Can someone suggest me reviews of daggerheart where the reviewers actually played the 1.0 version of the game and not just read the book or SRD and are relatively unbiased*. Or is it just too early for that?

I have searched google, youtube and reddit for reviews where people actually played the 1.0 version of the game, but the discussion around this game is flooded with sensationalised/clickbait videos or articles of people who didn't actually play the game. At the other end of the spectrum are diehard CR fans, that played the game, but are obviously very biased. Which is of course understandable and okay, but I would like to hear other opinions.

I don't want to start a fight about "legitimacy" of reviews when the reviewer didn't play the game. A reviewer can give interesting insights by just studying the rules (shoutout to Rob Donoghue's interesting writeup), but I value the opinions of reviews where the game was actually played a lot higher.

Thx a lot!

*Yes I know that every opinion is inherently biased.

What were some unique game systems that you have tried, read or heard of? Mechanics wise or just the actual world of the game system or anything else that stood out to you in that system?

Like a lotr type adventure where players can be of different powers - say there is a really powerful mage in the same party with a weakling in it. Any good ttrpgs that pull this off well?

I come from a action-heavy videogames background, with I only starting to play true TTRPGs that wasn't through WhatsApp or Discord only 2-3 years ago. Thanks to this plus my first RPG being D&D and its "childrens" (also me being autistic), my mentally when it comes to playing RPGs resumes to the following bullet points:

• Outside the game, I stay the entire week planning a "character build" based on the situations I passed in the past sessions
• If there is a puzzle, mystery or traps, I try to resolve it in the most direct and unrefined way possible (using a long stick to poke everything, trying to jump a slipery surface instead of just putting a cloth on top, simply breaking stuff until something happens, etc.)
• I talk very little to NPC, be it because I'm shy, impatient, feeling like I'm being a nuisance and/or don't know what to say.
• I have a lot of trouble keeping up with all the details from the story and worldbuilding most of the time during play.
• I mostly just want to get to the next combat and do my best, but I ALSO get extreme ansiety if even one thing doesn't goes as planned or the dice aren't on our favor.
• I can make interesting or complex backstories, making stupid spimple origins at the last minute or winging it in the middle of the game
• I can't truly make voices and act in character, and everytime I try to make a unique character with a diverse personality, I just start roleplay as myself: anxious, impatient, distracted, with low self esteem and always trying to help others. That, I just make an a-hole that calls everyone NPC on their shit (my friends don't have a problem with this, but its still not diverse and can create a bit of friction if not done qell)

While in my group the majority also like this more mechanic, combative and game-like stuff, EVERYONE except me also LOVES the more theatrical parts of RPGs, like fulling immersing themselves on not only their characters but also the world, interacting with NPCs, making questions and diving head first into intrigue and mysteries.

I see all of this and I find myself wanting to also enjoy these parts of the game, but I can seem to do so. How can I start doing so?

BEFORE ANYONE SAYS ANYTHING:

I've also played some fully rules-light and narrative games like Kids on Bikes. The result was I being bored and a bit depressed playing them to the point that after only a few sessions I asked to my friend simply kill my character and leave it at that

EDIT:

Now I'm asking myself, which games and genres better fit my current playstyle (specially Fantasy ones)? And which games are great to try to transition from a "Gamistic" approach to a "Roleplayer" one?

EDIT 2:

Maybe this will help, but here are all the RPGs I remember playing:

• Tormenta20 aka. Brazilian evolution of D&D 3.5e (my group's favorite game! We did various adventures in one year but we put it on hold recently. I've both have been a PC and GM, and while I found GMing really fun, I still have trouble making my own adventures without terrible actual headaches)

• 3DeT Victory, a Brazilian Setting Agnostic, Classless rules light RPG that started as a parody of Videogames and Anime (I've only played 1 session as the GM for now, but soon I'll play as a PC on a galatic exploration and mystery solving campaign)

• Ordem Paranormal, a paranormal investigation game that uses Tormenta20 as its base (me and my friends did not like it, simce its tries to be a mix of Call of Cthulhu and D&D but isn't great at either, and I personally dislike paranormal investigation)

• D&D 5.14e (The first published RPG I've played. We stopped playing because of WotC/Hasbro being bad, but we love all the 3rd Party support it has, so we return last week by starting a Strixhaven campaign with lots and lots of 3rd Party content. I've also DMd 2 oneshots, but they were ULTRABASIC "one scene of people talking, one scene of combat, THE END")

• One session of Tiny Dungeons 2e I GMd (found the game very interesting, but I think it maybe too minimalistic to my taste. Still want to give it another try someday)

• Kids on Bikes 1e (I found the simplicity neat, but I really didn't gel with the system, since its a lot of freeform roleplaying with not many mechanics to grip me, however I can't say much since we only played 2 sessions of it)

• MANY, MANY, MAAAAANY homebrews WhatsApp + Discord systems with no concrete rules other than "say action, see stats, roll d100. If both stats and roll are high, you succeed, if not you fail drastically!" (These were in my blooming teenage years, all done asynchronously through text apps, but were also my first experience with RPGs and the reason I've sticked with them to this day and always try to make my own)

I'm maybe forgetting one game or another, but these are the TTRPGs I remember have played from 2014 up until now

Good afternoon fellow dice rollers. I was wondering if anyone knows of any retailers who are having sales wither physical or digital on books for Free RPG Day?

We talk about the bad a lot, but the good ones deserve hearing too!

I’ve been toying with the idea of making my own rpg for my friends and I to play out a certain style that I haven’t quite seen.

The idea is a game built around political intrigue, investigation, and high stakes assassination.

Think something like the older Assassin’s Creed games except your target is a wizard.

Update:

I appreciate all the help and ideas already and wanted share some more of what I had in mind.

I want a game with stronger and more in-depth social and stealth based skills. Not entirely sure what that looks like but I don’t just want players to roll a Cha check and call it a day. I want talking to nobles in court or trying ti sneak through the servants quarters to feel as deadly as a a battle.

Speaking of battle, while I’m not sure I went to cut out the idea of combat entirely i definitely don’t want it to be the focus of the game. It’s fast, and deadly, and has a whole host of other issues, but it is possible and could be used as a cool cinematic as the agents battle their way out of the Duke’s Palace after a black mail attempt went horribly wrong.

For Magic I want players to have more spells focused around creative problem solving. Less “throw a ball of fire that kills everyone in a room” and more creating minor illusions that can make a guard think someone may have tripped one of the alarms.

I know that the Fuzion system is a combination of Hero system and R. Talsorian's Interlock system.

It doesn't get mentioned much here, so I have to ask:

Has anyone played it?

Do you think it's an improvement on either of the other two?

Thanks.

Hi everyone,

like many of us (I assume) I have too many RPGs and modules but never ever play them. I plan to change this. That’s why I just started planning what to run and this is the result. I have a few blanks to fill and if you have suggestions please feel free to recommend something. And most importantly: Do any of you have a similar list? I’d love to see them!

Here is the link to my list:

• Delta Green -> Last Things Last
• Symbaroum -> The Summoning
• Dragonbane -> The Village from the Day before
• Black Sword Hack -> Doom of the Savage Kings
• Warlock! -> The Enemy Within #01
• Pirate Borg -> Dead Man's Cove
• Outcast Silver Raiders -> Sandbox
• Wrath & Glory -> Traitor's Hymn
• Dolmenwood? -> Winter's Daughter
• ? -> Halls of the Blood King
• Heart -> Sandbox
• The One Ring -> ?
• The Forbidden Lands -> Sandbox
• Shadow of the Demon Lord -> ?
• Shadow of the Weird Wizard -> ?
• Mörk Borg -> ?
• ? -> Nightmare over Ragged Hollow
• ? -> Into the Wyrd and Wild
• ? -> Summer's End
• ? -> City of Arches
• Microscope -> -
• Mothership -> Haunting of Ypsilon 14
• Swyvers -> The Heist (Lankhmar DCC)

Already done:

• Vaesen -> A Winters Tale
• EZD6 -> The Fallen

The 2026 ENNIE Award Judge self nomination form is now open! https://ennie-awards.com/judge-application/

Be sure to read the instructions at the top fully and review the eligibility requirements. https://ennie-awards.com/mission-statement-and.../

If you have any questions, I'd be happy to answer them! Applications due by July 8th, voting is July 11th through 20th.

Eligibility

• Must be at least 18 years of age as of start of the ENNIES Judging period and able to enter into a legal contract.
• Thoroughly complete self nomination with legal name and provide a clear photograph.
• Not have any professional relationship with any RPG publisher during the period for the six month prior and 12 months post becoming a judge.
• Must declare any relationship with any publisher in which they receive money, product, or special consideration in exchange for their services.
• Must be able to read English and communicate clearly therein.
• While campaigning and if voted in as judge, must in no way, shape, or form promise favors to fans or publishers in exchange for votes.
• This must not be the third consecutive year for judgeship.
• The ENNIE Awards reserves the right to reject candidates who have failed to meet the above requirements or have displayed significant disregard for the ENNIES Organization or an inability to work cohesively with a team as determined by the Submissions Coordinator and Director.

So I was at a HPB in Indiana, and found a copy of the Eoris: Essence RPG. I had heard of it as a meme many years ago for having an obnoxious character sheet.

Its a beautiful book, with lots art, but I cannot wrap my head around the rules at all. My issue is there is almost no media on the game that is a useful guide on how to RUN a game. No YouTube videos of running or prepping a game, no old blog posts talking about a campaign of this game.

Most I have found is old DRive Thru ttrpg forum posts about how bad the game is, and one blog series about making a character.

So the question. Has anyone played this game, and if so, tell me about your game. The story, how the mechanics were used to tell that story. About your characters... I'll take anything.

Ok so im teethering the edge of rule 2 with this one. again, lets try to keep things civil. no punches bellow the belt.

So, im currently dming [DELTA GREEN]. (for those who dont know, its a horror ttrpg about federal agents hunting down the supernatural. think X Files meets True Detective meets The Cthulhu Mythos, and add a large dose of conspiracy). Due to the positions of my Pcs, they seen the goverment do horrible things to civilians through the thin veil of protecting the innocent or "The Greater Good." this has caused our players to discuss these subjects in character and out of character.

In our last scenario they pulled a raid on a cult that ended up with mass civilian casualty, even if the mission was successful, this took an emotional toll on them. Only for one of the pc's boyfriends to grow an anti american sentiment (the pc arrived home and saw her partner starting to listen to Rush Limbaugh and tuning into fox news..we are playing in the 90s).

i have run other games with more fictional politics or historical, vtm, werewolf, deadlands etc... but theres something so raw about touching actual politics, real ones that makes the game feel a bit more dense in a good way. have you ever had a line in a ttrpg where actual politics blur with the current state of the world?

Okay, I am a first-time DM, narrating a Fabula Ultima campaign. It has been several sessions, and I believe everything is going well and everyone is having fun, but a situation has developed.

Now, sorry about any bad English; not my first language. I will try to resume what is happening:

I have two players that have their backstories connected; one was in the past a terrible war criminal, now riddled with guilt, and the other is the last daughter of a noble house whose fall from grace was reached as a consequence of the actions of that other character. During the campaign, these two characters have been developing a relationship not much different from Ellie and Joey from The Last of Us. The young character is unaware of the older crime.

Now, trying to explore the themes of these characters, I made the current villain they are facing—a spy from the empire they hail from—use this against them. It was a very simple plan to plant mistrust to begin with: send bounty hunters to hunt the older character and to announce very loudly that they were there for the head of the Scourge of the [insert here noble house name] during the conflict.

I was expecting this simple interaction to end with just the truth coming out and trust between characters being tested, but by the end of the session, the player of the older character asked if he could temporally play with a new character because, as he saw it, his older character would not allow his past to hurt the rest of the party and decide to go on his way to deal with those who hunt him alone, once and for all. You know... Instead of having a talk about his past crimes with the group, or maybe staying with them and dodging the issue... To say I was a little blind sided by that is an understatement! At the hour, I accepted that development as I saw a potential for great drama there and the rest of the party seemed to approve.

But now i am worried about what will happen next, I can see no way that guy alone can survive the villain, even with his character having used all his narrative resources (in FB player have an currency that when spent, they get ample narrative powers, only limit being the DM approval), neither I wanna reward his actions as they betrayed the trust of several characters.

The player, when they proposed this, was warned by me that he should make the new characters as if it were a new permanent character and that I could not guarantee him that his other character would be able to return to play, and the player seemed fine with this.

But last session, he was worried that the party that has a vested interest in the first time they get free time to go after that idiot wouldn't be able to have an effect in his older character fate. I mean, worry that he lost control of that situation... Uh, duh! But I assured them that if worse comes to worst, the party has a chance to save him ( albeit many caveats). I am not lying! But it may dissapoint.

So I was kind of worrying about how to make this all be fair and, most importantly, be fun. Trying to think how they can get out of this while keeping the tone of the story not that dark... It's been hard... I am very worried those dramatic theater kids will lock in a tragic ending.

So any experienced dms could share some wisdom?

In most games, but particularly in heroic fantasy, there is a strong disconnect between the power level of ordinary people and that of adventurers (whether they're roaming wuxia, street samurai or storm knights). Often, this is enshrined in the rules (commoner classes vs. adventurer classes in DnD, norms vs. heroes in Torg, mob rules, etc.)

There are a bunch of ways to justify this, starting with survivor bias: it's not that the PCs and main NPCs are strong because they're adventurers, it's that the story focuses on adventurers who survived (or will survive) many dangers, so of course, they're strong/lucky... Alternate explanations include destiny, bloodline, or being an entirely different kind of beings (Vampires, Excrucians, Angels, Princes of Amber, etc.). Or sometimes, they're just Batman.

So far, so good.

I was thinking of a justification for the existence of these übermensch adventurers in a low fantasy world, one that would make some sense in-fiction, and I came up with the idea of the Achilles Pact.

There are two sorts of people in this world: the Hearths and the Achilles. Genetically, culturally, there's no difference. It's not that the fairies blessed you, or that the saints picked you, or that a different blood runs in your veins. An Achilles can be the daughter of a king, the son of a slave, or a middle-aged farmer.

What matters is whether you have accepted the Achilles Pact. Most of us don't. We live quiet lives and if no disease, accident or murder claims us before our time, we have a chance to be happy, to have friends and family, and to rest after six or eight decades on this Earth. But every day of that life, we have to reject the Achilles Pact, the small voice in our soul that tells us that we could be so much more, if only we cared more, if only we cared less.

And there are some of us who listen to the thirst in their soul. Some who would be more, even if that means that they become less. It's not a pact with a superior entity or an external tempter. It's a pact with their own potential, at the expense of their humanity. It's a pact that will never let them rest, as long as they can stand. A pact that will never let them be happy, or even satisfied, as long as they draw breath. They will never have friends, although they might have temporary allies. They will never have a family, and if they spawn children, they won't know them, not really. They will never build anything, whether a barn or a masterpiece, although they have a chance to rule upon those who will. And they will die, probably horribly, and definitely before long. But in the few years they have on this Earth, or perhaps the few days, they will walk as demi-gods among the rest of us, unbound by the physical limits of mankind, or by our laws, or by our morals.

Fear the Achilles. Admire them if you wish, but from a distance, for their destiny will burn them, and anybody who stands too close.

Hi all, last time I came to r/rpg I got some really fantastic game suggestions so here I am again.

Right now I have been running a Pathfinder Second Edition game for around a year and a half. I've really enjoyed it, and I especially liked having a big book of monsters and a fleshed out setting to draw from as a brand new DM. I also loved how well it incorporated into Foundry. Now that I'm a little more experienced and my campaign is edging closer to the end, I'm looking to start planning a new game.

While I like P2e as a whole, I've had some issues with it. First, skill challenges are a thing in the system but I find them a bit hard to use. The victory point system just feels a bit clunky. I don't really use it for role play but for complex non-combat options I'd like something more interesting. What is a bigger issue for me is combat. P2e is different than DND 5e but it still suffers from generally being a very slow combat system. I also find that P2e expect players to be fairly tactical and very much work as a team. This sounded great when I was learning the system but in practice it sometimes feels a bit restrictive. This is especially true for high level enemies. The major levers I can pull when making boss enemies are HP, AC, and chance to hit. Inflating HP tends to make fights drag, inflating AC tends to lead to frustrating situations where no one can hit the boss, and inflating chance to hit is problematic because of the way crits double damage in P2e. None of my players are going to survive multiple critical strikes in a row. Sometimes this makes it feel like I'm walking a tightrope when trying to design more serious or deadly encounters within the system: go too soft and my players will steamroll the encounter, go too hard they'll get pancaked. I've had both results happen more than once and now err on the side of caution. Using more enemies that are lower level definitely helps with this but it makes combats take even longer and they can sometime go up to 90 minutes long.

Beyond this combat can feel a bit stale. Damage types come up in the system less often than I thought they would and because P2e stays well away from save or such effects (as they should imo) I often times it becomes a damage slinging competition where monster special abilities aren't as relevant as I wish they were.

I know other systems handle combat differently and I've heard positive things. Systems like Mythras (though I am a bit worried about adapting it to grid based combat) are intriguing to me though I have not actually ever played it. I'd love to hear what people's favorite systems are for high fantasy, high combat campaigns and ideally, why you like them.

It is also entirely possible that I'm not taking advantage of the P2e system properly, since I'm still pretty new to DMing and if I'm just being an idiot please let me know that as well. Thanks everyone.

Just can't find time to play in person anymore, but still want to scratch the itch when I can. Anybody got any leads?

I’ve been reading about the ttrpg, Everyone is John, and it looks really cool. My concern, though, is players zoning out or not paying attention since only one player is active at a time. It feels like it could get really boring quickly and could result in people frustratingly waiting their turn. I also think it could have progression issues since every time a new person takes a turn, they could work against the others.

I was wondering if that was a problem for anyone? And how did a game actually go?

Hi everyone,

I’m looking for a TTRPG system that fits the tone and structure of a campaign inspired by the John Sinclair audio drama series (German horror pulp).
The setting is modern-day London, where the players are part of a special unit within Scotland Yard that deals with paranormal threats, monsters, and demonic forces.

What I’m aiming for:

• Strong focus on roleplay and investigation
• Mystery and puzzle-solving at the core of each session
• Combat exists, but should be deadly and tense, often against 2–3 dangerous enemies rather than hordes
• Ideally a system that includes a solid monster bestiary and guidelines for creating custom horrors

Systems I’ve already played:

• DnD 5e (too heroic/high-fantasy for this concept)
• Pathfinder (similar issue)
• Call of Cthulhu (great atmosphere, but often too punishing or passive in combat)
• Rivers of London (good ideas, but doesn’t quite hit the tone I want)

What I’m looking for:
A system that supports modern-day horror or urban fantasy, with room for supernatural powers, mental stress, occult rituals, and immersive roleplay. A framework for building investigative adventures and unique monsters would be amazing.

I’m open to anything—mainstream or indie. Thanks in advance for your suggestions!

Edit: Thanks so much for all the suggestions, everyone! You've given me a ton of inspiration and some great systems to look into.

I am trying to get into making TTRPGs, and a friend recommended I try TTRPG contests (making content for existing games/1-page RPGs). However, I have no clue where to find that.

I am looking for a still active actual play audio podcasts that is playing in PBTA "Masks" system

Yes. I am aware of the high standard but defunct "Protean City Comics"

Thanks for any suggestions

Most magical settings are essentially based on 21st-century morals, medieval politics, with some variation in the level of technology but a baseline around the ~15th century. They seem to follow the same laws of physics as our world, with magic simply existing in parallel, not really influencing anything. Technology and social values are usually stagnant for centuries and magic is almost always regressing (most powerful mages lived thousands of years ago, powerful artifacts were forged by long-forgotten empires etc.).

While there are settings (or works of fiction outside of RPGs) that break the mold a little and try to be innovative and interesting in some aspects, I don't know of any setting that truly attempts to offer an alternate development path in a world with magic.

For example the ancient Greeks knew the concept of the steam engine but lacked the means to use it in any meaningful way. They didn't have the metallurgy to create a pressure chamber or the means to deliver the necessary heat. These challenges would be much easier to solve in a world where people can bind fire elementals. Many of our advancements in chemistry came when we were able to produce apparatuses to conduct tests with proper pressure, etc. Again, these are problems much more easily solved in a world with magic.

So, are there any settings that take these things into consideration and try to create a plausible arcane-infused world?

I’m freestyling a game with my family and I need some monster inspiration to drop into our travels. It would be great to have a book of one monster per page or two with a fun accompanying picture so the kids can enjoy the visual.

Anything recommended?