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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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Tales of Argosa, which is billed as Low Fantasy Gaming 2e, but for some reason grabbed my interest in a way that LFG never really did, is DotD on Drivethrurpg.com, and it's now only $7.49.

I'm not affiliated with the game, with Drivethru, or anything. Also, I have to admit I haven't run, played, or even completely read this game. But it's sitting on my TBR pile with Legend in the Mist, Dolmenwood, and Stonetop, where LFG never even got pulled out of the download folder.

I know we have some Argosa fans here. Maybe u/Logen_Nein could chime in with more of the virtues?

It's also got a ton of free online support tools, too, and a great publisher.

For a game that's usually almost $25, this is a great DotD price.

Anyhow, I hope someone who's been on the fence gets a bargain today!

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/479871/tales-of-argosa

I have a recurring problem with tabletop RPGs. I spend a lot of time creating a character, thinking about their class, personality, aesthetic, backstory, everything — but after a while, I start disliking them for no clear reason.

Sometimes I lose interest in the fantasy of the character, sometimes the class stops feeling fun, and sometimes I just look at the character and think ‘this isn’t me anymore.’ It makes it hard to stay invested in long campaigns because I constantly want to change characters or completely remake them.

The weird part is that I usually really like the character at first. The excitement is real, but it fades fast. I also tend to swing between very different archetypes, like wanting a melee fighter one week and a fragile caster the next.

Does anyone else deal with this? How do you make characters that stay interesting to you long-term?

Maybe you can tell by my name, but I'm a big TES fan. I'm looking for a generic system that can run the TES kind of fantasy well. Yes, I know most people consider it to be somewhat generic fantasy that could be ran in dnd or pathfinder but I think the depth of the magic system, mythology, races, etc. makes dnd or pathfinder (and most elf games) undesirable.

Currently considering GURPs and SWADE. Any others?

I would like to run a game of Traveller5 but I am finding it difficult to parse. Am I just an idiot or is this game ludicrously hard to wrap your head around?

I recently watched some gameplay for the new 007 game and it generated an interest in that genre. Specifically I’m looking for a game with a wide variety of missions, some crazy gadgets, and pulpy action. Any recommendations are appreciated!

www.kickstarter.com/projects/gandergaming/grok-2nd-edition

What is Grok?!

Grok?! 2e is a [100% human made] rules-light science fantasy RPG set in a post-apocalyptic world of advanced technomancy and boundless plausibility.

In this world of post-apocalyptic technomancy, nearly anything is plausible.

• Sail across the starry Aether and explore alien worlds.
• Rebel against authoritarian AI alongside trans-dimensional migrants.
• Discover disparate cultures atop hovering isles.
• Survive the chaotic mana-irradiated wasteland.
• Delve dungeons for powerful relics and combat devolved monstrosities.
• Confront the other-dimensional nothingness spawned within the hollow planet.

Inspirational touchstones for the world of Grok?! range from Arzach, Brazil, Discworld, Dying Earth, Fantastic Planet, Flash Gordon, Heavy Metal, Space Team, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, The Labyrinth, Wizards, and countless others.

The unique game system was developed with inspiration from both OSR/NSR and narrative tabletop RPGS, most notably Fate, Cortex Prime, Freeform Universal, Index Card RPG, Cairn, Electric Bastionland, Ultraviolet Grasslands, and Savage Worlds.

Grok?! 2nd Edition is content complete, and will be printed as a 240-page full-color hardcover, complete with Refined Core Rules, an Expanded Setting, a Full Campaign, Solo Rules, GM Toolkits, and a full complement of add-ons: a Quickstart Guide, GM Screen, Pregen Character Pad, System Reference Booklet, and Coloring Book.

The Setting

• Planet Grok was once a haven for trans-dimensional migrants, and a bastion of advanced technomancy, until a cataclysm splintered the world.
• Now, long abandoned travelers sail across the vast Aether between planets, struggling to survive the abyss of space and the hostile alien lifeforms they’ve awakened.
• Rebel indentured citizens revolt against the deranged AI that controls the deteriorating space station, called the Simulacrum, that encapsulates and irradiates the planet.
• Eccentric and isolated societies maturate within inverted cities that float among the clouds on Hovering Isles.
• Mutant vagabonds traverse the Wastelands for salvage, inundated with phosphorescent radiation from the space station above and hunted by monstrosities from below the surface.
• Devolved monstrosities haunt the labyrinthine Underworld passages, coveting the relics of immense power long abandoned within.
• And all the while, within the Nether megacity in the center of the planet, ancient other-dimensional gods and their eldritch brood offer worship to the Voidstar from which they were cast: an infinite nothingness that threatens to consume reality.

Why Grok?!

• Expansive setting. A world of boundless plausibility and streamlined rules that cater to adventures of nearly every type.
• Rules light. Draws heavy inspiration from NSR/OSR and narrative games alike, offering a versatile and intuitive system for any setting.
• Universal Action Resolution. Uses a single resolution system for all character actions, whether fighting a mechalizard, casting a magic spell, or repairing a flux-decombobulator.
• Description Based Modifiers. Descriptive Aspects are integral to the resolution system, allowing anything to have mechanical impact on an Action's success.
• Player Facing Rolls. Ensures fast action resolution with constant player engagement, where every roll matters.
• Slot Based Resources. An Asset Slot system distills resource management of inventory, spells, damage, and temporary effects, into a single cohesive system.
• Open License. The SRD is licensed under Creative Commons, allowing you to freely hack and publish your work based on the game.

What's In A Name

Grok, both the term and the game, existed before Elon named his AI slop-bot.

Ultimately, I chose to keep the name for several reasons:

• I'd rather ensure that fans of the Zine recognize the 2nd Edition as a continuation and have the opportunity to enjoy it.
• I'd rather keep my artistic integrity and trust my gut, even if the cost is losing out on potential new readers.
• I'd rather stand futilely opposed to the titanic weight of societal influence that the billionaire class has over the world. I know that sounds grandiose and naive, so to put it bluntly: Elon can kick rocks.

I'm an indie developer with a niche tabletop game. My work isn't going to take the world by storm regardless of its name.

I like the name, and I'm keeping it, market share be damned.

i have played other rpgs, call of cthulhu, paranormal order and majoritary dnd 5e for more than ten years. recently i was called to participate on a avatar rpg and was excited as i love the franchise but had never heard of the system and i must be missing something.

the more i read the less i like and the less i understand. the system is so overcomplicated and so full of branches on the most basic of things, combat feels completely lackluster and barely has any rules, numbers and roll are almost a excuse to call it rpg and not just rp. i like narrative heavy rpgs but part of the thing i love on dnd for example is thinking with my sheet and building a character and in this setting it seens like im just not allowed to do it?

honestly if im misunderstanding please enlighten me or if anyone has any alternatives to this system that is also welcome.

So, I've realized that something I enjoy in Fantasy is when I run aground of what I want to call "SCP-lite spooky"; where there's something weird going on that isn't incredibly obvious and has a sense of mystery and danger to it, but avoids the grimdark aspects of it. What I'm wondering is, does anyone know if there are any compendiums/collections around of not necessarily full adventures, but hooks/ideas/sparks/etc.?

Examples of what I would like: - Mysterious structures that exist for unknown reasons ("Who built a castle in the arctic circle?") - "This is Not a Place of Honor"

Examples of what I don't want: -Things that just seem to be grimdark for its own sake and aren't actually solvable (You've entered the PIT OF UTTER NIHILISM where LORD BADGUY reigns supreme and is completely untouchable) - Gratuitous Horror (You enter a house and there's CHUNKY SALSA EVERYWHERE)

I’m planning a Zelda inspired campaign. haven’t decided a system; probably either dnd or ICRPG, maybe Cypher. But I wanna do a hex crawl as that’s kind of the closest I could get to either Breath of the Wild Exploration or even Zelda 2’s overworld exploration.

Anyway would it be better to do the hexes as 3 miles or 6 miles. 6 miles seems to be the standard but 3 benefits from being the typical hourly travel pace. However 3 mile hexes also means players could be crossing long stretches really quickly ( if the map is 40 hexes across players could straight shot it in 5 days without terrain interference

This is a follow-up to a post I made earlier about my online D&D group feeling like it has lost its energy. A lot of the responses were asking for more context and details, so I’m making a second post with additional information.

Apologies if making a follow-up post like this isn’t proper Reddit etiquette. Reddit still confuses me a bit.

We’re playing D&D 5e and are currently 48 sessions into the campaign. We play weekly, with sessions lasting around 4 hours. They used to be closer to 6 hours, but they’re still fairly substantial sessions.

This is an extremely roleplay-heavy campaign. I’d estimate roughly 80% of our table time is spent roleplaying. Combat is relatively rare and usually serves the story rather than being the focus. The players all created very detailed characters with extensive backstories (some around 20 pages long), and I’ve put a comparable amount of effort into the world, NPCs, and overarching narrative. Everyone involved is very invested in storytelling and details.

One thing that’s important is that this isn’t a case of players wanting a faster-paced game than they’re getting. The campaign was originally built as a collaborative worldbuilding project before it even started. Everyone knew from the beginning that this would be a slow-burn, character-focused story. The pace has always been slow. We’re 48 sessions in and the party is only level 5. That’s intentional and was discussed extensively before the campaign began.

The players are also very detail-oriented. At least historically, they were the kind of players who would inspect every location, talk to every NPC, ask dozens of questions, pursue side conversations, and spend entire sessions developing character relationships. They actively generated roleplay without needing much prompting from me.

What concerns me is that they don’t seem to do that nearly as much anymore.

They seem much more indecisive. There are more stretches of silence. They interact with the world less. They appear less eager to investigate things or drive scenes forward. Roleplay still happens, but it feels less natural and less enthusiastic than it used to. As a DM, I feel like I’m putting in significantly more energy than before just to keep momentum going.

The confusing part is that I’ve tried talking to them about it several times. I’ve asked if they’re bored, burned out, unhappy with the story, dissatisfied with the pacing, wanting more combat, or feeling that the campaign has stalled. Every time I bring it up, they tell me everything is fine and that they’re still enjoying the game.

So I’m stuck trying to figure out what I’m actually seeing.

Is this just what campaign fatigue looks like after nearly 50 sessions? Is it possible for a group to genuinely enjoy a campaign while also being noticeably less excited and proactive than they used to be? Have any DMs with very roleplay-heavy groups experienced a similar decline in energy despite players insisting they were still having fun?

TL;DR: We have a long-running, very roleplay-heavy D&D 5e campaign (48 sessions, level 5) that everyone poured a huge amount of effort into. The players used to be incredibly engaged, constantly talking to NPCs, exploring every detail, and driving roleplay themselves. Now they seem much quieter, more indecisive, and less excited, even though they still show up every week and insist they’re enjoying the game. I’m trying to figure out whether this is normal campaign fatigue, burnout, or something else.