Starting 2026 with a bang~!

 

2025 was quite a year.  We were able to cover a lot of new systems again, which was quite a wonderful jaunt of different experiences. We failed, however, to complete the 6x6 Challenge that @Jod sets every year.

Hopefully, this year we can complete it properly.

For 2026, we're taking another stab at Jod Gulle's 6x6 challenge. This year, we are looking at a few mini-campaigns - some ongoing and some new. We have our ongoing The Great Pendragon Campaign which we started back in 2017 and the players are now on their third generation of characters. We have the ongoing Horror on the Orient Express campaign for Call of Cthulhu which might actually open up to allow guest players to join the investigations We have an ongoing two-player Vampire the Masquerade campaign. But also planned are new stuff such as a Paladin: Warriors of Charlemagne to be a livestreamed mini-campaign for Denmother Plays, a short saga of Legends of the Wulin which we love because it was first inspired by the amazing Weapons of the Gods. Some players who requested to try the system (and it really shines in games that go beyond one shots), and lastly an exploration of The WildSea perhaps depending if we can find players willing to try it.

Of those campaigns, however, only The Wildsea and Paladin will be among my 12 New Games for 2026.  Will have ten more games to try.   Among them, I've been eyeing at the following:

The ELFQUEST rpg, of course, has a hopeful slot.  I have no idea how to make this work as I don't really know anyone else who appreciated and enjoyed that comic.  But I would love to explore that game.

Legend in the Mist has been interesting me too. The game system reminds me of what I liked about the Cortex RPG system and seems to have elements similar to Houses of the Blooded.  So curious to see how that will go.

I've also heard alot about CAIN which seems to be something that might be up my alley.   Narrative first games are always interesting for me.

Sword of the Serpentine excites me.  It seems to be a combination of what I loved about Night's Black Agents placed in a more fantasy setting sort of experience. 

Maybe I even get a chance to explore some horror games like The Silt Verses or even Ten Candles or, if the geek gods are kind, The Farm.  So yes, let's hit 2026 with an awesome new set of gaming experiences! 

Face to Face Again

 After so long a time of only remote play, we got to play another face-to-face RPG session. The kind GMs of Kabilang Dungeon coordinated with A Rich Tale and Hobby Kaikan for a day of tabletop sessions.   Rocky and I ventured out to play and we had a one-shot session under GM Jod with a few friends.  Jod ran a session of Mythic Bastionland for us, which was quite a treat.  

Playing with us were Stephanie Bryant (who wrote the wonderful Threadbare RPG) and Vajo (who sadly had to leave earlier).  We played knights of  Rhoska, dealing with a messy succession while coming face to face with strange things emerging from the wilds.  

It was quite an interesting game session, with Mythic Bastionland's OSR roots quite evident.  It was interesting how much the feels reminded me of King Arthur's Pendragon.   There were definitely more positive things than negative ones from the experience and Rocky and I are eager to see what we can do to have more face to face sessions back in our lives.

The game also counts among my 12 New Games for 2025, so I'm down to just one more game system to complete the challenge this year!

Hello 2025

 First of, wishing you all a Happy New Year!  

Here begins a whole new year of opportunities, challenges, and memories to embrace.  For the few of you who continue to remain subscribed to this blog, lemme share some updates that I owe you.

Let me begin with apologies.  I have been tremendously less productive in the tabletop rpg side of my life when it comes to writing games and supplements.  To be honest, I was actually quite eager to start writing for The Companions of Arthur.  Ever since we first were told of this Community Creator opportunity to eventually launch, I had been quite excited to get the fingers typing out a few supplements for King Arthur: Pendragon.

But sadly, trauma still reared its ugly head and I found myself second-guessing each page I wrote, fearing what new details might be nitpicked or what may be taken out of context.  In the end, I stopped writing and ended up shucking the file into the TO DO folder.

I refocused my brain and at least got it moving in other directions.   I've been busy working on my graphic novel, DILIMAN GENERATION NOW, which is a standalone "sequel" to my first graphic novel way back in 1997.  For those who might be curious about it, you can check out the 30-page teaser here:  https://globalcomix.com/c/diliman-generation-now

It might not be for everyone, but it is definitely something that I feel very attached to and I hope you enjoy it.  Just bear in mind, it is a comic meant for mature audiences.

Also, completed this year's 12 New Games for 2024 Challenge!

I like making sure I try at least 12 different game systems, or incarnations of game systems, to better experience how different games can give one a different experience.  Too often, people end up getting trapped in the "this game system is my favorite and it can do everything I want" mindset, which leads them to just modding the same system over and over again for different fluff.  But that just sadly ignores the wealth of creativity and opportunities that are out there.   I don't think others will easily adapt my mindset in this.  But I do know I used to believe the World of Darkness Storyteller system was the ONLY system I ever needed to enjoy gaming forever.   And boy am I grateful to have broken free from that self-limiting mindset.  I started this self-challenge in 2013.  So yeah, I've played more than 100 different game systems in the last decade of doing this.  And trust me when I say I've definitely expanded my horizons.

Also, was able to complete the 6x6 Challenge.

This challenge was about running at least six sessions of six different RPGs.  I actually did more with a few other mini-campaigns which I ran but didn't count among them.  A new challenge has been offered for this year, but I don't know if I'll embrace it as I realize it.. kind of fights against the one-shot mentality of the 12 New Games Challenge I already do.

So here's to more games this 2025.  

But only after we've successfully moved.

6x6 TRPG challenge!

Being part of a community of table top RPG gms in the Philippines, it is nice seeing different initiatives that emerge to encourage others to play more as well as share their gaming knowhow.  I doubt anyone would take a stab at my personal goal of hitting 12 New Games Each Year, but it was fun seeing @JodTheCod start a 6x6 TRPG challenge.

My first encounter of this kind of challenge was actually from boardgames, with an annual 10x10 boardgame challenge showing up online where people were to play ten different boardgames ten times, tracking who won the most by the end of the year.  

For the tabletop RPG one, I'm still in the process of mapping out the sixth game, but this is what I have so far:

That is composed of three currently ongoing campaigns:
The Great Pendragon Campaign is a game we started way back in 2017.  We have Rocky, Adrian, Flip, and Urim in that game, and we're currently on our third generation of knights as we play through the Romantic Era and learn the unfolding story of Tristam and Isolde.

Horror on the Orient Express, Call of Cthulhu, started back in April, 2022, with Rocky, Adrian, Jonette, and Lanz in the game.  I foolishly opted to skip NOTHING in the campaign, so we're taking our sweet time indulging in the horror.  We even played through Reign of Terror, and for those who are familiar with both books, you know why.

A Door Opens, The Invisible Sun started more recently.  Started last Sept, 2023, this game has Rocky, Lanz, and Deano, play Vislae who have just returned from Shadow and are realizing they are in the heart of a massive scheme which they themselves may have created and forgotten. 

Of the new mini-campaigns, we have:

Changeling the Dreaming will be the next mini-campaign. As a request by @denmotherplays, the game is intended for them to try my take on the game system.  

Mythic Japan: Ukiyo-E is the fan supplement for VAESEN set in a mythic period of Japan.  For this one, Lanz and Emman are the main players, with a rotating guest list for the six sessions.  This will allow more people to try the game system, and since its a mini-campaign mode, allow us to even try using the Upgrades system for the game.

Still need to think of one last mini-campaign. Hmm!

Goodbye 2023. 2024 must be a productive year.

Kinda shaky year, this 2023 was. I feel it started out strong but then just.. somehow lost its way. But I like to believe it still ended strong.

Not much work done this year.  Written projects include:

 Among this year's 12 New include:

And of those three, only two were ever released for public purchase. That's terrible. Very terrible.
I need to be much more productive this coming 2024.

As to my annual 12 New Games Challenge, I thankfully hit it this year.

12 New Games this 2023

1. Delta Green
2. Regency Cthulhu
3. The Ward
4. Blade Runner
5. Die the RPG
6. Forget Me Not
7. Praxis: Black Mon, Book 4 - Sunrise End
8. The Invisible Sun
9. One of Us Will Die
10. Blue Rose
11. Vaesen
12. Host and Hostility: Regency Cthulhu
13. Vaesen: Fear the Evenfall
14. Stalker RPG

That's a wonderful collection of games there.  And highlights include The Invisible Sun which now has an ongoing campaign as wellas Die the RPG and Vaesen, both of which are tremendously tight worlds and amazing game systems.

When emotions are difficult, game and be well

 

Was having a tough day today, dealing with a loss in the family. Was barely sleeping, barely eating, and in many ways, barely productive despite forcing myself to slug through work and responsibilities. I just.. wasn't in the right headspace.   I had scheduled a few games post work hours to help me find my center.  And while the first one was a great way to recalibrate, the second one had a player drop out and that - while I understand was fair and totally understandable - did a number on my mood and mental state. 

I cancelled the game and wanted to just curl up and sleep.
And yet, even while in bed, I couldn't sleep.

Thankfully, these set of friends reached out and checked on me and kept me company, virtually as it was, and it was enough. I started to feel myself again. I started to feel like I was a person and not just a reaction.

And I realized I felt centered enough to try running a game.
And boy, did that really shoot my recalibration back on track.

Thank you, Lanz, Niccolo, and Emman for helping me through today.
Thank you for the fun game as we explored the world of VAESEN.

Thank you.

Thank you, jim

This is a moment for me.

Nothing big.
Just happy to hit a personal milestone.

Ending 2022 and welcoming 2023

Looking forward to a good year this 2023.
While generally 2022 was not that bad, there were still those moments that were just exhausting and trying - including a time when this blog, TAG Sessions, was shut down after certain "complaints" and "violations" were cited (and later overruled) - which nearly had me calling it quits on the entire thing. Thankfully, I continue to be surrounded by awesome friends, kind gamers, and critical individuals who handle events in a clearer and more rational manner.

Completed my 12 New Games personal challenge again!  This year, was able to play/run new game systems as well as expand on having some of them as multi-session mini-campaigns to provide a better fulfilling story and experience.  Summaries of such sessions are usually shared in the TAG Sessions Facebook Group (feel free to ask for membership, but please do be sure to answer ALL the questions properly) to be part of the fun.    This year had two mini-campaigns (Pendragon and Night's Black Agents)

Among this year's 12 New include:
1) Praxis: Our Lost Way
2) Star Trek Adventures
3) Praxis: Lambs
4) The Hunted
5) Mashed
6) Hearts of Wulin
7) Horror on the Orient Express
8) Savage Worlds
9) Golden Sky Stories
10) Trail of Cthulhu
11) Reign of Terror 
12) Avatar: Legends
13) Alas for the Awful Sea
14) Cairn

Very happy to have such a robust list of systems and books to have explored.

Targeting a good selection of possible games for this year, including stuff like INVISIBLE SUN which keeps touting itself as a very unique game system (I'm not convinced quite yet) and DIE RPG (which was an amazing comic, but I have no comments for now on the game system). 

Sadly, though, this year, was definitely not as productive as I wished to be. With the blog being shut down for a while, lost tracking some of the stuff I released this year.  But among them are:

The Lands of Voce Luminare - Book 01: War of the Widows Supplement

Buy it at DriveThruRPG: War of the Widows: Book 1: Lands of Voce Luminare

The Sleep Experiment - Lying City Mysteries - Book 01 for Tiny Cthulhu

Buy it at DriveThruRPG: The Sleep Experiment

The Man At the Foot of the Bed - Lying City Mysteries - Book 02 for Tiny Cthulhu

Buy it at DriveThruRPG: The Man At the Foot of the Bed

The Beached Thing - Lying City Mysteries - Book 03 for Tiny Cthulhu

Buy it at DriveThruRPG: The Beached Thing

Drawing the Silver Key - Lying City Mysteries - Book 04 for Tiny Cthulhu 

Buy it at DriveThruRPG: Drawing the Silver Key

Faith Heal Her - Bow Your Heads - Book 01

Buy it at DriveThruRPG: Faith Heal Her - Bow Your Heads

50 Mortal Musings

Buy it at DriveThruRPG: 50 Mortal Musings

And sadly, that was it. 

I did a lot of work on a few other books, including rewrites of the book formerly known as Once Upon a Time in Jianghu, book 4 of Sid's Real Life, unHuman (a Changeling the Dreaming supplement), Bulong (a Changeling the Dreaming novelette), Mythography (a Trinity campaign), Blazing Hearts Revolt, book 3 of the Reconquista Vampire novelette, Diliman the RPG, Dreamscrapers, and even a MODELS quickstart. 

I have no idea if I will succeed in finishing any of them this 2023.
But at least, this year, the Pandemic seems to have giving us all some breathing room.  We have gained some space to reconnect with friends and to find opportunities to step outside beyond our prison-sanctuary rooms.

Here's hoping it goes well.

Happy New Year!

Wishing you all a wonderful New Year filled with awesome games and even more awesome people. Stay safe and see you all in 2022!
 

Goodbye 2021. That was not easy.

 No, 2021 was not a fun year for TAG Sessions. 

It was rough. It was triggering. It was very frustrating and very disheartening. But in the end, we survived it and that is what matters.  We reached new gamers and inspired many others, and that's what makes the effort worth it.

Too many times this year I nearly just threw away the brand and thought to just delete the stuff I've been working on.  But thankfully, Rocky was always there to remind me of why I love creating games.  And many friends were also there to help cheer me on, despite the fact too many instances hit me hard with anxiety attacks, panic moments, and just wanting to stop.

This was a year that I really am thankful to have survived.  A year I literally can be happy to still be here.

My annual 12 New Games Per Year Challenge was completed only because of the TAG Bites move of offering one-shots on Saturday mornings.  But we also did slowly consider expanding them to short-multi session arcs rather than just be limited to one shots.

1) Night's Black Agents: Dracula Dossier

2) Fairview
3) The Warren
4) Call of Cthulhu: Raid on Innsmouth
5) Praxis: The Witch
6) Praxis: Black Monk, Book 5
7) Cats of Cathulhu
8) Interstitial: Our Hearts Intertwined
9) Thirsty Sword Lesbians
10) Brindlewood Bay
11) The Expanse

12) Mage 20th Anniversary
13) Call of Cthulhu: Fragments of the King

Summaries for these sessions can be found in the TAG Sessions Facebook Group.  Know, though, that membership still requires answering the given questions just for making sure it stays a safe space for those who join.


Was able to share knowledge this year.

There was the Buwan ng Wika celebration where I gave a talk for a senior High School event focused on celebrating identity and language.  The ttheme was Pagkakakilanlan ng Pilipino: Muling Pagkabuhay ng Mga Puso at Isip. 

There was the UPLB Mathematical Sciences Society (UPLB MASS) where I was one of the webinar speakers for their 33rd Mathematical Sciences Week called unMASSk: A Webinar on Basic Game Development and Implementation.

There was the Astro Game Jam for CIIT (College of Arts and Technology) where some groups presented their game concepts for the theme, "Cosmos".  I really enjoyed seeing the gems that they presented there.

Guested in a friend's show, which was nice.  The Panel Show with Josie Nicolas. Always nice to connect with people who appreciated my work.

There were a few other possible engagements, but out of fear of too much publicity, I opted not to participate instead.  I've gotten used to staying in a quieter area I guess.  Sometimes I even wonder if I should just stop using other socmed and just focus on my circle. Hay. Anyway.

Didn't get to be productive as much as I hoped this year. But thankfully, still released some stuff:


Released A Second Moment. Originally was meant to have a Kickstarter. Had a host of guest local writers and was supposed to have a roster of international writers and artwork.
Yeah. That's not what happened but still proud of it.

Had some 7th Sea novel+mechanics out.


Nine was my attempt to do a spy thing in the 7th Sea universe.

Eight is kinda like my take on a "Dial H for Hero" concept for 7th Sea.

Launched MODELS around March and it had such a tiny reception I was just happy to sell a few handfuls of copies, despite it being 230+ pages of mechanics, ideas, and story hooks.   

Had multiple false starts for various books including Diliman, Dreamscrapers, and even a rewrite attempt to make the most of the Once Upon a Time in Jianghu material I was working on in the previous years.  But yeah, barely found the heart to keep at it given the way things had gone in the previous years.   I still hope to finish them someday. Some how.

Finally there's these two babies.


Jovian Moon Deep was my attempt to write up an outerspace mystery for Call of Cthulhu the likes of Solaris and Europa Report.

ROUND6 was born after watching Squid Game but drew inspiration from stuff like Battle Royale and even The Gods Will It.

And one fiction book as I released
Book 3 of Sid's Real Life, my rom-com take on the Exalted universe.

And that is it.
Depressing when you compare it to what I had accomplished in the previous years. 
But at least I am still writing.
I am still alive.

See you next year.

Goodbye 2020. Here's hoping 2021 will be better.

It was not an easy year last year.  But thankfully, in the end,  we generally survived it. 2019 was tough, and I was hoping that 2020 would be a year to bounce back. But sadly, that was not quite the case. Lost a lot of opportunities, and even money, and nearly more.  The pandemic only served to make it worse. But after talking to my partner, Rocky, about things, he helped me remember the main reason I started TAG Sessions in the first place: To make games that people would be bale to enjoy using to tell new stories.

And so I will just continue to do that.

Of my annual 12 New Games Per Year Challenge, I was thankfully able to complete it this year despite the pandemic. For those new to the blog, I made a personal promise to try and play or run 12 new games every year.

This year's game sessions (which I usually run as TAG Bites sessions) are the following:
1) Praxis: Black Sun - Sunrise End
2) Protocol: Dinner Guests
3) Protocol: Chebyshev Function
4) Maze Rats
5) Dreams of the Aquarium
6) Trinity Continuum
7) Eldritch High
8) Jim Henson's Labyrinth: The Adventure Game
9) Takipsilim playtest
10) Night's Black Agents
11) Parsley: Pumpkin Town
12) Root the RPG
13) Legend of the Elements

There were a few notable events which TAG Sessions was sort of able to be part of this 2020.
These include my game being featured or mentioned in one way or another, games being noticed by the community for awards or the like, a few online talks, and attended a few events. There wasn't much else I could do, unfortunately, so I just tried to keep a lower profile. And just tried to stay productive.

One key place I was happy to have been able to participate was in sharing more of my games to a community of solo boardgamers. It was quite touching, to be honest, and it made me happy when I heard back from some of them given their interest in exploring more table top rpgs.  With the pandemic making connecting with people and having games even harder to do, my partner and I decided to start a new thing as a means to stay social while celebrating our passion for geeky things and more.  We created: BADUY PRIDE.

Here are some sample episodes:

We try to shoot an episode a few times a week, usually around 9pm, and we've covered a wide range of topics, from tabletop games, to boardgames, to LGBTQIA+ concerns, and a lot of personal sharing. We don't have a huge following yet, but of those who have been regular viewers, we've been very happy to have connected and have also made new friends.

On the creation side, I wanted to extend my thanks to the TAG TEAM SUPPORTERS:  Rocky, Tania, and Hello, Mirai.  Thanks to their undying support, these are the games and fiction I've released last 2020.  

It is quite a smaller turnout than I hoped for 2020. So I guess I just have to resolve to be more productive this 2021, no matter what happens this year.  Having survived 2019 and 2020, I think I can draw strength from that knowledge and remind myself not to lose sight of the main reason I first started writing my own games.

Thank you for your time.

Sickening Queens finds some love

Just wanted to share the small joy of realizing that one of the games I wrote, Sickening Queens, actually received some love.  Fiasco was one of the game systems that opened my eyes to the wide-range of potential stories one can tell with collaborative gameplay.  After enjoying my first few experiences playing Fiasco, I felt compelled to try to contribute a game or two to the vast range of experiences that were available.  I wrote a Romantic Comedy one called Bad Timing (which was inspired by this script I hoped to someday produce), and my love letter to local Philippine Drag and our drag queen friends, in a book named, Sickening Queens.



Jason Morningstar had a curated collection of playsets which he really liked. I was curious to see what games got the nod and was pleasantly surprised to see a few intriguing titles which I wanted to try out.  But what really surprised me was the later page which had the following list:

 

Sickening Queens made the cut! I feel so happy to know it was well-received. I only hope more people give the game a try.  May this help boost the signal out to the amazingness that is local Filipino drag and even drag in general!