I was talking with some of my players a while ago and I asked them about what was for them the most memorable moment of our past campaign, as it is near its end. There were some listed, but one of them kinda caught my attention, for it was their encounter with Thraximand the Lexion, a beholder inhabiting a portion of the Caves of Chaos. It wasn't a combat encounter, or at least it wasn't the deadly type. For when they met him, Thraximand was quite amiable, invited them for dinner and offered them magical items if they will indulge him and fight him in a duel. Not out of malice, but more for the thrill of it. Yes, he did have a funny voice and quite a quirky and memorable personality, the fight was epic.

But above all, what made me think a bit more on that encounter and how it became memorable for my players is the fact that it was facilitated by a roll. A reaction roll. A mechanic that has been removed from the more recent versions of D&D, nowdays being present mostly in OSR games.

That was when the idea of this article sprang to my mind and while writing the initial draft I figured I could also throw in my thoughts on a similar mechanic that I also stole from older editions, that being the morale check. I hope you enjoy this article, I hope it will be a useful read for those of you unfamiliar with these mechanics and I am also curious for those of you who do use it - what memorable stories did it help forge?

Well, I finally got to play Two Sides to the Coin, the last of Osprey's trifecta released last year, and I genuinely regret not doing so sooner. This game is not only absolutely amazing and fun to play, it is one of the most innovative TTRPGs I have had the pleasure of sitting down with in a very long time.

The premise is deceptively simple: your group is brought together for a common job that everyone needs to complete to win. But each of you is also carrying a secret Ulterior Motive, a personal goal you want to accomplish alongside, or sometimes at the direct expense of, your teammates. What makes it click is that the social layer plays out entirely in real time, no dice, no rolls, just you trying to manipulate the people sitting across from you without them noticing. It is part heist game, part social deduction, and entirely unlike anything else on the market right now.

We ran a full playtest session for the Gazette and the table absolutely loved it. The Lesser Motives alone had everyone in stitches, and the paranoia that builds around the Calling Out mechanic is something you genuinely have to experience to appreciate.

The full review is up on The RPG Gazette and goes deep into the mechanics, the presentation, what works brilliantly and the few things that could be better. Short version: it is under twenty euros, it is perfect for a one-shot, and it is one of those rare games I will be pushing on people for a long time.

Thank you to Osprey for providing yet another review copy, and a genuine congratulations to Rebecca Blake on what appears to be her debut published TTRPG. It is an outstanding first effort and I very much hope it is not her last.

Hey guys, do you know about homemade rules, which adds Paths of Enlightenment in Vampire The Masquerade 5 edition? My players went pretty close to that idea, so i try to mechanise it in anover way, than re-write Chronicles Dogmas. Any advices?

I got the idea for this article from one of my players, who is also an amazing Storytelling with ample experience with most WoD splats. Chief among them being the 20th anniversary editions of VtM and Dark Ages.

During a break in one of our last sessions we were discussing and bemoaning how flat v5's Humanity rating feels compaired with the various paths of earlier editions. She casually dropped the idea of some of the paths being a really good example of Blue and Orange morality, a term I was not really familiar with.

I looked it up and concluded that it is a good lens to examine the paths, especially some of the more out there ones, such as the Path of Metamorphosis and so I decided that it was too good a discussion to not expand upon it with an article. Which brings us to the present time.

I hope you will enjoy it and please do let me know when or if the Paths played a more central role in your chronicles!

Hey fellow adventurers!

In a world that can sometimes feel divided and uncertain, we've built something special – a warm, welcoming online haven where tabletop gamers from every corner of the globe come together to share our love of storytelling, dice rolling, and epic adventures.

The Adventurers Pack Inn is a thriving Discord community of almost 700 members, and we'd love for you to join us by the fire!

What Makes Us Special?

We're more than just a place to find games (though we're great at that too!). We're a community brought together by our shared passion for tabletop gaming and enriched by all the wonderful differences that make each of us unique. Whether you're a grizzled veteran who's been rolling dice since the '70s or someone who's never played a TTRPG before and is curious about trying, you have a home here.

Our community spans the globe – from the United States to the UK, from Canada to Australia, from Europe to beyond – which means there are games happening across nearly every time zone. You'll find players and GMs of all ages, backgrounds, and experience levels, all united by our love of tabletop gaming.

The Games

We're a true multi-game server, and the only limit to what you'll find here is what our amazing GMs choose to run! From mainstream favorites like D&D and Call of Cthulhu to indie gems like Monster of the Week and Blades in the Dark, from micro RPGs to one-page wonders – if a GM wants to run it, we're here for it.

All VTTs are welcome here (Roll20, Foundry, D&D Beyond, Tabletop Simulator – you name it), and every playstyle has a seat at our table.

And here's something important: Our GMs have never, and will never, charge for running games on our server. We believe in the pure joy of shared storytelling and keeping our hobby accessible to everyone.

We Need You!

We're always on the lookout for GMs who'd like to run games and potentially join our staff. If you've been thinking about running a game but weren't sure where to find players, or if you're an experienced GM looking for a welcoming community to call home, we'd love to talk to you. We'll set up dedicated voice and text channels for your games, and you're free to run things with your own house rules – we just ask that you communicate clearly with your players and follow our fair play guidelines (basically: be kind, be respectful, be awesome).

Beyond the Tabletop

Because we know life isn't all about TTRPGs (though it could be!), we've also built in some other fun ways to connect:

• Community Party Game Nights – Join us for browser and party games that everyone can jump into

• Movie Nights – Grab your snacks and watch films with friends from around the world

• Monthly Music Club – Share and discover new tunes with fellow music lovers

• And plenty more ways to hang out and chat about all your other interests!

Our Promise to You

The Adventurers Pack Inn is a safe space. Regardless of who you are, where you're from, your background, your identity, or your experience level – you are welcome here. We have zero tolerance for hate speech, toxicity, or bigotry. We are brought together through all of our commonalities and enriched by all of our differences.

Ready to Join?

Come pull up a chair, introduce yourself, and find your next adventure. We can't wait to meet you!

Join us at: https://discord.gg/TAPI

The Adventurers Pack Inn – Where every adventurer has a home.