**Come here and talk about anything!**

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This post will stay stickied for (at least) the week-end. Please enjoy this space where you can talk about anything: your last game, your current project, your patreon, etc. You can even talk about video games, ask for a group, or post a survey or share a new meme you've just found. This is the place for small talk on /r/rpg.

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The off-topic rules may not apply here, but the other rules still do. This is less the Wild West and more the Mild West. Don't be a jerk.

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This submission is generated automatically each Saturday at 00:00 UTC.

**Come here and talk about anything!**

​

This post will stay stickied for (at least) the week-end. Please enjoy this space where you can talk about anything: your last game, your current project, your patreon, etc. You can even talk about video games, ask for a group, or post a survey or share a new meme you've just found. This is the place for small talk on /r/rpg.

​

The off-topic rules may not apply here, but the other rules still do. This is less the Wild West and more the Mild West. Don't be a jerk.

​

----------

​

This submission is generated automatically each Saturday at 00:00 UTC.

For years I’ve heard of these fabled and epic stories held among players of Ars Magica, given how open the system is to having multiple potential campaigns all held within one massive over arching through-line. Mage’s hidden away in towers formulating spells while their handy Companions ensure the safety of the Covenant all while the lowly Grogs get sent into the grinder, etc.

With the Definitive Edition creeping towards its eventual release, many potential DM’s/Players may see it as a chance to introduce new, interested players to some firsthand experiences and stories! (why yes, that’s exactly why I’m posting this 🤣)

So, what are your most memorable, first hand experiences with Ars Magica from any edition?

So our GM wont let the casters “thread the needle” but allowing manual precision on where spells like Fireball land. He insists on an element of randomness - and up until last evening the way we aimed was by gently tossing a d4 at the spot the caster wanted it to land, and then the dice would bounce a bit and where it came to a stop that would be the center of the AoE. This has worked fine for a few months, however last night one of the players leveled up and now has fireball. She also seems to have the arm of a pro baseball pitcher but the aim of a stormtrooper, and so fireball #1 landed off of the playing area, and the #2 toasted a party-member.

So he’s asked us to propose an alternative. The rules are simple… it mustn’t be messy/food (so cubes of cheese and gummy bears are out… we asked) and should be simple, but it still needs to provide a degree of randomness.

I’m sure we are not the first table to have this challenge. So I’m open to crowd sourcing ideas…. :) Whatcha got folks?

Thanks in advance. I’m looking forward to this.

Hi everyone! So I've been looking around for something to play, and I would love to run a game in the Star Wars Universe that feels like Andor. Obviously, there are many systems I could use, such as the FFG games or Scum and Villainy, etc. But really what I'm looking for is a game that fulfils the following criteria:

1. Characters are simple to create. The players may lose their characters quickly.

2. Characters are still very competent at a couple of things.

3. Characters die in a hit or two.

4. Combat allows for rules like taking cover, quickdraw, and surprise. I basically don't want the players to feel like their characters died without the ability to retreat or defend themselves.

That's the gist of what I'm looking for. I want a game where the players live to serve the rebellion, die, then create new characters who live to serve the rebellion.

I think FATE is probably the closest thing I could find.

Recently I watched Quinn's review of Public Access and it blew my mind.

Not because of the rules of the game themselves, but because how the game contained a single story framework that you are meant to play through, and then that's it. It doesn't ask you to come up with stories and keep playing the same game until the sun explodes.

I like how this allowed the game to be very specific on the story it wanted to tell, and with the limited time I have, I like it.

Therefore I humbly request, what other TTRGPS are like this? Ones that just end.

EDIT: Adding a bit more thanks to the comments helping me nail down what I want:

I want capsule games where the designers, knowing that their game's story would be played only once (either as a one-shot or a campaign), are free to add board-game style legacy elements to the rules: Stickers, instructions to scratch parragraphs, rip appart pages, destroy the book, etc.

I have recently been playing a lot of octopath triangle strategy and mewgenics and it has gotten me hooked on Tactical rpg games. The two things I really want from tactical rpgs in TTRPGS is defence and going more than once per round. I have always disliked dnd balancing on missing half your attacks and even in some of the more technical rpgs I have heard of it always feels like you are missing more. It would be cool if strong monsters had a def stat and more resistences you could strategize around rather than just a really strong armor class. Having enemies able to go multiple times per round is also something I found interesting it really allows strong monsters to be more effective rather than just giving tons of legendary actions and allows use for a speed stat and more dexterous characters if you allow certain players to also go more times per round. These are the two main things I want, but some additional bonuses that could be cool: Taunting characters, random reinforcements, cool map items, buffs and debuffs that aren't just lose a turn (defense helps with this). In general I am kinda tired of just having damagers and healers, I want more varied support in my dnd game.

Firstly, what do people think? I am very tempted. I quite like 4e (though i didn't gm it well when i last played it) even though d100 can be problematic for certain things.

Secondly, I had a look at the magic system. It seemed a bit generic. I gather the game is set during an earlier time period. Does that explain the difference?

Also, and this is a bit of a nit pick, I really like WFRP when it dials back the silly and dials up the dark atmosphere. Less House Jungfreud, and more forces of corruption.

Also, also, how limited is the game by being, iirc, based in a single city? Does that really work for wfrp?

Thanks, Praise be to chaos

I was thinking that big cities of the middle east such as Dubai or Abu Dhabi would be very interesting in the context of a Cyberpunk Campaign, which is why I came here to ask you if that were any books (RPG or Otherwise) written to cover this kind of scope?

I am, for no particular reason, looking to hear your favorite experiences with theater of the mind combat.

That can mean a specific encounter that was really fun, or a specific system that handles totm combat particularly well.

Robin D. Laws will be joining us for an AMA this Friday. Bring your questions about RPG design, storytelling, DramaSystem, GUMSHOE, and the many games he has worked on over the years.

Start time:

Eastern (Toronto / New York): 11:30 AM
Pacific (Los Angeles / Vancouver): 8:30 AM
London (UK): 3:30 PM

The AMA will run for the rest of the day, so you will have plenty of time to drop in, ask questions, and join the discussion.

I've been playing dnd for a little while now, but I'm just starting to dip my toes into DMing. I test ran my first oneshot a couple months back with two close friends, and I'm planning to run the same one again for a different group in a few weeks. It went okay the first time, but I'm still apprehensive because this kind of feels like the first Actual Run of it. My players are also pretty inexperienced (2/3 haven't played dnd and, of those, one has never played any ttrpg before to my knowledge); when I test ran it one of my two players was someone very experienced so I think he was largely the reason it went so smoothly.

Anyway, all this to say: I'm nervous. Is there anything you wish you'd known before your first couple times dming? Any advice that may not seem obvious at first glance, or common pitfalls I need to avoid?