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I put a decent amount of effort into prep before session 0, but that's usually just a couple of hooks, a premade dungeon or two and maybe a villain.

Then at the end of each session I ask my players what they've got planned for next session and than once I'm one hour away from next session I read up on what they've done using my player's notes, and prepare the thing theyre gonna do.

I also dont prep any maps or handouts and just draw stuff on blank paper if needed.

Could I make my game more fun for my players if I prepped more? Almost certainly, but I don't run games to perform or to entertain, I play them to have fun with my friends.

I love hacking in ttrpgs, specifically I am the type of monster that loves Shadowrun hacking, 4e the most out of the 3 editions I've played so far (6e, 5e, and 4e). It is the most fun and interesting system for play I've interacted with, and every other system I've found boasts about how simple and not at all like Shadowrun it is.

That I respect, not everyone enjoys taking a lunch break while the hackers spend an hour plundering a website for every bit of data it has, but unfortunately me and my friends do. Are there any other systems out there that take a more "realistic" approach to hacking like Shadowrun does?

Hi everyone, my friends and I dropped into Wildsea and are really enjoying the Piratey life there.
Now I was looking for some Pirate vibes in rpgs and was looking at Wildsea, but I'm still on the fence.

What are your experiences with it? How did you like it? Can it do Piratey (I mean the more romanticized Version of Pirates not the grim and dirty truth) and Swashbuckling well?

Scavangers Reign, Rain world, Dungeon Meshi.

They all have this aspect of learning the functions of an alien ecosystem to survive or even thrive.

I'm wondering if any RPG lends itself well to this theme , already includes it in its world or gameplay, or is good for building ecosystems. Or otherwise has a similar feel?

I feel like you could get a similar feeling in a sort of investigative play or monster of the week style thing where there is a new unknown threat that is scary, you have to learn about it, and deduce how to deal with it.

Of course I could simply include this in the background of the world, describe dungeons as lived in, where the creatures matter in the ecosystem. But I would be interested in Smth that captures that feel in the gameplay

Fellow GMs, do you use physical or digital handouts in your investigation games?

I’m curious about what actually works at the table: letters, police reports, diary pages, newspaper clippings, maps, evidence cards, and so on.

Do your players enjoy receiving these kinds of props, or do they slow the game down?

And when you need handouts, do you usually make your own, adapt material from published scenarios, or look for ready-made ones?

My 12 year old son is looking for a 5e (his friends play 2014 rules) campaign to run as a first time DM. Not particularly interested in WOTC 5e campaigns. Something that is simple and fun. Preferably more of a sandbox style, but that isn't necessary. Just something fun and easy. Keeping it broad because I want a lot of recs. Thanks.

Curious what RPGs people are playing from small and indie creators?

I follow a lot of people on itch.io and also have bought several of the mega bundles over the years. And with more games out there than I could ever play, I wonder what gems are hiding in plain sight.

So, please share what RPGs you play, enjoy, and recommend that you believe have small following or player count and let's see if we can drum up some secret gold.

Rule: please don't suggest your own RPG or a friends. Nothing against good natured self-promo, I'm just hoping to see genuine recommendations from fans and players (not that your RPG isn't amazing, I promise).

Edit: title should be "play and recommend"

Recently I've been wondering if prepping has been hampering my GMing. I've been GMing for the past couple years, and I've found that I'm spending an increasing amount of time prepping. And while that pays off great for the content I do have prepped, I honestly feel less confident in my improv these days. This has led me to prep more to minimize improv, but now I'm thinking it's making my improv worse. Is there anything I can do to improve my improv specifically? Should I intentionally under-prep a little to exercise the skill?

for me it’s gotta be monster hearts. it captures the supernatural messy teen drama so well

I am running a custom Traveller setting, right now my players are caught up in a mystery/conspiracy. They are pretty smart and can connect the dots, but they are not searching for dots.

In the setting are media like internet, Wikipedia and open and secure databases. And the have made some contacts here and there that could have or get data.

What is a good way to nudge my players to use technology or connections with NPCs to get informations without outright telling them to do it?

Edit: Thanks to everyone for the advice!

Hello all

I am transitioning out of the dragon game, in which I ran combat maybe once every 10 sessions, and would rarely ask for rolls. I've GMed Honey Heist, and played / read on "several" other systems, but definitely not enough, haha.

I have been questioning what I enjoy and want to enjoy in the hobby - what drives me. Currently gravitating towards homebrewing Pillars of Eternity's setting (and run naval in Deadfire), with moderate changes to the divinities and lore. I have managed to gather a small community of buddhists & meditators, and want to facilitate arcs and plots around trauma, healing, meditation, existentialism, growth, etc. Gameplay may involve multiple long-ish time skips. I don't know to what extent that is possible, haha, and its hard to find resources due to how niche this is. Of course, I will continue being mindful of safety, and will also periodically check in with the players on how they are feeling after sessions and with feedback forms.

I flipped through Ryuutama and Wanderhome - book and user posts alike. It was honestly refreshing & inspiring in how they helped me step away from certain hangups, e.g. conflict in the absence of violence. But they are still not the vibe I am looking for. I prepped to run with Daggerheart, but looking through the Domain Cards it seems there is violence inherent in the system (heh). Also despite reading some examples on it, I don't know how well I'd do with Hope & Fear in certain scenarios, esp peaceful / intrigue ones. Pillars of Eternity ttrpg feels mildly archaic and combat focussed, and won't have a Game system in Foundry VTT.

• Some exploration, but not as the main focus
• I very much want the players to active shape the game, but not to the point of what some of these GMless games tend to be. I also want to trust in my players and myself to tell the story more than the dice do, but I still definitely want structure & balance in terms of verisimilitude. That also may just be a hangup from my time in dnd haha. I'm willing to let people and reading of the system convince me otherwise.
• I can do rules lite (as with Honey Heist - that was fun but chaotic ... idk if I could sustain a HH campaign), but maybe not ultra lite ...? Although, maybe that is the direction I'd need to head into.
• I am considering focussing on faction politics and intrigue, with maybe the possibility of combat (depending on the system). Strong Roleplay and drama facilitation, of course.

Fate, Burning Wheel, and Cortex are on my radar to look into more deeply, but due to varying reasons don't know if they fit. A heavier Pbta, maybe? I am flexible on much of what I wrote above, because I know nothing will fit perfectly.

As may be evident, I don't fully know what I want haha. Would be grateful for any pointers :)