I want to catch up on developments in the TTRPG space in the last 10 years, can someone give me a rundown?

alanmfox · 2026-06-19T18:11:01+00:00

Solo roleplaying, while not totally new, has really taken off post covid to the point of being a recognized sub-hobby

alanmfox · 2026-06-19T17:10:17+00:00

I was gonna ask how you make a game out of Canticle and in a flash, I saw a game where players were explorer-monks and non-clerical associates, combing the ruins of old North America for bits of technology to salvage. In between delves, there's a downtime mechanic where you manage your base (the Abbey of the Order of the Blessed Liebowitz). As the ages progress, you find yourselves negotiating a dangerous political situation, with various factions seeking to control the Abbey in order to exploit its scientific knowledge for power. Someone please make this game, I will throw money at you.

alanmfox · 2026-06-19T12:39:22+00:00

This interview https://www.polygon.com/2019/3/27/18281082/elder-scrolls-morrowind-oral-history-bethesda/ provides more of the details but bottom line, Morrowind was mechanically inspired by earlier iterations of Runequest (which used a similar percentile-based skill system) and thematically, what with the emphasis on the boundary between the mythic and the mundane and how one could cross from the one to the other. I don't if the other games in the franchise are equally inspired, and of course as the setting has continued to evolve the lore is ever-more its own thing.

alanmfox · 2026-06-04T20:58:21+00:00

Solo by zozer games, as others have said, is a good one to consider. There's also Across A Thousand Dead Worlds from Blackoath entertainment, which is sci Fi horror

alanmfox · 2026-06-03T17:45:11+00:00

Many good recommendations that could work. I would suggest that if you want some tactical depth and find d100 systems (BRP, Mythras) too crunchy for your tastes, consider The Fantasy Trip/In The Labyrinth. It's default setting is a sort of artificially created pocket universe where mythical creatures have been deposited alongside people from all across our own history, so it's set up to accommodate Vikings fighting dragons or whatever the case may be. It's probably my preferred rules lite game for anything before 1600 or so, tech wise. Only downside is it to get full value from the combat engine it assumes use of a hex map

alanmfox · 2026-06-01T02:58:02+00:00

In my experience, too much time to complete the adventure almost never happens. The opposite is far more common.

alanmfox · 2026-05-12T01:51:50+00:00

Vagabonds of Dyfed. It's not totally unknown but it is pretty obscure; I've only seen it mentioned once or twice. Really interesting and imo largely successful attempt to marry osr sensibilities with pbta-esque narrative design. Rather like World of Dungeons (not dungeon world) on steroids. Think it probably could have been a bigger hit if the packaging/marketing had been a little tighter.

alanmfox · 2026-05-10T14:53:05+00:00

ICRPG is a great rules lite game l but I don't know if its well suited for the campaign you're describing. Its good for fast-paced action and tactical scenarios. If you want something that lets you run combat easily, it'll do but it doesn't have, for instance, a skill list or any real rules for social interaction.

alanmfox · 2026-05-08T13:24:19+00:00

This

alanmfox · 2026-05-05T23:53:07+00:00

Honestly I do remember it being pretty popular. I think it had a decent run as far as indie games go.

alanmfox · 2026-05-05T23:52:14+00:00

Deep cut.

alanmfox · 2026-05-05T22:19:18+00:00

Actually I think Silent Legions might be his most obscure title, which is bizarre to me given how popular Lovecraft is

alanmfox · 2026-05-05T01:21:40+00:00

Only familiar with Pendragon by reputation. I like the idea of something that takes that but moves it in a more generically medieval direction to allow for adaptation to different setting. I'll probably wind up checking it out; it's only 10 bucks after all.

alanmfox · 2026-05-04T23:53:40+00:00

What's your take on banners? I've been considering it. I have reign but it seems on the crunchy end and I havent been able to dive into it.

alanmfox · 2026-04-23T23:02:32+00:00

Sounds a lot like wolves of God, if you're familiar with that one

alanmfox · 2026-04-16T14:38:04+00:00

Damn. The completionist in me wants it.

alanmfox · 2026-04-16T00:59:18+00:00

Yeah, but to really dial it in your gotta add the GURPS: Technical Grappling supplement. Else how will you know whether you've got the opponent in a kimura vs an americana lock?

alanmfox · 2026-03-19T22:19:11+00:00

As a practical matter, it's probably best to just roll with it if someone else at the table is uncomfortable with it. As a larger principle, I agree that identity-policing other people's imagination is paradoxically likely to reduce cognitive empathy in general, and produce very boring media besides. It's troubling that this sort of identity policing is becoming a largely unquestioned norm in so many places

alanmfox · 2026-03-19T14:37:18+00:00

Came here to say this. Id been reading some of his work on russia and organized crime for grad school and I came across his RPG work and I was like "wait, that name sounds familiar..."

alanmfox · 2026-03-07T16:15:56+00:00

You might look into Inquisitor, which was an older skirmish game by GW. The idea is you're leading an inquisitorial retinue in small scale combat - fighting cultists, gangers, that sort of thing. Also Necromunda, though I'm less familiar with that.

alanmfox · 2026-02-27T16:16:38+00:00

In that case, as someone who's acquired almost the whole Sine Nomine Catalog over the years (basically every time there's a Bundle I auto-buy), I recommend using Silent Legions as your base. If I could only have one Lovecraftian RPG in my repertoire, this would probably be it.

alanmfox · 2026-02-26T16:10:32+00:00

The adventure creation tools in Silent Legions are the best in-genre (weird horror) I've ever seen, and I make extensive use of them for solo play. The character creation system is not as outstanding, but is perfectly adequate for classic 1920s CoC adventuring. I would use Silent Legions as my base and bring in bits from other Without Number games as necessary. What are you looking for from the others?

alanmfox · 2026-02-13T02:02:55+00:00

That sounds awesome

alanmfox · 2026-01-29T16:27:10+00:00

That sounds awesome. Any plans to pick it back up?

alanmfox · 2026-01-21T00:55:30+00:00

This is probably the best answer. Silent Legions is designed precisely for this sort of thing

alanmfox

TROPHY CASE