The Chosen Lord: A Single Moment Actual Play

Chanced upon another Actual Play of A Single Moment. This game was quite remarkable as it also educates the listener to a lot of interesting tidbits of information that can enrich their own games in the future.



 And very insightful chatter here.



Admittedly, the structure is designed to make the "underdog" have the bigger chance of getting a better "ending" at the end of each Chapter. It feels odd at first, but it actually works as you get to it with more games.

Thank you for playing!

Un Momento Unico!

Finally received my own copy of the Spanish edition of A Single Moment.

The book is just beautiful and I do hope it finds a larger audience there as well. Grab a copy of this here: https://www.thehillspress.es/

So far, I found one Actual Play of the game in Youtube! I do hope to find even more people playing this version of my humble game.
 

2018, your 12 new game challenge is complete!

So this 2018, I finally completed my 12 New Game Challenge! And to be honest, that was just an awesome thing to feel. Despite the lack of huge events or monthly mini-conventions, I still find ways to introduce more people to different game systems as well as new people to the hobby.

For the 12 New Games for 2018
1) Pasion de las Pasiones
2) Protocol: Virtuax
3) Protocol: Dead Things in the Walls
4) Tiny Dungeon 2e - Legacy: War of the Widows
5) Tadhana
6) Once Upon a Time in Jianghu
7) Vampire the Masquerade 5th edition
8) Changeling the Dreaming, 20th anniversary
9) Itras By
10) Eclipse Phase
11) Call of Cthulhu
12) Bluebeard's Bride

2017 New Games
1) Pugmire
2) Monster of the Week
3) An RPG Musical, using Scion
4) Black Stars Rise
5) jim pinto's soon to be announced game
6) Carcass: Exodus
7) Praxis: Black Monk
8) Forget Me Not: Florida
9) "Microscope": Star Wars
10) The Quiet Year11) Forget Me Not: Murderhobos
12) Praxis: The Black Monk - Chapter 1
13) Praxis: Odin's Eye

2016 New Games
1) Pocket Odyssey
2) Marvel Heroic Role-playing Games
3) Fiasco: Bookhounds
4) Wield
5) #TagRPG
6) Mutant City Blues
7) 7th Sea, second edition
8) Curse of the Yellow Sign #3
9) Chuubo's Marvelous Wish-Granting Engine
10) Inspectres
11) A Single Moment
12) V20

2015 New Games

1) End Of the World
2) Don't Rest Your Head
3) Fiasco: Bad Timing
4) Ryuutama
5) Roll20: Dungeon World
6) Bliss Stage
7) Companions
8) A Red and Pleasant Land
9) Apocalypse World
10) Dungeons and Dragons, 5e
11) Dread
12) Blades in the Dark

2014 New Games
1) Demon the Descent
2) Spirit of the Century
3) Tremulus
4) Wicked Heroes
5) Storium games
6) Fiasco : The Search for the Golden Panda playkit
7) The Letter: Fiasco Medici playkit
8) Dresden Files
9) Doctor Who : Adventure in Time and Space
10) Cthulhutech
11) Mouse World
12) The Aether Sea

(And before I officially made it a yearly thing)
1) Fiasco
2) Our Best Last Hope
3) Blood and Honor
4) The Aegis Project
5) Wilderness of Mirrors
6) Kult

7) Castle Falkenstein
8) Dungeon World
9) World of Darkness: The God Machine Chronicle
10) Fate Accelerated Edition, Monster Hearts
11) Shadows of Esteren
12) Rocky's home-brewed The Gossamer Saga.

Once Upon a Time in Jianghu - Coming Soon

*Not The Final Design

Big Books Coming Your Way...

Been quite productive this year with two major releases currently in its final stages of writing.
The first, is the long-awaited next chapter of A Single Moment.  At long last, the book is coming out with a new edition with lots of playsets, as well as a few new rule options that many have been clamouring for!  A Single Moment remains my baby, being the first ever solo indie release I formally created and despite the rough waters it plowed through, it has now reached a whole new level of awesomeness. I do hope you like it!

Second, my upcoming wuxia inspired game, Once Upon a Time in Jianghu has just found its editor and we're working on tightening the flow of the text. I'm not sure if I'm allowed to say who it is already, so I'll wait for Gallant Knight Games to make the formal announcement.  But yeah, this Powered by the Apocalypse game has a few new tricks up its sleeve, including allowing GMs to roll dice when the bigger bad guys come into the scene, four ranges of results, and a complete absence of "stats" which might raise some eyebrows.

Then there are the minor stuff.   Released a few more 7th Sea community creators stuff, such as another one page sourcebook for Obscure Objects that Heroes might uncover, and a first part book on Syrneth Artifacts found by my Indiana Jones analog character.

On the Vampire side, I just released the second part of the Reconquista Saga, as the vampire narrative set in Manila continues to draw blood.  Blood Red Pearls is out and I do hope people like it. A cool RPG club in Daytona State has copies of the first book for their club activities. I do hope they enjoyed it.

Lastly, the preview for 7th Sea: Khitai came out and I was floored to see the sections I wrote for it in the doc! So happy to have a greater presence of the Philippines in the setting and I do hope people like my take on the Kiwa  Islands and the role Tawalisi plays in the region. I even got to add a Manananggal to the setting, which is just awesome!

So yeah, lots on the plate and I am very thankful that my Patreon Backers continue to help fund my exploits!

The Syrneth Codex

Warren Cassaday, Archæologist from Avalon, has been travelling around Théah for the last fifteen years, in search of Syrneth Ruins. This Codex is the first collection of the items and places he has found.

by TOBIE ABAD

keywords: Syrneth Artifacts, Explorer’s Society, Invisible College
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/252569/The-Syrneth-Codex

The North Sea Epilogues RPG on Kickstarer

Very happy to be part of this new project.

Garphill Games and Dice Up Games are proud to bring you The North Sea Epilogues. This is a new roleplaying game, designed by Tim and Kristin Devine and set in the North Sea universe of games, including the award-winning Raiders of the North Sea.

I am honored to be listed among amazing creators and writers here.
I do hope you all check out the Kickstarter and support it!

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/shem/the-north-sea-epilogues-rpg-raiders-play-mat

Tadhana is now available digitally worldwide

Yes dear friends! Tadhana has a digital version available online now and you can grab it to experience a fantasy world inspired by Filipino mythology.  The bundle includes the rulebook, starter module, and character sheet. This is almost 500 pages of fantastic concepts, wonderful magic, and interesting locations to explore.

Set in the universe of Kalawakan, Tadhana is an adventure tabletop role-playing game inspired by Filipino folklore, urban legends, and mythology. Featuring an uncommon take on fantasy, players can experience a world full of magic and encounter creatures, deities, and the supernatural previously only found in Filipino stories, epics, superstitions, and legends. The game is powered by a dice-less, card-based resolution system and features flexible and dynamic attribute resource mechanics.


Grab the bundle today!
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/250247/Tadhana-A-Filipino-Tabletop-RPG

Young Heroics on DrivethruRpg for 7th Sea 2e

In the tradition of movies such as The Wizard of Oz, The Goonies, Harry Potter, Spy Kids, Young Indiana Jones, The Hunger Games and television series such as Stranger Things, this supplement offers 30 New Advantages, 3 Arcana, and 6 Stories for 7th Sea Heroes to happen to be younger than usual. Sometimes, the big heroes are just too busy to notice the things the kids do.


Young Heroics is now available on DrivethruRpg.

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/247032/Young-Heroics

Single Sheet Sourcebooks: 7th Sea

I've started releasing Single Sheet Sourcebooks, my one-page GM tool for 7th Sea 2nd edition. Currently, I have three online right now and they seem to be receiving some modest attention.

Single Sheet Sourcebook 01: Fifty Unexpected Events

The first of many "Single Sheet Sourcebooks" for 7th Sea, 2nd edition. This one offers ideas and prompts useful when struggling for a good scene. Just roll and listen to what the players have to say. Your sessions story lies in their ideas. These events can be for one-shot games, filler sessions when the main Story needs a breather, or even jumping points for a whole new campaign. Have fun!

Single Sheet Sourcebook 02: Fifty Unexpected Events

The second of many "Single Sheet Sourcebooks" for 7th Sea, 2nd edition. This one offers ideas and prompts useful for adding family-related moments to the game. These events can be for one-shot games, filler sessions when the main Story needs a breather, or even jumping points for a whole new campaign.

Single Sheet Sourcebook 03: Fifty Disturbing Dievai

The third of many "Single Sheet Sourcebooks" for 7th Sea, 2nd edition.

This one offers visual ideas for disturbing and remarkable concepts for dievai in your game.

Use this table to randomly choose a dievai for your game, or just choose the one whose description calls to you the most.

INDIE SUPPLEMENT OF THE YEAR, 2017: Itras by: Menagerie

This Sub-Award honors the best supplement for an existing Independent RPG. It is judged on the same standards as the Indie Game of the Year, but applies to game supplements rather than games themselves. This can include additional rules, setting information, or anything that enhances an existing game. The supplement may be for purchase or free.

The Indie Supplement of the Year FOR 2017 IS...

Itras By: The Menagerieby Ole Peder Giaver et al. / with 21 points

Whooo hoooo!
So happy to be part of this project!

Jianghu Hustle ep14: Tobie as guest!

Episode 14 is ready for your ears! @ericmfarmer and @ZapDynamic chat with special guest @AllTobieNoShade watch the 2001 Tsui Hark film, The Legend of Zu, to chat about a super-power subgenre of wuxia called xianxia. Thanks for chatting us us, Tobie!

-----


Listen to me stumble and chew!  Hahahah!  This was me coming from a long rpg session and hitting over 24 hours being awake.  So I was kinda having trouble with some words in my head.
In all seriousness, I'm tremendously grateful to have been invited to be in this podcast.

http://misdirectedmark.com/2018/07/12/jianghu-hustle-14-the-legend-of-zu-genre-series-xianxia-w-tobie-abad/

Now Live on Kickstarter: Tiny Supers!

Gallant Knight Games is happy to present the latest genre-book for our TinyD6 minimalist roleplaying system: Tiny Supers!

Using the rules in this book, you'll be able to play superheroes of all types, from paragons and exemplars, to super-science heroes of the future or past, to cosmic guardians defending the far-reaches of the galactic civilizations from untold threats!

And even more awesome:
For the first time ever, a TinyD6 game will have its own detailed setting, as we bring the GallantVerse to you!

You can read more about the GallantVerse below!

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/gallantknightgames/tiny-supers-minimalist-superhero-roleplaying

Now Live on Kickstarter: John Silence

John Silence

The John Silence universe is about black, indigenous, and/or people of color (BIPOC) psychic detectives. It is set in the United States at some time between 1938 and 1998. TV shows like The Dead Zone and Heartless fit the tone of this game, but we want a more diverse cast of characters.

A complete rpg plus a shared-universe story/poetry anthology about psychic people of color saving the Earth from invisible monsters

Kickstarter us now live!
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1080999837/john-silence#

12 new games a year update, July 2018

As I continue my 12 New Games Each Year challenge this 2018, I find myself still moving slower than expected.  With the lack of conventions and time to run TAG Bites sessions due to all the writing gigs and projects I have on my plate, I'm definitely at a delayed pace in getting more games in.


For the 12 New Games Each Year tally so far.1) Pasion de las Pasiones2) Protocol: Virtuax
3) Protocol: Dead Things in the Walls

4) Tiny Dungeon 2e - Legacy: War of the Widows
5) Tadhana
6) Once Upon a Time in Jianghu
7) Vampire the Masquerade 5th edition
8) Changeling the Dreaming, 20th anniversary
9) Itras By

There were plans to try Call of Cthulhu for the first time but sadly that got cancelled due to real life rearing its terrible head.  We finally wrapped up the super 7th Sea campaign we had and in its place started a Changeling the Dreaming 20th anniversary campaign which has been very fun.

Oh and I might as well mention here that I've realized tracking summaries for every game session might not be something I can do anymore. Writing takes time, and more so when you want to write good. Transcribing games that ran for 4 to 8 hours tends to require more or less the same amount of time, and I don't really have that much time to waste.  So, this sadly does mean I might not be able to track every game I run nowadays.  Or just have some kind of TV Guide summary for each one.  

TAG Sessions Discord Offering: Discordia

Celebrating the excitement of the upcoming Vampire: The Masquerade, 5th edition is the goal of this modern horror sandbox game. Given most of the rules aren't quite out yet, a lot of creative licenses is being embraced here. But we're having quite a blast in playing through the various stories.

The game has 9 players.

Enjoy reading their stories here:
https://discord.gg/3jZbv9h

May 2018 Report

May has been a tremendously busy month. I seem to be having more busy months this year than expected. And that's a good thing.

Worked on two projects for 7th Sea 2nd edition Kithai and I'm eager to know how the people will find them. The first is a take on the islands of Kiwa, which is the setting's take on the Polynesian Islands + the Philippines. While I personally would have wanted to have the Philippines as a standalone location in the setting, there is research that backs up a connection between both the Philippines and aboriginal Taiwanese, as well as with the Polynesian wayfarers. I hope I did the write-ups justice in allowing enough familiarity to exist but at the same time inject a creative dose of awesomeness that would be perfect for Kithai.  The second project is an adventure that will find some play at an upcoming major convention. I won't be able to fly over to attend it, but it does kinda sound insanely super that some adventure I wrote will be played at that event. If I'm lucky, maybe some reviews might come out regarding it.


Then, there's a lot of projects from other companies. I've got some writing to do for Familiars of Terra, the Elizabeth Chaipraditkul role-playing game where everyone in the world has an animal familiar. It's like next level Pokemon, which really works and offers so many roleplaying opportunities.

There's a project with Eloy Lasanta's upcoming Sins of the Father book. I don't know how much I can say about it, but I will say I'm a bit nervous working on this one as I feel I really need to brush up on my familiarity with the product line to give it my best. I have been doing my reading, of course, but there's always that fear of nothing doing something good enough that can make things feel harder to do. I know I had that failing with some games already, so I hope I make up for it soon enough.

Then there's Josh Jordan's John Silence which is a game unlike anything I've ever worked on before. It is kooky and sublime and I'm hoping I am able to craft the kind of confrontations he's hoping to have for the game. 

There are a few more stuff in the pipeline, but I think I'm spending too much time writing this post that I should be getting back to work.  With June came the end of our duo-campaign, 7th Sea: the Guissola.  The duo-campaign was the stories of two groups, Alas such Fates and The Nisab Diaries. The campaign was inspired by an Italian painter and Fringe, and the whole story reached its finale with all seven players having one joint session.  There were deaths, there were victories, and in the end, there were Heroes.

It is officially also a year since my trip to Strategicon where I got to hang out with more friends. My other geeky family across the sea. On nights like tonight when I can see shadows of those who very calculatedly bullied me once more proudly talking about acceptance and diversity and respect (despite never truly offering me the same), I find myself wishing I was there instead of here again.  They've successfully traumatized me enough to be afraid of engaging online or of participating in a lot of the local gaming community events and I hate how that victory seems to be one I can't easily overturn. Each year is that feeling that people are getting away with what they did to me, and I think its about time I just accepted the fact that justice really won't come. 

So yeah, there are wins.
There are losses.
All I can do is write.

#AprilTTRPGMaker 30: Top Tips and Advice

#30: Top Tips and Advice

In getting to role-playing games/a new system: Just dive into it. Experience is your best teacher in learning how a game plays. Reviews can help, but ultimately be aware that everyone has their own reasons for gaming. I've often seen games I love dissed by people whose reasons for hating it are the features I actually love. So form your own opinions on games by trying them.

In running a game: Remember you too deserve to have fun.  For some strange reason, many people think the GM is beholden to make things fun for the players... and yet it doesn't go both ways. People who GM aren't doing the players a service! They're also there to have fun. So if you find yourself in a group that seems to expect you to do whatever they want as if you were obligated to make them feel good, get out. That's not a healthy gaming group. That's more like an abusive relationship. You're all investing time to enjoy each other's company and have a fantastic narrative in the process.

In playing a game: Share the Spotlight, Trust the GM.  Remember that you're all investing hours of your time to play together. Doing stuff, "Just to see what happens" or "Only because my character would do so," are actually very self-focused choices and usually lead to the other players getting annoyed or frustrated. Don't be a fun killer. Consider how your choices can make the game fun for all. Weigh when to let others handle a scene. In any ensemble show or movie, other characters let others have their moment. Learn to do that too. And finally, know that the GM is also playing with you guys in this game. While some GMs do still think they're just meant to "kill the PCs when they can,"  the really good ones understand the game is intended to also be worth the hours you've all invested into it. So when you're with a GM who might throw unexpected twists in the story, trust them and see where they can lead. Running away from the "plot" rarely makes for a more interesting game.

In getting stuff published:  Write it. Finish it. And release it.  Your first work might be terrible. Hey, most are anyway. But write and get stuff out. Stop worrying about ideas being stolen. There are millions of ideas and barely 5% of them are original. But how you present them or explore them is where the uniqueness can shine. Get your work out there!  Your audience will find you. But they only will if you give them a means to look for you.

From https://twitter.com/Kiranansi

I challenge ye, my dear fellow game makers, to answer my questions, on the corresponding day, this burgeoning April, and verily it shall be that ye shall be inspired by all makers around you and in this beautiful world henceforth. #AprilTTRPGMaker

#AprilTTRPGMaker 29: Your Community?

#29: Your Community?

It has become much smaller than it used to be.
But at its core, I can see the people who truly cared for me and for the hobby. I can see the people who run games because we love sharing the moment with our friends. I can see the people who recognize and value fellow creators. I can see the people who don't use their connections, fame, and wealth, to gatekeep or marginalize others. I see people I am happy to call my friends.

While I miss the days of being able to serve and share knowledge with a much larger community, I know for now I have to take care of myself. To heal the scars and trauma I have gained from the betrayal and the bullying I had to endure. Maybe someday I'll fully have the courage to step out more often again. Maybe soon, I'll find myself invited to be part of things again and not feel like I'm the focus of rumors and lies being told behind my back.

Maybe someday I can be part of the larger community again because there will be more diversity-friendly and more respectful people in the position to guide things. But while those days are far away, I can focus instead on those who stayed close and supportive of me.  And I can write.

From https://twitter.com/Kiranansi

I challenge ye, my dear fellow game makers, to answer my questions, on the corresponding day, this burgeoning April, and verily it shall be that ye shall be inspired by all makers around you and in this beautiful world henceforth. #AprilTTRPGMaker

#AprilTTRPGMaker 28: Favorite Interview?

#28: Favorite Interview?

This is tough. It rattles some trauma. There was an interview that made me feel like I was extremely fortunate at one point in time, but has since become a reminder that one has to be careful when handling things in the industry. Bottom line is, you can never be too careful when dealing with people you don't know. And sometimes, the best you can do is to just chalk it up to experience and learn to do better in the future.

So I guess for now, the best interview I can mention is the one I did for GMA News. GMA News is one of the biggest local news outlets here in the Philippines.  When I was interviewed to share my thoughts on tabletop games and to talk about how it was like to write for 7th Sea and stuff, I was overjoyed at the thought that the interview might inspire others to try and do the same. Many even fan the flames of more local designers and writers to take the plunge and try to break into the industry.

From https://twitter.com/Kiranansi

I challenge ye, my dear fellow game makers, to answer my questions, on the corresponding day, this burgeoning April, and verily it shall be that ye shall be inspired by all makers around you and in this beautiful world henceforth. #AprilTTRPGMaker