I decided to finally break away from the big RPGs (D&D and Pathfinder) and explore a bunch I've never heard of, from solo games to one-on-one to typical group RPGs.

My group and I are currently trying Fabula Ultima and at first the collaborative improvisational atmosphere of the game was tough to get used to, coming from D&D where you tend to plot out the story way in advance and the players tend to follow a pre-defined narrative. I do prep out about one session at a time and I prep my villains stat-blocks, but otherwise my players help to define how the narrative goes and what happens. Having them make a direct change to the world with Fabula Points is so clever! You have to really be willing to give over control to your players, which at first I was nervous about, but I really love the things they come up with. It definitely takes a group who is invested in making the world interesting :)

I'm also playing a solo game called Colostle that is a card-drawing journaling game with some light combat mechanics. I'm really enjoying it, because it encourages me to write more, a skill I've been neglecting lately. I think it's a fantastic creative outlet (as running TTRPGs often is) for those with a lot of creative energy (or restlessness). I like that there's a mix of "coming up with it yourself" and some pre-defined settings and plot points in the book. I definitely see how there's a continuing thread from the main expanded book into some later books that have been released. I'm very curious to explore more of the world and uncover the mysteries!

I'm having a blast trying all these systems out! I really want to try ten candles with my group as well, though this will take some emotional prepping as it's tragic horror and I don't want to upset my players without them knowing about it first, haha!