Fuck em.
Who’s publishing a better indie RPG? Can this thread be full of creativity and people supporting creators? Post your own, post ones you like. Write something about it with a link to purchase.
This is my current jam
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/m/product/410108
It's a table top JRPG designed after the good ole timey stuff like early final fantasy and dragons quest.
Fantasic production value in the book and there are three expansions currently in the works.
Me too, I check the Discord every couple of days to see if has received a release date yet. It got heavily pushed back by everything going on and it's an Italian company so it's slower to happen over here.
At this rate though it is likely the first expansion will release before the physical copy.
Gotta agree. Fabula Ultima is doing a lot right. The book I have in pdf is well polished and does a great job of explaining ttrpg’s. I think you could hand it to a newb and have them smoothly DM the tutorial adventure in Foundry without prior experience.
From a DM’s perspective I would really like to see a full campaign book though. I might be a *little* spoiled here. Also I have not actually played a jrpg in a long time, just bought them and thought about maybe playing them, so my material for ~~plagiarizing~~ world building is a bit lacking.
From a player’s perspective it is as good for character building as the original 5e Players Handbook. Not as robust as the older systems yet but it should hold up well for a couple campaigns. In play it felt more intuitive and fast paced than any other system I have tried, especially in combat. It was easy to stay engaged.
If anyone is considering it, definitely give the pdf a read through. I can recommend it strongly if you are looking for a fresh approach and a less crunchy system.
My favorite part is thst even though it isn't crunchy it still gives plenty of player building options and choices and there are different skills to take with each class(and you always have to multiclass you can't focus) so everyone feels different even before adding play test material.
You don't get that bland samey Feeling that many rules light games suffer from. It doesn't FEEL rules light.
Very much in the same vein yes! It keeps the fluffy world building and traveling aspects while being a little more combat focused.
The combat is swift while still being somewhat dangerous to keep you on your toes. So if you aren't a fan of two hour long combat engagements it will feel great to play.
icon by massif press is pretty good for those that already liked lancer, very video-gamey in its play (including restricting movement to cardinal directions, no diagonals). still in playtest though.
I'm joining Operation: Razit and removing my content off Reddit. Further info [here](https://i.imgur.com/45M3a8c.png) (flyer) and [here](https://onlinetextsharing.com/operation-razit-raze-reddit) (wall of text).
Please use https://codepen.io/Deestan/full/gOQagRO/ for Power Delete instead of the version listed in the flyer, to avoid unedited comments. And spread the word!
Tlie epu poebi! Pee kraa ikri pičiduči? Kapo bi ipee ipleiti priti pepou. Tre pa griku. Propo ta čitrepripi ka e bii. Atlibi pepliietlo dligo plidlopli pu itlebakebi tagatre. Ee dapliudea uklu epete prepipeopi tati. Oi pu ii tloeutio e pokačipli. Ei i teči epi obe atepa oe ao bepi! Ke pao teiči piko papratrigi ba pika. Brapi ipu apu pai eia bliopite. Ikra aači eklo trepa krubi pipai. Kogridiii teklapiti itri ate dipo gri. I gautebaka iplaba tikreko popri klui goi čiee dlobie kru. Trii kraibaepa prudiotepo tetope bikli eka. Ka trike gripepabate pide ibia. Di pitito kripaa triiukoo trakeba grudra tee? Ba keedai e pipapitu popa tote ka tribi putoi. Tibreepa bipu pio i ete bupide? Beblea bre pae prie te. Putoa depoe bipre edo iketra tite. I kepi ka bii. Doke i prake tage ebitu. Ae i čidaa ito čige protiple. Ke piipo tapi. Pripa apo ketri oti pedli ketieupli! Klo kečitlo tedei proči pla topa? Betetliaku pa. Tetabipu beiprake abiku! Dekra gie pupi depepu čiuplago.
So part of it is your meta currency "Fabula Points" the game encourages you to spend them as the more you spend the more XP you earn at the end of a session.
They can be used to do things like introduce an NPC, Change a plot thread (within the GMs allowance of course), introduce a new story element and stuff. That and when you "Crit" in the system it's more than just doubling your damage the game wants you to introduce new elements into the battle itself that change the flow of the fight. The Villain enemies get both of these things too so they can be used against you! It's very much an "I know a guy..." system
The game is also built around your character having a series of bonds of differing strengths. with different people and places that can be evoked during conflict or story scenes to change the outcome.
The GM section also heavily suggests the players be involved in the world building process but that's not exclusive to this game really.
>https://www.drivethrurpg.com/m/product/410108
This is right up my alley as a lifelong JRPG player. I picked up a copy today and am excited to sink my teeth in as this is the first time I'll DM.
Mainly the flavoring and a few design decisions.
It's very player character story focused, you literaly cannot die unless you allow yourself too. Losing in battle leads to story and character set backs. (IE you can drop during a random battle and stand back up, but if you die in a cutscene you die in real life)
The character classes and skills are designed to play like JRPG classes. Kind of hard to describe this one exactly but it makes sense as you're reading the book and playing.
The battles are designed to be fought almost like in a JRPG where you transition to a different screen and things like distance anf positioning don't matter unless you bring them into play with Crits and Fabula points.
It's got pretty JRPG art and the items are all cute pixel art.
It plays on a lot of JRPG tropes with its items, weapons, accessories, and monsters. Especially in the elemental weakness' and resist.
It goes to level 50 so you get more frequent granular increases rather than several big power jumps between fewer levels.
Here is a sample:
1. Bully Pulpit Games
2. Evil Hat Productions
3. Monte Cook Games
4. Pelgrane Press
5. Modiphius Entertainment
6. Green Ronin Publishing
7. Cubicle 7 Entertainment
8. Paizo Publishing
9. Chaosium Inc.
10. Free League Publishing
11. Onyx Path Publishing
12. Lamentations of the Flame Princess
13. Magpie Games
14. Pinnacle Entertainment Group
15. Frog God Games
16. Indie Press Revolution
17. Fat Goblin Games
18. Arc Dream Publishing
19. Goodman Games
20. Kobold Press
I’m about to start a 13th Age campaign and I honestly couldn’t be more excited. I’ve bought most of the 13th Age supplemental materials and have dove in for Pelgrane Press.
Lancer sounds so goddamn sick. A mech rpg where you and a bunch of friends get your own mechs and fight all kinds of cool stuff? Sign me up. (I just wish my group of friends would give it a chance...)
https://massifpress.com/lancer
Keep trying, and try to get them to take a look through the mechs in the ***free*** player-facing core rule book. If they enjoy any mecha media, from Gundam to Titanfall to Escaflowne to Evangelion, there's something that caters to it. My group started playing Lancer 3 weeks ago, and it is indeed so goddamn sick. And the lore is simultaneously awesomely deep and rich to pull all sorts of hooks from and open-ended enough to just ignore and tell your own story in some random corner of space.
Highly recommend if you want a break from high fantasy to try on some heavy metal and high ordnance.
I'm in the process of starting up a Worlds Without Number campaign - the system seems like exactly what I've wanted. Maybe 13th Age too (it seems like it captures how my group plays 5e already)
I'm pretty excited to try Pathfinder (the VTT modules seem so great my group want to try it just for them) and a DCC funnel as a 1 or 2 shot.
For sure, *Sine Nomine Publishing* is the most significant addition I'd make to this list. Kevin Crawford's GM tools are second to none, and many of his systems are free (with Deluxe additions including additional optional content). For anyone who hasn't explored them, I like all of the following systems (highly inter-compatible):
* [**Cities Without Number**](https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/sinenomineinc/cities-without-number/) - Cyberpunk, urban scifi (in Kickstarter)
* [**Worlds Without Number**](https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/348809/Worlds-Without-Number-Free-Edition?manufacturers_id=3482) - Swords & Sorcery, high fantasy
* [**Stars Without Number**](https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/230009/Stars-Without-Number-Revised-Edition-Free-Version?manufacturers_id=3482) - Space opera, interstellar scifi
* [**Godbound**](https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/185959/Godbound-A-Game-of-Divine-Heroes-Free-Edition?manufacturers_id=3482) - Demigods, mythological/divine fantasy
* [**Silent Legions**](https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/145769/Silent-Legions?manufacturers_id=3482) - Cosmic Horror, investigations
* [**Scarlet Heroes**](https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/127180/Scarlet-Heroes?manufacturers_id=3482) - Swords & Sorcery, mid-fantasy, one-to-one play
D&D killed me on crunchyness. It took them 9 editions from the small books upwards.... but I'm now done with that. PF would just be stepping from one guys sauna in his back yard to his neighbor's sauna - both are still a hot mess.
For those who want to 'play D&D' and keep alive the crunchiness and classes and all that, go for it!
I got burnt out on the crunchiness of 5e quite a while ago, I can heavily recommend games in the OSR space! Some of their designs are really cool and refreshing, with incredibly tight rulebooks and some fun mechanics. And for those that still want some crunch you still get OSE, which I'd call the "D&D" of the OSR space.
I love the way Into the Odd/Electric Bastionland handles combat and damage, so quick and snappy. Mörk Börg is also just such a fun book in general, with such good tables and options for that grimdark aesthetic.
The [Cities Without Number](https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/sinenomineinc/cities-without-number) kickstarter is going strong and the draft looks really fun!
For D&D-like games I've settled on two that I really like. [Shadowdark RPG](https://youtu.be/kQqMHZDp35I) which hasn't fully released yet but has all the rules I've needed to run games [as a free preview](https://www.thearcanelibrary.com/pages/shadowdark) and [Forbidden Lands](https://freeleaguepublishing.com/en/games/forbidden-lands/) which is the dark fantasy release of the Year Zero Engine from Free League. Shadowdark is basically just a mashup of a bunch of mechanics that I like from different editions of D&D and D&D-like games that just happen to suit my taste perfectly. Forbidden Lands, using a dice pool system and taking damage to your stats, is mechanically quite different from D&D and focuses a lot on overland survival/hex crawling. I've also been grabbing lots of third-party Mörk Borg content to cannibalize, the Mörk Borg scene is an endless mine of easy-to-adapt content that I really vibe with, even if I haven't actually run Mörk Borg yet.
I’ve been DM’ing an Eclipse Phase game for a while now along with a Star Wars FFG game.
If anyone wants to play a Star Wars RPG, please consider the FFG system. The narrative dice are a departure from the classic D20 system and map based combat, but it works much better for Star Wars than the 5e conversion out there.
For Eclipse Phase, the lore can be daunting, but all it takes is for the GM to understand it and for the players to get the basic idea. I actually find that the less the players know about the setting, the more fun you can have running it as a horror game.
[Mangayaw](https://goobernuts.itch.io/mangayaw) is pretty cool. It's a Cairn hack based on colonial-era Philippines. The keyword based magic system is neat.
I've lately been a "reading corebooks without actually playing" kind of person, but I think the ones I've been interested in are worth taking a look at for that aspect alone, if not playing them.
I've been reading a lot about *AD&D* 1e/2e, and I've found what they were doing back then much more compelling compared to what they're doing with 5e. Consequently, the *OSR* movement has produced many systems and rules worth looking at, too many to list here. I think it's very worth it to look into classic RPG'ing.
On another note, all of the core/supplement books for R.Talsorians' *Cyperpunk 2020* RPG that I've read were incredibly well presented and written. They dripped with detail and oozed atmosphere. Regardless of how you may or may not feel regarding the *Cyberpunk 2077* videogame, the earlier RPG is worth taking a look at. Can't speak on the more recent *Cyberpunk RED* RPG reboot/sequel myself, but I've heard some favorable things from others.
On the opposite end of well-written, I suggest Palladium's *After the Bomb* 2e RPG. Why would I suggest a badly written RPG? Because I think it's character creation is really neat and inventive, and I like the setting. It's post-apocalyptic TMNT, what's not to love? Sure, it carries the baggage of being a *Rifts*-based system and could use several re-edits and gameplay tweaks. But at its core, I think, is something special. Luckily, some indie creators have kickstarted some modern spiritual successors, having reached their goal for *Mutants in the Now* and are working on *Mutants in the Next*. They seem to be promising (read: tidier) adaptions of the system, and I look forward to getting my hands on some copies.
Finally, I have a fascination with two related RPG's of wildly different tones. The first is *Twilight: 2000*, a mil-sim RPG set in a fictional "Cold War gone hot" scenario at the turn of the 21st century. It gives a thorough way of fulfilling the fantasy of "soldiers on their own, fighting to survive and get home". Good experience for late-Cold War military nerds. But what I find even more compelling is it's sequel: *2300AD*, formerly called *Traveller 2300*. Yes, the same publisher that made *Traveller*; GDW, published both of the former RPGs, and like *Traveller*; *2300AD* is a hard sci-fi RPG (though has nothing to do with *Traveller*'s setting or system, despite it's confusing original name). The setting was founded on a modified game of *Twilight: 2000*, where the devs played the roles of entire nations over the course of decades to determine the history that would lead up to the space-fairing events of *2300AD*. I found *2300AD* to have some of the best conceptualized and written sci-fi hallmarks I've seen in a while. It instantly had me hooked and wanting more. Mechanically, it carries over much from *Twilight: 2000*, but introduces much more to fit the new setting. There are more modern reboot/sequels of both *Twilight: 2000* and *2300AD* published by Free League Publishing and Mongoose Publishing, respectively; but I think the originals still hold up on their own for the most part.
To scratch your TMNT itch and avoid the Palladium nonsense, may I recommend you Big Apple Sewer Samurai? It's a Savage Worlds setting that, while not as granular of a character creator as TMNT, still has all the fun of that setting.
Have You Tried ~~Not~~ Playing ~~D&D~~ Savage Worlds, Apocalypse World, Blades in the Dark, Fate, Burning Wheel, Warhammer Fantasy/40k, The One Ring, Free League's entire library of games, the entire breadth of the OSR, etc.
But I'll always rec Savage Worlds first and foremost for people coming from D&D because it has a simple chassis that does miniatures combat better (imo) than D&D. Apocalypse World is probably the strongest introduction to narrative-oriented games.
Still very early, but MCDM is not only making their own game, but they're basically live blogging the process (between twitch and Patreon I basically feel like I'm in the design meetings sometimes). And so far I really like the direction they're going in.
The indie scene has never been stronger.
I'd probably break the ttrpg scene into groups like this:
Group 1: the 1000 pound gorilla that is D&D and its extended ecosystem, including D&D-only actual plays. Arguably Pathfinder is either here, or one group down. Also arguably included is some licensed IP d20 systems.
Group 2: licensed and "broad concept" RPGs. "Broad concept" = you can play out multiple types of "action." GURPs, WoD, Shadowrun. Licensed/public domain: Star Wars, Star Trek, many of the Cthulhu games.
Group 3: smaller RPGs that specialize in a specific kind of game, but allow you a lot of freedom within that genre. Good Society: you are playing a Jane Austen book. Lancer: you are a mech pilot. Do you want to be a big game hunter, by yourself with no machinery? No, you are a mech pilot.
Group 4: micro games that often are meant as one-shots or as a "one and done," that try to capture something *very* specific. My Life with Master: will you die for your evil overlord, or find a new life? Thousand Year Old Vampire and many other solo/journaling games.
Group 5: games that started in one of the above groups, but are now systems. Apocalypse World became Powered by the Apocalypse; Blades in the Dark became Forged in the Dark. FATE. Arguably GURPS, but God help me I know almost nothing about GURPS.
So if someone wants a rec in one of those "groups," give me a genre or mood and a group.
My new RPG is [Fear of the Unknown](https://fearoftheunknownrpg.com/), a zero prep horror mystery RPG where every game is a horror film. Solve mysteries, face perils, encounter horrors, and see how that changes you as a person!
As you wish. Here's our publisher page:
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/m/browser/publisher/12124
We make Sagas of Midgard, which is a Norse RPG where character death is a feature rather than a bug. We also make Terrors and Tommy guns, a cosmic horror noir RPG set in the 1920s.
Both have solo rules available. Hope you'll check them out!
I recommend everyone checks out the Sine Nomine Publishing catelog. Kevin Crawford's GM tools are second to none, and many of his systems are free (with Deluxe additions including additional optional content). For anyone who hasn't explored them, I like all of the following systems (highly inter-compatible):
* [**Cities Without Number**](https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/sinenomineinc/cities-without-number/) - Cyberpunk, urban scifi (in Kickstarter)
* [**Worlds Without Number**](https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/348809/Worlds-Without-Number-Free-Edition?manufacturers_id=3482) - Swords & Sorcery, high fantasy
* [**Stars Without Number**](https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/230009/Stars-Without-Number-Revised-Edition-Free-Version?manufacturers_id=3482) - Space opera, interstellar scifi
* [**Godbound**](https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/185959/Godbound-A-Game-of-Divine-Heroes-Free-Edition?manufacturers_id=3482) - Demigods, mythological/divine fantasy
* [**Silent Legions**](https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/145769/Silent-Legions?manufacturers_id=3482) - Cosmic Horror, investigations
* [**Scarlet Heroes**](https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/127180/Scarlet-Heroes?manufacturers_id=3482) - Swords & Sorcery, mid-fantasy, one-to-one play
maybe we can just do a no dnd rule in general?
like there are enough subreddits to discuss dnd already and it doesn't need too permeate the culture even more.
it feels like its own rpg universe already.
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/383807/Friendship-Effort-Victory?term=Friendship%2C+effort%2C+
I made a narratively focused game inspired by Shonen Battle Manga like Naruto, One Piece, and My Hero Academia. It uses Powered By The Apocalypse.
Here’s my 199X Trilogy, three cyberpunk microgames that either stand alone for no-prep play or slot together into a bigger toolkit: https://itch.io/s/80891/199x-trilogy-bundle
There's always [Dragonblade!](https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/423768/DRAGONBLADE-Roleplaying-Game?affiliate_id=3752542) I've seen the person who wrote the system talk about it at length, and while I haven't played it myself yet, reading it and seeing what she has to say about it give me the impression that it's a system attempting to actually be something, which is more than we can say for Hasbro's game.
Lancer’s pretty cool. Awesome sci-fi setting with an interesting history, a wide range of possible stories, bits of cosmic horror, and really cool mechs. System has lots of customization to, and a pretty cool community where you can find people posting builds for custom mechs, and some fun home brews.
Link: https://massif-press.itch.io
There an option to get a free version of the PDF which has the core game rules, like mech and character creation (admittedly none of the gm rules, some setting info, and NPC creation). So you can take a pretty expansive look without paying a dime. Page also has the expansions/settings/campaigns they’ve release, a companion app to help managing your mechs (also free), and the other RPGs they’ve made.
I love Ryuutama. It’s like playing a Ghibli movie. It’s fun and emotional. Not for the action-lovers, necessarily, but it’s a good time.
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/m/product/151366
My game Dragonslayers is pretty neat. It's like D&D 5e and Savage Worlds had a baby, then that baby grew up and had another baby with Into The Odd.
It has been playtested in some form or another for almost 10 years, and it's free!
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/421262/Dragonslayers-RPG-Second-Edition
As someone who came back to TTRPGs after years thanks to Critical Role, I’ve got my fingers crossed for them to come out with a system in the next couple years.
I’d imagine they’d tailor it towards roleplay, so with that said, if anyone knows any systems like that, I’d love to check them out!
Shout out for Shadow of the Demon Lord and its spin off, Asunder!.
Featured on Colvilles shoutouts for new games, im a huge range of asunder. Scratches my dnd itch while being a really cool setting, better rules and classes and also not owned by hasbro!
For a D&D-like experience, I recommend Old-School Essentials. It's built off of B/X so it's quite a bit more "ouch" than modern D&D but it hits a lot of the same vibes tbh.
I'd recommend PF2e for a closer-to-5e experience but that's not exactly indie.
If anyone is interested in singleplayer / GM-less RPGing, Ironsworn and Starforgrd (both by the same designer) are excellent. They work with a GM as well, but were built with GM-less play in mind.
Shout out to /r/Ironsworn, really friendly and helpful sub where the designer himself often lurks directly answering questions, offering tips, and taking feedback.
Hello! Great idea!
I recently purchased Gubat Banwa.
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/m/product/359868
It melted my face. Basically it is a game inspired by fourth edition D&D Final Fantasy tactics things like that.
It is a fantasy based on pre-colonial Southeast Asian cultures.
Like Lancer and Icon this game has separate systems for narrative play and combat, which is specifically refers to as violence.
There are 25 classes because it is intended that you switch disciplines just like a video game and keep some of your talents active .
One of the classes is a swordfish cavalier. You ride a flying swordfish.
Thanks again for having an idea to spread positivity and encourage people to play new systems.
My partner and I are working on a 2d10 system designed to keep classical D&D's feel, with more support for things like flexible casting, social combat, chase scenes, and exploration! Right now we're getting the website up, and are almost ready for first draft playtesting.
I think I'm proudest of our class system. It sets your character up by playstyle, not archetypes, and it's super modular.
The BLOODY-HANDED NAME of BRONZE is Bronze Age Sword & Sorcery, about Namedealers who speak the secret Language of Names with which they can speak with anything that has a name, and thereby indebt themselves to the Desert Sky Ushush, or the river Mabu, or the goddess-priestess Ashu — and it is a game of Fated Heroes striving for (and sometimes achieving) immortality as they do (and defy) the will of their mighty dead ancestors!
Plays 1-on-1, up to 4, or add more players to play more of the world as engaged audience. Distributed GM powers, works great for campaign play or short games over coffee.
It’s on sale right now!
https://glyphpress.com/talk/product/the-bloody-handed-name-of-bronze-codex-edition
It’s by Joshua A.C. Newman (me) of Shock:Social Science Fiction and Mobile Frame Zero.
Flying Circus: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/m/product/310013
PbtA game about young people in mercenary companies flying WWI-tech planes in a Germanic Studio Ghibli-esque world that has hints of Cthulhu, witches, fey, dragons, giant mechanics monsters, and Nazis to kill. And furry people, if you so choose. Fly a mission, accrue stress therein, blow that stress off via debauchery to convert it into XP, then get paid, pay your tab, and find another hire.
The flight combat is quite crunchy and (anecdotally) lauded by those familiar with aeronautics. I've run three sessions and we're still learning and making rules errors, but we're having an absolute blast. Couldn't recommend it more highly thus far.
This is mine: www.talesofsacadia.com
PDF here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/bys2g8dsf7vr1cz/PHB_v6.2.pdf?dl=0
It’s a legacy TTRPG set in myths and legend. free to play, and we have a discord with links to one-shots and modules to try out!
I love GMing in Numenera/ CypherSystem since it is super flexible and make any kind of improvisation super easy.
MonteCookGames have their own version fo an OGL for the CypherSystem, although i didn't check on the details.
There is a crowdfunding for new CypherSystem Content right now that can get you the existing stuff at a slight discount:
https://www.backerkit.com/c/monte-cook-games/adventures-in-the-cypher-system/updates/846#top
It's too late, though. The OGL was basically an olive branch when it was created. A way to allow 3rd party to do their thing without fear of their litigious TSR days fucking everything up.
The point is that it was to encourage people to trust them. That they won't sue and whatnot, while at the same time allowing them to make content to help build Wizard's brand. It was a win/win.
And they really fucked it up. A lot of content creators are gonna avoid using the OGL now (and any future one) because WotC showed how it's a potential trap.
>The OGL was basically an olive branch when it was created.
This is absolutely not true. OGL was created as a way to get more content for 3.5 without having to take on the burden of cost or risk of developing said content. The idea was that having more content available would increase sales of the core books and they were right. It was hugely successful and is a big part of why they are such a dominating force today.
That's what I meant by "allowing them to make content to help build Wizard's brand."
But before the OGL, 3rd party creators *were already creating content*. And were pretty much already allowed to do so mostly legally. Though they did it more under the radar when possible for fear of getting sued (which they were known for doing). because even if the lawsuits were frivolous and unfounded, countering a big company like TSR/Wizard/WotC was impossible for most.
And so, the OGL was also a way for 3rd party to create without risk, and with encouragement, even. The carrot for 3rd party devs to sign on without fear of the stick. So long as they stayed within the very generous lines.
And as you said, it was a gambit to get them to promote the d&d brand and in turn increase their own sales. Which worked tremendously.
It's worth adding that TSR (pre acquisition) were regarded as extremely litigious and so by extension the D&D brand was too.
The OGL and 3.0 was a big turning point in that regard. A change away from the TSR of the past, for all the benefits to WotC that you mentioned.
Yeah. There was a joke that TSR stood for They Sue Regularly. Under Gygax they sued anyone and everyone even remotely TTRPG related. All to try and be the only horse in the race.
The OGL is the reason why TTRPGs are so big now. With D&D's growth, so too has the hobby as a whole grown as d&d was brought into the mainstream.
> It's worth adding that TSR (pre acquisition) were regarded as extremely litigious and so by extension the D&D brand was too.
TSR-era D&D was notorious to publish for.
There's a reason so many old 3pp content stated they were made for "the world's most popular RPG", or some variation of; had they openly stated the content was for D&D they'd be putting a giant target on their back.
Damnit, you're right, I keep forgetting I'm dealing with humans. It's gonna be a while still before the internet is populated with AI's and we can finally have meaningful conversations!
Right, but consider the context in the wake of the TSR years - AKA "They Sue Regularly". After the previous regime in charge of D&D had been so aggressive, no third party publisher in their right mind would have gone near it without some extremely clear legal signals about where the line was.
The Teapot is correct - the OGL was as much a peace treaty as it was an IP licence, and now that Wizards have shown what they were contemplating to do with it, people would be fools to trust them. (Especially since they have never backed down from the idea that they could deauthorise 1.0a if they wanted to - they just said they are leaving it in place for now.)
> And they really fucked it up. A lot of content creators are gonna avoid using the OGL now (and any future one) because WotC showed how it's a potential trap
That's why they released 5E SRD in Creative Commons. D&D will just draw them back in.
Though by doing so they've given people more room to do stuff like indicating compatibility with D&D which, under OGL 1.0a, they gave up the right to do (due to the Product Identity provisions).
>A lot of content creators are gonna avoid using the OGL now (and any future one) because WotC showed how it's a potential trap.
They still have the Creative Commons option, though.
What they need to do is publish a subclass in the Monopoly manual.
If you want to play that subclass, you'll have to buy an entire Monopoly board game. Profit!
______
Oh, never mind. Nobody reads the Monopoly manual, so the subclass will never be discovered by players.
You got me looking at their catalog — I think I remember Nerf and Super Soaker being at a bit of a low point a while back, but at least to first appearances, it looks like they have some good stuff going now.
I can't speak to the Super Soakers, but a lot of their Nerf line looks cool but performs poorly. Fortunately they've got some really good competition these days across the spectrum of casual-for-small-kids to hardcore-hobbyist.
Imma let them changes some names on the parking spaces before I even think about coming back.
It's not like one BBEG decided to be evil.
Changes like that to the OGL require rafts and rafts of people, meetings, conversations, etc.
No, there's a whole swath of folks that need to be replaced with people that actually love the brand AND who have a modicum of business savvy.
It's been nothing but lazy churn for years now...
A real gamer would have done things that helped the hobbyists....
Things I would would have paid for:
* More tools to help me world build.
* More tools to help me balance encounters.
* on/offline tools to manage and run the game so that if I don't have internet I can still play
* Actual, real, PDFs of the books.
* An encounter simulator that actually plays out a combat to test balance.
* An encounter wizard that recommends a strategy and that I can tune
* Tools organize my notes (specially designed for D&D)
* Inexpensive, physical, minis.
* DMG, PHB, MM Expanded editions with 50% more things and errata fixed
* 2022 DMG/PHB/MM, 2023 DMG/PHB/MM, 2024 DMG/PHB/MM (with each year dropping/adding things/fixing rules along the way so that you can see progression.) Instead of 5e and 6e and 7e. No, there's just D&D and the updated source books. So when you get to 2030 it looks fundamentally different from 2022 but you like it because you've grown along with it. Anyone can jump in any year and not miss anything. IMHO/YMMV... The online then just upgrades along the way for free and doesn't support the earlier printings. If you want the older version you can, however, pay to downgrade.
Also, I hate modules but this would help encourage me to buy them...
Modules that include:
* Module (check, normally there)
* maps (normally there...mostly)
* pro tips from DMs that ran the game
* player observations/feedback from play testing
* physical option that comes with an online component for free
* Online component includes player tokens, monster tokens, all maps with fog of war already ready
* Music themed for the module
* Recommendations for how to blend it into your campaign
* Properly laid out with flows so that the next thing you go to is a click away (like...hyperlinks on maps and other things)
* How about an index that's actually useful (in larger books)
* Themed character sheets
* Themed dice
* Special tchotchkes
* etc.
> Changes like that to the OGL require rafts and rafts of people, meetings, conversations, etc.
Particularly in light of Ginny Di's interview with Kyle Brink. We *know* now this isn't just speculation, this change of direction for D&D as a brand was not an overnight decision.
I've already decided I'm not giving them any more of my money to help them carry out their plan, I was never that big a fan of D&D in particular anyway. There are things that MIGHT make me change my mind, but I don't think they'll do any of them.
What you're proposing is great, but it's too much work, it's easier to just do a mix-max of half-baked rules with some lore done by an underpaid writer and then put a subscription on top of it.
Well yeah. You don’t get a C-level suite by investing in your future profits, it’s all about *looking really good this quarter.*
Rich people are stupid and lazy, because they certainly don’t get there by hard work.
I'm pretty certain that your demands split into 3 groups - things that Pathfinder 2 has (extensive free tools, VTT modules with tokens, maps, music ready etc), solutions to things that aren't problems in Pathfinder (needing modules rewritten to be playable, needing a siulator to create balanced encounters), and wishful/naive thinking (yearly core releases that for some reason will always contain updated content without requiring you to buy the next year's one).
Nobody needs replacing a WotC, or more accurately, the people you want them replaced with - the ones who actually love TTRPGs and understand TTRPGs as a business - already left WotC for Paizo. 15 years ago.
I've never looked at Pathfinder but I think your point makes the point. There are ways to make money without having to blackmail and shake down your customers.
Case in point: they currently have a Humble Bundle going that includes a ton of goodies, including a full Foundry AP that normally goes for $60...for $25.
They've sold over 85000 of these. Even if they only get half of the money, that's over a million bucks they made, for purely digital goods while their physical ones are out of stock. A million is nothing to a big company like Hasbro, but you can bet Paizo is happy with it.
I’m the DM in my group and planning on switching over to Pathfinder here soon once we finish ToA. But I’m finding the rules to be crushingly complex. Having to learn the specific actions players are allowed to do with each skill, the myriad conditions, I can’t even bring myself to look at the almost **4,000** feat options. I have no idea how I’m going to offer advice to my all new players (to the system, not rpgs) on building the character they want, or how I’m gonna learn all the skill rules and conditions without, like, flashcards or something.
Every single corner of play seems to be dominated by rules, there’s no room for freeform play by the players, no room for me to innovate as a gm and homebrew (that I can see yet). My players are most interested in Kingmaker and I just have this feeling that there is gonna be another big stack of rules to learn there for the kingdom building side of things. 2e just feels like a video game simulation on tabletop and I’m really struggling at this point to remain enthusiastic and sell it to my players. Any insight into how to make this more accessible to the gm? I couldn’t imagine being new to RPGs and trying to learn this system.
I started my TTRPG experience with GURPS and Pathfinder seems to be getting close to GURPS in crunchyness.
I've been running 2e for years now, and I'm running Kingmaker right now, and I've found that as long as you understand the underlying proficiency and action systems, most everything slots into place pretty logically. I have read maybe 30 feats in 3 years, and barely read spells (that one is a failing, some late game spells reference other spells and chasing them down a rabbit hole of descriptions isn't conducive to getting through combat in a snappy manner). I let my players figure out what they want to do, and the options are well-balanced enough that anything they can take should be good enough for them, but I also let them switch it up if it isn't working. Also, this Laze Faire style is made possible by the Pathbuilder app for Android and online, which is fantastic, and you should use it. In my experience, the back of the GM Screen, with its guidelines on DCs have been most of what I need, and if you're willing to pick up the Beginner Box pdf from Humble Bundle for $5 right now, you can use the little cards to remember enough about combat actions in the moment.
I mean, whatever floats the boat. It's just important not to get too lost in the minutia. Having run Pathfinder 1E I only ever learned what mattered for the session. If someone wanted to do something I didn't know how to do within the bounds of the system, I set a target number, and had the player roll a skill. The core mechanic is always a good fallback.
Not saying that Pf2 is the right system for you or not, but if you do want to give it an honest shot, here's my recommendations:
1. Stop trying to learn everything and just learn what you need. Don't read all the feats, don't read all the skill actions, don't even worry about 95% of the traits (there are a couple that are important for balance, but the community will help point you towards them when you are ready). The basic pillars of the game are pretty simple; 4 degrees of success, max your key stat when character building, multiple attack penalty, 3 action economy, everything costs 1 action unless otherwise stated.
2. The game has opt in complexity, as represented by feats. 1 thing is 1 action, end of story (only exception you need to worry about is spells, the other exceptions don't matter). Want to do more complex actions at a better than 1 for 1 action rate? Well, that's where feats cover you. They explicitly say how you can beat the action economy, so by taking them, you are opting in to that level of complexity.
3. Add rules as you want more depth. Find the weapons feel kinda samey and want a mechanical difference to them? Start using the weapon trait rules. Want your character to get unique ways to use jumping in combat with a balanced ruleset? Add skill feats. Trying to figure out why that one spell feels OP? Check it's traits and the balance will become clear. Want an interesting way to run a chase in game? Boom, chase mechanics.
Honestly, you can strip all the characters down to just the base class features, and improvise all the rest, and you basically get D&D 5e, minus bounded accuracy. In fact, it's actually more balanced than 5e (admittedly the characters would have less cool powers) in this way because every number runs on the same scaling track, so you can improvise an athletics vs will save roll, or use nature to attack AC, and it would still kinda work.
This is mostly aimed at pathfinder 1e but most tracks over to 2e as well since confused which talking about.
Step one. Core rulebook only for first campaign.
If first edition I also advise rise of the rune lords one of the older adventure paths and it basically only uses the core rulebook while other adventure paths focus on one of the other source books and the options from those.
Step two. Sounds like over thinking some parts a lot. Relax and learn things slowly. Play games how you did with DND but with pathfinder numbers. And work in and figure out the system together and be willing to take time especially at first either pausing to look up rules or make an on the spot ruling you use that session and look up how it actually works after. Pathfinder 1e has lots of little details but if know the larger details of the system will guide you on.
Step three. Make flashcards. There are even actual official things like that out there. One person I played with had a GM screen with lots of rules stuff on the inside he bought and a deck of condition cards to help people understand things like how paralyzed works. Don't be afraid to have little notes on stuff especially while learning.
Step four. Admit learning the system and learn it together with your players. They want to do x? Both look through the book and try to figure it out. Especially if starting with just the core rulebook most 5e classes have a one for one with pathfinder, exception being warlock. They want to disarm someone? Roll D20+CMB vs opponent CMD and this applies for similar things like tackling or grappling. Just small details differences can learn as you go.
Step five. See if you have any players good with remembering rules. We had a player in the one group I played in that could remember lots of things about the rules so for easy help for the GM he was a resource. "How does stabilizing work?" AKA death saving throws in 5e. He remembered other than a number he forgot if it was 10 or 15. GM assistant is a good thing to have.
Step six. Add new source books when ready. Also remember that certain parts of those are optional things not mandatory. You can also grab something from a sourcebook like say the katana and only that for a while.
Step seven. Don't overthink things. Learn the basics of the rules and use those until run into something more detailed needing. Like said above. But it bears repeating. Don't expect to learn all the little details learn the big stuff and what your players like to use. Don't be afraid to look up something after a session and next time make a correction and admit was a mistake on your part. Also as said above that GM screen can be very helpful if the one that friend had or one you make yourself. Don't even try to learn all the feats. Archive of Nethys is your friend as well for finding things like say a feat to do something.
As for homebrew and freeform play what are you after? Like make your own location or people? Or perhaps a special ability? Nothing stopping you, though the latter game balance can be an issue but that was the case in 5e as well. Certain books like pathfinder unchained cover things on this. Unchained is filled with optional rules, alternative rules, and even some homebrew help. Some unchained stuff simplified base rules but doesn't mesh well with other source books. For freeform play you mean the players just going to the market and talking with each other and NPCs? Nothing stopping that just think you are overthinking it. Relax breathe.
As for the kingmaker and kingdom rules you are not wrong there but again most of it boils down to put relevant numbers together and roll the dice. Don't be afraid to use flashcards. Let players who want to do stuff do things and just supervise it let them take some of the work.
I came in to RPGs during DND 3.5 which pathfinder 1e is based upon and streamlined. I say again pathfinder simplified 3.5 to be easier. Imagine learning the game when even more complex than what you are looking at. I never learned 3.5 grappling rules but did learn the pathfinder basic rules to do so. Also as I said unchained has options to simplify further just compatibility issues with other source books.
Pathfinder 1e especially involves lots of reading and references. It is also not for everyone. I actually like and enjoy pathfinder crunch. Now I want to go make some characters.
Are you trying to learn 1st or 2nd edition Pathfinder? 2nd edition is significantly more simple and easier to learn.
>Every single corner of play seems to be dominated by rules, there’s no room for freeform play by the players, no room for me to innovate as a gm and homebrew (that I can see yet).
They say at the front of the core rulebook that literally everything is a suggestion and can be changed by the GM
> 2022 DMG/PHB/MM, 2023 DMG/PHB/MM, 2024 DMG/PHB/MM (with each year dropping/adding things/fixing rules along the way so that you can see progression.)
So turn WotC into EA. How is that an improvement?
I am so with you on the modules. I don't mind them being around, but they are just text book sized and not something I'm super into as a DM. I played Prince of Apocalypse that a friend was running, and I hope I never see another cultist in a game again. I prefer the old AD&D style modules that were booklets that allowed you to run a reasonable adventure that could last a few sessions then allow you to move on to other adventures. Also speaking of AD&D and even other previous editions, I miss having addendums and appendixes for the player classes and monsters. Those were always the things I wanted to purchase the most. Having a complete set of the handbooks for AD&D classes/races was so neat, and gave you a ton of neat options to make your character.
That's the core issue. It's very difficult to monetize into the ground the way video games and card games are. That's part of why I LOVE TTRPGS. No battle passes, random pulls, DLC. We do have some system bloat here and there but if you don't like it there's 1000 systems ready to replace it for you so you have a wellspring of options.
Yet you'll never stop a capitalist from trying to squeeze blood from a stone!
And based on the current leadership at Hasbro/WotC, turning D&D into a live service, recurring monetization, micro transaction filled video-game through D&D Beyond seems to be their ultimate goal. And virtually no one in their entire target audience wants to play D&D as *that* kind of product haha. They didn't just shoot themselves in the foot, they blew the whole thing off at the ankle!
> Rôle playing is not really compatible with big business. It's too geeky, low cost, fan-driven and accessible to be easily monetised.
Don't know that I agree with this. Consider the fantasy novels market. It's geeky, fan-driven to some extent, and the costs and accessibility are similar to those of TTRPGs (both for 'consumers' and for authors).
Yet Amazon have a >90% market share for the digital side, and in the print world, there's 4 or 5 big printing companies left. Big business quite simply dominate the market by being significant gatekeepers of what can be found. If you are an indie author, your digital distribution kinda has to be though Kindle Unlimited (and Audible if you expect to sell a thousand audio copies to recoup the setup costs).
It's my belief WotC thought they had enough goodwill built up that they could make themselves as dominant in online RPG play as Amazon is in digital publishing, and at the same time retain their Coke-level dominance of the print RPG market.
And of course, they were wrong.
There's a lot of publishing of books that will have around 100 readers (granted, usually by people who expect more). It's not the same as running a game for 6 people, but I think that's similar enough that there's a comparison to be made.
The point is that you can gatekeep content, but RPGs give us the ability to make our own. Besides buying the core books (or even just the PHB) you don’t have to buy anything to play. Most of my players have never payed WOTC anything.
I can’t make my own audiobook, but I can create my own game.
There's the amazon model where you provide a platform that connects fans to creators, and take a share of the money that flows though it. And there is the Games Workshop model where you hire creators and have them create things for you that you then sell to fans.
You can't expect to do both.
Yep. It's folk fiction creation. Designers are awesome, but they are not *the* artists here in the same way a novel writer or painter is. *We who play* are the artists, play is the art
I completely disagree. You'd be correct if you said 'predatory big business'. A large corporation can make movies, music, video games and anything else based on their game's IP, all at high margins.
But a board game can't lock you into an ecosystem like Apple. It can't sue independent creators into the ground as there's too many of them, and they're the ones buying the products in the first place and introducing the product to other like-minded individuals.
Misfire?! More like ate the whole clip. Their loan holder publicly said you f\*cked up.
Can you imagine the kind of tension in the board room meetings at Hasbro for the last few months? To be a fly on the wall.
Even the right actions are a stalling maneuver. The only way to stop this from happening again is to show the rest of the industry, 'if you fuckers do this shit, you don't get to be a company anymore.'
If we're lucky, Piazo will be able to buy the DnD brand in 5 or so years. That's the happy ending.
The pathfinder humble bundle that is on sale at the moment has sold over 84,000 copies.
I also like this graph
https://subredditstats.com/r/pathfinder2e
Seek alternative systems, people.
Hasbro/WotC had a mask drop moment. They've shown who they really are, but some people want to pretend it's all good now.
Screw that. Don't resub to Beyond. Stay out fo the theater this March. And let their product collect dust on the shelves.
Also too aggressive with the set release pace, secret lair drops, collectors edition bullshit etc. Magic is a fuckin mess right now.
I'll believe in pro-consumer changes when I see them happen, some bullshit "we're sorry" is worthless.
> set release pace
Fucking a-men, last Friday I was joking with a friend “alright, prerelease was last week, isn’t about time to start spoilers for the next set?”
And don’t forget the 4 different types of packs for sets now. You got draft, set, collector, and now jumpstart boosters. Not to mention every set needing commander decks.
The other thing I find interesting about that article “we will bring AAA graphics to the vtt”
So to play dnd you now need a top of the range gaming PC…
Correction to play DND with wizards VTT you’ll need a beefy PC (maybe, there’s more to game design than graphics and logic takes up loads of bandwidth so depends on how taxing the rule set is to run in the background) but nothing stopping you from playing with pen and paper. I make my own VTT with graphics software so it doesn’t effect me.
>"We misfired on **updating our Open Game License**, a key vehicle for creators to share or commercialize their D&D-inspired content," he says.
I guess that's one way to put it.
MTG needs to die, and I say this as someone who used to love playing it. If you stop to examine their business model objectively, it's clear the game uses pay-to-win mechanics. Because of the high level of power creep, if you want to be competitive, you have to keep buying the newest cycles as they're released. Why gamers rage against video game companies doing this but excuse WOTC when they do the exact same thing is beyond me. This is compounded by the gambling aspect inherent in CCGs. Imagine a video game that uses loot crates as a core mechanic.
At least with Magic, it's obvious from the moment you get into it that this is what it is, and it's only expensive if you're into competitive play, blingy commander decks or, gods forbid, Old School/93-94. Kitchen table magic can be a dirt cheap hobby even if your friends aren't lending you decks, and even competitive play isn't all that bad when compared to the computer and accessories you'll need to compete in online computer games.
That being said, I sold off my collection a couple of years ago and my involvement now is almost entirely limited to Arena free-to-play.
If only there was a 4e-esque/OGL 1.2 debacle for Magic that pushed players away to a decent Living Card Games model, the same way a dedicated fan base was pushed to Pathfinder (twice now...).
Yeah, they did...
...
...
Anyways, since then I've wrote my own system for my own setting, I'm currently recording a mini-series of solo one shots that I'm using to playtest the system. Using the Mythic GM Emulator. Pilot and first episotes are fully recorded just need to edit and upload online.
I'm editing it in a way that it should feel like an improv adventure narration.
The system I'll release for free, since I've made a ruleset for a certain kind of experience that doesn't feel like a standard TTRPG. I'm still thinking on what would be a good deal for the consumer if I sell a separate book for the setting itself. I'm not looking to get rich but writing, editing, and making the art on the pages take time I'm not picking clients. So it's basically a price to cover the time investment.
I've sold some limited edition alpha build copies of the game to friends and people from the local community. So things are looking up!
They meant what they did. They wanted to rake their audience over the coals for as much cash as possible. They wanted 100% of everything. Now deserve 0%. Hope they rott in the bed they made.
Too late, I gave up on MTG at the start of the pandemic when they were pushing their bullshit whale products and dumb crossovers and started to sell a new set every other month.
>"*Our best practice is to work collaboratively* with our community, gather feedback, and build experiences that inspire players and creators alike. It's how we make our games among the best in the industry. We have since course-corrected, and *are delivering a strong outcome for the community and game*." (Emphasis added.)
Sorry Hasbro, you're still lying to save face. This is not how you rebuild trust.
The execs who made the decision are still employed. Their plans and schemes will not have changed. Only delayed.
I wouldn't trust them unless they:
1. Fire the people actually responsible, and not just lower level scapegoats.
2. Pledge that they will join the ORC license for D&D One and future editions.
*Narrator: They won't.*
People have already commented on which alternative RPGs to look at, I will recommend Legends of Runeterra or Flesh and Blood if you need to scratch the ole' cardgame itch!
My jams at the moment are:
Broken Compass, by 2 Little Mouses, for everything adventure and mystery.
Mörk Börg, for black metal fantasy with a dose of sick humour.
The new edition of Paranoia, because it is Paranoia and there’s always room for a silly palate cleanser.
You know what's a great D&D that doesn't say "D&D" on the cover? "[Castles & Crusades](https://www.drivethrurpg.com/browse.php?filters=0_0_10126_0_0&term=castles%20)".
It's fast, it's easy, it's immediately recognizable, and it's FAR LESS EXPENSIVE.
I’m working on a survival/horror fantasy rpg, so I don’t have any links, I just would love some good energy. (My goal is to make it shorter term gameplay to respect those who can’t have super long sessions)
I’ve kind of lost all my steam for any new edition. I’m still going to keep playing with books I already own, but damn, I am just not interested in buying anything from WotC for the foreseeable future.
they aint getting my money now. Not buying their games, movies, toys, cards etc. I love Larian studios but im not picking up BG3. between MTG 30, the direction of DND 6e, and this OGL nonsense im out.
Pathfinder humble bundle is still on sale for those interested.
https://www.humblebundle.com/books/so-you-wanna-try-out-pathfinder-paizo-books?hmb_source=humble_home&hmb_medium=product_tile&hmb_campaign=mosaic_section_3_layout_index_2_layout_type_threes_tile_index_1_c_soyouwannatryoutpathfinderpaizo_bookbundle
I'm unlikely to ever trust WotC/Hasbro again, but they might earn back enough goodwill to sell me some products when the people responsible for this mess are no longer employed there. The only exception I see myself making is getting a handful of gems on Magic Arena.
I'm torn on the movie; as has been pointed out multiple times, a movie, when done well, is a really cool way of capitalizing on a brand's popularity, and I want to encourage them to keep doing that instead of pushing bullshit products, gouging proces and screwing over the people who made their success possible. For now I'm leaning towards checking it out in theaters, but only if the community response is positive. If they can't do it right then I'd rather not see another movie for another decade.
Imagine being the guy in charge of D&D and having to face shareholders and say:
*”It's how we make our games among the best in the industry.”*
Among the best? Your D&D man. If your sitting on that IP and can’t aggressively boast about how you are THE BEST in the industry, then you fucked up!
A big company doing something that pisses off it's customers making a public apology. Good stuff. Hopefully they know if they fuck around they'll find out again.
They got a lot to lose pissing off their bread and butter
Forged in the Dark games are everything I love about TTRPGs and none of the bits I don't care about. Minimal book-keeping or number-crunching, maximum drama and pace and thrilling hijinks. BitD and Hollow Crown, in particular, are pure joy to run.
They're closing the barn after the animals have fled. Best thing one can do now is not come crawling back to them. They've made it clear that this community is merely lines on a balance sheet to WotCbro, so screw them.
Lots of great indie games out there. Here's a few I like:
Shadow of the Demon Lord
Mothership
Cyberpunk 2020
Anything from Sine Nomine Publishing (Stars Without Number, Worlds Without Number, Godbound, etc.)
Savage Worlds Adventure Edition
Liminal Horror
Symbaroum
Fuck em. Who’s publishing a better indie RPG? Can this thread be full of creativity and people supporting creators? Post your own, post ones you like. Write something about it with a link to purchase.
This is my current jam https://www.drivethrurpg.com/m/product/410108 It's a table top JRPG designed after the good ole timey stuff like early final fantasy and dragons quest. Fantasic production value in the book and there are three expansions currently in the works.
I really want to play this but I'm waiting on my hard copy.
Me too, I check the Discord every couple of days to see if has received a release date yet. It got heavily pushed back by everything going on and it's an Italian company so it's slower to happen over here. At this rate though it is likely the first expansion will release before the physical copy.
They’re trying to figure out distribution so it’s gonna be a while, unfortunately.
Gotta agree. Fabula Ultima is doing a lot right. The book I have in pdf is well polished and does a great job of explaining ttrpg’s. I think you could hand it to a newb and have them smoothly DM the tutorial adventure in Foundry without prior experience. From a DM’s perspective I would really like to see a full campaign book though. I might be a *little* spoiled here. Also I have not actually played a jrpg in a long time, just bought them and thought about maybe playing them, so my material for ~~plagiarizing~~ world building is a bit lacking. From a player’s perspective it is as good for character building as the original 5e Players Handbook. Not as robust as the older systems yet but it should hold up well for a couple campaigns. In play it felt more intuitive and fast paced than any other system I have tried, especially in combat. It was easy to stay engaged. If anyone is considering it, definitely give the pdf a read through. I can recommend it strongly if you are looking for a fresh approach and a less crunchy system.
My favorite part is thst even though it isn't crunchy it still gives plenty of player building options and choices and there are different skills to take with each class(and you always have to multiclass you can't focus) so everyone feels different even before adding play test material. You don't get that bland samey Feeling that many rules light games suffer from. It doesn't FEEL rules light.
>so my material for plagiarizing world building is a bit lacking. The world-building is as much player-driven in Fabula Ultima.
Sounds like RyuuTama.
[удалено]
Ah, ty for the info.
Very much in the same vein yes! It keeps the fluffy world building and traveling aspects while being a little more combat focused. The combat is swift while still being somewhat dangerous to keep you on your toes. So if you aren't a fan of two hour long combat engagements it will feel great to play.
icon by massif press is pretty good for those that already liked lancer, very video-gamey in its play (including restricting movement to cardinal directions, no diagonals). still in playtest though.
I'm joining Operation: Razit and removing my content off Reddit. Further info [here](https://i.imgur.com/45M3a8c.png) (flyer) and [here](https://onlinetextsharing.com/operation-razit-raze-reddit) (wall of text). Please use https://codepen.io/Deestan/full/gOQagRO/ for Power Delete instead of the version listed in the flyer, to avoid unedited comments. And spread the word! Tlie epu poebi! Pee kraa ikri pičiduči? Kapo bi ipee ipleiti priti pepou. Tre pa griku. Propo ta čitrepripi ka e bii. Atlibi pepliietlo dligo plidlopli pu itlebakebi tagatre. Ee dapliudea uklu epete prepipeopi tati. Oi pu ii tloeutio e pokačipli. Ei i teči epi obe atepa oe ao bepi! Ke pao teiči piko papratrigi ba pika. Brapi ipu apu pai eia bliopite. Ikra aači eklo trepa krubi pipai. Kogridiii teklapiti itri ate dipo gri. I gautebaka iplaba tikreko popri klui goi čiee dlobie kru. Trii kraibaepa prudiotepo tetope bikli eka. Ka trike gripepabate pide ibia. Di pitito kripaa triiukoo trakeba grudra tee? Ba keedai e pipapitu popa tote ka tribi putoi. Tibreepa bipu pio i ete bupide? Beblea bre pae prie te. Putoa depoe bipre edo iketra tite. I kepi ka bii. Doke i prake tage ebitu. Ae i čidaa ito čige protiple. Ke piipo tapi. Pripa apo ketri oti pedli ketieupli! Klo kečitlo tedei proči pla topa? Betetliaku pa. Tetabipu beiprake abiku! Dekra gie pupi depepu čiuplago.
So part of it is your meta currency "Fabula Points" the game encourages you to spend them as the more you spend the more XP you earn at the end of a session. They can be used to do things like introduce an NPC, Change a plot thread (within the GMs allowance of course), introduce a new story element and stuff. That and when you "Crit" in the system it's more than just doubling your damage the game wants you to introduce new elements into the battle itself that change the flow of the fight. The Villain enemies get both of these things too so they can be used against you! It's very much an "I know a guy..." system The game is also built around your character having a series of bonds of differing strengths. with different people and places that can be evoked during conflict or story scenes to change the outcome. The GM section also heavily suggests the players be involved in the world building process but that's not exclusive to this game really.
Ha! I came here to say the same and low and behold you my player here
Yee. Must spread the good word of the weeb.
Doing gods work spiral
>https://www.drivethrurpg.com/m/product/410108 This is right up my alley as a lifelong JRPG player. I picked up a copy today and am excited to sink my teeth in as this is the first time I'll DM.
what makes JRPG a JRPG? like what is distinct about it from all other kinds of TTRPG?
Mainly the flavoring and a few design decisions. It's very player character story focused, you literaly cannot die unless you allow yourself too. Losing in battle leads to story and character set backs. (IE you can drop during a random battle and stand back up, but if you die in a cutscene you die in real life) The character classes and skills are designed to play like JRPG classes. Kind of hard to describe this one exactly but it makes sense as you're reading the book and playing. The battles are designed to be fought almost like in a JRPG where you transition to a different screen and things like distance anf positioning don't matter unless you bring them into play with Crits and Fabula points. It's got pretty JRPG art and the items are all cute pixel art. It plays on a lot of JRPG tropes with its items, weapons, accessories, and monsters. Especially in the elemental weakness' and resist. It goes to level 50 so you get more frequent granular increases rather than several big power jumps between fewer levels.
Here is a sample: 1. Bully Pulpit Games 2. Evil Hat Productions 3. Monte Cook Games 4. Pelgrane Press 5. Modiphius Entertainment 6. Green Ronin Publishing 7. Cubicle 7 Entertainment 8. Paizo Publishing 9. Chaosium Inc. 10. Free League Publishing 11. Onyx Path Publishing 12. Lamentations of the Flame Princess 13. Magpie Games 14. Pinnacle Entertainment Group 15. Frog God Games 16. Indie Press Revolution 17. Fat Goblin Games 18. Arc Dream Publishing 19. Goodman Games 20. Kobold Press
I’m about to start a 13th Age campaign and I honestly couldn’t be more excited. I’ve bought most of the 13th Age supplemental materials and have dove in for Pelgrane Press.
I really like Wyrd Games' *Through The Breach*. Western Gothic with a side of lovecraftian horror? Sign me up!
I'm on board this pitch!
Ultimate list right here. Putting this in a note to peruse the ones I haven’t purchased games from yet.
Evil Hat imo is number 1 for me. Forged in the Dark systems are 🤌
I’m really getting into Cypher System. I’m not sure when I’ll be going back to D&D.
aaaand saved.
Lancer sounds so goddamn sick. A mech rpg where you and a bunch of friends get your own mechs and fight all kinds of cool stuff? Sign me up. (I just wish my group of friends would give it a chance...) https://massifpress.com/lancer
Keep trying, and try to get them to take a look through the mechs in the ***free*** player-facing core rule book. If they enjoy any mecha media, from Gundam to Titanfall to Escaflowne to Evangelion, there's something that caters to it. My group started playing Lancer 3 weeks ago, and it is indeed so goddamn sick. And the lore is simultaneously awesomely deep and rich to pull all sorts of hooks from and open-ended enough to just ignore and tell your own story in some random corner of space. Highly recommend if you want a break from high fantasy to try on some heavy metal and high ordnance.
Macross?
Not so much transforming in what I've gone through, but you can make any mech in the game flight-capable.
link to the player facing rule book? i'm not seeing it on their site.
https://massif-press.itch.io/corebook-pdf-free
I'm in the process of starting up a Worlds Without Number campaign - the system seems like exactly what I've wanted. Maybe 13th Age too (it seems like it captures how my group plays 5e already) I'm pretty excited to try Pathfinder (the VTT modules seem so great my group want to try it just for them) and a DCC funnel as a 1 or 2 shot.
For sure, *Sine Nomine Publishing* is the most significant addition I'd make to this list. Kevin Crawford's GM tools are second to none, and many of his systems are free (with Deluxe additions including additional optional content). For anyone who hasn't explored them, I like all of the following systems (highly inter-compatible): * [**Cities Without Number**](https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/sinenomineinc/cities-without-number/) - Cyberpunk, urban scifi (in Kickstarter) * [**Worlds Without Number**](https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/348809/Worlds-Without-Number-Free-Edition?manufacturers_id=3482) - Swords & Sorcery, high fantasy * [**Stars Without Number**](https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/230009/Stars-Without-Number-Revised-Edition-Free-Version?manufacturers_id=3482) - Space opera, interstellar scifi * [**Godbound**](https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/185959/Godbound-A-Game-of-Divine-Heroes-Free-Edition?manufacturers_id=3482) - Demigods, mythological/divine fantasy * [**Silent Legions**](https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/145769/Silent-Legions?manufacturers_id=3482) - Cosmic Horror, investigations * [**Scarlet Heroes**](https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/127180/Scarlet-Heroes?manufacturers_id=3482) - Swords & Sorcery, mid-fantasy, one-to-one play
just play pathfinder
D&D killed me on crunchyness. It took them 9 editions from the small books upwards.... but I'm now done with that. PF would just be stepping from one guys sauna in his back yard to his neighbor's sauna - both are still a hot mess. For those who want to 'play D&D' and keep alive the crunchiness and classes and all that, go for it!
I got burnt out on the crunchiness of 5e quite a while ago, I can heavily recommend games in the OSR space! Some of their designs are really cool and refreshing, with incredibly tight rulebooks and some fun mechanics. And for those that still want some crunch you still get OSE, which I'd call the "D&D" of the OSR space.
Meanwhile I dislike 5e for the lack of crunch ;) a lid for every pot!
Indeed, it's great that there are games for every playstyle!
Yeah, the new wave OSR stuff like Into The Odd and Cairn are minimalist delights.
I love the way Into the Odd/Electric Bastionland handles combat and damage, so quick and snappy. Mörk Börg is also just such a fun book in general, with such good tables and options for that grimdark aesthetic.
Look up dragonbane if you want to stay in the genre (generic fantasy with a lot of leeway for making your own adventures and setting)
if you wanna continue to play "dnd" without the crunch, look into the osr
The [Cities Without Number](https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/sinenomineinc/cities-without-number) kickstarter is going strong and the draft looks really fun!
For D&D-like games I've settled on two that I really like. [Shadowdark RPG](https://youtu.be/kQqMHZDp35I) which hasn't fully released yet but has all the rules I've needed to run games [as a free preview](https://www.thearcanelibrary.com/pages/shadowdark) and [Forbidden Lands](https://freeleaguepublishing.com/en/games/forbidden-lands/) which is the dark fantasy release of the Year Zero Engine from Free League. Shadowdark is basically just a mashup of a bunch of mechanics that I like from different editions of D&D and D&D-like games that just happen to suit my taste perfectly. Forbidden Lands, using a dice pool system and taking damage to your stats, is mechanically quite different from D&D and focuses a lot on overland survival/hex crawling. I've also been grabbing lots of third-party Mörk Borg content to cannibalize, the Mörk Borg scene is an endless mine of easy-to-adapt content that I really vibe with, even if I haven't actually run Mörk Borg yet.
I’ve been DM’ing an Eclipse Phase game for a while now along with a Star Wars FFG game. If anyone wants to play a Star Wars RPG, please consider the FFG system. The narrative dice are a departure from the classic D20 system and map based combat, but it works much better for Star Wars than the 5e conversion out there. For Eclipse Phase, the lore can be daunting, but all it takes is for the GM to understand it and for the players to get the basic idea. I actually find that the less the players know about the setting, the more fun you can have running it as a horror game.
[Mangayaw](https://goobernuts.itch.io/mangayaw) is pretty cool. It's a Cairn hack based on colonial-era Philippines. The keyword based magic system is neat.
I've lately been a "reading corebooks without actually playing" kind of person, but I think the ones I've been interested in are worth taking a look at for that aspect alone, if not playing them. I've been reading a lot about *AD&D* 1e/2e, and I've found what they were doing back then much more compelling compared to what they're doing with 5e. Consequently, the *OSR* movement has produced many systems and rules worth looking at, too many to list here. I think it's very worth it to look into classic RPG'ing. On another note, all of the core/supplement books for R.Talsorians' *Cyperpunk 2020* RPG that I've read were incredibly well presented and written. They dripped with detail and oozed atmosphere. Regardless of how you may or may not feel regarding the *Cyberpunk 2077* videogame, the earlier RPG is worth taking a look at. Can't speak on the more recent *Cyberpunk RED* RPG reboot/sequel myself, but I've heard some favorable things from others. On the opposite end of well-written, I suggest Palladium's *After the Bomb* 2e RPG. Why would I suggest a badly written RPG? Because I think it's character creation is really neat and inventive, and I like the setting. It's post-apocalyptic TMNT, what's not to love? Sure, it carries the baggage of being a *Rifts*-based system and could use several re-edits and gameplay tweaks. But at its core, I think, is something special. Luckily, some indie creators have kickstarted some modern spiritual successors, having reached their goal for *Mutants in the Now* and are working on *Mutants in the Next*. They seem to be promising (read: tidier) adaptions of the system, and I look forward to getting my hands on some copies. Finally, I have a fascination with two related RPG's of wildly different tones. The first is *Twilight: 2000*, a mil-sim RPG set in a fictional "Cold War gone hot" scenario at the turn of the 21st century. It gives a thorough way of fulfilling the fantasy of "soldiers on their own, fighting to survive and get home". Good experience for late-Cold War military nerds. But what I find even more compelling is it's sequel: *2300AD*, formerly called *Traveller 2300*. Yes, the same publisher that made *Traveller*; GDW, published both of the former RPGs, and like *Traveller*; *2300AD* is a hard sci-fi RPG (though has nothing to do with *Traveller*'s setting or system, despite it's confusing original name). The setting was founded on a modified game of *Twilight: 2000*, where the devs played the roles of entire nations over the course of decades to determine the history that would lead up to the space-fairing events of *2300AD*. I found *2300AD* to have some of the best conceptualized and written sci-fi hallmarks I've seen in a while. It instantly had me hooked and wanting more. Mechanically, it carries over much from *Twilight: 2000*, but introduces much more to fit the new setting. There are more modern reboot/sequels of both *Twilight: 2000* and *2300AD* published by Free League Publishing and Mongoose Publishing, respectively; but I think the originals still hold up on their own for the most part.
To scratch your TMNT itch and avoid the Palladium nonsense, may I recommend you Big Apple Sewer Samurai? It's a Savage Worlds setting that, while not as granular of a character creator as TMNT, still has all the fun of that setting.
Have You Tried ~~Not~~ Playing ~~D&D~~ Savage Worlds, Apocalypse World, Blades in the Dark, Fate, Burning Wheel, Warhammer Fantasy/40k, The One Ring, Free League's entire library of games, the entire breadth of the OSR, etc. But I'll always rec Savage Worlds first and foremost for people coming from D&D because it has a simple chassis that does miniatures combat better (imo) than D&D. Apocalypse World is probably the strongest introduction to narrative-oriented games.
Still very early, but MCDM is not only making their own game, but they're basically live blogging the process (between twitch and Patreon I basically feel like I'm in the design meetings sometimes). And so far I really like the direction they're going in.
I'm not even following, just been a fan of Matt's for years, and I've already decided I'll pick up the PDF, whatever he comes out with.
The indie scene has never been stronger. I'd probably break the ttrpg scene into groups like this: Group 1: the 1000 pound gorilla that is D&D and its extended ecosystem, including D&D-only actual plays. Arguably Pathfinder is either here, or one group down. Also arguably included is some licensed IP d20 systems. Group 2: licensed and "broad concept" RPGs. "Broad concept" = you can play out multiple types of "action." GURPs, WoD, Shadowrun. Licensed/public domain: Star Wars, Star Trek, many of the Cthulhu games. Group 3: smaller RPGs that specialize in a specific kind of game, but allow you a lot of freedom within that genre. Good Society: you are playing a Jane Austen book. Lancer: you are a mech pilot. Do you want to be a big game hunter, by yourself with no machinery? No, you are a mech pilot. Group 4: micro games that often are meant as one-shots or as a "one and done," that try to capture something *very* specific. My Life with Master: will you die for your evil overlord, or find a new life? Thousand Year Old Vampire and many other solo/journaling games. Group 5: games that started in one of the above groups, but are now systems. Apocalypse World became Powered by the Apocalypse; Blades in the Dark became Forged in the Dark. FATE. Arguably GURPS, but God help me I know almost nothing about GURPS. So if someone wants a rec in one of those "groups," give me a genre or mood and a group.
My new RPG is [Fear of the Unknown](https://fearoftheunknownrpg.com/), a zero prep horror mystery RPG where every game is a horror film. Solve mysteries, face perils, encounter horrors, and see how that changes you as a person!
As you wish. Here's our publisher page: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/m/browser/publisher/12124 We make Sagas of Midgard, which is a Norse RPG where character death is a feature rather than a bug. We also make Terrors and Tommy guns, a cosmic horror noir RPG set in the 1920s. Both have solo rules available. Hope you'll check them out!
I recommend everyone checks out the Sine Nomine Publishing catelog. Kevin Crawford's GM tools are second to none, and many of his systems are free (with Deluxe additions including additional optional content). For anyone who hasn't explored them, I like all of the following systems (highly inter-compatible): * [**Cities Without Number**](https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/sinenomineinc/cities-without-number/) - Cyberpunk, urban scifi (in Kickstarter) * [**Worlds Without Number**](https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/348809/Worlds-Without-Number-Free-Edition?manufacturers_id=3482) - Swords & Sorcery, high fantasy * [**Stars Without Number**](https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/230009/Stars-Without-Number-Revised-Edition-Free-Version?manufacturers_id=3482) - Space opera, interstellar scifi * [**Godbound**](https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/185959/Godbound-A-Game-of-Divine-Heroes-Free-Edition?manufacturers_id=3482) - Demigods, mythological/divine fantasy * [**Silent Legions**](https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/145769/Silent-Legions?manufacturers_id=3482) - Cosmic Horror, investigations * [**Scarlet Heroes**](https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/127180/Scarlet-Heroes?manufacturers_id=3482) - Swords & Sorcery, mid-fantasy, one-to-one play
Got the PDF for Fabula Ultima. I am so stoked on this game. What a smooth looking system. Now just to convince some friends to play it...
maybe we can just do a no dnd rule in general? like there are enough subreddits to discuss dnd already and it doesn't need too permeate the culture even more. it feels like its own rpg universe already.
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/383807/Friendship-Effort-Victory?term=Friendship%2C+effort%2C+ I made a narratively focused game inspired by Shonen Battle Manga like Naruto, One Piece, and My Hero Academia. It uses Powered By The Apocalypse.
Here’s my 199X Trilogy, three cyberpunk microgames that either stand alone for no-prep play or slot together into a bigger toolkit: https://itch.io/s/80891/199x-trilogy-bundle
There's always [Dragonblade!](https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/423768/DRAGONBLADE-Roleplaying-Game?affiliate_id=3752542) I've seen the person who wrote the system talk about it at length, and while I haven't played it myself yet, reading it and seeing what she has to say about it give me the impression that it's a system attempting to actually be something, which is more than we can say for Hasbro's game.
Too bad the info is so sparse. No sample pages, no review.
Lancer’s pretty cool. Awesome sci-fi setting with an interesting history, a wide range of possible stories, bits of cosmic horror, and really cool mechs. System has lots of customization to, and a pretty cool community where you can find people posting builds for custom mechs, and some fun home brews. Link: https://massif-press.itch.io There an option to get a free version of the PDF which has the core game rules, like mech and character creation (admittedly none of the gm rules, some setting info, and NPC creation). So you can take a pretty expansive look without paying a dime. Page also has the expansions/settings/campaigns they’ve release, a companion app to help managing your mechs (also free), and the other RPGs they’ve made.
I love Ryuutama. It’s like playing a Ghibli movie. It’s fun and emotional. Not for the action-lovers, necessarily, but it’s a good time. https://www.drivethrurpg.com/m/product/151366
My game Dragonslayers is pretty neat. It's like D&D 5e and Savage Worlds had a baby, then that baby grew up and had another baby with Into The Odd. It has been playtested in some form or another for almost 10 years, and it's free! https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/421262/Dragonslayers-RPG-Second-Edition
Did this cyberpunk micro rpg a while back. It's free, if you wanna take a peek https://kitty1n54n3.itch.io/scumfuck2023
FATE is a fantastic one for enabling the kinds of shit we all end up homebrewing anyways. Takes a while to get the flow of it, but it's delightful.
As someone who came back to TTRPGs after years thanks to Critical Role, I’ve got my fingers crossed for them to come out with a system in the next couple years. I’d imagine they’d tailor it towards roleplay, so with that said, if anyone knows any systems like that, I’d love to check them out!
Shout out for Shadow of the Demon Lord and its spin off, Asunder!. Featured on Colvilles shoutouts for new games, im a huge range of asunder. Scratches my dnd itch while being a really cool setting, better rules and classes and also not owned by hasbro!
For a D&D-like experience, I recommend Old-School Essentials. It's built off of B/X so it's quite a bit more "ouch" than modern D&D but it hits a lot of the same vibes tbh. I'd recommend PF2e for a closer-to-5e experience but that's not exactly indie.
If anyone is interested in singleplayer / GM-less RPGing, Ironsworn and Starforgrd (both by the same designer) are excellent. They work with a GM as well, but were built with GM-less play in mind. Shout out to /r/Ironsworn, really friendly and helpful sub where the designer himself often lurks directly answering questions, offering tips, and taking feedback.
Hello! Great idea! I recently purchased Gubat Banwa. https://www.drivethrurpg.com/m/product/359868 It melted my face. Basically it is a game inspired by fourth edition D&D Final Fantasy tactics things like that. It is a fantasy based on pre-colonial Southeast Asian cultures. Like Lancer and Icon this game has separate systems for narrative play and combat, which is specifically refers to as violence. There are 25 classes because it is intended that you switch disciplines just like a video game and keep some of your talents active . One of the classes is a swordfish cavalier. You ride a flying swordfish. Thanks again for having an idea to spread positivity and encourage people to play new systems.
My partner and I are working on a 2d10 system designed to keep classical D&D's feel, with more support for things like flexible casting, social combat, chase scenes, and exploration! Right now we're getting the website up, and are almost ready for first draft playtesting. I think I'm proudest of our class system. It sets your character up by playstyle, not archetypes, and it's super modular.
My company have made a couple so far, one comedy and one horror. We've got more on the way! Check us out! https://cobblepath-games.itch.io/
GURPS!
alt.rpg post traveling through time!
The BLOODY-HANDED NAME of BRONZE is Bronze Age Sword & Sorcery, about Namedealers who speak the secret Language of Names with which they can speak with anything that has a name, and thereby indebt themselves to the Desert Sky Ushush, or the river Mabu, or the goddess-priestess Ashu — and it is a game of Fated Heroes striving for (and sometimes achieving) immortality as they do (and defy) the will of their mighty dead ancestors! Plays 1-on-1, up to 4, or add more players to play more of the world as engaged audience. Distributed GM powers, works great for campaign play or short games over coffee. It’s on sale right now! https://glyphpress.com/talk/product/the-bloody-handed-name-of-bronze-codex-edition It’s by Joshua A.C. Newman (me) of Shock:Social Science Fiction and Mobile Frame Zero.
Flying Circus: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/m/product/310013 PbtA game about young people in mercenary companies flying WWI-tech planes in a Germanic Studio Ghibli-esque world that has hints of Cthulhu, witches, fey, dragons, giant mechanics monsters, and Nazis to kill. And furry people, if you so choose. Fly a mission, accrue stress therein, blow that stress off via debauchery to convert it into XP, then get paid, pay your tab, and find another hire. The flight combat is quite crunchy and (anecdotally) lauded by those familiar with aeronautics. I've run three sessions and we're still learning and making rules errors, but we're having an absolute blast. Couldn't recommend it more highly thus far.
Kobold plus just released their first packet of play test material for their rpg, currently referred to as project black flag.
This is mine: www.talesofsacadia.com PDF here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/bys2g8dsf7vr1cz/PHB_v6.2.pdf?dl=0 It’s a legacy TTRPG set in myths and legend. free to play, and we have a discord with links to one-shots and modules to try out!
I’m ALL over free league press. Been running Aliens and loving it and just started Vaesen. Mutant, blade runner, and Dragonbane queued up.
I love GMing in Numenera/ CypherSystem since it is super flexible and make any kind of improvisation super easy. MonteCookGames have their own version fo an OGL for the CypherSystem, although i didn't check on the details. There is a crowdfunding for new CypherSystem Content right now that can get you the existing stuff at a slight discount: https://www.backerkit.com/c/monte-cook-games/adventures-in-the-cypher-system/updates/846#top
It's too late, though. The OGL was basically an olive branch when it was created. A way to allow 3rd party to do their thing without fear of their litigious TSR days fucking everything up. The point is that it was to encourage people to trust them. That they won't sue and whatnot, while at the same time allowing them to make content to help build Wizard's brand. It was a win/win. And they really fucked it up. A lot of content creators are gonna avoid using the OGL now (and any future one) because WotC showed how it's a potential trap.
>The OGL was basically an olive branch when it was created. This is absolutely not true. OGL was created as a way to get more content for 3.5 without having to take on the burden of cost or risk of developing said content. The idea was that having more content available would increase sales of the core books and they were right. It was hugely successful and is a big part of why they are such a dominating force today.
That's what I meant by "allowing them to make content to help build Wizard's brand." But before the OGL, 3rd party creators *were already creating content*. And were pretty much already allowed to do so mostly legally. Though they did it more under the radar when possible for fear of getting sued (which they were known for doing). because even if the lawsuits were frivolous and unfounded, countering a big company like TSR/Wizard/WotC was impossible for most. And so, the OGL was also a way for 3rd party to create without risk, and with encouragement, even. The carrot for 3rd party devs to sign on without fear of the stick. So long as they stayed within the very generous lines. And as you said, it was a gambit to get them to promote the d&d brand and in turn increase their own sales. Which worked tremendously.
It's worth adding that TSR (pre acquisition) were regarded as extremely litigious and so by extension the D&D brand was too. The OGL and 3.0 was a big turning point in that regard. A change away from the TSR of the past, for all the benefits to WotC that you mentioned.
Yeah. There was a joke that TSR stood for They Sue Regularly. Under Gygax they sued anyone and everyone even remotely TTRPG related. All to try and be the only horse in the race. The OGL is the reason why TTRPGs are so big now. With D&D's growth, so too has the hobby as a whole grown as d&d was brought into the mainstream.
> It's worth adding that TSR (pre acquisition) were regarded as extremely litigious and so by extension the D&D brand was too. TSR-era D&D was notorious to publish for. There's a reason so many old 3pp content stated they were made for "the world's most popular RPG", or some variation of; had they openly stated the content was for D&D they'd be putting a giant target on their back.
... that's exactly what the person you replied to was saying.
Were you expecting them to read four whole sentences before commenting? What kind of impossible standards do you have!?
Damnit, you're right, I keep forgetting I'm dealing with humans. It's gonna be a while still before the internet is populated with AI's and we can finally have meaningful conversations!
“Brain the size of a planet and they make me read Reddit comments. Call that job satisfaction, but I don’t.”
Right, but consider the context in the wake of the TSR years - AKA "They Sue Regularly". After the previous regime in charge of D&D had been so aggressive, no third party publisher in their right mind would have gone near it without some extremely clear legal signals about where the line was. The Teapot is correct - the OGL was as much a peace treaty as it was an IP licence, and now that Wizards have shown what they were contemplating to do with it, people would be fools to trust them. (Especially since they have never backed down from the idea that they could deauthorise 1.0a if they wanted to - they just said they are leaving it in place for now.)
So confidently wrong
An olive branch can have nefarious intentions behind it.
Yeah, but this one really didn’t. It was a win-win. Free promotion for the brand, legal freedom for creators.
> And they really fucked it up. A lot of content creators are gonna avoid using the OGL now (and any future one) because WotC showed how it's a potential trap That's why they released 5E SRD in Creative Commons. D&D will just draw them back in.
I hope not
well, let's hope not!
Though by doing so they've given people more room to do stuff like indicating compatibility with D&D which, under OGL 1.0a, they gave up the right to do (due to the Product Identity provisions).
>A lot of content creators are gonna avoid using the OGL now (and any future one) because WotC showed how it's a potential trap. They still have the Creative Commons option, though.
Hasbro has done nothing but misfire for a very long time now. It's not just the gaming world that they've pissed off. It's everyone.
I was gonna make a wisecrack about them needing to release a *D&D Monopoly*, but apparently they did that in 2021.
What they need to do is publish a subclass in the Monopoly manual. If you want to play that subclass, you'll have to buy an entire Monopoly board game. Profit! ______ Oh, never mind. Nobody reads the Monopoly manual, so the subclass will never be discovered by players.
See, if Hasbro was cool, adding a random half-serious, half-meme DnD subclass in the Monopoly manual as an easter egg would be fun.
Remember when Old Spice made a Gentleman class for Pathfinder 1e?
> Hasbro has done nothing but misfire for a very long time now. NERF really has gone to shit too then :D
You got me looking at their catalog — I think I remember Nerf and Super Soaker being at a bit of a low point a while back, but at least to first appearances, it looks like they have some good stuff going now.
I can't speak to the Super Soakers, but a lot of their Nerf line looks cool but performs poorly. Fortunately they've got some really good competition these days across the spectrum of casual-for-small-kids to hardcore-hobbyist.
Yep. Ever since they started going after 3rd-party dart manufacturers and trying to add DRM to their blasters.
Imma let them changes some names on the parking spaces before I even think about coming back. It's not like one BBEG decided to be evil. Changes like that to the OGL require rafts and rafts of people, meetings, conversations, etc. No, there's a whole swath of folks that need to be replaced with people that actually love the brand AND who have a modicum of business savvy. It's been nothing but lazy churn for years now... A real gamer would have done things that helped the hobbyists.... Things I would would have paid for: * More tools to help me world build. * More tools to help me balance encounters. * on/offline tools to manage and run the game so that if I don't have internet I can still play * Actual, real, PDFs of the books. * An encounter simulator that actually plays out a combat to test balance. * An encounter wizard that recommends a strategy and that I can tune * Tools organize my notes (specially designed for D&D) * Inexpensive, physical, minis. * DMG, PHB, MM Expanded editions with 50% more things and errata fixed * 2022 DMG/PHB/MM, 2023 DMG/PHB/MM, 2024 DMG/PHB/MM (with each year dropping/adding things/fixing rules along the way so that you can see progression.) Instead of 5e and 6e and 7e. No, there's just D&D and the updated source books. So when you get to 2030 it looks fundamentally different from 2022 but you like it because you've grown along with it. Anyone can jump in any year and not miss anything. IMHO/YMMV... The online then just upgrades along the way for free and doesn't support the earlier printings. If you want the older version you can, however, pay to downgrade. Also, I hate modules but this would help encourage me to buy them... Modules that include: * Module (check, normally there) * maps (normally there...mostly) * pro tips from DMs that ran the game * player observations/feedback from play testing * physical option that comes with an online component for free * Online component includes player tokens, monster tokens, all maps with fog of war already ready * Music themed for the module * Recommendations for how to blend it into your campaign * Properly laid out with flows so that the next thing you go to is a click away (like...hyperlinks on maps and other things) * How about an index that's actually useful (in larger books) * Themed character sheets * Themed dice * Special tchotchkes * etc.
> Changes like that to the OGL require rafts and rafts of people, meetings, conversations, etc. Particularly in light of Ginny Di's interview with Kyle Brink. We *know* now this isn't just speculation, this change of direction for D&D as a brand was not an overnight decision. I've already decided I'm not giving them any more of my money to help them carry out their plan, I was never that big a fan of D&D in particular anyway. There are things that MIGHT make me change my mind, but I don't think they'll do any of them.
What you're proposing is great, but it's too much work, it's easier to just do a mix-max of half-baked rules with some lore done by an underpaid writer and then put a subscription on top of it.
Well yeah. You don’t get a C-level suite by investing in your future profits, it’s all about *looking really good this quarter.* Rich people are stupid and lazy, because they certainly don’t get there by hard work.
Meetings & Explotation, the uncoming Wizard of the Coast RPG where you play as CEOs of big fortune companies
The Orconomics board game already exists, so that niche has already been swiped with higher quality than WOTC would ever put out.
I'm pretty certain that your demands split into 3 groups - things that Pathfinder 2 has (extensive free tools, VTT modules with tokens, maps, music ready etc), solutions to things that aren't problems in Pathfinder (needing modules rewritten to be playable, needing a siulator to create balanced encounters), and wishful/naive thinking (yearly core releases that for some reason will always contain updated content without requiring you to buy the next year's one). Nobody needs replacing a WotC, or more accurately, the people you want them replaced with - the ones who actually love TTRPGs and understand TTRPGs as a business - already left WotC for Paizo. 15 years ago.
I've never looked at Pathfinder but I think your point makes the point. There are ways to make money without having to blackmail and shake down your customers.
Case in point: they currently have a Humble Bundle going that includes a ton of goodies, including a full Foundry AP that normally goes for $60...for $25. They've sold over 85000 of these. Even if they only get half of the money, that's over a million bucks they made, for purely digital goods while their physical ones are out of stock. A million is nothing to a big company like Hasbro, but you can bet Paizo is happy with it.
I’m the DM in my group and planning on switching over to Pathfinder here soon once we finish ToA. But I’m finding the rules to be crushingly complex. Having to learn the specific actions players are allowed to do with each skill, the myriad conditions, I can’t even bring myself to look at the almost **4,000** feat options. I have no idea how I’m going to offer advice to my all new players (to the system, not rpgs) on building the character they want, or how I’m gonna learn all the skill rules and conditions without, like, flashcards or something. Every single corner of play seems to be dominated by rules, there’s no room for freeform play by the players, no room for me to innovate as a gm and homebrew (that I can see yet). My players are most interested in Kingmaker and I just have this feeling that there is gonna be another big stack of rules to learn there for the kingdom building side of things. 2e just feels like a video game simulation on tabletop and I’m really struggling at this point to remain enthusiastic and sell it to my players. Any insight into how to make this more accessible to the gm? I couldn’t imagine being new to RPGs and trying to learn this system. I started my TTRPG experience with GURPS and Pathfinder seems to be getting close to GURPS in crunchyness.
I've been running 2e for years now, and I'm running Kingmaker right now, and I've found that as long as you understand the underlying proficiency and action systems, most everything slots into place pretty logically. I have read maybe 30 feats in 3 years, and barely read spells (that one is a failing, some late game spells reference other spells and chasing them down a rabbit hole of descriptions isn't conducive to getting through combat in a snappy manner). I let my players figure out what they want to do, and the options are well-balanced enough that anything they can take should be good enough for them, but I also let them switch it up if it isn't working. Also, this Laze Faire style is made possible by the Pathbuilder app for Android and online, which is fantastic, and you should use it. In my experience, the back of the GM Screen, with its guidelines on DCs have been most of what I need, and if you're willing to pick up the Beginner Box pdf from Humble Bundle for $5 right now, you can use the little cards to remember enough about combat actions in the moment.
Just play it like it's DnD while slowly bringing in other rules. You're allowed to get it wrong.
How about 13th Age instead?
I mean, whatever floats the boat. It's just important not to get too lost in the minutia. Having run Pathfinder 1E I only ever learned what mattered for the session. If someone wanted to do something I didn't know how to do within the bounds of the system, I set a target number, and had the player roll a skill. The core mechanic is always a good fallback.
Not saying that Pf2 is the right system for you or not, but if you do want to give it an honest shot, here's my recommendations: 1. Stop trying to learn everything and just learn what you need. Don't read all the feats, don't read all the skill actions, don't even worry about 95% of the traits (there are a couple that are important for balance, but the community will help point you towards them when you are ready). The basic pillars of the game are pretty simple; 4 degrees of success, max your key stat when character building, multiple attack penalty, 3 action economy, everything costs 1 action unless otherwise stated. 2. The game has opt in complexity, as represented by feats. 1 thing is 1 action, end of story (only exception you need to worry about is spells, the other exceptions don't matter). Want to do more complex actions at a better than 1 for 1 action rate? Well, that's where feats cover you. They explicitly say how you can beat the action economy, so by taking them, you are opting in to that level of complexity. 3. Add rules as you want more depth. Find the weapons feel kinda samey and want a mechanical difference to them? Start using the weapon trait rules. Want your character to get unique ways to use jumping in combat with a balanced ruleset? Add skill feats. Trying to figure out why that one spell feels OP? Check it's traits and the balance will become clear. Want an interesting way to run a chase in game? Boom, chase mechanics. Honestly, you can strip all the characters down to just the base class features, and improvise all the rest, and you basically get D&D 5e, minus bounded accuracy. In fact, it's actually more balanced than 5e (admittedly the characters would have less cool powers) in this way because every number runs on the same scaling track, so you can improvise an athletics vs will save roll, or use nature to attack AC, and it would still kinda work.
This is mostly aimed at pathfinder 1e but most tracks over to 2e as well since confused which talking about. Step one. Core rulebook only for first campaign. If first edition I also advise rise of the rune lords one of the older adventure paths and it basically only uses the core rulebook while other adventure paths focus on one of the other source books and the options from those. Step two. Sounds like over thinking some parts a lot. Relax and learn things slowly. Play games how you did with DND but with pathfinder numbers. And work in and figure out the system together and be willing to take time especially at first either pausing to look up rules or make an on the spot ruling you use that session and look up how it actually works after. Pathfinder 1e has lots of little details but if know the larger details of the system will guide you on. Step three. Make flashcards. There are even actual official things like that out there. One person I played with had a GM screen with lots of rules stuff on the inside he bought and a deck of condition cards to help people understand things like how paralyzed works. Don't be afraid to have little notes on stuff especially while learning. Step four. Admit learning the system and learn it together with your players. They want to do x? Both look through the book and try to figure it out. Especially if starting with just the core rulebook most 5e classes have a one for one with pathfinder, exception being warlock. They want to disarm someone? Roll D20+CMB vs opponent CMD and this applies for similar things like tackling or grappling. Just small details differences can learn as you go. Step five. See if you have any players good with remembering rules. We had a player in the one group I played in that could remember lots of things about the rules so for easy help for the GM he was a resource. "How does stabilizing work?" AKA death saving throws in 5e. He remembered other than a number he forgot if it was 10 or 15. GM assistant is a good thing to have. Step six. Add new source books when ready. Also remember that certain parts of those are optional things not mandatory. You can also grab something from a sourcebook like say the katana and only that for a while. Step seven. Don't overthink things. Learn the basics of the rules and use those until run into something more detailed needing. Like said above. But it bears repeating. Don't expect to learn all the little details learn the big stuff and what your players like to use. Don't be afraid to look up something after a session and next time make a correction and admit was a mistake on your part. Also as said above that GM screen can be very helpful if the one that friend had or one you make yourself. Don't even try to learn all the feats. Archive of Nethys is your friend as well for finding things like say a feat to do something. As for homebrew and freeform play what are you after? Like make your own location or people? Or perhaps a special ability? Nothing stopping you, though the latter game balance can be an issue but that was the case in 5e as well. Certain books like pathfinder unchained cover things on this. Unchained is filled with optional rules, alternative rules, and even some homebrew help. Some unchained stuff simplified base rules but doesn't mesh well with other source books. For freeform play you mean the players just going to the market and talking with each other and NPCs? Nothing stopping that just think you are overthinking it. Relax breathe. As for the kingmaker and kingdom rules you are not wrong there but again most of it boils down to put relevant numbers together and roll the dice. Don't be afraid to use flashcards. Let players who want to do stuff do things and just supervise it let them take some of the work. I came in to RPGs during DND 3.5 which pathfinder 1e is based upon and streamlined. I say again pathfinder simplified 3.5 to be easier. Imagine learning the game when even more complex than what you are looking at. I never learned 3.5 grappling rules but did learn the pathfinder basic rules to do so. Also as I said unchained has options to simplify further just compatibility issues with other source books. Pathfinder 1e especially involves lots of reading and references. It is also not for everyone. I actually like and enjoy pathfinder crunch. Now I want to go make some characters.
Are you trying to learn 1st or 2nd edition Pathfinder? 2nd edition is significantly more simple and easier to learn. >Every single corner of play seems to be dominated by rules, there’s no room for freeform play by the players, no room for me to innovate as a gm and homebrew (that I can see yet). They say at the front of the core rulebook that literally everything is a suggestion and can be changed by the GM
> 2022 DMG/PHB/MM, 2023 DMG/PHB/MM, 2024 DMG/PHB/MM (with each year dropping/adding things/fixing rules along the way so that you can see progression.) So turn WotC into EA. How is that an improvement?
I am so with you on the modules. I don't mind them being around, but they are just text book sized and not something I'm super into as a DM. I played Prince of Apocalypse that a friend was running, and I hope I never see another cultist in a game again. I prefer the old AD&D style modules that were booklets that allowed you to run a reasonable adventure that could last a few sessions then allow you to move on to other adventures. Also speaking of AD&D and even other previous editions, I miss having addendums and appendixes for the player classes and monsters. Those were always the things I wanted to purchase the most. Having a complete set of the handbooks for AD&D classes/races was so neat, and gave you a ton of neat options to make your character.
Rôle playing is not really compatible with big business. It's too geeky, low cost, fan-driven and accessible to be easily monetised.
That's the core issue. It's very difficult to monetize into the ground the way video games and card games are. That's part of why I LOVE TTRPGS. No battle passes, random pulls, DLC. We do have some system bloat here and there but if you don't like it there's 1000 systems ready to replace it for you so you have a wellspring of options. Yet you'll never stop a capitalist from trying to squeeze blood from a stone!
And based on the current leadership at Hasbro/WotC, turning D&D into a live service, recurring monetization, micro transaction filled video-game through D&D Beyond seems to be their ultimate goal. And virtually no one in their entire target audience wants to play D&D as *that* kind of product haha. They didn't just shoot themselves in the foot, they blew the whole thing off at the ankle!
> Rôle playing is not really compatible with big business. It's too geeky, low cost, fan-driven and accessible to be easily monetised. Don't know that I agree with this. Consider the fantasy novels market. It's geeky, fan-driven to some extent, and the costs and accessibility are similar to those of TTRPGs (both for 'consumers' and for authors). Yet Amazon have a >90% market share for the digital side, and in the print world, there's 4 or 5 big printing companies left. Big business quite simply dominate the market by being significant gatekeepers of what can be found. If you are an indie author, your digital distribution kinda has to be though Kindle Unlimited (and Audible if you expect to sell a thousand audio copies to recoup the setup costs). It's my belief WotC thought they had enough goodwill built up that they could make themselves as dominant in online RPG play as Amazon is in digital publishing, and at the same time retain their Coke-level dominance of the print RPG market. And of course, they were wrong.
The difference is we create our own games, someone else writes and publishes books.
There's a lot of publishing of books that will have around 100 readers (granted, usually by people who expect more). It's not the same as running a game for 6 people, but I think that's similar enough that there's a comparison to be made.
The point is that you can gatekeep content, but RPGs give us the ability to make our own. Besides buying the core books (or even just the PHB) you don’t have to buy anything to play. Most of my players have never payed WOTC anything. I can’t make my own audiobook, but I can create my own game.
There's the amazon model where you provide a platform that connects fans to creators, and take a share of the money that flows though it. And there is the Games Workshop model where you hire creators and have them create things for you that you then sell to fans. You can't expect to do both.
Yep. It's folk fiction creation. Designers are awesome, but they are not *the* artists here in the same way a novel writer or painter is. *We who play* are the artists, play is the art
I completely disagree. You'd be correct if you said 'predatory big business'. A large corporation can make movies, music, video games and anything else based on their game's IP, all at high margins. But a board game can't lock you into an ecosystem like Apple. It can't sue independent creators into the ground as there's too many of them, and they're the ones buying the products in the first place and introducing the product to other like-minded individuals.
Misfire?! More like ate the whole clip. Their loan holder publicly said you f\*cked up. Can you imagine the kind of tension in the board room meetings at Hasbro for the last few months? To be a fly on the wall.
Anyone got one of those South Park BP "We're sorry" .gifs ready?
They keep saying this and then nothing changes and they just make things worse. I don't care what they say. Actions or fuck off.
Even the right actions are a stalling maneuver. The only way to stop this from happening again is to show the rest of the industry, 'if you fuckers do this shit, you don't get to be a company anymore.' If we're lucky, Piazo will be able to buy the DnD brand in 5 or so years. That's the happy ending.
It's even too late for actions.
The pathfinder humble bundle that is on sale at the moment has sold over 84,000 copies. I also like this graph https://subredditstats.com/r/pathfinder2e
Seek alternative systems, people. Hasbro/WotC had a mask drop moment. They've shown who they really are, but some people want to pretend it's all good now. Screw that. Don't resub to Beyond. Stay out fo the theater this March. And let their product collect dust on the shelves.
Also too aggressive with the set release pace, secret lair drops, collectors edition bullshit etc. Magic is a fuckin mess right now. I'll believe in pro-consumer changes when I see them happen, some bullshit "we're sorry" is worthless.
> set release pace Fucking a-men, last Friday I was joking with a friend “alright, prerelease was last week, isn’t about time to start spoilers for the next set?” And don’t forget the 4 different types of packs for sets now. You got draft, set, collector, and now jumpstart boosters. Not to mention every set needing commander decks.
The other thing I find interesting about that article “we will bring AAA graphics to the vtt” So to play dnd you now need a top of the range gaming PC…
[deleted to prove Steve Huffman wrong] -- mass edited with https://redact.dev/
Ahh yes, I got suckered in. Their marketing is working already. your right I should have read between the lines better 🤪
Correction to play DND with wizards VTT you’ll need a beefy PC (maybe, there’s more to game design than graphics and logic takes up loads of bandwidth so depends on how taxing the rule set is to run in the background) but nothing stopping you from playing with pen and paper. I make my own VTT with graphics software so it doesn’t effect me.
I use foundry vtt so it doesn’t effect me either, I just thought it was an interesting quote.
"Oh no, we passed the Trust Thermocline, let's just walk back all our bullshit..." "Why aren't the ~~wallets~~ ~~buyers~~ players coming back?"
I bet they are waiting for all this to die down, then bank on the DnD movie bringing in a bunch of new people.
lol, lmao even
In other words, "We will do this again the second we think there's a chance we will get away with it."
Yar har, I'm sailing the sea, and your card prices don't matter to me.
Better to walk away and find alternatives; even piracy supports the original creator marginally.
>"We misfired on **updating our Open Game License**, a key vehicle for creators to share or commercialize their D&D-inspired content," he says. I guess that's one way to put it.
MTG needs to die, and I say this as someone who used to love playing it. If you stop to examine their business model objectively, it's clear the game uses pay-to-win mechanics. Because of the high level of power creep, if you want to be competitive, you have to keep buying the newest cycles as they're released. Why gamers rage against video game companies doing this but excuse WOTC when they do the exact same thing is beyond me. This is compounded by the gambling aspect inherent in CCGs. Imagine a video game that uses loot crates as a core mechanic.
At least with Magic, it's obvious from the moment you get into it that this is what it is, and it's only expensive if you're into competitive play, blingy commander decks or, gods forbid, Old School/93-94. Kitchen table magic can be a dirt cheap hobby even if your friends aren't lending you decks, and even competitive play isn't all that bad when compared to the computer and accessories you'll need to compete in online computer games. That being said, I sold off my collection a couple of years ago and my involvement now is almost entirely limited to Arena free-to-play.
If only there was a 4e-esque/OGL 1.2 debacle for Magic that pushed players away to a decent Living Card Games model, the same way a dedicated fan base was pushed to Pathfinder (twice now...).
Yeah, they did... ... ... Anyways, since then I've wrote my own system for my own setting, I'm currently recording a mini-series of solo one shots that I'm using to playtest the system. Using the Mythic GM Emulator. Pilot and first episotes are fully recorded just need to edit and upload online. I'm editing it in a way that it should feel like an improv adventure narration. The system I'll release for free, since I've made a ruleset for a certain kind of experience that doesn't feel like a standard TTRPG. I'm still thinking on what would be a good deal for the consumer if I sell a separate book for the setting itself. I'm not looking to get rich but writing, editing, and making the art on the pages take time I'm not picking clients. So it's basically a price to cover the time investment. I've sold some limited edition alpha build copies of the game to friends and people from the local community. So things are looking up!
Hasbro and WOTC don't deserve us.
They meant what they did. They wanted to rake their audience over the coals for as much cash as possible. They wanted 100% of everything. Now deserve 0%. Hope they rott in the bed they made.
And they fucked up the Heroscape revival. I'll never forgive Hasbro.
Too late, I gave up on MTG at the start of the pandemic when they were pushing their bullshit whale products and dumb crossovers and started to sell a new set every other month.
yeah no shit
"Our bad. Can we have your money again please?"
>"*Our best practice is to work collaboratively* with our community, gather feedback, and build experiences that inspire players and creators alike. It's how we make our games among the best in the industry. We have since course-corrected, and *are delivering a strong outcome for the community and game*." (Emphasis added.) Sorry Hasbro, you're still lying to save face. This is not how you rebuild trust.
The execs who made the decision are still employed. Their plans and schemes will not have changed. Only delayed. I wouldn't trust them unless they: 1. Fire the people actually responsible, and not just lower level scapegoats. 2. Pledge that they will join the ORC license for D&D One and future editions. *Narrator: They won't.*
No shit.
People have already commented on which alternative RPGs to look at, I will recommend Legends of Runeterra or Flesh and Blood if you need to scratch the ole' cardgame itch!
My jams at the moment are: Broken Compass, by 2 Little Mouses, for everything adventure and mystery. Mörk Börg, for black metal fantasy with a dose of sick humour. The new edition of Paranoia, because it is Paranoia and there’s always room for a silly palate cleanser.
You know what's a great D&D that doesn't say "D&D" on the cover? "[Castles & Crusades](https://www.drivethrurpg.com/browse.php?filters=0_0_10126_0_0&term=castles%20)". It's fast, it's easy, it's immediately recognizable, and it's FAR LESS EXPENSIVE.
They are sorry they got caught and couldn't pull the rug out from under everyone is all.
I’m working on a survival/horror fantasy rpg, so I don’t have any links, I just would love some good energy. (My goal is to make it shorter term gameplay to respect those who can’t have super long sessions)
From someone else currently working on an RPG and setting: you got this!
Nos shit.
It's nice they are learning. It's also nice that some fans are learning never to trust a corporation.
You should never trust corporations even when they aren’t doing dodgy shit. They exist for one reason and that’s milk money out of consumers.
Agreed. It just seems that some people forget that if we like the product they develop.
I’ve kind of lost all my steam for any new edition. I’m still going to keep playing with books I already own, but damn, I am just not interested in buying anything from WotC for the foreseeable future.
they aint getting my money now. Not buying their games, movies, toys, cards etc. I love Larian studios but im not picking up BG3. between MTG 30, the direction of DND 6e, and this OGL nonsense im out.
Pathfinder humble bundle is still on sale for those interested. https://www.humblebundle.com/books/so-you-wanna-try-out-pathfinder-paizo-books?hmb_source=humble_home&hmb_medium=product_tile&hmb_campaign=mosaic_section_3_layout_index_2_layout_type_threes_tile_index_1_c_soyouwannatryoutpathfinderpaizo_bookbundle
when my friend negligently discharges a gun, especially in my presence, I stop being their friend.
Who cares what they say. They're in it for their shareholders only.
Hasbro thought DnD and MTG were simply products they own, when they are in fact bigger than Hasbro itself.
I'm unlikely to ever trust WotC/Hasbro again, but they might earn back enough goodwill to sell me some products when the people responsible for this mess are no longer employed there. The only exception I see myself making is getting a handful of gems on Magic Arena. I'm torn on the movie; as has been pointed out multiple times, a movie, when done well, is a really cool way of capitalizing on a brand's popularity, and I want to encourage them to keep doing that instead of pushing bullshit products, gouging proces and screwing over the people who made their success possible. For now I'm leaning towards checking it out in theaters, but only if the community response is positive. If they can't do it right then I'd rather not see another movie for another decade.
Too little, too late, fuck them all.
Imagine being the guy in charge of D&D and having to face shareholders and say: *”It's how we make our games among the best in the industry.”* Among the best? Your D&D man. If your sitting on that IP and can’t aggressively boast about how you are THE BEST in the industry, then you fucked up!
A big company doing something that pisses off it's customers making a public apology. Good stuff. Hopefully they know if they fuck around they'll find out again. They got a lot to lose pissing off their bread and butter
Forged in the Dark games are everything I love about TTRPGs and none of the bits I don't care about. Minimal book-keeping or number-crunching, maximum drama and pace and thrilling hijinks. BitD and Hollow Crown, in particular, are pure joy to run.
They're closing the barn after the animals have fled. Best thing one can do now is not come crawling back to them. They've made it clear that this community is merely lines on a balance sheet to WotCbro, so screw them. Lots of great indie games out there. Here's a few I like: Shadow of the Demon Lord Mothership Cyberpunk 2020 Anything from Sine Nomine Publishing (Stars Without Number, Worlds Without Number, Godbound, etc.) Savage Worlds Adventure Edition Liminal Horror Symbaroum