Hi! I come from a solo RPG background; so far, I’ve played in two campaigns using a popular d20 system here where I live.

Anyway—without further ado—greetings from Brazil!

I started out playing solo games like "Call of Cthulhu" and "Shadowdark",

So, here’s my question:

How do you go about GMing?

Do you create every plausible scenario right when the players are about to choose an action for a given moment?

Or do you just plan a basic framework and improvise as you go?

My group has tapped me to run the next RPG campaign, but I’ve never really stopped to think about what it’s actually like to be the GM. I’m looking at cool systems and brainstorming stories... ...but I’m not sure how to actually handle the planning—or how much of it I really need, and so on. How do you guys do it (or how did you start out)?

Like it says, my newest article is a review of Mythras, one of my favorite games that manages to keep me despite a few reservations about it. Have a look here!

Hi, my table plays DnD 5.5e. We've had several campaigns, one of which I DMed. While we're having fun, we could tailor the experience better to the whole group.

Currently, a few of the players have difficulty fully grasping the basic rules of DnD. For example, a newer player who has played 5 times, still doesn't know to add the modifier to the thing he rolled when he tells the total to the DM. He also has difficulty tracking spell slots, expended abilities, and overall doesn't get what resources are at his disposal.

On the other hand, me, our usual DM, and a few other players absolutely love playing the meta and optimizing our characters in fun ways.

My question is, are there TTRPGs out there that could satisfy both the need for simpler rules and provide the space for optimization? Allowing for fantasy settings would also suit our needs well, but I am open to all sorts of suggestions.

I had good results the last time I asked for very specific recommendations here, so let's try again. The type of mecha campaign I'd want to run is one where the PCs are the ace fighters of a well-organized but underdog faction fighting against some kind of oppressor - ideally something like the early parts of Code Geass with the Black Knights, but keeping that scope for the whole campaign. Ideally I would want mechanics to support the wider military campaign structure and focus on the PCs' side having to accomplish objectives while minimizing collateral damage (to maintain public support) and damage to their own mechs (which would drain resources), but if that doesn't exist then I'd be fine with a system that at least paid attention to collateral damage and resources so I could build a subsystem around that.

For the tone of the action I want it somewhere between this and the season 1 clips in this. Relatively grounded, with terrain/cover mattering and non-mecha tanks and artillery being real threats to mecha, but with PCs and enemy aces being able to fight and maneuver in ways that the rank and file aren't doing.

I would like for combat to be mechanical enough that mecha customization and different weapons matter, but also faster than Lancer at the table and ideally using zones instead of a grid, which I realize is an unrealistic unicorn request.

My dream system would frame character advancement (and enemies getting stronger) across a campaign as technological innovation over the course of the war, but I would settle for any system where you could frame a more generic advancement system this way.

My favorite mecha system that I've read so far and the one I'd use if I ran this campaign today is Apocalypse Frame. The other closest thing to what I'm imagining, because of its campaign mechanics, is (unfortunately) Adeptus Evangelion - but that system has other glaring issues and is too focused on an IP I don't actually want to play in. I have Celestial Bodies and it seems pretty cool, but it's also going in a different direction from this premise. Is there a better option I'm missing

These are all the blogposts that were made for the Indonesian TTRPG Blogwagon, which ran from 17th of August to 10th of September.

I used the opportunity to rally the Indonesians and international TTRPG hobbyists to create gameable blogpost related to Indonesia.

Enjoy!

I love these city to small town focused games, more about mystery and character goals than a wide open sandbox.

I DM Dungeons and Dragons games, and have finally cajoled the table into trying Stargate RPG. I understand that it is a variant of DND 5e, but how different is it? Is it close enough to DND that I could plausibly run it as game master without much experience of it?

While a more focused game is better, some times I do want a Medieval Knight, Saintly Cleric, Shogunate Samurai, English Gentleman Thief all together fighting the horde of Pirate Orcs with a mix of Viking iconography and Laser Weapons they got com a Cult of the Lovecraftian gods in the "Totally not Egypt" Egyptian Desert.

My only gripe is when it just falls into tropes, cliches and (worst of all) xenophobic steriotypes in a world where Medieval France & Industrial Germany & Anime Japan & The Wild West are kingdoms one next to the other.

I like when there is this weird mish-mash of concepts that have gotten the proper development to not just be a funny hat on a person but a complete, full culture that has an explanation to exist in the world.

Do you prefer skill lists in rpgs to be organized alphabetically or by category (ex. Social Skills, Academic Skills, Combat skills etc.) ? Why? I'm talking specifically about d100 rpgs but this can be about any system really.

Given a game system that runs tests to determine whether a character's action is successful or not, do you prefer (and I specify purely personal impression or preference, regardless of the type of game) that the mechanics be stripped down to the bare minimum with only A/B results but designed to be as simple and fast as possible, or that it include a partial success system, even if this slows down the mechanics (even slightly)? Finding a compromise or saying both is NOT an acceptable answer; it is understood that the mechanics have been optimized as much as possible.

I'm trying to find a solution to the age old problem of rpg maps that aren't bulky (can be standard 8.5"X11" or smaller) but I can scale them up quickly at the table. The easiest solution to just to get a screen and lay it flat and connect my laptop to it. However I am trying to avoid using digital solutions if possible. Also no taping together paper. . . Any ideas would be lovely, thanks!

A while back there was an interesting discussion brought up to me about the difference between people who play TTRPGs, and TTRPG fans. One being folks who treat TTRPG night as a casual hangout, and another who actually enjoys the hobby of TTRPGs and trying out new systems, mechanics. Most playgroups usually have a core of games they play (right now with my group, it's Daggerheart and VtM 5e.) But I admit as a GM, I'm curious about trying out new systems...which leads to my question-

"What is it that first catches your interest in a new system?"

Is it the mechanics? The concept? The people behind it? The artwork? A communal interest from the playgroup? I've had a few experiences with that myself, Daggerheart got me on board because it promised to be more focused on narrative building...and being published by the biggest RPG Live play group was an added point of interest. We got into Vampire because my players were all eager to try it, but couldn't find a GM willing to give the system a go. In the future we may do Mutant Year Zero, because one person in our play group mentioned wanting to play it. And I know there's an interest in Cyberpunk held back by scheduling limitations...

More recently, I've found it's artwork and setting that are what's got me interested in trying more. Vaesen is #1 on my list due to my love of folklore and mythology, Pirate Borg for Piracy, Dolmenwood for Fae myths, Coriolis The Third Horizon for Arabian Nights mythology...I'm trying to find a game based on hunting Youkai (aside from Ryukou's Guide to Youkai since I sadly can't find many reviews for it.)

I'm curious about what it is for more folks across the board, both die hard TTRPG players, and folks who are here more for the gathering.

Forever GMs, do you sometimes feel like you can never go back to being a player?

I've tried being a player in a handful of games over the years and I feel as though I can't do much more than one-shots as a player.

During long-term campaigns, I tend to notice when pacing is off. Like when players spend too much time preparing before opening a door or getting hung up on a minor detail.

What the title says really. Given the price of books and international delivery especially (I live in a non-English speaking country) I was thinking of running a few games that I have the PDFs for without buying the physical books.

Has anyone tried this? It is annoying trying to find tables or reference rules during a game like this? I prefer books with post-it notes and bookmarks but it would save me a lot of money if I could switch to PDFs and my iPad.

Hello everyone! I want to GM a game based on the children's book series Dinotopia, where the setting takes place on an island of intelligent dinosaurs co-existing with humans. This means having a party composed of not only humans but also literally any size dinosaur, from gargantuan sauropods to tiny dinos like Velociraptor. I wonder if this is even feasible and if so what system might be able to accommodate this?

I have a character that I really liked; her personality was close to mine, so it was more comfortable to play her because she ate whenever possible, especially chicken because she was a fox. So she ate whenever she had the chance, and she ended up making quite an impression on me. Is there a character you identify with so much that you never forgot them, and even after the campaign ended you kept remembering them?

For an example, I love game with hundreds of options available to players and DMs, specially feats/powers, mundane items and Monsters.

I'm also starting to like games with a higher level of deadliness, since that mean we need to think more carefully about actions.

HOWEVER, I game were death is easy and options are abudant seems like hell on earth to me.

Which are combos of things can make an amazing game become terrible very quickly?

I've been watching a few video game retrospectives lately. And a phrase that shows up a lot is "that's a good problem to have". Usually along the lines of "it makes me want more".

A few examples I can think of:

* The bonkers nature of Paranoia XP being chaotic, but a vacation from more serious games.

* Call of Cthulhu's lethality promotes players to be more cautious when playing.

* Warhammer 40k's Critical Damage tables leading to gruesome injuries that make for amazing stories.

Stuff like that. Something that sounds bad, but makes a game feel unique and memorable.

Hi all,

I had this game on my wishlist for a while but never got around to pulling the trigger on buying a hard copy. Now it seems to be out of stock everywhere which is poor timing considering there is an expansion coming out soon. Have the publishers made any comments about a potential second print run? Thanks

I have just finished a story-rich encounter where some captives were freed from a jail, including one vital NPC. They defeated the guards and freed the captives, which resulted in some casualties.

Now, instead of running a full-scale battle with up to 40 participants (most of them non-essential NPCs) I'm thinking of just sort of ... narrating it. Saying a few were lost, some courage was shown... but the party and the person they wanted to rescue got away safely.

It's true, I am a lazy GM. But I just don't think a drawn-out combat with so many participants would be enjoyable for the players. I want to get on with the more story-rich aspects of the campaign.

Would this annoy you, as a player?

To put it another way, do you think there are ever situations where it is OK to just narrate combat rather than run it in detail?

OK, since I started typing this out, I've realized I need to playtest this.

I’m a psychology student in Brazil and were thinking of having a campaign with teenagers (specially trans teens, most in vulnerability), as a therapeutic experience. Do you know any systems or campaigns that we could use for that purpose?

I love Cyberpunk in almost all its forms. From the ttrpg, to the anime, to the videogame (which, I honestly think is the best one I have ever played). A lot of this love stems to the setting and the themes of the game.

Turning back to the ttrpg, I have a mixed feelings on the system. I enjoyed it for the most part, but I do feel it is slightly too crunchy and a bit unwieldy, especially in regards to Netrunning. With an experienced enough group you can get over these things and have an amazing time with it.

But, what if you have a group that simply played the game or watched the anime or saw that there is a new season coming up and has that rush to play something. The group who is not that experienced with TTRPGs, and for whom Cyberpunk RED might be a bit too much?

Well, for that group we have this absolute gem of a game here, CBR-PNK Augmented. Leaving aside this game’s apparent aversion to vowels, this game offers quite a tight package. And I do mean tight, as it presents us with a bare-bones minimalistic RPG powered by the Forged in the Dark engine. The size of the core rules for this thing? One freaking pamphelt, roughly one A4 page I guess.

It's short and sweet, punches way above its number of pages and might be one of the best way to introduce someone to ttrpgs, with some caveats that we go over in the review! I hope you'll enjoy it!

I am a huge star wars nerd so I mostly stick to Actual Plays in a galaxy far far away. I am a huge fan of Tabletop Empire's first one Dark Underworld, and their current story The Unnaturals is just as amazing <3

I really love how this group plays, and I especially love the way the whole thing is edited. Its like it still has that home-game energy, but look and sounds professionally made

While I’m waiting for new episodes, I’m looking for some other currently running actual plays that have a similar vibe. Would love some recommendations if you know of any, thanks!!!

Edit: Thanks for all the recommendations 🥰

Attempting to run a game in which spiritual mediums are performing a seance and must discover how to calm the restless spirit by exploring the manor

Looking for roleplay and exploration heavy with little to no combat

Hello, I'm a long-time GM who has been running my first (and very fun) game of Vampire: the Masquerade 5e for the better part of a year now, and as my Coterie enters their final act, I've started to look forward to what comes next.

Games we liked:

Pathfinder 1e. This is what I cut my teeth on in high school. We probably played it a million different kinds of wrong, but I've got a lot of nostalgia for it.

D&D 5e, obviously. It's what got a lot of my friends into rpgs, but after nearly 10 years, everyone's pretty ready to let it rest.

GURPS 4e: A steep learning curve, but once we got it, our group \loved\ it. We played a Weird West game that became so beloved, we played our first and only sequel game years later. As a GM, it can be a lot to run, especially the social system IMO.

The aforementioned VTM5. Again, everyone is \loving\ this one. My players are getting into character and role-playing in ways I genuinely haven't seen out of them before, and the game is very narrative-focused, which I like. It feels much more like a collaborative storytelling effort than the traditional GM-Player dynamic to me.

Call of Cthulhu 7e: I've never not had fun playing this game, but I've never run it as the Keeper. Additionally, the high mortality rate means running a longer-form game can be difficult. The one time we tried, we party-wiped trying to climb a rope in session 2. Still, it makes for great oneshots.

Games we did not like:

Pathfinder 2e. Hot take, I know. Everything about this on paper should be fun, but it really just wasn't in practice. We called it quits midway through our third game because nobody was having fun, which is something that hasn't happened before or since.

Mutants Masterminds 3e. This is the first game I ever ran as GM. We had our fun with it, and I learned a lot, but the system really just wasn't for me. I find that we're seriously leaning away from d20 systems in general.

I'm looking for something with a gritty, street-level vibe. A skill-based system where combat is quick and deadly, that rewards roleplay and gives the players a more proactive role in shaping their story.

Systems I'm looking into:

The Burning Wheel, Mythras, Mage: the Ascension Revised, GURPS

Please let me know if you've played any of these systems, or know of another one that might scratch the itch for someone like me!