by senatorflagg

An item RPG: Battle of the Bards has been added to the geeklist Dragon Heist Character List (2021 New Player Initiative)

by GrimoireOfJank

I usually go by "these creatures are seen as bad" but usually from a pile of misunderstandings and exaggerations. Or they're declared as the enemy by utter "we need an enemy" malice which there is plenty of outside of fantasy.

I like Orc/goblin/kobold pc's and think that they are interesting to play as long as they aren't just... Green person, green short person, short scaly person. Though, I usually use my own setting for stuff so it is far easier to jutify it than running in Forgotten Realms where the main Orc god is Chaotic Evil and likes to destroy everything.

by Whymme

shiva666 wrote:

Whymme wrote:

Lately (for the last ten years or such) I've had troubles with orcs, goblins and the like. Because they portray a world in which some races are inherently evil, and inherently worth less than other races.

My example makes it not about race or species but diet. They eat you. they can be goblins orcs ogres oni... they eat you is pretty bad for you. The creatures aren't bad, but that action of eating you, that is outside of moral discussions.

Didn’t you just compare orcs to pigs? You know what humans do with pigs, right? Why we breed them? Where we get our pork from?
:D

by posthumanstudios

<div>Robert Boyle, uploaded with permission by me (Rob Boyle)</div>

by Snardo

Welcome to Phadalin!

Nestled on the northern Sword Coast, between Neverwinter Wood and the Sword Mountains, is the town of Phandalin. Centuries ago, Phandalin was a thriving settlement with deep ties to its neighboring communities. But then bandits overran the town, and Phandalin lay abandoned for centuries.

Only in the past few years have settlers built a new village on the ruins of the old. These townsfolk hope to grow Phandalin through hard work, camaraderie, and the shared purpose of building a lasting home.

If there was such a thing as a travel brochure in this world, and if anyone published one about the quaint village of Phandalin, that's what it would say. Short. Sweet. To the Point.

File that away for a bit while we get situated, eh?

Meanwhile, let's pick up from the end of our last adventure:
After all the excitement at the Stoneward, a community of dwarves nestled under the mountains north and east of Waterdeep, the party had returned to Trollskull Manor (a formerly abandoned tavern and inn) in the city to find it humming along nicely in their absence. While the others settled into a somewhat dull but comforting routine, Beno checked in on his family farm which, with his recently acquired wealth from crypt beneath the city has expanded a bit and is also prospering. As some time passes, dwarves begin to be a routine and significant minority portion of the clientele at the Manor. Some come to get a look at the heroes who helped save their city. Most come for the ale, as rumor has spread among the Stoneward dwarves that Trollskull Manor has the best dwarven ales outside of their city.

As often happens in such cases, people used to the excitement and variety associated with adventuring get bored with "ordinary" life. You start to get a little short with each other and one or another of you will often spend days away from the Manor getting into whatever seems entertaining at the time. Desmond flirts with gambling again, though Chauncey often demonstrates an almost unnatural ability to track him down just before he gets himself into too much trouble. Nivara finds herself meditating at the temple of Lliira while, when he's not saving Desmond from himself, Chauncey often passes time at the Book Wyrm. Beno seems to spend more and more time at the farm, but seems more and more flustered whenever he stops by. All together the members of the party seems to be a bit on edge...

That should do for now. Feel free to RP a bit as we finish getting ready. Penn can make his introductions at any point and we'll go from there. Still no sign of Senator Flagg...

by posthumanstudios

Posthuman Studios, the makers of the transhuman sci-fi rpg Eclipse Phase, are pleased to announce an open playtest for our upcoming original weird fantasy RPG, The Snarl.

The Snarl is set in an environment of massive, kilometer-high trees, abundant but deadly. It features unique PC species, surreal world-building, and a dynamic conflict system that melds theater-of-the-mind with tactical options. Explore elevated entangled pathways and deep root tunnels, steal thunder from rival clans, fight the twin perils of the Blight and the Creep, and stave off the societal fractures caused by encroaching environmental threats.



Part 1 of the playtest launched in December, and included the core setting of the game.

Part 2 is now live and focuses on the core rules and includes a short starter scenario with 8 pre-gen characters.

Playtesters can grab the current Part 2 playtest pack right now, which includes:

* The Setting — The full chapter detailing the world.
* Game Mechanics — The core rules.
* Making Characters — Aptitudes, skills, bonds/discords, motivations, and other stats.
* Action & Adventure — Game modes, actions & moves, and more.
* Combat — The jolt system, zones, and environmental aspects.
* Gear & Kits — Goods, arcana, weapons, armor, crafting.
* Spirits — Rules for summoning spirits.
* NPCs — For the GMs.
* Stealing Thunder - A starter scenario.
* 8 pre-generated PCs



We provide a google form link with specific playtest questions for structured feedback. The deadline for Part 2 feedback is March 30th.

Part 3 of the playtest will include the full character creation rules and will launch along with our kickstarter campaign in the next few months.

Playtesters are also encouraged to join the community discussion on either our discord or the Snarl's subreddit.

Folks making actual play recordings are encouraged to run the playtest! We only ask that you identify the playtest material as a work-in-progress.

You can keep up with the development of The Snarl on our dev blog and social media.

And if you like what you see, sign up for notifications on our pre-launch page!

by GrimoireOfJank

Not TTRPG, but my cat Auri is a real dick when it comes to me setting up any sort of solo board game, from Final Girl to Mage Knight.

Most tales of pets interfering with games I've been in is just the GMs dog wandering by and getting pats.

by NormandyWept

Yes, I want to help out with this Initiative and I'm not running a game, so I can totally collate the Microbadge requests! GMs please send me a list of usernames (whether newbies or not) once your players have managed ~a month at the table and I'll get them sorted 🙂

A new episode has been added to the database: Bonus: It's more like Chess than Yahtzee! Good Society (1st Edition)!

A new episode has been added to the database: ONE PIECE D&D: MARINES #64 | "The Four Kingdoms"

A new episode has been added to the database: EP220 | A Timely Visit Part 8 - Spelunking Season | 26/02/2026

A new episode has been added to the database: Tempest Talks: Starfleet Academy Continued