**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.

PDFs of both are on sale on DriveThruRPG (15 dollars). Are they up to the standard of his previous works? Do they do a decent job at what they intend to do?

I'm looking for some book recommendations that had an impact on you, on your game, on your storytelling or on your life beyond table as a gamemaster. It can be related directly to the hobby like history book about ttrpgs, Gygax biography or Lazy DM guide. It can be related to crafting stories like On Writing by Stephen King. Or maybe it was biography of someone that really impacted your point of view on things related to gaming and maintaining sanity in this day and age. Bring it on.

Because frankly, the file names DTRPG spits out are HORRENDOUS. I have to spend so much time renaming everything, are there any good tools for this?

I've played multiple games of different genres, and every single time Ive had to buy starting equipment at character equipment I've despised it. I hate the analysis paralysis it gives me and having to go back and forth comparing different options based on my character. That's not even to mention GP cost which is even more bookkeeping. Dont get me started on carrying capacity. Managing standard equipment is by far my least favorite part of rpgs. I much prefer games where you're assumed to have the basics and you pick a few (or are given a few based on class) items that are more unique. Does anyone else relate?

I love to play a few archetypes: noble, merchant, ship captain or sometimes criminal. The last one is what this post is about today. I'm curious if anyone has found games/methods allowing for profitable, fun and interesting criminal enterprises in tabletop RPGs.

One of the issues I run into, is that I don't know what kind of crimes a fantasy world could realistic have other than brute-force robbery and pickpockets. Because there are no laws against narcotics (nor are there narcotics in games like D&D unless they are homebrew). I sometimes go to protection rackets. But with the messed up economy in most games, even being a criminal makes no sense.

Smuggling? Doesn't make sense to me in a world where you can teleport and where nothing is illegal anyway, except super evil items and even then that's subjective.

Example: How the hell does the Zhentarim actually make its money as a criminal enterprise in Faerun? They are villains, yes, but do they actually make sense in the world?

For me personally, I'm struggling to find any of these:

1. A game that supports me in playing a kingpin-style character.
2. Illegal activities that are not comic book villain-style stupid / dependent on evil magic.
3. Is NOT Blades in the Dark.

So what makes a criminal in YOUR games?

I'm speaking mostly of the Humanoid races/species/whatever its called nowadays, those with cultures, gods, etc.

If you couldn't or simply didn't want to use the Tolkien species, what would you use in their place? It doesnt' need to be a 1:1 replacement.

It's been a while since i started a game for a group of complete novices.

And as i was prepping session 0 i quickly realised that there are a lot of points that i "usually" take for granted about this hobby.

They asked me to introduce them to this hobby since they know i'm also a Master, and they want to play DnD.

(for context)

I firmly denied the option of DnD since I'm burned out from that game and they were still on board if we could still play a Fantasy setting.

They only know about this hobby thanks to Stranger Thing and online meme, one of them knows a little more since it was gifted a starting set for DnD5e a couple of years back.

Examples of stuff that i thought is:

-Etiquette; from not being racist and stuff to share the spotlight

-Vocabulary; HP, AC, roll to damage, advantage...

-Responsibility; as a Player and from the Master

-Doors; what you are choosing to do closes or opens doors for the table?

...

What do you focus on with brand new players?

ANY ADVICE IS WELCOMED

Going to try and DM some folk at a party soon. Don't want to pack much so wanted to just have a single set of dice and expecting ~6 players.

I'd love to run Mazes or something similar from the polymorph system, however it stops at d10 with only 4 "classes". I remember reading that the D12 and higher caused issues in testing. What were those issues exactly if anyone knows? Or any issues in general with the polymorph system.

Currently thinking of 'Paladin' being the d12 and 7-11 is Charisma, governing social situations. Each aspect gets an extra star point so the Paladin still has 1.
Also have 2d10, the tens die and the singles. I was thinking of the 10s die being "the fool", with no star points but the ability to reroll at the risk of causing harm or disadvantage to another. They can also instead try to roll and add the result, on 12+ they get to "change the rules" and dictate things happening currently in the environment, like a bomb going off or the villain tripping on a stone.

The D20 will be the DM's die, but that's just because I want to replay the bit from DIE where that's what the DM actually takes in the story, and use it whenever I want to decide something arbitrary.

Hey folks. I am heading back to VTTs for some d20 fantasy. Last time I DMed on VTT (Foundry) I hated how maps worked. Most VTTs seem to assume that you are finding or making a map pre session. As a consequence, the freehand drawing tools sucked eggs (tool swapping was awkward, erasing was a hassle, other minor nitpicks that I recall less clearly)

I'm wondering if there is a VTT (or Foundry Module) that is designed to make sketching maps on the spot a quick and easy process?

I feel like not a day goes by where there isn't a post that features someone who wants to try another roleplaying game but can't get his group to try anything that isn't D&D.

This isn't a new phenomenon, either. I've been in online RPG spaces since the mid-'00s and no other game seems to command so many exclusive players.

It's that exclusivity that I have trouble understanding. I've never met a Call of Cthulhu player who only plays Call of Cthulhu. I'm sure they exist, but they're rare. World of Darkness had a semi-cultlike following back in the day (I was one of them), but I never saw anyone complaining that they couldn't interest their group in anything but Vampire.

People have favorites in all sorts of areas, but the guy who loves wings is usually willing to grab pizza now and then for a change of pace. I also get being comfortable with something familiar, but if you have a GM you like playing with, why not give him the benefit of the doubt and try something?

I'm going to spend much of this year trying to find the best sword and sorcery game for one shots and campaigns.

That said, I am also on a budget! So if anyone can recommend, which of the following games would be best for which arena, I'd be grateful. And please, there's no need to have a long discussion of definitions of sword and sorcery, there are many wonderful subreddits that discuss this. Just pick whatever definition works for you and carry on.

All other suggestions welcome to:

Barbarians of Lemeuria; Swords without Masters, Tales of Argosa, Hyperborea, Through Sunken Lands, Dungeon Crawl Classic, Numenara, Worlds Without Numbers