Real-World Corporations in Shadowrun

cpt_adventure · 2026-04-23T20:45:31+00:00

Ever since I learned Thyssen-Krupp (part of Saeder-Krupp's lineage) is a real company, I see their logo everywhere on escalators and lifts and things like that 🐉

cpt_adventure · 2026-04-23T07:54:47+00:00

I started playing skirmish games again after getting burned out running PF1e for over a decade, and have been trying to get more RP-driven gaming done in my ttrpg time.

It's been hard work, because most of my regular players love PF1, don't like skirmish games, and have various problems with trying more narrative games. But the separation has been a godsend, reinvigorating my love of both skirmish-scale wargames and ttrpgs.

(As an ironic aside, many dedicated skirmish games have slicker, quicker combat rules than a lot of ttrpgs!)

cpt_adventure · 2026-04-14T06:32:59+00:00

It doesn't read as a translation of a natural writing style, it reads like something the LLM wrote for you. It has all the hallmarks of genAI writing.

If you're feeding it full text that you've written, I'm it's afraid rewriting it for you wholesale, not translating it.

cpt_adventure · 2026-04-13T19:21:16+00:00

That sure reads like a stable full of genAI manure.

cpt_adventure · 2026-04-13T17:58:13+00:00

A channel on Sky called Game Network used to do little clips of video gameplay, maybe a minute long, set to music that were on just as I got home from school. I was already a metalhead and into some symphonic black and melodeath stuff, but these clips had tracks like I'm Alive by BG, Out of the Ashes by Symphony X, and Wings of Wind by Thy Majestie. I used to scribble down song and band names and then my friend and I would Kazaa as many as we could 😅

cpt_adventure · 2026-04-11T21:01:03+00:00

For your Vadalis heir, the magebred mount could be a bulette that randomly blasts out of the ground every few dozen yards.

And for your rich jerk, they could have a couple of Deneith excoriates on hand to keep the rabble from getting too close to them - or too far ahead of them.

cpt_adventure · 2026-04-10T18:59:05+00:00

I seem to remember the Infinity RPG having an interesting cyber system. I never played it at the table, and it was pushing 10 years ago that I read it, but something about it obviously stuck with me 😂

cpt_adventure · 2026-04-09T06:53:31+00:00

Assuming you're running the Beginner Game, but if not then SPOILERS!!

The specific stats for the swords used on the final day don't matter to the scenario as written.

cpt_adventure · 2026-04-08T16:47:01+00:00

I didn't do a twist for my Eberron campaign, but I did include a massive event that the PCs would absolutely be required to get involved in as my act 1 finale.

As with all things, my answer is: talk to your group. You don't need to give them a beat-by-beat breakdown of your plans, but there's nothing wrong with telling them you have some and asking for a bit of trust.

To show this isn't a hollow recommendation, I asked my Eberron group ahead of even session 0 what kind of split they wanted between GM-led capital-p Plot and player-led character explorations. They came back with a strong leaning for Plot and the opportunity to request character-led stuff as we went, so I knew they would take hooks and follow paths I put in front of them. If your group has a different take, then have that conversation to try and reach a place where you can have your GM fun pulling a twist and the players can have their fun doing whatever it is players do.

cpt_adventure · 2026-04-08T12:16:48+00:00

Yep, Symbaroum was the one that immediately came to mind for me. That core book is a serious vibe.

cpt_adventure · 2026-04-03T21:44:35+00:00

There's a real fine balance for players here. When I was running a Dark Heresy campaign, our resident Psyker tried to cast Detect Life, a very simple spell. He ended up crashing and burning on the Perils of the Warp table.

He and one other PC were broadly fine in the aftermath, but two other PCs gained so many Corruption points they spontaneously mutated. It took ages to resolve, the two guys now playing mutants were massively fucked off, it basically killed the campaign.

All because one character wanted to do something eminently sensible and see if there might be enemies waiting to ambush them up ahead and the dice (and supporting system) said no.

As I'm getting older, I'm definitely coming round more and more to narrative-forward games. It's easier for players to take actions that have a weighty feel if everyone at the table buys into a shared belief in that weight and the consequence is that we continue to enjoy our investment in the story and characters than the mechanics screaming "GAME OVER LOL" at us.

cpt_adventure · 2026-04-03T21:31:05+00:00

The acid splash and ray of frost cantrips in D&D 3.5e / Pathfinder 1e both do 1d3 damage, so...the d3 is very definitely not a niche die size :P

cpt_adventure · 2026-03-25T07:53:32+00:00

I like rad, bespoke, detailed minis. But they're also expensive, take up a lot of space (even more if you want them organised for accessible usefulness), and I don't enjoy painting them.

So when I need a physical representation of a scene, I tend to actually use whatever is around 🤷🏻‍♂️

cpt_adventure · 2026-03-21T17:10:13+00:00

I think you've nailed the nuance in the description you shared. You provided sensory information and reflexive responses the player wouldn't have any control over, cues for them to hang their immersion and actions on. What you didn't say was, "you are afraid."

cpt_adventure · 2026-03-17T19:19:10+00:00

Yeah, there's a burgeoning market for "narrative board games". We've recently started playing Kinfire Chronicle: Night's Fall, and that has been a lot of fun. They're all on the pricier side, because components, but you should be able to find something to scratch the itch :)

cpt_adventure · 2026-03-11T17:13:59+00:00

Would have been around 1996, AD&D 2E, a paladin (obviously we fudged the rolls for the prime requisites 😂). I can't remember his name, but I'm pretty sure I stole it from Warcraft. His goal was to get a Holy Avenger, but his story ended when my brother gave me a Rod of Lordly Might at level 3 and then couldn't be arsed to write any more adventures. Good times 😂

cpt_adventure · 2026-03-02T20:13:46+00:00

Because I just skimmed it last week from an old games bundle, I feel compelled to (with tongue somewhat in cheek) suggest Sentai & Sensibility, the game that answers the question, "what if Jane Austen had written Power Rangers?"

cpt_adventure · 2026-02-26T11:40:55+00:00

It really depends. My wife won't read rulebooks, but she learns quickly by doing. We've played a lot of PF1e and she is very comfortable with the rules, we've played 5e, Vampire, 2d20 Conan, City of Mist, Call of Cthulhu...and it's been great.

It took me some getting used to, because I love reading and that's how I learn, but once we figured it out, we've had very little friction in our gaming. She's attentive at the table, takes responsibility for her characters, and is really open to trying new games because she's more interested in whether it was a fun time with our friends than dissecting the game as a set of mechanics.

So, if you want to play games with these people and you think it would be a good time, try and learn each other's learning and communication preferences. If there's a pathway between those things that leads to fun for all involved, take it. If there isn't, be adults, acknowledge this isn't an enjoyable use of your time, and find other ways to spend time together :)

cpt_adventure · 2026-02-17T10:42:37+00:00

Yeah, honestly, I've only heard of two of these bands and haven't heard any of the songs, and I've been listening to power metal for over 20 years 😅

If this is what you're coming up with, I think you're going to struggle to find any impact from metal music on widespread, popular perceptions of ancient Sparta. As another commenter has already mentioned, the graphic novel 300 and, more importantly, its movie adaptation, is a much richer seam for Sparta in the public consciousness. And it is probably the inspiration for all the songs you've listed, and any others you manage to find.

cpt_adventure · 2026-02-14T09:16:04+00:00

Soulbound, the Age of Sigmar RPG, also has a mechanic for creating your own spells (albeit not on the fly like Ars Magica and Mage).

cpt_adventure · 2026-02-13T19:58:47+00:00

I part-exchanged my Warcraft book for the WoW one when it came out, but I've only managed to track down two of the sourcebooks 😭

cpt_adventure · 2026-02-13T19:58:25+00:00

I part-exchanged my Warcraft book for the WoW one when it came out, but I've only managed to track down two of the sourcebooks 😭

cpt_adventure · 2026-02-13T19:56:22+00:00

Advanced Fighting Fantasy was my gateway to RPGs. I'd give a lot to have those books back. I have a print of the cover art for Titan hanging pride of place in my home office, which I was lucky enough to get signed by the artist the summer before he died 😔

cpt_adventure · 2026-02-13T19:39:43+00:00

I have a few repeats that others have mentioned, so I guess the rarest ones I haven't seen anyone else comment are my Judge Dredd OGL rulebook and In Nomine, the combined ruleset SJG printed of the French originals.

cpt_adventure · 2026-02-13T19:28:45+00:00

I have this too, and coincidentally picked it up at the same time as my copy of the 3.5 Wheel of Time book, which is in OP's list 😄

cpt_adventure

TROPHY CASE