That's a mighty fine domicile you have on your back. #ActualPlay #TTRPG #Noir #comedy youtube.com/shorts/3VjJ7... First episode is up wherever you get podcasts including YouTube. Misdirected Mark Plays. #Skritches

New Blog Post over on our Thac0 with Advantage Patreon for free. Talking about listening to yourself GMing, Legacy Board Games, and game feel. www.patreon.com/posts/sgs-sk...

Skritches is an Athroanimal Noir story about Crime, Comedy, and Drama. Think Zootopia meets Chinatown. Episode 1 is released. A Dearest Murder. A Listen at the link below or wherever you get podcasts. polygamero.us/skritches-on...

Our editor @clight101.bsky.social has put up V2 of the Streets of Avalon RPG playtest book. You can grab it for free here and see the change log he's put up. www.patreon.com/posts/soa-de...

On one hand, its hard for me to self-promote. But @orikes.bsky.social, @clight101.bsky.social and I have been doing a lot of good work on @thac0withadvantage.bsky.social, work that I'm really proud of, and I've been doing that work, and my friends, a disservice by not talking about it more.

Do you like a mystery? Have you been looking for advice for running a mystery? Thac0 with Advantage has you covered this week. polygamero.us/thac0-with-a...

Our editor @clight101.bsky.social and Brett launched their new podcast, Under the Lamplighter: The Streets of Avalon RPG companion podcast. You can check out the first episode here: An Overview of the Streets of Avalon youtu.be/eIGFqRroGTM

Our editor @clight101.bsky.social just put out the playtest for the Streets of Avalon RPG. An Urban Low fantasy city game focusing on investigations, heists, and delving into dangerous places. Check it out here: www.patreon.com/posts/138485...

We're back with the first episode of our second part of the Heroes of Hovel's Way. The epic fantasy adventure of Eremon the Dreaming Paladin, Odie the Starlight Druid, and Monty the talking Racoon. That's right, the racoon can talk. polygamero.us/the-heroes-o...

I'm actually really proud of these, so if you ever wanted to take a look at the @thac0withadvantage.bsky.social patreon, I would love for you to join up if only so you can let me know what you think. #DnD5e #5eSRD www.patreon.com/posts/121623...

If you would like to help us make more THAC0 with Advantage, joining our Patreon gets you access to our bonus material, @Clight101.bsky.social’s episodes about running our AP, and an invitation to our Discord community.

Looking for something a little different and a lot of fun? I ran the Ashcan version of this game and we had a great time playing a Wuxia Romeo and Juliet inspired game. All the melodrama. All the violence. www.kickstarter.com/projects/myt...

#ttrpg PbtA games rely strongly on a set of small rules packages to create a feel and game flow. These are Moves.Look for the Move that can be flexed into any situation that doesn’t cover the other moves. Identifying that will help you run any PbtA game.

#ttrpg I play board games and video games to get inspiration for ttrpgs mechanics. I like hero shooters like Marvel Rivals to get me thinking about class design & how characters and their kits can work to create unique playstyles within a games parameters. What are some games you’ve got inspired by?

#ttrpg Games aren’t really about one mechanism working, it’s about how several things work in conjunction to create play flow. My favorite GMs understand how mechanics work together and can make calls in game that keep the narrative strait and in line with the mechanics.

#ttrpg I’m a fan of giving clues to players. No reason to hide them behind rolls, especially if they’re what the players need to move forward through the scenario. Just come up with alternate bad things to happen when a roll on trying to get clues fails. It’s one of your best uses of fail forward.

#ttrpg Timers are your friend. Put them on your adventures. As ways to end adventures in failure, ways to alter the adventure when the PCs take too much time, ways to introduce elements that twist the scenario. It gives the players something else to play against.

#ttrpg Happy New Year. So I have games going-and some that just started-so with New Years I’m thinking about what’s coming after them. Right now it’s Rapscallion, Masks of Nyarlathotep, DnD 5e homebrew, and some of my own designed games. On my horizon…

#ttrpg Gaming is at its core a social experience we do to hangout with our friends and enjoy some time together in a shared activity. I hope I never lose sight of that primary feature and that everyone out there gaming remembers it at the end of the day.

#ttrpg I’m writing some adventures for publication in a product. I’ll talk about another time. It’s got me thinking about what is useful to a GM and how to present it as short and concisely as possible. 1. Situation presented clearly enough for the GM to understand what’s happening. 2…..

Is there any well produced tabletop game design podcast that are newer, like releasing episodes in the past six months. I know it’s not a sought after topic in podcasting but I miss listening to the discourse of mechanics, their intentions, how they work together, and the experience they create.

Review Gnome @whatdoiknowjr.bsky.social continues his exploration of @koboldpress.com's Tales of the Valiant RPG, this time looking at the Tales of the Valiant Monster Vault. #5eSRD #BlackFlag #TalesOfTheValiant #TTRPG #RPG

#ttrpg If you want to have a monster hunting style scenario where the first time the PCs meet the monster is out in the world with no heads up, make sure you explain that they might need to run away, go do research, and then come back. Also, use a timer. If there’s no timer then there’s no tension.

GM Tip: Softening failures with small benefits can drastically improve the fun of a game. The next time a character goes prone for the second time in a fight, give them an edge on a save against an area effect that mostly whooshes past over top of them.

#ttrpg I don’t like missing game nights, even when there isn’t enough players to meet quorum. So I tend to have a back up game around. Grant Howitts one page RPGs are always good for this, but it might be worth it to keep a couple of ready to go games sitting around so you can still play an RPG.

#NFL I’m a Bills fan through and through but I’m not sure how the Lions don’t score 40+ against us today. I guess Josh and company’s gonna have to score 50. #Billsmafia

#ttrpg As a GM, one of the most important skills I’ve had to learn is what choice to make a between success with a consequence, putting a hard choice to the players, & failure when the dice aren’t in the players favor. It’s all situational & it’s one of the primary ways to control pace at the table.

10 things scripted reality tv teaches us about role-playing. This is about games which foreground character drama (Monsterhearts) and those times you want a bit of character drama in your dungeon. 10 ways to create more drama and story in your messy relationship games. Enjoy! 1/11

#ttrpg Different kinds of scenes require different mechanical implementations to create an enjoyable experience. Investigation has different mechanical requirements than a combat or a chase. These are Play Modes. It’s worth thinking about what play mode you should use in any given scene.

#ttrpg Try taking the move action out of any game where you have a chase but don’t have quality chase mechanics. Just assume everyone is always moving. If someone is faster give them a bonus on their catch up or run away roll.

#ttrpg There’s nothing wrong with a little silly at your table. You don’t even have to try to be funny to get some excellent humor. Just let the jokes flow from the premise. Like having 4 talking raccoons in the underground LA street racing scene. Especially when you play it as if it’s not weird.

#ttrpg Games with multiple play modes are often more complex and generally harder to learn. That said, If those play modes are well thought out they can support a game much better than a generic all encompassing procedure to determine success or failure.

#ttrpg I think mechanical and procedural game play matters a lot in a campaign. I just don’t want to get bored after playing for 10-12 hours. #rpg

I honestly believe this with my entire being: studying comedy and the concept of set-up and punchline has helped me enormously in running effective dramatic moments in #TTRPGs.

#ttrpg Scene setting. GMs, when setting scenes you need to decide if you’re going create the tension or give space to the PCs to create tension. If you’re creating the tension then make it obvious when setting the scene. If you’re not then give the PCs enough description so they can take action.

#ttrpg Storytelling. As a GM one of the most important things you do is set the pace of the game. How you set scenes, add in description to increase the tension and indicated danger, push on the characters flaws and bonds, and provide space to breath, all contribute to the ebb and flow of pacing.

Aggressive Negotiations. #DnD5e #TTRPGs

#ttrpg Storytelling. In the middle of the game look for the tension in the scene, find the conflict, determine how the mechanics or players choices can help resolve that tension, then make choices based on how those mechanics & choices play out. Sometimes it’ll be good. Others will be bad. That’s ok

Just one last reminder...there are only a few more days left in this Bundle. Its a steal to grab up all these books for one low price.

#ttrpg Dice Mechanics. I enjoy a game where the dice are about giving the PCs what they want if they hit their target numbers or giving the GM some choices to push the story forward in less strait forward ways when the PCs don’t hit their target numbers. What do you enjoy?

#ttrpg Fudging dice rolls. Man. I’m not a fan of this at all. I feel like if you fudge a roll then you probably just shouldn’t have rolled or made a different choice. I’m sure there’s a place for it somewhere but I’m not sure where.

#ttrpg The dice. I think it’s wise to establish some policies when it comes to dice rolling. It doesn’t matter what they are. It just matters that they’re established and understood by everyone.

#ttrpg Session 0. If you want to bring character concepts to your session 0 then bring a few. If you bring a complete character…well don’t unless you were asked to, and if you do, be prepared to change it or even throw it out and start over.

@orikes.bsky.social and @whatdoiknowjr.bsky.social get by with a little help from their friends, as they take a look at companion characters and how to make them work in D&D. #DnD #5eSRD #GamerOs

#ttrpg Session 0. Players. If the GM has provided part of the pitch of the game before session 0 then bring an open mind & the ability to change any ideas you might have during session 0. Be flexible.

#ttrpg Session 0. Pitching your game. Keep it short and sweet and each point in as few words as possible. - What the characters will be doing. -The important bits about the setting. - Rules you’re using. - High level character concept ideas that work in the game. Add more as fits your game.

#ttrpg Session 0. I mentioned CATS in an earlier post. It stands for Concept. Aim. Tone. Subject Matter. It’s a great tool for your session 0. Here’s the initial 200 word rpg post. 200wordrpg.github.io/2016/supplem...

#ttrpg Session 0. You should have one. It lets GMs give a better pitch and explanation of the game. Check out CATS if you’re looking for a solid method. Players can collaborate on character concepts that fit in the setting. You can get group mind in far less time. Much more efficient.

#ttrpg Linear adventures are easy to put together but hard to put together well. They require the designer to provide layers of choices that affect the encounter, future encounters, and the overall adventure. The more of those choices you exclude the closer you come to writing a railroad.

Folks. The Engine Publishing line of GMing books is currently a Bundle of Holding: bundleofholding.com/presents/Eng... These books cover various GMing topics from plots, NPCs, prep, improv, campaigns, and table play. They are one low price for a short time.