pondering-my-rat

[pondering-my-rat]

Play-by-Post Western Marches Games:

Phew, that's a mouthful...

Clashing Solutions

The fact that essentially every TTRPG group on the planet struggles with scheduling is not a secret. Thankfully these issues are not new, and many ways to counter that problem have been invented by our community since then.

This post is a report of my observations from running a PBP WM group for quite some time, and how I would do things better if I were to start anew.

First up, what does any of that mean?

Starting with Western Marches (WM)- originally a campaign by Ben Robbins, in my opinion best described by his own words "No overarching plot, just an overarching environment".

Every time Ben's group would meet would be scheduled by the players themselves, drafting from a larger group, and meeting whenever enough of them had time. The game was a true sandbox, with players banding together to explore a vast world by themselves, for themselves.

Nowadays, many "WM-Style" games pop up, retaining some if not most of Ben's tenets. A large group of players is usually part of some kind of Adventuring Guild or another organisation, and organises quests based on emergent narrative.

Play(ing)-by-post however, did not originate in our sphere, instead going almost as far as board games go. People would play chess and other board games sending their respective moves in actual, physical letters to each other- sometimes even across continents. Nowadays, it is mostly done online, through forums, email or other software.

This should at the very least explain the namesake. This type of play does have one glaring problem- pace. Even with how quickly a digital message is delivered, not all of us spend our entire lives online, and thus might take time to respond. Lacking the usual atmosphere of a gaming table and the usual speed at which a game moves, this can make PBP games quite difficult to immerse yourself into.

PBPWM in Practice

So, both of these sounded like cool ways to combat the modern issue of scheduling. I created a discord server, and attempted to run a game using both, going by the false assumption of more fix = more good.

The first problem I noticed was my own fault, I believe. Namely, the players had no intrinsic interest in the world. As you might recall, true WM play will usually lack a central railroad of a story, depending heavily on players to trudge their own path. Because of this, I ended up simply hooking the players on with a generic quest.

Be it the fact my players did not have sandbox experience, or that I haven't explained fully how the game operates- or maybe even the fact that the original game was ran in an older version of D&D where the players had an internal drive to get gold, gold and more gold, pushing them out of the nest by themselves- the first tenet fell, and with it my hope of this (15ish-player strong ) game being less demanding to run than a usual story-driven game.

The second issue came as soon as the first party launched their first quest. It seemed perfect enough at first- we had two characters with the same Race, and a wizard dedicated to studying said folk. Along with two more soldiers to bolster their ranks and make it a viable fighting force, we set out on a perfect adventure with a perfect, compatible cast! Over the ONE AND A HALF MONTHS this "simple" quest would take, we have lost 3 of the players (quit, not dead), forcing me to "summon" new random people in order to make the party capable of fighting anything. Now... I admit, I could've been faster, it was a busy month. Since then however, very few relevant quests were finished quicker than that, and that is with me answering at least once a day, seven days a week.

Now, you might think that the issue here is just how long it took, and well... You wouldn't be entirely wrong, but there're two more issues:

Since the party stayed together for so long, other parties began adventuring, totalling up to four. Due to how unpredictable a quest's length can be, we have not had two parties "out of work" at the same time since we began. As you might imagine, this was hardly a Western Marches game, barely even a Match...more of a crawl...and not even the fun dungeon kind.

Another issue that arose was combat intensity. Due to how slowly the game progressed, the players ended up in a fight that was worth mapping once every few weeks. Some systems would probably not suffer from that, but we played using the 4th edition D&D rules- notorious for combat being essentially the only noteworthy element of the entire system..

My players were disappointed, to say the least, but before I began blaming myself, I thought it through. After summarising the events of the quest in my head, it actually sounded very combat-heavy! After a while of pondering my orb, I realised the problem here was just how slowly in-game time moved compared to real life.

The final nail in my PeBePeWeMe-brand coffin was actually time itself, as the good old saying goes.

After a few months, I think our average pace would be half a day per week, during normal play, and about 2 days a second while travelling! So even a game where more than every second scene was a fight left you feeling like you haven't used your sword in yeaaaaars.

Rethinking my Acronyms

I was happy with the group, or course, I met a lot of lovely people that taught me a lot about the system, that I think I'd love under different circumstances! This however, was perhaps the second worst use of this system I can think of, right after an Animal Crossing-inspired campaign...

Before I start blasting on about issues though, I just wanna remind everyone that this was my first time running all three of these things- i will happily take the blame for every single thing that went wrong. With that said however, here's my reflection on the experience:

Both Western Marches and Play-by-Post play attempt to fix the same issue, being scheduling. Despite foolishly viewing them both as just a fun alternative to normal games, they clashed quite badly.

What's the point of drafting a party from all currently available players, if it will take a genuine percentage of their life before it is over- this simply does not do anything if not a part of session play.

PBP however, was definitely my preferred one of the two, even though it forced me to entirely disregard the game's initiative system in order to finish a single combat turn in under 2-3 working days. As a neurodivergent person, I think I would also struggle to jump into my character just to text a single message and spend a few days waiting for responses- the transitions would just kill me and my will to roleplay in any capacity.

Despite this, however, I am a big believer in interpersonal relationships in games- I find it hard to imagine a great, epic quest where a character just disappears halfway through because a magic item she's looking for doesn't spawn in this biome, and promptly being replaced by a totally new and clueless guy who's 2 levels below the rest and doesn't know their names. I'm all for a party growing or shrinking with time, if there's a reasonable explanation for it within the story.

For Next Time, if I Dare

I have to admit, I probably won't be returning to session-based play until I either finish my Solo system or find a physical group that gathers around a physical table. Frankly, both of the systems I tried have their advantages and I think I'd be able to play into them far better!

My dream Play-by-Post game would most likely be something a lot less combative. Blades in the Dark was my first instinct, but I found a lot of that game to depend on momentum, I think it would lose a lot of its charm of stretched over time. I think the ideal party size for this is two to four players, depending on how many NPCs travel alongside them.

As for Western Marches, I've already fallen in love with the idea of using Modiphus' 2d20 Fallout system, its perfect for it! Not only can we have an array of different characters that can have unique ties to the factions and even be able or access completely different areas, I think the random nature of modern fallout would lend itself greatly into a monster-of-the-week style game, where every session is centered around a single, random issue.

My Tips for You!

Find people, play games, have fun, learn together, make more games, tell me about them!

With that lovely message, I hope you enjoyed this departure from my usual content regarding my own system, and I hope to see you again soon, my Trove-babies, all grown up.

~ Maple <3

[pondering-my-rat]

i made a collection of solo ttrpgs i've found on itch.io if anyone is looking for new ones to play !

[pondering-my-rat]

Return of Ptolma! ~ info post

Long time no see, friends, unfortunately I've been busy with finishing school (successfully!!!), and settling into summer life. Unfortunately for us, that meant I had far less time to work on my project.

That has all changed approximately 4 days ago, when inspiration struck, as with most things.

So, where are we now?

In a new place, a new world, in fact.

For a long time, I've been feeling like this project was going nowhere - all my original ideas slowly leaking out in order to smoothen out the world, of course resulting in one that was far more generic and soulless.

With freedom came revelation.

Since that fateful day, I've not only managed to scratch back some of the soul of my world, but also the game! Skulltrove has also seen some much-needed conceptual revision... conveniently giving me far more to post about here!

So, let's get into it!

I want to cover a lot of the changes as soon as I can, so there will be a lot more proper posts up soon enough. Here's some of the things you can expect:

> New way to generate Dungeons, and new Materials

> Changes to the societies of the world and its map

> Social play! Finally, a way to play with other people

> New level of magical-ness in the world

Well... Better get to writing! I'll see you once I'm back, my Trove-babies. Love you all!

- Maple

[pondering-my-rat]

The World of Ptolma: Magic, Space and Philosophy, [PART 2]

[link to Part 1^^]

Welcome back, my Trove-babies, it's time to continue the conversation started yesterday!! Honestly, I am not quite sure what else to post about currently, as I am not running a single game of Skulltrove as of now, which slows down progress exponentially... Until I can figure something out, we'll be going over all the manifestations of magic In the world, enjoy your read!!

Miasma

As we've talked about previously, the discovery of Flux was a pivotal moment in Ptolma's history. Today, we'll focus on the dark force that opposes it, and has not been discovered until far later In the world's history.

Where the harmonic resonance of Flux symbolises movement, life and energy- the force now known as Miasma is a death force of stagnation and lethargy, seeping out of discordant environments with very little harmonic elements.

Miasmic frequencies bear a resemblance to Flux, at least regarding the way they are formed and spread. Instead of the vigorous sensation Flux gives, Miasma tends to confer nausea, weakness and resignation to those exploded to its baleful frequency.

Furthermore, a key difference between the two are their ultimate manifestations. The Harmonic frequency results in the formation of Flesh, be it human or plant, the flexible and energetic matter it creates is the obvious backbone of all living organisms. Aside from the deterioration of flesh, Miasmatic influence may result in the formation of Corium.

Corium: a cold, salt-like substance that tends to elicit feelings of dread and impending doom upon prolonged physical contact. However lacking in Miasma's outright harmful effects, the mineral has been found to dampen the flow of Flux nearby.

The Vast & Ptolma itself

Now that we understand the Grand Harmony, and by that I mean the relation between Flux and Miasma, we can finally delve into the cosmic structure!

Note: At this point, we're exceeding the level of knowledge Ptolma's citizens possess, and enter the realm of my hypothetical vision of the world's far future.

Ptolma is a convex disc upon a seemingly endless "ocean". It's day-night, yearly and seasonal cycles work much like our own, here on earth (for the sake of lessening the mental load it takes to run a game or write a story in this setting...). One major difference, however, is what's known as The Vast. As I just mentioned, Ptolma alongside all other planes are suspended on the surface of unknown proportions.

Upon this sea, countless planes float and travel in puzzling patterns, sometimes even nearing others, causing something akin to planetary alignment. They were all formed upon the corpses of The Empyreals, or simply Titans - a race of unimaginably large creatures that once existed in some capacity, now usually treated as gods on whose bodies we built our civilizations!

Now, harkening back to Balance bringing forth Flux, and thus life- the Vast is devoid of anything capable of emitting positive resonance, aside from the material planes, of course. This results in "water" that is essentially... Liquid Miasma...

Empyreal Immunity

If you take a moment to take in the revitalising effect of Flux, you come to a somewhat puzzling question: why do humans die? If we're surrounded by a world capable of constantly pumping out life itself... What's working against it, especially if Miasma is practically restricted to the Wealdlands?

Well, the answer is tantalisingly simple.... The Sun is in fact (alongside all other "stars") a solid, plane-sized lump of Corium. As this mineral is faaaaar more commonly found in the vastness between planes, and is carried across the Vast with cryptic currents. The pale glow of stars and Ptolma's Sun is simply caused by the sheer magnitude of its Miasmatic Frequencies, unmatched by even the grandest spectacles of Harmonics!

For those of you familiar with my previous posts, you may recall a certain comment regarding the Dwellers (native species of Ptolma) and their relative vulnerability to sunlight!

Compared to all the races across the Vast, humanity's nigh-immunity to Miasma is essentially seen as a miracle, and is most likely linked to some kind of highly efficient Harmonic system within their very bodies. (More on that in a future post on humanity's bizarre origin, where I will finally be able to mention my vampires!!!, I love vampires!!!)

Alright, that's it for the second entry into my space/magic miniseries!! Hope you enjoyed reading through it, and I'll hope to see you next time when I talk about the elements and Sorcery!

Fares thees wells, my Trove-babies!

- Maple <3

[pondering-my-rat]

Anyway I don't think players actually have to come up with backstories for their characters. They can if they want to and even if they write the dreaded "amnesia" trope in there that makes some people see red it's like whatever. As a GM I think it's always more interesting to find out what your character's deal is through play rather than read about it, and the stuff you'll do in play is probably going to be a lot more dynamic and interesting than anything pre-authored.

[pondering-my-rat]

Come, friends! Gather round and enjoy an age-appropriate beverage- it's time to talk a bit about the...

The World of Ptolma: magic, space and philosophy! [PART 1]

I caught myself referring to the plane my game is set on by its true name a few posts ago, and thought it was about time I laid out the foundations of my world, enjoy this little lore-dump!!

By the way, I make extensive use of terms directly stolen or based on greek. Now, I do not speak greek, and have yet to find someone who does so that I can be a little more graceful with the language's portrayal in the future!!

Part 1: The Grand Harmony & Weaving

We can seldom speak about Ptolma and the darkness that surrounds it without addressing the one truth that led to its creation in the first place. One of the very core principles to my internal worldbuilding was for everything to have an equivalent- every force be held in balance by it's polar opposite. After all, what is light in a world without darkness?

What the in-world scholars eventually discovered, was an arcane frequency brought forth by balance. A single ripple accompanying a man's last breath, as he is as dead as alive, just for a second, just enough to pluck a string of the world.

However fleeting, once the existence of such force was discovered, many lines were quickly drawn between the strange frequency and many aspects of our life- a flower budding, a mother's pains eased for a moment or even the purr of a cat. And so, Flux had been discovered.

These scholars, primarily based in the Klingstone Institute, concluded that acts of Harmonism can be directly linked to the phenomenon we know as Life. The name 'Flux' has quickly spread over the Imperial world, one academy to the next- claiming that every breath we take is thanks to the natural order of things and the subtle ways the Grand Harmony shows itself.

The science of Harmonism has captured the hearts of high society, with the word Immortality unspoken, despite a growing hope of it in the minds of those in the know. This breakthrough led to many attempting to harness this power through careful and deliberate orchestration of Harmonic Events leading to unusually high flux genesis.

These men and women of half-science, half-occultism often took on the mantle of Weavers: a term borrowed from Imperial lands' folklore, where the weavers were a sort of supernatural force weaving the life stories of all who lived. In a similar manner, the new Weavers wove a careful balance between things and un-things.

Well, I think that should cover the majority of material on the Harmony. Although, wait... If all forces in this world are balanced... could Flux itself have some sort of mirror image? An essence of sheer, stagnant death... I imagine!

More on that in the next installment of this mini-series, which will finally dive into the cosmology of the world once we explain what the Harmony's opposing force Is!!!

With that say, stay magical, babies!

- Maple <3

[pondering-my-rat]

Technical Tumblr Question!

Right so, this is the first time I've posted this regularly, and I'm noticing that my page is quite difficult to navigate for someone looking for my original posts- I was wondering if there's any socially acceptable way of handling that?

Like, is it customary to leave it like this, should i have a separate re-blog-blog or like, I even considered linking all my actual posts in my Pinned?

-Maple, help!

[pondering-my-rat]

No proper post today babies, gotta lock in for an exam... </3

I've been reading through 4AD though- might post a session soon!^^

It's making me feel a lot better about my own game to be honest, it's good to know there's a place for very game-y RPGs!!I also find the old-school idea of races as classes very fun to work with, it's perfect for enforcing that high fantasy vibe of Lord of the Rings without overloading you with unique class+race combinations like D&D tends to!!

The rules are definitely somewhat dated, especially in the way they're written, but I'm sure a little hacking will make it a whooooole lot of fun! Already started brainstorming some new class ideas based on Darkest Dungeon characters, I'll probably end up writing a bit of a gothic supplement for it once I have time!!!

With that said though, my scholarly duties call- till next time!!

- Maple <3

[pondering-my-rat]

I bet it feels good as fuuuuck to slightly draw your sword with all the other knights in anger when a treacherous knave shows their face in the court

[pondering-my-rat]

Alight, so

Rituals

Rituals and tabletop games have a decent amount of overlap. There are some superficial similarities: standard procedures, studied rules, and unique tools. Then there are some that are less obvious. These edge more towards the metaphysical: taking on roles beyond yourself and maintaining an unreality through personal or collective will.

I think there is plenty more to dive into on these points. One point I want to drill down into is the place randomness has in the process of either of these.

I originally defined rituals as not having much randomness involved. While I still think that’s true for the total outcome of most rituals, as I’ve worked through this idea, I’ve come to realize that I was leaving out a huge portion, and perhaps the ur-ritual for nearly every magical practice: divinations and fortune telling.

I don’t have the references on hand to really get in depth here, but divining the future is the fundamental inclination in most real world magical traditions. Even the suffix “-mancy” which we use often in contemporary fantasy fiction just means “divination via _____”. Tarot, astrology, reading of tea leaves and burnt bones. Every culture has one, and they almost universally use some tool of randomness (or pseudo randomness in astrology’s case).

You could almost think of rolling for in game outcomes as rolling your characters fortunes. It would be interesting to frame a game in future tense; it all plays out as a vision from an oracle that is telling of your character great journey.

There is still some distinction here from TTRPGs. While process randomness does occur in rituals, there is generally less structural randomness. The idea of a random table for deciding a structural event would generally not appear in a ritual. TTRPGs use GM level random roll tables to determine some level of procedural structure. This is the wrinkle of randomness that doesn’t appear in ritual. This would also apply to character level decisions.

When designing a game that is meant to be played as a ritual, decisions about the structure of the game should be proscriptive. They should lack flexibility in from, but may still flex in the process of playing them.

——

I’ve been wanting to write a bit more in-depth about how Rituals and TTRPGs intersect. I was hoping to do some research and see what else has been written about this idea, but the world has conspired against me. I wanted to get this out near the start of the month and it is what it is.

This is in no way an exhaustive exploration of these ideas. I’d love to hear some of these ideas expanded more by people in the occult world, as I’m not as well read there as I’d like to be.

[pondering-my-rat]

in other news, a list of d100 "classes"

[pondering-my-rat]

THEME: TTRPGs for Trans Rights in Ohio

This is a special rundown of some of the tabletop games found in the TTRPGs for Trans Rights - Ohio Bundle currently being offered on Itch.io! The offer ends on May 3rd, 2025.

Rebels of the Outlaw Wastes, by Nerdy Pup Games.

Play misfit outlaws fighting against the authoritarian Powers That Be in a hyper-saturated, film-grained, retro dystopia. Save the future with the power of friendship, whoopass, and explosions! Features sticker-based character advancement, effortless cinematic vehicle action, and player-driven Ride-or-Die system usings d4s, d6s, d8s, d10s, and d12s.

Rebels of the Outlaw Wastes is colorful, with art that pops off the page and plenty of ready-to-use scenarios to jump-start play as soon as you sit down at the table. Dive into a post-apocalypse full of young punks in a world you build yourself, with plenty of tools to help you create settlements, beasts, gear, and much much more. If you like car chases and vehicle stunts, this is probably a game for you, with purposefully-designed vehicle scenes written into the game.

Songbirds 3e, by snow.

"Moon's haunted."

Songbirds 3e is a tabletop roleplaying game about undeath, supernatural powers, and the blue dreams of the moon. In the game, you create a strange survivor of the world who was chosen (or cursed) by Death. Spirits aren't able to pass on to the afterlife and grow monstrous with each passing day. You know the songs to send them on. You have the abilities that help you find them. You are the canary in the coal mine.

Songbirds 3e has received a great amount of critical acclaim as a beautiful, mysterious, tantalizing game that blends eldritch fantasy dungeon crawls with pieces of sci-fi blended in. It's inspired by Into the Odd, Persona 5, Blades in the Dark, Red Giant, Disco Elysium, Fallout New Vegas, and much much more.

Sound Check, by Misha.grifka.

Sound Check is a game about being in a band. Rehearse, party, get interviewed and get intimate - but don't forget, it's all leading up to one thing: the Big Show. Each player will have their own musician with a unique playbook, but everyone works together to tell the story of an up-and-coming band, in any musical genre you like.

Running on the Firebrands system, Sound Check will explore the story of your band through a series of scenes, using trope-centred playbooks to build a character with strong beats and clear direction. This game has one of my favorite kinds of mechanics: a stress track that eventually brings you to an explosion, which is an action that adds narrative tension and conflict, such as making an enemy out of a friend, or having an emotional breakdown. If you want drama and heightened emotion, you want Sound Check.

Dinocar, by Dinoberry Jam.

Imagine a world almost entirely the same as our own, except someone's magical wish to meet the dinosaurs came true. But after the welcome party, what were they all to do? Well, they went on to have regular modern lives alongside our own; bills to pay, families to feed, jobs to work. Most unfortunately of all, though, they have cars to drive–and none of them are really any good at it.

That’s what happens when you’re a 12-foot tall reptile with big legs and tiny arms, it’s just really hard to fit into a compact economy-size sedan and even harder to operate the dang thing.

In Dinocar, you and as many friends as you can gather will work together to map out a snippet of that world. You’ll paint a map, draw landmarks, slap buildings into place, and take turns going on chaotic road trips and commutes. At the end of a game of Dinocar, you’ll have a story to tell and a wonderful map to either frame on the wall or stick to the fridge.

Dinocar feels fun & whimsical, and feels perfect for folks who don't like to get messy, as well as kids.

The Stone Flesh Gift, by ATypicalFaux.

A silhouette blocks the stars, darker than the space it drifts through. Several amber eyes encased in crystal peer out from the shadows. When dappled in light from the closest sun, the remnants of petroglyphs can be seen carved across its hull, hewn from a single black stone harder than steel. The ship has no comms, no transponder, just a pulsating thump within a membrane running through the stone like a vein of ore. A glistening docking umbilical gently sways as it’s pulled behind the vessel, stretching toward anything that approaches, looking to touch, to connect.

The Stone-Flesh Gift is a 40-page TTRPG module with a focus on exploration and body horror, to be played with the Mothership sci-fi horror RPG. The players will wade through the innards of a lost ceremonial offering, an ancient alien bio-engineering factory and living ship called The Gift, as they work to avoid its dangers, discover its secrets, and plug their brains directly into its organs to feel their thoughts.

This is the only item on this list that isn't a game in itself, but instead a supplement for a game - but if you like space horror, The Stone Flesh Gift is a title I've seen time and time again. It's great for folks who love body horror, and gritty stories of addiction and disease.

In Conclusion...

If any of these games look interesting to you, get them for a steal by picking up the TTRPGS for Trans Rights Bundle on Itch.io!

[pondering-my-rat]

For four years I've been saying I make games about alienation and connection, this month's blog post involves me asking "so what does that actually mean?"

"A vast majority of my games are about the ways people relate to each other and to themselves. They’re often focused on outsiders and the maladjusted. There’s a tension in virtually all my depictions of friendship. The world is rarely a place you belong, and never a place that understands you. Where there’s bitterness, it’s empathetic, and where there’s hope, it’s bruised."

I don't go much into the reasons why this perspective dominates my games, that's not the focus of the post, though I do make an argument of why I think doing this self-analysis is useful to me.

[pondering-my-rat]

necromancy is literally fine

[pondering-my-rat]

collection of fonts i like / use a lot! all of these are free to download on the given site underneath. feel free to like & rb if this collection is useful.

[pondering-my-rat]

The Dawn's Cohort Party and Character Creation Basics!

Goooooood evening Tumblr- you know what time it is! Just past midnight, so I think it's time to make up for failing to post yesterday (more on that at the end)

Today I'll be going over the two parties I use to playtest my game! First of all, I have to admit, some of these characters have been initially created a few years ago when this project was still a piece of D&D 4e (still the best D&D experience, don't bother trying to change my mind!!) homebrew, so they might appear a little out-of-tune with the others, and the game's theme at large.

Character Options

Before we go too far, I want to quickly go over my equivalent of the holy "Class-Race-Background" trinity.

1. Archetype

The first thing any proper character needs, and the only element given to minor characters. (Trespasser's Themes played a pretty big role in the creative process!) It is currently chosen from a list of 9, although I plan to eventually double that with the 6 Region-expansions I plan on writing after the base game is done, and the Advanced Play supplement which is currently just a bin for all the ideas I deem too much work to include in the current drafts!

2. Path

Each Archetype is essentially a small bundle of useful thematic modifications to the basics of combat. Or simply put- your starting abilities. Most of them create the basics of a fighting style, eventually rendered unnecessary once you gain stronger abilities through some of the progression mechanics.

The somewhat implied hallmark of the Fatemarked, which is a word I use to describe the defacto 'main characters' of this world (more on that soon, but I employ a system similar to how Ars Magica handles parties). I like to look at them as the opposite of a background, as despite their name alluding to your character's past, the main focus of your Fate is aimed ahead, at what is yet to come.

3. Path

The closest thing you'll find to a classic character class here, albeit following one of Skulltrove's core principles- the importance of looooooting.

Much like her far less sexier cousin, your Path is a laid-out list of skills your character will gain as they progress through the game (in this case, quite similar to those from XCOM 1 or 2), usually through a levelling system.

A Path however, is very closely linked to your fate, and represents a number of Artefacts scattered throughout the land for you to find. Every time a Dungeon is "completed", you will gain a Map Fragment, and once enough of them are collected- you may select one of your Path Artefacts and embark on a special recovery mission!

Dawn's Cohort

The very first Solo-play party I've ever assembled, still active to this day even after it almost broke up due to a poorly written fanfic between too many of its members- and let me tell you, that was a crucial part of development!!

1. Barben III of Laeb (He / Him)

A frankly unnaturally large man and a descendant of a very influential clan (a la house Stark). He was never trained to fight, which is possibly why he's been kidnapped about 3 times in his life, however his sheer size makes him a considerable danger to all those around him. He met the others while making his way back home after his latest imprisonment, and found out his parents have been overthrown (not dead, I'm not that edgy!!!) by a ruthless Usurper.

- Archetype: Tunnel Fighter (usually used for unarmed brawlers, but seemed apt considering his physical strength and lack of other skills beyond conversation)

- Fate: Heir (self-explanatory for the most part- his goal is to rid the world of the Usurper and recover the Slate Throne)

- Path: Mariner (Mariners are expert fighters and monster-hunters used to the uniquely rough seas of Ptolma. It was the best way to visualise Barben's knowledge of local monsters and the hobby of sailing proved to be a nice addition to his character)

2. Enchantress Voula Crowley (She / They)

Once a member of the Imperial High Court, on the run since discovering a concerning pattern in the Monarchy's involvement. She had formed the Dawn's Cohort to prevent a disaster, although they have yet to leave Barben's homeland, as she promised to help him overthrow the Usurper before he and Meera join forces with the sorceress.

- Archetype: Sparkwielder (an elementalist bound to the plane of Temphestis, allowing her to wield fire, lightning and other elements under the domain of the "Spark")

- Fate: Turncoat (I originally intended this to work for minor crime organisations etc, but I suppose it works for the largest institution in the world as well!)

- Path: Weaver (turning away from her sorcery, Crowley has been researching the Harmonic arts in order to learn more of the peril she's discovered. Weavers wield somewhat dark and arcane powers most can't even comprehend)

3. Meera Southblood (She / Her) and Baron (He / Him)

Meera, oh Meera.... She was originally meant to be the guardian of the group, as she's had more experience killing than the rest, however so far she's become somewhat of a comedic relief character? Her cocky attitude and her now-legendary unluck has led to some truuuuuuly disastrous consequences, ever since their first mission together (which I've just decided to start writing a dramatic retelling or, tune in tomorrow!!!!).

- Archetype: Twin Striker (Teeeeeechnically an unreleased archetype that won't be put to paper in a loooong time, but her randomly generated backstory came back with a pet eagle named Baron, so I really couldn't resist quickly sketching up a list of skills for this archetype!)

- Fate: Unclear (a bit of a cop-out answer, but knowing me and how I run games- I've decided to add an option for a "TBD" Fate. Her two teammates' Fates are already enough to run two entire Regions, so I bet the Oracles will give me something to work with before we get to the third one!)

- Path: Scoundrel (the classic Rogue/Bard, slippery in quite literally every sense of the word. She has connections (and debts) to a lot of relic collectors, which served as her motivation to come to the Brasslands, where she bumped into her two tickets into many a gold-laden tomb)

Epilogue

Alright, that was quite fun to write! I had almost forgotten how fun this team was in practice. As I mentioned before, I think I'll write a quick retelling or my introductory session for this group, if I can still recall it. I suppose that might make it up for missing yesterday's post- which by the way, I know I am under no obligation to post daily, however I am about to graduate school, and have been looking for a new routine to get into. I think this is gonna be a good habit to take up, as it helps me write more (My Samhain resolution!), and keeps me focused on making progress on my game.

With all that said- thank you soooo much for reading what I wrote, and I BETTER see you tomorrow, eh? Have a day!

-Maple

Mentioned Games

After realising just how many games I tend to reference in my work, I thought I'd add this little segment where I discuss and recommend a few games I've enjoyed over the years!!!

1. D&D 4e (7/10)

As I think I already mentioned, I'm a big fan of mixing video and board game ideas together, which initially made me take all the criticisms of this edition with a grain of salt.

As it turns out, I was mostly right! The game sounded phenomenal on paper, as I've put aside money to find some of the physical copies, and I started an online campaign from their unofficial Discord the next week.

Since then, I've found a lot of cracks in the armour, all but intensified by the strange community it's fans have created... I don't quite know what to describe it as other than Perfection-Obsessed Min-maxers.

So, ignoring the players, I think it was a solid skeleton for a game. When I look at it's imperfections, I imagine a world where WOTC stuck to their guns and made a 5th edition based heavily on 4th, which I think would look a whole lot like....

2. Tresspasser (9/10)

One fateful day, I've been scrolling through Itch.io's "pay what you will" section, looking for some small system to chew through. Tresspasser looked like just that at first. This illusion, however, did not hold up for long.

What I've found instead was a wonderfully accessible and surprisingly fresh take on d20 fantasy, as well as an externally fun take on 4e's combat Powers!

Honestly, if I were to ever run a classic game of "D&D", this would be my absolute first pick for the system. The only thing I can really hold against it is the character creation system being tied to a Funnel-adventure, not unlike a lot of OSR games- I don't think it's a great fit for a more "modern" campaign of brain-rotten friends who aren't big game nerds.

3. Ars Magica (X)

This one is not a review, as I have never even come close to playing the game. Instead, I just wanted to talk a little more about their Companions and Grogs.

Trying to run a game in a "deadly" world can often sound a bit fake when you consider most characters are so attached to their characters that they might just cry after even coming close to dying (at least I would. And most of my table!). Ars Magica seems to have found a very solid solution to this problem yeaaars (I think) ago, by actively using more expendable stand-ins for characters.

As far as I understood the rules, only one or two players per session will play their "proper" characters, and the rest will take up the roles of their minions and hirelings. Aside from the loooovely opportunities for bullying, and other things that I'm sure make that system a lot of fun- personally, what caught my eye is the idea of a mixed-skill-level group in general.

A Skulltrove party is usually quite large, and consists of only a couple of Fatemarked characters who lead the story forward. As you pick up new friends and mercenaries along the way, you essentially get a new form of progression. Instead of having classic character Skills, your knowledge on certain things can be dependent on the amount of scholars in your Caravan.

4. The XCOM series (8.5/10)

Now, this is the last part of this post, so feel free to leave if video games are beyond your interest, but I think this one has been quite crucial to my game's development.

Alright, for those of you who've heard of it, I'm afraid I'm only going to talk about the two (or three, counting the spinoff) most recent games from the large collection of games with this cryptic title slapped onto them. (Actually, I've recently learned that X-COM stands for Extraterrestrial Combat, and I don't know how to feel about it..)

Now, for those of you unfamiliar, XCOMs are turn-based strategic shooters where you command a team of soldiers on a campaign against alien forces- it plays as well as it sounds!

I have a long history with this series, and played pretty much every game released under its name. Aside from basing the Archetype structure on their soldier promotion patterns, I've also found a lot of their enemy design, worldbuilding and even specific abilities very inspiring!

Overall, I struggle giving this a perfect score, as each of the 3 most recent games has elements I love and others I didn't care for. I prefer to delude myself with the thought that XCOM 3 will have Chimera's Equipment, 2's Factions and technologies as well as 1's classic aerial battles and Meld!!!

Now, I'll be very surprised if anyone made it this far, but if you did, thank you!!! And feel free to debate or educate me in the notes. Now, since I already wished you a day.... How about I wish you two?

-Maple, again!

[pondering-my-rat]

The Wealdland: embers of civilisation

Alriiiight, I know posting three days in a row is hardly my usual pace, but writing feels good as of late. I mentioned the Wealdland in my last post, and thought I might elaborate it in a bit of a piece, enjoy!!!

Early Years

When the Mav'r, the Celestials, brought forth humanity, many of this world's Dwellers saw them as an ideal to strive towards. Others saw an enemy- their lands were well-fought for, and this new folk looked so meager.. so small, there was no way they would be able to hold their own, eventually agreement would have to be made.

Regardless of the locals' opinions, this new civilisation would spring quickly, and as they quickly discovered- the Humans did not share their vulnerability to sunlight.

As the years passed, the once-unified Dweller society would break down into clans, usually based on their affinity for these new arrivals. Even after the Celestials' disappearance, some saw the humans as the last remnant of their gods.

As the Dwellers shared their tongue, their knowledge of masonry, and even legends and beliefs- the two kinds began to drift apart. Fascinated with the forbidden daylight, Humanity explored lands the Dwellers would have no way of ever travelling to.

Once the people of Tollen went as far as slaughtering a clan in order to build another of their dreadful strongholds, the tensions grew even further- even once-accepting clans decided to part ways with the humans, forever dividing the two worlds of darkness and light as the result of Tôl's Black War.

A Land Divided

Human history on Ptolma Is a long one. Thousands of years passed since the day of their creation, and both species developed greatly since then.

As the people of Tollen would be far from the last humans to crave power and land, many more wars would be fought over the years- sometimes even between themselves, or allied with certain Dweller clans.

Skulltrove takes place at the brink of another one of those conflicts, although imperial scholars predict this one will be by far the largest and deadliest conflict these lands have ever seen- disputed litter every continent, and the Empire's allies create a web of connections between one another, ensuring a war now would involve most every man on Ptolma- Dwellers and Humans alike.

Now, due to their subterranean lifestyle, the Dwellers tend to prefer rocky terrain that allows for more practical entrances to their Pits and easier excavation, pushing humanity to marshes and other undesirable locations. As very few can rival the brawn of the earth-men, only well-established kings and warlords dare trespass into the Wealdland, where the dweller Pits reside. Even then, despite the crucial metals they're able to excavate and trade, very few last longer than a few dozen years, plagued by constant harassment of the rightful owners of these lands, leaving them scattered with ruins of civilisations who thought themselves to be stronger than those below them.

Fatemarked Presence

The players take up the role of a Fatemarked- someone destined to explore, discover and search for their true calling. Whereas many will follow you simply based on the fact your Fate is seen as somewhat of a divine ordination, the vast majority of these Fates will take you far from the lofty cities of man- directly into the uncharted lands, ruled by the mighty Dwellers.

"Conveniently", the many attempts at colonisation serve as a perfect explanation as to why these lands are littered with tombs, bastions and fallen mines. Additionally, it explains why the only places of comfort you find are small Havens of those who live in harmony with the Dwellers. This gives every town you find a somewhat alien vibe, as you never know where these wildlanders' true allegiances lie. After all, isn't this also the perfect place to avoid human law?

All this makes the Wealdlands a frontier of opportunity, danger and exploration. And personally, I don't believe the existence of these lands is too much of a game-ism (and by that I mean something that doesn't seem like a natural part of a plausible world, and only functions as a game mechanic hamfisted in!)

Now, I think that's it for now! Feel free to ask me about other elements of the world of Ptolma, as I do love talking about it, In between more dry and mechanical posts!

With all that said, I hope you enjoyed this little glimpse into my world, and I hope to see you next time!!

-Maple <3