Hey all,

I'm Amit, creator of Legend In The Mist (LitM) and founder of Son of Oak Game Studio.

I'm 45, I live in Boston with my husbear Mark, and I just had a delicious chocolate croissant (I know, it's not what it's called) from a great local bakery/coffeeshop (Tatte).

So with that covered, I'm ready to answer any questions you may have, especially about Son of Oak, our games, the Mist Engine with its stateless tag-based mechanics, future plans, Legend In The Mist and its creation process, the Hearts of Ravnesdale setting, indie publishing or anything really.

About Legend In The Mist

If you haven't been following, Legend In The Mist is a rustic fantasy TTRPG that is also a universal, description-based game engine which can support any fantasy (or other) setting and includes solo/GMless play in the core rules. It was Kickstarted in 2024 to the tune of $855,000, was voted 2025's Most Anticipated TTRPG, and was the Top-Rated TTRPG of 2025 on DriveThruRPG (the most 5-star reviews). You can try it with the free comic book tutorial , a free quickstart (demo) game, as well as a free 5e crossover guide.

LaunchFest!

Legend In The Mist coming in print next month (yay!) and we're having a big party to welcome it, titled LaunchFest, with daily content drops and lots of events. Ending June 17th, LaunchFest is the last chance to preorder the game at up to 40% off retail price after which you get an instant download of the PDFs and can start playing. (There are also bundles for retailers!)
Check it out here: https://sonofoak.com/pages/legend-in-the-mist-rpg-launch-fest

One of our most interesting upcoming events is a stream this Thursday with YouTube legend Dungeon Dad, discussing the differences between DnD and LitM: https://youtube.com/live/w4mWzQEtAAs

Thank You!

The TTRPG community's reaction to Legend In The Mist has really touched the Son of Oak team so deeply (myself, Alejandra, Eran, Manuel, Kelly, Itamar, we're too many to list...). As creators, especially of a game that's quite different from traditional RPGs, we were just incredibly delighted to find so many players wanted that - a simple, narrative, yet highly flexible and customizable game, where you choose the crunch level in every action and where any conflict can take center stage, combat or not.

This week I was really moved by this review by Darren on DriveThruRPG:

It took a while to work out the rules, which did not seem anywhere near as easy to follow as the book proclaimed. But, wow, when it clicked this product suddenly became fabulous. Character creation is adorable. Superbly presented. I think this is the best game in decades.

Switching to a statless, classless game is definitely a paradigm shift for most traditional TTRPG players (not so much for new players, we've found!), but I was so thrilled that Darren found the magic and creative freedom that await once you make that leap...

Anyway - now to your questions!

**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.

Please do your due diligence before backing projects by either of these creators. They have established a consistent pattern of advertising PDFs for their campaigns, only to deliver practically unusable Google Docs instead then telling backers to make a PDF themselves. Their VTT tokens are also nothing of the sort, just a bunch of images pasted into a Google Doc.

They claim it's a mistake, that they'll fix it going forward, etc, but they have been called out on it before and done nothing to change. They have admitted that using Google Docs was always their intention and that they were knowingly, falsely advertising PDFs.

They also claim that all of their content is made, edited, polished etc. by humans, but it's obvious from even a glance at their "final products" that they heavily use AI.

They are mass reporting comments on their past and current campaigns in an attempt to cover it up.

If you backed one of their previous campaigns, please report it. If you see this and you are backing one of their current campaigns, I urge you to reconsider.

Campaign links for reference:

Current Campaigns:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/allisterdnd/evolution-was-not-gentle-100-evolving-race-options

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/dmrain/they-all-think-theyre-right-100-evolving-factions

Previous Campaigns:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/allisterdnd/living-bestiary-100-evolving-horrors-and-eldritch-bosses

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/dmrain/world-under-red-glass-a-5e-campaign-setting/

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/dmrain/subclasses-of-wonder/

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/dmrain/brews-of-wonder-50-potions-for-every-adventure-5e-one-dandd

Just looking for games like these. D&D and PF tend to get too cumbersome for us at higher level play but my players don’t like how squishy and how little abilities characters have in most OSR games like OSE. I’m hoping there’s something like that already built around what we want as I’d like avoid just patching another system up. We’re not big PbTA fans either.

I just recently watched the quinns quest episode about stonetop and he's very excited by this idea of suggestive questions inside the game. I.e. questions that presuppose a fact but the players can embellish that fact by making it more specific with their anwers. Are there any other resources that work with that kind of procedure? Thanks!

Hi all,

My name is Simon, and I am the founder of Eternal Play Office, a small game design and publishing outfit currently developing a new tabletop roleplaying game called Fantasy Classic.

Firstly, this is my second Post on this matter, thank you to everyone who gave me feedback. It was precisely what was needed and greatly appreciated. On with the post.

I am looking for a small number of GMs to help playtest the game in its current Ashcan / Open Beta state.

Fantasy Classic is a d6-based old-school dungeon-crawling TTRPG with tactical combat, skill-based character growth, and a high-magic modular spell system. It is intended for groups that enjoy meaningful character progression, tactical positioning, dangerous magic, wounds, fatigue, and other effect, equipment wear, and careful adventuring choices.

As a playtest GM, you will receive the Ashcan version for free. In return, I ask that you run the game with your group and provide constructive feedback, via the r/FantasyClassic reddit

Playtest participants will receive a free PDF (or highly discounted Hard) copy of the Version One Core Rulebook on release, as well as a mention in the credits as a Playtest GM. The number of credited playtest GMs will need to be practically limited, depending on participation, and I currently envisage around ten places.

This is not a fundraiser or Kickstarter. We will not solicit funding, nor will we retain or sell your personal information. The full beta version is free and available for download from the Eternal Play Office website. A paid $5 AU beta PDF is also available for those who wish to support the project voluntarily, but payment, or registration, is not required to access the beta rules.

NO AI art has been used (message received), and NO AI was used in the writing or rules design; all spelling errors and crimes against the English language are entirely my own.

About the game:

At the heart of Fantasy Classic is the Challenge mechanic. Players face Challenges from Lesser to Godlike, each tied to six-sided dice such as 1d6, 2d6, 3d6, and upward. Characters pit their Skills against these Challenges, improving through meaningful use, critical success, and hard-earned survival.

Characters are not locked into rigid classes. Instead, they grow through the Skills they use and the choices they make. A warrior becomes deadly by fighting. A thief becomes subtle by sneaking and trickery. A mage becomes powerful by mastering Schools and Mysteries of magic.

Combat is a crunchy tactical fantasy system built around d6 dice pools, segment timing, stance allocation, battlefield position, and layered defence. It will suit players who enjoy miniatures, tactical movement, equipment detail, and meaningful combat procedure.

The magic system is high-magic and modular. Magic is divided into Schools, and each School is further divided into Mysteries that must be unlocked separately. A caster’s spellcasting depends on their magical approach: Arcane through study, Divine through a god, Nature through harmony with the living world, and Sorcery through dangerous innate power.

Fantasy Classic also places weight on consequence. Wounds, Fatigue, Impeding and Enhancing Conditions, armour damage, dangerous spellcasting, alignment, and hard choices all matter. Players are expected to survive not only by having strong characters, but by using caution, preparation, teamwork, and good judgement.

If you are interested, please visit Eternal Play Office and download a copy of the Core Rules

https://www.eternalplayoffice.com

About me:

I am something of an old-timer in the hobby, having played AD&D, Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, Traveller, and a range of other games during the early to mid-1980s, before work and life took me away from the table and across the globe.

Now, following a life-changing injury, I have found myself effectively retired back into the youthful enthusiasm that first drew me to tabletop roleplaying games. I am now wholeheartedly pursuing a long-held dream: to design the kind of fantasy roleplaying system I always wanted to play.

Cheers,
Simon

I’ve been running RPGs for a while, and my feedback has ran the gamut. I’ve been told by that I’m the best GM someone’s played with, that one shots I’ve ran have been people’s favorites, and I’ve stopped campaigns only to have people ask over and over when I would start it up again.

I’ve also driven players off, seen players throw a tantrum or try and sabotage a campaign because of the way I ran it, I’ve had the clear uninterested last second blow-offs, and I’ve had a (two-session) one-shot session never make it to session two because the players told me they didn’t like the adventure I ran and the way I ran it.

Sometimes, TTRPG groups can fall apart in ways you can’t account for or blame yourself for: Life getting in the way for people, players that don’t vibe with each other or your desired table style, or friends that just aren’t as interested in the hobby as you. The GM is only one component of a game, and cannot make or break it alone.

But, they do have a lot of influence. Are there signs or patterns you can look out for in your GMing history to tell which is which? How to know when your choices are pushing good players away, or when you can just throw your hands up and accept the wishy-washyness of the hobby.

I think it’s way too nuanced of an issue for anyone to diagnose me specifically, but I’ve been thinking about the topic and would love to hear some other people speak on their thoughts and experiences.

“God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom always to tell the difference.”

Had to repost because the original got taken down

I’d like to start by saying that I primarily play D&D 5e and Cyberpunk. I’m also getting into Rapscallion, and have begun to familiarize myself with Star Wars 2002 and Pathfinder 2e. Just to give context for my background/perspective. Also, I’d advise going to read the JLU RPG Quickstart for yourself.

I’d also like to say that I’m a huge DC fan, and I really want this system to succeed. The skeleton of what they have here is incredible, and I’m writing all this out of love, not to speak ill of the designers or the system they’ve created in any way. It’s just a collection of my thoughts and what I hope comes out of it in the future.

I’ll be talking about each topic in order as presented in the Quick Start. Giving my general thoughts and then subsequent notes (if any) on how I think they could possibly be improved for maximum fun. And of course, please keep in mind that this is all subjective. I’m very curious what the rest of you think, and possibly even one of the designers. I saw they commented on another post about this.

Core Concepts

I really like the idea of separating the game into Scenes. I’ve seen some other TTRPG’s use it, but I’m not sure if it’s in the same way. This really aids in the superhero fantasy of heightened endurance and vast pools of energy that can replenish rather quickly. I also like how the game is separated into Tiers. More as a framework for the Players and Editor. My only confusion in this section is the exclusion of the d10 and d4. I understand it’s because they’re not necessarily needed, but I’ll provide some more thoughts on that further down. But, beyond that. The game being a standard d20 + bonuses to exceed the threshold system is always fun in my book. Plus, the return of D&D’s Advantage/Disadvantage system is great. No real notes yet. Good work.

Plot Points, Editorial Points, and The Crisis Die

I absolutely adore this system. Not only does it make sense with the more light hearted tone presented in the quickplay, but it also ties in beautifully to the “play into the tropes” aspect that I’m getting. I love the idea of actually having concrete rules for asspulls that will save you in the moment, but have consequences. It looks very fun just by reading.

The Crisis Die system is also really cool, and a super fun way to drive the plot in new directions if you overstep and literally bend the hands of fate.

I think it would benefit the system to have different Crisis Tables for each Tier of play. Making it extra clear that the Editor should be careful when using Editorial Points as to not invalidate player actions and story.

Hero Tiers, PAX, and Attributes

As I said before, I think this is probably the best way to handle a setting such as the DC universe. Having flat bonuses baked into your narrative power feels very natural and impactful. I also really like PAX as a “currency” to buy your abilities, while simultaneously serving as your improvement points. The Attributes are pretty standard, not much to really say on them in terms of description.

I know it will vary from table to table, but a block about a suggested amount of PAX to give out per session would be helpful. A subsection about Milestone, in which players would receive a set, increased amount of PAX per Milestone could also be helpful.

This is more of a personal nitpick than a critique, but I feel like Accuracy should be called Precision instead. I think Precision encompasses a larger umbrella of situations and ties into some notes I have on combat later.

Unless I missed something, the Quick Start doesn’t say what our starting Attributes can be or how we distribute them. I see it costs PAX to increase them, but I don’t see what the baseline is.

Origins

Forgive me that I’m repeating myself, but I have to give props to the designers as I’m not sure how Origins could’ve been handled much better. At this current stage of the game of course. While they felt limiting at first, with different Origins only being able to choose certain Powers, I actually think it helps both balance the game both during character creation, and also keep things in line overall. I’m sure as new Origins are released some will be stronger, but the system they currently have in place I think will truly help deter everyone from just picking Kryptonian, Martian, or Xarnian. Humans gaining an extra Knowledge and Simple Trait, while being limited to Martial Training and Technology makes a lot of sense. Meanwhile Kryptonians get innate increases to damage and defense, but are limited to Power paths that align with Superman. Then there’s Meta-Human which has no additional benefits, but can choose any superpowers you wish.

I have a feeling this will be fixed in the future, as right now the Technology Power path is very limited and the only options would break the game, but I hope Meta-Humans will eventually be able to choose Technology powers in addition to Superpowers. Also, as of now, I don’t see a reason why they and Kryptonians can’t go down the Martial Training path. Nothing I saw would break the game if they had access. But, I’ll have a lot more to say on that in the actual Powers section.

Archetypes

Now this is where things get interesting. This system’s equivalent of Background from D&D actually gives you a combination of usable abilities and roleplay guidelines. The four that are presented: Champion of Tomorrow, Dark Knight, Genius, and Enraged all feature abilities that are incredibly useful for the types of characters they evoke, and the roleplay guidelines make sense.

I do have some notes for them though. Firstly, some of the guidelines feel overly restricted. For example, Champion of Tomorrow must choose one of the following: they must offer a wounded villain the chance to surrender, the inability to break the law of the land at all and following orders from leaders, or prioritize civilians over eliminating a threat. The first and third options make sense, but the second is a bit odd as Superman and Wonder Woman are cited as examples. This seems strange to me as they follow the law as best they can, but are not beyond breaking it for the greater good. Not extremely, but still. Breaking and entering, trespassing, etc. Furthermore, if you break any of these rules, you lose all your Resolve! I’m all for the consequences for not following your code, but that seems excessively harsh. Now, in the case of something like Batman being forced to use a gun and having a mental breakdown, or Superman watching an orphanage get blown up because he decided to hit Kalibak one more time, sure I can get behind that. But that being the consequence 100% of the time feels extreme.

Then there’s Dark Knight. It has some incredible benefits and features that you can use over the course of an Issue, but for some reason it locks you into Martial Training and Technology Powers above Grade 1. The Origins already restrict what you can do, and this just feels unnecessary. I’m not at all saying this doesn’t make sense narratively, as it’s clearly supposed to be the Bat-Family Archetype, but again, feels overly restrictive. I would recommend toning down the other benefits it grants, and lifting that restriction.

Genius, as of now, is probably the best Archetype. You gain abilities that can move allies on your turn, allow you to automatically know how to use tech you find, a free Grade in Technology, and a once per Issue guaranteed Plot Point when you find new tech. All that, and the only downside is Disadvantage on Initiative. My advice for this is the same as Dark Knight. Decrease the strength of benefits, and create a new downside. Not only is it not that much of a downside for how much it gives you, but narratively I don’t think it makes sense. Mr. Terrific and Lex Luthor are cited as examples. Why would some of the greatest tacticians have Disadvantage on Initiative? I can understand the idea of them taking an extra second to come up with a plan being the cause of this Disadvantage, but trying to encompass every strategist type character feels strange to me. But, if we go with that as the answer, one suggestion I have is to make it either against villains of a certain Tier and higher, or choose a list of villain types during character creation that don’t impose disadvantage. Like, they’d be prepared for those specific types of threats.

Finally, there’s Enraged. Probably the most balanced out of all the Archetypes. Your standard brute force mentality that gives bonuses to damage. However, its “Chain Breaker” ability shows the beginning of one of the system's flaws in my opinion. The ability states: “Once per Scene, spend 2 Resolve to break a barrier, such as a steel gate, mystical bindings, or reinforced wall.” The problem here is that it doesn’t give a limit on the exact power of what you can break. While I understand and even agree that there are some things in this system that must be left up to interpretation and Editor rule, abilities such as this need to have a more in depth description. Because, purely rules as written, an E Tier character could break through the Source Wall. Is that what the designers intended? No. Would I ever rule it that way or attempt it as a player? Also no. I’m just saying, in a TTRPG, abilities like this need to be very specific.

Overall, the system just needs some tweaks, I really enjoy the bones of what’s here.

Powers

The things that make us heroes in this system. The skeleton of what’s here is fantastic. Spending a set amount of PAX per Grade, and gaining all the benefits of that Grade. At least, with Superpowers specifically.

Martial Training and Technology only grant you one benefit of your choice per Grade. You may gain two at Grade 1, but only one may be a Passive. With Technology I can understand, because the only option at this point is Exoskeleton, which functions as just gaining different Superpowers while wearing the suit. This would allow for some insane builds, but as the Technology path is expanded, I’m sure this will be rectified. However, Martial Training feels too restrictive for what it offers. Yes, gaining all listed Techniques of that Grade would be fairly strong, but could easily be fixed with reducing the number of granted benefits in exchange for lifting the restrictions.

Superpowers are about what you’d expect, and they do a really good job of offering a broad description of what the Powers cover. For example, Energy Blast includes everything from Heat Vision, to energy blasts from your hands, and breath attacks. However, it feels like they went a little too condensed for just how broad powers can be. Of course I’m not saying to stat out every single power we can think of, but I think they could’ve been a little more eclectic with the effects.

Concerning all Power Paths, they suffer from being extremely bland in my opinion. Almost everything is a +1 to damage here, a +2 to damage reduction there, and maybe a bit a flight. This is one specific section I’d like to see “D&D’ified” just a pinch. More powers that allow for special attacks and effects that help control the battlefield. In layman’s terms, flashier and more effects please.

Further on this point, I think a branching Skill Tree system would not only open up opportunities for more spell-like effects, but also more creative freedom from the designers. For example, let’s say you take Grade 1 in Energy Blast. Personally, I would have it where you gain a base perk, in this case a generic ranged attack that can be flavored as you please, and then you choose a path to go down that narrows what exactly your Energy Blast is, and what it can do. They could still be broad, but more expansive than what’s here, with each Tree having further customization. In the case of Energy Blast, the Trees could be Eye Beams, Breath Weapons, Ki Blasts, or Mind Ray, just to name a few off the top of my head. The same could be applied to Martial Training. Instead of having to pick a couple Techniques from a Grade that encompasses everything, gain a one base benefit, and then choose what kind of training you specialize in. Are you a swordsman, a sniper, or a martial artist? The possibilities feel endless with Resolve implemented as such a good resource. Then, depending on the Power Tree, you could spend PAX to go into a different one. Allowing for more, but less potent abilities if you so choose. A sort of soft multiclassing if you will.

Actually, while writing this, I thought of another way. Based on the Skill Tree system I proposed, we could have all the base features from a Power path be Passives, and then you gain access to a Special Move list that corresponds to that path’s Grade.

Lastly, I want to talk about the Animal Mimicry and Flight Power paths specifically. Animal Mimicry is a Power path I think makes sense as an open list that can pick and choose from 1 or 2 from. Mostly passives that augment your body on the fly. However, the reason I wanted to bring this up is because it’s a little confusing to me. According to the description, each Animal Adaptation requires Resolve to use. However, no Adaptation has an Activation Cost, and I don’t understand why they would require Resolve if they’re all designed to lean more into being Passives. In addition, I think this is another area in which they could take notes from D&D. Whether we take my branching Skill Tree idea into account or not, there should be an ability in this Power path that allows us to fully morph into an animal, just like Wildshape.

Then there’s Flight. As a long time DM, I understand how hard flight can be to balance. However, I still think how it is now feels odd. It takes an Action to activate and you must spend 1 Resolve. If we go with this design, I’d understand if it only lasted for the scene, or even a certain number of minutes. But, as it is now, it only lasts until the start of your next turn. That just feels weird to me. I assume as you get into much higher Tiers, then it may become infinite, but as it stands, I’m not a huge fan of how it works. I don’t have a perfect fix, but I’d like to see how it evolves as the designers continue.

Knowledge

Now this is one part of the system I’m not a fan of at all. As it stands there are 5 types of Knowledge, each of which must be purchased with PAX: Acrobatics, Subterfuge, Tech, and Strategy. Essentially, these are your Skills, if I were to put it in terms of other systems, and you can probably guess what each one is about. Surprisingly, each also comes with a set of bonuses and abilities for you to use during an Issue. So I supposed they’re a little more like a hybrid between Skills and Feats. Which isn’t a problem, but here’s what immediately turns me off from this design choice: “A Hero without Knowledge on a particular subject is UNABLE to make Tests on that particular subject.” That’s absolutely crazy to me, and I think it will kill a lot of fun. It does go on to say that, for example, a character with Piloting Knowledge may be able to drive a car, but cannot even attempt to perform a maneuver when operating a vehicle, or aid in a chase. Again, this is not me speaking ill of the designers, but I really hope this is removed, or at least majorly overhauled in the full release.

Personally, I’d take a page out of Cyberpunk Red’s system. Obviously not a 1 to 1, but still. Maybe give us a pool of points we can spend to put more bonuses into Skills, and we can buy more with PAX. That way, we’re not completely blocking off certain courses of action. If you want to keep the Knowledge giving usable abilities part, have it be we gain them once reaching a certain level in an area of Knowledge. So, in the end, it would be a more classic d20 + Attribute + level in associated Skill.

Another possible option would be to make it a hybrid of what I listed here and what’s already in the system. Because yes, if you don’t have any Knowledge in Tech, you shouldn’t be able to hack a computer. However, two of the Knowledge subjects are Acrobatics and Strategy. So I can’t attempt a Test at all to see through how enemies are moving if I don’t have that Knowledge? Or, I can’t attempt a backflip, even if I can fly, because I don’t have that particular Knowledge? I’m just saying that I think it’s a little extreme. If we go with the hybrid idea, keep Knowledge to incredibly specialized topics, mainly STEM fields. Heck, Psychology could even be a Knowledge subject. For example, if you wanted to, you could allow every hero to attempt Persuasion rolls, but only those with Psychology can attempt Insight. Maybe not a perfect example, but I think it gets my point across. Though if we take this route, Knowledge could possibly be merged into Traits.

Equipment and Gear

Another aspect of the system that just doesn’t do it for me. I completely understand not wanting a long list of weapon types, but just saying every and all weapons just give you a +1 isn’t fun for me personally. This is another thing I think Cyberpunk mastered that would be incredible for this system. Have a list of 5-8 weapon types, and then every weapon from then on falls into one of those categories. Special weapons can just gain additional effects or attachments from there.

Conversely, the Gear feels very nice. Though I don’t agree with every single type of Gear having exactly 3 charges that recharge at the start of an Issue (I think they could be more varied), the effects are all really nice.

My only nitpick is that you have to spend PAX to acquire Equipment and Gear. This is where I think traditional currency should make a return. But, it makes sense during character creation.

Traits

I recognize Feats when I see them, and they’re always a welcome sight. No notes on these, as the effects are really nice. I’d just need to see how balanced they are in practice.

Limitations

Limitations also look great just from a readthrough. Again, I need to see them in action, but from my perspective, I love what they bring to the table. The roleplay potential is incredible, and really adds to that superhero feel. Well done, designers.

Combat

Good things first. Going with Pathfinder’s 3 Action and Multi-Attack Penalty Systems was a great choice. I think it really rounds out how the system runs and will allow for some very fun strategies. I also think an Action Point system would’ve worked just as well, so maybe in a future expansion book we could get rules for that. Also, the Condition system is great. When you take a certain amount of damage, or any damage while at 0 Resolve, you mark a Condition. When you mark all Conditions, you’re out of commission. On top of that the Statuses have a wide variety and their effects make sense.

Now for the parts I don’t like. Combat is another aspect of the game that I would almost completely overhaul if I was the head designer. But, just remember this would be my personal preference. Not saying it’s the perfect or superior way to do it.

First of all, I really don’t like Resolve functioning as both a resource for my abilities AND my health. I’m not sure if this is how Mutants and Masterminds handles it, but it’s not for me. I’d bring back traditional Hit Points immediately. My recommendation, have a set amount of Hit Points given to each Tier. Then, on top of going into higher Tiers, your maximum Hit Points increase by varying amounts depending on which Power paths you go down. In addition to not punishing a hero for using their powers, this would also allow for the use of more dice in damaging abilities, and not having every deal the exact same 1 die of damage depending on their Tier. Now, if you wanted to keep that same die across the board, that’s fine, but by bringing back traditional Hit Points, it could allow for different Powers to roll it a different number of times.

Secondly, Attacking and Defending. Rolling to hit should use whichever stat the attack calls for, not just Accuracy for everything. This would force everyone to put substantial points into Accuracy just to be viable. This is also why I think it should be renamed to Precision.

All damage rolls share the same Damage Die which is determined by your Tier. This is fine, but I think it could be improved upon. Calling back to what I said earlier, I think it’d be more fun to have each Weapon Type and Unarmed Strikes deal different amounts of damage, and the Tier Damage Die be reserved specifically for damage dealt by Powers.

As for defending, this is where I think D&D and Cyberpunk would join hands perfectly. You can keep the Tier based Defense Value (Armor Class), and then have armor that reduces damage and ablates each time you take damage. Exoskeleton and other types of Natural armor could be Power paths, while traditional armor could be purchased or crafted. That way you can have that “shrugging off damage” feel of being a superhero, while also having a perfect way to flavor them losing steam over the course of a fight.

Thirdly, and lastly for Combat, Reactions. I personally wouldn’t require a Reaction to be prepared by expending an Action on your turn. I’d just have it be the normal one per round unless you gain more. That’s all for that.

Movement

I'm a bit torn on this Zone method. For large scale Rescue Scenes, this system is brilliant. It makes keeping track of players and enemies far simpler, and you don’t need to take into account every single obstacle. Even if we throw some combat in there, where some of the team keeps the villain busy, while others save civilians. Also, it really helps bring flight into check as it won’t be an extreme benefit unless the Editor specifically puts ground based hazards. For this part of the system, it’s phenomenal.

However, for direct engagements and combat, I think the system kind of falls apart. Particularly because we can’t use any shape-based abilities. Circles, cones, squares, lines, etc. I think it really limits what combat can become. Personally, I don’t think it would be too complicated for each Power/effect to have a Zone range and a combat range, but that’s just me.

The Doomsday Clock

This. Is. Incredible! It’s kind of what DM’s have been doing for a long time in terms of timed events or skill gauntlets, but having the rules for it and suggestions actually written out, and the way it’s presented in this system is just, chef’s kiss for me.

Recovery and Death

Given the more abstract approach this system is going for, I love the recovery system. Resolve recovery at the start of a Scene, and Conditions healing after a Recovery Moment allows for quick transitions and easy flow of the story.

I also find it very interesting that a character only dies if the player says so. The Quickstart does seem to encourage being fair and having death occur when extremely plot irrelevant, but it also notes the trope of nobody truly stays dead in comics. Very fun, very light hearted, excellent work.

Enemy Stat Blocks

The only critique I have is that they’re a little hard to read. Not having a background and designated block with the information makes them look kind of jumbled. mechanically, no problems though.

Conclusion

In summary, the designers put in some fantastic work. Personally, I just think they left a lot of the meat of the system (Powers, Abilities, and Equipment) too open, and ended up with a combat system that I could see becoming very bland, very fast.

But, overall, the system of JLURPG is well crafted. Plot Points, the Doomsday Clock, and Character Creation seem incredibly satisfying, and I think will do a great job of giving us a wonderful superhero experience.

Would love to hear what everyone else thinks!

I've been falling in love with Vaesen, the folklore mystery RPG from Free League Publishing. Aside from the simple mechanics and the unique atmosphere, my main factor in liking Vaesen comes from how good and complete the adventure modules are. As a DM, I feel like I can get almost any of them and go straight to the table with minimal additional work.

I think that comes from how the mysteries are structured. You have an A plot (a monster) and a B plot (all the human drama surrounding the monster). The book gives you a hook to get players on the trail of the A plot and necessarily demands they follow the B plot to get clues - which are extensively noted on the book so you can give players a hint at any moment.

Are your players stuck? No problem: we have this countdown mechanic which triggers an indepedent event that moves the plot forward with minimal build-up. This is just genius for me.

I feel like I've finally found what type of RPG adventure I want to run and I'm comming for you guys for advice on where I can find more of it. Are there any other RPGs with modules just as structured as Vaesen's? I do not mean mystery or supernatural RPGs with the same flavor: I just want something that is so well structured that I can run without much more additional preparation.

Side-note: English is not my first language. Sorry if any wording or phrasing doesn't sound natural.

I was writing some homebrew rules I’m working on (they haven’t made it to the table yet, so I won’t be sharing them), but I had a little thought I’d like to share. In fact, I think many of you already apply something similar at your tables, so I’m really just putting into writing something that likely already exists or that someone may have already discussed:

“Whenever something is mentioned by name—no matter the circumstances, no matter who mentioned it—it exists. From that moment on, its existence is an objective truth for the world. The GM can only moderate its existence, that is, adjust the details so it doesn’t conflict with what already exists or with the world’s balance of power.”

I think it’s a simple yet interesting way to involve players in worldbuilding and an opportunity to create some very intriguing stories. What do you think?

P.S.: The title of this post is a Basque proverb that means exactly that. It’s a vital concept in Basque mythology: in this mythology, giving a name is an act of creation.

Alright so I'm curious, are there games out there where PCs dying, and then coming back is a part og the game?

Mind you I dont mean things like OSR where characters can die easily and making new characters is easy. Nor do I mean systems where you can die but there are ways to ressurect.

I'm talking about something where death is closer to being knocked out. A PC dies but comes back later as themselves with similar power penalized in some other way, similar to what's seen in Soulsborne games, Middle Earth Shadow of Mordor, or roguelite games. Death is something PCs experience but it isn't the end, just a step in the game.

I'm aware you can run with a premise like that in many games just homebrewing some form of penalty for it but I just wanted to know if there's something out there that already takes it into consideration for the basic mechanics.

Hey guys! My question is basically just the title. I just wanna know if this game is actually good? Ive only played Fallout 2d20 so I’m at least familiar with the core system. I did enjoy Fallout, but I’m not sure if I’d enjoy Homeworld. Also out of curiosity for those that HAVE played, how does the Homeworld setting translate to a TTRPG? Does it play nice? And if this system isn’t very great, what alternative systems would you recommend instead? Thanks for your help guys!