RPGaDay 2024

I again missed this year's RPGaDAY blogging event. But hey, at least it's still the same year this time 'round. These will be fun to come back to 10 years from now.

Day 1: First RPG bought this year

I think it was Swyvers. If free games also count, it was Advanced FASERIP. Both PDFs, of course; I haven't bought physical RPG products this year (instead allocating shelf space and hobby budget to gamebooks and board games).

Day 2: Most recently played

The last game I ran was WFRP 4E where the group tracked down and defeated a pair of trolls (finally allowing the troll slayer the opportunity to advance in their career). Since then I also played in a Kazamaták és Kompániák campaign where we set sail for a distant island to rid some party members of a terrible curse.

Day 3: Most often played RPG

This year it was WFRP 4E, closely followed by Lancer and Arduin.

Day 4: RPG with great art

I'm much less interested in art in games than many others. Still, if I had to say, my favourite game in terms of illustrations is the first edition of Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea (in its current edition known as Hyperborea). All illustrations were done by Ian Baggley, ensuring the kind of visual consistency that gets even me going.

A close second would be Rifts (not just the core book but also many supplements). What can I say? I like tanks and robots.

Day 5: RPG with great writing

Again, I don't particularly judge RPGs on their artistic merits. For me a game is well-written if the writing is competent, unambiguous, and free of typos and other errors. HârnMaster is definitely one such game.

One that always fires up my imagination, though, is Monster Island, an unabashed sword-and-sorcery setting supplement for Mythras.

Day 6: RPG that is easy to use

Easy to use at the table or while learning the game? I would hope Kazamaták és Kompániák (click here for excerpts in English) fits both (particularly with the game aids my partner in crime, Narmor, designed for it), but I'm hardly unbiased and way too familiar with its systems.

I have yet to form a comprehensive opinion, but Break!! seems like one that is easy to learn.

As for easy at the table... all games are easy once you're familiar with them (just ask GURPS and HERO players).

Day 7: RPG with "good form"

Arguably not even an RPG in the traditional sense, En Garde! immediately jumps to mind when I think about social rules in a game.

Day 8: An accessory you appreciate

I don't know... A lot of these daily topics have to do with auxiliary stuff such as apps, screens, dice, and whatnot. At the end of the day, I think the most important accessory for my current gaming habits is Discord, because that's where we communicate, organise, and conduct our gaming sessions.

Day 9: An accessory you'd like to see

I'm not sure... I generally have everything I need, although they all could be improved slightly. I guess most games need better quick reference sheets.

Day 10: RPG you'd like to see on TV

I'm not that attached to RPG settings (and I also think television would butcher them anyway in order to appeal to a wider audience). A Rifts series would be pretty rad, though.

Day 11: RPG with well supported one-shots

Maelstrom Domesday has an incredible two-volume campaign spanning over 100 years. Each year comes with its own mini-adventure in the form of an investigation that can easily be played separate from each other.

Day 12: RPG with well supported campaigns

The obvious answer would be D&D or Call of Cthulhu or the aforementioned Maelstrom Domesday... but I wanna point out a rules-agnostic campaign that I like: King for a Day. It's a huge early medieval Anglo-Saxon sandbox with a bunch of interesting NPCs, conflicting goals, and plenty of secrets and horror elements.

Day 13: Evocative environments

I generally prefer simple but atmospheric environments to the zany and over-the-top. A ruined castle, a dark forest, misty mountains, and green hills are all I need to get into the fantasy adventuring mood.

I also adore the general setting of Werewolf: the Forsaken. The whole animistic cosmology with the separated worlds of Shadow and Flesh speak to me on a deeper level. However, its most evocative explanation isn't in a Werewolf book; it's actually the Book of Spirits, a supplement for the mortal line of World of Darkness.

Day 14: Compelling characters

Most of the time in my games, characters are memorable not because of their story arc, as it were, but because of some (usually funny) thing they did during play. The ex-student who charged alone into a beastman with his quarterstaff. The sorcerer who drank the warrior under the table using clever illusions. The avatar of a god who appeared out of thin air when his priest died (best character replacement mid-dungeon so far). The archaeologist who tragically destroyed a magical tome and thus began her unstoppable descent into madness. Sadly, you kinda had to be there to find them interesting — it's the adventures they went through and the shenanigans they pulled off that made them interesting.

Day 15: Great character gear

GURPS High-Tech and Ultra-Tech immediately come to mind as they are very comprehensive. We also had great fun with Shadowrun 3rd edition and the Cannon Companion back in the day. However, the most entertaining read has to be Paranoia's Stuff. The preview on DriveThruRPG doesn't really do justice to it, so here are two items selected randomly:

Day 16: Quick to learn

Mazes & Minotaurs (which I briefly talked about here) is one of my favourite rules-light games. It's immediately accessible in terms of both thematics and mechanics, and it only needs a d20 and a d6 (or maybe two of each for smoother play). Character creation is extremely straightforward (and because you have to assign your best rolls to the primary stats of your class, you cannot accidentally make a useless character), and record keeping is minimal. I heartily recommend it for everyone who likes games about adventure and/or Greek myths — and it's all free (or pay-what-you-want)!

Day 17: An engaging RPG community

Nowadays I mostly get my RPG-talk fix on the RPGPub forum. There's a tendency to favour traditional systems and appreciate crunch — both of which I had found lacking elsewhere. Also, it's very light on moderation: thread drift and necroing are both allowed (and practised regularly).

Day 18: Memorable moment of play

After twenty years of gaming, we've had many of those... Let's pick a fairly recent one. In my current Lancer campaign, the objective was achieved by one player self-destructing his mecha. However, before reaching the exfil zone, he found himself running into an enemy mech with a mech-scale shotgun. They attacked and scored a hit; the player had to roll for the severity of the injury, but he rolled a 1 — instant death.

Funnily, their clone at the end of the second mission pulled off a similar stunt, this time managing to survive the encounter. His call sign was changed from Stranger to Sacrifice to reflect his habits.

Day 19: Sensational session

I don't know about sensational, but there's one session in particular that we often reminisce about. Set in the City of Masks, the party was tasked with recovering a gem that was to be present at a noble wedding. During reconnaissance the party sadly killed the bride. So they picked a girl off the street and My Fair Ladied her, just enough to fool everyone until the ceremony. To ensure things go smoothly, they also killed off the bodyguard's captain, and one of them took his place. They suspected others had also infiltrated the mansion, so they had to be really cautious. The ceremony ended up being one giant disaster — it turned out that a group of Amazons were there to rescue the bride (their kidnapped queen), but of course they rescued the replacement girl; a few other parties revealed themselves as the gem was presented; and the party, disguised as the loyal guard and his mates, had to escape through the backdoor along with the nobleman. They made it to their hideout, where the noble thanked them for their service and even tasked them with cleansing his house to ensure his safe return — for a significant reward, of course...

Day 20: Amazing adventure

I've been quite enamoured with the original Boot Hill adventure modules, particularly Ballots & Bullets. I was already going to pick up some western minis and MDF buildings in the foreseeable future, but reading these modules just made me even more certain about it.

Demonspore is still among my favourite OSR modules, though, and I find it sad it's almost never mentioned.

Day 21: Classic campaign

We started Masks of Nyarlathotep a few years ago (although I ran the latest edition), but it's largely petered out by now... I'd really like to finish it, but I also don't want to put my current games on hold (play's already been pretty sporadic in the last few months). Beyond the Mountains of Madness is also on my wishlist of campaigns to run, but I'm really not sure when/if we'll get to it.

Day 22: Notable non-player character

I don't know; my memory tends to focus on the players... Perhaps the main cast in my published module, Benighted Betrothal? It's been many years since that campaign, but because of so many repeated interactions, they still haven't completely left me.

Day 23: Peerless player

If you're one, no worries; there are plenty of solitaire games you can play. It's probably worth a whole post (or series of posts) on its own, but there are games ranging from angsty journalling games and clever town management games to gritty dungeon crawlers and space exploration. Not to mention the various solitaire hex-and-chit games, procedurally driven "narrative" wargames, all sorts of interesting new gamebooks, and solo skirmish miniature games.

Day 24: Acclaimed advice

xx

Day 25: Desirable dice

The lucky ones :P

I was gifted a set of D&D dice a few years ago — and now I understand the appeal of metal dice. For dice pools I still prefer my trusty purple d10s and d6s, but the heft of those metal dice, man... It's just a really nice tactile experience.

Day 26: Superb screen

I don't really use GM screens, to be honest. I prefer quick reference sheets, and my favourite is probably the one my good friend Narmor made for Kazamaták és Kompániák. Here you can find a collection of the most important tables, and here's a sheet for note-taking during the game (alas, both in Hungarian).

Day 27: Marvellous miniature

I adore Victrix's Dark Ages set, and I've been eyeing their 1:144 WW2 figures as well. I have a few fantasy minis, but to be honest, I'm much more interested in historicals (and sci-fi) than fantasy. I have recently pulled the trigger and order some Bloody Miniatures figures as well — I find the ECW and TYW era aesthetically pleasing, and I have a number of game systems lined up for those very miniatures.

Day 28: Great gamer gadget

The most sophisticated gadget I use at the table is a dice tray my significant other made for me. It's very simple, but I prefer the minimalist aesthetics.

Day 29: Awesome app

COMP/CON for Lancer. Nothing comes even close. On the other hand, it's almost necessary to use (otherwise you'd almost have to replicate it on paper yourself). I'm also partial to Hex Kit and Dungeondraft.

Day 30: Person you'd like to game with

My sister. She hadn't shown any interest in RPGs for a long time, but a year or two ago she and her friends began a Vampire: the Masquerade campaign. My brother already plays with us when his time permits, so we could have a proper family game sometime — if we can overcome the hurdles of scheduling.

Day 31: Game or gamer you miss

I haven't played with anyone from my first long-term group for ages. I'm not sure we'd be "compatible", but it'd be fun too play again sometime.