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Games that weren’t great in 1st Edition, but great in following editions?

I’ve been thinking about a lot of games I like that have a lot of issues that got fixed in 2e.

One that jumped out to me was Mummy the Curse where the premise is great, but in 1e there were issues with how Mummies could only appear at certain times which lined up with Sothic Cycles which occur ever 1460 years. With sometimes being woken up in between. So if you wanted multiple mummies awake at the same time it would be that year. But if you experience a time period you lock the story for that era.

In 2e they fixed the issue with Mummies being able to time travel non-linearly. Meaning that they can experience time periods over again.

In our never ending quest to make systems that are fun to play I feel like we've neglected something truly important, the painful tracking of a player character's right lung and its current HP after they were struck in the ribs.

I'm looking for systems that come with the tracking of limbs and organs as a default, that is to say, no half-naked optional rules (called shots in Pathfinder or lingering injuries in 5e) or generic systems (GURPS).

Any and all input will be used for evil, thank you.

Edit: Not FATAL.

It's the most wonderful time of the year because I can buy couple books there and there. I am seeking recommendations for books that:

Helped you a lot on being a game master (I have all the Sly Flourish Stuff fyi)

And/Or:

Rulebooks that have great GM sections (I heard good stuff about Mothership, for example).

Anything goes. Fire away!

For context, I'm a GM, and I don't use consent sheets in my games. I only play with friends and in-person, so I'm in a good position to understand how people are feeling about my games and how I can navigate the situation. There are also some things that I know are off-limits (at least without checking with particular players). When I'm considering bringing in a topic that I'm not sure will be okay, I generally ask players a few sessions in advance. Something like, "Hey, I don't know exactly how I'm handling this upcoming session, but are there any issues with X if it happens to come up?" That gives them a chance to tell me it's off the table, or that they're interested, and if they're interested, it gives them forewarning. It also helps to do this in person so that I can read their faces; sometimes I've been told "yes" but stayed away from it anyways because my friend looked like they weren't actually sure.

Anyways, all that out of the way, I've noticed that when people talk about Session Zero, they talk as though a GM has to use a consent checklist (or equivalent tool). Is this actually happening, or is it an artifact of the increasing popularity of online games / games with strangers? Do those articles and such assume you're running a game with people you don't already know? People online have said that a GM not using a consent checklist is a red flag, so I'm not sure. I don't understand how a consent checklist is necessary or helpful if I've been running games since high school and I already know my friends.

In fact, I recently agreed to play in a game with a friend of a friend of a friend running online, and she had me fill out a consent checklist. The whole experience felt...weird. I didn't mention anything to the GM or other players (other than the person I was attached to the group through), but something about the experience really rubbed me the wrong way.

We were using the Magnus Archives RPG consent sheet, and I was a little frustrated at how it was constructed. I get that some fears will seem minor to people who don't have that phobia or trauma, but there's something to be said that which fears you list or not carries an implication of which ones are "normal" and "serious", right? Like, if I have to fill in a line, the implication is that what I'm dealing with is non-standard (or, at least, that it's not standard for it to be so serious). But the list was missing dogs. And in fact, I haven't been able to find a single consent sheet that gives the players a ready-made option to express discomfort with dog horror? Like, it's not that big of a deal I guess, but when "situations involving the literal dark" is deemed serious enough to include, but dogs isn't, it's a bit frustrating.

Obviously, that comes from the fact that people in real life also don't take the fear of dogs seriously. If I told someone I was afraid of insects, that'd be fine, regardless of the fact that most of them aren't harmful. (To be clear, I'm not saying we should start refusing to take the fear of bugs seriously.) But when I express uneasiness around dogs, I'm usually hounded into divulging that one attacked me and sent me to the ER as a little girl, and even then the most common response is "well, dogs only bite if they have bad owners".

When consent sheets are passed out, they have the potential to reopen old frustrations and remind people that their fears aren't taken as seriously as other people's. But if I had just been asked if there was any horror I would have a hard time doing, that wouldn't have happened.

It also felt weirdly contractual, I dunno. Like I wasn't dealing with a person who I was going to be friends with but a business associate.

All this to say that I understand this can be a net benefit in some situations, but surely it's not appropriate for all situations, right? But people talk about it like it should be.

Am I the one doing something wrong? I'm asking this question because, if I'm genuinely failing my friends somehow, I'd like to know.

Hello everyone.

I've always liked the Snowpiercer comic book series, and I recently started playing Frostpunk. What systems would be cool for a tabletop game with this theme? Have you played anything like this before?

Quick rundown, I have been a 5e DM and player for over a decade now and have been flirting with PF2e for a while too.

My wife is a stage actress and has been expressing a desire to work on her improv skills. Her friends are knudging her to play ttrpgs as a way to do this and join us while doing so.

The challenge:

My wife has no interest in high fantasy, and magic systems.

The closest is a (semi-ironic) suggestion of a Twilight game, but most are Victorian era settings without anything too supernatural or a modern and mundane setting.

My thought is a modern crime investigation (they are all into true crime stuff!) but I'm not aware of any systems beyond the two I am most familiar with.

Any suggestions for a character/narrative heavy system that is easy to run and learn for folks unfamiliar with ttrpgs in general?

Just looking to see if other GM/DM/Referees/wherever-other-name ever feels like they are constantly looking ahead to the next campaign and struggle to enjoy the campaign they are currently running.

It’s probably tied to the excitement of getting a new book/supplement, ect. And going excited about what I could run with it, but I feel like I’m always looking to the future.

I’m still proud of the games I run and my players are all engaged and having fun, so it’s not really a table problem. I just feel like I’m so busy getting excited about the next thing I sometimes don’t stop to enjoy what’s in front of me lol

Other GMs do you have this same problem? Are there tricks you use to get yourself re-focused on the game you’re running?

Hey guys. I’ve been playing for a year and some change, my experience is with a couple of home brewed one shots, keys from the golden vault, curse of strahd, daggerbeart, savage worlds, and arkham horror. I believe I have somewhat close to an ideal setting. We are a big group at our local game store, so we divide and mix and match with different campaigns so we have 6 people average. Everyone is experienced and passionate about it, they print their own miniatures, castles, and dungeons. There are always snacks. However, it always feels like a borefest. The adventure doesn’t seem interesting. You go somewhere then you fight something. I don’t feel that anything is being developed, or that outcomes are affected by my actions. Everything always takes so long. I gotta role for everything. I do have my fun when someone says something funny, but that is 5 mins of laughter from a 4 hour investment. I got into it because I like stories and world building, and I thought it would be a good idea to contribute into creating one in real time in a social setting. Is it one of those I like the idea of ttrpg but not playing it? Would love your feedback. Thanks.

I'm looking for ttrpgs that are heavy with American Revolutionary War setting material. Note: I fully realize I can create all the setting material myself, but I'm hoping to see what published material out there might fit the bill. For example: "This Favored Land" is packed to the brim with American Civil War details...battles, pre-history, maps, details on historical figures, and the like.

I have a large collection of RPGs, but I think my only American Revolutionary War setting is in Flames of Freedom. I'm curious if there are others out there that I might be missing. It doesn't need to be perfectly historical. This Favored Land is a superhero RPG in the Civil War setting. Flames of Freedom has an occult bent within the American Revolutionary War setting.

Thanks for any comments.

I normally play narrative games like Pbta or Blades in the dark.

I am looking for a game with a more defined combat subsystem. However, the reason I am not going with 5e is because I feel like it makes a lot of concessions for the sake of like narrative design that i feel ultimately makes the combat system worse

I want a game whose main goal was to give an engaging combat system. High character customization preferred

Do y’all know anything like that ?

Hey all. I'm looking for recommendations on upcoming TTRPG games, projects, supplements that are releasing next year.

What are you excited about? What's going to be the next big thing?