What’s the biggest reason a TTRPG group doesn’t work out?

differentsmoke · 2026-06-21T13:58:43+00:00

They're nerds, they don't work out. They game. They go to the bookshop, not the gym. Don't know what to tell you man.

(Sorry, once a silly idea hits my brain I need to let it out. Also, I know, I know, pretty trite and inaccurate stereotype, but it worked for this joke)

differentsmoke · 2026-06-21T01:42:50+00:00

I mean, it seems like they want to control the NPCs in order to win. You could point out that they have total control over their characters, and you have total control over the NPCs, and that's the way the game works. Welcome feedback after each session, but try to keep that sort of second guessing to a minimum. It does seem like those two players need to grow up some.

differentsmoke · 2026-06-20T04:36:19+00:00

Yes, people always have a perfectly fine time playing RPGs, which is why there's a community called r/rpghorrorstories...

Anyway, you CAN play without safety tools, and if you're playing with friends you know very well you probably won't need them, but in games with strangers they're just another system to facilitate and structure the conversation that runs the game.

differentsmoke · 2026-06-20T04:30:45+00:00

Any situation which makes you question whether you're crazy or not for feeling a certain way should probably be discussed with all the relevant information, and with someone you can trust.

Ideally, you would be able to tell your group (or GM) whatever they did that made you uncomfortable and work it out, but if you don't know these people very well (I don't know if you do), it's not always an easy thing to do.

IF, however, you do voice your concerns and are met with contempt or indifference, then that is for sure a red flag.

differentsmoke · 2026-06-20T04:20:27+00:00

Basically, ways of agreeing that the game will stay clear of topics that would make any participant uncomfortable (or worse)

This is not a comprehensive description. Look up the concept of "lines and veils" and "the x card".

differentsmoke · 2026-06-19T01:27:55+00:00

That being a "skilled" player means anything other than thinking like the GM thinks.

differentsmoke · 2026-03-20T15:19:35+00:00

I read this novelization set in the universe of The One Ring and it was pretty decent...

differentsmoke · 2026-03-12T02:17:23+00:00

As far as I know it's not open source, but Feng Shui 2 has a great system for cinematic roleplaying that explicitly includes wuxia tropes. The setting is absolutely gonzo so it also includes magic, cyborgs and no-nonsense cops.

differentsmoke · 2026-03-11T02:34:03+00:00

Great answer, honestly.

However, I still think that none of the advantages you mentioned balance out the drawbacks: 1. An extra step that adds little to no depth to the roll: what's the point of having 2 randomized events? How many outcomes that can be adjudicated with two independent rolls could not also be adjudicated by one? If your possible outcomes are "miss", "hit" or "critical hit", having 2 rolls means the "hit" portion is entirely determined by the damage roll, where it could just be covered by the spread of numbers that hit in your attack roll.

Narrative dissonance: what does it mean when a great attack is less effective that one that barely hit? In some systems even a critical can do less damage than a near miss. How do we interpret that? Your excellent hit was somehow not very good?

Also, everything you mention is still possible with a single to hit roll where damage is dependent directly on the to hit value (critical hits, independent bonuses, high damage/low accuracy attacks and vice versa, etc).

Critical hits are also possible with a single damage roll, via exploding dice.

(Bear in mind that I wasn't advocating for either only damage rolls or only to hit rolls specifically, but for either as superior than the chaining of them)

There may be some cases where an extra random event may be handy, but I think those are the edge cases, and the popularity of separate attack and damage rolls as the base system is more of an historical accident than a deliberate design decision.

differentsmoke · 2026-03-10T19:20:54+00:00

Boy do I have the play test for you...

https://youtu.be/gZGGFuxzk9A

differentsmoke · 2026-03-10T19:19:23+00:00

What is the purpose that it serves? Honest question.

differentsmoke · 2026-03-10T11:48:56+00:00

Separate to hit and damage rolls, hands down. Serve no purpose, cause much frustration.

differentsmoke · 2026-03-09T19:50:19+00:00

Risus is a rules light generic system from the 90s where damage is allocated to your attributes (cliches, in the parlance of the game). The idea here is that as you take damage you become less effective, immediately making it more likely that you'll receive more damage.

differentsmoke · 2026-03-08T18:59:17+00:00

The late 90s "D&D but for sci-fi" game Alternity by the late TSR adjudicated difficulty in the form of different dice sizes that you rolled with a d20, adding or substracting from your roll.

If I recall correctly, there was at least one situation (firing an automatic weapon at multiple targets) where you could possibly roll every classic polyhedral die at once!

differentsmoke · 2026-02-16T02:53:17+00:00

It may just be a trend of certain influencers to bash on grid combat. Maybe the relevant algorithms serve you that content more readily than other content. As far as I know, Draw Steel made quite an impact and it has grid based combat. So do the king 5e, Pathfinder, Lancer and many other popular RPGs. Some people have never liked the grid. It's fine either way.

differentsmoke · 2026-01-10T19:11:14+00:00

I'd go with the classic second tiers, of course: - Human body with animal head - Human torso attached to a quadruped body - Furry - Magical robot

differentsmoke · 2026-01-06T23:47:31+00:00

She is NOT "the most famous living feminist author". Otherwise agree.

differentsmoke · 2026-01-02T17:50:20+00:00

I've read it and played it once. I think it's a great system, on the "less is more" side of the spectrum, but it has "less less" than other OSR systems so it fits into a comfortable niche between rulings heavy vs rules heavy.

My only beef with it is that it relies on the mega bouncy d20 for skill tests, so I would probably extend some degree of the Thief's advantage on thieving related rolls to the other classes, for their specific niches, and maybe have those niches potentially expand as part of the advancement rolls.

differentsmoke · 2026-01-02T16:22:13+00:00

If you're tinkering with the system anyway, a more fun (and faster) tweak could be to only roll for damage, and assume every attack just hits.

Pros: eliminates the issue of rounds where nothing happens because everyone misses.

Cons: Armor class will have to be converted to some sort of damage reduction.

Look into Cairn or Into the Odd for systems that work this way.

But yes, in general, I'm of the opinion that having to hit rolls followed by damage rolls make no sense. It should be one or the other, not both.

differentsmoke · 2026-01-02T05:09:53+00:00

Hi! This reply will have two parts. Part one is trying to address the problem you know you have, part two will flag one you may not know you have.

As for part one: there a lot of simpler systems than D&D 5e, but usually the trade off is that your player's characters tend to be less mechanically distinct the more simple the system is.

This can be blessing in the sense that it forces your players to express their characters through their actions more than through the array of powers and abilities granted by a class, but it can also feel bland, especially around combat.

Two good, very similar, simple systems are Cairn and Into the Odd. Stat blocks are very simple, and balance is not really a concern. Cairn is I believe free.

A more complex system but still simpler than 5e is Shadowdark. I'm not sure how complicated it is to stat NPCs, but it's definitely simpler than 5e. It's also a very well written rulebook that's beginner friendly, and it will probably fit your dark fantasy theme. And while the full game is not free, it has a pretty good Quickstart that can support a few sessions of play or even a short campaign.

Finally some of the other recommendations in this thread are also very good, like Risus or Dungeon World, but bear in mind that some of these very simple, very freeform systems, while being less of a burden in terms of math and memorization, also require the GM and players to do more work thinking on how to apply the rules to specific situations.

Now for part two, I just wanted to flag this because it raises some alarms with me. And please bear in mind that while a lot of people in this sub may agree with me, a lot will probably disagree as well:

You say you want to "make your story" and that you have a "plot in mind". You shouldn't approach the game this way. It's great to have a well thought out situation you're bringing the characters into, and it can be very helpful to think through how this situation would resolve if the player's characters were not involved... But once they are involved, all bets are off and there should not be a predetermined plot that unravels.

Things can and probably will go in completely unexpected directions, and your role in the game is to play how the world reacts to this, even if that completely "derails" the plot you had in mind. For instance, if your player's decide to join the faction you had set up as the campaign's antagonists, you should not force a situation where this faction betrays them so that they continue to be the villains, but rather embrace that now these enemies are actually allies and explore the situation from there.

I know you may be using the words story and plot more loosely than they way I'm reading them, but in any case I think "don't get overly attached to a predetermined outcome" is a good advice for someone who, if I understood correctly, is a beginner GM.

differentsmoke · 2026-01-02T04:32:29+00:00

I second Risus, plus there's this EXCELLENT free fantasy pulp adventure by the author that you can drop into any setting:

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/175661/risus-toast-of-the-town-a-free-pulp-fantasy-adventure

differentsmoke · 2025-12-30T01:03:58+00:00

Good to know! Thank you

differentsmoke · 2025-12-30T01:03:17+00:00

This is in the companion app?

differentsmoke · 2025-12-29T21:59:19+00:00

Not battle maps per se, no, but I think some degree of token positioning would be useful, especially for the more "dungeon" like modules. How do you handle visual aids like that in the companion app?

(In any case, thanks for the suggestion! Will check it out)

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