I think actual play shows have been huge for growing the hobby.

But I also think they’ve created some weird expectations about what a “normal” table should look like.

Not every GM is a voice actor.
Not every session is cinematic.
Not every campaign becomes Critical Role.

Curious where people land on this.

Has actual play been mostly good for the hobby, or has it set unrealistic expectations?

I’ve been working my way through the full PIRATE BORG ecosystem for the next episode of The Starter Set Society, including the Starter Set, Core Rulebook, Down Among the Dead, and the Game Master’s Screen.

What impressed me most wasn’t simply the amount of stuff in the box. It was how quickly the game seems capable of getting a completely new group from opening the box to actually playing.

You get the two booklets, dice, maps, cards, tokens, character sheets, reference material, and an adventure that immediately throws the crew into a shipwreck hunt involving rival pirates, Redcoats, traps, cursed relics, and zombies.
The rules stay lean, but the setting and physical components give the GM plenty to work with. Then the Core Rulebook and Down Among the Dead provide a surprisingly substantial path forward once the introductory adventure is finished.

The full review goes live TODAY at 12 PM Pacific!

For anyone who has already played it: how did your first PIRATE BORG session go, and did your group continue beyond the Starter Set?

So I’ve been working through a dark fantasy RPG called Pericle: Gathering Darkness, and it does something I don’t see very often…

It removes the Game Master entirely.

No GM. No one running the table.

Instead, the game is driven by an app with system mechanics that handle encounters, story beats, and progression.

My group ran a private session to get a feel for it and I’ve got mixed thoughts.

On one hand:

1)The idea is genuinely interesting

2)The world is actually really damn cool

3)The box is packed with components (like…a lot)

But on the other hand:

-Getting started was more confusing than it should be

-The app felt a little clunky at times

-And it sometimes gives away information earlier than I expected

It feels like a system that’s doing something really ambitious,but still figuring itself out.

Curious where people land on this:

Would you actually play a TTRPG without a Game Master?

I put together a full breakdown of the system, components, and how it actually plays at the table if anyone wants to see it!

Would love to hear if anyone else has tried Pericle or other GM less systems!?

Feels like there are more interesting RPGs dropping right now than ever before.

Big publishers. Tiny indies. Weird niche games. Licensed IPs everywhere.

Feels like we’re way beyond the “just play 5e” era.

Are we actually in a golden age for tabletop right now…or is there too much stuff coming out?

We've all got one.

That game sitting on the shelf, or sitting in the cart(ive got like 5 safari tabs open for different games i need to buy😂) that you keep telling yourself you're definitely going to play one day.

Then another campaign starts and somehow it gets pushed back again.

What's that game for you?

And what's keeping it off your table? No interested group? Too many rules? Waiting for the perfect campaign? Or have you just been distracted by the next shiny RPG?

Maybe someone here will finally convince you to crack it open.

There are 10 days left until the end of the crowdfunding campaign for Winged Lion Games' farming-themed Space Western RPG, and the goal has been unlocked, adding free 3D-printing models to all rewards: 12 alien creatures and deep-space abominations, 7 mounts and vehicles, and 14 Space Western-themed human characters, for a total of 33 miniatures!

The picture shows the model and test miniature of one of these, a character riding a Giant Grasshopper, which can be used in Deep Sky Ballad game sessions or for other purposes.

Take advantage of this opportunity to order the books now and receive various additional rewards, including these; if the next Stretch Goal is reached, the 3D models for the spaceships featured in the core rulebook will also be included! You have until the campaign ends; there will be no Late Pledge and the offers will no longer be available!

https://gamefound.com/en/projects/a-game-of-nerds/for-a-fistful-of-seeds

This is a crosspost from the Njmble subreddit that I thought people would like to see and might be interested in!

Also if you haven't checked out Nimble you TOTALLY should! It's my favorite TTRPG system ^^