I’ve been reading way too many recently published #CallOfCthulhu scenarios that feature a perfunctory investigation before the Investigators board a train to creepy town that is a one way exercise in hit point and SAN attrition. Sure, some of the imagery is very creepy, but something is definitely missing, that being real problem solving and meaningful choices.
@Tim_Eagon I'd say that probably counts. I'd probably throw in Trophy Dark/Gold as a closely related game design which puts its fingers into a lot of the same spaces. Also the Dee Sanction.
Let me grab some links for those people who may be coming along later and want to check out what we're talking about:
That last is particularly interesting because they put out a standalone SRD book (Sanction) which essentially lets anybody build a game off of the core that they want, as quite a lot of indie RPGs these days are doing.
In a real sense, we are not spoiled for choice when it comes to Lovecraft on the tabletop. Not even a little bit. In my mind, truthfully, the question is "why does Call of Cthulhu remain so ridiculously dominant when there are better game designs out there for doing the same thing?"
But I ask the same question about D&D on a regular basis.
What I wouldn't give for a cozy fantasy RPG right now.
Heck, even just a session of #DnD that centers hope, living a life of comfort and socialization would do so much for my mental health.
@bedirthan You need to check out Under Hill, By Water. It's a cozy Halfling never leaves
The Shire game. It is so much fun to lower the stakes and worry about missing pies and an angry goose from time to time. Highly recommend it.
Tomorrow afternoon, it will be #BrindlewoodBay time again 👵 There will be cake, liquer, and tea ☕️ served from my East Frisian tea set. Planning to run the Great Brindlewood Bake-Off Mystery. #pbta
Wieviele selbstgeschriebene Fälle für #BrindlewoodBay wohl unvollendet in irgendwelchen Schubladen liegen, weil den Autor*innen kein witziger Titel eingefallen ist?
C'est pas pour tout de suite, c'est pour dans un peu moins de 15 jours (et je vous en reparlerai), mais voilà un petit RDV qui pourrait vous intéresser si vous êtes branché #BrindlewoodBay#GameDesign#JDR
#RPGaDAY2023
[1] The first ttrpg I ever played was Engel ('Angel(s)') by Oliver Graute, Oliver Hoffmann and Kai Meyer. It’s very rule light and played with tarot cards.
The setting is a post-apocalyptic world with a strong church that has the ultimate argument why you should believe in god – actual angels (the player characters) that fight against the insectoid demons which threaten humanity.
There are some Warhammer-like ideas in it, but where Warhammer is over the top, Engel is tragedy.
#RPGaDAY2023
[3] The first game I bought this year might have been #BrindlewoodBay though I'm not completely sure.
Not exactly my style, but I want to play it with my grandma and I think it may be HER style. : )
Please respond by saying what sorts of TTRPG things you're pretty likely to either talk about or respond to if you see them.
This can be a list of games (D&D! Tribe 8! Fate!) or categories (the weirdest of indie stuff! NSR! Anything PBtA!), topics (Worldbuilding! Publishing!), stuff you're making, meta-commentary (The State Of The Industry), and so on.
Then maybe share, and if the replies are building up, check them for new people.
@LeviKornelsen Deep into Blades in the Dark and hacking/hacks of that system (just received my CBR Punk package). Also Trophy, Brindlewood Bay, fantasy cyberpunk, weird horror, sword & sorcery, and art and illustration. Long-time member of the official Dark Sun setting maintenance team, and I enjoy talking about Athas, but not so much about D&D mechanics.
Je viens de me prendre une petite heure tranquille, sur ma terrasse, avec mes notes de la campagne de #BrindlewoodBay qu'on joue actuellement.
On va attaquer le sixième mystère, niveau 4 dans la Conspiration. Ce mystère va se passer en plein coeur du village, le jour des élections pour le poste de Shérif du Comté (mais ce ne sera normalement pas lié). Dalrymple est sur la sellette et en romance avec une des Maîtresses.
Pleins d'idée, de retours de PNJ, de clins d'oeil. Merci les wishes!