youtu.be

0:00 Introduction1:00 Gameplay Review2:31 Combat and Dungeon4:40 VerdictJoin me as I delve into the hauntingly beautiful world of ‘Astra: Knights of Veda,’ a...

In RPG and fantasy, we are often faced with a situation where the existence of gods is an empirically confirmed fact, rather than a matter of belief. Two extremes can be distinguished in the representation of these entities (note – I do not claim that all creation adopts one of these two extreme points of view). On the one hand – the trend adapted by e.g. most of the settings for D&D – gods are personification of certain values professed by people, not infrequently they are even „born” from the faith of mortals or at least derive power from it/are shaped by it – gods described as „good” are simply good in the conventional sense of the word, they sincerely care about their followers and you know what to expect from them. On the other side, we have motifs that can be considered taken from Lovecraft’s Cthulhu mythology – the gods are incomprehensible, distant beings, completely unconcerned with human worldviews and so-called „good and evil”, mostly indifferent to humanity (and if by chance their paths intersect with humanit’s ones, humanity is screwed) – at the same time, it is not uncommon for most mortals to be unaware of their existence, instead worshipping imaginary, more anthropomorphic deities tailored to their emotional needs. In this article, I wanted to present deities standing somewhere in the middle – entities whose goals, yes, are not fully understood by mortals, but nevertheless close enough to human morality that worshippers can find some commonality (real or imaginary) with their patrons. These gods are usually directly interested in some way in the lives of their worshipers – although not necessarily in the way those worshipers would like. At the same time, I wanted each description to contain a hook, an important point where the devotees’ understanding of the deity diverges from its real nature – and whose discovery could be a significant twist. Rest of the book is avalaible for free, here: [https://adeptus7.itch.io/twisted-gods](https://adeptus7.itch.io/twisted-gods) . I invite You to read and discuss. And if You have Your own "twisted gods" I invite to share.

gmkeros.wordpress.com

Did you know there is an online forum for tabletop role-playing games that has been around since the early 80s, and which still is active and operating? Admittedly in a much diminished state than a…

Can this magazine be used to look for roleplayers for games that happen in chat-environments?

gmkeros.wordpress.com

Oh Gods, am I going all Buzzfeed? I’m not sure myself. But I wanted to share some tabletop roleplaying podcasts I enjoy listening to, and ten makes such a nice round number. And there definit…

gmkeros.wordpress.com

The last few weeks I started getting interested in using VTTs for my next few games. I seem to have slept through the rise of those for the last few years, mostly because my kids were not at an age…

I was playing Cassette Beasts the past few days and I found that Animon Story's TTRPG system could probably be easily modded to Cassette Beasts' setting. [\#cassettebeasts](https://kbin.social/tag/cassettebeasts) [#animon](https://kbin.social/tag/animon) [#animonstory](https://kbin.social/tag/animonstory) [#ttrpg](https://kbin.social/tag/ttrpg) [#games](https://kbin.social/tag/games) [#gaming](https://kbin.social/tag/gaming) [#rpg](https://kbin.social/tag/rpg) [#RPG](https://kbin.social/tag/RPG)

github.com

cross-posted from: https://kbin.social/m/13thFloor/t/371761 > A list of over 200 gaming systems available in various free formats, classified as follows: > > * [Open Source](https://github.com/Zireael07/awesome-tabletop-rpgs#open-source-games) > * [Free](https://github.com/Zireael07/awesome-tabletop-rpgs#free-games) > * [Retroclones](https://github.com/Zireael07/awesome-tabletop-rpgs#retroclones) > * [Quickstarts](https://github.com/Zireael07/awesome-tabletop-rpgs#quickstarts) > * [System Reference Documents](https://github.com/Zireael07/awesome-tabletop-rpgs#system-reference-documents) > * [Card Games](https://github.com/Zireael07/awesome-tabletop-rpgs#card-based-games)

youtu.be

Short little video on a different approach to handling Magic Items to increase the chance of them being used and going to the right character.

A short post about how to write good sandbox adventures that other people might use, in terms of descriptiveness vs. prescriptiveness.

Some high-level tips for running your first sandbox!

feddit.uk

I've just created a new community dedicated to Runequest / Glorantha. If Glorantha is your jam, come on in and subscribe!

Hey guys, I just released my own TTRPG. Its a fun rules-light system, that uses only a standard deck of cards.....and nothing else. Check out the store page for more information. Enjoy a 25% discount in celebration of the release!

cannibalhalflinggaming.com

> > > Starting last year and continuing into this one, there have been stories about a “dungeon master shortage” in the TTRPG hobby, specifically meaning D&D Fifth Edition. > >

thegeekflagblog.wordpress.com

This was kind of a hard question if I thought too long about it. There are many games I am fond of. But ultimately it comes down to the Vortex System over all. I find the system to be quite elegant…

www.enworld.org

> > > Critical Role setting book on D&D Beyond, Jeremy Crawford confirms return to previously published 5e D&D settings, new RuneQuest release, and more! > >

questingbeast.substack.com

OSR, Traveller, Call of Cthulhu and more

openhearthrpg.substack.com

[\#RPGCovers](https://kbin.social/tag/RPGCovers) Week Fourteen

schwalbentertainment.com

> > > Why should you check out Weird Wizard? Is it different from Shadow of the Demon Lord? What does the future hold for the game beyond the Kickstarter? > >

jerryboucher.blogspot.com

> > > After taking a much needed holiday, my next monster is the... > > HUNDREDHANDS

arcanesword.blogspot.com

> > > In Demesnes & Domination, I included a fighter variant called the Swashbuckler which I originally designed and released as a basic fantasy class years ago > >

www.mindstormpress.com

> > > A simple system for tracking the deeds of an adventuring group and if they're recognized by the people of the world. > >

theotherside.timsbrannan.com

> > > I have been thinking a lot about demons and how I want to use them in my various old-school games, which at the moment are OSE-B/X and NIGHT SHIFT. So naturally, I was going to get to one of my biggest big bads, Leviathan, since he has a history in my D&D games and my modern supernatural horror games. > >

rancourt.substack.com

> > > One of the most influential writings I’ve read with regards to game design is Chris McDowall’s Information, Choice, Impact. The article is worth a read, I’d summarize it as: Games are about making meaningful choices. Meaningful choices can only be made with sufficient information. > >

www.prismaticwasteland.com

> > > Monsters should be more than just a threat in the dungeon to your player characters’ physical health and wellbeing. Here is how to make a monster a threat to their reputation in town. > >

graydeathdungeons.blogspot.com

> > > I absolutely love Bugbears. They're tough, sly, furry, and have a lot of personality. So it was imperative that I create a playable race for the Bugbear > >

grognardia.blogspot.com

Issue #5 of Polyhedron (April 1982)

> > > Late & messy today due to working off mobile on holidays. More links can be found on the previous list found here. The original inspiration for all of this is weaver.skepti.ch End of Week links. You can find more links on weekly blogroll on r/OSR or the RPG Blog Carnival or a roundup of non-blog news on Third Kingdom Games roundup. > >

> > > I'm on vacation this week, so this roundup may be a little shorter than normal, but let's go ahead and dive into it, shall we? > >

> > > I have one of the planet’s most specific pet peeves: Displays of information which rely on two independent axes bother me greatly. > >

seedofworlds.blogspot.com

> > > tl:dr; a neat, curated set of modular hex-crawl rules for a more faction-oriented game with a focus on securing resources. > > > > I backed the zine 'Home - A light in the Darkness' which is billed as a sandbox toolkit for TTRPGs. Given the mileage I've gotten out of the d30 Sandbox Companion I thought this was worth a look. > >

methodsetmadness.blogspot.com

> > > In my most recent foray into the AD&D DMG , I found myself a bit frustrated with the combat mechanics. > >

batintheattic.blogspot.com

> > > Part XXIII Index Page This is the twenty-fourth and last post in a series detailing the 34 steps I recommended for making a Fantasy Sandbox > >

Inspired by epic fantasy series such as the Malazan Book of the Fallen, Earthsea, and A Song of Ice and Fire, The Years of Adventure was designed to create sweeping, large scale stories with a personal focus. Characters in this game may delve into ancient ruins and dark dungeons, explore mystical places, and battle magical beasts, but they are just as likely to negotiate a peace treaty with a neighboring monarch, lead soldiers into a large-scale battle, or spend years researching the secrets of immortality. They may even take a break and live quiet lives for 10 years before the call of adventure pulls them back out once again.