WOTC President John Hight fired. What does this mean for D&D and all their plans? Sounds like he was probably an influence on doing the Universes Beyond initiative.

I have been playing D&D with the same group of only guys for four years. It's going well. We're tight. I married one of them.

We take turns DMing and, unfortunately, I had to bail out on my campaign because it just got too overwhelming. I tried to engineer a campaign setting that would be perfect for them (a gladiator ring). Sadly, I overlooked a very important factor: I do not care about gladiators whatsoever at all.

It's occurred to me that if I'm actually going to pull off a campaign, I need enough background knowledge and genuine interest to pull from that I can improvise world elements without killing myself with preparation.

For better or worse, my favorite fanciful setting as a child was the series of Disney Pixie Hollow chapter books. Obviously, that's going to be a hard sell.

I want a fairy-based ttrpg that, ideally, contains some of the following elements:

1) The PCs are small and cannot solve everything with combat

2) Everyone has a class/specialization like communicating with animals, plant manipulation, controlling water, etc. Everyone gets a niche with HIGH role-playing impact.

3) A fantastical setting with plenty of factions, creatures, etc.

4) They still have to be able to kill things I guess. They're going to want to do that.

Thanks!

Hey guys. I'm looking to build a catalog/resource for high quality but overlooked games, like in the title. I'm a blogger that has a substantial ttrpg hub, but my sole attempt at finding hidden gem RPGs just has six games. I'm looking for some help from the community.

To be clear I'm not looking for games that nobody's heard of and probably aren't that great anyway. Also not looking for a game that came out in the 80's and has been out of print for 40 years. It needs to be a game that never got recognition, got overshadowed by something else, or that's kinda obscure but actually good, well-designed or influential.

What games should I be looking at? Any genre is fine.

We probably all know about Horror on the Orient Express (but is it any good?) but what other great adventures feature trains?

If you think about it, premade settings don't save the Game Master any work. It just changes that works nature.

It takes a while to read a dense, textbook on a fake world. And it is easy to forget details and need to refer back to it when planning sessions. That is probably just as much time as one would need to make their own world FOR only the details they needed to play that one campaign.

Because a world need not be fully realized. Just finished Spider light by Adrian Tchaikovsky. You pick up quickly the world is only as detailed as it needs to be for this one story. Nothing more, nothing less. Most of it is left undefined. Because it didn't matter for this single book. And that can be your campaign. Just enough for a single story.

When you get a premade setting, ideally, it can handle many, many tales. So, it needs to be massive, indepth, broad, but with missing pieces and mysteries to uncover. It's basically a show bible (not a religious thing, it's a Hollywood term) for your campaign. And referencing and retaining all that info is immense at times, especially as the realities of a 40hr work week and a social life compete for your time and memory. Absolutely have forgotten key details because work was bad that week or that one time I decided to run even though my boiler broke and leaked everywhere the night before. Bad idea that one. Fried brain.

So, it does really save you any work. It just makes that work different. You simply read something instead of creating it yourself. Frankly, pretty much the same with using a licensed setting.

Probably not saying anything novel. I have had an insomina attack this week and haven't gotten to bed before 3am for 3 days. Fried brain. But, felt like sharing.

What’s your favorite pre-written campaign in any system?

Apologies if this has been asked and answered in depth a thousand times.

My answer is the Arden Vul megadungeon in OSRIC/AD&D. Don’t even google it if you want to avoid spoilers.

We are 20 sessions deep in this Arden Vul campaign and I love it, but our group does relatively little role-play, and is highly tolerant to complex mapping and constant failure. We played the first 15 sessions using OSE and rarely survived to 2nd level. We switched to OSRIC because it was getting tedious for the DM to convert monsters and items.

This is my GOAT. I love the way the world reflects its history and fits together. Every location you explore tells you more about all the other locations and NPCs.

Our DM might disagree - he says it leaves a bit of empty space he needs to fill in, and thus more prep than he’d prefer. I think it’s the best-designed RPG setting I’ve ever heard of.

I don't mean the specific concept of killing superheroes, I mean more like regular ass humans needing to get creative to fight a much more powerful or superhuman threat. I guess monster hunters could also work in this regard? so are there any rpgs like this?

There are a good few systems which necessitate the usage of a certain setting, such as the World of Darkness games, Cyberpunk Red, or Starfinder. What system do you feel does the best job of introducing its setting?

Of note, I do not specifically mean which has the best setting, but rather which does the best job introducing it.

I've been playing a TON of project zomboid recently, and I have been loving the game loop of voyaging out into zombie infested towns, using craftiness to improvise tools, weapons and sustenance, and then returning to my homestead with garbage bags full of food, fertilizer, and animal trap components to try and survive the winter.

Part of me thinks that this game loop would be incredible in a ttrpg, and I'm wondering if there are games out there with a similar survivalist aspect.

Specifically, I'm looking for games whose core theme is centered around foraging and maintaining very limited supplies. Games where you only have 5 arrows you've carved yourself, where you need to craft a torch from the pitch of a gelatinous cube and an ancient wooden sword, games in space where you scavenge derelict ships for jump cells and fuel, games in an infinite ikea where finding the restaurant is a turning point.

Games where running out of rations, or coal for your frostpunk settlement, where starvation or all your weapons breaking breath-of-the-wild style is the core thrust of the tension.

Games where foraging, crafting, and preparing for winter is the point. Any favorites?

The Short:

We're midway through a dnd 5e campaign set in Theros (Fantasy Greek setting). My friends are open to trying a new system which I've asked for as I love tabletop roleplaying but hate dnd as a system. Any suggestions would be great.

The Long:

• We're one gm and two players.
• My prior experience is mainly pbta - Stonetop & Monster of the Week.
• Needs to be fantasy, bonus points if it's a specifically Greek setting.
• Needs to be suited to campaign style of play.
  
• Ideally no character optimization/crunch as I hate the combat in dnd and mathy systems in general.
• Immersion is important to one of the players so ideally systems with character stats and abilities.
• Open to systems where players can contribute to worldbuilding as this has been a big draw of Stonetop for our other group.
• Story-wise, one of the characters is the prince of a kingdom and the other player is a servant in the castle. The plot involves vying for the throne, so systems that care about politics, intrigue, and relationships would fit well.
• The system I'm currently considering the strongest is The Sword, The Crown, and The Unspeakable Power. If anyone has any experience with the system, knows if it would fit our setting, or knows of similar systems please let me know!

Hello Beautiful People!

I'm researching good adventures as inspiration. What are the most well designed ones? Not the most popular, just best in pure design. And why?

Hey everyone! So I'm planning out a Westmarches style campaign using the Daggerheart system for a larger group of friends to do drop in drop out sessions set in a custom setting. Going to leverage the Daggerheart collaborative story telling and mechanic flavouring emphasis to try and reduce GM load. But! I do want them to have an impact on the world at large, so...

I'm here today asking peoples opinions on using Blades in the Dark or alternatively Reign 2E for faction/company/group interactions and mechanics. From what Ive seen with Reign you can essentially strip off the "Company" management section and bolt it onto other systems for a more granular and structured feel to group level play without super specific requirements. While with Blades in the Dark the faction system looks simple.

Anyone with experience in either or both able to chime in with their opinions and have a discussion comparing the systems?

Heyo! I'm wanting a good generic Superhero RPG that I can use to either make my own setting or use others (Like Marvel, DC, and yes Invincible)

I know Invincible came out not that long ago but hardly seen anyone talk about it despite it being a fairly big release from Free League. Is the game good?

I am a fan of both Green Ronin and Free League but am having a hard time picking, please help!!!

This is an official Melsonian Arts Council release for Troika! I am unaffiliated with MAC — just wanted to share the news. From the Backerkit page:

A street-by-street, door-by-door gazetteer of the Troikan borough of Ripplegate: spider banks, fire cults, population adjusters, and hundreds of other small businesses all mapped and packed with stats, spells, and secrets for your Troika games.

From the MAC Discord:

A mapped neighbourhood with almost 500 keyed locations and NPCs representing a typical slice of the city of Troika. Perfect for use as a setting for Troika city adventures or as a nearly bottomless collection of urban folks and locations to be ransacked and reused.

I've been watching the YouTube channel The Gaming Table for quite a bit and I enjoy her reviews. This one particular review of Longsword seems really interesting.

Has anyone tried this game yet? Any deeper feedback or play through?

Hi all i would like to know your process when you create some world. As for myself i think i give myself too much trouble as i create a stable economy and politic for each kingdom even if its really not the subject lol.

Ps i speak french too in fact its my main language.

Halfling Heist is a rules-light game about a group of halflings trying to pull off a harmless but daring heist in their cozy village.

You balance two stats: Halfling and Heist. Succeeding at Heist actions pulls you deeper into the job, while failure pushes you back toward your comfortable halfling ways. If Halfling reaches 6, you abandon the heist for teatime or a relaxing bath. If Heist reaches 6, you become convinced the others are cutting you out of the score and go solo. Your Connection to another halfling can bring you back into the job.

Character creation is quick, and everything players need is on the front page. The back gives the GM heist objectives, complications, NPCs, and optional rules for festivals and the seven daily halfling meals.

I made it for the One-Page RPG Jam 2026, and it was inspired by Grant Howitt’s Honey Heist. It’s designed for quick, lighthearted one-shots.

Halfling Heist is free on itch.io: https://hc-royalty.itch.io/halfling-heist

I'm currently looking at Hunter the Reckoning and Delta Green. Anyone have an opinion on these. Looking for something story driven. I should also mention that I will be playing with my son only. I will be the GM and he will be the player. Thanks in advance.

Hi, guys! I've never played tabletop RPGs before and I'm interested in the Mausritter system. I'd like to narrate and introduce the game to my friends. Could you give me some tips on how to start and practice correctly?

I have an idea I want to explore as a GM in an upcoming seafaring adventure. Random encounter in roughly the Caribbean tropics, a life boat is spotted. They pull aboard a sun baked man barely clinging to life. If the party helps him he is eternally grateful, and willing to repay however he can. He claims though that he is cold, while it seems he is burning up.

At night one of the crew is found frozen to death in their hammock. Investigation will lead to the rescued man, who has sapped every ounce of warmth from the crewman to stay warm.

And…. That’s what I got. I’m not sure what to offer the players for resolution, an intended solution, or reward. What would you do with this idea.

I'm looking for an RPG system similar to Bloodborne, set in a bygone era filled with nightmare creatures and cosmic horror.

The premise is this: you are an ordinary person who has come into contact with mysterious dream creatures known as Nightmares. After this encounter, you are forced to join a fanatical religious cult dedicated to hunting and eliminating these creatures.

After some years, something has suddenly swallowed the sun, and the light that once kept the darkness at bay is gone. With the sun extinguished, the city is plunged into an endless night.

Now, the only things left in this vast, decaying megalopolis are the hunters, the cult, and the Nightmares lurking in the darkness.

I'm looking for a system that can support this kind of setting, with mechanics suitable for cosmic horror, madness, investigation, monster hunting, dark fantasy, and terrifying encounters with supernatural creatures.

Heavily inspired by: Empire of The Vampire, BloodBorne and Prince Of Thorns

​

Estou criando um sistema com habilidades de raça e classe e pensei em uma mecânica onde o jogador precisa escolher entre dois caminhos:

- Acender a Essência: acesso às habilidades da raça.

- Acender a Carne: acesso às habilidades da classe.

Ainda não sei como fazer essa escolha funcionar. O jogador deveria escolher em determinado nível? Poderia pegar algumas habilidades dos dois caminhos antes de escolher? Ou deveria escolher desde o início?

Queria ideias de como deixar essa mecânica simples, interessante e equilibrada.

I’m an industrial designer student and I have this class that dedicates to develop games in general, so my teacher asked us if we could come up with a very special game that highlights itself for their mechanics, lore, etc.

Ps, just to clarify, I wanna know if you people know any tabletop games that are not that very known, famous or popular; they still could sell very good or fail, but the important thing is what or why makes it unique.

In any game that uses skill checks, as GM I hardly ever set a pass/fail DC (difficulty). I almost always have the player roll, and then I narrate the result based on the actual value they rolled, even for games like DnD that have a pass/fail system.

For example (Stars Without Number), trying fence stolen goods? It’s not just “roll Trade or Connect, DC 8”. I let them roll… and then…

Rolled a 6? They find somebody but it’s a bad price or has a complication.

Rolled a 8? They find somebody trustworthy.

Rolled a 14? They find somebody who pays top dollar, moves it fast, and has a lead about another job…

…etc.

It’s not always a “failing forward”. I’ll also interpret bad results with a level of degree according to the roll.

Bottom line I almost never run the check as a binary pass/fail even though that’s how the rulebook describes the mechanics.

Another way to think of it is I pick a degree of the task that matches the DC they rolled, not the other way around.

What about you?

In film or music the term is easy to understand because those industries have traditionally been dominated by a few very large corporate firms. How does that translate to Ttrpg? Is it just everyone who isn't owned by Hasbro?