"A violent and dark gothic ttRPG that plunges immortal PCs into the endless city of Aeternum to fight vile Fiends and otherworldly foes."

"After ten thousand thousand generations have each walked ten billion billion years towards the horizon, they shall stand no closer to the city's edge then whence they began."

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G'day all!

I'm nearing the launch of my Kickstarter for the 2nd edition of my Aeternum game. If you like Bloodborne, eldritch horror, blood-soaked combat, TPKs, being immortal and endless gothic cities built by divine beings, then this may be worth your time.

I've been working on Aeternum for a long time now (and almost two decades on Fragged games in general), and I'm really proud of this project.

If I were to single out just one unique feature to draw you in, its that its a really fun and unique experience to GM given that the PCs are immortal (they turn into spectres when they die, and can be resurrected by an ally or back at base). Death and TPKs are not a fail state, failing the mission is (which is usually saving mortals) - which can result in lots of epic moments of self-sacrifice and drama.

Thanks for giving my work a look,
Wade D.

Kickstarter pre-launch page: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/wadedyer/fragged-aeternum-2-ttrpg

Ps: All art is human made.

Essentially, something with a prehistoric world with dinosaur races.

WE ARE LIVE with out Eat The Reich Hack: Eat The HIVE were you rise up against the facist overlords of a terrifying sci-fi mega city! WIth heavy influences from Necromunda, 2000AD & Cyberpunk 2077

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/theatremacabre/eat-the-hive

In Candle Drips Away, everyone plays a sentient candle. Your life lasts as long as your flame burns. Be that until you run out of wax or until it’s cut short through other means. Your ultimate goal is to light something. Perhaps to light the beacon that warns the lands of danger, maybe you need to light the Hero Candle who will save the world or maybe your master simply requires you to light his reading lamp. Either way, a long and dangerous journey for a simple candle.

Candle Drips Away is a one-page TTRPG that can run one-shots and campaigns of varying length. It uses a real-life candle to determine the length of the story, while players track their characters' wax and expend it to perform minor feats of magic. 

This is my first TTRPG which was just released for free on drivethrurpg and itch. I would highly appreciate it if you check it out!

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/581090/candle-drips-away

https://fluftherderrpg.itch.io/candle-drips-away

https://rpg-trader.com/products/8989/candle-drips-away

TL;DR: is there an audience/ appetite for this type of setting? I’m building it for myself but I’ll publish it somewhere if people are interested. It’ll be free/PWYW at most.

EDIT: To be clear, this is not meant to be realistic, or historically accurate in any way. The setting is inspired by these ideas. It’s not trying to tell history, or anything about America. The setting is not America. It’s a made up world, based on American folklore ( and geography somewhat because many myths are tied specific regions or types of places). It’s for a game, it’s not real life.
—

Was talking with my friend last week and he sent me a meme about American folklore icons (Specifically referring to Paul Bunyan as an American Kaiju, which I found hysterical) and one of the first things that came to mind was creating a TTRPG setting where all the creature/monsters/Villains were American cryptids, Myths, and folklore. First villain idea was “Johnny Appleseed” except he’s a necromancer whose seeds spawn corrupted treant like monsters; Maybe he spews cider breath in a cone if you manage to get close. Ideas kept flowing from there.

I started designing it for my own use, but was curious if there was community interest so that way I can build it more professionally than I would for myself lol.

Vibe: The vibe I’m going for is mostly satirical, but also easy to make grimdark (see genre below)

Genre: my cup of tea is Fantasy so that will be the focus, but I want to keep it genre agnostic with alternate options included in case you prefer to use it for Historical fiction, true Horror, mystery, etc. max technology level would probably be like 1700s America, but I’ll be sure to make it so you can easily do a modern day if you wanted. Core would still be that medieval fantasy tech.

Lore: I’m not going for 100% historical/mythological accuracy by any means. More just the general vibe of each idea/creature and putting a twist on it to suit a TTRPG style game. Also don’t want to make it purely American in case people don’t know the history, myths, or aren’t even from America. (Note: many American myths are from specific cultures like African Americans, Native Americans, etc, and I am no expert on those cultures so those ideas will either be avoided completely or reworked if they have modern day, mainstream versions. The goal is fantastical wackiness, told in the genre the user chooses so anything important to a culture will be kept in mind and avoided out of respect)

System: my end goal is system agnostic for ease of use. The heart of it will likely be built to the OSR style because it’s the most adaptable to any d20 based TTRPG. I’d also like to build guides/give recommendations for systems like savage worlds since I like it and it’s fairly popular haha. d100 and d6 based systems are usually easy to adopt based on either d20 games or a savage worlds style game as far as statblocks go so I’ll make notes for it, but seems excessive to plan for absolutely everything.

Planned features:
- hex map of a (simplified, size and detail wise) alternate North America that captures themes of each geographic region. Tons of settlements (cities, towns, etc) POIs, landmarks. Not going to be a dolmenwood or land of eem, but I’d like it to be that style
- NPCs, at least key ones, to populate the main cities. These may be alternate historical figures or tropey characters with very American names (Bob Hotdog is crazy, but I wouldn’t count it out)
- 10+ Major, bosslike creatures based on American myth (Johnny Appleseed, Paul Bunyan, etc) with full statblocks and abilities/GM guidance
- American wildlife statted out (many systems already have this, but just for convenience of 1 package)
- at least 2 factions with key NPCs, motives and methods. (The good guys and bad guys)
- Lore guide (Again, not going for 100% accuracy here. Just vibes and some setting themed lore)

Potential other features:
- tiers for each of the main villains mentioned above (ie a level 3 Johnny Appleseed, a level 8, lvl 10, etc) or at least guidance on how to scale them.
- NPC versions of each of the humanoid myths in case you want them to be friendly, or just not combat oriented (maybe even villain NPC and heroic NPC)
- blurbs for each myth with cited sources for full accuracy in case people want a “lore accurate” depiction of the myths
- full, detailed conversions for other systems

Happy for any feedback, comments and suggestions! It seems like a big undertaking, and I’m not going to rush it, but it’s something I started building and really like so I’m happy to put the work in a share if people want it. Thanks!

Ive been making a space fantasy setting for a few years now. (knights is space with wizards) however ive always had the problem with the rules not reflecting the setting. I normally play GURPS. but apparently magic in space is where the generic universal role playing system, Draws the line. Im not looking for lore, Just rules. Any recommendations?

Check out a modern war TTRPG; Outside the Wire is about leading a team (squad-size) through high-risk counterinsurgency operations with constant moral ambiguity. We devised a 2d10 operations system for action resolution and built a robust, fully realized solo-play mode driven by flowsheets, Oracle, and Sunlight Clock (a pressure system) for GM-less missions. Inspired by classic 1980s wargames, it emphasizes tactical realism and consequences, where a squad's decisions directly alter the living ecosystem of a dynamic 12-week deployment. When you take out a sniper, it might reduce the insurgency but also reduce local trust (since the sniper was a local farmer...) We included a sandbox generator to develop fictional settings, and also included background on recent real-world events. The deluxe campaign is in the fictional Walat region.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1331324804/outside-the-wire

Hi Everyone! I'm considering running Night Below, a D&D 2e adventure, and was wondering if anyone here has experience converting a module like this to a new system like Old School Essentials or Shadowdark. Have you found something like this a generally difficult/easy task? Maybe it would be easier to simply run it with with the second edition rules? I'd love what everyone's experience with something like this is!

I've been binge reading rick Riordan's various series and it got me thinking that I'd like to play a campaign in a similar setting, but I don't think DND fits. I'm not super familiar with most other TTRPGs so I'm not sure where to look. I think something with a more flexible power system than dnd because the spells don't really fit with the wide assortment of different abilities different demigods have.

There will be two hardcovers published by Dark Horse: Operation Fulcrum Dawn (which collects Operation Solstice Rain and Operation Winter Scar) and The Lancer Setting Guide Vol. 1 (which collects The Long Rim and The Karrakin Trade Baronies supplements).

Drive Thru RPG Link: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/546908/tome-of-the-pyromancer

The land of Quelann was the birthplace of all Pyromancies. Long ago great Pyromancer Lords wielded those devastating powers and in their hubris, ground Quelann and its secrets down to slag and dust.

Now,  an unknown amount of time later, there are no longer kingdoms. People, not much more than dregs, struggle to eke out a modest existence, banding together in settlements and even some semblances of cities.

Recently, tales have begun to surface of lost Relics, forgotten Pyromancy Tomes and ancient Sages. You, a lowly dreg like all the rest, know the tales must be true, having found one such Relic yourself; even learning a novice pyromancy. You have begun a journey to uncover the secrets of the past, intent to master the struggle of the Inner Fires; to become something more and maybe even usher in a new age of learning and prosperity. If you somehow manage to survive, to become a Pyromancer in truth, only one question remains... Will you lead or rule?

Features :

• Tome of the Pyromancer uses the Grief-Engine by Castle Grief at its core.
• Focusing on travel and exploration in the realm of Quelann to find the old pyromancy secrets of ages past.
• Full multi-campaign setting built for Solo-play. All aspects of the game are generated as you interact with the world. 
• 6 distinct Domains with each having 36 Points of Interest, 36 Travel Encounters and 72 Exploration Site Encounters.
• 27 page Bestiary.
• 36 Unique Sites to Explore spanning the 6 Domains.
• 6 endgame mega Sites.
• 6 Pyromancy Disciplines each with 5 unique pyromancy spells.
• Character sheet.
• Blank Hexmap
• Mechanics balancing use of Pyromancies, Deciphering Pyromancy Tomes, Invaders and more.
• Document size: 86 pages. 
• All art hand drawn by the author and creator. 

Check out these Actual Play Reports:

Crispy Kobold , Kind of Old, Whiskey, Blood and Dust ,  Jreluctance and The Lone Bard!

Article by Kind of Old: ToP: Right Game to Start Solo Play

I have been buying a new solo RPG once a month and for September I am leaning toward either Tarnation or Grimscar. I was wondering if anyone has played either one or both and could give me some feedback.

Hey, everyone. If you like tactical RPGs and fighting video games, you might like Fight! 2nd Edition. Right now, we're running a Kickstarter for our new supplement, Fight! Button Masher. This new book streamlines the chargen process so you can have a complete Fighter built in only a few minutes. The book also provides a streamlined version of the combat rules to make the game faster to learn and faster to play. Finally, it has a starter adventure with pregens so you can get started right away.

Please consider checking out the Kickstarter here.

I've got a recurring NPC who started as comic relief. He's a sad, twitchy guy the party tolerates and needles. Somebody on the crew told him he wasn't allowed to use the ship's shower, as a bit, and it stuck for months of in-game time. He's the Nodwick, Joxer, Kif, C-3PO, and Neville Longbottom of the group. Shit rolls down hill and every group needs a dog to kick.

In our Stars Without Number game: Recently he came up to the bridge during a crisis wearing another crew member's clothes, announced he'd read a book on leadership and was taking command, and then folded the second someone was sharp with him. Standard comic beat. But then, after the crises, the captain went to him and engaged with him as a real human. We got to see behind the Urkel to the real man beyond, and it started to turn into something real. He told the captain he wanted an actual room instead of the cargo-hold nest everyone calls his "den," he wanted shower access back, and he wanted to be treated like crew.

It turned into the most honest conversation the party has had about how they treat the people around them. The captain's player had to actually negotiate: you get a real room, you don't get the nice one, and you're going to keep taking some grief because everyone here does.

The joke NPC turned into the mirror the moment a player engaged with him on it, and it all happened organically. I guess we never really know what feelings an NPC is harboring until we let them talk.

When a recurring NPC the party treats as a punching bag pushes back and asks for real standing, how do you play it? Do you let them win the point, and does it change how the party operates afterward, or does it slide back to the bit?

This came out of our Stars Without Number game, Dark Star Adventurecast. The episode is You Broke the Ship, Robert.

I've been working on a high-fantasy, maybe DnD-like/adjecent TTRPG for some time now. One aspect I favour is that I am trying to create new fantasy races (though I do include kobolds and trolls as well). My newest playable race is the Chlomothos.

Children of Gorlean, the god of mountains and caverns, the chlomothos dwell in the dark. These slender, pale-skinned creatures sometimes appear in cautionary tales told to children with their long fingers and black eyes. The chlomothos prefer not to meddle with other races unless necessary, and so live in hidden, underground cities. However, some of them are rumoured to live within the dark forest of the night goddess, Reara.

Attribute Increase: Your Intelligence and Wisdom are increased by 1.

Movement Speed: Your walking speed is 25 feet.

Truth-sayer: Chlomothos have a keen eye for lies, and feel dishonoured by them. You are proficient in Insight.

Keen-eyed: The darkness has made your eyes sharper. You treat Darkness and Dim Light as if it was Bright Light, but you are affected by Utter Darkness as others are.

Dark-dweller: Having lived your life underground, you have trouble with sharp lights. You have Disadvantage on Saving Throws against being Blinded.

Languages: You can speak Thílon and Chlomothan.

Do you create custom races for your game?

I threw this together over the course of a few days. Feedback welcomed. Enjoy!

https://fataltomb.itch.io/rot-barrow

As the title states, I'll be running a military-style fantasy campaign with some buddies soon. I usually do this and use DnD rules, but I don't know how I feel about using them as, in all honesty, I run my games pretty loose and very story-oriented, while keeping to a sense of magic-realism (most of the time). I am very inspired by Steven Erikson and Ian C. Esslemont's Malazan books and the AD&D/GURPS campaign they ran, which later became the material for the books. I think im going to blend a little of this and that from DnD into the rules (as that is what most of the players are used to), but way back when I ran my own very nonsensical system I made up that had very little in way of fair power-scaling, but seemed to work well for my friends who enjoyed the wacky nature and off-the-cuff exploits they could get up to.

More to the point, I wanted to ask if anybody has any suggestions for a more military oriented campaign, mostly in an era similar to the Bronze Age, or even the era of the Sumerians with the rise of Babylon, or the conquest of Babylon by Alexander the Great. Any advice or systems would be appreciated, from ways to run combat in a large-scale battle (my players will be a single squad, for reference) to even general ideas of progression. It is a homebrew world I've been working on for 6 years now, so it's fairly thought out, and my main-player ive already asked to play said he wants to do it in this world with a pre-set narrative, as he says he wants to see the story i've created. The only advice I've really thought of so far hasn't even been from a ttrpg perspective (maybe), but from Malazan (which came out of a ttrpg, so maybe this statement was...), but it was a character stating that they believed all large-scale engagements were really just a lot of small-scale engagements which piled up side-by-side, leading to pocket-sized skirmishes, such as you would expect in a DnD encounter. I think this might be the route for big battles, with maybe the inclusion of a lot of surprise attacks and accidents to give off the vibe of the insanity and chaos of a 20000+ man battle. Any suggestions would be helpful, be they mechanics homebrewed or straight up taken from a ttrpg you like. Thanks in advance for any responses!

I already have a lot of them that were mentioned on that post but i dont wanna leave any stone unturned. Honestly, i specifically am interested in anthropomorphic triceratopses. Cheers in advance!

I never got into Tunnels & Trolls, it didn’t fit into my youthful formula of bang for buck & does it look cool? I just didn’t have extra money for many things. Tunnels & Trolls was one of them, Runequest & Traveler were others. As someone who is fascinated by the early days of the hobby I am of course drawn in by the world presented by Tunnels & Trolls, the second role playing game.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/reformedhillbilly93/junkrats-rpg

Hello!

I am a master's student at Illinois State university, and I would like to invite you to participate in a research project that explores the interactions of table-top role-playing game (TTRPG) characters and their players. I am specifically looking for your experiences as you play your character, and how the other people in the group interact with both you and your character during sessions.

Research like this will help people understand the dynamics and impacts of player-character interactions and the nature of TTRPGs.

This study depends on the personal experiences of TTRPG players like you, and I would really appreciate hearing from you. Your responses are very valuable as they will allow us to understand how you have interacted with your character and the other players and characters in your group. 

https://qualtricsxm54skbgct3.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9NsnnF4wibc0nmm

The survey should take about 15 minutes to complete.

I hope you will consider assisting me with this exciting research project!

Thank you for your time!