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.

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

Interested in peoples thoughts of running the following for people brand new to the hobby:

- Nimble
- D&D 4e
- Pure BRP, Basic Roleplaying System, rather than one of its derivatives like Runequest or Cthulhu
- Dragonbane
- 13th Age
- Edit: Maybe Draw Steel but feels a little complicated

The group want fantasy we’ve established, that or pirates (edit: please keep other game suggestions to a minimum and no OSR)

I just released my first full TTRPG system Traumapilots today! In an effort to shamelessly self-promote bring awareness to my game, I'm opening an AMA about the system.

The link to the website and the book can be found here!

The 51-page PDF includes the full rules text, GM advice for the system, a short intro module called Project Stem, as well as printable character sheets.

What Is Traumapilots?

Traumapilots is a TTRPG about the lives of high school mecha pilots as they cope with the horrors of fighting off horrors beyond human comprehension. The system is a PbtA-inspired 2d6 system, with a big focus on putting the pilots through trauma. Combat in mechs is present, but the majority of the system focuses on the pilots' day to day lives, and the drama that comes from putting teenagers into war.

Why This System?

When compared to other mecha systems, such as Lancer or Beam Saber, they primarily focus on the combat, while Traumapilots is more about the pilots as people.

The bulk of the system revolves around Traits, Emotions, Trauma. Traits are the culmination of a pilot's personality. Whenever a pilot gains a strong emotion, they temporarily forgo one of their traits to gain an Emotion, each of which give an ongoing bonus and penalty. However, Should a pilot fall victim to the horrors they fight against, they gain Trauma, which permanently changes them. Trauma removes one of your traits, and should a trigger related to it come up, you may suffer a Traumatic Episode.

This is a system based around a downward spiral as you lose parts of your humanity to war.

Is There Any AI In the Book?

Absolutely not. As someone who went to school for both Literature and Graphic Design, all elements of this book are 100% human made. In fact, the setting itself hinges upon teenagers piloting mechs, so Artificial Intelligence isn't even present within the game's fiction.

The cover art was designed by u/Jubriart, and I am incredibly grateful to them for helping create the '90s anime aesthetic that inspired the system.

Edit: Getting late on my end. I'll keep answering questions in the morning

I've not played either of these systems but will probably pick one up in the near future. For those with experience playing both systems as players or GMs, which do you prefer and why? Pros, Cons, etc. Thank you!

For my fans of hardcore simulationist gaming, what do you think of HarnMaster? Is HarnMaster the ultimate expression of simulationism or a bridge too far even for people like us? Or neither? Like it, love it, loathe it? I'm considering finally taking the jump and would love to hear your impressions.

First off, I was scanning the clearance shelf of a LGS that I rarely go to and they had a game that I was interested in for 75% off! I have been thinking about the GI Joe RPG for a while and, for less than 14 bucks, it was a happy score. Then I came home and saw that Amazon was selling the Star Trek Adventures Technical Manual for 13 dollars. Well under 30 bucks for two beautiful RPG books made me very happy indeed.

Don’t get me wrong, the prices are pretty much exactly what I would pay. While beautiful and well written, they both have issues. The Technical Manual is a very thin splat book and I’m going to have a hard time getting together enough people interested in a GI Joe game. $13 and $14 are exactly the right prices for both books.

That said, I’m just happy that there were a couple places in the world where I could score a good deal. It seems like the RPG market is overinflated and unpopular games, instead of going down in price, seem to stay the same price or go up.

If you are a bargain hunter like me, keep hunting, and hopefully you will find a deal or two, as well. Also, if you are in the US and you play Star Trek Adventures, Amazon still is selling the Tech Manual for $13.

I’ve been reflecting on something and would love to hear your thoughts: how important do you consider mechanical progression to be for the flow of an RPG campaign?

I ask because many characters we follow in various forms of media remain at the same power level throughout their entire series—for instance, Batman (in the animated series), Indiana Jones, and so on.

Are you satisfied with character development occurring solely through the narrative, or do you feel like something is missing if you don’t get those extra points on your character sheet?

I have no idea how to find out what conventions are happening. I've never been to one and would like to go and get to try some other games or maybe run something

Also, what should I expect at a RPG Con?

I’m about to wrap up my duet campaign for Fabula Ultima (amazing game, highly recommend) and I’m looking for new systems to try out. It would most likely be for another duet campaign or at max 2 players.

I prefer crunchier systems and while I have DM’ed multiple systems like LANCER, DND, and FU I would still consider myself a novice DM. I’m open to all types of games but my group prefers a 50/50 split to combat and RP. Thank you in advance!

I am planning to run a *Mass Effect* TTRPG campaign using the *Genesys* system. I am currently weighing which ending to consider "canon," as the campaign will take place after the events of the games.

Synthesis: While I personally find this the most compelling from a narrative standpoint, it is the least useful for a TTRPG. We simply know the least about what the world would look like afterward, and it seems to offer the least potential for generating new storylines.

Control: From an RPG perspective, this is definitely more interesting than Synthesis; it leaves the world largely as we know and love it. It introduces the fewest changes, though it also fails to open up any new possibilities. A potential drawback for more epic-scale narratives is the ever-present option of "Shepard just fixes it."

Destroy: Objectively the "worst" ending, yet it seems quite intriguing for a TTRPG campaign. It presents the player characters with numerous challenges—such as the need to rebuild the galaxy without the mass relays, or the presence of thousands of aliens effectively stranded on Earth.

I've seen people like JamesRPGArt who create art of locations for sci fi and fantasy games.

I typically run horror games in modern day, obviously a lot of scenes I can just go out and take a photo of something or jump on google street view and take a screenshot of somewhere, but the more supernatural things I find it much harder to find art of

Does anyone have any suggestions?

Welcome one and all to a post where we can freely discuss the games that we have released or the games that we are making. Stop on by and maybe you'll find your new favourite RPG!

A bunch of us make cool shit, but the Indie RPG space is crowded and it can often be difficult to get the word out about why people should try out your game. That's why every week we try to focus on a different mechanic or setting to see how new RPGs can solve decades old problems or put new spins on old greivances!

Whether it takes the system wholesale or iterates upon it, Powered by the Apocalypse games have become a huge staple of the RPG scene! So come tell us about your PbtA game (or just any game you really like)!

I'm refraining from putting a personal definition this time around as PbtA is something I don't know or personally care that much about, so I'd rather not poison the well 😅

Thank you... me, for the suggestion!

As per mod approval, comments here do not count against rule 7 - comment as much as you want, answer as many questions as you need and discuss to your hearts content!

All that I would ask is that anyone who comments about their own system takes the time to look at the minimum at one other game in the comments and ask a question or provide feedback. Lively discussions are what get people interested and what keep people engaged!

Last week was "Innovation" and we got some pretty interesting discussions going!

If you want to suggest a topic for future weeks, be sure to include "suggestion" in your comment so I can easily find it!

You can also check out the Master List for previous weeks' topics!

Edit: This thread has heavily derailed from its intended purpose. It's meant as a space to talk about games that fit a certain topic that the average hobbyist might not have heard of. I didn't want to start yet another "PbtA bad vs. PbtA good" or "what is PbtA" argument thread.

So I implore you to come and suggest (indie) games that most would categorize as PbtA and let's refocus on talking about the cool stuff that's out there!