#duet tabletop rpg

[cassimothwin]

Tangled Blessings is a solo or two-player tabletop RPG set at a magical school, overflowing with ghosts, curses, and devil's bargains. 🔊Sound on for the ✨vibes✨ trailer!

I'm raising funds for a print run on @crowdfundr, starting Feb. 1! Follow the project here! 👇

[educationaldm]

Playing with one or two players can be a different, intense and fun experience. Here are some tips for that.

[theresattrpgforthat]

Hey there, big fun of your recommendations so far! I have a request to make if that's alright:

I have recently come across Godkiller, which introduced me to the concept of duet games, as in, games specifically designed for a one player one GM dynamic. I'm aware that almost any ttrpg can be played as a duet, but do you have any more examples of games designed with that play style in mind?

Thank you!

THEME: Duet Games

Hello friend, so I'm going to link my Duet Games tag for you t peruse at your leisure, before I add more games to this list. Some of the games here might allow for more than two players, but I hope this plus the tag gives you enough options to look through!

Godspark, by M.Allen Hall.

Godspark is a tabletop adventure game for one or two players. You will explore Ruina Dei, a graveyard of the gods, searching the bodies of fallen deities for the godsparks (fragments of divine power) that allow you to stay alive. With enough godsparks, you can perform miracles, the magics of Ruina Dei. With enough godsparks, you might be able to Ascend and leave this place forever.

If you liked the vibes of Godkiller, you might also like Godspark - in fact, you might be able to attach the two games in regards to setting, placing Godspark as the sequel to Godkiller! The game uses a deck of playing cards, which I assume help you generate locations or details as you play. The game is also designed to be played solo, so I’m not sure if the two-player mode has both of you play characters, or if it sets up one person to have more of a GM role. If you want a game about resistance against heaven, definitely check out Godspark.

Haunting, by Arcane Atlas Games.

Haunting is a two player game about a sentient House that wants to devour its Occupants. 

During play, the players will work together to create their story, documenting the time that the Occupant spends living in the House and telling the tale of how the House will inevitably becomes vacant once more.

The House is waiting…

One of you is the House, angry and unchanging, wanting nothing more than to eat anyone who dares live inside it. One of you is a cast of Occupants, who move in, add to and change the House, and do their best to survive the House as it changes. In between each scene, the two of you switch roles, allowing each of you to set up and react to the decisions and actions of the other. After three scenes, the game ends. Haunting uses drawing as a way to navigate the House and the changes that happen to it. It also includes a list of traits that you can pick from to create your House, as well as rooms, various kinds of occupants, as well as examples of play. If you want a comprehensive, spooky experience, I recommend Haunting.

Conflict of Interest, by barclay travis.

In a line of work that values separation of the mind and the heart, the brains and the brawn, you have found it within yourselves to, perhaps ill-advisedly, merge the two. Not necessarily in the moments where you’ve got a gun in your hand and blood in your mouth, but in the moments between intense violence and adrenaline where you find calm in the company of one another.

This is a GM-less slice-of-life game for two players. You don’t need any materials to play, other than yourself and someone you trust.

Conflict of Interest is a game all about spies and forbidden relationships. Choose from a host of playbooks to describe the kind of spy you are; your relationship to your job is what defines you, and also defines how you relate to your partner. Over the course of a number of scenes, each player will use playbook moves to navigate scene prompts, following their spies through a series of hotel rooms, experiencing the intimate moments in between missions. If you want a chance to role-play through an intimate relationship with someone with the help of focused concepts, you might like this game.

Getting A Clue, by Hewie E.

A 6-page RPG about solving crimes for 2+ people where a coin flip can decide your fate. Form hypotheses, get into shootouts, and figure out who did it in Getting a Clue.

Similar to Godkiller, Getting A Clue requires one person to take on the role of The Commissioner, while the other player(s) take on the role of detectives. Success is determined by flipping a coin, and players determine their special abilities by rolling a d6 twice - once for Brains and once for Brawn. Successfully solving a case makes you more competent, and I suppose the end-game character would be one that had a 6 in both of their traits. The game also comes with worksheets that you can use to keep track of clues and assemble evidence to help you solve the mystery!

Final Broadcast, by grave snail games.

Against all predictions, the sun of your galaxy has just exploded. You have mere minutes—eight minutes and twenty seconds, specifically—before a crash of cosmic radiation boils you into space dust and destroys the galaxy. But you! You are here in a convenient broadcast tower from which you can send a message through a wormhole to places beyond your galaxy. A final transmission, telling the story of a doomed world before it all ends in fire.

FINAL BROADCAST is a very short improvisational storytelling game in which you transmit a final message as the galaxy is consumed by solar flame. It was developed in a week as a submission to the The Queerness and Games Jam.

Final Broadcast works with a larger player count, but also works well for 2 players. The game involves using text from your life as well as from roll tables within the game to compose final messages, and then attempting to say your final messages before your entire galaxy burns. If you want a game that is about desperation, despair, and the last gasps of a group of people being snuffed out, you should definitely check out Final Broadcast.

The Fire Flickers Between You…., by Viditya Voleti.

The Fire Flickers Between You is a game for Two Players for around 40 Minutes, about the bond between a Pilot and Mech, and the last night they'll spend together. 

One of you is a highly advanced combat mech, the other is their specialized Pilot. You two are fully in synch from completing missions, training, and spending time together. 

Your platoon has lost the battle. You all must flee before enemy reinforcements arrive. The Pilot, however, proposes the two of you will set up a diversion giving the others time to escape.  You both now sit around a campfire, waiting for the enemy to arrive. In these final moments, a conversation strikes up.

This game has players lighting, placing, moving, and putting out candles as you reminisce about your friendship, what it means to sacrifice yourself, and whether or not you're ready to let go of each other.

The Fire Flickers Between You uses the power of candles and and flame to describe the last moments of a duo that has bonded in a unique way; a Pilot who has lived a life full of danger and adventure, and a Mech that has absorbed the Pilot’s memories, but does not have the capacity to understand things like sacrifice or death. If you want an emotional game that allows you to review an entire life in just a few hours, I recommend The Fire Flickers Between You.

[indiepressrevolution]

Zinemonth! Zinequest! Tabletop Nonstop!

We're halfway through February, so here's a small selection of all the TTRPGs that are currently funding!

Want more? Check out https://zinemonth.spread.name/ and https://crowdfundr.com/spotlight/tabletop-nonstop/

If you've got another campaign that wasn't included here please add it to the post or replies!

[ratwavegamehouse]

I was just looking back over it cause I was self nominating to Dicebreakers Tabletop Award and damn Transgender Deathmatch Legend is Good.

https://ratwavegamehouse.itch.io/transgender-deathmatch-legend

Specifically I ended up looking at the nice things people said about it and feeling very proud.

“Transgender Deathmatch Legend is another quality game from The Dice, with excellent writing and layout. It is a queer hexcrawl beat-em-up RPG inspired by wrestling that is action packed and easy to learn. Would totally recommend!” - W.H. Arthur (The Sol Survivor, Superhero Cinematic Universe TTRPG)

"Bursting with flavor and genuine heart, Transgender Deathmatch Legend had me smiling and laughing all the way through the book. The Dice have put together a charming and evocative duet game that’s sure to get you itching to bust some heads." - Clove Fulminata, Vagabond Pen and Paper (Revenant World, Our Minerva, CHOKE.)

"TDL is a bloody, schlocky mess of jagged angles and sweaty crawling. It's as immediate as a light tube to the face and I can't wait to take it for a spin." - Taylor LaBresh, Riverhouse Games (This is a Game About Fishing, Break Up on Re-Entry, host of the Game Closet)

“A brutal, passionate love affair with the joy and rage of the squared circle. I don’t think I’ve ever felt so seen by a game before.” - Alyssa, Biscuit Fund Games (Goblin Country, Tournament Arc, Skirmish)

"Transgender Deathmatch Legend will piledrive you into a good time. Rip and tear into its cast of bloody characters with the finishing combos of your dreams. It's loud, it's vulgar, it's queer, and it's coming to clean house." - Sam Leigh, Blinking Burch Games (Anamnesis)

Also the Party of One episode I gusted on playing the game is one of my favourite things I've ever done.

[dykeyote]

what games are in the ttrpg bundle? are they good :-)

i havent checked them out yet!! i got them partially just as a donation but im gonna skim through them later, the ones that interest me are:

Visigoths vs. Mall Goths is a tabletop roleplaying game and dating sim about the conflicts and romances among the warriors who sacked ancient Rome and 20th century spooky teens, set in a suburban Los Angeles shopping mall during 1996. There are a lot of bisexuals.

Thirsty Sword Lesbians is a roleplaying game for telling queer stories with friends. If you love angsty disaster lesbians with swords, you have come to the right place.

Sweaters by Hedgehog: You’re just a little hedgehog person trying to sell your little sweaters in your little village shop. This game is about recording a log of your most interesting customers.

Castle of Memories: You wake up in a castle with no memory of who you are or how you got here. The only thing in this room besides you is a weapon, and maybe some armor. Dark creatures are after you, and you must fight them to get your memories back. This is a single-player TTRPG that uses dice and a deck of Tarot cards. Using random tables and your own intuition to help, you will explore this dark castle and attempt to get your memories back to you by any means necessary. Along the way, you may find helpful NPCs who deal in treasure to assist you.  Explore themed zones that are randomly generated by dice and unlock ancient magics to assist you on your quest. 

Elf Genders is a worldbuilding tool for creating your own new systems of fantasy genders. Most humans are women, men, or nonbinary, but maybe elves are… something else? Elf Genders helps you decide what!

"You are an oracle, a greenseer, and a fraud. You know nothing you do will affect whether a season is bountiful or not, whether nature will be kind to your clan or not. But you must convince your chieftain that your rituals are worthy, that their offerings, with your guidance, can decide their fates. If not, you may be exiled or worse." “Superstition” is a ritual-creating solo journaling rpg with light game elements a little similar to blackjack (no knowledge of that game required). Played with a normal 52-card deck.

Badger + Coyote is an asymmetrical, GM-less duet game. Badger and Coyote are trying to survive and thrive each day with their own unique skills. Players can speak to each other to narrate the story and the actions of Badger and Coyote, but do not directly speak in-game. Instead, Coyote uses their social skills to help direct Badger. Badger has no social skills to initiate communication, but many skills to achieve the goals of obtaining food. (YOU CAN TELL WHY THIS ONE PARTICULAR EXCITES ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i heart coyotes)

Fractal Romance is a tabletop role playing hangout. You will pick up a character to play and explore the Fractal Palace, generating its infinite sprawl and the Denizens that inhabit it, as you play.

This Party Sucks is a collaborative story game about being a queer and/or trans twentysomething who is (badly) processing a recent breakup. You will play out a piece of their story as they attend a series of three parties while trying (and failing) not to think about their ex. The game encourages a group of three players to laugh, wince, and (possibly) reflect on their own lives and relationships while telling their shared protagonist's story with honesty and tenderness.

Are My Wings Even? A game about exploring closeted teenage feelings through the lense of young fae getting ready for a revel together. Do makeup, get dressed, help shape each other in ways that can't be voiced. 

i want your bite: a mysterious bachelor has recently purchased the manor house overlooking the town. they're in the process of renovating- starting a new life. and rumour has it- they're looking for a partner. compete against your fellow players for the chance at immortal love- a place by the Vampire's side. or: The Bachelor if the bachelor was a Vampire.

The Paperflesh Advent is an incursion for Trophy Dark, the rules-light game of dark fantasy and psychological horror, but it can be used as a scenario for other games as well. This incursion will take you into the forest, through the fabled flower meadow called the Bleeding Kaleidoscope, and under the earth... on to whatever sings so beautifully beyond the dark and deep.

stories around a fire: they always say history is written by the victors- but some history is never written at all. this game is a love letter to my ancestors- and a reminder that not all stories are meant to be written down. some are meant to be whispered, cried, or shouted into the night. a gm-less, rules light, storytelling session for one or more players.

sweet*peony is a two-player game about telling the story of a person or an object through the lenses of Joy or Sorrow using a regular deck of cards. Whether your story encompasses a day, a week, a year, or a lifetime, joy and sorrow are natural parts of life, and what that looks like is up to you.

lesbian werewolf crimefighters: You are a LESBIAN and a WEREWOLF and you and your partners (romantic and professional) are the cities CRIMEFIGHTERS. You balance your normal life while keeping both being a werewolf and a superhero secret. You do not need the full moon to transform but you and supernatural creatures are at the most powerful during. How will you use your werewolf and your lesbian powers to save the day?

LESBIANS BUILT THIS FARM is a gmless table top role-playing game about queer joy and resistance for 2-4 players,  written by che for the TRANS JOY JAM. this is a game about the places we build and the things we need to build them. it uses a simple two-part system which ties a joyful "no dice no masters"-style homelife to the grueling game of odds and effort that is ""being queer in the work place."" when I first shared it with my girlfriend she said "wow, you really hate your day job, huh?"

and this is just from the first three pages!!! OF SEVENTEEN!!!! and just the ones i personally thought seemed interesting!!!!!!! i cannot reccommend getting it enough theres fifteen more days!!!!

[dnduet]

We’ve made an actual-play RPG duet podcast!

Hello! Do you like tabletop RPGs? Do you like listening to them? Do you like listening to goofy couples goof about? Well we made a homebrew version of a tabletop RPG to play that’s just a duet!

What’s a “duet?” It’s an RPG with one player and the DM/GM! We also made it our own homebrew version, with rules, a name, and everything.

Listen to us on buzzsprout, Spotify, and Apple’s Poscasts App!

You can find also find us on Twitter and Instagram under @dnduet_cast!

We would also really appreciate the help of y’all reblogging this post so more people can find us!

https://dnduet.com

http://www.buzzsprout.com/295208

[nereiarts]

More boyband AU headcanons under the cut:

Philip - 24 - the serious guy - wears a lot of red - always has That One Leather Jacket - explosive temper - lots of fan theories that he and Clarence are a Thing but they're really not - voice of reason - amazing dancer Hard worker, takes schedules and work very seriously. Practice, practice, practice. He and Clarence have a lot of pair choreographies and aggressive songs they sing as a duet. Despite his personal problems with Clarence the two are inseparable at rehearsals and on stage, and they work together so seamlessly that it's almost eerie. Usually the one who yells at Alexander for being an insensitive prick (only away from cameras, though). Has had awkward post-tour drunken make-outs with Daniel; they both pretend it never happened, despite photographic proof. Loves cinema and spends most of his disposable free time watching movies. Clarence - 24 - Bad Boy™ - does all the rap parts - tough guy on the outside, existential crisis on the inside - drinks and smokes too much probably - does lots of pair choreography dance moves with Philip - they’re often cast in similar-looking clothing like they're a duo Has that raspy smoker voice that makes him good for angry, angsty songs. Packing a lot more existential dread and self-loathing than he lets on. Mortally afraid of being alone, probably has some serious abandonment issues. He has piercings and a tattoo or two (or more), despite their contract forbidding that. No one knows what the connection between him and Philip is, whether they're related, childhood buddies or something else, but they always seem to end up hanging out together anyway (and somehow look a little alike, too). Has definitely beaten up paparazzi before and cussed at interviewers.

Daniel - 25 - looks like a cinnamon roll, is actually pretty wild and into creepy shit in private - wears glasses sometimes - all hell breaks loose if he's allowed to drink - speaks several languages, usually handles all interaction with international fans at meet-ups and events - has a Stage Persona™ that's rashly different from his off-stage personality - finds Alexander weird but gets along with him better than the other guys - doesn't sleep - persistent fan rumours that he and Alexander have a thing going on but for some reason no one denies or confirms this anywhere Daniel is seen as the smart and studious guy by their fans. He's fluent in several languages and if a non-English cover is made of one their songs, he's usually the one singing it. Wears his glasses a lot in promo photos and shoots for the Aesthetic. Usually the one to do all the sexually provocative dance moves. In general a freak on stage, more aggressive and wild than in private. Doesn't always remember everything he does while on stage (adrenaline-fueled amnesia) and is all “????? did I really do that?” when watching the footage later. Besties with Simon and secretly a huge nerd. Gets along with everyone pretty well, tends to go to the gym with Philip and Clarence. Often covers up for Alexander after he's blurted out something weird again.

Simon - 22 - looks like a cinnamon roll and is a cinnamon roll - the token cute nerdy guy - wears big sweaters, pastels and cute cartoon shirts in promos - Existential Crisis - sings a lot of ballads and light-hearted pop songs - also depressing rock music - screaming inwardly 24/7 Tries. Tries so hard. Someone please help him. Was in a near-fatal accident before the band thing happened but he doesn't talk about it much. Philip and Daniel are constantly worried that he's gonna die from stress or something so they act like a pair of dysfunctional parents and go out of their way to look after him (which is usually hilarious as they can barely take care of themselves). Tries to get along with everyone to his best ability. Embodiment of Nervous Laughter™. Probably into tabletop RPGs. Has the cutest smile. Looks like he's walked in on accident.

Alexander - 29 - Deep Voice™ - taller than you - for outer space, probably - super intelligent, tends to be insensitive about sensitive subjects - there's a popular fan theory that he's a vampire or something bc Weird - looks good in photos though - intimidating persona but solos a lot of romantic ballads - their stylists either dress him up as the Rich Kid™ or a androgynous space alien person, no in-between

Alexander tends to act so aloof and unaware of how insensitive his remarks are that the other boys started referring to him as Space Alien as a joke, “because he doesn't fit in and acts so strange that he might as well be from another planet, it's like he doesn't know how to people properly”. Daniel turned it into a pet name eventually, also calling him Star Child, Space Man and other similar names. Alexander doesn't show it but he actually kind of likes the nicknames (only when coming from Daniel though).

[aaronpolson-blog]

Meet Friar Tuck. He's the ragtag cleric I run alongside my 8-year-old's tortle fighter in our duet game. I absolutely loved painting this guy. (@reaperminiatures Friar Stone, Traveling Monk) . . . . #dungeonsanddragons #dungeonmaster #paintingminiatures #miniaturepainting #tabletop #rpg #5e #hobby #gamemaster #pathfinder #art #miniatures #painting #dnd #dnd5e #dndminiatures #fantasyart #swordandsorcery #fantasy #frostgrave #warhammer #wargaming #hobby #cleric #monk #robinhood #friartuck #wizard #gloomhaven #descent #priest (at Lawrence, Kansas) https://www.instagram.com/p/CATah7lg9q7/?igshid=1b6q6hxi1q01f

[melodydanteandthemobverse]

undefined

(^ dats my voice dere) My name is Mel and I do stuff. I also love supporting people who do stuff. I love gaming (video games, card games and most of all Tabletop RPG games), music, podcasts and all manners of creative expression. I work on a few projects... of the ones having released and/or currently releasing content are my band @gupmusic and a Tabletop RPG/Pokemon World Discussion blog @dungeonsanddragonairs with my fellow Pokéfans. If you're interested in duet rock with a female lead singer and Pokemon /Tabletop RPG games then maybe you'll dig what I'm up too! And if you have some sweet stuff you think I might like in ANY art form feel free to show me! I'm totally always on the lookout for DND, Pathfinders, Women in Media, Music (especially indie stuff!), graphic novels, comics, art, comedians, short indie films... anything with something to say I will try it in for size! So yeah, love to meet some awesome like-minded positive peeps! 😁

[dee-overtoun-blog]

‘Yours To Keep’ Season 1 Final Episode art. It's here! Like the title said, the final episode of 'Yours To Keep' season 1 is…

[corporategeomancy]

Hey everyone! We've got a new episode for you! Are you interested in catching up with episodes 1-4, but dont want to sit through that awful sound quality for 8-12 hours? We have you covered! Mo and I sit down and discuss the story so far. Characters/plots and all that good stuff. If you like what we're doing, feel free to let us know by dropping a like or by subscribing to our channel! Also leaving a comment would be super nice as well! Thanks!

[theresattrpgforthat]

How do you know so many games to recommend? I feel like I’m always scrambling to find games on a certain topic, and itchio’s search function is tricky at best.

Hello friend! I have a few methods, and I think they all tie back to my pretty big obsession with games. Let's take a trip through my indie RPG journey, because this is kind of the result of approximately 5 years of interest.

DriveThru RPG

When I first got into TTRPGs, I didn't have a lot of money (let's be real, even right now I don't really have that much spending money) but I did have a little more time, so I combed the net for free tabletop games. I got acquainted with DriveThruRPG first, and I took everything I could that was free and put it into little folders on my computer. Since then I've realized that I can access my folders through the DriveThru App, so there's much less on my computer and more just waiting to be downloaded and perused.

I also get notifications from DriveThru about deals of the day, and occasionally I just browse the storefront to see if anything catches my eye. DriveThru's navigation system is not great either, but one of my friends does some of his own sifting and has directed me to some real gems. I learned about Pandora London, Swords of the Serpentine, and Savage Worlds this way.

Podcasts

I love TTRPG podcasts but I didn't want to listen to D&D podcasts. I found Fandible first, when I was looking for a play through of Changeling: The Lost. I walk to work and I also like to listen to podcasts when I clean my house, so I usually get through one episode a day. I usually look for podcasts that play in multiple systems, although you'll see a number of podcasts here that focus on just one non-D&D system. Here's a few that I recommend:

Fandible: Just a group of friends who love playing games together. All of them are GMs, and they all GM different games. Jesus is the most adventurous, and is constantly bringing new games to the table. I found Slugblaster, Numenera, and Unhallowed Metropolis through them!

Character Creation Cast: I started listening to CCC last year, thanks to a recommendation from a friend, but I fell in love quick. The hosts focus only on the character creation aspect of games, and they also spend time talking to other gamers about the parts of play that each guest feels is important. I found out about Descent into Midnight, Nova, and Blue Planet this way.

The Gauntlet Podcast: This Podcast no longer releases episodes but I learned so much about safe game play through this podcast. Once a month the hosts would sit down with guests and highlight a game of the month for each of them. Often they would talk about games that they adored even before those games made it to publication. I found out about Brinkwood, Apocalypse Keys, and Poutine through this podcast. I miss it so very much.

I would also recommend My First Dungeon, Party of One Podcast, The Eternity Archives, One Shot, and +1 Forward for exposure to many indie games.

Itch.io

I didn't interact much with Itch.io at first - I thought it was mostly for indie video games and generators - but when the Bundle for Racial Justice and Equality came out I went feral. I sorted through each and every page of games in that bundle and put all of the TTRPGs into folders - which I am still refining to this day. As you can see, I get very excited whenever a big bundle comes out, as it gives me a lot of exposure to games that people have made.

I also sort through the most recent additions on Itch every one or two days. I usually categorize my folders via genre and rules system, but I'm currently in the process of curating folders for duet and epistolary games. If I think a tag will help me, I usually use https://itch.io/physical-games/tag-[tag] and then insert what I'm looking for in the [tag]. It doesn't get everything but it gets me started.

Often if a game was entered in a Game Jam, there's a tab that you can click to see other entries in that same Jam. So occasionally I'll browse Game Jams for other games that I might find interesting. And for games that I know that I'm personally passionate about, I have a Games that Intrigue Me folder to flip through for when I'm choosing which game to play, or if I want to spotlight a game that I've been itching to put on a rec post.

Other Avenues

I am actually subscribed to you on Youtube, along with a number of other great reviewers!

The Gaming Table is a wonderful Aussie creator who reviews copies of indie ttrpgs. She started a year ago and already has a truly delightful backlog. I recently listened to her review of Bluebeard's Bride and it was wonderful!

I found 11dragonkid when I was looking for Lancer content and was pleasantly surprised to find other ttrpg reviews for games such as ARC and Gubat Banwa.

I watch A.A. Voigt's and Talen Lee's (@talenlee) mini-essays about games and the pieces of those games that speak to them not just to learn about new games but also to learn about what makes those games matter. I found the videos on Capitalites and Girl By Moonlight very informative!

I also watch Dave Thaumvore for reviews for big-print games (Vaesen, Symbaroum), and Questing Beast for updates on what's happening in the OSR scene (Vaults of Vaarn, Mothership).

I'm also subscribed to a number of newsletters and RSS feeds! Bundle of Holding has a blog announcing new bundles, the Indie RPG Newsletter has some great indie rpg coverage in their monthly updates and associated links, and I have an RSS feed on Feedly for game musings on whatever blogs I can find.

In Conclusion...

Much of my TTRPG knowledge comes from constant osmosis. I talk to friends about games, spend a lot of time on Itch.io, and I'm also finding new games here on Tumblr. I have an RPG server where me and a bunch of my friends play pretty regularly, and I'm constantly introducing them to new games. We finished up our Monster Squad Arc a month or two ago, and we're currently getting geared up for a Galaxy Games arc - this time with games that other players are bringing to the table!

I started sorting games for my own enjoyment - I love having all of my little boxes that I can go back to when I am hankering for my own game. I started this blog because I found there were too many games that I was excited about and I was never going to get through all of them just gaming with my friends.

[shaneplays]

Russ "Morrus" Morrissey and Peter Coffey join for a classy chat on A Touch More Class: nine new, creative and fully playtested 5E classes from EN Publishing! Plus: Favorite D&D classes, what "class" is the D&D 5E game engine and guess the RPG Kickstarter "Balderdash" edition! Everyone makes unicorn noises.

Podcast version of the live Shane Plays Geek Talk radio show from 6/29/2019

Shane Plays airs on Saturdays at 1 PM Central on 101.1 FM The Answer in Little Rock. It can also be heard online at http://1011fmtheanswer.com. Call in at 501-823-0965 or tweet @ShanePlays during the show!

Like what you hear? Support Shane Plays Geek Talk on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/shaneplays

Shane Plays Geek Talk is carried on Krypton Radio! Krypton Radio is SciFi for your Wifi. http://kryptonradio.com/

Listen to the Shane Plays Geek Talk podcast on YouTube, SoundCloud, iTunes, Google Play Music, Podbean, Stitcher (and other fine, fine podcast directories) after the live show.

Hey, you! Yeah, you! Buy cool stuff, support Shane Plays Geek Talk with these affiliate links! Humble Bundle https://www.humblebundle.com?partner=shaneplays DriveThruRPG.com https://www.drivethrurpg.com/browse.php?affiliate_id=488512  

SHOW NOTES

Podcast Zinger is from the The Neverending Story trailer

Topic Notes:

A Touch More Class Kickstarter https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/enworld/a-touch-more-class-9-new-5th-edition-classes

EN5ider https://www.patreon.com/ensider

Morrus' Unofficial RPG Talk Podcast https://morrus.podbean.com/

Kickstarter "Balderdash game" links: The ADVANCED RPG Kickstarter   https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/beirdogames/the-advanced-a-complete-adaptable-tabletop-rpg-system Adrift in the Dark: A 5th Edition One-Shot Duet https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1745780643/adrift-in-the-dark-a-5th-edition-one-shot-duet

Balderdash board game https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/163/balderdash

Shane Plays WOIN interview with Morrus https://shaneplays.com/full-version-of-w-o-i-n-rpg-interview-with-russ-morrissey-shane-plays-podcast-extra/

Esper Genesis: Heroic Sci-Fi Role-Playing for 5E https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/113664363/esper-genesis-heroic-sci-fi-role-playing-for-5e/posts/2543622

GeneFunk 2090 (5E-based non-fantasy system) https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/crisprmonkey/genefunk-2090

Dungeons and Desktops: The History of Computer Role-Playing Games 2nd Edition Shane's book! Co-authored with Matt Barton of Matt Chat https://www.amazon.com/Dungeons-Desktops-History-Computer-Role-Playing/dp/1138574643/

Arkansas RPG Con registrations are now open! Head on over to ARPGCON.COM for Arkansas RPG Con 2019 on Nov 9th and 10th. This two day event's early bird badge is only $20 the same as last year's one day event badge. Get them before the price raises to $30 on July 1st. ARPGCON.COM

[swipestream]

Sensor Sweep: Materialism, Le Guin, New Sun, and Rokugan

Fiction (Tellers of Weird Tales): “Lovecraft aside, weird fiction is a warning against materialism, for it is a genre that lives in a pre-science, pre-Enlightenment age, one in which magic and supernatural monsters are still possible. Its materialist characters are science-minded, working in physics, chemistry, medicine, and so on. The materialist himself is arrogant, superior, sure of himself in his beliefs and dismissive of anything that can’t be measured, quantified, or described by a mathematical equation or an abstruse theory. Moreover, he lacks imagination and sensitivity. His mind is unbending. And because it doesn’t bend, it breaks as he comes face to face with the non-material.”

Fiction (Jeffro Johnson): “Le Guin doesn’t even go through the motions to create a transparent allegory. Gosh, the dreaded “message fiction” of today is actually a step up from this. All of the smarminess of an NPR radio essay is here, sure. But even the pretense of honest storytelling is gone. All of the skill and powers that fantasy and science fiction authors devote to their craft to create a sense of verisimilitude…? It’s not only dispensed with entirely. This story doesn’t even get the tongue-in-cheek cogency of a shaggy dog story!”

Fiction (Mighty Thor Jr.): The Book of the New Sun is unanimously acclaimed as Gene Wolfe’s most remarkable work, hailed as “a masterpiece of science fantasy comparable in importance to the major works of Tolkien and Lewis” by Publishers Weekly, and “one of the most ambitious works of speculative fiction in the twentieth century” by The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. Shadow & Claw brings together the first two books of the tetralogy in one volume:

The Shadow of the Torturer is the tale of young Severian, an apprentice in the Guild of Torturers on the world called Urth, exiled for committing the ultimate sin of his profession — showing mercy toward his victim.

Fiction (On an Underwood No 5): History is littered with unrealized literary projects—books that were never written, anthologies that were never published. While the primary market of writers like Robert E. Howard, H. P. Lovecraft, and Clark Ashton Smith was the pulp magazines, they continued efforts to see their fiction published in book form—efforts which, for Lovecraft and Howard, amounted to relatively little during their lifetimes, besides a handful of placements in the British “Not At Night”anthologies, as well as Dashiell Hammett’s Creeps by Night (1931) collection and a few small-press or self-publishing efforts on the part of Lovecraft.

Games (Howard Andrew Jones): Sunday I spent an hour and a half with Lock ‘n Load Tactical: Heroes of Normandy. When I’m away from the game I worry that the play might grow stale, but all my fears are allayed the moment I start on a scenario. Now that I know the rules it plays so very fast, and I have a blast every single time. I’ve been saying it’s ONE of my favorite wargames, but I may just have to break down and declare the Lock ‘n Load Tactical system my absolute favorite.

Games (Bradford Walker): The other day, WOTC’s D&D Boss–Mike Mearls–stuck his foot in his mouth about women in gaming in a stupid attempt at virtue-signalling to the SJWs in and around tabletop RPGs. By claiming that women cannot handle complex rulesets or setting lore, he shows his own opinion on the matter through projecting that on to a strawman and then “firing” it.

This is all about some “gatekeeping” thing he alleged to be a problem. This too is projection, as it is he and his fellow travelers that want to do the gatekeeping. Wizards of the Coast, Paizo Publishing, and the rest of the Socjus Death Cultists in tabletop gaming wish they had the power to exclude people they don’t like from the scene as their counterparts in videogames do.

Games (Table Top Gaming News): “This week we have: Museum Heist, Race for the Galaxy iOS Expansions, Battle for Rokugan, Yogi, The Pursuit of Happiness: Community Expansion, Bubblee Pop, XCOM: Evolution Expansion, Dicetopia, Hot Shots, NewSpeak, Dragonfire, Codenames: Duet, Outpost Siberia, and Mage Wars Academy Warlord and Forcemaster Expansions.”

Sensor Sweep: Materialism, Le Guin, New Sun, and Rokugan published first on https://medium.com/@ReloadedPCGames

[cassimothwin]

Excited to share that I'm working with @delvecandles to develop 40 limited-edition deluxe boxes* for the Tangled Blessings print crowdfund.

Tangled Blessings is a solo or two-player pen-and-paper roleplaying game—no game master needed!

Each box includes:

A physical copy of the game

A thematic, limited-run scented candle

A personalized letter of acceptance in a wax-sealed envelope

2 double-sided postcards, featuring a campus map, sample class schedule, student generator, and faculty generator

Once these boxes are gone, they're gone! This includes the limited-edition candle scent. You won't find them anywhere else in the future!

I'm crowdfunding a complete print run of Tangled Blessings in February. So if deluxe sets aren't your thing, you can still pick up the physical copy by itself.

Learn more about Tangled Blessings and sign up for my mailing list: eepurl.com/ibdg9b

*Deluxe boxes are limited to U.S. addresses only.