DM Tales<p><strong>What Have I Done?</strong></p><p>Random TTRPG Thoughts <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/69/" target="_blank">#69</a></p><p>I have contracted a late season cold, the trees are still trying to kill me, and stress is a constant companion. It’s Holy Week, which is not a great time for someone in my vocation to be under the weather! Thankfully I’ve had coffee, it’s just a cold, it <em>is</em> Holy Week, and my brain is coming awake with sparks of cohesive cognition. These are random TTRPG thoughts.</p><ol><li>Troll Lord Games recently put out an update on <a href="https://myemail.constantcontact.com/TLG-s-NEW-FACTORY---Tariff-News.html?soid=1102998498437&aid=SoztbivdJmA" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">their company and tariffs</a>. They print in the US, and their paper is locally sourced, so tariffs aren’t going to affect them other than increasing their time to print (from 4 to 12 weeks) as more companies move printing to the US. Now I do think increased demand is going to have an impact on their prices, it’s how our economic system is designed, so they might be a tad optimistic about weathering the storm. On the other hand I applaud Troll Lord Games for offering to be a resource to other publishers <em>and</em> building their own factory so they can be part of a solution.</li><li>I <em>need</em> to get back to my <em><a href="https://freeleaguepublishing.com/games/dragonbane/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Dragonbane</a></em> game. Really.</li><li>Last week I ran a one shot <em><a href="https://freeleaguepublishing.com/games/forbidden-lands/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Forbidden Lands</a></em> adventure for my <em>Dragonbane</em> group. Only one character survived because the group went “see thing, hit thing.” That does <em>not</em> work in <em>Forbidden Lands</em>. At all.</li><li>It looks like there will be a <strong>free</strong> “Open Adventure” day at Brewery Thirty-Three in Riverton, NJ. We’ll run 5-8 PM, the adventures will be “First Come, first served,” and the event will be weather dependent since we’ll be playing outside. Keep your ears open.</li><li><em><a href="https://www.exaltedfuneral.com/pages/monty-python-role-playing-game" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Monty Python’s Cocurricular Mediaeval Reenactment Programme</a></em> is nuts and I love it. I ordered the HoLE screen and it’s terrific.</li><li><em><a href="https://lowfantasygaming.com" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Tales of Argosa</a></em> is a game I need to bring to a table soon. The game engine still needs a name.</li><li>I think I’m going to publish my “Vault of Dorenze” adventure for <a href="https://freeleaguepublishing.com/games/into-the-odd/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Into the Odd</em></a>. It’s a good sabbatical goal.</li><li>I hate printing. That’s not a TTRPG thought, I know, but it’s a frustration with which I’m dealing as I type this.</li><li><a href="https://www.gameatcrit.com" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Community-Run Infinite Tabletop</a> is coming! It’s an online convention running June 21-28!</li><li>One of my players sent me a picture of his game collection recently with the caption, “What have you done to me?” That made me happy.</li></ol><p><a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/dming/" target="_blank">#DMing</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/dungeons-dragons/" target="_blank">#DungeonsDragons</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/dungeons-and-dragons/" target="_blank">#dungeonsAndDragons</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/gming/" target="_blank">#GMing</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/role-playing-game/" target="_blank">#RolePlayingGame</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/rpg/" target="_blank">#RPG</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/ttrpg/" target="_blank">#TTRPG</a></p>
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DM Tales<p><strong>Scratching Itches</strong></p><p>It Tuesday, coffee is jolting my nervous system out of standby mode, and the allergy-induced sandpaper in my eyes isn’t as coarse as it has been. These are random TTRPG thoughts.</p><ol><li>This has been a difficult week for TTRPG publishers, who are dealing with the stupidest trade war ever. Books are exempt from most of the stupidity, but extras like GM screens are not. Get ready for price increases even as the economy bleeds value.</li><li>The Super Hero Adventures I’ve written, to this point, have been linear. That makes sense, given that I’m trying to emulate a comic book structure, but now I’m expanding them to offer some branching paths. It’s fun!</li><li>Given what’s been happening to some folks coming <a href="https://downthetubes.net/re-burke-comic-creator-who-was-detained-by-us-immigration-joins-macc-pow-festival-lineup/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">to America to visit</a> or <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/mma-coach-renato-subotic-came-to-us-for-a-seminar-ended-up-in-prison-8107617" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">give seminars</a>, I’m rather frightened for non-US folks who are planning to attend the convention circuit this year.</li><li>Ecclesicon 2026 will take place on <strong>May 1-2</strong>! We dropped the Sunday session, but are expanding Friday to a whole day so there’s actually <em>more</em> time to play!</li><li>I wonder what impact the trade stupidity is going to have on PAX Unplugged. Will the board game presence dry up or do they have their stocks for convention season on hand already?</li><li>I am looking to do some Cypher System live streams on Monte Cook Games’ “The Anywhere Door” in the near future! I’ll make villains, prep my super-hero adventures (I’m not giving my Numenera folks spoilers), and do character conversions to Cypher. It should be fun!</li><li>I’ve got to get through Holy Week, and then I’ll be concentrating on the final prep for my Sabbatical. Why is this here? Because I’m planning to spend most of it on TTRPG-centered ideas!</li><li>I’m itching to set up a TTRPG evening at our local Brewery.</li><li>I <em>really</em> want to roll some dice. Good thing I’ve got two games on Thursday so that itch will be scratched!</li><li>For updates on what’s happening with Ecclesicon, check out our <a href="https://www.ecclesicon.com" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">web-site</a>. And don’t forget to subscribe so you don’t miss anything!</li><li>Bonus thought. I know Ecclesicon is <em>tiny</em>, but I’m amazed how it’s also a “real” convention that folks want to attend. I hope we can continue making it a fun event!</li></ol><p><a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/dming/" target="_blank">#DMing</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/dungeons-dragons/" target="_blank">#DungeonsDragons</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/dungeons-and-dragons/" target="_blank">#dungeonsAndDragons</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/gming/" target="_blank">#GMing</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/role-playing-game/" target="_blank">#RolePlayingGame</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/rpg/" target="_blank">#RPG</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/ttrpg/" target="_blank">#TTRPG</a></p>
DM Tales<p><strong>Goodbye Independents</strong></p><p>It’s Tuesday. Allergies are less severe than they have been over the last couple of weeks and I am caffeinated. Though I am exhausted after Ecclesicon and that’s brought about a complete change in my perspective. These are Random TTRPG thoughts on why, under no circumstances, should you play independent and lesser-known tabletop role-playing games.</p><ol><li><em>Independent and Lesser-known games are too fast</em>. How does <a href="https://www.ezd6.com/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">EZD6</a> get off being so easy to run compared to the big games? Who does Kelsey Dionne think she is distilling down 5th Edition and combining it with old school design that makes sessions flow for <em><a href="https://www.thearcanelibrary.com/pages/shadowdark" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Shadowdark</a></em>? And don’t even get me started on roll-under games like <a href="https://freeleaguepublishing.com/games/dragonbane/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Dragonbane</em></a> and <em><a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/479871/tales-of-argosa" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Tales of Argosa</a></em>. How can we know a game is good if it moves so fast it gets out of the way?</li><li><em>Independent and Lesser-Known games are too creative</em>. I’ll give you just one example, <em>Plaguebound</em>. This game <em>doesn’t use a d20</em> <em>for its resolution mechanic</em>. But that’s not all, Plaguebound is a dark fantasy rpg which <em>doesn’t event have elves</em>. Is Dave Ward of Grimwood Games kidding me? You can’t play an elf, but you can play a giant anthropomorphic bear with antlers? Really? That’s nonsense! Under no circumstances should you go and back <a href="https://www.backerkit.com/c/projects/grimwood-games/plaguebound-a-dark-fantasy-ttrpg" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Plaguebound on backerkit</a> before the funding campaign ends on April 2. You’ll only encourage Dave to make <em>more games</em>, and I can’t take any more creative endeavors that don’t use my existing assumptions.</li><li><em>Independent and lesser-known games aren’t beholden to shareholders</em>. It’s hard to believe, but it’s true! These games aren’t accountable to a faceless group of people demanding they squeeze every last drop of profit out of a product until there is nothing left but a desiccated corpse. Who is holding these creators accountable? And the <em>worst</em> of this lot is <a href="https://www.basicfantasy.org" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Basic Fantasy RPG</em></a>, which defies the offerings Mammon demands and gives their PDFs away for free and their books <em>at cost</em>. How dare they defy Mammon like that. Do not, under any circumstances, go to <a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/479871/tales-of-argosa" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">basicfantasy.org</a> and check it out. You’ll be infected with a disease known as “open source” and may even want to contribute to a community project. It’s disgusting!</li><li><em>Independent and lesser known games</em> give <em>too many people opportunities they haven’t earned</em> <em>through needless suffering and rejection</em>. These smaller publishers give work to writers, artists, and game designers and let the world see what they can do. Why should I want that? Then I may check to see who they are and see what <em>other</em> products their art in is and maybe even buy those, too. There should only be a set limit of people who are allowed to be involved in the tabletop role-playing industry, and the most qualified folks to do that are the big corporations. They’re the most successful, so they are <em>obviously </em>the best group to oversee this.</li><li><em>Independent and lesser-known games make me think</em>. I don’t want to think. I want to sit down at a table and forget about <em>everything</em> in reality, unless it’s something I don’t find objectionable. But, <em>no</em>, that’s not good enough for games like <a href="https://freeleaguepublishing.com/games/ny-electric-state-rpg/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>The Electric State</em></a>, which confronts some societal-level questions in compelling ways. Keep your deep questions to yourselves, <em>Free League</em>, and just let me shoot something! Stop being so elitist and thinking that folks have the capacity to deal with deep concepts! It’s annoying.</li><li><em>Independent and lesser-known game creators are too accessible</em>. We shouldn’t be able to <em>know</em> the folks who make our hobby go. Those folks should be distant from the hoi polloi, separated from the rest of us like the mundane people we are. But do the creators of these games respect their status as tabletop role-playing game royalty? Not at all! Instead they chat with people at conventions, come on podunk youtube channels to talk about their games, respond to requests for help with kindness, and seem genuinely glad to see people. It’s just so wrong that people like Kelsey Dionne, Matt Finch, DM Scotty, Chris Gonnerman, Heather Ashcroft, Bob Worldbuilder, and Stephen Chenault aren’t standoffish and aloof. There are <em>rules</em>, people. But my biggest bone to pick is with Kelsey Dionne. Kelsey, you’re a <em>celebrity,</em> squash us like the bugs we are! Why on <em>earth</em> would I want to back a kickstarter campaign from someone who has encouraged me, is a great interview guest, and donated a signed book for a charity action being run at a tiny convention? I don’t even know how I can respect you! Really, no one should go to your <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/shadowdarkrpg/western-reaches?ref=22atax" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Western Reaches</em> campaign page</a> and back your work. You’re just too kind to deserve that sort of support!</li><li><em>Independent and lesser-known games give me too many opportunities to make friends.</em> I’m an introvert, and I have all the friends I need, thank you very much. And I should just stick with the big corporate games because then I’ll get bored with them if I try to play too many sessions. This will, in turn, reduce the number of people I have the potential to befriend. But these other games—with their different kinds of game play, wild settings, and enjoyable classes—make me want to play even <em>more</em>. This, in turn, leads me to meet <em>more</em> people. I will never forgive these games for expanding my friendship circles!</li><li><em>Independent and lesser-known are too pretty</em>. These games tend to have cool art, compelling lore, a fun layout choices. They are also, sometimes, printed on non-glossy paper. Even more of them have book ribbons! How <em>dare</em> these creators offer me things I <em>like</em>. It takes away my ability to despise their products, and I may never forgive them.</li><li><em>Independent and lesser-known games expand the hobby</em>. Why on <em>earth</em> would I want anything to do with a game that’s targeted to an audience of which I’m not part? This is <em>my</em> hobby, and everyone in it should cater to <em>me</em>—my faith, my cultural background, my race, my desires, my gender, my sexual-orientation, and my expectations. Yes, no one can make me buy anything in which I’m not interested, but I cannot stand that these games make people who aren’t like me think they have a place in the community. Enough already!</li><li><em>Independent and lesser-known games are amazing and please me</em>. Look, great, these games give me much joy and hours of fun. But did any of these creators think I just wanted to be miserable all the time? Who do they think they are making my life a bit more lovely through their creativity!</li></ol><p><a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/dming/" target="_blank">#DMing</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/dnd/" target="_blank">#DnD</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/dungeons-and-dragons/" target="_blank">#dungeonsAndDragons</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/fantasy/" target="_blank">#fantasy</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/gaming/" target="_blank">#gaming</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/gming/" target="_blank">#GMing</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/role-playing-game/" target="_blank">#RolePlayingGame</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/rpg/" target="_blank">#RPG</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/ttrpg/" target="_blank">#TTRPG</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/video-games/" target="_blank">#videoGames</a></p>
DM Tales<p><strong>Lost In a Good Book</strong></p><p><strong>Random TTRPG Thoughts <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/66/" target="_blank">#66</a></strong></p><p>Temperatures have been pleasant, the sun has been out, and the trees continue their nefarious campaign to cause as much misery in my body as possible. And yet I have coffee, so the allergy-induced brain fog is not absolute. As my brain continues to make saving throws with loaded dice I get sparks of normal neural activity. These become random TTRPG thoughts.</p><ol><li>It’s <em>one week</em> until Ecclesicon! We’ve got games, a charity auction with some really cool stuff, a paint and take mini station, snacks, and a pizza dinner sponsored by the Philadelphia Area Gaming Expo! If you’re near Philly and/or South Jersey, why not <a href="https://tabletop.events/conventions/ecclesicon-2025" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">get a badge</a> and come play with us?</li><li>Ecclesicon’s mascot, Steve the Dragon, is the only piece of art I’ve ever commissioned. <a href="https://www.instagram.com/gabefuadraws/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Gabe Fua</a> did an amazing job!</li><li>I ran my final Sentinel Comics RPG play test this past Wednesday at <a href="https://www.brokengoblet.com" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Broken Goblet Brewery</a> in Bensalem, PA. I had three players, one who’d never before rolled funny polyhedrals, and folks had fun. I’m ready for Ecclesicon!</li><li>I often wonder why it’s so easy to get people sucked up into autocracy. But then I’ll watch people play a TTRPG and see how terrified a lot of players are to embrace the freedom behind, “Don’t look at your sheet, tell me <em>what you want to do</em>.” In some ways life is easier when someone else tells us <em>exactly</em> what we’re allowed to do.</li><li>I want to get back to my <a href="https://freeleaguepublishing.com/games/dragonbane/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Dragonbane</em></a> Campaign, dang it.</li><li>Next Monday I’m going to play in a session of <a href="https://blackfiskpublishing.com/products/heroes-of-cerulea/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Heroes of Cerulea</em></a> as the GM gets ready for Ecclesicon. I’m excited!</li><li>Here’s two great TTRPG projects to back from smaller creators. The first is <a href="https://www.backerkit.com/c/projects/grimwood-games/plaguebound-a-dark-fantasy-ttrpg" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Plaguebound</em></a> by Grimwood Games. The second is <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/musicalroguemaps/color-your-campaign-a-world-map-coloring-book?ref=user_menu" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Color Your Campaign</em></a><em> </em>by the Musical Rogue. Back them if you’re able!</li><li>I’m excited to run <a href="https://tabletop.events/conventions/ecclesicon-2025/schedule/8" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Into the Odd</em></a> at Ecclesicon!</li><li>An interesting aspect I’ve seen in my Super Hero sessions, in both the systems I run them in, is how folks are locked into a “clear the room” mentality. Comic Books aren’t about taking down every villain or minion you encounter, they’re about achieving the goal that prevents the villain’s plot from succeeding and protecting any bystanders who are imperiled. Yet, it takes players a while to recognize that wasting time punching things is counter-productive. I’m guessing this is a video game play style leaking into the table.</li><li>My review reading has been slowed because I made a decision to dive into <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/wind-and-truth-brandon-sanderson/1144505726?ean=9781250319180" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Wind and Truth</em></a>. I kinda needed a novel in which I could get lost.</li></ol><p><a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/66/" target="_blank">#66</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/dming/" target="_blank">#DMing</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/gming/" target="_blank">#GMing</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/role-playing-game/" target="_blank">#RolePlayingGame</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/rpg/" target="_blank">#RPG</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/ttrpg/" target="_blank">#TTRPG</a></p>
DM Tales<p><strong>Dragonbane: Path of Glory</strong></p><p>Three quick points before I begin.</p><p>First, I received a review copy from Free League for this review. I have not, however, been given any sort of payment beyond the copy of the material. While I am grateful for the review copy, these are my free and fair thoughts.</p><p>Second, thank you so much to everyone who watches, likes, comments and subscribes. You all help make DM Tales <em>go</em>! If you like what you see, please subscribe to the channel and leave a comment. It helps DM Tales get seen by the almighty algorithm. And if you’d like to give DM Tales some direct support, would you consider becoming a coffee contributor? Channel Members help me continue making fun content for this channel!</p><p>Third, I’m not going to be going into huge plot points in this review. Why is that? Because I <em>will</em> be running this adventure path for my <a href="https://freeleaguepublishing.com/shop/dragonbane/dragonbane-core-set/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Dragonbane</em></a> group at some point in the future. I don’t want to tempt them to discover spoilers I post!</p><p><strong><strong>A Bit of History</strong></strong></p><p>The Path of Glory is an updated set of adventures dating back to the original version of <em>Dragonbane</em>, <em>Dragons & Demons</em>, back in 1985. There is a short foreword in the book written by the author of those original adventures, Roger Undhagen, at the beginning of the book in which he expresses his gratitude for bringing their adventures to their “final form.” His comments highlight that this book is more than a port of old adventures to the present system, as there have been additions made. <em>Dragonbane</em> feels so fresh and fun that it’s easy to forget that the game itself is over <em>forty </em>years old!</p><p><strong><strong>The Set Up</strong></strong></p><p>This adventure path is <em>not</em> designed for brand new adventurers. If you roll up a character and toss them in without any upgrades, they’re going to die. <em>Fast</em>. Free League recommends characters have been played between 10-15 sessions, have a minimum of 16 in some core skills, and have at least three heroic abilities before tackling <em>Path of Glory</em>. The party should also have a couple of magic weapons, which will make their lives easier. If the group has gone through the Misty Vale campaign they should be equipped enough to tackle these adventures. If this is not the case the GM can run some sessions as the characters journey toward<em> Path of Glory</em>’s starting point, or give the players extra advancement rolls to bring them up to snuff.</p><p>This adventure path is set a good distance North of <em>The Misty Vale</em>—in a region split East/West by the impassable Heaven’s Rim Mountains. To the west of this range is the Dead Forest, where the story begins. To the east of the Mountains is The Eastern Lands.</p><p><strong><strong>The Adventure Background</strong></strong></p><p>Long ago there was a great war between the Dragon Emperor, allied with the four firstborn peoples (Elves, Dwarves, Orcs, and Halflings), and the Demon Sathmog. The Demon had established a demonic realm, and empowered his human servants to advance their technology and expand their territory—but the Dragon Emperor Eledain and his allies drove the demon back and defeated him. Not, however, before Sathmog was able to cast a curse on the forest in which he was defeated. This forest became corrupt and lifeless, and the blight began expanding. Many believe, unless stopped, this blight will expand to consume the whole world.</p><p>When the war ended the four firstborn peoples went their separate ways, not knowing that an ancient evil artifact had been saved by a demonic agent. 800 years after the war three mages became fascinated with the stories of this ancient artifact and began to search for it together. As is typical with quests for power, however, their friendship transformed into bitter rivalry. Eventually, with their friendship shattered, the three mages forgot all about the lure of the ancient artifact. Until just before the characters join the story, that is.</p><p>The adventure begins as the party arrives at The Dead Forest in search of treasure. In so doing, they get swept up in the current of history itself.</p><p><strong><strong>The Adventure Structure (Obfuscated)</strong></strong></p><p><em>Path of Glory</em> is a single story in three parts. As such, there are certain elements of the adventures which <em>can</em> feel a bit like a rail road. To label <em>Path of Glory</em> a railroad would be, however, a misrepresentation. Each of the three adventures has an open-ended structure—players may explore the locations as they will and draw whatever conclusions they wish. There is no guarantee they will succeed, and their path through each adventure will impact what happens in the next. So, rather than label <em>Path of Glory</em> a railroad I refer to it as a progressive campaign. The path <em>is</em> sequential, but how the party moves through each step in the sequence is up to them. Also, as mentioned, there is no expectation that the party will succeed at reaching all their goals—which will create ongoing consequences moving forward.</p><p>The first adventure in the path, <em>The Dead Forest</em>, takes place in the eponymous location. The forest’s name is, however only partly true. The <em>center</em> of the forest is, indeed, dead but its outer ring is ripe with life. The characters arrive at an inn called <em>The Hungry</em> <em>Hobgoblin</em> as they arrive on scene. This inn serves as a base of operations while the party explores the forest. They may both rest and recover, as well as purchase equipment and provisions.</p><p>The forest itself is inhabited with a number of named NPCs the party may encounter throughout their explorations. Some are friendly, others hostile, and still more are indifferent to the party’s presence. Many of these NPCs can be encountered through a random encounter roll (which should happen once per shift) or in certain locations. As the party travels throughout the forest and explores different sites, they should begin to get woven into the web of relationships which has been spun throughout the area.</p><p>The ultimate draw which brought the party to the forest is the story of the curse in the center of the woods which threatens to cover the world, and the hint that there is an artifact under the mountain which can lift the curse. To acquire the artifact, however, they need to find out the location of the doors which open the path under the mountain. They also need to learn how to open them.</p><p>The first adventure in the path is a typical sandbox setup. The party has a goal and to fulfill that goal they need to explore the area and interact with its denizens. The second part of the adventure takes place under the mountains, and alters the game play more toward exploration and stealth. Part three moves into a brand new area, which I will not describe here so as to avoid spoilers. I will say the final act in the story will challenge the party in whole new ways.</p><p>Looming over each of the path adventures are the different factions, including the aforementioned mages, which are connected to the artifact for which the party is searching. A group’s chances at success will depend on how they interact with these factions. While players who crave combat will not be disappointed, role-play is every bit as important on this path.</p><p><strong><strong>Physical Product</strong></strong></p><p><em>Path of Glory’</em>s physical build matches the other products in this line. It is a “full-sized” book 8 ½ x 11 inches, weighing in at 158 pages. It is printed on <em>glorious</em> non-glossy paper, and is stitch bound so it opens <em>well</em>. My only knock on the physical build is one that’s carried across the line, there is no book ribbon.</p><p>The cover is wrapped with some glorious <em>Dragonbane</em> artwork by Johan Egerkrans, who also did the cover art for the <em>Dragonbane Bestiary</em>. The two minotaurs, as with all <em>Dragonbane</em> artwork, is a perfect fit for the line. There are folks for whom <em>Dragonbane</em>’s art style is too cartoony and I cannot say they are wrong because personal aesthetic isn’t objective, we like what we like. I will say, for <em>me</em>, the artwork in the <em>Dragonbane</em> line is one of its biggest draws. I appreciate the exaggerated menace. A nice design touch is the blurb on the rear cover, which describes how the creatures depicted on the front cover may be encountered.</p><p>The interior cover pages depict two of the adventure path’s maps. The front cover displays the Dead Forest, while the rear cover is a map of the final adventure’s region. Included with the book is a two-side map which presents both the aforementioned maps in a larger format. This is a quality product.</p><p><strong><strong>Layout and Design</strong></strong></p><p><em>Path of Glory</em> utilizes the design language common to the entire <em>Dragonbane </em>line. The body font is a pleasant-looking serif, while the Heading font is a decorative serif font with sharp edges and angles. The book also shares <em>Dragonbane</em>’s hand drawn decorative elements for call-out titles, labels, title pages, drop caps, table decorations,and footers. These common elements help draw the entire line together and make the book feel inviting.</p><p>The Header decorations, while still in the <em>Dragonbane</em> style, change for each adventure. Included in the center is a decoration which corresponds to current step on the path. These blend in well and they are a wonderful visual cue which identifies each of the book’s sections.</p><p>The location maps are also cut from the same <em>Dragonbane</em> cloth as the other books in the line. They are attractive, easy to navigate, and with enough detail to be interesting without being overwhelming. It’s an excellent design.</p><p>Interior artwork, again, fits in with the rest of the line. Each portrait and scene depiction feels like a watercolor image, but with stronger reds and greens instead of pastels. The different pieces each have distresses edges, which blends them into the background texture which adorns the pages.</p><p>This book is <em>stunning</em>, and I am glad to have it on my shelf. </p><p><strong><strong>Conclusion</strong></strong></p><p>I <em>love</em> this book, and the way the adventure path is designed. In fact, as I said, when my current <em>Dragonbane</em> table is finished with their adventures in the Misty Vale, we <strong>will</strong> be tackling <em>Path of Glory</em>. It’s going to be fun to see how they well they do!</p><p>If you want to give your players a challenging adventure path, which requires those at the table to interact with the world around their characters with both depth and wisdom, <em>Path of Glory</em> is a <em>terrific</em> pick up.</p><p>You can purchase <em>Path of Glory</em> from <a href="https://freeleaguepublishing.com/shop/dragonbane/path-of-glory/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Free League’s website </a>for about $44. As with other Free League products, purchasing the book also grants you access to the PDF. The PDF alone can be purchased through <a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/479507/dragonbane-path-of-glory?affiliate_id=3013717" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">DriveThruRPG</a> (affiliate link) for $15.99. If you run <em>Dragonbane</em>, this is worth a serious look.</p><p><a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/dming/" target="_blank">#DMing</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/dnd/" target="_blank">#DnD</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/dragonbane/" target="_blank">#Dragonbane</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/dungeons-dragons/" target="_blank">#DungeonsDragons</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/dungeons-and-dragons/" target="_blank">#dungeonsAndDragons</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/free-league/" target="_blank">#FreeLeague</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/gming/" target="_blank">#GMing</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/role-playing-game/" target="_blank">#RolePlayingGame</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/rpg/" target="_blank">#RPG</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/ttrpg/" target="_blank">#TTRPG</a></p>
Emil Fischer 🏳️🌈<p>My bunny, marshmallow needed surgery and I'm selling professional <a href="https://mstdn.games/tags/ttrpg" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>ttrpg</span></a> <a href="https://mstdn.games/tags/DMing" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>DMing</span></a> to pay for it. </p><p>Seriously, I'll run basically any rules set or module you can think of. <a href="https://mstdn.games/tags/EATTHEREICH" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>EATTHEREICH</span></a>-- a game about being a vampire and killing Nazis and THE BOUGHS OF ETERNITY--A lvl 20 dnd2014 dungeon crawl both seem to be popular choices right now. </p><p>Here's my page on Start Playing <br><a href="https://startplaying.games/gm/emilsgameroom" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">startplaying.games/gm/emilsgam</span><span class="invisible">eroom</span></a></p><p>And my Ko-Fi, which I just started today<br><a href="https://ko-fi.com/emilfischer" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="">ko-fi.com/emilfischer</span><span class="invisible"></span></a></p>
DM Tales<p><strong>Anger Issues, and Other Randomness</strong></p><p><strong>Random TTRPG Thoughts 65</strong></p><p>The trees are continuing their conspiracy to kill me, and have recruited Daylight Savings Time to help. But coffee has been brewed, causing my brain to spark random bits of lucidity in the midst of allergy season haze. These are random TTRPG thoughts.</p><ol><li>I wrote, recorded, and <a href="https://youtu.be/MfFJij-myTM" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">published</a> my <a href="https://munchkin.game/products/games/munchkin-shadowrun/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Munchkin Shadowrun</em></a> review! That had been hanging over me so it’s good to get it done.</li><li>I won’t get to play <a href="https://freeleaguepublishing.com/games/dragonbane/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Dragonbane</em></a> much this month. In March my player’s schedules get a bit wonky and I’ve got a bunch of stuff to do for <a href="https://tabletop.events/conventions/ecclesicon-2025" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ecclesicon</a>. March 28-30 in Palmyra, NJ! Why not come and check it out?</li><li>I got to run my first in person play test of <a href="https://www.greaterthangames.com/products/sentinel-comics-the-roleplaying-game-core-rulebook" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Sentinel Comics RPG</a>. I learned a lot and continue to tweak the adventure!</li><li>This Thursday I’m not running my <em>Dragonbane</em> adventure because I’m participating in an actual play to celebrate Grimwood Games’ new crowdfunding campaign for <a href="https://www.backerkit.com/call_to_action/4770ca96-655c-4d15-83a4-23756e94c1c9/landing" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Plaguebound</em></a>. This is a <strong>cool</strong> grim fantasy with great mechanics and awesome character types. Check it out, and back it this Thursday!</li><li>Since most of my <em>Dragonbane</em> players will be occupied this month, what simple game can I run for the few folks who might be able to play?</li><li>I would really like to go to <a href="https://www.gameholecon.com" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">GameholeCon</a>. Really.</li><li>I’m seriously considering trying to hit <a href="https://www.gencon.com" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">GenCon</a>.</li><li>On the Babylon 5 timeline we are at the point where the Ministry of Peace is getting formed and the Nightwatch is beginning to emerge.</li><li>I’m going to do one more play test of my <em>Sentinel Comics RPG </em>adventure on March 19 at <a href="https://www.brokengoblet.com" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Broken Goblet Brewery</a>! The fun starts at 6 and is <strong>free</strong>!</li><li>For the <em>Plaguebound</em> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/live/RlaPiTzfALM?si=ibm1o3pAL8d1lGAb" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">launch stream</a> I’m playing an imp-like character with <em>serious</em> anger issues. I can’t imagine any real-world happenings that make that type of character appealing. At all. Really.</li></ol><p><a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/dming/" target="_blank">#DMing</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/dungeons-dragons/" target="_blank">#DungeonsDragons</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/gming/" target="_blank">#GMing</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/role-playing-game/" target="_blank">#RolePlayingGame</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/rpg/" target="_blank">#RPG</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/ttrpg/" target="_blank">#TTRPG</a></p>
DM Tales<p><strong>Back-stabby Fun</strong></p><p>Munchkin Shadowrun is a fun blend of whimsey and backstabbing.</p><p><a href="https://youtu.be/MfFJij-myTM" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/MfFJij-myTM</a></p><p><a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/dming/" target="_blank">#DMing</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/gming/" target="_blank">#GMing</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/role-playing-game/" target="_blank">#RolePlayingGame</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/rpg/" target="_blank">#RPG</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/ttrpg/" target="_blank">#TTRPG</a></p>
Ruminations of a Canadian Geek<p><strong>Having to delay playtesting on my game</strong></p>
In frustrating news, I just don't have the mental energy these days to run my weekly game, and then incorporate the feedback into the rules for the following week. I've gotten a lot of good feedback, but with moving my fiance to Canada and the general state of the world, other things need that effort each week.
In response I'm moving the game over to Pathfinder 1e. Why that game? It is close enough to 3.5e (Much closer then 5e from what I can tell!) that I can DM it without nearly as much […]
<p><a href="https://canageek.wordpress.com/2025/02/19/having-to-delay-playtesting-on-my-game/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">canageek.wordpress.com/2025/02</span><span class="invisible">/19/having-to-delay-playtesting-on-my-game/</span></a></p>
DM Tales<p><strong>GO BIRDS, and other assorted randomness.</strong></p><p><a href="https://youtu.be/2oguCHdi9VM" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/2oguCHdi9VM</a></p><p><a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/dming/" target="_blank">#DMing</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/dnd/" target="_blank">#DnD</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/dungeons-dragons/" target="_blank">#DungeonsDragons</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/dungeons-and-dragons/" target="_blank">#dungeonsAndDragons</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/gming/" target="_blank">#GMing</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/role-playing-game/" target="_blank">#RolePlayingGame</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/rpg/" target="_blank">#RPG</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/ttrpg/" target="_blank">#TTRPG</a></p>
DM Tales<p><strong>The Super Hero Feel</strong></p><p>In October 2024 I ran “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPMBR_wsCi0&list=PLS9b216eSlWYDTrxkZW1_FcDVyQqIkVnF" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Supervember</a>” on my channel. I reviewed four super hero RPG products—Cypher System’s <a href="https://www.montecookgames.com/store/product/claim-the-sky/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Claim the Sky</em></a>, SWADE’s <a href="https://peginc.com/campaign/spc_swade/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Super Powers Companion</em></a>, <a href="https://www.greaterthangames.com/pages/sentinel-comics" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Sentinel Comics RPG</em></a>, and <a href="https://www.marvel.com/rpg" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Marvel Multiverse RPG</em></a>.</p><p>It was an amazing month, but something struck me as I pondered two of the products—they felt too constrained. Comic book action is <em>huge</em>. Buildings get smashed, on-lookers need to be rescued, telephone poles get swung like baseball bats, manhole covers go flying, and <a href="https://kirbymuseum.org/blogs/simonandkirby/archives/3997" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Kirby dots</a> are <em>everywhere</em>. The more tactical games, which counted squares and had formulas for how <em>many</em> walls through which a hero gets punched, didn’t feel like they gave enough space for the game to get as gonzo as a comic book does. It doesn’t mean they’re bad products, just that they felt a tad “off” for the genre. The other two products, on the other hand, felt like they could be wielded well to create a comic book feel.</p><p>I have now been able to run the two games for which I felt the most affinity, <em>Cypher System</em> for Super Heroes and <em>Sentinel Comics RPG.</em> I like them both, but which one captures that comic book feel a bit <em>better</em>?</p><p><strong><strong>Powers</strong></strong></p><p>In <em>Sentinel Comics RPG</em> powers are abstracted. Each is described with a few lines of text, but there’s no mechanical write up for what that power does in game. When a character is using a “Basic Action” they chose a power, an aspect (a learned skill or inclination), and their current status. The dice assigned to each are rolled and the results are interpreted. How that power functions when it’s activated is up to the player and the GM working together to create the fiction.</p><p><em>Cypher System</em> leans a <em>bit</em> more on to the mechanical aspects of abilities, which emerge from a hero’s <em>type</em> and <em>focus</em>. Many of these abilities have a point cost to activate, making them a limited resource which are locked to specific values on the sheet.</p><p>On the other hand, when the super hero genre is being used <em>Cypher System</em> also introduces <strong>power shifts</strong>. These are automatic modifiers which are applied to specific tasks or enable certain abilities A power shift in flight gives a character that ability, for example, while strength can help with lifting heavy objects or inflicting a heavy blow. These power shifts are what make heroes “super,” as they cause a dramatic reduction in a task’s target number. At the same time, what these shifts <em>look</em> like is up to a player’s narration.</p><p>As a GM, I appreciate the way these games do their best to offer both freeform expression and mechanical guidance for a character’s super powers. I think I’d give the edge to <em>Sentinel Comics RPG</em> at the moment, because the way <em>Cypher System </em>links activating abilities to a mechanical cost makes them feel a tad more limited, but it’s <em>close</em>.</p><p><strong><strong>Obstacles</strong></strong></p><p><em>Sentinel Comics RPG</em> abstracts the obstacles heroes will encounter through the “overcome” action. <em>Anything</em> that prevents a hero from accomplishing their goal requires an overcome action. Powering down a forcefield requires an overcome action. Breaking down a titanium-reinforced door requires an overcome action. Non-combatants caught in hazardous situation require an over come action to rescue. Dancing through the fire trap without getting singed requires an overcome action. If a task is difficult, it may take <em>several</em> overcome actions to get through an obstacle. I am in love with the overcome mechanic because it frees a GM to toss just about <em>any</em> obstacle in the hero’s way without needing to worry about balancing things out. I can describe a roadblock as anything I want, and I don’t have to care about setting up a way to defeat it. I can just rely on the players to come up with a solution and, when they do I can say, “OK, that’s an overcome action, let’s see what happens.” It is fantastic.</p><p><em>Cypher System</em>, on the other hand, ties obstacles to its unified mechanic. Everything in the game, including objects, is ranked level 0-10. To get the target number a GM takes the level and multiplies by three. An obstacle’s level, however, can be <em>modified</em>. A player can assist someone trying to deal with a barrier and lower the level by one. A character can be trained in a relevant skill, which reduces the level by one or two. A character can be constrained, which <em>raises </em>the level. Or a character’s power shifts can come into play, lowering the target by one for each relevant shift. After all modifications are taken into account the final number is multiplied by three, yielding the target number. In <em>Cypher System</em> objects have a “damage track,” instead of health. This four step track describes the weakening status of an object before it breaks.</p><p>I’ve heard folks remark that Cypher’s level system sounds like a chore, but I’ve found it to be both fast and fun at the table. On the other hand, transforming obstacles into complete abstractions which are resolved with single mechanic is faster yet. As with powers, picking between these games is difficult, but I have to give a <em>slight</em> Edge to <em>Sentinel Comics RPG</em>. Were this a sprint, the difference would have been maybe a hundredth of a second.</p><p><strong><strong>Chaos</strong></strong></p><p>Comic book battles are <em>chaotic</em>. As the Kirby dots fly complications arise and situations go sideways <em>fast</em>. To get the comic book feel right a super hero RPG needs to have a way to bring this chaos into a scene. This is a where both <em>Sentinel Comics RPG </em>and <em>Cypher System</em> excel.</p><p>SCRPG uses the Overcome action to inject comic book chaos into a scene. When a hero attempts to deal with an obstacle using an that action the results die is compared to a table. Anything above an 8 succeeds (and anything above a 12 is an awesome success), but a result between 1 and 7 is a failure <em>unless</em> the player accepts a major (1-3) or minor (4-7) <strong>twist</strong>.</p><p>Major twists will put the hero at a significant disadvantage—blocking a power for the scene, doing significant damage to the hero, giving a player a persistent hindrance to a roll, or injecting weighty adversary into a scene. Minor twists are setbacks—blocking a power for a turn or two, adding some more minions to the fight, doing a small bit of damage, or hindering the player’s next roll. Twists can also advance SCRPG’s scene tracker, escalating the stakes because every conflict scene is on a timer.</p><p>In SCRPG the environment may also have twists set up for it. If a player rolls low on an overcome action where the environment is a factor twists can be triggered which affect every participant. This makes the situation feel more desperate, such as the building catching fire or a bridge beginning to collapse.</p><p>Twists from overcome actions are cool, easy to adjudicate, and the player and GM work together to make them fit the story. Twist also never negate a success, so players still feel like their characters are moving forward. It’s well done.</p><p><em>Cypher System</em> uses <strong>intrusions</strong> for similar ends. They can inflict damage, put a character at a disadvantage, or add in new elements which alter the very nature of the scene.</p><p>Intrusions are triggered whenever a player rolls a natural 1. When this happens, whatever the character was attempting to do fails and something extra is imposed on them. If they were trying to avoid damage the character may have dodged into the blow, instead. If they were attacking a weapon might break. If they were trying to bluff their way into party perhaps the bouncers become hostile. When the chaos gets unleashed, the characters need to deal with the new obstacles.</p><p>Intrusions may <em>also</em> be triggered by a GM who wants to mix things up a bit. If a battle goes too fast, a new adversary needs to appear, or the players aren’t paying attention to the environment a GM can trigger an intrusion which makes a situation more complex. When they do so the GM awards an experience point to the player who is being affected by the intrusion, <em>and</em> gives a second experience point for that player to gift to someone else at the table. Even more wild, if a player doesn’t feel they want to deal with the chaos the GM is adding to the scene they can <em>refuse</em> the intrusion by spending an experience point.</p><p>Even more fun, players can spend their experience points to trigger their <em>own</em> intrusions. In this way, and with the GM’s agreement, a player can add an element which grants them an advantage—maybe they remember a weakness in the lock they’re trying to bypass, a car’s leaking oil makes some adversaries slip on the ground, or an open window pops into existence which grants the characters access somewhere without triggering a dust-up. Intrusions are a lot of fun for the table, and their chaotic nature is perfect for a comic-book style experience.</p><p>I love <em>both</em> these mechanics, and they are a perfect fit for the genre. I give a <em>slight</em> edge to <em>Cypher System</em>, however, because the combination of both narrative and mechanical triggers is a winner for me. But, as with the previous sections in this post, the edge is <em>slight</em>.</p><p><strong><strong>Adversaries</strong></strong></p><p>In <em>Cypher System</em>, at least rules as written, adversaries have a health stat and attacks do a static amount of damage. Because of this putting adversaries out of the fight means overwhelming them with enough hits to knock them out. <em>Cypher System</em> also allows adversaries to be grouped together with three or four of the same type which gives them a higher level. These buffed adversaries have more health, are harder to affect, and do more damage. The game’s ability to group adversaries into single entities helps make confrontations feel <em>massive</em> while keeping mechanics simple and fast. I love it.</p><p>On the other hand, the way adversaries are designed <em>can</em> make them feel like they’re sticking around too long while their health gets whittled away. Sometimes a few bad rolls can make combat feel longer than it should be. Also, if a GM is adding low-level minions to weaken the heroes it can be disappointing to watch the players dodge attack after attack after attack with easy rolls (in <em>Cypher System</em> the GM doesn’t roll dice). It doesn’t <em>always</em> happen, and if players are spending their attribute points to assist their attack and defense rolls minions still have a weakening effect, but it’s nice to hit every now and again.</p><p>In <em>Sentinel Comics RPG</em>, on the other hand, most of the adversaries heroes will face are represented by a single die type—which is what those NPCs roll for <em>every check</em>. Also, in SCRPG, attacks <em>always hit</em>. When a block of minions is given initiative they can make life <em>very</em> difficult for the heroes and that makes them feel potent!</p><p>Single die adversaries are categorized as either <strong>minions</strong> or <strong>lieutenants</strong>, and their survival mechanic works well. Whenever one of these adversaries is targeted with an attack they make a damage save and have to meet or beat the number which the players rolled against them.</p><p>If a minion fails this roll they are <em>out</em> and are removed from the scene. If a minion succeeds in their roll their die-type is reduced by one and continues in the fight. SCRPG Minions are perfect glass cannons, they pack a serious punch but can be knocked out of a fight <em>fast</em>. Lieutenants are a bit different because their die-type is reduced only on a failed damage save. This tends to keep them in a fight longer, making the heroes’ lives miserable as they dish out punishment or continue with their tasks. A lieutenant’s durability makes them perfect stand ins for minor villains.</p><p>Full-fledged SCRPG villains, on the other hand, use a dice-pool mechanic which is similar to the player characters. They also have distinct abilities, like the PCs, which pack a serious punch. This shift from the single-die mechanic makes villains feel both distinct and <em>dangerous</em>.</p><p>This may be the only area where I feel one game outshines the other. The combination of SCRPG’s glass cannon minions who have a chance to stick around, beefy minor villains who can deal out significant punishment, and dangerous villains who are terrors to face is what I look for in a game. I love <em>Cypher System</em> conflicts, but the distinctiveness SCRPG gives to the different types of adversaries gives that system the edge. I <em>love</em> the way it’s designed.</p><p><strong><strong>Conclusion</strong></strong></p><p>I don’t enjoy pitting one system against another to have “winner.” Instead, I enjoy comparing systems so I can grow in my appreciation for what each brings to the table. In some respects this particular comparison isn’t fair. <em>Cypher System</em> is, after all, a “generic” system which is designed to be used for <em>any</em> genre while <em>Sentinel Comics RPG</em> is designed from the ground up for comic book play. On the other hand, three of the four sections in this comparison were toss-ups—and <em>Cypher System</em> even game out on top in one section, which is impressive. I hope I was able to spotlight what each of these systems does well, and explain how each is capable of creating a comic book feel for a game. While <em>Sentinel Comics RPG</em> gets the edge for me, you can’t go wrong with either if you want to run some super heroes at the table.</p><p><a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/dming/" target="_blank">#DMing</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/dungeons-dragons/" target="_blank">#DungeonsDragons</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/gming/" target="_blank">#GMing</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/role-playing-game/" target="_blank">#RolePlayingGame</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/rpg/" target="_blank">#RPG</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/super-heroes/" target="_blank">#superHeroes</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/ttrpg/" target="_blank">#TTRPG</a></p>
DM Tales<p><strong>Random TTRPG Thoughts #61</strong></p><p>It’s cold, there’s snow on the ground, and I haven’t slept much this week. That’s the bad news. The good news is my coffee is brewing and I haven’t slept much because I’m excited about a parade on Friday! These are random TTRPG thoughts.</p><ol><li>Brian Holland and Michael O’Brien, from Chaosium, were <em>fantastic</em> guests on Skipping Lunch this week. Check out <a href="https://youtube.com/live/957rURSp1bo?feature=share" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">their interview</a>!</li><li>Send me your nerds, geeks, and dreamers who are longing to roll some dice. <a href="https://tabletop.events/conventions/ecclesicon-2025" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ecclesicon 2025 is coming</a> March 28-30 in Palmyra, NJ. Use code “GoBirds” through Friday, February 14 for $5 off badges!</li><li>I may, or may not, have picked up more books this week. OK, I <em>did</em> pick up some more books. In my defense, it’s my Birthday week <em>and</em> I’m celebrating an Eagles Super Bowl victory so I really didn’t care if my review queue grew any. Also, I’ve been wanting to pick up <a href="https://www.wetinkgames.com/store/never-going-home" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Never Going Home</em></a> for a while. So there.</li><li>It will take me <em>forever</em> to read <a href="https://www.exaltedfuneral.com/pages/monty-python-role-playing-game" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Monty Python’s Cocurricular Mediaeval Reenactment Programme</em></a>. Not because the book is bad, but because I’m either laughing myself silly or looking for things which will cause me to laugh myself silly. Exalted Funeral did an amazing job, and I’ll be doing a first look next week. Thanks for the review copy, folks!</li><li>Michael O’Brien showed me how Call of Cthulu’s mechanics work during our chat. As is my nature, I rolled awful and it is likely my character was eaten. </li><li>Go Birds.</li><li>My <a href="https://freeleaguepublishing.com/games/dragonbane/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Dragonbane</em></a> group has realized that Orcs could be powerful allies as they quest in the Misty Vale. Maybe they’re figuring out that “see thing, kill thing” does not work in this game?</li><li>I ordered two more decks to use for my <a href="https://numenera.com" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Numenera</em></a><em> </em>and <a href="https://cypher-system.com" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Cypher System</em></a> tables. I don’t have a problem, <em>you</em> have a problem.</li><li>I am still accepting donations for the auction at Ecclesicon! All procedes from the convention are being split 75/25 between <a href="https://www.booksmiles.org" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Booksmiles</a> and repaying the Church’s roof replacement loan. If you have any questions, or would like to donate an image, reach out to me through the <a href="https://ecclesicon.com/contact-2/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ecclesicon contact page</a>. Help us do a bit of good!</li><li>Can people please stop getting sick? I have games I want to test out and <em>everyone keeps getting sick</em>.</li><li>My <a href="https://freeleaguepublishing.com/shop/dragonbane/path-of-glory/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Path of Glory</em></a> review is being delayed a small bit because I can’t focus on it this week. Why? Well the school has multiple half-days for various reasons, I have to dig out from more nuisance snow, <em>and the Eagles won the Super Bowl</em>.</li></ol><p><a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/dming/" target="_blank">#DMing</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/dnd/" target="_blank">#DnD</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/dungeons-dragons/" target="_blank">#DungeonsDragons</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/dungeons-and-dragons/" target="_blank">#dungeonsAndDragons</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/gming/" target="_blank">#GMing</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/role-playing-game/" target="_blank">#RolePlayingGame</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/rpg/" target="_blank">#RPG</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/ttrpg/" target="_blank">#TTRPG</a></p>
DM Tales<p><strong>Random TTRPG Thoughts #60</strong></p><p>It’s was quite a year last week. On the other hand coffee has been consumed, no one in the house is throwing up, and today I get to play <em>two</em> RPG sessions. As the neurons in my head fire up with disjointed flashes of lucidity my mind wanders into unexpected valleys and canyons. These are random TTRPG thoughts.</p><ol><li>For my “Hobby Lunch” session I have converted my <a href="https://www.greaterthangames.com/pages/sentinel-comics" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Sentinel Comics RPG</a> adventure over to <a href="https://cypher-system.com" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Cypher System</a>. I’m interested to see how it plays.</li><li>I have made only a few gridded maps over the last few months because I’m playing theater of the mind more and more. I know it’s not for everyone, but I appreciate how it drives people more to expanding the fiction than measuring squares. And, if folks want a reference for a complex scene we just lay out objects to give a basic representation.</li><li>Last week I made my first map inside FoundryVTT, using some forest assets I purchased. I was stunned by how fun the process was, and it’s easy to set up things like overhead tiles without having to export and import from other map programs over and over.</li><li>I still need to get folks together for my third play test of my Sentinel Comics RPG adventure. Everyone keeps getting sick!</li><li>I’m wrestling with my review for <a href="https://freeleaguepublishing.com/shop/dragonbane/path-of-glory/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>The Path of Glory</em></a>. I don’t want to give anything away to my players in case we run it!</li><li>If make maps direct in FoundryVTT is my other map software useless? Nope. For outdoor scenes, in particular, I can use other mapping software applications to create the <em>backdrops</em>. If I want a stream cutting through the middle, with a slope on the one side, I can do that. If I want foliage and clutter on the ground, I can set that up. If I want a clear path I can lay that out as well. In FoundryVTT I can drop tiles on top of that backdrop to complete the map. I can also <em>manipulate</em> the tiles. So…suddenly the cart in the road or the tree that has fallen in the road is <em>moveable.</em> This is something I think <a href="https://arkenforge.com" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Arkenforge</a> is great at for in person games, by the way. Yes, I could do this with physical terrain in person, but I’d end up breaking it.</li><li>Creative writing assignment. Give me a narrative description of a TTRPG creature which functions like a virus, has no charisma, believes it’s entitled to whatever it wants, and yet is able to devour people <em>while they watch</em>. It seems appropriate to give this monster a musky smell for some reason.</li><li>Come to <a href="https://www.ecclesicon.com" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ecclesicon</a>! It’s gonna be a blast!</li><li>There are many distinct aspects to tabletop role-playing hobby, but one of most important is <em>agency</em>. What is agency? It means a character’s choices impact the world around them. It doesn’t mean a character will succeed, or that a world’s reactions will benefit the character. It’s an affirmation a character’s actions have <em>meaning</em>. In a world where it feels like agency is being taken away more and more, particularly if you are visibly part of a vulnerable population, that’s a powerful reminder. Our actions have meaning.</li><li>Everyone check out the <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/thedungeonskey/dirtbags-a-sci-fi-shooter-ttrpg" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Dirtbags kickstarter</a>, it’s a neat little system.</li></ol><p><a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/dming/" target="_blank">#DMing</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/dungeons-dragons/" target="_blank">#DungeonsDragons</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/gming/" target="_blank">#GMing</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/role-playing-game/" target="_blank">#RolePlayingGame</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/rpg/" target="_blank">#RPG</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/ttrpg/" target="_blank">#TTRPG</a></p>
Blint<p>Saturday we had a really great time, playing <a href="https://tutter.org/tags/LegoDnD" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>LegoDnD</span></a> with friends!<br><span class="h-card" translate="no"><a href="https://tutter.org/@Arcter" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@<span>Arcter</span></a></span> ran the campaign (<a href="https://tutter.org/tags/DMing" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>DMing</span></a>), and he told us a really enjoyable story!<br>Of course both the players and the characters had a chance to eat hot chicken wings.</p><p>I really enjoyed playing as Rhazak Thornveil (a tiefling warlock) and with Ember the baby dragon.<br><a href="https://blint.me/blog/dnd/characters/rhazak-thornveil/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">blint.me/blog/dnd/characters/r</span><span class="invisible">hazak-thornveil/</span></a></p><p><a href="https://tutter.org/tags/DnD" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>DnD</span></a> <a href="https://tutter.org/tags/Lego" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Lego</span></a> <a href="https://tutter.org/tags/ttrpg" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>ttrpg</span></a> <a href="https://tutter.org/tags/hotwings" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>hotwings</span></a></p>
DM Tales<p><strong>Would you play with…?</strong></p><p><strong>Random TTRPG Thoughts <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/59/" target="_blank">#59</a></strong></p><p>It’s way too early, the coffee is brewing, and my mind is having difficulty with its start up sequence. As my mental facilities come online, while begging for go juice, flashes of cognitive function occur at intervals with no discernible pattern. These are some random TTRPG thoughts.</p><ol><li>My <a href="https://www.numenera.com" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Numenera</em></a> table almost got wiped out by a Crag Worm last week. That was interesting.</li><li>I’ve got some live streams in the works, the first will happen on February 5th at 8 PM. Keep an eye on the channel for more information!</li><li>A special shout out to all the folks who have Sponsored <a href="https://www.ecclesicon.com" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ecclesicon 2025</a>. Gold Sponsors: <a href="https://openlegendrpg.com" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Seventh Sphere LLC (OpenLegend RPG)</a>, <a href="https://evilgeniusgames.com/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Evil Genius Games</a>, <a href="https://tabletop.events/conventions/philadelphia-area-gaming-expo-page-3" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Philadelphia Area Gaming Expo</a>, <a href="https://www.grimwood.games/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Grimwood Games</a>, <a href="https://nerdarchy.com/zoo-mafia-link-tree-everything-you-need-in-one-place/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Zoo Mafia</a>. Friends of the Convention: <a href="https://www.runehammer.online/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Runehammer</a>. Thanks for your support!</li><li>I get to return to my <a href="https://freeleaguepublishing.com/games/dragonbane/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Dragonbane</a> game this week. Last time the party had some very bad luck against a few bandits. A character died, but the player was playing to his flaw so…do I say, “Well done?”</li><li>My Hobby Lunch game skipped January due to scheduling issues, but we’re back in February and we’ll have a third player for some more <a href="https://cypher-system.com" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Cypher System</a> goodness.</li><li>Don’t wait (because it fills me with anxiety)! Get your badges for <a href="https://www.ecclesicon.com" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ecclesicon</a> today! There’s some amazing games being run and we’re gonna have a <em>blast</em>!</li><li>So the controversy of the week seems to be “Would you play a game with a Trump supporter?” This is the wrong question. The actual question is, “Can you play a game with someone who doesn’t want you to <em>exist</em>?” I’ll play games with people of all stripes, but I draw a line when it comes to people who are ok with doing active harm to other players at the table. That’s not everyone who voted for Trump, nor it is limited to the right wing of American politics, but at the moment our far right wing is the most visible form of this willingness to harm our neighbors. It needs to be called out—by everyone, from all walks of life and across the political divide, because we’re not going to have a society if we keep going this way.</li><li>My sermon this past week was entitled “Rules Lawyers.” And it was, indeed, about a rules lawyer Jesus met. My inner geek was happy. I’m also sure I broke the rules.</li><li>I forgot to take my “Tears of my players” mug to our brewery session last week! It would have been <em>perfect</em> during that Crag Worm fight. And, no, I’m not an adversarial GM—I don’t even roll any dice in Numenera. I’d have just found it amusing to be sipping a beer from that mug while the players all rolled awful. It’s not my fault their dice hate them!</li><li>I’ve finished writing my review of <a href="https://freeleaguepublishing.com/games/ny-electric-state-rpg/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>The Electric State RPG</em></a>! Now I just need time to record it, and run it, and run it again, and again. I will say, making characters is easy and there’s a terrific implementation of the character sheet for FoundryVTT.</li></ol><p><a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/dming/" target="_blank">#DMing</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/dnd/" target="_blank">#DnD</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/dungeons-dragons/" target="_blank">#DungeonsDragons</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/dungeons-and-dragons/" target="_blank">#dungeonsAndDragons</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/gming/" target="_blank">#GMing</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/role-playing-game/" target="_blank">#RolePlayingGame</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/rpg/" target="_blank">#RPG</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/ttrpg/" target="_blank">#TTRPG</a></p>
DM Tales<p><strong>Random TTRPG Thoughts #58</strong></p><p>Taking an ill-advised leap, I am writing this on Tuesday night at 10 PM. My brain is getting drowsy, I haven’t had caffeine in hours, and my attention span is non-existent. Through it all random thoughts still manage to crash through my psyche like runaway tramcars on the Wildwood boardwalk. These are random TTRPG thoughts.</p><ol><li>I look at other GMs and see how much better they are at this than I am and think I must not be any good at all. Imposter syndrome sucks. I have groups, we have fun. I’ll <em>try</em> to just stick with that.</li><li>As I was writing my intro for this post I had someone call me a liar on another video. Why? They didn’t think I was a pastor because my videos are about TTRPGs. People really can just suck, and I try to have that make me sad for them instead of angry. I’m not great at this.</li><li>I’m working on <a href="https://www.ecclesicon.com" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ecclesicon</a>, and some badges have been purchased! This is going to be a fun event!</li><li>I am well into writing my review of <a href="https://freeleaguepublishing.com/shop/the-electric-state-rpg/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>The Electric State</em></a>. Writing it has reminded me how much I enjoy its simplified Year Zero Engine.</li><li><a href="https://tabletop.events/conventions/philadelphia-area-gaming-expo-page-2" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">PAGE</a> was so much fun, and I can’t wait to do it again next year.</li><li>Jorbin, from <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@ElderGoblinGames" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Elder Goblin Games</a>, is as fun and kind in person as he is online. I’m so glad I got to meet him in real life.</li><li>The TTRPG hobby is absurd, but that’s why I love it. We play as characters in made up worlds and tell stories where heroes exist, noble defeats are remembered, and hope burns bright for a new day where justice reigns. Looking around at the world we live in, these concepts all seem to be absolute absurdity. And that’s why being part <em>of</em> these stories is so <strong>essential</strong>.</li><li>My third Sentinel Comics RPG playtest is going to be in person. Now I just need to overcome the greatest TTRPG villain of all…<em>scheduling</em>.</li><li>I’ve added a third player for my Hobby Lunch sessions!This’ll be fun.</li><li>Do you have any TTRPG books you’d like to donate to the <a href="https://www.ecclesicon.com" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ecclesicon</a> Auction? Funds raised are being split 75% to <a href="https://www.booksmiles.org" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Booksmiles.org</a> and 25% to my Church’s roof replacement fund (which is where we holding the convention). If so, reach out through the <a href="https://ecclesicon.com/contact-2/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ecclesicon Contact Page</a>!</li></ol><p><a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/dd-2/" target="_blank">#DD</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/dming/" target="_blank">#DMing</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/dnd/" target="_blank">#DnD</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/dungeons-dragons/" target="_blank">#DungeonsDragons</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/dungeons-and-dragons/" target="_blank">#dungeonsAndDragons</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/gming/" target="_blank">#GMing</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/random-thoughts/" target="_blank">#RandomThoughts</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/role-playing-game/" target="_blank">#RolePlayingGame</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/rpg/" target="_blank">#RPG</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/ttrpg/" target="_blank">#TTRPG</a></p>
DM Tales<p><strong>PAGE Report—Stephen Chenault</strong></p><p>While attending the Philadelphia Are Gaming Expo I was fortunate to have a chat with Stephen Chenault from <a href="https://trolllord.com/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Troll Lord Games</a>.</p><p><a href="https://youtu.be/32DvJ5Vbjy4" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/32DvJ5Vbjy4</a></p><p><a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/castles-crusades/" target="_blank">#CastlesCrusades</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/dming/" target="_blank">#DMing</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/dnd/" target="_blank">#DnD</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/dungeons-and-dragons/" target="_blank">#dungeonsAndDragons</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/gming/" target="_blank">#GMing</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/role-playing-game/" target="_blank">#RolePlayingGame</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/rpg/" target="_blank">#RPG</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/ttrpg/" target="_blank">#TTRPG</a></p>
DM Tales<p><strong>Random TTRPG Thoughts #57</strong></p><p>It’s PAGE week, I’ve been up way too late watching football the past couple of nights, and I’m so excited I can’t sleep. As coffee awakens my misfiring synapses mental sparks are forcing themselves through my neural pathways. These are random TTRPG thoughts.</p><ol><li>Any time I make a checklist I will <em>always</em> leave something obvious off it. This year I was driving to pick up my little from school and remembered that I had <em>forgotten to put dice on my PAGE checklist</em>. On one hand, that would have sucked. On the other hand, there are dice vendors at page so…</li><li>I’m running <a href="https://youtu.be/ylSlDL-SP1o" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Sentinel Comics RPG</em></a> at Ecclesicon. John Fredericks, from Sharp Mountain Games, is running his streamlined Marvel Superheroes FASERIP game, and someone else submitted a table for the Official TSR FASERIP Marvel Superheroes game. Super hero RPGs can be a lot of fun, <a href="http://www.ecclesicon.com" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">come by</a> and play one!</li><li>I’m rather excited to play <a href="https://www.runehammer.online/crown-skull-rpg" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Crown & Skull</em></a> (link goes to the product page) at PAGE this weekend. Conventions are great for trying new systems!</li><li>I have the outline set up for my <a href="https://freeleaguepublishing.com/shop/the-electric-state-rpg/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Electric State</em></a> review (link goes to the product page). Finding time to write has been challenging.</li><li>Over the past four years I’ve been able to connect with a number of TTRPG publishers and creators. I am grateful to all of them for the time and encouragement they’ve given me.</li><li>In addition to running <em>Sentinel Comics RPG</em> at <a href="https://www.ecclesicon.com" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ecclesicon 2025</a> I will also be running <a href="https://youtu.be/jzJl403b4sA" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Into the Odd</em></a> and <a href="https://youtu.be/H0F-Yhem3Vk" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Numenera</em></a>. I’m rather excited to run three such different systems in one weekend!</li><li>If you haven’t checked out any of these games, follow the links! Unless noted, links in the game titles go to my reviews. So, not only to you get to learn about a new game, it helps me out.</li><li>I am also playing <a href="https://paizo.com/pathfinder/getstarted" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Pathfinder 2e</a> for the first time this weekend. I have bounced off of high fantasy RPGs so I’m interested to see what I’ll think of it.</li><li>After PAGE I think I’m going to hold a members-only live stream where I’ll make a <a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/479871/tales-of-argosa" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Tales of Argosa</em></a> (link goes to the product page) character. That should be fun. I’ll make the stream public after a bit, but if you want to take part in the chatroom during the stream please consider becoming a DM Tales “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKp5n4vNXKRyRwdFa5slHpw/join" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Coffee Contributor!</a>”</li><li>I’m still looking for some tables to fill Ecclesicon on Sunday Afternoon, March 30th. If you are in the South Jersey/Philly area, would you consider running a game? If so, you can submit an event <a href="https://tabletop.events/conventions/ecclesicon-2025/submit-events" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">here</a>.</li></ol><p><a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/dming/" target="_blank">#DMing</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/dnd/" target="_blank">#DnD</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/dungeons-dragons/" target="_blank">#DungeonsDragons</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/dungeons-and-dragons/" target="_blank">#dungeonsAndDragons</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/gming/" target="_blank">#GMing</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/role-playing-game/" target="_blank">#RolePlayingGame</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/rpg/" target="_blank">#RPG</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/ttrpg/" target="_blank">#TTRPG</a></p>
DM Tales<p><strong>Random TTRPG Thoughts #56</strong></p><p>It’s 2025, it’s cold, and I had to snow-blow already. So I’m both shivering and need of caffeine, but the cold triggers odd misfires in my brain. These are random TTRPG thoughts!</p><ol><li><a href="https://tabletop.events/conventions/philadelphia-area-gaming-expo-page-2" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">PAGE2</a> is only 9 days away and I’m freaking out about running my <a href="https://tabletop.events/conventions/philadelphia-area-gaming-expo-page-2/schedule/89" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">EZd6 adventure</a>!</li><li>I’m so excited that I was able to start out 2025 by running a new game! <a href="https://www.greaterthangames.com/pages/sentinel-comics" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Sentinel Comics RPG</a> is a lot of fun.</li><li>I have so many games to review, my brain is hurting. Excited, but hurting. Also, when am I going to find time to read the latest Stormlight Archive book?</li><li><a href="https://www.ecclesicon.com" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ecclesicon</a> badge sales are open! March 28-30 in Palmyra, NJ!</li><li>If you’re an RPG related organization Ecclesicon is looking for sponsors. Your logo will go on both our sites and printed materials, and get a free badge to the con. To apply check out <a href="https://tabletop.events/conventions/ecclesicon-2025/exhibitors/apply" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">this link</a>. Make sure you read the terms!</li><li>Jorbin, at <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@ElderGoblinGames" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Elder Goblin Games</a>, is a wonderful creator and I encourage you all to check out his stuff.</li><li>Have you check out <a href="https://www.grimwood.games/system" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ironbound</a> yet? You should, because it’s got a dark fantasy cousin in the works and you’ll be able to play a mushroom person!</li><li>While I didn’t particularly care for the <a href="https://www.marvel.com/RPG" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Marvel Multiverse RPG</a>, I <em>did</em> order the X-Men expansion because…X-Men. Who knows? Perhaps I’ll revisit the system and love it!</li><li>Jorbin’s the brains behind “<a href="https://youtu.be/94oqcUajcZk?si=TYNKpeifRaz7HS1U" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">GMuary</a>.” If you have never run a game, but have wondered about doing so, this is your month!</li><li><a href="https://www.dreamsandmachines.com" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Dreams and Machines</a> is sitting in my studio, and it’s mocking me. Actually, it’s joined many other books and they are mocking me together. I’ll show them. <em>I’m going to read them all</em>.</li></ol><p><a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/dming/" target="_blank">#DMing</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/dnd/" target="_blank">#DnD</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/dungeons-and-dragons/" target="_blank">#dungeonsAndDragons</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/gming/" target="_blank">#GMing</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/role-playing-game/" target="_blank">#RolePlayingGame</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/rpg/" target="_blank">#RPG</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/ttrpg/" target="_blank">#TTRPG</a></p>
DM Tales<p><strong>Random TTRPG thoughts #55</strong></p><p>It’s two days after Christmas, the little brought a cold home school so we feel a tad crummy but are otherwise functional, and it feels like the break is already over. But, I’ve got new games to read, and the coffee is brewed. These are random TTRPG thoughts!</p><ol><li>I set up a Christmas-themed one shot for <a href="https://cypher-system.com" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Cypher System</em></a> yesterday, which we ran instead of <a href="https://freeleaguepublishing.com/games/dragonbane/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Dragonbane</em></a> since we didn’t know who could play. It was weird, fun, and the players rolled HORRIBLY. But in the end all we well.</li><li>I <em>really</em> want to play <a href="https://freeleaguepublishing.com/games/dragonbane/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Sentinel Comics RPG</em></a> before New Year’s Eve. I’ve got a <a href="https://www.greaterthangames.com/products/sentinel-comics-the-roleplaying-game-game-moderator-kit" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">GM Kit</a> to break in!</li><li>The wonderful thing about getting new games is I have more books to read. The horrible thing about getting new games is I have to figure out where to slot them in the queue.</li><li>My Christmas-themed one shot was, according to one player, the basic plot of <em>Red One</em>. I’ve not seen the movie, but I have seen the trailers so I can’t say I wasn’t influenced.</li><li>I do enjoy teaching new games to people. It’s a fun part of being a GM.</li><li>I am <em>ecstatic</em> when a player stops looking at their sheet to see what they <em>can</em> do, and begins to tell me what they <em>want</em> to do. Those are great moments.</li><li>Alas, the giant candy cane spear never did hit its mark.</li><li>The Monte Cook Games <a href="https://tools.cypher-system.com/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">character builder</a> is pretty cool. I can’t wait until they add their custom IP to it!</li><li>Another fun thing about GMing is when players take it upon themselves to explain their actions, both successes and failures. Last night one player rolled a 1 on an action, triggering a GM intrusion. Instead of waiting to see what I said he asked, “Can I describe what happens?” I replied, “Sure!” He’d been trying to toss a gravity cypher at the big bad, and described it being wrapped like a present. His character pulled the bow to activate it but, instead of tossing the device, he <em>threw the bow</em>. The cypher activated and he ended up stuck to the ground with glitter in his face. Amazing.</li><li>What games are you playing over the holidays?</li></ol><p><a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/dd/" target="_blank">#dd</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/dming/" target="_blank">#DMing</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/dnd/" target="_blank">#DnD</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/dungeons-dragons/" target="_blank">#DungeonsDragons</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/dungeons-and-dragons/" target="_blank">#dungeonsAndDragons</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/gaming/" target="_blank">#gaming</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/gming/" target="_blank">#GMing</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/role-playing-game/" target="_blank">#RolePlayingGame</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/rpg/" target="_blank">#RPG</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/ttrpg/" target="_blank">#TTRPG</a></p>
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