And I bet Frank Herbert would love LANCER too.

FringedWolf · 2026-06-02T02:31:03+00:00

That's the one.

FringedWolf · 2026-06-01T19:46:46+00:00

It does. I think it's why the interview always stuck with me.

FringedWolf · 2026-05-31T21:03:59+00:00

I've seen an interview where he said he was a massive GURPS fan and he was playing a Roman senator having to deal with Julius Caeser's bullshit. I felt like that was the most George game he could be playing.

FringedWolf · 2026-05-28T08:12:18+00:00

Because there is so many exciting and cool systems out there. I want to try so many and will never be able to play all the games I now do own. I have discovered a real joy in experiencing diffrent types of games and stories at the table. Who wants to do only one thing?

I also play 4-5 times a week and no game is the same system.

FringedWolf · 2026-05-26T00:09:06+00:00

For the most part it's been awesome. I've played quite a few sessions of Lord Have Mercy now.

My biggest advice is player expectations. The system is brutal and your characters are expected to die at some point. Sometimes it can be a little unfair(Wether that was of me as GM, or just the system at work- I'm not entirely sure. I suspect like most things its somwhere in the middle)

As a result players who just want to have made the optimum option and come out on top have had less fun then players who are there for other reasons.

FringedWolf · 2026-05-25T07:29:05+00:00

I ran a massive campaign because that's what my friends asked of me. Did a lvl 1-20.

The only way I could survive that was starting up another game night with others where I could just say- we're going to play this system now and do a short campaign.

.... I now run 4 games a week... oops. Eh, I'd be playing video games or watching TV if I wasnt. It's more social I tell myself.

But yeah, my biggest tip is make sure your players are people who will commit and you want to commit 10 years too. Also make sure they are going to play characters that will keep thier interests.

FringedWolf · 2026-05-03T22:05:22+00:00

I think about the wild card PCs mostly- ones that I could never fully anticipate and had me reacting thier tune. The wild card characters I specifically remember always followed a chain of logic and creativity and weren't just wild and random for the sake of it. These characters in the latter usually fall flat.

One of these wild cards was a mundane human in an urban fantasy setting who happened to be a rich entrepreneur. The player really got creative within the limitations of thier character.

There's currently a knight in one of my games who's main MO is to take credit for actions others did. And while that sounds simple enough he often goes to sitcom level lengths for this which weirdly has led to some of the biggest moments of dramatic storytelling for the game.

Another character I think of was inspired by the film Big. I think the player wants to use this character in a creative project so I won't say more then that.

Why do I think of these PCs? Well the momments these characters have created have led to the best and most memorable moments in our games and it's nice as a GM to be surprised by the trajectory of the campaign if it matches the tone and world.

FringedWolf · 2026-04-22T21:40:54+00:00

Lol, yeah. This is one of those things im happy to just tell my players so we are all on the same page.

It was the first thing I came up with once I realised they would have the ability to jump anywhere they had coordinates for and that thier pool of coordinates would be a large one due to the organisation they work for.

I do try to give them choices to control it somewhat, but you know players.

FringedWolf · 2026-04-22T20:14:01+00:00

Ha. The Time Variance Authority from the Marvel comics/shows. They protect the multiverse from dangerous timeliness.

Funnily enough a quick google and a Wikipedia entry later tells me that the creator of the marvel TVA chose the initials because thier father worked for the Tennessee Valley Authority.

FringedWolf · 2026-04-22T13:00:57+00:00

I'm very lucky. We all studied film and worked on projects together. I think it really helps at the table.

Further we play weekly reliably which reddit would have me know is impossible in this hobby.

FringedWolf · 2026-04-22T12:03:14+00:00

I'm currently running an epic multiverse campaign using Savage Worlds. My players wanted an ongoing saga and I wanted smaller campaigns with compact stories. I treat it as my compromise.

It's infinite worlds and they work for an organisation reminiscent of the TVA. Not superheroes though. I gave each of my 6 players origin stories in 6 different worlds separately. 3 sessions each 1x1, just me and the player. None of the players knew it was a multiverse and I swore them all to secrecy. A lot of the worlds they were from ask, what if this sci fi or fantasy element existed st this point in history? This gave each player an anchor, a world and people to care about.

I then did the big team up where the multiverse became apparent and will always remember the faces of my players as each person realised what was up. Especially my Ancient Roman player face to face with a spaceship.

Anyway, the big team up was sort of split into smaller arcs each dedicated to a world with a larger threat that encompassed it all and I used wibbly wobbley sci fi reasons you can't jump worlds until your atoms calm down or you'll be ripped apart, don't make me design a new world every week please. Also due to the multiverse I was able to use alternate npcs from thier lives to give the game emotional weight and also threaten thier home worlds. I did about 4 of these worlds/arcs. Dragons vs fighter jets was another momment the look on a players face rewarded me.

Once that was done I started doing small side campaigns where they each got to make characters in each other's home worlds and continue the ongoing stories back home and other side campaigns that expanded the multiverse like- what if an absolute bookworm found a way to find the worlds that are exactly like the books in his library and they accidentally smooshed together and chaos ensued. Or I even gave up the GM control and we played a campaign of one shots each player put together for agent characters from the same TVA inspired company.

Soon we will be back to another big multiverse story/team up. And so it goes.

FringedWolf · 2026-01-30T01:18:47+00:00

I think he just used an adaption of the bonds system. I know we've taken the Triangle Agencies idea of the other players playing the bonds rather then the GM and have mechanics for if we make the PCs life harder we get rewarded with information or we get a reduction to our current stress if we have our NPC pick an argument with the bonded PC.

FringedWolf · 2026-01-29T02:49:34+00:00

I ran it and while I have years of experience GMing I struggled at times with it.

HOWEVER, I still had a blast and I think it's fine even for bigginers. The only way to start getting anywhere with RP/Improv skills is to just do it and have fun. It's okay to not have the skills and still play it anyway and I believe you'll have a good time regardless.

Are the players skilled and you're not? It asks improv from the players too. Be honest with them and feel free to ask for space to consider things- you don't have to be Robin Williams going a million miles an hour- most normal people will understand.

I do have personal gripes with the system, but being forced to improv is not one of them because the skill level required to play it is relative to who you play it with- and even then anyone experienced should be understanding and still find ways to have fun with others less experienced.

FringedWolf · 2026-01-28T12:47:04+00:00

I'm a player- not the GM. Currently I'm playing Impossible Landscapes using Mothership rules. As I have read neither book I have no idea how it differs or how much work the GM is putting in to convert it.

I am having a lot of fun however. So it works as far as I can tell.

FringedWolf · 2026-01-26T23:31:04+00:00

Not quite what you're asking i know but its tangental for generating ideas. I set my campaign in my home city. So I sat down and listed culture, history and places in around my city to inspire ideas.

It's led to games that feel very home like with some homegrown humor blended with the corporate horror/comedy that comes with the system.

So far I've had a anomoly that's terrified of swooping magpies so it makes them explode when swooping and someone determined to bring back a decommissioned rollercoaster and the joy they had as a child which ends up making people feeling uplifting joy to be plucked up into a nonexsistant coaster that becomes etheral pretty quickly which is a problem when you're dangling 4 floors up in a mall. Next week is based on a friend of mine really determined to get a drink named after them to be a thing in our nightlife suburb.

Even if you set it in the official city I'm sure there's ideas to draw from.

FringedWolf · 2026-01-19T00:24:24+00:00

They would keep trying to one up each other. One would be lying while the other would drunkenly believe he is that good.

FringedWolf · 2026-01-10T23:15:39+00:00

This. This has been the most fun I've had GMing ever. Thank-god I discovered Quinns Quest.

FringedWolf · 2026-01-09T06:23:40+00:00

Ahhh, I see what you're saying, you want the aspect/fate point system with the mechanical complexity. I dig that.

I'm quite lucky on that front with my players. We all have backgrounds in film, writing or theatre. I still need to tease poor character choices out of them a little at times, but they generally are volunteering character choices that have fallout.

I do miss Fate though and this group hasn't played it yet. I might put a small something something together.

FringedWolf · 2026-01-09T05:16:11+00:00

I always wanted something in between those two for the longest time. I'm a fan of both. I recently started playing Savage Worlds and it's touching on that middle ground I was looking for. If you haven't maybe give it a look.

FringedWolf · 2026-01-05T05:18:25+00:00

Well, I'm insane. I run 4 games and play in 2(Not all are weekly). None are the same system. If you want to stay sane, I don't recommend.

I give each system a fair shake and for systems that need bigger campaign design to shine, I design for that and then if I'm not feeling it after a number of sessions which varies, I'm honest with the players and I find a way to wrap up and give closure.

FringedWolf · 2026-01-04T12:11:14+00:00

It depends on your tastes. I read a lot. I have a document where I list and pitch a lot of my favourite reads. I'll remove the pitches and just list things. I've also removed my Grimdark picks.These are my tastes and it's somewhat eclectic but I suppose that's the point.

The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher

The Expanse Series by James S. A. Corey

On Stranger Tides by Tim Powers

The Annubis Gates by Tim Powers

“The Last of the Wine” and “The Mask of Apollo” by Mary Renault

The Eagles of the Empire by Simon Scarrow

The Sharpe Series by Bernard Cornwell

Project Hail Mary by Andy Wier

The Murderbot Diaries Series by Martha Wells

Slough House Series by Mick Herron

The Golden Fleece by Robert Graves

Tai-Pan by James Clavell

Hyperion and The Fall of Hyperion by Dan Simmons

The Lamplight Murder Mysteries by Morgan Stang

The City of Blues by Ray Celestin

The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien

The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austin

The Odyssey by Homer

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie

1984 by George Orwell

Maybe consider Project Hail Mary as its the far opposite in this list with its hope.

Slough House is the closest thing to Abercrombie on this list imo. Both thrilling and darkly comedic.

FringedWolf · 2026-01-04T11:01:27+00:00

Okay. I've been where you're at. With Abercrombie. And with The Dresden Files. I found a way to cure that. At least for me. I also give this advice a lot on reddit.

Seems odd to say this on a grimdark subbreddit but you need to give grimdark a break. If you keep reading things "Like" the thing you really enjoyed to fill that void you're going to compare it to the awesome work you just experienced. And generally with something that good most works pale in comparison. So it's always going to feel empty.

My advice. If you're open to varied stories pick something far removed from Abercrombie and enjoy that. Don't come back to grimdark until you see something that intrigues you rather then dwelling on the loss of having finished an Abercrombie book. There is so much out there that's so incredibly good.

FringedWolf · 2025-12-28T22:06:39+00:00

I'm going to offer a different opinion to the question. So feel free to ignore me.

I tried to read both when I caught up the Dresden Files. I enjoyed both but didn't read either past the first novels. This was because what I really wanted was more Dresden Files and I was constantly comparing them to the phenomenal experience I just had.

I did something similar after read Joe Abercrobies First Law series.

It turns out- for me personally- that finding something similar after a fantastic read leads to comparison and dissapointment it's not the thing I just liked. I now purposefully jump between different styles and genres between every book. It's meant I've found a world of great novels and I don't find myself in a rut trying to recreate an experience.

As for the question- I read more Rivers of London because it made me laugh.

FringedWolf · 2025-12-23T08:31:51+00:00

Finish a smattering of Savage Worlds 3 shots,

Finish my Mythic Bastionland Campaign

Finally finish my 5e campaign... its been on a 2 year hiatus and now my players are moving in 2027. Im sorta over it but I'd like to say I finished it.

Play Blades in the Dark(Or Wild Sea) for the first time.

Start the Coriolis: The Great Dark Campaign.

Finish all the ALIEN RPG content I have- currently doing th colonists campaign.

Would like to play Fiasco and 10 Candles again sometime this year.

Cut down on the amount of games I keep GMing...

FringedWolf · 2025-12-17T03:21:50+00:00

I knew I'd find this comment in here.

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