, Adventure 16 for Das Schwarze Auge, Schmidt Spiele, 1987 (Claus D Biswanger cover art, Ulrich Kiesow author)

[wolfman-al]

He is a big dumb strong guy with a club and silly clothes. Thats it. But you what? Sometimes characters like that are the most fun.

[feivelynart]

Rahjadan, the most respectful Horny Bard TM out there (...until he falls victim to demonic seduction, that makes him a rapey asshole.)

[thydungeongal]

Have you ever had any experiences with DSA? Das Schwarze Auge *is* a German game ,but I'm wondering if it's ever breaking containment nowadays

I know of it! The English translation of it has been featured in a number of Bundles of Holding so I wouldn't be surprised if it showed up there again, and as far as I know it's actually been used as the basis for a number of CRPGs, including the Blackguards series and the Realms of Arkania series (which was incidentally my first encounter with the series)!

It is relatively obscure outside of Germany but has still sort of broken containment enough to warrant multiple translations, so it clearly has an international audience! Which I think is great: just like it's cool that Dragonbane, formerly Drakar och Demoner, Sweden's premier fantasy RPG has gotten an English translation, I think it's extremely cool when originally non-English language RPGs get to reach a wider audience.

Speaking my personal encounter with the series, Realms of Arkania: Shadows over Riva was weirdly enough translated into Finnish in the nineties. It owns.

[for-gilded-cups-are-empty]

So, sitting on a train, there are like, 3 other people next to you, yea?

What are the odds that one of them notices me staring at her, I tell her I’m trying to read the writing on that sticker on her headphones: she tells me it’s a sticker from the indie music festival she runs. Which she tells me is in a castle ruin. I tell her that I too hang out in castle ruins a lot, and if they get any larper.

They do, Witcher larp specifically. Person 3/4 joins in to talk about the Witcher, asks what other kinds of larp there are. I mention DSA. He has spent his entire childhood getting absorbed into that world but was afraid to talk to anyone about that stuff as an adult.

Person 4 hears we are talking about pen and paper rpgs and joins in with some Star Wars edge of the empire anecdotes.

Sadly had only four or five stops with these amazing people, but it’s still great to just find others out in the wild

[games-und-lyrik]

Aventuria: Entdecke eine andere Welt

Tauche ein in eine Welt, in der jede Ecke von alten Mythen umflüstert und von legendären Helden durchstreift wird. Aventuria wartet darauf, dass mutige Abenteurer seine Geheimnisse enthüllen und seine Schätze heben. Von den eisigen Klippen des Hohen Nordens über die dunklen, gefährlichen Wälder des Mittelreiches bis hin zu den schimmernden Sanden der Khôm-Wüste – in Aventuria vereinen sich zahllose Geschichten zu einem epischen Panorama. In Aventuria, dem Herzen des "Das Schwarze Auge" Universums, wird jede Entscheidung zu einem Teil der Legende. Erschaffe deinen eigenen Weg durch tückische Königreiche, verhandle mit listigen Feen und stelle dich den dunklen Kreaturen, die im Schatten lauern. Spiele im Universum von Aventuria Aventuria ist das fiktive Kontinent-Setting für "Das Schwarze Auge" (DSA), eines der populärsten Rollenspielsysteme im deutschsprachigen Raum. Verschiedene Spiele, sowohl analog als auch digital, nutzen dieses reiche und detaillierte Fantasy-Universum für ihre Hintergrundgeschichte und Weltgestaltung. Das Schwarze Auge: Drakensang "Drakensang" ist wohl eines der bekanntesten PC-Rollenspiele, das in Aventuria angesiedelt ist. Es ist ein klassisches RPG, das dich mit einer tiefgehenden Geschichte und einem komplexen Regelwerk begrüßt, welche beide auf dem DSA-Lizenz basieren. Das Schwarze Auge: Blackguards-Serie Die "Blackguards"-Serie, die aus "Blackguards" und "Blackguards 2" besteht, bietet eine dunklere und taktischere Annäherung an das Universum. Diese Spiele sind für ihr herausforderndes rundenbasiertes Kampfsystem bekannt und stellen eine Abkehr von den typischen Heldenpfaden dar. Das Schwarze Auge: Satinavs Ketten & Memoria Diese beiden Spiele sind Point-and-Click-Adventure, die eine tiefere Erzählweise mit Rätseln und Charakterentwicklung verbinden. "Das Schwarze Auge: Satinavs Ketten" und seine Fortsetzung "Memoria" entführen den Spieler in eine Welt voller Legenden und Mythen. Das Schwarze Auge: Herokon Online "Herokon Online" war ein MMORPG, das den Spielern die Möglichkeit gab, ihre eigene Geschichte in der Welt von Aventuria zu schreiben. Obwohl es nicht mehr aktiv ist, bot es eine umfangreiche Online-Erfahrung im DSA-Universum. Das Schwarze Auge: Demonicon "Demonicon" ist ein Action-Rollenspiel, das eine düstere Geschichte innerhalb Aventurias erzählt. Es legt den Fokus auf Kampf und Charakterentwicklung und bietet eine weitere Perspektive auf die vielschichtige Welt von DSA. Brettspiele und Kartenspiele Neben digitalen Spielen gibt es auch eine Vielzahl von Brett- und Kartenspielen, die in der Welt von Aventuria angesiedelt sind. "Das Schwarze Auge: Aventuria - Abenteuerkartenspiel" ist ein beliebtes Beispiel, das die Spieler in Form eines Kartenspiels auf Abenteuer in dieser Welt mitnimmt. Die Welt verschiedener Games Die Welt von Aventuria dient als ein reichhaltiger Nährboden für unterschiedliche Spieltypen und Genres. Von klassischen Rollenspielen bis hin zu taktischen Kampfspielen und interaktiven Adventures, das Universum von "Das Schwarze Auge" bietet eine Vielzahl an Erlebnissen für verschiedene Spielertypen und ist ein zentraler Bestandteil der deutschsprachigen Spielekultur. ©Daedalic Entertainment. Die Vielfalt der Aventurischen Landschaft Aventuria, die Welt von "Das Schwarze Auge", ist bekannt für ihre reiche und vielfältige Landschaft, die von eisigen Nordlanden bis zu heißen Wüsten im Süden reicht. Hier eine kurze Reise durch die verschiedenen Regionen Aventurias und ihre charakteristischen Landschaftsmerkmale: Der Hohe Norden Im hohen Norden finden sich die eisbedeckten Gebiete Aventuriens, wie das Gletscherreich Glorania, ein unwirtliches und raues Land, das von Frostriesen und Nordmenschen bewohnt wird. Der Thorwaler Küstenstrich, bekannt durch seine seefahrenden Wikinger-ähnlichen Bewohner, bietet felsige Küsten und stürmische Meere. Die Mittelreiche Das Herzland Aventuriens bildet eine gemäßigte Zone mit weiten Wäldern, fruchtbaren Ebenen und dem Flusslauf der großen Ströme, wie dem mächtigen Bosparan. Das Mittelland ist kulturell und politisch das Zentrum von Aventuria, Heimat von Städten wie Gareth und Havena. Das Bornland und die Nordmarken Im Nordosten liegen das Bornland und die Nordmarken. Das Bornland zeichnet sich durch weite, dünn besiedelte Wälder und Moore aus, während die Nordmarken als rau und hügelig gelten, mit zahlreichen Burgen und Festungen. Die Waldinseln Die Waldinseln bestehen aus großflächigen, unberührten Waldgebieten, die von Elfen bewohnt werden. Sie sind geheimnisvoll und schwer zu durchqueren, voller alter Magie und mythischer Kreaturen. Der Schwarze Wald Der Schwarze Wald im Südwesten ist ein dichter, dunkler Wald, der bei Reisenden oft Furcht auslöst, da er Heimat von Räubern und gefährlichen Bestien ist. Aranien und das Mhanadistan Im Süden, grenzend an die Tulamidenlande, finden sich Aranien und das Mhanadistan. Diese Gebiete sind geprägt von weiten Steppen und der khôm-Wüste, die das Land mit ihrer trockenen Hitze dominiert. Das Meer der Sieben Winde Das Meer der Sieben Winde ist das große Gewässer, das viele Küsten Aventuriens berührt und Handel sowie Seefahrt ermöglicht. Es ist lebenswichtig für die verschiedenen Küstenstädte und -kulturen. Die Landschaften Aventuriens Die Landschaften Aventuriens sind in "Das Schwarze Auge" nicht nur Hintergrundkulisse, sondern spielen eine wichtige Rolle in der Spielmechanik und der Atmosphäre der Abenteuer. Sie sind so gestaltet, dass sie zu den kulturellen Eigenheiten der Bewohner passen und die Vielfalt von Flora und Fauna reflektieren. Jede Region bringt eigene Herausforderungen und Geschichten mit sich, die die Spieler in den Bann ziehen und für ein abwechslungsreiches Spiel sorgen. Glorania: Das Ewige Eis Aventuriens Glorania, auch bekannt als das Gletscherreich, ist eine Region in Aventurien, die sich durch ihre unwirtliche und erbarmungslose Umgebung auszeichnet. Es ist ein Land, in dem das Eis nicht nur die Landschaft, sondern auch das Leben und die Kultur seiner Bewohner geformt hat. Die Unbarmherzige Natur Das Klima in Glorania ist rau und unerbittlich, mit langen, dunklen Wintern und kurzen Sommern, in denen das Eis nur teilweise schmilzt. Die Landschaft wird von mächtigen Gletschern, zugefrorenen Flüssen und schroffen Bergspitzen dominiert. Reisende und Abenteurer, die sich in diese Region wagen, müssen sich gegen die extreme Kälte und plötzliche Schneestürme wappnen. Bewohner des Eises Das Gletscherreich ist Heimat für verschiedene Völker und Kreaturen, die sich an das Leben in der Kälte angepasst haben. Frostriesen und eisige Elementarwesen durchstreifen die Gletscher, während die wenigen menschlichen Siedler sich in festen, isolierten Gemeinschaften organisieren. Ihre Kultur ist geprägt von starken Traditionen und einem engen Zusammenhalt, der zum Überleben in dieser unwirtlichen Umgebung nötig ist. Mythen und Legenden Glorania ist eingehüllt in Mythen. Geschichten von versunkenen Städten unter dem Eis und von Geistern, die in den Schneestürmen umherirren, sind in den lokalen Sagen allgegenwärtig. Mutige Helden, die sich den Geheimnissen Glorianas stellen, können nicht nur physische Reichtümer entdecken, sondern auch längst vergessenes Wissen der alten Zeiten. Herausforderungen für Abenteurer Für diejenigen, die den Nervenkitzel suchen, bietet Glorania unzählige Herausforderungen. Von der Jagd nach einem sagenumwobenen Artefakt, das in einem ewigen Eisblock eingefroren ist, über das Überleben in einer der härtesten Umgebungen Aventuriens bis hin zum Kampf gegen die Kreaturen des Frostes – Glorania ist der ultimative Test für Ausdauer und Mut. Der Thorwaler Küstenstrich: Zwischen Meer und Mythos Der Thorwaler Küstenstrich in Aventurien ist eine Region, die durch ihre rauen Küsten, die tosende See und ihre ebenso robusten wie seefahrenden Bewohner bekannt ist. Es ist ein Land, in dem das Meer das Leben bestimmt und alte Traditionen tief in der Gesellschaft verwurzelt sind. Leben am und mit dem Meer Das Leben in Thorwal ist untrennbar mit dem Meer verbunden. Die Menschen hier sind als hervorragende Schiffsbauer und mutige Seefahrer bekannt. Sie ernähren sich hauptsächlich von dem, was das Meer ihnen bietet, sei es durch Fischfang oder die Jagd auf Meeresungeheuer. Die Küste selbst ist wild und ungezähmt, mit steilen Klippen und ausgedehnten Stränden, die von den Wellen des rauen Meer der Sieben Winde umspült werden. Kultur der Thorwaler Thorwaler sind bekannt für ihre Unabhängigkeit und ihren Kampfgeist. Die sozialen Strukturen sind häufig an alte Clanbindungen und Ehrenkodizes geknüpft. Ihre Geschichten und Lieder, voll von Heldentaten und den Launen der Götter, werden in langen Winternächten von Generation zu Generation weitergegeben. Thorwal ist auch die Heimat der legendären Hetfrauen, weibliche Anführerinnen, die in politischen und militärischen Belangen ebenso einflussreich sind wie ihre männlichen Gegenstücke. Göttlicher Glaube und Aberglaube Der Glaube spielt eine zentrale Rolle in Thorwal. Besonders Swafnir, der Gott der Meere und Wale, ist in der Region verehrt. Die Thorwaler glauben, dass ihre Schicksale vom Willen der Götter abhängen, und opfern einen Teil ihrer Ernte und ihres Fangs, um die Götter gnädig zu stimmen. Aberglaube und Rituale sind fester Bestandteil des Alltags, und Orakel werden oft konsultiert, bevor wichtige Entscheidungen getroffen werden. Herausforderungen für Abenteurer Für Abenteurer bietet der Thorwaler Küstenstrich eine Fülle an Möglichkeiten: vom Beitritt zu einer der legendären Drachenboot-Mannschaften über die Erforschung alter, verfluchter Ruinen bis hin zum Kampf gegen die wilden Kreaturen des Meeres. Die Thorwaler selbst schätzen Tapferkeit und Taten, die in Liedern besungen werden können – wer sich hier einen Namen macht, wird Teil der unendlichen Sagen Thorwals. Ein kontrastreiches Land Der Thorwaler Küstenstrich ist ein Landstrich voller Kontraste – zwischen der Gewalt des Meeres und der Wärme der Gemeinschaft, zwischen uralter Tradition und dem rauen Alltag. Es ist ein Ort, der Charaktere formt und Geschichten schreibt, die so tief und unergründlich sind wie das Meer selbst. Wer Aventurien in seiner ganzen Bandbreite erleben möchte, kommt an den sagenumwobenen Küsten Thorwals nicht vorbei. Weiter geht es zu einem Artikel über Aventuria Lesen Sie den ganzen Artikel

[derkastellan]

Musings: Good luck finding adventure modules!

I originally come from two corners regarding roleplaying, the German The Dark Eye system as it existed in its 1e and 2e incarnations, and playing AD&D fantasy computer games. This built an expectation into me that ready-made playing material would always be available, an expectation I find increasingly thwarted in today's RPG market.

The Dark Eye - I'll use the German acronym DSA going forward to ease discussion - is one of the most well-supported RPGs in the history of the tabletop RPGs. It features hundreds of adventure modules tuned for a certain range of levels, so you can basically pick up one, read it, and run it. It's probably the most well-supported system in general, brimming with setting books, books covering meta-plot development (after it had one), etc. This is not only a good thing, though...

One time I joined a local group, playing through a pre-made adventure campaign. Not only was it impossible to leave the rails (when I tried the obstacles quickly mounted as the GM had achieved her "goal" for the scene), and people actually started to discuss, while playing, where they were in the current meta-plot right now and somebody went to the long line of books on a nearby shelf, pulled one out, and delivered some meta-plot regional info so everybody was on the same page. They basically knew the outline of the story they were playing, going through pre-made motions, having played this before, or read it. I don't know. But it definitely was one of the most bizarre experiences I ever had playing, and I left after two sessions. So, yeah, you can support a game until it stifles all initiative in players, and this has progressed well with DSA, no doubt, making it a rather extreme example.

The other experience were the games now known as Gold Box series. Built mostly on the original Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 1st edition (1e) game for its engine, the publisher brought a good amount of content for several of D&D's worlds - the Forgotten Realms, Dragonlance, and - to some extent - Dark Sun. A lot of it was combat, but even the first game, "Pool of Radiance", included an amazing system of scaling the challenge and it even changed some of its quest areas depending on when in the game you tackled them. (I'm not sure any other game at the time did that, it probably was very revolutionary in 1988.) Only the first two installments (the other one being "Curse of the Azure Bonds") saw release as TTRPG modules.

D&D is of course the other system with a history of being supported by adventure modules, lavishly so during the TSR era (up to the mid-90s). Which is funny - apparently nobody at TSR initially anticipated such a need. When people kept asking, they ended up releasing their tournament modules as write-ups. That goes a long way towards explaining why the "Tomb of Horrors" is such a meat grinder. It was meant to be one - for measuring one's mettle against other groups which ran through the same module, the end result being put into a score for comparison. In this sense, modules in D&D were off to a bad start as well, and maybe D&D altogether. Born from miniatures wargames it took quite a while until the game introduced resolution mechanics for non-combat stuff, and it is still one of most combat-heavy games around. I remember one 4e player asking me whether I found Savage Worlds too light-weight in tactical options, a game that was specifically written to shorten the endless high level combat encounters of the Deadlands Classic role-playing game while retaining the action elements. (And one I prefer - both in what to run and over 4e.)

Fast forward to today

So, growing up with such systems, I would have expected there to be an ever-expanding amount of support for games. I mean, given the grumpy mumbling of old-school grognards on their forums on kids these days and their premade adventure modules and "stories" you would think we would drown in play material ready to go.

But if I look at what's actually on my shelf, the reality is quite inverse. The recent/current systems I see that actually had significant publisher support are

D&D 5e,

Dungeon Crawl Classics (DCC),

Lamentation of the Flame Princess (LotFP),

the three Star Wars RPGs by Fantasy Flight Games,

Chaosium's Call of Cthulhu,

Pelgrane Press' GUMSHOE games (especially Trail of Cthulhu and Night's Black Agents),

Modiphiüs' Conan 2d20 and Achtung! Cthulhu,

Delta Green, and

The One Ring.

This seems a sizable list, but when I look at most games lined up behind me, I see the majority follow a different structure:

A core rulebook if it has its own system, and/or...

A setting guide, and maybe...

A companion to the core rulebook with more player options, and probably...

One or (at most) two adventure collections.

Many games in fact never make it beyond a book comprising options 1 and 2 in the same volume.

A (not so) short detour

I was reminded of this situation recently because I'm currently reading the Dragon AGE RPG by Green Ronin. As I prepare for play in a world I only somewhat remember from the first computer games, I would have appreciated some adventure modules to run or take inspiration from.

But to be fair - do I need it? One role modules play is that they give you many example encounters you can emulate. They show you how somebody with experience in the system structures a combat encounter, how many monsters is a good match, maybe it also introduces custom monsters as well. (It also shows how stories derive from the general lore of the setting.)

So I checked what the rulebook offers me in terms of advice for building encounters and monsters on my own. And this is usually where most systems that aren't D&D fall flat because you get shoddy or incomplete advice, or advice that barely works. (Looking at you, Shadow of the Demon Lord... even though you at least had some. I just don't like you, that's all.)

So, don't color me surprised that the hefty 441 page tome contains only 2 pages on encounter math, though to be fair it gives you a good guide to computing it yourself and some solid pointers. But it also comes from yet another game designer too lazy to distill their own work into a ready-to-use format. I say lazy because it would definitely require a lot of work to make something lean and mean to use. (And even 5e's system - or two systems - refined by several people, doesn't work that well, really.) But you can use it, even though presentation is prose without examples. A shoddy job, but something you can work with.

And monster design? [Insert sound of sad trombone here.] While you get almost fifty pages of adversaries and quickly usable advice how to vary them, you won't find any actual guidelines for making your own and assigning a threat level to them. Just to be sure, I also checked in the Fantasy AGE game which generalizes the system. I eventually found the needed information in the Fantasy AGE Campaign Builder's Guide, a solid 10 pages with a guided example. But to put this into context - the first Dragon AGE boxed set was published 2010, the Fantasy AGE Basic Rules in 2015, and the guide I mentioned in 2019! So, you had to wait 9 years to get this info, published in what technically is another game? What gives, Green Ronin?

So yeah, modules can help. And again Dragon AGE does neither really good or bad on that front. What they mostly don't do is publish individual modules. Here's what I found:

The Dalish Curse (originally part of Set 1, now a free download, 2010)

An Arl's Ransom (included in the Quickstart, free download, 2011)

A Bann Too Many (included in the Game Master's Kit, 2010)

Buried Pasts (included in the revised GM's Kit, 2016)

Invisible Chains (contained in the Core Rulebook, 2015)

The Autumn Falls (originally part of Set 2, now included in Core Rulebook, 2011)

Battle's Edge (originally part of Set 3, now included in Core Rulebook, 2012)

Amber Rage (in the Blood in Ferelden adventure anthology, 2010)

Where Eagles Lair (in the Blood in Ferelden adventure anthology, 2010)

A Fragile Web (in the Blood in Ferelden adventure anthology, 2010)

Duty Unto Death (an actual stand-alone module! 2013)

That's basically it. To put it into context - the game was originally split into Set 1 (levels 1-5), Set 2 (levels 6-10), and Set 3 (levels 11-20). So adventures 1, 6, and 7 were originally included in three different sets to buy. All adventures listed here are for levels 1-5 except for 6 and 7!! When the game came out, you essentially had four adventures you could run if you bought Set 1 and the anthology.

What you basically don't see is a continued support with stand-alone modules. You get them from buying the GM's Kits, the core books, and a multi-adventure anthology. I would also be fine if they ever released another anthology. But this is basically what Green Ronin does - or rather, what they don't do. (Fantasy AGE barely managed to scrape out a book per year until you finally had the basic set of books - rules, monsters, companion, campaign building.)

Reflecting our current reality

If you want to get material for pickup games, episodic stuff, isolated storylines, you are better off selecting your publisher and game to match that desire.

Some publishers only give tacit support to their product after release, while others keep pushing product. If you look for publishers who actually support (some of) their lines, you could check these out (in no particular order):

Modiphiüs (especially Achtung! Cthulhu and Star Trek Adventures)

Paizo (Pathfinder is probably the RPG with the most content to support it available to buy in print and heavily dedicated to the concept of the "adventure path")

Son of Oak Game Studio (City of Mist is probably one of the best-supported newer games!)

Chaosium (Call of Cthulhu has an endless amount of modules if you don't mind most of them being in electronic form now)

Pelgrane Press (Trail of Cthulhu has lots of modules and collection books, Night's Black Agents less but still some and especially collections/campaigns)

Goodman Games (Dungeon Crawl Classics and Mutant Crawl Classics specialize in releasing lots of modules)

Arc Dream Publishing (Delta Green has many adventure and campaign books by now)

Monte Cook Games (Numenera especially had a steady stream of material, not necessarily as modules, though)

Wizards of the Coast (D&D 5e has whole campaigns published but also a few adventure collections by now)

Pinnacle Entertainment (but only for their Deadlands series)

There's also publishers that have proven a risky bet in this regard (which is a shame given the quality of the content):

Green Ronin (slow release schedule, and of course: see above)

Pinnacle again (it's hard to predict which of their settings they will support and for how long - East Texas University (ETU) for example seems to have seen support, other series get nothing after their initial Kickstarter/crowdfunding, it's rather unpredictable - it's safest to expect nothing else to come after)

Atlas Games (Over the Edge has many modules - but only if you consider the old editions. Not much surrounding their new editions of existing games. You basically can expect that anything they release to center around their core books now and not much to come after - with Ars Magica being the positive exception)

[EDIT:] I originally listed Free League Publishing here. I was incorrect about this. Having checked their website I noticed that they issued new material for several of their games, and lots of modules of their own, even if only in PDF. They're just not pushing everything to Kickstarter nor do they mail previous backers with new releases like other publishers do. Maybe because these weren't crowdfounded. Doesn't matter. I retract Free League from this list.

I'm not trying to diss these companies, I wish they had published more stuff! It's just that their business model does not seem to include a large amount of continued support, in spite of them being surely in the middle tier of publishers. And that doesn't even include the many games that exist as core books only and their respective publishers.

A New Hope?

However, there is one more option - the companies that have opened up to third party publishing - either as content creator programs, as official licensees, or similar things. The degree to which you can use their official IP varies - sometimes you can use their rules, sometimes some or all of their settings, etc.

A good place to start is here.

The problem, of course, is that you won't know who makes quality content and who doesn't. Whether you opt to wade through the deluge of 5e third party content or the official Dungeon Masters Guild, you will probably find something to strike your fancy, but also much that is best left by the wayside.

While I have published 2 1/2 modules as a licensee for Goodman Games as well, I see this type of content as trial and error. If it's "fan made," it's often very hit-and-miss. And each third party publisher has their own merit or lack thereof.

What I definitely didn't miss was the endless amount of 3e splatbooks (especially regarding character options) - and they're back in force. What you will find in abundance are dubious custom-made classes for every taste (or again, lack thereof) with no guarantee they balance well with anything. As for adventures, the only way to know is reading samples and sinking some money into PDFs you might never use. Probably the fate of most RPG collections, though...

While publisher-made content isn't a guarantee for quality, professionals paid to write usually bring some qualities to the table that amateurs might or might not have. Your mileage may vary, but a book adhering to an established formatting and branding is not only useful, but more often than not also aesthetically pleasing. And though high-quality fan- and third-party-made content does definitely exist, the art is in finding it among the throng.

Conclusion

If you don't intend to write all your content yourself, picking a supported system might save you a lot of headache.

Even if you write your own content, you might want to consider if your system actually supports you meaningfully in doing so. Books that wax poetic for pages on end about story structure will leave you flat if they do not also contain usable advice for building encounters, adversaries, or challenges considering the system at hand. (Worst offender here: Pinnacle Entertainment. Savage Worlds is great, but they give you nothing except for a few words excusing themselves as to why they gave you nothing. For shame.)

We seem to live in an age of role-playing game abundance, but if you take a second look, you notice a lot of it are unsupported games that see a corebook release and a second volume to accompany it at best. Publishers that massively support their games are few and far between - though my list above is hardly comprehensive. I, for example, left out White Wolf/Onyx Path in spite of the lots of material because I know too little about the World of Darkness lines to comment.

It's just like with finding players. Sometimes you end up running something that isn't your favorite because it gets the job done - whether the job is finding actual people wanting to play it or if it is minimizing your prep time through available material. The scarcity of prep time is something publishers ignore at their own peril, though, and it will come back to bite some of them eventually.