RPGaDAY 2024 : Day 20 : Amazing Adventure

       

RPGaDAY 2024 : Day 20 : Amazing Adventure

I think the most amazing adventure I ever experienced was a three-generational story of Changeling the Dreaming which I ran back in college for a group of friends.  These were three "campaigns" that were connected as they played characters who were descendants of their early characters.  The interconnectedness of the stories were just so fulfilling in seeing how they changed through time and based on the events that the players created. 

RPGaDAY 2024 : Day 19 : Sensational Session

      

RPGaDAY 2024 : Day 19 : Sensational Session 

For this one, I would have to bring back the story of our LACUNA: The Creation of Mystery and the Girl from Blue City campaign and how I prepped one game session to truly immerse the experience for the players.  Hours before the session, I prepped the room for the game.  I photoshopped and printed out all these different EYE images, hiding them behind cabinet doors and tucked onto shelves.  I recorded a video loop of my own eye flickering around before staring at the camera, then set the clip to play on the television set once needed.    Then I gathered a bunch of Christmas lights, taped them to the window in the shape of an eye, then covered it with a curtain.  Our group loved making games feel quite immersive, so I wanted to be able to deliver.

During the session, the Mystery Agents were warned that they were being watched.  And as we played through the session, I would occasionally stand up, walk to a shelf or cabinet, and reveal the eye.  More and more, as the session played, the players saw more and more eyeballs staring at them.  When one tried to contact Control for help, I switched on the eye on the screen, describing how every screen in the city now had that eye looking for them.  And finally, when they tried to Eject, their escape succeeded just as i hit the lights, light the Christmas lights, and revealed the glowing eye that was emerging from the very city facade. 

It was amazing.  The group had a dinner break and we were just absolutely jittery with the entire experience.   Gotta admit, I miss face to face games. 

RPGaDAY 2024 : Day 18 : Memorable moment of play

     

RPGaDAY 2024 : Day 18 : Memorable moment of play

I used to have a lot of memorable moments of play.  But after I had been made to question if any of my previous game experiences were as memorable as I believed, I now struggle to embrace them as actual good memories without second guessing myself.  It is sick, I tell you. But that's how it is now.

I guess for now I can choose to at least mention that our Great Pendragon Campaign still has some of the most memorable and powerful moments of play.  And while we're currently working to get it moving again, some quick summaries of powerful stories include:

The Geas of Sir Par
The Passion of the Warlock
The Hag and the Lost Father

and finally,

The Comedy of Chaos.

The players can all readily share those tragic tales.  And how each of them would make an incredibly moving tale .

RPGaDAY 2024 : Day 17 : Engaging RPG Community

    

RPGaDAY 2024 : Day 17 : Engaging RPG Community

I have no answer. 
I shy away from most communities.  Just too many triggers and sources of stress.

However, I would say that there are current groups in the Philippines that are really healthy gaming communities.  You can tell based on how the people in charge are truly passionate about allowing everyone to celebrate what they love. 

RPGaDAY 2024 : Day 16 : Quick to Learn

   

RPGaDAY 2024 : Day 16 : Quick to Learn

Gotta admit, the quickest game to learn for me would be Shauermarchen.  With only one major rule to keep in mind, the game can be taught in a single minute and you are ready to play.  Quick to learn, however, does not mean it is a shallow game experience.  The interplay of Hope and Fear in your gameplay, and how success relates to your actions if it were hope or fear is quite evocative and intense.

Still, not a game for everyone.  That much I've learned to accept.

RPGaDAY 2024 : Day 15 : Great Character Gear

  

RPGaDAY 2024 : Day 15 : Great Character Gear

When it comes to defining gear, two games take the top spot for me in this regard:

Weapons of the Gods had a magnificent way of mixing key words and system in their approach to weapons.  Weapons can even have their own Lore Sheets which allowed you to get Entangled in their destiny or even get drawn to them just because your own destiny is too strong.

Wield is sort of a cheat, because it is a game where you as players portray WEAPONS or magical objects that can imbue their wielders amazing power. 

RPGaDAY 2024 : Day 14 : Compelling Characters

 

RPGaDAY 2024 : Day 14 : Compelling Characters

Of the many games I've played, the game with the most compelling characters I ever experienced would be Count Kether from Houses of the Blooded, who is the most charming, seductive, and charismatic man you can ever meet... until you cross him.  And then suddenly, he is a villain that puts even Lex Luthor to shame with his schemes and machinations to utterly destroy you.  

RPGaDAY 2024 : Day 13 : Evocative Environments

RPGaDAY 2024 : Day 13 : Evocative Environments

First, there's Planescape's signature city, SIGIL, which just brings awe and fascination in how it both looks, functions, and thrives. Serving as a gateway to so many other places, I cannot help but remember the excitment of shows like Star Gate.

The second would be Exalted. From the gargantuan statue city called the Lap, to the wondrous places of Yu-Shan and the remarkable Chiaroscuro, there are just amazing vistas to see and explore.

Last would be Changeling the Dreaming. The depths of the Dreaming, the Deep Dreaming, and the nightmare realms are mind-bending and twisted in ways Alice in Wonderland would have approved. But the fact that these locations CHANGE YOU as you visit them, I can only imagine if these books indirectly inspired how worlds work in Kingdom Hearts.Of all the games I've tried, three stand out with very evocative environments that make me wanna explore them.

RPGaDAY 2024 : Day 12 : RPG WITH WELL-SUPPORTED CAMPAIGNS

    

RPGaDAY 2024 : Day 12 : RPG WITH WELL-SUPPORTED CAMPAIGNS

What on earth are well-supported campaigns?  If this means having a game that has a really well-done campaign, then King Arthur: Pendragon takes it by spades.  The Great Pendragon Campaign is truly a remarkable feat with an adventure spanning generations. 

But if its about campaigns that received additional material to support it, I would have to stare at Masks of Nyarlathotep which not only has so much material for it, but also has props and the like created to support it! 

I mean, just look at that:
https://store.hplhs.org/products/masks-of-nyarlathotep-gamer-prop-set

RPGaDAY 2024 : Day 11 : RPG WITH WELL-SUPPORTED ONE-SHOTS

    

RPGaDAY 2024 : Day 11 : RPG WITH WELL-SUPPORTED ONE-SHOTS

I will have to hand this to FIASCO.  The sheer number of playsets out there, the variety, the scope, the genres, no one has done this better than that game, in my opinion.

RPGaDAY 2024 : Day 10 : LIKE TO SEE ON TV

   

RPGaDAY 2024 : Day 10 : LIKE TO SEE ON TV

To be frank, any rpg, SO LONG AS THEY DON'T COMPLETELY IGNORE THE PLAYERS AT THE TABLE ASPECT.  The Dungeons and Dragons movie?  Beautiful. But its basically a movie on the setting, not about gaming, and that feels like its no different from any other fantasy movie out there.  

Same with the FALLOUT series.  Clearly they drew from the videogame.  Despite there being a Fallout RPG.  So one might even say its NOT a television series based on the game at all.  

That's why we need a movie that FEATURES the player aspect of the concept.  Astropia (which was horribly and terribly renamed, Dorks and Damsels) as closer to a great approach. Flight of Dragons too if you consider it opens with the boardgame.  But so far, all other adaptations have adapted ONLY the setting side and not the player side.  And that, for me, is a huge disservice to the hobby.

RPGaDAY 2024 : Day 9 : ACCESSORY YOU'D LIKE TO SEE

  

RPGaDAY 2024 : Day 9 : ACCESSORY YOU'D LIKE TO SEE

I would LOVE to have official "clickable" LACUNA devices for LACUNA: THE CREATION OF MYSTERY AND THE GIRL FROM BLUE CITY.   Can you imagine having those actual things on your person as you play, then feeling that point of no return as you decide to stay longer or click it to eject and save yourself?  That would be such an experience. 

RPGaDAY 2024 : Day 8 : ACCESSORY YOU APPRECIATE

 

RPGaDAY 2024 : Day 8 : ACCESSORY YOU APPRECIATE

The RPG accessory that I really really appreciated in the many years I've played would be one that I was able to enjoy with my players for many months of play.  Admittedly, my experience would be colored by the fact that I don't often by a lot of rpg accessories.  So my vote would go to REVELATIONS OF THE DARK MOTHER, which I've used as so many things, from in-game material, to player props, and more. While the Book of Nod was a similar tome, too many parts of the Book of Nod felt too strangely modern and comic-like in its rendering.  So revelations really was the one that hit the spot for me.

RPGaDAY 2024 : Day 7 : RPG with GOOD FORM

  

RPGaDAY 2024 : Day 7 : RPG with GOOD FORM

I have no idea what this is meant to mean.  I can think of different interpretations of "good form" but given we only have this as the reference, I guess I'll just have to choose a game which I feel tried to accomplish multiple things and did them well.  King Arthur: Pendragon would get that vote for me.  This game first accomplishes its main objective, that being to allow people to experience the challenges, excitement, and drama of being a knight swayed by their traits and passions.  But then, the game includes knights to allow players to still explore the game even if they wanted something that was more in tune with the times.  The main book (5.2 edition) includes the necessary information for the GM to not just run the game, but also to build each knight's history. Then there's even information on generational stories, on solo adventures, and even seeds for long term plans for romantic knights and the like.  

That, for me, is a RPG that is done with good form.

RPGaDAY 2024: Day 6: RPG with Great Writing

 

RPGaDAY 2024 : Day 6 : RPG that is easy to use

I think I will have to nominate jim pinto's PRAXIS rpg for this category.  It is zero-prep with concepts that only seem strange until you play through your first turn.  Suddenly, the rest of the system snaps into place and you barely focus on it and just enjoy creating your story with your friends.  PRAXIS is an incredible work that more people should play.

RPGaDAY 2024: Day 5: RPG with Great Writing

 

RPGaDAY 2024: Day 5: RPG with Great Writing

For this one, I will have to give my vote to LACUNA: THE CREATION OF MYSTERY AND THE GIRL FROM BLUE CITY.  The book reads like an employee manual.  And yet includes system.  And yet redacts information to throw you into the mystery.  And then gives you enough meta moments in the book itself to make you realize this game is not close to anything typical. 

And that's a great example of  exceptional writing.

RPGaDAY 2024: Day 4: RPG with great art

RPGaDAY 2024: Day 4: RPG with Great Art

Was a huge fan of Planescape when it first came out. That was truly a wonderful book with awesome art.  Then there was A Red and Pleasant Land with its very unpleasant creator , which is such a pity as the book visually was just stunning beyond belief.  I will give my last vote to the classic World of Darkness Vampire books. Timothy Bradstreet created an era of artwork that holds up until now.

RPGaDAY 2024: Day 3: Most Often Played RPG

RPGaDAY 2024: Day 3: Most Often Played RPG

If I were to base this on number of sessions, King Arthur: Pendragon would be the winner given we have been and still are playing this game since 2017. HOWEVER, if I were to base this on separate INDIVIDUAL game sessions, I believe the winner would be LACUNA: The Creation of Mystery and the Girl from Blue City. I fell in love with that game so much that I ran over thirty game sessions with it with a variety of groups, and yet still made sure it was part of one interconnected metaplot. If you have never played that game system, please let me know and I would love to run a session for you.

RPGaDAY2024: Day 2 : Most Recently Played

 

Day 2: Most Recently Played
As of this writing, the most recently played game would be King Arthur: Pendragon.   I haven't been able to get my TAGBites oneshot sessions moving again for quite some time, but I am happy that we were able to get our Pendragon campaign moving again. (We started it way back in 2017).

RPGaDAY2024: Day 1: First RPG bought this year

Day 1: First RPG Bought This Year
I had to go back to my computer and check what did I buy this year.  And as it turns out, it would be John Wick's BANNERS, which is sort of his take on King Arthur Pendragon.   Read through the book and while I do like seeing some familiar elements (Houses of the Blooded, I love you so much), the way the game sort of reaches backwards towards something closer to d20 kinda makes me feel less excited.  

Plus, too many instances of "make it up yourself" which kinda gives less the "shared narrative control" feels and more "do the work for me" feel. I will admit, this was far from what I was hoping to see given the awesomeness of Houses of the Blooded and 7th Sea. 

Anyway, that's the first game I bought this year. 

A Second Moment in print!

 Well, sadly, not yet.  But I received a lovely email one day from Oren who was kind enough to ask permission to make a personal printed copy of my book. Additionally, they had a number of questions about how the game worked and why certain design decisions were done with A Second Moment.

With his permission, I can show the images of the printed personal copy here:

For those who don't know, DriveThruRpg does allow independent publishers to have work in their print on demand options.  However, it does mean needing to have your document laid out to work for print which in itself requires certain considerations.   (If you look at the pic, I messed up in the back cover, not leaving adequate space for the ISBN bar code!) They also allow a test printed copy to be sent to you for checking. 

However, that means spending a larger amount of money for layout which is sadly beyond my grasp.  And given I'm based in the Philippines, this means a much greater cost implication for having the test print shipped to me.  I did have a possible publisher before for this edition, but well, life happened.  And so, I resigned myself to the thought of never seeing this book reach print.

Thank you to Oren and his wife for being kind enough to allow me to see photos of what the book could have looked like!  It truly brightened my day.

A Second Moment is available at DrivethruRpg.
Grab it today if you haven't! 

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!

Salt and Sass Games plays Cat's Dream

Very thankful that this year started with Salt and Sass playing, Cat's Dream.
I loved how they were able to share how to play the game while playing it! And I really enjoyed listening to the unfolding story. 

I also love the fact you don't use the do-over approach! I too love seeing where it goes!

Thank you for creating the video and I hope you enjoyed the game.

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.

A wonderful stream at the end of the year

 To complete my 12 New Games for 2023, I was able to run Host & Hostility, a Call of Cthulhu Regency module for a few friends.

Got to run it for Denmother (http://twitch.tv/denmotherplays), and a number of other friends and boy was it a blast! Not sure how long the game session will be online, but you can click the link and check it out.

But yes, happy to report I was able to maintain my 12 New Games Each Year personal goal.   The list of games for 2023 breaks down to the following:

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

Not a bad exploration of games this year.  And there's still the possibility of one or two more games before the year ends.   So crossing my fingers for that. 

But yes, will be posting my year in review in a few weeks.  So far, it does seem to be ending in a happy note, despite the lower productivity this year.

The Seed: Book one of One World Jungle for Tiny Wastelands

The Wilds were always about survival. In a world where mankind was ended, every animal seeks to survive for the coming day. But not even the animals anticipated that a new predator would emerge in the absence of humanity: the Greed.

The Seed is suitable for three to five Animals. This campaign expects that the Animals are all familiar with each other and have reason to trust one another, despite being of different species. The simplest could be they’ve learned to trust in each other and jointly protect their shared territory. But when some of their Young discover the presence of the Greed, none could have anticipated this was just the beginning of a growing threat whose influence would be felt across generations.

This is a campaign written for Tiny Wastelands: The Wild micro-setting.
This is book one of three.
Created by Tobie Abad

 

Grab it today!

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/462651/The-Seed--One-World-Jungle

One of Us Will Die: In Nomine Filii

A good friend of mine, Titus, has finally taken the plunge and CREATED HIS OWN RPG!!!! The game is called, One of Us Will Die, and you can learn more about it here:
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100092920717281

In brief, the game is designed as a one-shot, zero-prep game with people playing various archetypes.  But in each game, one of the player characters is the Mark, a person who is destined to die in the story. And one of the other characters MIGHT be the Traitor, who hopes to kill the Mark before the story ends.   

The game is an incredible mix of great ideas and draws huge inspiration from games like Praxis and a few other indie games.  I'm just super proud of my friend finally going for this as he has always been one of those friends whom I felt deeply had their own stories and game experiences to share. 

For this game, Titus had asked me to give him the chance to try playing his own game.  It is not an uncommon problem where a game you create is something you only experience as the one running it for others to try.  So this was quite an exciting thing for him too. To better give him the experience, I opted to create a wholly new scenario for him to play in, that way he too didn't know what to expect.  The scenario will never see the light of publication, which is for the best, really. But it explores folk horror set in the Philippines and has a bunch of former schoolmates gathering for a reunion after the loss of a mutual friend.

Tremendously happy to know it was well received. All the players had fun and boy did we make sure to use all the safety tools necessary to ensure we were all in a safe place. But I promise you all, the game is amazing and if you get a chance to back if (once it hits Kickstarter) or try it (when Titus offers more online and face-to-face sessions to try it), do it! 

And yes, this was also a game for my 12 New Games this 2023. And boy was sooooo worth it!

 

The Invisible Sun campaign: A Door Opens

 Been running a mini-campaign of The Invisible Sun for the last few weeks with a few friends.  The campaign is called, A Door Opens.  Drawing inspiration from shows such as The Magicians, Legion, and movies like Mirror Mask and comics such as Enigma, Sandman, and Mind MGMT, the stories revolve around the concept of doors and the possibilities they offer.

We've been recording the audio of each session just so I can review how I am handling things. The game is NOT livestreamed, and really only shared here so people who are interested in my gaming style can see how I navigate through the system. And to be honest, we're still learning. The Session 0 and first game are filled with lots of attempts to grasp the system and get used to it. But that's how best to learn any new game system, in my opinion.

This is also a game I've decided to dive into and try as one of the twelve new games I try to learn each year! And so far the players are having a great time! So I guess, double win!

It goes without saying, the personalities and characters presented in the game are not reflective of the real personalities and morals of the players and the GM.  But I hope you enjoy a glimpse of how our games are going as well.

For those curious about the game system, The Invisible Sun is back! A new release of the game is coming this 2023.  While I don't think I can afford its hefty price tag, I do recommend it is a game system worth exploring (I was able to afford the digital version only).  If you want to check it out, you can check out this link: https://www.montecookgames.com/announcing-invisible-sun-return-of-the-black-cube/

Let's explore the Actuality!

Night's Black Agents: Sus Specks

 

Just finished a year-long mini-campaign of Sus Specks, a mystery romp inspired by the likes of Killing Eve, Utopia, SE7EN, Legion, Mind MGMT, and, yes, Only Murders in the Building.  The game started with two players, Lanz and Vannie, who played intelligence officers who were pulled out of duty for different reasons.  But by the time the campaign ended, a third player, Emman, joined the fun.  

The game had them exploring murders that happened around the vicinity of their condo complex. What started as a strange possible serial killer with inclinations towards using medieval torture devices as murder methods eventually was revealed to have ties to a mission in Afghanistan which all three of them had been part of.  Eventually, the truth was uncovered and the roots of the events were traced back to the escaped captive, Metatron, who was a prisoner of something known as the Monarch Project.  The game ended with a building exploding, a showdown at an emergency room, and a bitter sweet realization that when push comes to shove and human compassion is the only thing that separates us from monsters, we will all remain suspects in our own cruel crimes.

Thank you for playing, Lanz, Vannie, and Emman.
Until the next TAG Bites mini-campaign!