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I really like TOMBS. For those unfamiliar, it's Transgression (a decision or accident that unleashed the Horror), Omens (signs of the Horror), Manifestation (how the Horror is revealed), Banishment (how the Horror is defeated), and Slumber (what the Horror does after it's beaten).

What are some other examples out there, maybe in different genres (mystery, military, etc.)?

I want to run a game like this, and I want to play it as the designers intended, but I don't see how a player is supposed to get involved with a character who could very likely die in act 1 and will almost certainly not survive the full adventure? How am I supposed to string two or three adventures/missions/investigations together, let alone build a consistent campaign if Red Shirts are put off by their mortality rate?

For Ex:

Tieflings being used by edgelords nowadays it feels like they're mainly known to be used by queer players and arent really played as too serious.

For Grimwild players out there: is there a clear preference for one over the other in the Grimwild community?

Can't help but think of some of the games I'd never know existed if I hadn't just spied their cover in passing and decided to take a closer look. Do you guys have a favorite ttrpg book cover? Anything that sticks out in memory?

I’m fairly new to TTRPGs, and one thing I find interesting is the gap between the “ideal” version of play and what actually makes a fun session.

A completely open sandbox sounds amazing, but I can also see it turning into choice paralysis.

A years-long campaign sounds epic, but shorter campaigns are probably much more likely to reach a satisfying ending.

Lots of character options sound great, but they can also slow everything down.

For people with more table experience: what idea sounded perfect to you at first, but turned out to be difficult or less fun in actual play?

Did you ever find a system, house rule, or GM technique that made it work?

I'm reading Band of Blades, and I really enjoy the way that players don't play a single character, but pick from a cast that changes from mission to mission. They also deal with a second mode of play where they collaborate together to lead an army. (That by itself is clever, but not necessarily innovative - I believe the Dune RPG does something similar.)

What system is based on an interesting mechanical or setting premise?

A lot of players, especially newer players, tend to get pretty scared of rolling or performing "failures" in RPGs. I find more experienced players tend to just see failure as an opportunity for even more delicious story. But it still remains that failing can feel bad, even though it's a necessary component of narrative and games.

As a very basic example, in Masks, for instance, you get an Advancement whenever you Miss on a roll. While it makes sense thematically (you're a growing teenager who learns by losing fights), I feel like it can seem more like a consolation prize than actual reward for failure.

What are some ways game, or you as a GM, make failing fun?

Hi, I was thinking about inviting some friends on college to play and was currently looking for a system about zombie apocalypse with later possibility for the players to somehow develop mutations without becoming zombies when getting infected and the zombies grow stronger as Resident Evil monsters etc. I looked at Mutant: Year Zero but was expecting something that starts as a virus/plague of The Walking Dead and after some time in-game starts evolving.

For years, I've struggled to run an RPG with a local group of friends, and this largely comes down to the volume of mechanics the big-brand systems (DnD, Pathfinder, Call of Cthulhu) require. I find combat in those systems to be endlessly boring and take away from the pace and storytelling of the experience.

In the past, I've run games from other systems, like Kobolds Ate My Babies, Mazes, and Kids on Bikes. The latter two I have fond memories of, but Mazes are designed for one-shots and are more combat focused, even if the combat is simplified, and while I remember enjoying KoB, it's been long enough where I don't remember any of the specifics.

Regardless, I'm curious to hear recommendations on systems that are more RP-focused and has minimal or no combat, allowing for shorter campaigns (maybe 8 sessions total?).

I've played a few megadungeons (Rappun Athak for d&d3.x, Dungeon of the Mad Mage for d&d5e and Abomination Vaults for pf2e) over the years, and ultimately all of them ended up feeling like a tabletop version of a low budget diablo-clone. 99% of the adventure, at least the way the GMs presented it, was a repeating loop of open door, kill everything that moves, take their stuff, proceed to the next room to repeat the process, with an occasional trip to town to sell loot and restock supplies/upgrade equipment. Abomination Vaults avoided this a little with a couple encounters that could be solved without fighting, with the dungeon bar segment being one of the few memorable aspects of that adventure for me.

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So I'm wondering, are all megadungeons like that? Are there megadungeons that have a roughly equal ratio of combat/puzzles/social encounters? Or ones where the nearby town is more than just a convenient spot to sell loot and upgrade gear?

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The system itself is not terribly important, I'm mostly just interested in what is available. Overall, I like the fantasy of megadungeons, but of the three I played, none to the finish for one reason or another, have ended up feeling like a slog.

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Thanks for any suggestions you may have!