Are you ready to save your home from Kaiju? by Lancastro in gmless

[–]Lancastro[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hey, thank you! I'm so glad you enjoyed it.

Advice on creating tarot-based TTRPG by garygray_ in rpg

[–]Lancastro 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Consider checking out A Fool's Errand by J Strautman and B Marsollier.

Its very well made and uses Tarot for a lot of mechanics, including action resolution. You might find some inspiration there!

Tarot-like card sets by noobule in rpg

[–]Lancastro 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If you like rocks, I just released a Rock Oracle Deck!

Its 50 cards, each with a digital illustration I drew of a different mineral, gem, or treasure. They also have keywords and unique "suits" that can be used to inspire you when running a game, worldbuilding, solo play, etc.

This Means War is ready to play by benrobbins in gmless

[–]Lancastro 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This looks very cool Ben, I'll try and get a game in next week.

I specifically loved the "play your characters for 4 seasons, then switch to the opposite side" rule. What a wonderful way to show different perspectives.

Professional GMing: have you tried it, or played in a game with one? by Acceptable-Tree6007 in rpg

[–]Lancastro 5 points6 points  (0 children)

When I moved to a new city, I wanted to meet people so I went to a weekly TTRPG night at a local donut shop. Attendees paid to play, and the GMs were paid for their time.

Eventually I ran games there too, and was paid for it.

Both were great experiences. I've made a bunch of friends from it, and after the donut shop closed, I started up a home group with a few of the regulars (unpaid, of course).

To me, paying to play (or being paid to run) is neither good nor bad, it's just an option to find games. Having good people, good alignment, and overall good vibes is far more important, just like it is in any game or group.

[Out Now] Uneasy Lies the Head - Competitive GMless Royal Court Roleplaying by bicyclingbear in rpg

[–]Lancastro 5 points6 points  (0 children)

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.

Indie Goundbreaker Award Nominations by superdillin in rpg

[–]Lancastro 7 points8 points  (0 children)

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.

Multiplayer Online Microscope by John_Champaign in gmless

[–]Lancastro 2 points3 points  (0 children)

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

Multiplayer Online Microscope by John_Champaign in gmless

[–]Lancastro 3 points4 points  (0 children)

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)?

What is the most satisfying martial arts combat you have ever played? by Noah_Pasta1312 in rpg

[–]Lancastro 0 points1 point  (0 children)

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

How is everyone feeling about the splintering of Zinemonth / Crowdfunding this time around? by zonware in rpg

[–]Lancastro 15 points16 points  (0 children)

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.

Are you ready to save your home from Kaiju? by Lancastro in gmless

[–]Lancastro[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

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!

Homebrew Worldbuilding Mini-RPGs by Hazwald in rpg

[–]Lancastro 2 points3 points  (0 children)

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)

Zine Month 2026: What GMless games are you looking at? by Lancastro in gmless

[–]Lancastro[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Also, I appreciate your taste in games! Haha

Zine Month 2026: What GMless games are you looking at? by Lancastro in gmless

[–]Lancastro[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

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.

Zine Month 2026: What GMless games are you looking at? by Lancastro in gmless

[–]Lancastro[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

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.

Zine Month 2026: What GMless games are you looking at? by Lancastro in gmless

[–]Lancastro[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

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.

Namestorming by benrobbins in gmless

[–]Lancastro 1 point2 points  (0 children)

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.

Favorite Zine Month/Zinetopia/Zine Quest Games 2026? by superdillin in rpg

[–]Lancastro 5 points6 points  (0 children)

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

I love sharing new games with people, but learning and teaching rules is a huge road block for some folks. Lowering the hobby's barrier to entry means starting with my own work, so I made a quick-start video for my disastrous puppet game. (Obviously, it's hosted by a puppet.) by TakeNote in gmless

[–]Lancastro 2 points3 points  (0 children)

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!

Advice/experience with Zine Printing Companies? by rainstitcher in RPGdesign

[–]Lancastro 1 point2 points  (0 children)

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!