#ttrpg stuff

[drakeanddice]

Haunted by a fantasy world where "adventurer" is handled in the same way as "assassin" in John Wick. An ifykyk secondary economy running on gold coins where everyone knows each other but no one acknowledges the elephant in the room because we have manners about our weird-ass line of deadly desperate dangerous work.

Rolling into town, looking immaculate. Checking into the Inn. Not an inn, or the coaching house, or the traveler's hostel. The Inn. The one that takes my ridiculous oversized coin and says that my room is ready, and will I need to visit the Smith today? Perhaps a meeting with the Vintner? Shall I send up the Gourmand?

"Good afternoon, Master Whicke," the Smith says, putting aside the barrel scraper he's been working on to flip a switch beside the forge. Racks of tenpenny nails and trowels and hammers fold back to reveal the glittering points and edges of a score of swords and axes and spearpoints lit with the flicker of finely-tuned enchantments. "Shall we tour what's new?"

"What sort of occasion are we hosting, Master Whicke?" The Vintner asks, pocketing the coin with a sigh. "A funeral," you say.

"Ah, well perhaps something light to start, then," she says selecting a straight-walled flask that glitters with contained starlight, proof against the touch of the undead. " And something for remembrance," she plucks a small crock of something evil-smelling and phosphorescent. "And then something to really bring down the house." She gingerly selects a double ampoule of energetic looking jellies.

The Gourmand carefully runs his knife through the salted flank of a cockatrice with a pursing of the lips. "So many neglect trail rations, Master Whicke, and it is their shame. Paired with goldenwheat pancakes and carrion honey, a mouthful of cockatrice--properly seasoned of course--will keep the mummy rot at bay, even post-exposure. I have been given to indicate by the Management that your current escapade may make such information useful to you. I will of course wrap your purchases exceedingly carefully. Rot will be your constant companion in the Black Pyramid."

There's something here.

[heybiji]

His hand hovers over the hilt of his dagger...

Dandelion was about to kill an enemy drow who was tied down and defenseless, but hearing his party member's voice caught his attention first. Dande's also in a bit of a confused haze, having cast a new spell by accident (Hunger of Hadar) that plunged the enemies and himself into a freezing, eldritch darkness full of whispers, acid tongues, and the grazing of teeth, which reminded him a lot of being home. He may have thought it was his mother...

[giga-wizard-trey]

CALLING ALL MONSTER F***ERS, PLEASE CHECK OUT HUNTER THE PARENTING ITS SO IMPORTANT

[iguanodont]

Way back when you first posted your cool weird DnD dragons, I think you mentioned something about them maybe being eusocial with kobolds and maybe dragonborn acting as different biological casts and I honestly think about that idea a lot. When you wrote that, were you imagining these kobolds being just as anatomically weird as the dragons whose colony they were a part of?

I’ve actually drawn kobolds before, but I’ve changed some things about their designs and lore since then.

They have a few different castes, not all of which are present in every dragon, and certain castes can change into others. For example, most kobolds are born as quadrupedal Carriers, which act as couriers and assistants to Manuals, which are the bipedal worker caste and second phase of development. A favorite kobold may also be metamorphosed by its parent into a winged drone, which grows significantly taller and acts as scout, messenger, and lover to other dragons. The appearance and unusual sociality of drones has led many layfolk to mistake them for half-dragons, which are almost unheard of in chromatic lineages. Metallics, which are more prone to interacting directly with nondragons are far more likely to produce hybrid offspring. Some species also develop larger “warrior” caste kobolds (swolbolds)

The illustration depicts blue dragon kobolds, which possess a hornlike antenna for locating conspecifics, calling for help, and finding their way home. Brass dragons, which wander the same habitats, will occasionally steal blue kobolds for service by mimicking their Queen’s psychic signal.

Honorable mention to fairy kobolds, which are the mixed bag of smallfolk varmints that metallics commonly press into service. These creatures readily find their ways into dragon lairs through the same liminal byways used to slip between material space and the faewild. Like the faewild, dragon lairs are high magic environments, and often conveniently close to human dwellings to forage from. But it comes at a cost: fairies are a magic rich snack for a dragon, so they have to adapt fast. Using their innate knack for glamouring to blend into a lair’s unique aesthetic, a fairy will begin working to protect and furnish its home as they would in any other dwelling which ultimately serves the interests of the dragon. If the dragon notices them at that point, it usually tolerates them bumming in its house.

[tlwebb]

[glorbs-dominion]

[from-the-notebooks]

Do other ttrpg designers do historical research when making historical games?

I have to assume the GURPS splat books had some behind them but I'm just wondering if its weird that I plan to have a bibliography for my cute little Fate hack? I just want it to be accurate as much as possible.

[arsene-inc]

Implied system

I had a thought (I know it happens, it's bad)

What about a game that is only character creation ? I don't mean a game where character creation is the goal, is the whole game. I mean a game with a setting and a system, but only the character creation is written.

Implied setting exist, get ready for implied system. The player(s) can can only infer the rules and the setting from the crumbs in the character creation and on the character sheet. How they act on these crumbs is up to them.

Does it already exist ? or should we experiment ?

[unlawfulgames]

SOOTY BEARDS IS OUT! Come get your dwarves and your beard oil! Help us slow fund a physical release! https://plusoneexp.com/pages/sooty-beards

What is Sooty Beards?

A setting zine about a fantasy dwarf-hold crossed with a decaying American coal town. People are leaving and things are falling apart. If something doesn’t change–if things can’t change–it’ll become a ghost town soon.

Sooty Beards Features:

8 Run-down urban and wilderness areas complete with “What Used To Be Here?” And “What’s Here Now?” tables to bring out the weight of ages.

8 Strange, Dual-Statted Creatures to populate your dying coal town with, whether your game uses d6 or d20.

Dozens of quirky, narrative items to discover, from screaming lanterns to steampowered ballistic sportballs.

A “Why Did You Even Come Here?” table to give your characters quick, easy, and miserable motivations for visiting the crumbling city of Vesallberg.

More than 20 evocative pieces of art and a beautiful map of Vesallberg by Charles Ferguson-Avery.

CREEPING DEPRESSION

Instant talking canaries! Just add booze!

A glossary of useful terms to get you speaking like a native ‘Berger in no time.

A supplemental bonus book with d66 backgrounds for Vesallberg locals, compatible with TROIKA!

What People Are Saying

“An evocative portrait of community decay in the form of a TTRPG setting -- the troubles of these dwarves in their failing mine resonate strongly with the concerns of the modern day. Bleak in the best way. One gets the sense that this text is just the tip of the Vesallberg, as it were; hints lurk throughout that there is much more going on beneath the surface. (What is up with those *cats*?)”

- Dr. Mac Boyle of The Maniculum Podcast and Marginal Worlds TTRPG

The Creators of Bridgetown have done it again. They’re created a grim, nay whimsical–nay grimsical – setting that makes me wish I could grow a beard.

– Asa Donald of Backwards Tabletop

Ah, Vesallberg, miserable rock, “titanic triumph and miscreation”, a dying city stripped of resources, but full of beards (and the ecosystems within them). A wonderfully horrid place to visit, from the Slag Hills to the Deep Delvings. Come for strange misadventures among the Koljar Dwarves, Big Folk, and Scrawny folk. Stay for the deep, dark, hilarious writing; the whip-smart Politics(™); and the amazing illustration. Once you arrive you may never be able want to leave.

—Adam STATION, An Infinity of Ships, Make 100 Bastards

"How do you communicate background and lore in an RPG without it becoming a slog through a textbook? Quotes, cool tables, beautiful maps, and evocative art. This book makes it easy to picture the dwarf-hold of Vesallberg!”

-Joshua McCrowell of His Majesty The Worm

“This is like Veins of the Earth but with more life and less crunch. I really dig it!”

-David Schiduan of Technical Grimoire

“Welcome to Vesallberg, the Phoenix of the Wetlands™! … How’d that sound? Too corny? It’s too corny, isn’t it. Oh, that’ll send ‘em running away even faster. Stupid, stupid…!”

-Dent Pigiron, Newest Head of the Visitor Center

From the Team

From Furtive Goblin

Like most of my projects, what would eventually become Sooty Beards started as a half-joking mashup of X and Y shared with my friend John. In this case the “X” and “Y” were “Khazad-dûm” and “a dying coal town”, which turned out to be the magic words. For the next year he and I threw ideas back and forth and built the doc up, but soon I found myself in my first ever leading role with final say on what our team did. A fun idea became my first test as a game designer. And if you find yourself interested in picking up a copy of your own then hey, thanks for helping me pass.

From John Gregory

Just like Bridgetown, Furtive Goblin came up to me and said “Hey, I’ve got an idea!” And I responded, “I shall assemble The Team.” And, well, once again some of the Very Vilest Viziers have come together to give you something weird and bleak, a mix of dark humor, social commentary and dwarves being dwarves. Pulling from somewhere between my Appalachian coal-town ancestors and Furtive’s literal experience living under a rock, I’d like to think we’ve made something that will speak to that yet burning coal in your soul.

From Tony

I had 2 people message me asking if I could help Furtive get a zine published. I was already interested and then… they mentioned beards. At one point they tried to give me a “developer credit” but really Furt, John & Charlie did all the work and it’s beautiful, grimm & whimsical all at the same time. Each level of design layering on the next, to create something more than the individual parts. At the end of the day, unlike Vesallberg, I think people will flock to this project because of the earnest love that the creators have for what they have made, and each other. It’s great to be the 1st fan of a project, but it’s just as good to be the 3rd fan.

Follow Up

If you have additional questions, would like to schedule an interview, set up a time to play with us, or have any other questions please feel free to reach out via email to Tony@PlusOneExp.com

[darkelfdice]

Just some beautiful dice for a beautiful day :) Let's live in the sunshine!

[haveyouplayedthisttrpg]

Here is a list of all the games i played in 2024

Agon

One of my favorite games, gm'd it for a local con. It's basically the Odyssey, but told in a fast & furious fashion

Argyropée

French only, a optimistic renaissance fantasy game where i enjoy the universe, the worldbuilding decision, but the system could be better

City of Mist

A noir urban fantasy game, of misteries and myths, stories mixing with regular life.

Donjon & Cie

french only for now. Instead of playing the adventurers, instead your characters are the monsters of the Dungeon, in reality the biggest business in the land. Dongeons meet the office. Will be "translated" ( more of a 2nd edition) by the Merry Mushmen as Dungeon Inc.

Eureka investigative urban fantasy

What it says in the title. It's good, it's great, it's what i will use to run cthulhu modules in the future

Exquisite Biome

Occuped some long train rides this year. A solo game where you create little ( or big) creatures in the environment you made up.

Feathered adventures

It's ducktales without the branding. A diceless and possibly gmless game that plays like Scrooge McDuck comics

FIST

I think I traumatized my fellow players with my character. It's great

Knight an avalon rpg

A french game translated in english ( the books are coming). King Arthur in mecha armor fighting against horrors that threatens humanity in the 2030s. One of the most played because we're playing the epic (yes, epic, not campaign).

Lalaland of the dead

French only. Being in the right discords, sometimes, you can play with the authors themselves. A zombie apocalypse game that is also a musical. Sing for more dice.

Magie de minuit

French Only. A gmless tarot game of witches fighting darkness within and out.

Mausritter

Play as little mice, it's totally not terrifying.

Meanwhile in the subway

The game is not a book, it's a subway map

Mothership

The worst rolls possible at creation. Yet the character survived.

Naheulbeuk

French only. The ttrpg parody that is often played at the club when we just need a quick one shot, a silly session.

Nova

The sun exploded ( or did it ? some revelations of the designer on the bird app says it was eaten actually), so get your power suits out. My players managed to be the Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

pasion de las pasiones

A demo session with the french translator. Now sitting nicely on a shelf.

Rune

Elden ring as a solo game

The Dark Eye

In germany they created this to avoid playing D&D. I am wary of games that ask me to successfully roll a d20 3 times for each roll. (yes you do roll 3d20 for most things)

The Thunder perfect mind

In development, a game created by Tanya Floaker during NaGaDemon that I playtested. A gmless game of gnostic gothic punk where you play as undeads.

Triangle agency

It's on most list of games of the year for a good reason. Also be careful when reading it or you will get too many demerits and lose access to the Frozen Yogurt Room.

Troika

Used to be my cursed game. The one I would propose but something always happened and couldn't play. Finally I have played it. (But the curse transfered...)

Vaesen

Occult mysteries based on Nordic mythology.

Wilderfeast

Monster hunter meets Dungeon Meshi. I love cooking monsters.

World Wide Wrestling

The new cursed game. Did a first session for a group ( for a mini campaign). That was in August and was supposed to last 1-2 months.............this was the only session

[drakeanddice]

Some DM Somewhere: “Okay, just prepping for my D&D game. I’ve got my adventure prepped with all of the encounters. I’ve got all the battle maps and tokens that we’re going to need. I’ve got my musical ambience set up and the playlists sorted by the approximate time they’ll be needed. I think that’s…”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake.”

Someone is to blame for this weird thing where tabletop games are expected to be multimedia experiences and I badly need to kick their ass.

Writing an article about how DM Burnout is a D&D problem. Stand by.

[heybiji]

she's got a bad haircut and a bad attitude

[tinytablepodcast]

A Tiny Table System?! It's more likely than you think....

We at Tiny Table teach, play and review trpgs, but did you know that Julian is writing one too? Our benevolent Game Mistress wants to free us from the shackles of DND 5e (a jape for all the 5e warriors with pitchforks and torches rapidly approaching our location) and is walking us through the process. Introducing Julian Jame Design, the hottest recurring Side Table segment, where each of us take turns interviewing Julian on her game system as she guides us through the development phase. From creating social encounters to using fighting game mechanics in combat, listen as Julian gives us a peek into that beautiful brain of hers. Julian Jame Design is exclusively on our Micro Tier level on Patreon, but you can also buy the individual episodes for $8 each if you aren't looking to add a recurring subscription to your budget. Julian is always looking for feedback and we'd love to hear what you have to think about the system so far! We have three episodes out now and we think it's already something pretty special!

Episode 1

Episode 2

Episode 3

[feuer-in-soho]

Harrison Armory mainly feeds their stormtroopers with nutrient paste. Coming in various flavors, they are often used as a base for sauces for more filling meals.

[tlwebb]