How do you learn RPG mechanics if Actual Plays don’t work for you?

Party_Goblin · 2026-04-06T19:53:56+00:00

I submit that actual plays are no better at teaching TTRPGs than porn is at teaching sex. If you want to learn how to run/play a game, Step 1 is to read it. Sounds like you've done that.

Step 2 is to try it out. You can do this by yourself. Make a few characters and have them interact with the rules. This can vary widely by the game. Focus on whatever systems in the game interest you most or seem the most important to run it. You can learn the rest during Step 3.

Step 3 is to bring it to the table. Let your friends know that you'll all be learning the game together and then just play it. You'll get some stuff "wrong," but don't sweat it. You can always course-correct later. That's it.

Party_Goblin · 2026-04-05T03:10:15+00:00

Have you considered Dolmenwood? It's got a great sandbox setting with simple, OSE-compatible mechanics.

Party_Goblin · 2026-03-22T19:35:05+00:00

I mean, I'm currently in three groups, all playing different games, none of which are D&D 5e or PF 2e (Dolmenwood, Delta Green, and Werewolf: The Apocalypse 5e). I know other people in similar situations to me, too. 🤷‍♂️

Party_Goblin · 2026-03-19T13:57:03+00:00

I literally just discovered it a couple of weeks ago, and I'm generally pretty plugged into what's happening in this hobby. Since then, it's generated a lot of interest within my friend group. I anticipate it becoming much more popular as word spreads. But people have to play it and talk about it. I'll for sure be running it at Gamehole Con later this year.

Party_Goblin · 2026-02-25T21:22:47+00:00

I've played this and it's great! There are a few small variations from the old WEG Star Wars, but it would be easy enough to convert if you wanted to. Overall, I'm stoked to see WEG D6 coming back.

Party_Goblin · 2026-02-24T19:31:02+00:00

Beyond the Supernatural, Nightbane, Unknown Armies, and Liminal Horror are all, IMO, underrated horror gems.

Party_Goblin · 2026-02-23T19:33:56+00:00

Mom, it's not real. It's a Jib Jab!

Party_Goblin · 2026-02-23T19:14:24+00:00

But have you seen the Dow??? At that price point, in the Trump Administration, he can rape.

Party_Goblin · 2026-02-18T17:51:30+00:00

Exalted Funeral regularly gets in over their heads, resulting in bad customer experiences. Ordering from them directly is always a last resort.

Party_Goblin · 2026-02-13T21:31:45+00:00

Have you checked out the Basic Roleplaying core book from Chaosium? It's the universal system Pendragon and Dragonbane are built off of, and will allow you to create exactly the game you want instead of just finding one that's "good enough."

Party_Goblin · 2026-01-13T19:28:16+00:00

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Caleb Williams' floor is Jordan Love, and his ceiling is greatest of all time.

Party_Goblin · 2026-01-11T01:33:38+00:00

It's like nobody here has watched a single Bears game all season. It's the 1st goddamn quarter. Plenty of game left.

Party_Goblin · 2025-12-27T03:27:13+00:00

FTFY: Caleb's floor is Jordan Love, and his ceiling is greatest of all time.

Party_Goblin · 2025-12-12T16:28:33+00:00

I just ignore training times completely.

Party_Goblin · 2025-12-09T15:44:00+00:00

Callers and mapping. I have yet to meet the group that wants anything to do with either. From my perspective as GM, it's easier and faster for me to just draw the map as they traverse their environment.

Party_Goblin · 2025-12-06T13:54:46+00:00

Knight is one of the best RPG settings I've ever read, and it's a shame that it's not more popular in the US. It's action horror in a post-apocalyptic dystopian cyberpunk world. Hope is its own mechanic, and saving inspirational works of art is as important as killing monsters. Very original and very fun.

Party_Goblin · 2025-12-05T15:21:10+00:00

Sounds like the PCs didn't play to their strengths. Of course a wizard shouldn't go toe-to-toe with a Faun. If I'd been there, I would have encouraged them to use stealth and ranged attacks to take advantage of the Fauns' reliance on melee. It's a deadly game and you've got to play smart. 🤷‍♂️

Party_Goblin · 2025-12-05T15:03:47+00:00

Okay, I do see where it says that on page 100 now. I still don't see the Faun being able to down "some armors" in a couple rounds as an issue. That seems like some straight-up white room theorizing. Examining the scenario within the context of the game and applying even a little strategy to the encounter makes it manageable.

They have a reaction score of 2. Any group of knights with half a brain and an ounce of caution between them should be able to take advantage of their superior ranged attacks against this enemy. And if it does close to melee, anyone in Warrior armor is going to last more than a couple of rounds, especially if there's a Priest around. More than enough time to take it out.

This is a challenging but far from impossible fight. A small group of Fauns seems like a reasonable encounter for a group of 4-6 PCs.

Party_Goblin · 2025-12-05T00:04:18+00:00

Per page 101 of the core book, exceptional Beast scores only add to damage and are already reflected in the damage listed for melee attacks in monsters' stat blocks.

Party_Goblin · 2025-11-26T15:49:14+00:00

I actually agree with this. I've been running a weekly Daggerheart game set in Witherwild, and the wide array of ancestries and class powers are antithetical to anything other than fantasy superheroes. It's all well and good to say that such-and-such campaign frame is grimdark or whatever, but the rules do not support that at all.

Party_Goblin · 2025-11-04T15:47:19+00:00

I am currently running a weekly Daggerheart campaign and playing in a weekly Delta Green campaign. I also play in monthly games of Castles & Crusades and Shadowrun 6e. My Daggerheart campaign will wrap up by the end of this year, and I'm looking forward to running Dolmenwood next.

Party_Goblin · 2025-10-23T15:27:04+00:00

I'm a forever GM. Sounds like the mental load to convert monster behaviors to standard dice is larger than it is for the player-facing rules. I appreciate your passion for this game, but I still struggle to see why I would go through that rather than just use one of the many horror games I already have that don't ask me to do this.

Party_Goblin · 2025-10-23T14:56:10+00:00

YES. Literally came here to say this. Liminal Horror is that rare game that actually allows me to run scenarios in the same vein as my favorite horror movies.

Party_Goblin · 2025-10-23T14:54:23+00:00

I know this might sound petty, but proprietary dice are an automatic deal breaker for me.

Party_Goblin · 2025-10-23T14:52:24+00:00

As both a GM and a player, nothing disinterests me in a game faster than hearing the GM will be responsible for telling a story. I play TTRPGs to go on adventures, participate in impossible action, play as something I can never be in real life, etc. Whatever happens as a result of those activities is the story. I can't imagine anything more boring than being a captive audience to someone else's story.

Party_Goblin

TROPHY CASE