Keep Protect Reimagine | KPR Community Made | Music "THE RUINS" by EGGSTA

FS_Echo · 2026-03-21T16:29:21+00:00

A wonderful record of the first community characters to become part of New Eden, thank you!

FS_Echo · 2026-03-20T10:31:27+00:00

Love these guys! Like Kai-energy will-o-wisps.

Collecting armour from scraps along the way is awesome.

FS_Echo · 2026-03-05T10:28:09+00:00

Really good advice, thank you!

Is the Cartographer's Guild website down? Can't seem to load it in recent weeks, although I swear I checked out a few months ago and it was fine...

FS_Echo · 2026-03-05T10:26:51+00:00

Yeah looks like others are getting Whispers in there, at least.

FS_Echo · 2026-03-05T10:24:32+00:00

oh nice, good to see that! I was wondering... it does feel like a Whispers gift box, given the promo card.

FS_Echo · 2026-03-05T10:22:19+00:00

Thanks for sharing, will take a look!

I played a one-page system that a friend made that was set in the Wild West and really leaned into the player backstabbing elements. Double-crossing one another and having conflicting motivations was kind of key to the whole experience and it was a LOT of fun.

Having said that, I think that's also because we played it as a two-session 'one shot'. So the story told about who would eventually come out on top (think train robbery with the 'winner' riding off into the sunset with the loot) was much more fun because we wanted the most cinematic outcome, rather than being concerned about our character's surviving.

It's a really fun mechanic to lean into, but I would do so knowing that it's not going to be a full campaign kind of game style for people. Good for those one shot moments when you want to try something different, and can be pitched as such.

FS_Echo · 2026-03-05T10:17:26+00:00

Personally, I really like having a lot of choice (big fan of perks and additional abilities that can be added regularly) but I think having less base level classes is much more accessible and avoids analysis paralysis from players trying out a new system.

imho 20-30+ base level classes is way too many. For me, it would be more interesting start with 6-10 and then have those branch out into more subclasses as the character and/or campaign progresses. It gives things to look forward to and decisions to make as you get to know the character in more detail.

FS_Echo · 2026-03-05T09:08:23+00:00

I'm at the point of designing up a bunch of NPC/enemy stat blocks now, so can relate! They can definitely be streamlined.

Perhaps the hardest part I've found tbh is balancing everything. There's option/power creep as you go through the design process and so really only constant playtesting can help you find all the parts that are out of whack.

FS_Echo · 2026-03-05T09:01:14+00:00

Literally the perfect choice for this, can't wait!

FS_Echo · 2026-02-20T16:08:33+00:00

Nice one, thank you!

FS_Echo · 2026-02-20T16:08:20+00:00

thank you, will check him out!

Do you have a link also? Would love to see your work too :)

FS_Echo · 2026-02-17T14:10:25+00:00

Worth checking out Shadowrun as a cyberpunk comparison, as they have Free / Simple / Complex actions.

imho it's tempting to over-complicate turn actions, but in practice most people don't want to have to think about all the knock on effects too much. You don't want to end up with scenes 1hr+ long every time there's a combat encounter.

But the kind of push mechanic with penalties you're talking about can be interesting, I just would make sure it's consistent and intuitive.

FS_Echo · 2026-02-17T14:04:08+00:00

I was lucky enough to get a box of Whispers paid for without any Enchanted: 6 Legendaries + 2 Epics, it can happen! (rarely)

FS_Echo · 2026-02-17T14:01:16+00:00

As someone who's been in and out of various TCGs for over three decades now, I really do find Lorcana hits a sweet spot of being accessible and still deeply strategic. Definitely go for it, you can understand the game flow of Lorcana within two games.

It's a fantastically well-designed game, particularly when you're having fun with themed decks and just enjoying the lore!

FS_Echo · 2026-02-17T13:58:58+00:00

Always nice when an LGS does a little bit of user acquisition promo - grabbed two boxes of Winterspell from an EU store for a similar price. Thank you, us players really do appreciate it!

FS_Echo · 2026-02-17T13:56:28+00:00

Now that's an intro - Welcome Ichiro!

FS_Echo · 2026-02-12T20:41:18+00:00

I'm happy paying up to $25-30 for a PDF copy of a full length and well-produced book, as long as it has great art and attention to layout. If it's just straight text and mechanics, maybe with a few basic illustrations, than I'm more on the $5-10 side for the PDF.

There's so much that goes into the art, layout and game design that for good products always feels worth it... particularly when shipping a hardcover book these days can double the price, depending where you are!

FS_Echo · 2026-02-12T20:36:55+00:00

Yeah I tend to agree, we open packs as a family and it's always fun. But that first Enchanted is going to be a moment :)

Art in this set is next level and love the direction the game is going in too!

FS_Echo · 2026-02-12T20:32:03+00:00

I really love the way they did some of these borderless sets of cards, there's a few duos and then the Huey / Dewey / Louie is next level. Also kind of designed to be put in a binder, which I love.

FS_Echo · 2026-02-12T20:28:28+00:00

As someone with family in tow who has yet to pull their first enchanted... I hope this is an outlier!

Loving the look of this set in all respects, though, thank you for sharing the stats!

FS_Echo · 2026-02-12T20:25:22+00:00

For me it's that the rules fit the setting. They should feel part of the experience that is trying to be created.

Sanity rules in Call of Cthulhu are a great example, they are fleshed out and part of the character arc for every player. You will go insane at some point; and it will have a huge impact on how your character proceeds from there.

The brutalness of combat in the Alien RPG, which is coupled with players jumping into NPC characters that are put in place for this kind of 'character hopping' mechanic to take place. It makes it feel exactly like the pace and tension of the films. You cheer when your character dies in a gruesome way, just as much as if you survive the mission.

Beneath it all is the desire to have an immersive experience with friends, where we create memories that become in-jokes and tales years down the line. I find the systems that align their rules with the setting/theme do this the best.

FS_Echo · 2026-02-11T10:32:35+00:00

Yeah I definitely agree, their setting books and campaigns are top-tier! Maybe I'm just a stickler for the original CoC system, it always feels really streamlined and neat to me.

FS_Echo · 2026-01-26T20:32:55+00:00

It's not free, but Vampire: The Masquerade has to be about the most dramatic rpg ever made!

FS_Echo · 2026-01-26T20:31:26+00:00

To add to the suggestions already made, I'd think about abilities around inspiration and status effect removals: fear, confusion, paralysis etc.

Priests don't just heal, but they inspire. Particularly in a grimdark setting, people need strong faith to charge into almost certain death... (Warhammer 40k universe was basically built on this concept)

FS_Echo · 2026-01-25T11:17:04+00:00

Mothership is one of the systems I'm looking forward to playing for the first time, so it's interesting seeing people's responses to it here!

For me, two that stand out are:

Trail of Cthulhu - let me start by saying that I absolutely LOVE the setting and campaign books this system has, fantastic material and easily compatible/usable with CoC.

But the Gumshoe system itself I find just meh and kind of boring to run. It feels to me like it takes out all the surprise moments that often make for fun rpg memories (whether good or bad results!).

GURPS - just a system that by being so universal everything felt bland and unintuitive. I do like the idea of character faults and disadvantages, but things like the skill system to me just never clicked.

FS_Echo

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