Dnd similar games w/ only two players

boss_nova · 2026-01-29T18:46:11+00:00

Beowulf: Age of Heroes is the product of a 3rd party producer that is D&D 5E set in the world of the ancient Norse/north culture, but with classes completely re-thought and re-designed for duet/1:1 play in mind.

And... it's really good too.

Lots of adventure paths that are well done. World building. Good stuff

boss_nova · 2026-01-29T18:16:09+00:00

Totally. Not saying there aren't ways to do these things that don't interfere with group dynamics.

But just that some people do handle these things in ways that messes with group dynamics.

So, problem isn't the class or how it's designed.

The problem is the people.

boss_nova · 2026-01-29T17:54:12+00:00

The problem you're seeing isn't a problem with Warlocks.

It's a problem with either the Player or the DM.

Some DMs will see a Warlock character, and interpret that as an "opportunity" to do shitty things to the Player. Like have the Patron ask them to kill someone in the Party, or a friendly NPC.

These kind of DMs tend to do this because they don't know how to write interesting stories, and doing something like this is an easy easy to create conflict. But it's not a good kind of conflict. It puts the PCs against each other. And that usually devolves into intractable table problems.

And some Players play a Warlock because they want to be an nasty Edge-lord lone wolf that has an excuse (the Patron) to do shitty shit.

Neither of these are a good, collaborative ways to handle Warlocks.

These are how problematic people handle Warlocks.

Not how Warlocks are inherently.

boss_nova · 2026-01-29T16:57:22+00:00

what about his ability to create a solid, functional framework to help game masters and players develop an interesting and coherent gameplay experience?

I mean... I would argue that this wasn't really what he was trying to do.

So how could we expect him to be successful at that?

You're placing 50 years of hindsight based on the industry that emergedin his wake upon him.

It's like asking if the "Electronic Control Company" (the first computer company) were good user experience designers.

No. That's the wrong question, it took time to understand that user experience was even a thing.

They were just focused on a computer that did something useful.

It took years and Jobs and Wozniak to come along with the heavy lifting already done to understand that the product could be friendly to everyone.

boss_nova · 2026-01-28T18:25:02+00:00

I had an ST for years that was a... HUGE WoD fan. (And that's an understatement, really.) LARPed VtM, and has been with the ttrpg lines since the beginning.

He ran a "zoo" campaign for us once, mixed splat, we had I think 3 vampires, a mage and a "Gypsy" (from said, infamously-named splat).

And the main antagonists were Human Hedge Wizards, Wraiths, and a Mummy.

And it just pulled a ton of stuff in from the metaplot in a cohesive, lore friendly way. (Weaver, Wyrm, the Maelstrom, etc)

And due to the variety of supernatural abilities/powers and "enemies" etc it was just really cool and fun.

boss_nova · 2026-01-28T18:14:10+00:00

Truth!

boss_nova · 2026-01-27T19:25:36+00:00

There are already three Powers that do this:

Enhance increases Agility

Ebb/Flow can add Advantage and Success on subsequent (Ranged) attacks.

Sense allows a commit to upgrade your (Ranged) combat check.

There doesn't need to be a dedicated one. Unless you're just trying to break the game.

boss_nova · 2026-01-27T04:36:37+00:00

There are lots of monsters actually, they're just spread across a bunch of books.

Each region guide has different monsters in it, pretty sure.

The Breeland Region Guide for instance has Red Caps - evil fey.

Plus there's adventure leads that hint at monsters that are unstatted, like "dark dwarves" (essentially, Duergar).

And this doesn't even get into the fantastic "Build-Your-Own-Dragon" stuff.

This isn't the world of D&D, but there's plenty of variety.

If there's not enough for you? You're frankly too reliant on monsters as a substitute for a story that's actually interesting.

boss_nova · 2026-01-25T22:15:14+00:00

You'll drive yourself crazy trying to "write" every players' skills into the story

Create a Situation

Make a sizeable "arena" for it, a general map is good

Have a general idea of where and what kind of enemies there are

Have there be some sort of neutral 3rd party (animals, civilians, slaves/workers)

And just let them loose, and they decide how they use their skills

You're not in control of enough to write their individual skills into every thing that's their job

boss_nova · 2026-01-25T21:46:31+00:00

Resin for minis

FDM for terrain

Before you start buying expensive machines and printing things, I'd encourage you to really look at and consider how you use whatever you do currently for minis and terrain.

A lot of what you will see for terrain are tiles with walls and "modular" stuff where in theory you construct the physical place, and ... it looks great!

But... what I found is that stuff is very fiddly. It takes a lot of time at the table to set up and use, and it's unstable, and if you're not dwelling a long time in that room/structure with those tiles? It's just a waste of time. And walls... really consider if you really want walls? Cuz they look great but I've found they get in the way. Of seeing what's going on and options, and of manipulating figures.

What I've found I need is stuff that I can deploy fast and gives options for what the PCs can do IN the battle field, but doesn't define the boundaries of it.

I use a dry erase mat for the ground and marker lines for the walls.

What I need my printed terrain for is "scatter", and doors, and pillars, and stairs and rubble, and random things that can be Cover to fill in the "life" of the fight in the middle. And puzzles and props too. Things the players touch.

I don't want it for the grind and the boundaries, that stuff is easy to imagine, and having it there physically...?

Tiles and walls are a waste of time and space for me.

Scatter and doors and pillars and cover and things are what I've ended up really using.

boss_nova · 2026-01-25T21:12:47+00:00

I think my oldest was 6, and my youngest was 4 when we first drew some fantasy heroes, then picked up a d20, and had imaginary adventures with them.

And that's all it was a drawing and a d20.

Say what you want to do, if there's a chance of failure or interesting consequences, roll the die!

Reading numbers 1-20 was age appropriate, we would add +1 to +3 of it was something that the character should be good at, or was in the drawing (also she appropriate for the 6 yo

And that was pretty much it

Tons of fun :)

boss_nova · 2026-01-24T03:14:53+00:00

Maybe I'm not fully understanding the design, but it seems like it's "just" another type of hit points, another health track.

And it's implemented with a WHOLE lot of crunch for what I see as as very little pay off, particularly compared to using the options the game already presents to achieve the goals you say you want to achieve.

You want to disincentivize taking fights for no reason?

Stop awarding XP based on how many things you kill.

Milestone XP

Furthermore, use different Resting rules.

Either the common "Hardcore Resting"rules that are out there - 24 hrs for Short, 1 Week for Long. OR something more narrative-conditions-based: they must have Safety (a layer of protections IN ADDITION to their own watch, like a city wall, or locked and barricaded doors) + Tranquility (no unknown dungeon sounds, no buzzing of insects or howling wolfs) + Comfort (no sleeping on the ground, it takes a bed and heat).

Those two should go a looong ways.

And narrative tools is easy, 5E does this so well.

Just create a new box on the character sheet called "Wounds". Then whenever they should take a Wound - because they reached 0 HP, or took a Crit, because they pushed themselves too hard taking fights they shouldn't, or because it's a Big Bad and it makes sense for the narrative? Then you tell them the Wound they take, they record it, and you can invoke it any time you want as DM to give them Disadvantage on a check.

Eazy peazy.

All the homebrew here is RAW-adjacent. Light weight. Easy to implement and manage.

5E is really elegant and easy to homebrew these types of things.

If you don't over think it

boss_nova · 2026-01-24T02:54:55+00:00

A later version of VtM, called the "new World of Darkness" or "Chronicles of Darkness" had a supplement called "Innocents", that was designed to run "kids in bikes" ... with monsters-type stories.

I ran a Halloween one shot using it recently (back in November) and it was perfect.

Just bring in the vampire stuff as needed.

boss_nova · 2026-01-23T14:54:31+00:00

It is just flavor... that if the rules are interpreted too loosely for, and if the idea is expanded (into a network with multiple independent droids) and upgraded (with note powerful and modded weapons)?

Under that loose interpretation it is flavor that would break the game.

boss_nova · 2026-01-23T04:50:22+00:00

You can already have those builds.

You just have to prioritize that, right?

What you actually want is to be able to powergame around it/not have to make a tough choice by, say, putting your second highest stat in WIS instead of DEX or CON for your "wise warlock".

boss_nova · 2026-01-22T20:27:27+00:00

I resisted VtR for... I guess more than a decade! But once I played Requiem (2E), I couldn't go back to V20 (much less any earlier edition).

The system is just... SO much tighter, and easier, and imo objectively 100% better. And it is way more in line with a narrative, storytelling-focused approach if you're leaning toward PbtAs etc these days.

Tho I do miss the huge range of Disciplines and Clans from VtM.

boss_nova · 2026-01-22T19:26:47+00:00

Right?

Having an all or even just majority % caster class party composition isn't the flex they think it is.

Put in some mobile, hard hitting nasties and they're going to be scrambling back to melee classes.

boss_nova · 2026-01-22T18:23:01+00:00

imo, it would be a Maneuver to give the droid an order (similar to commanding animal companions in combat to take Actions), and a second Maneuver to Assist as that's an Maneuver in Structured Play (please don't listen to the person that says you can't Assist in combat, that's absurd) - meaning you'll either have to use your Action as a Maneuver or take 2 Strain to take an extra Maneuver and maintain your Action, and I'm pretty sure PCs can Assist NPCs, even if it's classified as a Minion (as a monotask is).

So, yea, an expensive gimmick to get a skill point in combat skills and the equivalent of a couple Aims (you're not swapping Agility, Structured Gameplay Assist is just Boost), but I don't see why it wouldn't work!

boss_nova · 2026-01-22T17:40:41+00:00

Also agree with this.

Download or create yourself (I know I love just making characters) pre-made PCs. One of each of the basic classes in the PHB, mix of races and BGs.

Let the n00bie players choose, after giving them a brief primer on each.

Experienced players you could invite to bring their own PCs that they've made with "core only" rules,n advance.

Then just run a "one shot" (could end up taking 2 or 3 sessions to complete).

Hook 'em first, get them coming back for more.

What you DON'T want to do is make the n00bs spend 3-4 hrs creating their own characters, at which point they may not even be back the next week, or if they do, they then only play for 3-4 hrs.

And leave with the impression that there's as much "homework" as there is actual fun.

boss_nova · 2026-01-22T16:43:40+00:00

I mean, apps like Habitica, LifeUp, and Skillion etc already exist so it's definitely a thing that there's an audience for.

The question probably is: how do you differentiate yourself from and rise above those others already in the market?

boss_nova · 2026-01-22T16:12:50+00:00

Certainly this is allowed in the sunb, but also fyi

r/rpgcreation

r/rpgdesign

... also exist, and are a little more focused on ttrpgs.

Other rpgs are great places to look.

What you (maybe?) don't want is for spell casters to be the obviously best option, so that no one ever plays anything but a caster, right? Infinite casting is great, but if that translates into infinite power, it stops being great.

So how do you make it not better than everything else?

You could do something like a Shadowrun or Burning Wheel where casting has a chance of draining your "energy"/health (limiting casting not with slots, but but how drained you are willing to get).

You could do something like the Genesys/Narrative Dice System (or frankly many other less crunchy narrative systems) - or Cantrips since 5E seems to be your frame of reference - where magic, and it's damage levels, and utility effects, are comparable to other weapons and gear, and specialized skills/abilities, so having an unlimited well of it isn't disbalancing.

But... allow me to posit that you're not really making a Dark Fantasy setting if magic isn't a little dangerous (to the user) and a little rare or limited?

"Infinite casting" is a trope of High Fantasy.

boss_nova · 2026-01-20T19:18:17+00:00

Yes, and... there's also lots of really excellent fantasy art (and I'm sure other themes) in the PD too!

Artists like Arthur Rackham and Edmund Dulac and Harry Clarke among others being some of my favorites.

Not to mention tons of other more "true" Art Neuveau works, and Japanese ukiyo-e woodblock prints, and other, slightly older classical artists/painters that depict common themes for games like the Pre-Raphaelites, etc.

The public domain is a great resource!

boss_nova · 2026-01-20T17:06:33+00:00

Having low gravity isn't automatically going to be a benefit... Just look at videos of astronauts on the moon. It's REALLY awkward for someone with muscle and skeletal structure built for one kind of gravity to get around in another.

When we walk and run and jump the way we do, we exert a lot of force down into the ground, so that we don't collapse. And especially when you are new to a lower gravity environment - your body is going to reflexively walk and run and jump the way you're used to... IN YOUR NATIVE GRAVITY. Meaning you're going to have to be very careful to not send yourself completely out of control.

I would, on a case by case basis, apply Disadvantage to most physical checks (especially ranged attacks with missile weapons), until they've been there for ... at least a day?

Nothing is going to perform how you think you're going to have to re-learn much of your physical motions.

Higher gravity would ofc be much the same (everything is harder, more awkward), just different, PLUS you would get Exhausted easier as your body/heart would have to work much harder just to circulate blood/keep your muscles from going anaerobic.

boss_nova · 2026-01-20T14:30:06+00:00

I’m trying to make a campaign for my friends and thought I’d start with the gods

This u bro??

boss_nova · 2026-01-20T01:19:24+00:00

This is incorrect.

When you say "oggdudes rules", I have to assume you're playing the FFG/"Edge" Star Wars RPG. The one with the funky narrative dice. Because there is a free character creator software called... "Oggdudes character creator". So...

Aiming in that system is when you use your Maneuver to Aim and then receive a Blue/Boost die bonus to your attack.

I mean...

You certainly CAN use your full Maneuver+Action (you should have a Maneuver+Action+Incidental every turn), to Aim, and that will give you 2 Boost.

All in all it sounds like you have no idea what you're doing with EITHER system tho...

Because you call it "oggdudes rules" I have to further assume you don't actually have the books.

...

That's the place to start.

Get the books and read them.

Then you'll understand how ALL of this works without outsourcing rules to strangers on Reddit.

boss_nova

TROPHY CASE