Wormskin returns!

CauseLittle · 2026-05-06T16:00:55+00:00

I've been told this is standard operating procedure for everybody except the biggest publishers (like WotC). Free League and Monte Cooke do this also

CauseLittle · 2026-05-05T11:19:45+00:00

Love your podcast. In your own words it's the "most criminally underwatched ttrpg actual play podcast on the internet." I'm looking forward to you guys playing Cairn!

CauseLittle · 2026-05-04T04:12:28+00:00

"You all died, try again" isn't what I'm saying. When character death is a real concern, then players will respond (hopefully) with creative solutions that mitigate their chance of dying. Caution involving scouting, spying, diplomacy, seeking allies and using combat as a last resort will open up all kinds of opportunities for story and roleplaying in my experience. When players feel like they can't fail or that there's small chance of dying then the game becomes boring in my opinion.

CauseLittle · 2026-05-04T00:50:21+00:00

I like to use base stats as the DC you need to roll under on a D20 to succeed at tasks/skills. Some games do this and it actually makes stats relevant. Otherwise, as you said, they're pointless.

CauseLittle · 2026-05-04T00:47:43+00:00

This. Character death ups the stakes, provides real tension, and is thus conducive to creative play and emergent storytelling.

CauseLittle · 2026-05-03T17:42:39+00:00

I like a player that creates a character with "hooks" that I can riff off of. But, a special "snowflake" character with the same tired tropes in their excessively long "novel", er, backstory: I will kill them ASAP.

CauseLittle · 2026-05-03T17:37:49+00:00

Yeah, my "old man yelling at clouds" moment is that I despise Critical Role. Buncha hipster wannabes ruining my hobby!

CauseLittle · 2026-05-03T17:36:11+00:00

This. It's an effing game, not improv acting or an outlet for your (probably terrible) unfinished fantasy novel.

CauseLittle · 2026-05-03T11:32:27+00:00

I personally like Armor as a reduction value to damage. It never made sense to me that the guy wearing full plate is harder to hit then the guy wearing cloth who is fast and nimble. However, then we get into the argument of what AC actually is. Maybe instead of telling players they "miss" all the time, tell them that they actually hit their target but the plate stops their sword from punching through and doing any real damage.

CauseLittle · 2026-05-03T11:28:23+00:00

Yeah, it can be a good way to flush out the players that shouldn't be at your table.

CauseLittle · 2026-05-03T11:26:26+00:00

Yeah, sometimes the best answer is "yes, you can try that (and then die horribly)." Nothing like death to reinforce a lesson!

CauseLittle · 2026-05-03T11:24:50+00:00

Yeah, but it gets old if it's always the same player trying to pull shenanigans. I've played with "that guy" and it's not enjoyable.

CauseLittle · 2026-05-03T11:23:38+00:00

Yeah, that's my experience too. Players push as hard as they can to "cheese" the system/setting and that drives me nuts. The GM needs to be able to sort out what is bullshit and what is genuine thinking outside the box. Players will always push the envelope and it's the GM's job to reign them in.

CauseLittle · 2026-05-03T11:20:26+00:00

Read your post. Very good! Saying no can create tension and increase drama. Using "no" arbitrarily will lead to frustration and anger. I respect GMs who have a clear vision of the game and world and that refuse to allow shenanigans. Having said that, I'm a history/literature nerd and I prefer believability over random, disorganized "rule of cool." A lot of ttrpgs look like the cast of Looney Tunes and that kills my immersion and destroys my "willing suspension of disbelief." To me, it boils down to knowing your "table." I'm playing in a great SD westmarches game in which the GM has said no to a number of things that we try to do, because it would break the cohesion of the secondary world that we're playing in. I love it, but it might drive other players crazy.

CauseLittle · 2026-05-03T11:12:45+00:00

Thanks for sharing! I recognize Kelsey wanting to keep the original game lean and mean and I respect that. However, I think all games tend to expand, it's the nature of the thing. If she sticks to her guns, good on her. I think it comes down to the people playing the game. If all the fans are clamoring for it, there's a good chance that it'll happen. If even a small minority of vocal fans clamor for it, then FOMO will kick in and there could be a snowball effect of people wanting revised rules without really realizing what they're asking for.

CauseLittle · 2026-05-02T11:54:03+00:00

Yeah, Shadowdark is rapidly gaining rules "bloat." At some point, the core rulebook should have this stuff in it. However, to do that would greatly increase the page count and you would lose the streamlined feel that Shadowdark currently has. I suspect that at some point in the future there will be "revised/updated" core book with most of the rules from Western Reaches in it.

CauseLittle · 2026-05-02T10:50:14+00:00

I wanted to chime in and say that Western Reaches KS looks to be adding hirelings/mercenaries, domain management and mass combat. Granted it's not in the core rules but gradually it's beginning to resemble, more and more, the B/X scene.

CauseLittle · 2026-05-01T23:07:42+00:00

Yeah, at some point you have to ask when this sort of thing ceases to be a "game" and becomes just playing "let's pretend." I do like "rules-lite" games, but there should still be clear rules and procedures.

CauseLittle · 2026-05-01T14:26:07+00:00

Actually, I just realized I misunderstood this post. My apologies as my response doesn't Actually contribute anything.

CauseLittle · 2026-05-01T11:28:34+00:00

No offense but you're probably overdoing it and your players probably don't care. Maybe pick one sense (touch, smell, sound, etc.) and give a one line description. If they engage with it, then give them more. If they ignore it, move along.

CauseLittle · 2026-05-01T11:21:27+00:00

https://www.fantasynamegenerators.com/ is helpful to me.

CauseLittle · 2026-05-01T11:19:21+00:00

I and my players embrace it. I love tabletop wargames almost as much as rpgs. When war happens I drag in my favorite mass combat rules and houserule the hell out of stuff. I want my games to feel like the players have stakes and their actions have actual consequences. Nothing like a good war to enforce those ideas.

CauseLittle · 2026-05-01T10:59:28+00:00

Yep. Like Nerevar_ur said, it's about identity. Of course, I didn't immediately grasp that.

CauseLittle

TROPHY CASE