GMing GMless
It was probably the COVID lockdown that gave solo role-playing such a boost. Or maybe that's just when I stumbled upon this facet of the tabletop RPG hobby. In any case, I'm enthralled. (I wish it were an option back in the 80s, when our board game group first stumbled upon Dungeons & Dragons, and one night a week just wasn't enough to meet my need.)

So what is solo r
https://lestersmith.com/2023/09/gming-gmless/
#Announcements #RoleplayingGames #SoloGaming #SoloRolePlay

11 Years and Counting
Kinda hard to believe this was 11 years ago, or in some ways that it was only 11 years ago. It was my first self-published card game, Invasion of the Saucer People. A Kickstarter paid to replace this retro stock art with new illustrations by an old friend and GDW colleague, Bradley K. McDevitt.

In the 11 years since, a lot of very ki
https://lestersmith.com/2023/08/11-years-and-counting/
#Announcements #DiceCardGames #GameDesign #OldGameDesigns #RoleplayingGames

Gizmodo: Encounter Party Is Ready To Take On Television https://gizmodo.com/encounter-party-dnd-adventures-television-interview-1850750006 #entertainmentculture #briandavidjudkins #roleplayinggames #matthewlilliard #dungeonsdragons #criticalrole #nerdculture #neddonovan #actualplay #mikeharacz #donovan #dragon #wizard #hasbro #donvan #grimm

TRPGs: Potholes to Adoption for Powered by the Apocalypse & Forged in the Dark

https://countzeroor.com/2023/08/16/trpgs-potholes-to-adoption-for-powered-by-the-apocalypse-forged-in-the-dark/

#RolePlayingGames #editorial #RPGs #TabletopRPGs
#bot

The “Shove” mechanic in Baldur’s Gate 3 can ruin an encounter, and I love it - Enlarge / This is the place where I discovered my love for the "Shove" ... - https://arstechnica.com/?p=1960409 #dungeonsanddragons #roleplayinggames #larianstudios #baldursgate3 #gaming #rpgs

Sesiones 46 a 53 de la #CajaNegra : https://eldadoinquieto.blogspot.com/2023/08/caja-negra-sesiones-46-53.html

Sessions 46 a 53 de la #CaixaNegra : https://eldadoinquieto.blogspot.com/2023/08/caixa-negra-sessions-46-53.html

Sessions 46 to 53 of the #BlackBox : https://eldadoinquieto.blogspot.com/2023/08/black-box-sessions-46-53.html

#ElDadoInquieto #AELMDE #AventurasEnLaMarcaDelEste #JocsDeRol #JuegosDeRol #TTRPG #RolePlayingGames

#RPGaDAY2023 Day 8: Favorite Character
At last! A fairly easy topic!

Back in the 1980's, when I worked in a factory, had no children, and the future was far distant, I actually had time to paint miniatures for my characters. (I'm not saying they were very good, but at the time they seemed so.)
Raedel Pinehaven
That guy in blue up front i
https://lestersmith.com/2023/08/rpgaday2023-day-8-favorite-character/
#Announcements #BookmarkNoHPRPG #D6xD6RPG #Horror #RoleplayingGames #Writing

#RPGaDAY2023, Day 7: Smartest RPG
#RPGaDAY2023 Day 7: SMARTEST RPG you've played. [I'm a day late, but started drafting this yesterday.]

Again, a very problematic answer.

By way of preface, let me say that I try to judge my own work with the same measuring stick as other people's. There are two voices in my head: One is an excitable little child that belie
https://lestersmith.com/2023/08/rpgaday2023-day-7-smartest-rpg/
#Commentary #FreeGames #GameDesign #RoleplayingGames #Writing

#RPGaDAY2023, Day 6: Favorite game you NEVER get to play 
[I plan to post days 1-5 together here, soon.]

Wow. This is a tough one decision. Ever since I got lured into this hobby in 1979, I've been reading RPGs the way other people read novels. Some I've had the chance to play; mostly I've had to GM; some bring up deep, wistful feeli
https://lestersmith.com/2023/08/rpgaday2023-day-6-favorite-game-you-never-get-to-play/
#Announcements #Commentary #GameDesign #Horror #RoleplayingGames

https://www.tumblr.com/austinramsaygames/724747531109711872/beam-saber-is-on-display-behind-the?source=share
#Mecha #MechaGaming #BeamSaberRPG #RolePlayingGames #TabletopRPGs #TabletopRolePlayingGames

Has anyone used online RPG assistants to run games with remote players?

As I got older and my friends got families and moved away, it's been more difficult to find the time - both to prepare *and* play.

I'm wondering if online tools make it easier to get a sustained, regular campaign running?
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#RPG #RolePlayingGames #GamesWithFriends #TTRPG #Rolemaster #DungeonWorld #DND

#RPGaday2023 day 4:

Most recent game bought: #dialect: A game about language and how it dies.

As an MA in German and English with 4 semesters of linguistics, I just love this game so much.

It follows a tight-nit group you create.
You create a group-dialect, exacting such a tight bond with each other, because you have this secret lingo tied to specific shared memories.

And then the dialect dies. And it hurts.

The game is fantastic. Go check it out.

#rpg #ttrpg #roleplayinggames

My roommate came up with the great idea of using #graphviz to plot out #DandD campaigns an maps. Has anybody played with this? Got cool examples?

#ttrpg #roleplayinggames #rpg

Other #RPGs that have given me a lot of joy this year include Jay Dragon's #wanderhome and #lastyear (available at emmy.itch.io).

Wanderhome is endlessly whimsical and, at the same time, contempletavily sad in interesting ways. Cute animals in a fantasy realm stopping to smell flowers and going on the smallest adventures.

Last Year feels like a strange liminal dream of an art deco hotel where you once stayed, shared with another person.

#dnd #roleplaying #roleplayinggames #tabletop

Well, a fun listen overall, between the group learning the tactical aspects of the game a little better and the new players coming in.

Too bad the system doesn't seem to be working out for them, though (not that I was actually rooting for Lancer, just sorry they invested time in it).
#LancerRPG #Mecha #MechaGaming #RolePlayingGames #TabletopRPGs #TabletopRoleplayingGames
https://actualplay.roleplayingpublicradio.com/2023/07/genre/action/lancer-solstice-rain-part-2/

Funnel Focus
In a previous post, I mentioned trying to shift away from a purely Facebook presence, to concentrate more on this blog/site. For my final pre-retirement employer, one hat I was handed, back when the Web was first launching, was "Internet guy." And what with the company being a business, "Search Engine Optimization" (SEO) became a significant part of that job. How to s
https://lestersmith.com/2023/07/funnel-focus/
#Announcements #Miscellany #RoleplayingGames #Wealth #Writing

Have Assault Scout – will travel! Any of you Star Frontiers alumni out there?
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#starfrontiers #rpg #ttrpg #tabletoprpg #scifi #tsr #tabletopgame #roleplayinggames #retrogame #retrogames https://www.instagram.com/p/Cu4hiGNMlrB/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=mastodon

BNHP Dragon Dice RPG will be at Gen Con
SFR, Inc, publishers of the Dragon Dice battle game (designed by yours truly), today received copies of the Bookmark HP Dragon Dice RPG (also by yours truly) from their printer, in time for Gen Con!

As you can see in the photo, to adapt BNHP rules to the unique dice of the tabletop gam
https://lestersmith.com/2023/07/bnhp-dragon-dice-rpg-will-be-at-gen-con/
#Announcements #BookmarkNoHPRPG #DiceCardGames #DragonDice #GameDesign #RoleplayingGames

If you're into #rpgs, in particular #dnd5e, then I would like to point your attention to this Kickstarter for a campaign sourcebook set in fantastical Renaissance Italy with a dash of heaven and hell. It looks really awesome, and a friend of mine is part of the team behind this project!
#RPG #RolePlayingGames

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/vortex-verlag/the-straight-way-lost-sourcebook-and-adventure-for-5e/description

Yup, our storytelling game is moving right along!! Here’s the Confidant: this guy went PLACES, as you can tell from the video!! #ttrpg #roleplayinggames #rpg #gameart #tarot #oraclecards #oracledeck #gaming #rol #illustration #procreate