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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.

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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So my group tried out cyberpunk red, we're all big fans of the 2077 game and had some cool ideas that we wanted to try at the table.

But my players kinda bounced off of the system, there was just too much choice for them. Yeah yeah I know that sounds dumb but from their perspective: because the system let's you build a character however you want, they didn't know what to actually aim for and just felt lost at the lists of cyberware and weapons.

My Tech character ended up making pretty much nothing for the whole game because they were worried about spending their eddies and time making something big when what they Actually needed might change next session, like a kind of "I'll save all my potions because this next boss might be hard but then never use them BUT the next NEXT boss might be hard so I'll save them anyway"

so are there cyberpunk systems with a bit more rails for new players and a bit less emphasis on tracking minutia? classes, vocations, "wanna be a tank? buy these knife hands" kinda thing?

After rewatching cyberpunk: edgerunners, I'm considering playing a cyberpunk ttrpg. My only ttrpg experience so far is playing DnD. The ones I know of are Shadowrun, Cyberpunk RED, and Carbon 2185. I believe Shadowrun is the most popular, however I know that red is set in the same universe as edgerunners, but I also know that carbon uses dnds system so it might make it easier for me to learn. What are the pros and cons of each and are there any other cyoerpunk ttrpgs I should consider?

I've played D&D 5e mostly as a player, and I recently started DMing for my son. We're using the 2024 rules and running Lost Mine of Phandelver along with a few free published adventures. My son chose a Paladin (Oath of Devotion), and I play an Evoker Wizard as a GMPC.

Here's something that surprised me. I've also run some OSE (Old-School Essentials), and I assumed a rules-light, imagination-driven game would be easier to run for a kid. It turned out to be the opposite. With 5e, having clear rules, DCs, and structure gives me something to lean on, and it's much easier to keep the game moving. In OSE, I felt like I had to invent and adjudicate everything on the fly. And it seems like he felt the same.

My biggest struggle now is 'scene description'. Since I've spent most of my time on the player side, I'm not used to being the one who paints the picture. When I read the boxed text, it feels flat. When I improvise, I either say too little or ramble. I want my son to feel like he's actually *in* the cave, the ruined fort, or the forest road, but I don't know how to bridge the gap between "reading what's on the page" and "bringing the scene to life."

A few things I'd love input on:

1. How do you structure a scene description so it's vivid but doesn't drag? Do you have a go-to formula (e.g., one sensory detail plus one hook)?
2. How much do you rely on boxed text versus your own words when running published modules?
3. Any tips for a DM who is better at rules than at storytelling? Are there exercises or habits that helped you improve?
4. To be honest, I dont like the GMPC, but my son really wants me to play alongside him. How do you handle a GMPC so that it supports the player without stealing the spotlight?

Thanks in advance. I'd really appreciate any advice.

I'm usually prepping a session per week, and I have my methods, but I'm curious what aspect of a session or campaign people start building. Is it a threat, an NPC, a set piece? All the above?

I'm not looking for something akin just in tone (the answer would prolly just be D&D) but something that also emulates the systems of the game as well.

I imagine something that would be d100 based with certain skills tied to specific attributes that increase upon use etc...

I was thinking maybe something like Call of Cthulu, but fantasy based?

not sure.

thoughts?

Welcome one and all to a post where we can freely discuss the games that we have released or the games that we are making. Stop on by and maybe you'll find your new favourite RPG!

A bunch of us make cool shit, but the Indie RPG space is crowded and it can often be difficult to get the word out about why people should try out your game. That's why every week we try to focus on a different mechanic or setting to see how new RPGs can solve decades old problems or put new spins on old greivances!

What hides in the vastness of space? Is there someone at the door, waiting to kill you? Or is there even deeper existential dread in the mundanity of everyday life? Whether cosmic or personal, future or past, come tell us how your game (or just any game you really like) tackles Horror!

Thank you... me, for the suggestion!

As per mod approval, comments here do not count against rule 7 - comment as much as you want, answer as many questions as you need and discuss to your hearts content!

All that I would ask is that anyone who comments about their own system takes the time to look at the minimum at one other game in the comments and ask a question or provide feedback. Lively discussions are what get people interested and what keep people engaged!

Last week was "Universal Systems" and we got some pretty interesting discussions going!

If you want to suggest a topic for future weeks, be sure to include "suggestion" in your comment so I can easily find it!

For example:

2 people decided to magic sorcerers, but one is a Pyromancer while the other is an Illusionist. Should the rules be treated the same or should there be very distinct rules for fire magic and illusion magic?

If all sorcerers use the same rules, what about a priest? An animist? A summoner? A scholar? A magitech inventor?

On one hand, if each character works with different rules, they more unique between themselves. A sorcerer could use them shelves as a battery to launch spells, while an animist draws energy from the world around, so a fire sorcerer could make a ball of fire underwater while a fire animist can't because there isn't fire nearby.

On the other, if everything has a unique rule for working, it could be a huge task for players, GMs and designers to make everything work without hiccups, specially in more rules-heavy games or more simulationist ones.

Edit:

To throw my hat in the ring, I think that in a base level mechanically, they should work the same way, specially if lore wise there is only one source of magic.

However, if the are more than one source, like Arcane & Divine, Light & Shadow, whatever, then the basic mechanics of spells should be the same, but each source of magic has different bonus ways of casting the same spell.

For example, everyone access to the Fireball spell can cast for say 5 mana points or whatever, but:

• An Animist can reduce its cost by absorbing fire around them

• A Sorcerer can spend extra material components to empower the spell

• A Priest of the God of Fire gains an extra effect that the Priest of the God of the Sea doesn't

• A Witch with a Demon Patron can empower the spell by sacrificing part of her life force to her Patron

So on and so forth.

The game is CMT. A Lucha Libre RPG. which is a free D6 system inspired by the likes of CAIN, Troika! and Lancer. Its tone is of magic realism and pulpy urban fantasy with a big dose of surreal Mexican horror and folklore. También hay una versión en español disponible.

The gist of it is that you play as a Luchador, a Mexican Pro Wrestler whose aim is to Level Up in the world by winning Main Events that you'll organize yourself. All your brains and brawn will go towards the horrific tasks of marketing, booking, and also contracting the Rivals you’ll face. And not only are there opponents to defeat, but an Audience to please, and you better please them, lest they ruin your nascent career in this bizarre world of monstrous showbiz.

When you Roll in CMT, each Result of 4 and above on a D6 counts as one Success, and these Successes are used to solve the roadblocks you'll face along the way, including Progress Clocks. Successes are also how you Hurt the Rivals and Satisfy the Audience in the ring, but not both at the same time, so a Luchador must always be choosing between survival and performance, and suffering either way. Obtaining advantages in the game means adding more Dice to your Roll, which means more potential Successes.

Furthermore, you can build your Luchador by adding various Moves to their Repertoire, such as "Grab", "Flex", "Horrify" or "Fly". These empower your Rolls and have special effects when the Dice land in the numbers where you have placed a Move. And here is where Player expression begins: do you want to put your Moves in high numbers so your good Rolls are even more potent? or will you put the Moves low so they are a cushion for your low Rolls? Who are you when you wear the Mask?

Wrestle Monsters the Media and the Masses for Free Here:

itch.io - DriveThruRPG - RPGTrader

No AI was used in the creation of this game.

This week's RPG is Ars Magica!

Have you played it? Have you run/GM'd it? How did it go?

What's your favourite memory from the game?

What's the best thing about the game?

What's the worst? How would you improve it?

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Last week was Barbarians of Lemuria. Join us again next week for Call of Cthulhu [7th Ed]!

Specifically whatever Denny’s is most local to you. If you do not have a local Denny’s, whatever low-budget late night place is near you.

There may or may not be fantasy races as customers in said Dennys.

If you have ways to expand on this concept, please share!

I had the chance to do some line editing on this and it's KILLER!

Really innovative and streamlined mechanics that work perfectly for a tactile game. I highly recommend checking it out for the art alone, but the game itself is also pretty awesome.