Daily TTRPG Blog Posts

Daily TTRPG Blog Posts – Saturday, 4 January 2025

Generated Saturday, 4 January 01:18 AM EST from the TTRPG Blogroll. Also available in rss.

Posts in Last 24 Hours

Improving Backgrounds in D&D 2024, Part Two

Brandes Stoddard – Sat, 04 January, 01:33 AM

I liked the direction things were going in my last post, so today I’m continuing that with as many more Backgrounds as I can get through. Last time I covered Acolytes, Charlatans, and Criminals, so today I’m starting with Criminal (Spy). I always thought it was cool to have a few Backgrounds that we... read more.

“What the Hell is an Orrery?”—Using Cosmic Wonders in Your Fantasy RPG

Nerdarchy – Sat, 04 January, 01:11 AM

Picture this: your adventurers stumble into a dusty, forgotten chamber. A mechanical monstrosity fills the room—a whirring, clattering machine of spinning spheres, golden rings, and softly glowing lights. Is it a puzzle? A portal to another realm? A deadly trap? Or all three? Cue your...... read more.

Friday Encounter: Lost Spellbook

Tales of the Lunar Lands – Sat, 04 January, 12:48 AM

Here's a simple encounter that can fuel further developments in the campaign, and potentially give rise to a recurring adversary for the PCs. It is suited to any environment - in a dungeon, the wilderness, on the road, or possibly even in a town (such as in an alleyway somewhere). To best make use o... read more.

Weekly Roundup 1/3/2025

Dungeon Fantastic – Fri, 03 January, 11:44 PM

Getting started off on 2025's weekly comments and links. - Rob has been up to a lot at Bat in the Attic Games. - I don't include enough corrupt law enforcers in my fantasy games. Not by half. Not after reading this post about some. - An Acoup post about gold coins? Hell yes. I tend to over-think ... read more.

Bad dicerolls in BitD are like traffic accidents: They come out of nowhere to derail an otherwise…

Daily Adventure Prompts – Fri, 03 January, 09:31 PM

imsobadatnicknames2:A piece of advice that I THINK comes from the Blades in the Dark rulebook (but I’m not sure because I’ve read so many TTRPG rulebooks in the last year or so) but that I think could be applied to a lot of other TTRPGs is that a roll shouldn’t make a competent character look incomp... read more.

Auto Draft

Pelgrane Press Ltd – Fri, 03 January, 09:00 PM

by Adam Gauntlett This little Night’s Black Agents gem is inspired by Sauron, the home defense system marketed by Kevin Hartz and Jack Abraham, written up by the Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/12/05/tech-ceos-elites-home-security-silicon-valley/ Premise The bad peop... read more.

Speechless (Again)

GROGNARDIA – Fri, 03 January, 08:00 PM

Once more, J.R.R. Tolkien's birthday is upon us and I am ill prepared to say anything to mark the occasion. Much like Dungeons & Dragons, I'm not certain I have anything left to say that I haven't already said on numerous occasions beforehand – or that others more eloquent than I haven't said better... read more.

In Case of Fire, Break Glass

GROGNARDIA – Fri, 03 January, 07:00 PM

Nearly everyone who's read the AD&D Dungeon Masters Guide remembers Will McLean's delightful comics that poked gentle fun at many of the conventions of fantasy roleplaying. Traveller had a few examples of its own, my favorite being this one which appeared in The Traveller Book by Loren Wiseman and J... read more.

Tabletop Mercenary, Episode 19: A Gen-Comedy of Errors (And How NOT To Get Your Game Noticed)

Azukail Games – Fri, 03 January, 05:01 PM

In this video, Neal Litherland recounts a story of how not to go about launching a game at Gen-Con, or any other convention. The post Tabletop Mercenary, Episode 19: A Gen-Comedy of Errors (And How NOT To Get Your Game Noticed) first appeared on Azukail Games.... read more.

Modifications to Traveller (Part II)

GROGNARDIA – Fri, 03 January, 05:00 PM

Wiseman continues: The most common change will probably be in the available weapons. Any additions to the weapons should be especially well thought out and rationally based. Science fiction literature contains many more weapons than could be described in the basic rules. Many of these have only the ... read more.

Here Are 2025's Most Anticipated TTRPGs... As Voted By You!

EN World: D&D & Tabletop RPG News & Reviews – Fri, 03 January, 03:58 PM

Who's in this year's Top 10?... read more.

TIME must always have a COST - no 5-minute workdays

Methods & Madness – Fri, 03 January, 03:56 PM

I've written a longer post here; this is the short version, more or less.(I really like that post; I encourage you to read it).Time must always have a cost.Resting for one hour in the dungeon is dangerous. But so is resting for one day in the wild.Resting for a month in a peaceful city should ALSO h... read more.

Game Changer: Advice for new GMs

Kobold Press – Fri, 03 January, 02:00 PM

Pack Tactics, our round-table advice column, is becoming Game Changer. We’re consulting with our resident GMing expert, Brian Suskind. You might recognize Brian’s name from any of a slew of past Kobold Press products such as Campaign Builder: Castles & Crowns and the Tales of the Valiant Monster Va... read more.

Dragon Reflections #87

EN World: D&D & Tabletop RPG News & Reviews – Fri, 03 January, 01:30 PM

This issue features sub-zero espionage, the dryad, and wilderness adventures!... read more.

The Fruitful Inconsistency of the Hyborian Age

From the Sorcerer's Skull – Fri, 03 January, 12:00 PM

The Encyclopedia of Fantasy (1997) describes Howard's Hyborian Age and similar imagined worlds as "fantasylands" in contrast to the more serious, Tolkienian worldbuilding of "secondary worlds." This perhaps undercuts the quite serious world-building Howard did in places like his "Hyborian Age" essay... read more.

Playtime: Dungeon Time, Wilderness Time, and Journey Time

Patchwork Paladin – Fri, 03 January, 08:00 AM

Now at the turning of the year, I thought I’d write a little bit about time. One of the big differences between playing Dolmenwood and playing 5e has been the difference in how time is marked for the game. It’s added a lot to my game, and is easy to add in. It’s also tied into a central mechanism in... read more.

Wizards of the Coast Goes All In On New D&D Gambling Game

Dungeons & Dragons Fanatics – Fri, 03 January, 03:57 AM

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. In news which came as a surprise to many Dungeons & Dragons fans, Hasbro recently announced a licensing deal with the gambling company Global Games to produce a number of new products. This includes an upcoming digital slot machine entitled Du... read more.

The Year of the Gazetteer: A Retrospective

Tales of the Lunar Lands – Fri, 03 January, 01:51 AM

Click here to enlargeeWith the Year of the Gazetteer behind us, I'd like to think back on how much it has done for this blog in the last twelve months. We went from averaging about two and a half posts a month in 2022 and 2023 to having at least 10 a month, with 2024 having 149 posts - my most produ... read more.

January Shadowrun Campaign News as we head into 2082 and a new Seattle Scream (#104)

Sea of Stars RPG Design Journal – Fri, 03 January, 01:50 AM

December was, not unsurprising, not the busiest month for Shadowrun, with one live game and one, all with me as the CH (though I did get to play in a game of Cy-Borg which was fun).  So, better than one might expect This coming Saturday (Fourth January) is our monthly learn-to-play game at Tyche’s G... read more.

GURPS & the clunkiness of Chinks in Armor

Dungeon Fantastic – Fri, 03 January, 01:28 AM

First off, I think the name is clunky. "Chinks in Armor?" We don't say "Eyeslits of Helm" or "Vital Parts of Torso." I'd go with Armor Gaps. Sure, that implies a lack of armor, not reduced armor, but chinks doesn't imply reduced armor, either. So, Armor Gaps for me. Second, while I can appreciate t... read more.

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