**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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Just wanted to say how much I love RPGtrader. It's like a new competitor to DriveThruRPG but it's so much nicer to use. Even its appearance is so much more pleasant.

There are SO MANY tags for filtering by system, tone, setting, player count and community tags to go even deeper. RPGTrade also does a good job of showing what's recently been posted, what's trending, what's popular. It's fantastic!

I have already uploaded one project myself to it, and I want to finish more just to put them on RPGtrader. It's so much nicer to use as a creator than DriveThru or Itch.io I highly recommend it. Please put everything you have made on RPGtrader so I can buy it there instead, thanks!

"Why We Changed the Name of Shub-Niggurath

The decision to change the name of Shub-Niggurath to Shub-Gorath came from a few different considerations, both in and outside of the game’s world.

One reason was the feedback we saw online. Some people pointed out that “Shub-Niggurath” could be hurtful to some audiences, particularly when considered alongside Lovecraft’s own views. We want everyone sitting down to play our games to feel welcome at the table, so this was something we took seriously. Although Lovecraft scholars concur “Shub-Niggurath” was not derived from the slur, unfortunately it is one of those words that sometimes triggers automatic content filters. This is something known as the “Scunthorpe Problem”. Since our games and campaigns are promoted and discussed across many different platforms, we wanted to avoid creating an unnecessary obstacle for players and the community simply because of a character’s name.

There is also a little bit of in-world reasoning behind the change. Old Ones Origins takes place in an age long before humanity, when these entities existed without the names and titles that human cultures would later give them. Names such as Mother of All or Black Goat are therefore not necessarily the names these beings would have used for themselves.

So why Shub-Gorath? The name comes from Shuma-Gorath, a name associated with Robert E. Howard’s contributions to the mythos. Bringing elements like these together feels very much in the spirit of how Lovecraft, Howard, and other writers built these interconnected worlds in the first place: borrowing ideas, adapting names, and combining elements from one another’s stories and mythologies. Shub-Gorath grew out of that same creative tradition.

We feel like names given to beings that existed long before humans—and long before the languages we use to try to describe them—can evolve. Shub-Gorath is still Shub. She is still the same Old One, with the same place in the cosmic conflict.

We also understand that for some players, staying as close as possible to the original names is an important part of preserving the legacy of these characters. We don’t have a simple answer that will satisfy everyone, but we felt it was important to be transparent about why we made this decision rather than leave the change unexplained. We’ll continue listening to the community as we consider the best way forward.

The Stars Bear Witness.

Chaosium Board Games Team"

My latest game is out - and unfortunately since it's an erotic RPG it's hidden from itch's search function and front page, and also can't be shared on the itchio subreddit, so I'm just trying to share it where I can. I'm really proud of this one.

The game is directly inspired by Mickey 17, and was originally titled "Nasha Barridge Stopped a Fascist Regime by Wanting to F\ck Her Pathetic Boyfriend Crazy Style and You Can Too"*

a two-player game about wanting to f*ck each other so bad you save the world about it, using a modified version of the classic card game war.

I'm usually a BSG/Stargate kinda person when it comes to sci-fi, but recently I've really been really into the more "grounded" settings of The Expanse and Firefly. I'm wondering what a good TTRPG that focuses on more hard sci-fi would be?

I'm looking for something that allows for a roleplay-heavy experience centered around a starship crew, preferably something a bit simpler (or with a very established player base I could learn from) since I'm relatively new to DMing, and with more focus on smaller-scale human exploration than aliens and galactic wars and stuff like that.

Thanks so much!

edit: yeah okay, firefly isn't really hard sci-fi - i just like the lack of aliens and cool culture

Hi all! I'm looking for a TTRPG that is set in the modern day, or at least a setting that is recognisably modern day. I'm more than fine with some fantasy or sci-fi elements, but generally I'd like it to also have modern-day themes. I like Cyberpunk Red, so maybe something similar to that but set in the modern day? Is there anything like these out there? Thank you!

Hey everyone!

I have a quick question about what I should do with my gaming group that I play in. A little background:

So, i just moved to a new state and I ended up walking into a tabletop store thinking it was a video game store. I didnt want to be rude and just walk out so I start looking at all the products and actually found myself really fascinated with the display case that has all the painted models in it (a happy little accident i guess). I talked to an employee who pointed out that there is gong to be a "TTRPG for beginners" game that is going to be happening soon. I figured since I dont have any friends in the area I might as well sign up.

A couple weeks later we actually started playing. I was very excited and nervous about the whole thing and I was hoping I was prepared enough for the group. I showed up with my character sheet, dice, and even some artwork of my character i drew up (it wasnt very good..) everything was going great for the first couple of sessions and I really enjoyed myself and learning about this character i created in this amazing world.

After about 4 sessions the DM asked the group (just 3 of us) if we would be okay if we added 2 experienced players from his other game that finished up. None of us saw the problem so we all agreed. The new players seemd nice at first and after a couple of games I noticed that they would use some odd language.

So in game, we had to take over a stronghold that was being run by goblins. Standard quest, i guess. Once we get to the stronghold the new players started calling the goblins derogatory terms for Jewish people. I asked what they were implying and they just looked at me and said something along the lines of: "Big noses and greedy". They continued to use the verbiage even when they were killing the goblins.

That upset me pretty badly, but I kept my mouth shut because im the new guy and didnt want to piss everyone off. I spoke to the DM after and asked him if the new players always say stuff like that and he insured me that they were just messing around. A couple days later one of the new players posted a antisemitic meme in the group chat and made a (in my opinion) not so funny joke about the goblins.

That sort of stuff makes me uncomfortable. Should I talk to the DM? Or the players? Or leave the group? Im nervous about it because I am Jewish and dont want their cruel jokes pointed at me.

Anyone have any suggestions? Thank you!

EDIT: Holy smokes you guys blew me up! I went to work and now on my break and im a bit overwhelmed! I sent a text to the DM saying that I wont be joining any more of their games and just told him that I was uncomfortable with some of the language being used. I plan on telling the employees at the store just as a word of caution. Thank you everyone for the support. Hopefully i find a new group soon! I honestly enjoyed myself until the new players came.

When I played Vampire: The Masquerade v20 years ago, my enjoyment of the game was massively reduced by the system's propensity to turn a character's high stat+skill into failures or even botches. At one point I thought "If the game's tone was comedic and sitcom-y, this would be hella fun, but it's just frustrating when you're trying to be serious and botch all the damn time."

And then I started seriously thinking it over and that, maybe I might be onto something here. And then I discovered What We Do In The Shadows through various shorts and memes.

So, I've been itching to actually start a campaign like that, where the player characters are a some miss-matched coterie of vampires who've come to own a manor in the middle of some big city. Before each session, a player would give me an initial premise ("My super old vampire gets a phone for the first time, discovers a dating app and has a date she really wants to go well") ​that I would turn into an episodic one-shot, and we would rotate.

Because I don't really know many vampire systems, or even sitcom systems to be frank, I was thinking of running this into VTMv20, since it's the one I know about and the one that got me on that train of thought in the first place. ​I have a few things in mind that could possibly clash with the campaign idea, mainly blood and how it's acquired (though I could just start each episode with a set amount of blood, and then figuring out how to acquire more during the session would be potential shenanigans​) and humanity. And then of course the setting itself, which wouldn't necessarily work that well unless it's really only used as a faraway backdrop that is only called upon when it's fun.

While I'm not worried about altering the setting until it fits (I mostly care about the mechanics and how well they fit with comedy), I'm pretty sure there are systems that would fit this idea better.

I then have the following questions: do you guys know of any such system, and if not, is there anything else major I should be aware of ​that could make the idea difficult to work with in VTM?

In terms of taste, I haven't had the best experience with PBTAs, but I'm not against them, though I might prefer more trad resolution philosophies. Fail forward, fail Ith opportunity and success with complication is, expectedly, a feature I would enjoy greatly.

I’ve always wanted to run an Exalted-like game where the players have demigod-like powers(think Kratos) and are fighting mythic people across the world.

Here are some systems I’ve come across and why they didn’t work for me.(Note I’ve never played any of these.)

Exalted- Too married to its setting. I want to run this hypothetical game in my own custom setting.

Scion- I actually haven’t heard much about this game and it might work if I’m able to reskin the origin of the PC’s powers, I still want to give players some wiggle room on the origins of their power, also I’m wondering if it’s possible to run this game in a more medieval-esque setting.

Now I do have 1 hard non-negotiable, and that is I don’t want NPC creation to be like PC creation. One good example is Mutants and Masterminds. I’m not a huge fan of buildcrafting and I much less want to do it for every single npc/monster.

Another thing to keep in mind is that I do prefer traditional rpgs over narrative rpgs, you can still recommend a narrative rpg just do know that I do prefer systems with some crunch to combat at the least but I am willing to try something new.

Thanks for reading this and your suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

I'm going to be playing on a superhero campaign soon that kinda could allow me to play this kind of character, someone that is dumb as rocks with a gold heart and that speaks in thirdperson of himself and refers to others by their names when talking to them.

Any advice on how to play a character like this? And any ways to avoid falling into it becoming a single one-off joke that will be better to replace eventually?

Hello!

Looking for opinions about a Vampire species for a custom D20 ruleset I'm working on.

(TLDR Lore: Its 2111, Vampires live on the moon under giant solar panels, some humans mutated to need less sunlight and are now called Shadowkin.)

Let me know if you have suggestions, would like to see more, or have any questions at all.

Thank you so much. I hope you like it.

Universal Vampire Traits

At a glance, vampires are difficult to distinguish from humans. Their bodies remain fully alive, capable of all ordinary social behaviors. The differences are subtle, emerging most clearly under sustained observation or stress.

The eyes are the most common tell. Vampire irises tend toward feral, desaturated hues: slate gray drifting from former blues, icy greens, and muted yellows or amber-orange tones. In some individuals, prolonged transformation results in eyes that are entirely solid black or white, lacking visible iris or pupil. These changes have no impact on vision, but are deeply unsettling to observers.

Their canines are elongated and structurally reinforced, designed for puncture rather than tearing. The fangs are retractable and can be concealed at will, though careful inspection reveals subtle changes in the gum line and tooth thickness. Trained observers often note faint pressure marks along the jaw where musculature has adapted for biting.

Vampire skin appears normal in tone and texture, but remains consistently dry. Vampires do not sweat, regardless of exertion or ambient heat. Instead, excess heat dissipates slowly through passive radiation, giving them a faintly cool, matte presence.

In motion, vampires appear controlled, deliberate, and unnervingly still—predators passing as people, until they choose otherwise.

• Base Movement Speed: 45 feet.

• Vampire Heritage: You may choose one Heritage Line. You gain the traits of that Heritage in addition to the Universal Vampire Traits. This choice is permanent once made. If you do not select a Heritage at character creation, you may not select one later.

• Retractable Fangs: Vampires gain a bite attack that deals 1d4 HP damage and 1 AP damage per round. The vampire regains HP and AP equal to the damage dealt. Initiating a bite allows the vampire to immediately attempt a grapple against the target as part of the same action. Retracted fangs are difficult to detect; identifying them requires a DC 17 Investigate (INS) or Medicraft (INS) check while within 10 feet.

• Severe Sunlight Weakness: Vampires take 1d12 (Average 65 HP per minute in narrative terms) damage per turn in direct sunlight when in the Inner Solar System, 1d6 (average 35 HP per minute in narrative terms) damage per turn in direct sunlight when in the Outer Solar System, and 1d3 (Average 20 HP per minute in narrative terms) per turn in direct sunlight when in the Kuiper Belt (no info available beyond this distance)

• Lumenis Flux Weakness: Lumenis Flux attacks against Vampires gain +2 Damage dice size.

• Minor Artificial Sunlight Weakness: Vampires take 1 damage per turn in the presence of artificial sunlight.

• Immune to infrared: Show up as approx ambient room temperature to Infrared sensors and monsters that seek prey via heat signature.

• Nocturnal Vision: Vampires see clearly in low-light and starlight.

• Hunger: Vampires must meet daily nutrient and fluid requirements to avoid starvation. This may be satisfied by either approximately 100 mL of Shadowkin blood plus 2 L of vampire-safe liquid diet (water, electrolyte solutions, teas, broths, fermented drinks), or approximately 1 L of humanoid (or 2 L animal blood) per day. Blood functions as a nutrient concentrate due to Shadowkin-derived biochemistry, while supplemental fluids maintain plasma volume and metabolic stability. Vampires cannot meaningfully process solid food. Dairy products are universally toxic. Cold liquids cause discomfort but do not prevent hydration. If a vampire fails to meet these minimum requirements for two consecutive days, they suffer normal starvation effects and take 2d6 non-restorable damage per day until at least one full day’s requirements are met. Feeding immediately restores the vampire to full normal function, as if completing a Long Rest; all effects of hunger are removed.

• Functionally Immortal: Vampires do not age and do not suffer death from natural biological processes. They may still be killed through damage, environmental hazards, or catastrophic trauma.

• Languages: Automatically speak and read Motherstar Standard (English).

Modern Heritage Traits

Modern Vampires are socially adaptive vampires who survive by blending seamlessly into human society. They are no more or less dependent on blood than other vampires, but lack centralized authority, shared doctrine, or feudal hierarchy. Modern Vampires may appear as laborers, professionals, subcultural figures, or any other social role. Their strength lies in camouflage, mobility, and decentralization rather than lineage or control.

• You died succumbing to blood loss. Either voluntary transformation, or a victim who became infected before bleeding out from your wounds.

• Blood Scent: You can track any creature based on the scent of their blood, can smell any creature within 200 feet of them, can track a trace scent for up to 1d3 days after a target moves.

• Vampiric Blood: Damage done to Vampires by silver weapons do +2 damage. Vampires can not handle silver (1 damage per turn as long as they are touching it directly with their skin, any reasonably non-porous barrier will prevent this damage).

• Severely Reduced Weakness to Sunlight: Modern Vampires take only 1d4 damage per hour in direct sunlight when in the Inner Solar System, 1d3 damage per hour in direct sunlight when in the Outer Solar System, and 1 per hour in direct sunlight when in the Kuiper Belt (no info available beyond this distance). This replaces the Universal Vampire Trait Severe Sunlight Weakness.

• Shimmering Skin: Due to your skin’s adaptation to the sun, your skin shimmers in sunlight subtly (DC 10 Investigate Check to notice)

• Parkour: Vampires reduce falling damage from 1d6 per 10 feet (maximum 20d6) to 1d3 per 20 feet fallen (maximum 10d3).

• Superior Nocturnal Vision: See clearly in total darkness and at twice the normal distance and clarity in shadows. This replaces the Universal Vampire Trait Nocturnal Vision.

• Weapon Training: You begin play with proficiency with any two weapons from the following groups: Light Blades, Heavy Blades, Throwing, Compact Pistols, Heavy Pistols, Light Rifles.

Strigoian Heritage Traits

Strigoian Vampires are an ancient and independent heritage, typically among the oldest surviving vampires. They rarely form centralized structures, instead existing as solitary powers bound by tradition, wealth, and personal law. Time has rendered most Strigoians affluent, their influence built through land, capital, and inherited assets. While many retreat into austere solitude and ritualized existence, others maintain their lineage through deliberate, ceremonial violence conducted with restraint and intent.

• You were born a vampire. Raised by at least a vampiric mother, and often a vampiric father, but not required.

• Vampiric Claws: You possess sharp, retractable claws on each finger. Your claw attacks deal 1d6 melee damage. When you deal damage with these claws, you regain HP equal to half the damage dealt (rounded down).

• Creatures of the night: Pick one animal from the list below. You may change between your primary form and your animal form for 2 AP (you may return to your normal form for free). All non-living items you are wearing, or equipped with are dematerialized, and rematerialized when you return to your normal form. If you wish for an item or items to be left available for others, you may choose for the items to be left in the square you are occupying, but they are otherwise forfeited unless recovered.

• Hellhound

• Fox-Bat

• Serpent

• Raven

• Black Panther

• House Cat

• Sewer Rat

• Giant Owl

• A second humanoid form (does not need to be the same species or gender, cosmetic only)

• Forbidden from Intuding: You may not cross the threshold, or otherwise non-concentually enter a person's home. You may lie or misrepresent, but the invitation must be made by someone who also has permission to be inside the home, and must be made in good faith, (even if that good faith is deceitfully earned) The threshold is the furthest lawful barrier protecting the space where a person has chosen to sleep for the night, defined by intent, legitimate right of occupancy, and physical enclosure of the bed.

• Intimate Consumption: After consensual intercourse with a willing partner, your feeding requirements are satisfied for 3d3 days. Your partner takes 3d3 damage. This damage cannot be restored until at least 12 hours have passed and the partner has completed a Long Rest.

The partner must willingly consent to the encounter. Ordinary social deception that does not meaningfully affect that consent does not prevent this ability from functioning. Coercion, threats, incapacitation, or deception that would invalidate the partner's consent causes the ability to fail.

If you attempt to activate Intimate Consumption with an unwilling or non-consenting partner, your vampiric physiology violently rejects the act. You immediately take 20d6 damage, which cannot be reduced or prevented.

• Anima Rebirth: When you would be reduced to 0 HP, you instead transform into an incorporeal spirit with a flight speed of 200 feet. You have until the next sunrise to return to the last bed you slept in. Once there, your body reforms, sleeping, and completely helpless for the next 24 hours. If someone drives a wooden stake through your heart during this time. You are dead. Your soul is destroyed.

Graveborn Heritage Traits

Graveborn vampires represent a degenerated but enduring heritage line shaped by scarcity, isolation, and long-term survival. They rarely integrate into human society, instead occupying abandoned, concealed, or hostile environments. Wealth, status, and appearance hold little value to Nosferans; their strength lies in resilience, concealment, and relentless predation. While some form loose broods or territorial clusters, Graveborn are ultimately driven by hunger and survival rather than tradition or social camouflage.

• You died violently. Killed and discarded. Your body just barely made the transformation.

• Massive Vampiric Claws: You possess sharp, retractable claws on each finger. Your claw attacks deal 1d8 melee damage. When you deal damage with these claws, you regain HP equal to half the damage dealt (rounded down).

• Ghastly Appearance: You are terrifying to behold, all creatures that make eye contact with you must make a DC 17 INS save or become terrified. The DC for this ability is reduced by 1 for each subsequent use against the same creature within a one-week period. While terrified in this way, affected creatures may take no actions other than defensive stances and must move by the most direct path away from you (regardless of danger) for 1d3 rounds. This ability does not work on other vampires.

• Drastic Measures: The harsh environment in which you found yourself at the time of transformation give you a unique rapid-evolutionary trait triggered by the Sanguine Porphyria virus pick one of the following:

• Aswang Mutation: You died while birthing a child.

  • You have a long, sharp, hollow tongue that extends from your mouth. Your body produces valerenic acid naturally, that you inject through your tongue into the amniotic sac through the belly button, injecting valernic acid as a strong sedative, and then siphoning off about 200-300 ml of amniotic fluid from a woman at least 34 weeks pregnant. This is normally not harmful to the child if done properly, but immediate hospitalization of victims is recommended. A single feeding can sustain an Aswangs blood feeding needs for up to 1 year.
  • You gain a climb speed of 25 feet.
  • You gain the Creatures of the Night ability of the Strigoian Vampires, except you may only turn into animals from the following list:
    • Black dog
    • Black boar
    • Black cat
    • Raven

• Unhinged Jaw: You died of starvation.

  • In addition to standard feeding methods, you can unhinge your jaw in multiple places to swallow a helpless humanoid whole. This process takes at least 10 minutes. The target takes 2d12 acidic venom damage per minute until it is completely dissolved and ingested. This process is the equivalent to consuming a month's worth of food/liquid intake, and will last as long before needing to feed again. All metallic items are spit out during consumption.
  • You gain a bite attack that deals 1d10 damage and has the grapple trait.

• Dusk Stalker: You died from betrayal.

  • You appear outwardly indistinguishable from a typical Universal Vampire.
  • You may disable your Ghastly Appearance ability at will, taking the form of a perfectly ordinary, non-specific, random, humanoid. Always the same humanoid form.
  • You gain one rank of Dominis Flux. In addition, the DC of all Dominis abilities you cast increases by 1.
  • You may track creatures by the scent of their blood. You can detect any creature within 30 feet, and may follow a residual blood scent for up to 1d3 hours after the target has passed.
  • You gain a Minor Boon on all Stealthcraft Checks to remain unseen or unheard.
  • Creatures do not receive Boons when attacking you from any source, as long as you are aware of them.

• Firefly: You died of acute radiation poisoning.

  • You grow large, leathery, bioluminescent wings, granting you a flight speed of 45 feet. The wings may be concealed beneath a cloak, cape, or trench coat, hiding their physical presence. This does not conceal the emitted light.
  • You emit bright light out to 30 feet and dim light out to 60 feet. All creatures that begin their turn within 30 feet of you must make a DC 14 VIT check or take 1d3 radiation damage.
  • If you expend 1d4 HP a round, you may empower your radiation for one turn, extending your bright light out to 60 feet, your dim light out to 120 feet, and your damage radius increases to 60 feet, dealing 1d8 damage a turn.

I've been GMing for years, but I'm struggling with a recurring problem at my table.

A couple of my players have strong personalities and tend to clash in character when the group needs to make a decision. They get along perfectly well out of game, but planning can turn into long arguments where neither side wants to give in, and the session grinds to a halt.

For example, the group might have two investigative leads. Player A wants to visit the medical examiner first so they have all the evidence before interviewing a survivor. Player B wants to interview the survivor first, or split the party and do both at once. Player A disagrees that they should split up in case something happens, and the discussion just keeps going. The more passive players I have, don't want/dare to get involved.

I've tried having them plan out of character, introducing time pressure, directly telling them they need to make a decision, and even giving consequences for wasting too much time. It might work temporarily, but the same thing happens again the next time they need to choose a course of action.

It's now reached the point where other players have messaged me saying they're not enjoying the constant in-character arguing.

Has anyone dealt with something similar? How did you solve it? At this point, I'll take any advice or experiences you've got.