26.Q1 Hobby Update

Despite being rather busy with work, the first few months of 2026 ended up being surprisingly fruitful on the hobby front.

Role-playing games

• I ran a very successful Ghastly Affair one-shot for three players. The story was set in and around a lighthouse. The party and the ship's crew took shelter there during a particularly severe storm. The mysteries uncovered included espionage (concerning the French involvement in the American War of Independence), an evil twin murdering and taking the place of his brother, and a first mate accelerating his ascent to captaincy during the storm (and then trying to kill the cabin boy who witnessed his crime). Nothing supernatural was going on (aside from the strange storm that relented only when the culprits were apprehended), which is a twist I always wanted to try.
• I played in Narmor's birthday dungeon crawl using Kard és Mágia 2nd edition. Of course, my character died because of a failed saving throw (I think it's become a pattern by now), but getting another one up and running is as quick as a toilet break.
• We finally continued our Lancer campaign (on hiatus since last June!) and already had four sessions this year—good stuff. The characters are level 5, so we've finally arrived at Tier 2. The campaign is concerned with a kind of civil war where one side is backed by the Union. Also, the opposing side is keeping up technologically, probably due to experimental technology the party uncovered at a SecCom-era black site close by.
• We also created characters and played through a "tutorial" mission in Mythic Space. The system is simple and straightforward, and the character variety is really good. I'm quite eager to continue, but so much has been going on in terms of family stuff and my day job that it's been really hard to schedule a session.

Board games

• Late last year's surprise hits were Poetry for Neanderthals and A Fake Artist Goes to New York, and we had a few more plays of both in January and February.
• Two new titles I tried were Onoda and Vantage. Onoda is a push-your-luck area movement game with a very unique (and controversial) theme. Vantage is an interesting card-based adventure game where you crash land on an alien planet. What I really love about it is that it's not a campaign game, and it's very easy to set up, play a game, and put it away. It's playable with up to six players, and I'm a little curious about how that works out, but I have a strong hunch it's actually best played solitaire.
• We played a few staples in our group, like Mysterium, Deception, and 6 nimmt!, too.

Gamebooks

• Adventuregame Comics #1 Leviathan is an interactive comic book resembling a point-and-click adventure game in print. It's not super deep as far as interactive fiction goes, and there are no real game mechanics either, but it's a pretty fun experience.
• It'll be a few more years until my niece is ready for gamebooks, but I wanted to assemble a collection in advance. Werewolf Wood is the first one I picked up. It's not super difficult and pulls its punches early on, but you can definitely lose it (and get eaten by a werewolf). I'm not entirely happy with all endings (some of them raising more questions than answering them), but it could be a decent first gamebook for an 8-year-old.
• I was also playtesting A Midwinter Journey. I wasn't as active as I wanted to be (thanks to increased demands from work and family life), but I'm eager to jump back in once it's released for good.

Wargames

• We played a game of Ruthless over Roll20. It's a solid, lightweight system, although I think I still prefer Dracula's America (even without the supernatural elements). I'm not really into the western genre, but there's something very appealing about western miniatures and MDF terrain. I can easily see myself building a small collection for it down the line.
• I've ordered a bunch of Stargrave boxes to play Five Parsecs from Home, Techno-Fantasy Adventure, and Shoot People in Space. I already have a small collection of 40k figures (orks, eldars, space marines, and imperial guardsmen), but I'm lacking more grounded, civilian-style figures.
• I've been reading the rules for Lock 'n Load Tactical: Day of Heroes. I can't wait to get it on the table. I also received my copy of Men of Iron Tri-Pack!

Video games

• I'm keeping a closer eye on my video game time this year as well. I have mostly been playing some new titles these last few months (well, new to me).
• Is This Seat Taken? is a cozy puzzle game in which you try to arrange the seating of a number of people in a space (such as a bus, a train, a wedding, a concert, etc.), while adhering to their constraints (e.g. Alice must sit next to Bob, but Bob doesn't like being close to the speakers, and so on). It's been good fun playing it before bed after a long day.
• The King Is Watching is a base-building auto-battler. I found the whole attention mechanic interesting at first (basically, only buildings under the king's eye are functioning at any given moment), but I got bored with it fairly quickly, to be honest.
• Metal Slug Tactics, unlike the previous Metal Slug titles, is a grid-based tactical game with roguelite elements. The central mechanic is Evade, which reduces incoming damage by a set amount, and you gain it by moving as far away from your starting position as you can. So even though it's a turn-based tactical game, it almost feels like a fast-playing FPS with all your guys whizzing about the map.
• Warriors of the Nile 2 surprised me in the best way possible. It's another grid-based tactical roguelite, this time with a vaguely Egyptian theme. Despite being fairly constrained, I found myself hooked longer than expected as I figured out some of the insane combos you can put together.

All in all, it's been a busy first quarter. Hopefully, I'll get to play at least as much in the next coming months as well. I'm particularly looking forward to our Lancer and Mythic Space campaigns and getting Day of Heroes and Men of Iron to the table.

What about you lot? What have you been playing lately?

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

[edit: it looks like I skipped this one]

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.

RPGaDay 2023

I usually don't participate in any sort of community blog event for several reasons, but last year's RPGaDay questions seemed interesting enough to tackle. However, I quite dislike releasing a bunch of small posts so I combined all the questions and answers into this one.

Day 1: FIRST RPG played (in 2023)

It was early January that we started a new campaign of Werewolf: the Forsaken (1st edition). Although my love for the Storytelling System has waned considerably (compared to the late 00s when it was our most played system), the animistic nature of Werewolf and the particular implementation of the Shadow Realm (especially the way it was elaborated on in the Book of Spirits) still makes it one of my favourite settings conceptually. If I were to redesign the rules, though, I'd probably go for something close to Rivers of London and Imperium Maledictum, although the whole spirit rank system just cries for a level-based approach. I would have to make sure that either combat is quick (like, OD&D quick) or actually interesting (with the caveat that making it into a power-based tactical game would be pretty cool and a disservice to the setting at the same time).

Day 2: First RPG GAMEMASTER

I actually don't remember the first GM I met (probably someone in my first group, possibly Szabolcs running 7th Sea or Viktor running MAGUS that one time), so I'm going to interpret this as the first RPG I GMed, which was Shadowrun 3rd edition. Despite its many flaws, I would still be down to run the game. It might not come to pass, though, as Sinless, a retro-clone of old-school Shadowrun, will soon be released.

Day 3: First RPG BOUGHT (in 2023)

The first PDFs I bought were The Sword of Cepheus and Superpowered. The only physical gaming products I picked up in 2023 are a few gamebooks (the first batch was all by Victoria Hancox) and a wargame (Western Front Ace).

Day 4: Most RECENT game bought

The one I bought most recently is Super Action Role-Play. The most recently published one I picked up is Imperium Maledictum.

Day 5: OLDEST game you've played

It has to be OD&D, right?

Day 6: Favourite game you NEVER get to play

That's a tricky one, because I enjoy "running" RPGs way more than "playing" them. Nevertheless, if we talk strictly about "playing" RPGs, I wish I had more opportunities to play OD&D (I'm not elitist, though; Delving Deeper, Age of Conan, or Champions of ZED would also suffice). I want it fast and loose, with large skirmishes and each player (sooner rather than later) having henchmen and hirelings and mercenaries. Kinda like a large narrative skirmish game, actually. If we're talking about games I'd like to run but seemingly never can, well, that's a big list, but here's a few things on my mind at the moment: (1) a cross between OD&D and the narrative campaign in the Realm of Chaos books; (2) a Braunstein-like game of Boot Hill, with miniatures and asymmetric player forces (I would love to run something similar with Battle Troll, too); (3) a wuxia sandbox, either using Righteous Blood, Ruthless Blade or Wandering Heroes of Ogre Gate.

Day 7: SMARTEST RPG you've played

Torchbearer is weirdly good (the ways its subsystems interact with each other is like a well-oiled machine), even though it didn't scratch the right itch for me. Lancer, although probably not the smartest overall, is also well-designed (if you're into 4E-style tactical combat and mechas), both in terms of player abilities (and their interactions) and enemy design (although there's really not enough GM tools in the core book to set up fights). Mazes & Minotaurs, maybe? It's so incredibly slick and robust, but is it smart?

It almost feels to me like the smartest one has to be the most versatile one.... something like GURPS, HERO, or EABA.

Day 8: Favourite CHARACTER

I am rarely a player, and I don't find my own characters particularly memorable... But there was a halfling warrior in Narmor's Dungeon World campaign, Finnegan, that I really enjoyed playing. I generally remember the games, not my characters.

If characters that played in my campaigns are allowed, then I have quite a few favourites:

• Scott the hacker and John the cop from my first nWoD campaign back in secondary school
• Csillámcsóró Csongor (Premier suggested Gilbert Glassglad, but it's impossible to translate accurately), a cleric of the Order of Glassbreakers; all because the character's random starting item from a d100 table was a piece of broken glass
• Zöldfogú Harald (Harald Greentooth), a warrior in my Vikings & Valkyries campaign, the least successful member in a family of womanisers
  

Day 9: Favourite DICE

I was gifted a set of D&D-branded metal dice some time ago; I have underrated the incredibly satisfying tactility the heft of metal dice have for too long!

Still, my absolutely favourite dice are a set of plastic purple dice. They have been with me for ages, in sickness and in health.

Also, d12s are underrated.

Day 10: Favourite tie-in FICTION

I don't really read RPG-related fiction (although I copy edited a few short stories and novellas of the kind). In fact, most of the fiction I read is categorised as "classic literature" (my top three probably being The Count of Monte Cristo, Brave New World, and Előre, gonoszok!), although by now I have read some pulp fantasy and sci-fi as well.

Day 11: WEIRDEST game you've played

Either Puppetland or My Life with Master. While the former fell pretty flat for me, the latter I remember as one of my favourite games of all time (just to be clear, I used game as shorthand for "not quite one session but not really a campaign... two sessions, to be exact").

Day 12: Old game you STILL play

My taste in gaming has changed considerably over the years. Basically, I don't really play any of the games I started out with any more. I'm also largely over my "old-school only" period in gaming — now I'm into narrative skirmish games :P

Day 13: Most memorable character DEMISE

I'm not a particularly cruel referee, but there certainly have been a number of PC deaths over the years. Still, my favourite is probably the one which led to the birth of another: Kron literally rose from the ashes of the player's previous character (thanks to the quick chargen of Kazamaták és Kompániák).

Day 14: Favourite CONVENTION purchase

I don't have any. The local conventions I attended weren't usually selling stuff.

Day 15: Favourite Con MODULE / ONE-SHOT

My absolute favourite convention module, due to its sheer weirdness, was Urban's Dekomoran scenario (which is a tongue-in-cheek play on Boccaccio's Decameron and the Hungarian word "komor", E. sombre). It was run with the real first edition of Warhammer, but the true sauce was the highly absurdist setting. My memories are quite vague, but an oneiric recollection fits the scenario perfectly!

Day 16: Game you WISH you owned

That's a tricky question, because most games that interest me can be acquired at least in digital form, and I rarely purchase physical products (I do print out a lot of reference material, though, often of my own design). The first edition of Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea (now just Hyperborea) is something I wouldn't mind getting my hands on. Even though I like 2nd edition the most in terms of rules and layout, I find the first edition's unified visual style more appealing. Another one is The Fantasy Trip: Legacy Edition, which comes with all sorts of maps and counters and whatnot. Unfortunately, shipping costs make it a very unfeasible purchase for me, especially because most of our games are played online these days.

Day 17: FUNNIEST game you've played

Humour is a big component in virtually all of my games (it's inevitable and even desirable when you play with your close friends), so there's a bunch of weird little emergent events that we look back on fondly... Let me pick one at random.

The party fought some ghouls in a dungeon; some members have been paralysed, including the berserker (remember, it lasts for quite a while in older editions). The player made it explicit that he intends to start raging immediately when the effect ends (the characters were able to deduce his state of mind by looking deep into his crazy eyes; but honestly, this wouldn't have been the most meta moment anyways). The party moved the berserker to a cleared room a couple corridors away and locked themselves up in a different room (including a local NPC from the village above). Y'know, for good measure.

Paralysis ends, rage ensues. We're counting rounds. Open doors check succeeds. The player gives an equal chance to all directions. The berserker's heading straight towards the party's location. Decides he'll try forcing a door open no longer than 3 rounds. Fortunately, the party's holding up successfully.

Next door opens on the first try. In a pit, there's a girl — a werewolf (not in control of her transformation). She sees the berserker open up the pit. She starts transforming. Rage stops, berserker falls to the ground exhausted. Party members come out and investigate. They manage to grab the berserker and pull him in the same room they were hiding in, but the werewolf follows them.

They know they can't hold the door long enough, so they move into the crypt whence the ghouls originally attacked. Meanwhile, it turns out the boy knows the girl (in fact, they are in love, and freeing her from this dungeon was his secret motivation all along). People suspect the crypt door won't hold long either — they need to sacrifice something. Or someone. The berserker throws the boy at the rampaging werewolf and closes the crypt door. The girl, upon realising what she's done, wanders off into the dungeon — they never saw her again.

Day 18: Favourite game SYSTEM

That's a tough one. I obviously really like Kazamaták és Kompániák (you can find a few English posts here), but I'm also partial to The Fantasy Trip, Mongoose Traveller, and Call of Cthulhu / BRP.

Day 19: Favourite PUBLISHED adventure

One of my favourite adventure modules (one that I both played at a convention and later ran for my own group as well) is Melan's In the Name of the Principle. It's the perfect campaign starter: the players are tasked with a difficult mission of eliminating key figures in a city. It's an open-ended scenario with a clear initial goal — my favourite structure.

It might be cheating, but I'd like to nominate another favourite (campaign) module: Masks of Nyarlathotep. We haven't finished it yet with my group (although we're getting close), but I can already say it absolutely deserves being called the best published campaign module.

Day 20: Will still play in TWENTY years time...

I cannot really say. Twenty years is a long time... I will still probably run some form of OSR game (whether OD&D, Kazamaták és Kompániák, AS&SH, or something close to those). Aside from that, I have no idea.

Day 21: Favourite LICENSED RPG

I rarely play licensed RPGs. Does Dark Heresy count (as FFG licensed it from GW)? Or WFRP 4E?

Day 22: Best SECONDHAND RPG purchase

My very first RPG purchase was a used copy of a Hungarian game called Codex. Later I acquired a better quality copy of both the core rules and the magic supplement (Grimoire), and I haven't bought any secondhand books since (well, at least not RPG books).

Day 23: COOLEST-looking RPG product / book

The then-boyfriend of the older sister of a friend of mine had a Werewolf: the Apocalypse book with the claw marks cut into the cover. It really impressed me as a teenager.

Day 24: COMPLEX / SIMPLE RPG you play

I had a fairly extensive minimalist era with regards to rules, but I actually prefer crunchy games. One of my current favourites is Lancer (even though it's far from perfect), and I have also been impressed with WFRP 4E so far.

My favourite simple game is probably Mazes & Minotaurs (well, Vikings & Valkyries) followed closely by Ghastly Affair. Also Call of Cthulhu.

Day 25: UNPLAYED RPG you own

I have quite a few of those... The ones I really want to try at some point include Kult (1st edition), Modern War, Pendragon, and Righteous Blood, Ruthless Blade.

Day 26: Favourite CHARACTER SHEET

For a long while, my favourite character sheets have been those made by MrGone for the (old and new) World of Darkness. I'm also partial to the various d100 character sheets (Call of Cthulhu, BRP, WFRP, Against the Darkmaster, etc.).

Nowadays, I usually make my own character sheets in GoogleSheets, where I can semi-automate and share them with my players. It's definitely a function-over-form matter for me.

Day 27: Game you'd like a new EDITION of...

Hm, let me see...

• Behind Enemy Lines (new layout and more examples of play; new and more maps)
• ForeSight (an improvement and modernisation following the groundwork laid down in the previous editions and the James Bond RPG to become a generic system for modern and futuristic action-adventure games with a simulationist bend)
• Magic World (along with supplements and proper support from Chaosium)
• Mutant Chronicles (an improvement upon 2nd edition instead of the 2d20 system)
• Rifts (with a cleaned up but familiar system with much better organisation; gun & robot porn should stay, but the various options need to be mechanically significant)

Day 28: SCARIEST game you've played

I'm not sure I was ever "scared" while playing, and I don't think I ever really inflicted terror on my players. Some of my earlier World of Darkness games were pretty freaky, although usually more surreal than terrifying.

Day 29: Most memorable ENCOUNTER

My players really liked the dung monster in Rappan Athuk. We've also had some good fights in Lancer so far.

However, most of the memorable events in my games aren't really encounters but rather my players' responses to certain situations that often spiral out of control. The tale with the werewolf I shared above... The time when they used a Trojan Horse Beornian Goat to get into a village... When they accidentally killed (and then replaced in My Fair Lady fashion) the bride of a noble whose precious stone they were after... The list goes on.

Day 30: OBSCURE RPG you've played

The three most obscure games I played in the last 20 years, I reckon, are My Life with Master, Puppetland, and Warhammer: The Mass Combat Fantasy Roleplaying Game.

Day 31: FAVOURITE RPG of all time

It has to be a tie between Vikings & Valkyries and AS&SH (now Hyperborea). I generally like their mechanics, their settings, and all the memories we have generated playing them.

Thinking About Spells per Level for Clerics

While finalizing the text of the upcoming 2nd edition of the Hungarian retro-clone Kazamaták és Kompániák, we took a look at clerics. Here's a simple table that sums up XP requirements and spells/day by edition (note that it's an incomplete table; Rules Cyclopedia, although up until level 14 matches Mentzer, grows way beyond that, and so does AD&D). I'm specifically looking at 3rd, 4th, and 5th level spells to gauge power levels. For reference, among others, consider the following spells:

• 3rd level: Continual Light, Cure Disease, Locate Object, Remove Curse
• 4th level: Neutralize Poison, Protection from Evil 10' radius
• 5th level: Commune, Quest, Raise Dead

When you consider that clerics gain access to all the spells on their list (except in AD&D, where 5th spell level and up are provided directly by the cleric's deity), and the fact that the spell list grows a little bit in each edition (for instance, Mentzer adds Cure Blindness as a 3rd level spell and Dispel Magic as a 4th level spell to the cleric's repertoire), you can see the power discrepancy between the editions.

As noted on the summary sheet, a Cook/Marsh cleric gets access to 4th and 5th level spells at level 6 (i.e. 25,000 XP), whereas a magic-user in the same edition only gains 3rd level spells at level 5 (i.e. 20,000 XP). By the time the magic-user gets their first 4th level spell at level 7 (i.e. 80,000 XP), the cleric has already got access to 5th level spells (from 50,000 XP, actually).

In Mentzer (and the Rules Cyclopedia), however, the clerics' power curve is steeper. They only get their hands on 4th level spells at level 8 (i.e. 100,000 XP) and 5th level spells at level 10 (i.e. 300,000 XP), which is comparable to magic-users in this edition (level 7 and 9, i.e. 80,000 XP and 300,000 XP, respectively). Furthermore, for an extra set of 6th level spells, clerics in Mentzer can cast fewer low level spells at the highest levels (although in the Rules Cyclopedia they make up for it as they advance beyond level 14).

AD&D is somewhere between the two B/X editions, with the caveat that clerics have access to 1st levels spells from level 1. They get their 3rd level spells the quickest (at level 3, i.e. 13,001 XP). They receive 4th level spells at level 7 (i.e. 55,001 XP), which is comparable to magic-users (level 7, i.e. 60,001 XP). In fact, magic-users get access to 5th level spells sooner than clerics (135,001 XP vs. 225,001 XP).

Even though the cleric's spell per level table in Cook/Marsh hurts my sense of symmetry, it allows the proliferation of save or die effects. If you think about it, if a party of six acquires a total of 300,000 gp during their adventures (and that's without XP for killing monsters!), their cleric gets access to raise dead - for the same to happen in Mentzer, those 300,000 gold pieces must have been acquired by the cleric alone.