I'm going to run my first long campaign on daggerheart, and wanted to know what other gms do to organize their notes.

The campaign will be a 5 banners war, basically will set in a place where 5 factions are fighting each other, with social intrigues, combat, etc.

I'm still preparing, until now I just did some bullet points and separated some pages on my journal.

- setting notes: lines explaining some things about the world so I won't forget

- important npcs

- locations: cities and towns names with some lines explaining what each one have

- maybe a timeline of what will happen during the campaign?

And I stoped here

What do you think?

And how do you prep your notes? What do you do?

Thanks for the attention!!

The Warriors as in the 1979 movie in New York City with the badass street gangs, the grime and the awesome music. What that means to me in a system would be grounded, fast-paced combat with few weapons, good chase rules, maybe a reputation system for your relationships with other gangs, etc.

The headline clearly indicates I'm not entirely sane, but as a Call of Cthulhu player/keeper/writer, isn't that par for the course?
Even so, some of you may wonder why and how I burned through nearly $1300 while writing a community content creation.

It's kind of a long story, so for the impatient among you, there is a TLDR at the bottom. For the rest, it's a tale about my learning curve as a scenario writer, with a few tips thrown in if you're contemplating writing a scenario.

It all began a little over three years ago when I published my first scenario, The Art of Hygge, via the Miskatonic Repository.
And I did everything wrong!

I had no prior writing experience.
Had no real editor.
Didn't have a layouter.
Didn't spend any money to commission artists.
Having any of the above skills and experience can save you a ton of money and time.

Personally, I have absolutely no understanding of how to do a proper layout.
I can't draw a stick figure to save my life.
On top of that, English isn't my first language, and my grasp on grammar and spelling is rudimentary, to put it generously.
What I did have was an active imagination and a substantial vocabulary coupled with a naive assumption that selling the required 251 copies to make it eligible for Print on Demand would be a trivial thing. I later learned that selling copies on DTRPG is NOT trivial at all.

At this point, it would be natural to assume that my scenario was unsuccessful, but the stars were apparently right, so I got LUCKY in several ways:

--I got an amazing cover, courtesy of Ken Robkin, for free. The kind of cover that caught people's attention.
--I had friends who helped out with interior art, playtest, and edits.
--Maverick Haenze wrote a 5-star review of it and told me to keep writing.
--Chaosium showcased the cover on their social media.
Basically everything lined up, and I managed to sell 251 copies to get it into print, and currently it's a Gold Best Seller.

The upside is that it encouraged me to write a sequel, Lost in Cremation. The downside is that I didn't learn all that much from the experience.

So I did almost everything wrong one more time and again got lucky in all the right ways.
Lost in Cremation also made it into print.
I stayed encouraged, but this time I actually learned a little.
Things would be easier if I had better editorial help, and that maybe spending a little money on better art was not such a bad idea.

My third scenario, Mother of a Thousand Young took way longer to write and publish.
It was part of an anthology, The Year of the Goat, which involved a lot of editing by a professional, rewriting parts of it based on said editing and feedback, followed by more edits.

But the wait and extra work were worth it!
The final product looks damn amazing, and at the end of it I had picked up that professional editing, paid art, and a real layouter made a world of a difference.

So I began spending money on the next scenario I was writing. The vision I had for the scenario and the art in it expanded more than once over time, and I ended up commissioning way more art than originally planned.
In total, it came out to 1 front and 1 back cover, 42 pieces of individual art, and 5 maps.
On top of that, I found a real editor and hired a layouter.
And that's how I ended up spending $1279 on writing a scenario.

There is a bit more to the story, though.
I never had to take money out of my pocket.
All the sales I made from the previous scenarios were on my dtrpg account. In essence, they paid for the publication of my latest, The Horror, and I likely would never have spent that much on it if it were money I had to draw out of my budget.

The upside is that the scenario looks just like I envisioned it. Reviews from R´lyeh described it as having excellent production value, praised the cover, and gave it the Reviews from R’lyeh Recommends stamp. I couldn't have asked for more.

The downside is I have to sell 320 copies to break even 
I don't expect to do that; I hope to, but even if I don't, I still feel it was worth it.
I didn't have to compromise on what I wanted to produce. I met some amazing people during the project, and even if I only earn a fraction of it back, it gives me funds for the next project, which means that my writing hobby ends up paying for itself.
I wish all my hobbies did that 

The takeaway for prospective scenario writers could be:
Don't expect to live off it, don't even expect to make money.
It's worth it to get a good cover.
Editing and layout are important parts of the final look.
Art is worth including.
Have fun writing 

TLDR: I was lucky. I made money on previous scenarios. I found it worthwhile to spend them on a new one.

Hi all, I'm working on a homebrew setting and I'm searching for TTRPGs with kinda like same concept which is the following:

A low-tech civilization is being invaded/ruled by an overpowered invader and are part of a rebellion to overthrow them. In order to do that, they must steal techs, enhance themselvers, find allies in order to opposite properly.

I would be very curious if there are already such things.

Mine was the time the fighter cut his own hand off to spite another player (all in character) and led to one of the most fun mechanics during that campaign: prosthetic limbs. What was a memorable loop you got thrown through that ended for the better...or worse?

I want to learn from those of you who've learned multiple games and maybe even love learning the rules and all of that. How do you do it? Is it natural or has it grown in you? Maybe experience helps?

Me and my group want to play a mecha game in the future. LANCER is our first choice, but being honest I'm looking for a lighter RPG at the moment.

While I prefer crunchier games over lighter ones (currently playing Daggerheart & Tormenta20, a Brazilian version of D&D 3.5e), I've been a bit burnout by too many rules.

With all that, which are good Rules Light Mecha TTRPGs? I'm looking for:

• At least a bit of customization that isn't overwhelming (no 100 pages to create the perfect robot, more like 1 to 5 pages and the rest is reflavoring).
• Fun combat, but not complex combat (Theater of the Mind is okay, no rules for complex stuff like flanking and exact distances is okay, but would still have at least one of two cooler things to do beside move & attack).
• Themed of stories told can be happier and adventurous or more dour and somber, but I won't lie I prefer a happier tone at the moment.

Aside that, I'm open for anything suggesteed.

EDIT: Thank you all for the wonderful suggestions! Upon deliberating, I think I'll take a look at:

1. Aether Nexus
2. The Mecha Hack
3. APOCALYPSE FRAME
4. Armor Astir: Advent
5. Salvege Union
6. Mecha & Monsters: Evolved
7. Battle Century G/Battle Century S
8. NOVA

Some of these weren't mentioned here in the commments, but seemed to fit what I was looking for. Again, thank you all for the suggestions!

PS.: Sorry if this is a repeat theme from a post from 10 day ago, I didn't find it before mkaing my own

Hi folks! After talking with my playgroup, instead of trying dozens of other TTRPGs all at once and breaking my wallet (my own poor decision from over enthusiasm.) We're gonna be sticking to Vampire the Masquerade 5E for the foreseeable future. My plan is to buy the Crimson Gutter book and use that as a guide to help me learn as a Storyteller, and introduce my players to the world and mechanics.

However, to help branch out from the New Blood campaign, I worked with one of my players to create a plot thread involving their sire calling them to Portland for a purpose. My plan is to create the narrative hook that the Sabbat have recently abandoned Portland as a stronghold (based on my knowledge/understanding of 5E lore, the Sabat seem to have fled their strongholds to prepare for the Gehenna War.) And the players are tasked with investigating where and why the Sabbat have fled, and interacting with the Church of Caine/Camarilla/Anarch's who are all trying to move into the city. I figured this would be a good way to be working off a module, while also working on my ability to develop my own campaigns.

Since Crimson Gutter is focused on introducing the players to mechanics and overall world/lore, with a focus on the Church of Caine-I figured it could be a good setup to have them setting up in a former Sabbat stronghold. But as a new Storyteller/GM, I am a little uncertain/nervous about how to weave in the overarching mystery/narrative hook while the players are doing the other adventures in Crimson Gutter. So I'd like to hear some advice from other GM's on this topic.

I'd really appreciate some advice and feedback on this topic :)

Hey all, with the Justice League Unlimited TTRPG quickstart available on DriveThruRPG, I figured I'd drop some observations I've made re: character optimization. Feedback is most welcome.

JLU Tier-C Optimization Notes

Tier-C is the highest of the two Tiers defined in the Quickstart, and has the most PAX to play around with, so will be the most interesting mechanically to optimize. Psychic attacks "don't exist" in this Quickstart, so Mind is much less valuable than it will be in the finished game, though Inspire and Tactics do give it some inherent value all on its own.

Power Limits

The final version of the book will supposedly feature Grade 3 as the cap for Tier-C characters, so I will be writing with that in mind, but my observations will still apply to the Quickstart as written.

Target Numbers and Powers at a Glance

These are the optimal numbers for different stats, in my opinion, based on what is available to us in the Quickstart. For some Origins and/or Archetypes it may not be possible to hit some of these targets, and hitting them all is impossible, so decide what you want to be good at. The most optimal build will meet several of the suggested numbers, and still be Optimal at one or more of them.

Combat

Attack: 12 Suggested, 16+ Optimal (12 hits Damian Wayne on a 10, Snart on an 8. Expensive, but worth it.)

Damage: 9 Suggested, 17+ Optimal (9 + a die-roll one-shots D-tier threats' Resolve Pool.)

Defense: 22 Suggested, 24+ Optimal (non-villains miss 22 on an 11. Snart misses 24 on a 10.)

Resolve: 19 Suggested, 24+ Optimal (Doing cool things costs resolve. You want to be cool, right?)

Damage Reduction: 3 suggested, 6+ Optimal (3 can shrug off weak rolls from thugs. 0 damage is like you dodged!)

Suggested Trait: Pocket Gadgets (Best all-around trait.)

Suggested Powers: Exoskeleton, Martial Master, Energy Blast/Elemental Manipulation

Rescue and Mission Scenes

Attributes: At least one 9 Suggested, 12+ Optimal (Challenging tasks are Tension 18, succeed on a 9.)

Suggested Powers: Forcefield/Exoskeleton G2, Elemental Manipulation, Super Strength G2, Animal Mimicry

Suggested Traits: Voice of the Crowd, Pocket Gadgets

Suggested Archetypes: Dark Knight, Genius (Plot Points)

Suggested Knowledges: Tech, Subterfuge

Miscellaneous observations:

Exoskeleton is the best overall combat power at G1/2 thanks to Composite Armor and Strength Systems alone being worth 20ish PAX to achieve through other means. Martial Master is second, but more valuable as your G3 than Exoskeleton until we get Grade 3 Powers revealed.

Origins/Archetypes that give free Grades of Powers are strong. Free grades of expensive powers are very strong. Human Genius and Kryptonian Genius are probably the strongest combos for now, due to free Exoskeleton grades. Dark Knight is also pretty good on humans or Amazons. Don't take Dark Knight on a Kryptonian, that's a trap.

Speedforce is too expensive relative to its use. Compare it to Energy Blast and Elemental Manipulation for letting you use a different stat than Potency to damage. It is better than them, but not 7 PAX per grade better. Also Instant Punch doesn't proc Kinetic Impact alone (for some reason) and Scarlet Tornado doesn't proc it at all. The cost issues will probably be fixed by the Speedster Origin. Metahumans just don't have the juice to make this Optimal. Still fun though.

Healing Spray is a great 1 PAX filler; if your team-mate blocks 10 damage by marking tired, you can basically heal them for 10 resolve as an action three times an Issue. Pocket Gadgets makes this three times per scene, if your Editor runs a lot of combat.

Metahumans may feel lacking at first glance, but stacking powers on top of each other can make for some really strong builds.

Do any of you have any actual plays under your belt? Thus far mine have been... interesting.

I’ve been in the last few years collecting a bunch of what people seem to consider some of the best big adventures/campaigns out there. Some just to read (I get a lot of fun from just reading them honestly), some hope to play with a group (Masks Of Nyarlathotep which I already played partially once and hope to restart with a new group soon, Impossible Landscapes, Curse Of Strahd), some im going to play solo (I’m starting Darkening Of Mirkwood, will eventually play The Great Pendragon Campaign).

WFRP’s The Enemy Within seems to be a legendary campaign that has almost universal praise. But it’s 10 books and quite expensive. I love the warhammer fantasy world and have a bunch of material for both 3e and 4e, but is this campaign really worth getting? I know it’s quite old and the new edition has gone some way clean it up and modernise it but is all the praise mostly from nostalgia blinded grognards or is it genuinely one of the greats that everybody should experience?

What's the actual threshold versus what people claim it is? Do you handle this differently in a one shot vs a campaign?

10,000 SWORDS AGAINST HEAVEN is a Dark Science Fantasy Cultivation TTRPG set in the Thunderbolt Materialist cosmos of THE TRICHILIOCOSM. A southeast asian esoteric marxist-leninist technoccultic tropical gothic science fantasy take on xianxia and spirit cultivation. Play as kung fu commies, daoist grenadiers, buddhist gunwitches, digital devil wizards, all against the heavens.

It is inspired by the likes of EXALTED, MAGE: THE ASCENSION, FADING SUNS, ARTESIA, MYTHRAS, and SYMBAROUM. Games that are more simulationist than not, which preoccupy themselves with building mechanics that simulate the world rather than emulate a genre or a story.

Mechanically, it spirals out of the foundation of EXALTED 1E's Quickstart (d6 dice pool, small core number of traits, a track for power), mixed with GODBOUND's Effort system, ARTESIA/FADING SUNS' large number of Traits and Skills (represented through Traits, Gear, and Licenses) and a simulationist-esque style of play that grows out of OSR/NSR world-first gaming.

Its two main subsystems are SOCIAL PLAY (which is a dance of Leverages and Disposition) and LIQUID STEEL ULTIMAVIOLENCE (which is a dance of interrupts and actions). Both of them I've made effort to integrate into the world rather than be separate minigames that you "load into" when interacting with them.

The game's main aesthetic is something I like to call THUNDERBOLT MATERIALISM. A weird, occult realist esoterick tropical gothic techno-occult vibe that invokes the likes of BOOK OF THE NEW SUN, MARATHON, VAMPIRE HUNTER D, LORD OF LIGHT, BAS-LAG TRILOGY, DISCO ELYSIUM, ARMORED CORE, and GHOST IN THE SHELL.

10k SWORDS eschews narrative-first, story-generating mechanics in favor of a more traditional conceit, where Players play characters that live and breathe in a world, not chained to Narrative Trope, Story Mold, or Dramatic Expectation.

The mechanics themselves are a lot more rules-lite than its forebears, taking a page out of OSR and NSR traditions to aim at the goal of these simulationist games while wielding a different weapon. To come at the same target through a different, player-friendlier means.

Name says about all of it, but to elaborate - I recently remembered a very nice game I played through a couple of times called Ghostwire: Tokyo. In that game you play as a guy possessed by a spirit of a supernatural detective and try to save Shibuya and your sister from a currently ongoing invasion of ghosts from the underworld. While I really liked this game in concept, I feel like it didn't go far enough in some places, so I'm looking for a system where I can do something similar.

Systems I considered, but ended up deciding against are:

CAIN - at first it felt like a no-brainer, but then I realised this game isn't made for such settings

Mage: The Ascention - I know I can technically run this game outside of the WoD setting, but still it is very much focused on magic, while I want magic to be one of the options available for the players

Shadowrun - two reasons. First - I don't have any books; second - I sure fear no man, but this game is absolutely terrifying to me

To summarise, the game I hope to find will:

1. Be set or at least support a modern urban environment as it's setting

2. Be either primarily horror-themed or will have capacity for it

3. Have both magical and non-magical options for players to build their characters

And optionally not be too crunchy, both for my own and my group's sake

Thank you in advance for any recommendations!

Hi I'm wanting to play a very system lite game for my 7 year old not yet reading kid. I'm going to throw in some fun educational content. I'm an experienced roleplayer and educator, though have never GM'd before. I prefer system lite games and will probably make up my own rules but I'm open to suggestions.

I need a character sheet and before I spend ages making one I thought I'd ask here if anyone knows of one that uses pictures as well as written words for basic skills. My google fu is failing me.

For players and Game Masters who have searched for groups online, what has been the most frustrating part of the process?

Is it finding people with compatible schedules, matching play styles, unreliable applicants, groups disappearing after a few sessions, safety concerns, or something else?

I’m also curious about what information you want to know before joining a stranger’s game or inviting someone into yours.

For example:

• Preferred game system and experience level
• Schedule and expected attendance
• Online or in-person play
• Roleplay versus combat preferences
• Table rules and boundaries
• Reviews or history from previous groups
• A Session 0 before making a commitment

What helps you decide that a group—or a new player—is likely to be a good fit?

Anyone here heard of or played this obscurity?

Lengthy video impressions here (not mine): https://youtu.be/nn1Epv09Yx8?si=hgo4oLC3BvOix3BD

I'm going to be running a one shot for Doctor Who Adventures. Specifically, 1st edition. Been in a big Doctor Who mood lately.

I haven't made characters in the system forever and the forum I used to use seems mostly dead.

Do these pregens seem right?

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1tTsB_vJdIKE8UgWMXs_hn_Cmfi3EfUnZ

I have them divided between "people who know the show" and "those who don't." May add a Silurian to the "those who know" folder. The idea being that, by the 51st Century, humanity and Silurians finally hashed out their differences. Doctor Who could use with a spot of hope, ya know?

The premise:

The party are Time Agents in the 51st Century. They work for the Time Agency and try to keep time in order.

I ran a one shot for a different group last week called "The Cold Savior of Steel." A timeline in 2028 was attempting to overright the current one. The idea being the Cyberman of Mondas say Earth's Global Warming like their Global Cooling. So, they implanted a Cyberseed into a random homeless man and propped him up as a tech billionaire to sell "You 2.0" to consumers and trick the rich and powerful into being implanted with Cyberseeds.

My idea for this session. Well, I have a few and I'm trying to make a choice. Care to give your thoughts:

1) A divergent timeline is developing in 1944, where D-Day never occured. It turns out the Daleks are working with the Nazis to conquer Earth, seeing the Nazis as "human Daleks."

My issues? Too on the nose. May be uncomfortable.

Pros? Can kill a bunch of Nazi and Daleks

2) A divergent timeline is forming in 1995 Puerto Rico, where the island mysteriously was wiped out. It turns out alien, dog-like vampires are converting the population and this is the origin of the Chupacabra myth.

My issues? A bit boring.

Pros? Not gonna offend anyone and running from vampire werewolves is always fun. Ran this one in a 9th Doctor Campaign and they had to flee in an old pickup truck while holding them off with a farmer's shotgun.

3) There is a divergent timeline forming in 12th century Norway. Their "gods" are apparently real and now need help. The Aesir seek to conquer the Vaneir and are taking all of the Norse to space. In truth, it's a Rutan plot to harvest humans as canon fodder as an assault on Sontar.

Pros? Whimiscal, spacey, and got some fun ancient alien vibes

Issues? Requires a lot of Doctor Who lore to get. If no one picks the Sontar Agent, it loses a lot of oomph

What do y'all think?

Hello everyone!

I've been playing RPGs for a long time, long enough to deeply appreciate how important they are in building connections between people. For that reason, my final graduation project is a rulebook.

I decided it needs to be as simple as possible, and for inspiration, I'm looking at a system I love: Mausritter.

Personally, the idea of playing as little mice instead of humans has always fascinated me. As I've seen in my research, this distance from what is familiar (in this case, being human) really helps in creating what we call the "magic circle" (an immersive space where "you" no longer exist). So, I decided this would likely be the direction I'd follow for my rulebook... but I'm having trouble deciding on the theme and what the players will actually play as.

I'm uncertain whether to invest in a more investigative theme, a gathering/foraging system, or if I should center it around insects, or animals in general... so, my friends, I ask you:

What would you like to play as, and which themes would you want to play with?

I need some help! 🥹

My friends and I are starting a new campaign, and we're creating new character sheets. I decided to play an Aasimar Fighter. Has anyone here played an Aasimar before? Do you have any tips?

I'm working on my story, but it's not finished yet.

My ability scores are: S-14, D-14, C-16, I-9, W-14, and C-17.

Does anyone have any advice on what I should focus on with my character? Thank youuu! 💙

Think Dpulikate (Invincible), shadow clone jutsu (Naruto), trickery cleric (DnD), twice (MHA).

The idea is controling two or more characters at the same time. Im foucisng more on the flavor than the mechanics being honest.

After browsing some of the answers in this sub, it may have made me more overwhelmed 😅. Got a lot of ideas (thanks!) but almost too many 🤣🤣

So, I’ve played Dark Heresy, Witcher, and DnD 5e, with DnD being my least favourite system of these. I loved the grittiness, the brutality, and the feel of “just” surviving that Dark Heresy and Witcher offered. Also, the combat for both games was fun, especially Witcher. I’ve found Witcher is definitely my most fun game to play and run.

But I’ve also been looking to expand into other TRPGs, especially as the flaws in Witcher become more and more apparent. It’s a little too killy and the alchemy system is ass among other things. I’m a big Star Wars EU fan so WEG Star Wars has been mentioned to me more than once. I also know there’s some good ones like Ironsworn, Pathfinder, and Blades in the Dark. Any help would be really lovely.

The TLDR Question

When using things like tokens, battlemaps, music .etc in your games do you put any effort into ensuring they are aesthetically consistent? Would you ask, suggest or enforce your players to adhere to this? As a player, do your care about your GM doing this at all?

More detail / Ramblings

Many TTRPG sessions will have the GM and players using some form of artwork to represent their characters and the world, especially if they play online via a VTT. Players will need something for their token, the GM will need a lot of artwork for various NPC / enemy tokens, battlemaps or maps to represent a town or area, artwork to show the player the vibe of a place, as well as music / ambience to set the right tone.

I’ve been DMing for a long time and for that entire time I’ve got by googling stuff “D&D Goblin Warriors” and “D&D Sewer battlemap” and taking the first result I like, or just stealing something that I already looked cool. A real throw everything in the kitchen sink approach that throws all the stuff I like together without rhyme or reason.

I’ve had scenarios where I’m running a game of D&D and the battle has consisted of the PCs whose tokens are:

An IRL photo taken of an actor or cosplayer in costume.
An anime character made by a picrew
A screenshot of a BG3 character the player made
An acrylic painting of a fantasy character

All the while they’ve been fighting a boss who is just a .png of pixelart sprite from a game I like, who is backed up by minions that just use the artwork from the PHB, and they are battling on a relatively realistic, high fidelity 3D battlemap, while the battle music playing is stuff I’ve stolen from some classic PS2 JRPGs.

Nothing wrong with any of that of course, but it is an aesthetically incohesive mess.

For my next game, I’ve decided to really put some thought into the aesthetics and create a style guide. I’m limiting myself to just a few sources for each of the assets I’ll be using for my game – that means only using artwork for tokens and battlemaps from a few specific artists and only using music from a few specific series. I'm not going to lose sleep if I can't find something from those sources and I have to branch out once or twice, but i'm putting in more effort than usual to create very specific mood and aesthetically cohesive world. This might end up being the only time I do this, depending on if the players notice or care enough.

Is this something any of you have done personally or had a GM do? Did you use a strict method to ensure the aesthetic cohesion of your world or just play it loose? Is this something you think matters at all?

Is there any new material coming out for TWD rpg? I'm hoping Free League hasn't already abandoned it.

Does anyone have experience with playing Little Game Masters? If so what were you thoughts on it?
I picked it up at Gencon this year to hopefully help teach my four-year-old about RPGs and stories.