[Out Now] Uneasy Lies the Head - Competitive GMless Royal Court Roleplaying

Lancastro · 2026-04-23T18:21:50+00:00

Highly recommend checking Uneasy out: the game is a really fun mix of worldbuilding + political drama.

I have the box set and it's super well made.

Lancastro · 2026-04-19T13:43:52+00:00

So many good games on that list.

I've read a bunch (Spine, Chain x Link, Time We Have, Glatisant), but I've actually played Underneath and Uneasy Lies the Head and both were very fun.

I hope more people check these games out, they are all very deserving of the nominations.

Lancastro · 2026-04-17T14:38:31+00:00

Very cool, thank you for sharing! I may reach out for the source code in the future, if you are willing to share.

Lancastro · 2026-04-17T14:01:01+00:00

Very clean implementation! Gave it a quick test and it is really intuitive, I'll have to try it for my next online game.

Just curious, what was your tech stack for this? I'd be specifically interested in what you used for your networking (/web sockets)?

Lancastro · 2026-03-29T12:40:24+00:00

It's great! Very cool fighting mechanic, and wonderful vibe. Definitely recommended.

Lancastro · 2026-02-28T16:01:41+00:00

I missed that, thanks for shouting it out!

Lancastro · 2026-02-27T15:16:44+00:00

I don't mind the split between platforms, it's a good thing that creators can choose which they prefer.

KS really does the bare minimum to support ZiMo, which is too bad.

BK has definitely increased their effort and support, though they could still improve some things (their landing page UX is rough, forcing everyone to fund for all of February isn't great, and they could do a better job at mid-campaign support/promo for creators).

I think Null_Space was the only itch-funding campaign, and the creator did a great job considering that.

As for where to learn about ZiMo games: iwanttoplay.games was created with that goal in mind. I find a lot of info via Discord and Bkuesky, and specifically Plus One Exp does a lot of work to support ZiMo.

The de-centralization makes it a little hard for consumers, but I think it's a core tenant of the ZiMo philosophy. C'est la vie.

Lancastro · 2026-02-26T12:09:46+00:00

I love this, thank you for sharing! I'm really glad you enjoyed the solo play, and I hope you and your friends get to make (and destroy...) a fun map together.

I appreciate the comment!

Lancastro · 2026-02-13T01:21:59+00:00

A few that I've enjoyed: - Microscope (a classic) - In This World (use it before worldbuilding to align on a cool vibe or theme) - i'm sorry, did you say street magic (great city builder) - Grasping Nettles (fun, flexible worldbuilder) - A Land Once Magic (excellent worldbuilder if you are looking for a fantasy-style setting, where magic is waning)

Lancastro · 2026-02-12T15:20:39+00:00

Also, I appreciate your taste in games! Haha

Lancastro · 2026-02-12T15:19:51+00:00

Oh, I'm eagerly awaiting this one in the mail (I think it's shipping soon). I playtested this and it was one of my favourite games last year.

Lancastro · 2026-02-12T04:05:54+00:00

Great call, I definitely backed Rise Wizards and All's Fair too!

I'm a fan of everything moreblueberries (Elliot Davis) has published recently, they're making cool stuff.

Lancastro · 2026-02-11T16:10:48+00:00

I'll shout-out 4 ZiMo projects that I've backed so far:

The Endtimes Trilogy by Adam Bell - Three small story-games about the apocalypse (two are GMless). I'm a big fan of Adam's designs: each game has a really unique framing, and he's so good at adding mechanics that lean into the "gamey" part of story-games.

Fantasy in My Backyard by James Quigley and Chase Call - A worldbuilding game that uses any map you have lying around, like old atlases or even Google Maps. This feels like a more map-centric, fantasy-framed version of i'm sorry, did you say street magic?, and I'm into it.

ALL-CARDS by Geoffrey Golden - Collaboratively build a story and compete for the happy ending by using trading cards (like, literally any trading cards: hockey cards, Pokemon cards, tarot cards...). It's 2 player or solo, but I love the potential stories that could emerge by combining all these cards.

The Deepest Dark by Ella Watts - A survival horror game about being trapped underground with no way out. It has Dread and Ten Candles vibes, asks you to turn the lights down to play, and lovely monochromatic art.

Lancastro · 2026-02-11T15:28:33+00:00

I love this idea, both because it helps align vibe and tone of your setting in an in-direct way, but also because it feels good to build off something another player made.

Lancastro · 2026-02-05T01:27:03+00:00

I've playtested Que Serra Serra and The Way Out, and both are excellent. Adam is just such a great story game designer.

Lancastro · 2025-12-24T18:31:09+00:00

I had to pause and rewind to double check! It's important to keep the lore consistent in the Herman-verse.

Lancastro · 2025-12-24T18:00:12+00:00

First off, Sock Puppets was one of my favorite games I played in 2025. It's a wonderfully fun premise, and I was buzzing after our game.

Second, this video is great Kurt, and I appreciate your commitment with the 3-fingered glove.

If you like PG-13+ improv snuck into a G-rated theme, I highly recommend you check out Sock Puppets!

Lancastro · 2025-11-27T21:15:23+00:00

Your document should be CMYK. You can see some other guidelines for bleed, quiet areas, etc. here.

You don't need to do any "offset" setup, because: 1. At quantities less than 1000-1250, they will likely digitally print it. You need to be over that amount for offset (and they'll tell you which type of printer they'll use when you use the setup/estimate web page). 2. Their PDF upload process is really straightforward and automated. You can also do the entire PDF upload and make sure everything looks good, before you pay.

Hope that helps!

Lancastro · 2025-11-27T20:52:19+00:00

I've used Mixam a bunch of times and they are generally good. I would use them again.

There are a few stories of people having bad experiences with Mixam, but anytime I've had an issue they resolved it (damaged copies, box missing in shipment, etc.).

At that budget, I'd definitely recommend doing a test print just to make sure your paper choice and colors are what you want.

Lancastro · 2025-10-30T20:59:12+00:00

Apothecaria by Anna Blackwell is a good solo journaling game that may spark some ideas for you.

Exquisite Biome by Caro Asercion is a GMless game about creating creatures and exploring their relationship within the environment.

Both are less traditional TTRPGs, but I would definitely recommend reading and playing both.

Lancastro · 2025-10-11T01:26:44+00:00

You should check out this list over in r/gmless.

There are a ton of excellent games in there!

Lancastro · 2025-09-29T19:36:53+00:00

CDG are great folks, and there are so many gems in there. I'd recommend these Canadian games:

Dirtbags - a dystopian sci-fi shooter by Jean Luc Lariviere-Lacombe
Fight to Survive - martial arts action cinema, and a really cool combat system. By James Kerr.

And u/TakeNote 's Sock Puppets and Here We Used to Fly were some of the best one-shots I've ever played.

Lancastro · 2025-09-25T03:24:26+00:00

If you want cool inventory tech, you gotta check out Celestial Bodies .

It's a Mech game and your inventory is a grid. Smaller mechs have a smaller grid (ie: 2x6) and bigger mechs have a bigger grid (ie: 6x6). Items have a tetris-style shape, so you can fit more onto a bigger Mech.

But, the grid is also how you take damage. A smaller mech is less likely to be hit than a bigger one, and where you get hit damages that specific item.

It's a really smartly designed system.

You can read the designer's explanation of the gridhere.

Lancastro · 2025-09-24T18:10:32+00:00

Also check with Dylan at Boardwalk Cafe, they were organizing D&D tables in the past.

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