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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.

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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.

What’s the game you whip out for a bunch of people who have little to no experience playing RPGs?

For me, it’s Call of Cthulhu for two reasons:

1 - the core rules are pretty easy to grasp for new players.

2 - CoC has a defined genre and role, i.e. “this is a horror game and you are investigating a mystery.” This helps in more than just setting, but it helps players think of characters and helps GMs explain more subtle rules like meta gaming.

Friends and coworkers are always getting me to GM for newbies over the years. I love sharing RPGs with people, so I am always more than happy to. I’ve had some success running other games, but CoC seems to be the game that “clicks” with new players the fastest.

What’s yours? Why do you think it lands for first timers?

One of the biggest challenges I face as an RPG player is roleplaying characters with personalities different from my own. Most of my characters end up being of the "Lawful Good" archetype, and I rarely manage to break free from it.

This leads me to wonder if I could roleplay NPCs with more distinct personalities, or if I could improvise them during a session.

Do you have any suggestions on what could be done?

Are there any games that have randomization features when characters advance or level up?

I'm thinking about how in video games if a character gains a level they don't always get the same bonus to attributes. They might get a +2 to Agility or a +5 to Attack but it's random.

I could see this in a ttrpg as something like every level you normally gain 10 to your HP and +2 to some skill but you also roll to see if you get some additional bonus to some other attribute as well.

Are there any games that do something like this or would it be too frustrating for players who roll badly that might miss out on some leveling bonuses?

Classic problem: A ranged combatant spends their turn attacking, then moves behind a corner so that enemies can't see them or target them when it's not their turn. Rinse and repeat.

The classic solution is to allow other ranged combatants to hold their attack or use a reaction or something to attack the other ranged combatant during their turn when they pop out of cover to attack.

But I personally find this a little annoying. Reactions tend to slow down combat by interrupting regular turns, and they are a less common thing in general so players often forget the rules for how they work. So, are there any systems that have a good solution that doesn't rely on characters acting outside their turn?

I've been watching the Drivethru RPG best seller list, and the Pulp Fantasy RPG Vagabond has just been living in the top ten, recently climbing up to the top five and as of time of writing, making it into the top three. Has anything in particular inspired that? I haven't played it but I do own a physical copy of the book, everything about it does look pretty fun. I'm just trying to figure out if it recently got a popular review or something

I learned about it from Deficient Master's review, but that's two months old, so I doubt it's causing a spike in sales now

I built myself a coffee table that has a 40inch secondhand tv in it for displaying maps on it for in person play. Using the standard Windows image viewer works, but doesn't have a fog of war like feature to hide undiscovered rooms. I was wondering if anyone knew of a VTT that works well for In-person play. One that can have a GM view on my laptop, and a player view on the tv, and has a fog of war capability.
Currently I am getting my head around Dungeon Alchemist, which I like for fairly easily making nice looking maps, and I know it can import to Arkenforge and Foundry.

I have tried Arkenforge, but its importing is clunky, and you can't make maps on one computer and easily transfer to another computer.

I know importing into foundry is good, but Foundry has too many bells and whistles with character sheets and dice rolling and all that. Because we are in person with real math rocks, and miniatures, those features are unnecessary.

Does anyone know of any other programs out there, or have any insight for me? It doesn't have to maintain Dungeon Alchemist's animations (but would be a nice cherry on top)

​A couple of years ago I was talking to a group of RPG developers and we got on the topic of pulp games, one of the developers quipped that every game developer has dreams of making a pulp game but that they generally fail to sell.

Now I have a really large collection of pulp RPGs but never played any. It has been easier to find people interested in either playing fantasy, horror or superhero RPG.

Wondering how many people do pulp games (excluding Call of Cthulhu as that is more horror even when Pulp)? Then those that do, what games system are you using?

Hey guys!

I recently got the Alien tabletop RPG and plan to run it with some friends. I’m VERY new to whole GM thing but I want to learn. What are some tips/tricks? Or lessons you learned when starting for the first time?

Thank you!

I've had a good year of map reveals. Here's what I mean:

I did a haunted mansion with invisible ink. I had a lamp on the table. When they activated an item, I replaced the normal bulb with a blacklight bulb. Secret messages on the player's invites, secret footsteps leading to hidden doors, a whole level of the mansion drawn in ink on a vinyl map. Maybe my best reveal ever as it came halfway through an evening game and it was very dark. So much fun.

I made crazy wooden Curse of Strahd maps with a second layer wooden "jigsaw" that covered points of interest. As players moved through the map, I had them roll to see who got to remove the next jigsaw piece. People loved it and really wanted to be the one to remove the piece. More fun than paper.

Lastly, maybe leastly, but still awesome. I had a whole table of new players. I made a big dungeon on a vinyl map. Different sized sheets of paper covered each room. New players getting to remove the little papers feels like it could be a core memory.

I love map reveals like this. Always a big "wow" moment. Do you folks have any cool ideas that fit with this I could steal?

I've seen this term bandied about a bit and was wondering if there are some really solid examples of TTRPGs that feature diegetic advancement explicitly.

I'm looking for an RPG recommendation that bridges a very specific gap.

TL;DR: I want a game where the GM never rolls dice and the narrative flows like a PbtA (Powered by the Apocalypse), but where players have mechanical depth, distinct abilities, and get to roll for things like damage.

The Context: After 20+ years of D&D and WoD, I moved away from traditional GMing. I fell in love with PbtA and Forged in the Dark because they allow me to go with the flow, follow player choices with minimal notes, and rely on improvisation.

My "swan song" with crunchy systems was running the Wrath of the Righteous AP. While the story was amazing, I found myself "fudging" every serious encounter to keep it fun. I realized I was tired of managing massive monster stat blocks and designing fights that felt like a board game I was destined to lose.

The Problem: After several years of PbtA, some of my players are burnt out. They miss the "D&D feel." Their main gripe is that PbtA resolution can feel "samey" or unsatisfying—whether the action is big or small, it often feels like just ticking a narrative box. They miss the tactile satisfaction of rolling damage and having distinct mechanical "heft" to their tactical choices.

We are currently playing Fabula Ultima. It’s light enough for me to enjoy prepping, but it’s a temporary fix.

What I’m looking for: Does a game exist that plays like a PbtA for the GM (narrative moves, no GM dice, fail forward) but feels like D&D for the players (crunchy abilities, rolling for damage, tactical depth)?

I’ve considered hacking Fate, but I’d love to know if there is a system out there specifically designed to blend these two worlds before I start homebrewing my own.

Any suggestions?

EDIT: compiling suggestions

Wow, i posted this before going to sleep and didn't expect so much responses. I've compiled the responses at the time of that edit. If nothing else, I think I got great reading suggestions.

Something that came a lot was my need for not rolling dice. I might have not been clear in my own wants. While I love not rolling dice, it's not the important part. It's more the low stat block of antagonist and how easy it is to whip up an enemy on the spot.

Also, a few game devs responded, and it seems some people are searching for the same thing I am. There is a (small) market for this.

Here are the suggested games I already knew. Number in parenthesis is the number of time it was mentionned.

Cypher System(6) GM Side Yes, Player side not really : GMed Numenera a couple of times and tried Cypher a some time ago with another group. GM facing it fits a lot. I can just assign a level to an impromptu NPC and run with it. I learned that game before I knew PBTA was a thing, first experience of not rolling. However, my players don't have fond memories of those games, and it is still missing something for them. I'll look into the next edition for sure, but for now that's not what I'm going for.

Using D&D without dice rolls(3) GM side nope, Player Side yes : I've done it before. AC - 10 = defense roll and 11 + to hit = attack rating. It's 11 and not 10 because you change who wins the tie. It works for the "I don't want to roll dice" part but for nothing else.

Dungeon World(2) GM side yes, Player side yes : Also already done that. Played original 1e Ravenloft with 2 different groups and also did March of the Modrone with it. This is honestly a plan B if I find nothing else. I just kinda wanted "more" for the player side of the request, or meaby I mean "less PBTA". A good suggestion and will look toward the next Ed of this.

Root(1) GM side yes, Player side yes : ok, I know I just said I was looking less for a PBTA, but I forgot Root existed, and I own the books. This would be perfect to play as is. My only beef with this is that it isn't a fantasy play, and it's hard to take out of the setting. Mechanically might be what I'm looking for though.

BRPG(1) GM side no, Player side yes : Someone mentioned Delta Green and I just put wholesale BRPG in the list. Never GMed it, but the experience wasn't great. I don't have a good feeling about it, but I think it might be one of the easiest to hack in order to get what I want.

Band of Blades(1) GM side yes, Player side no : Fantastic suggestion, and my favorite game. Players already went through the campaign. Player feedback was "was fun, but not what I'm looking for" when asked if FitD would fit.

And now the games I haven't read but I'm looking forward to check out

Daggerheart(10) : Most recommended. I will read it. I'm not into Critical Role, so I kinda steered away from that game for the longest time, but I'm "forced" to read it now (I love reading games, don't get me wrong). From some of the comments, I don't think I'll get what I want, but I'll still look it up.

Legend in the Mist(4) : Played City of Mist a bunch of time. I'm waiting for the game to see if it's ok on the player side. High hopes, and it is on my list of RPGs I'm looking forward to.

Vagabond(4) : I know nothing about that, but from the comments, I'm excited to check it out.