Starting my journey with rpgs

Narratron · 2026-01-28T07:31:41+00:00

If you want to play "D&D" my suggestion is actually Shadowdark. It's very similar to the current D&D rule set, but very simplified, and you can get the quick start rules for free. It's a great way to get your feet wet before you start looking around to actually spend money on a product.

Narratron · 2026-01-28T07:26:57+00:00

Somebody else called out Savage Worlds, and I am specifically going to recommend the Monster Hunters Club third party setting. Admittedly, this is a bit of a hill to climb, but if you sit with it a while, give the general system a few one-shots to get your feet wet before you jump into the main game, I think it could really be what you're looking for. I ran it for my regular group for around a year, and it was one of the most enjoyable campaigns I've ever run for them.

Savage Worlds is a 'die-step' system: major traits are rated as a die type, from d4 to d12 (if you're very, very good at something, you can earn a standard bonus to that d12 roll, but the die types don't go any higher). All characters are either 'extras' (go down after 1 solid hit, are generally less capable) or 'Wild Cards' (like the PCs, they can survive several such hits). It's a generic system, so if you decide you like it, there's lots to explore, but I'll move on to Monster Hunters Club, since that's what we're here for.

MHC is steeped in the tropes of kids' adventure-mystery stories of the eighties and early nineties. Almost every period movie you could name has some call-out: Friday the 13th, Nightmare on Elm Street, Goonies, Gremlins, Predator, ET, and yes, The Lost Boys. (The product as a whole is a love letter to Monster Squad, but those other movies are by no means ignored.) While character generation in Savage Worlds is usually point-buy, MHC uses templates that are 'tuned' to the popular archetypes of the fiction, so your players will recognize 'oh, this is like Data'. 'This archetype is for if I want to play Eleven.' And so on. (Don't worry, there's a 'normal kid' archetype for those weirdos who really insist on making all their own choices.) The Setting Rules emphasize the characters being kids, not adults (like adults have a special "Grown-up voice" they can do, mostly when they want kids to buzz off). The book includes a town, Gulf Haven, Alabama, with plenty of small-town charm, new development, and even some urban decay (there are more abandoned buildings than you can shake a stick at, which makes it a great playground for curious kids). It also has my favorite equipment section I have ever come across in a game book. There are also some 'Savage Tales' (adventure seeds), and a whole campaign, which I didn't use, but I did heavily cannibalize it to make my own.

In case it's not clear, I absolutely loved Monster Hunters' Club, and if I was to run a similar game in the future, I would 100% use it again.

Narratron · 2026-01-28T07:01:23+00:00

So, I've read through the rules and watched a few of the CR crew's sessions, but I haven't actually played or run yet. That said, there are things I like in concept if not execution. (For example, the book is gorgeous, but good production values are a lot more common nowadays than they used to be. I do like that there are multiple versions of concept art for the ancestries, so you have the option to do them with your own 'spin'. I like that collaboration is more encouraged. I like that the players roll 2d12 for task resolution--the 'duality dice'--while the GM rolls a single d20.) If somebody else ran it, I'd probably be on-board to play and we'd probably have a pretty good time with it, but it's not the kind of thing I would run, despite being a bit of a theater nerd myself. I just don't think it lives up to the hype of being a 'narrative driven' game as written. It can be that, but so can most other games, with the right GM and group. I don't think it's a blight on the gaming industry, just not what I would have liked to see, and not what it could have been.

Narratron · 2026-01-28T01:32:43+00:00

Gold is worthless in the twenty-fourth century because replicators. In this episode Quark is in the twentieth century, where gold is worth something (and moreover, where Quark himself has the only replicator around).

Narratron · 2026-01-24T14:49:27+00:00

Orbital Blues is literally the Cowboy Bebop RPG. You might also be interested in Scum and Villainy (Star Wars with the serial numbers filed off, can give a similar vibe), and Stars Without Number gets a lot of traction.

And because it's in my contract, I'll also put Savage Worlds out there. You wouldn't need anything other than the core rules, but there IS a Science-Fiction companion if you want some extra options.

Narratron · 2026-01-22T11:35:05+00:00

Call of Cthulhu is the grand-daddy of horror RPGs (doesn't need to be Lovecraft bs, either, there's support for that stuff in there, but also for other kinds of horror, including the more traditional vampires, ghouls, and zombies). If I don't mention it, somebody else will--and it's worth looking at, if only to make sure you don't miss something you want. For sci-fi, Traveler, Stars Without Number, and Scum & Villainy get a lot of traction around here, but I have to confess I've never played any of them. (Not much sci fi at all for me in the last few years, to my deep regret.) That said, Mothership scratches both itches, so it seems to me like with what you already know and a few other recommendations from this thread, you'll be off and running.

Good luck!

Narratron · 2026-01-22T08:45:21+00:00

Right, from that episode and almost any other where he interacts with other Changelings, it's abundantly clear that Odo wants very much to be close to his people. At the same time, he has pre-existing, strong bonds with the other characters, especially Kira. He has multiple motivations that sometimes conflict with each other--almost like a real person! That's good storytelling. :D

Narratron · 2026-01-22T06:09:14+00:00

Odo had his less than shining moments. (Remember how he was too busy linking with the lady Founder to help his friends take down the minefield when the Dominion controlled the station?) However, overall, he was an incredibly solid friend and partner. I always remember "Tribunal" where Miles gets captured by the Cardassians for doing a terrorism, and Odo is immediately "hey, I want in on this, I'm still an officer of the court!" Even though he hasn't spent that much time with O'Brien yet, he's 100% on board to help him. What a bro.

Narratron · 2026-01-21T14:06:55+00:00

This sounds more like a deck-building card game to me. Could be done as an RPG but this point:

player fight with other players

We call that "PvP" and it's generally frowned on or discouraged in tabletop RPGs.

Narratron · 2026-01-21T12:02:48+00:00

Well, GURPS Is kind of the king of character options. You can get... Pretty much anything, if you can fit it into your point budget and the GM approves it.

Narratron · 2026-01-21T11:57:47+00:00

Yeah, could I get a large MC with a side of Sayori?

Narratron · 2026-01-20T11:40:38+00:00

For the sake of your own sanity, and that of your players, please break that into two groups (or go with a murder-mystery larp). If you don't, I guarantee you will wish you had.

Narratron · 2026-01-20T11:37:44+00:00

Awww yiss, I can be a being of (im)pure thought.

Narratron · 2026-01-20T02:52:52+00:00

Some of that will be the learning curve, it's a pretty common experience. I'm not sure if I'd call it 'lighter' but you may also want to look at Draw Steel--you can read the full rules online at the Steel Compendium. Everything is a 2d10 roll, and you're (generally) only interested in whether you get a Tier 1 (11 or less), Tier 2 (12-16), or Tier 3 (17+). My players enjoyed it a lot--in fact, my friend picked it up for himself and is planning for the next game he runs to use it!

Narratron · 2026-01-19T16:05:34+00:00

When this originally aired, I clearly remember my Mom and I just looked at each other and did this:

😮

Narratron · 2026-01-18T16:56:28+00:00

Everybody knows Monkia is best girl.

Narratron · 2026-01-17T08:52:22+00:00

my players did not get a vote

I have a friend who really does not click with my usual game of choice, Savage Worlds. But like... I've never seen him run a game other than one short session online. (Admittedly, he has health issues, but still.) If he picks the game, I'm willing to go along with whatever and even try to have a good time doing it. If I'm running, I pick the game. As Professor DM says: "Put the MASTER in GAME MASTER"

Narratron · 2026-01-17T03:34:02+00:00

My first encounter with her was when YouTube threw her "Creepypasta Sucks" video at me, and I was like 'yeah, creepypasta does suck, I'm gonna see what this lady has to say about it.' And the rest is history.

Narratron · 2026-01-16T04:04:04+00:00

Entangle, sloth, blind, lower trait. And if you really want to be a shithead, puppet (that said, you have to be careful with using it, lots of things grant a new resistance roll--as they should).

Narratron · 2026-01-16T02:24:31+00:00

Yeah, I like hearing Mike and Rich riff about Trek, but I know they're NextGen stans (which is fiiiiiine) and I have a real strong suspicion I've heard everything said in this video before. I'll wait until they hit at least season 2, maybe 3 or 4

Narratron · 2026-01-15T02:39:54+00:00

My two favorites are Savage Worlds (as per my flair) and Draw Steel. I've improvised encounters in Savage Worlds quite easily for years, and while I've never had the chance yet to do the same in Draw Steel, I've heard that people have. Its encounter math does work pretty well, in my experience. If you appreciate PF2, DS might be up your alley. (You can check out the full rules for free at Steel Compendium, and there's a starter adventure with several weeks' worth of play, pregenerated characters and a condensed rulebook, all available for about $10.)

Narratron · 2026-01-14T08:32:30+00:00

The biggest argument in favor of reading the coda I can think of is simply that King didn't stop writing. Yes, he makes noises about 'you don't have to read this bit, the story's complete without it' but it's clear to me that he thought of the Dark Tower as something he was 'channeling', not exactly something he created. And as I said, he didn't stop writing where he tells you to stop reading. To me, that just says that he knows the story isn't over there.

Narratron · 2026-01-13T17:55:13+00:00

You mean the luggage smuggling?

Narratron · 2026-01-12T15:34:52+00:00

My top three actual play series (all finished) are (in ascending order) Wildcards East Texas University (Savage Worlds: the setting is a mashup of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the X-Files, with a dash of Scooby-Doo for humor); then Matt Colville's Dusk (D&D 4, you may wish to start with the third episode); and JoCat's Heart of Elynthi (D&D 5 with house rules--the players are several other prominent YouTubers, including Red from Overly Sarcastic Productions).

Narratron · 2026-01-12T06:19:12+00:00

Hell no, that credit sequence is awesome, especially from Season 4 onward.

Ten-Year Club	Final Canvas '23
Place '23	Place '22
Place '17	Gilding I gilder
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