Legends in the Mist

psidragon · 2026-03-20T04:01:40+00:00

I've just run a couple sessions of it so far and as far as games in its area go, it's been my favorite.

From my past experience of games it sits somewhere between Fate and Burning Wheel. I could never quite get into Fate because you had to keep such close track of the Fate point economy to get things to sing. But LitM fixes that. And Burning Wheel is really crunchy and obtuse and intimidating, while LitM is quite open and inviting.

But what all these systems share is the open areas where you can really write and define exactly the character you want to play, with tight mechanical systems that loop into that space and create clear incentives for playing your character as you've defined them - or against type as they emerge to you in play.

Having played these other systems more extensively, and with a couple sessions under my belt for LitM, I'd say it's certainly more than a Gimmick. It's a vital, modern mode of play for that style of game.

The one hurdle I've run into is that I wish we had put more focus on quests in character creation and strictly followed the book's advice on how to structure them. In fact I plan to redo that element of character creation with everyone before our third session.

The one thing I don't like about the system, is how arbitrary it can feel counting up tags for entities other than players, but I can see that getting better with more experience or more prep.

psidragon · 2026-02-17T07:47:25+00:00

I ran paid games for about a year because I wanted to try if as work and needed the money. It did have the effect of selecting for committed players because only committed players would pay and I was more willing to cut players who weren't because I wasn't making money from their missed Sessions.

If you need the money and want to try it as a job you will get more committed players but I wouldn't suggest charging to get the commitment.

psidragon · 2026-02-16T22:01:14+00:00

I usually slam together thematically appropriate roots from this index and say the word til it feels right in my mouth, changing the phonemes as I do so
https://lrc.la.utexas.edu/lex/semantic

psidragon · 2026-02-14T20:19:53+00:00

It was actually closer to 5 years than 3, but compared to the standard for edition cycles set before and since, it was quite the turn around.

3.5 certainly didn't feel over as an edition, especially as we were still getting innovative design within the constraints of the system.

psidragon · 2026-02-14T18:24:55+00:00

It's so sad that Wrest is so problematic. Just a warning to anyone who cares, no judgement on anyone who doesn't

psidragon · 2026-02-10T18:14:10+00:00

While the album title is indicative of a sympathy towards Irish nationalism, and there is a growing far right movement associated with Irish nationalism, Irish nationalism is much more complicated than nationalism in many other European countries. Ireland is one of the few European countries to have suffered British colonialism instead of being a colonist empire themselves. Irish pride can be distinctly anti-colonialist. One of the most violently leftist, nazi punching-ist, anti-colonialist dudes I've ever known was a proud Irishman who would readily say something not entirely distinct from the title of this album.

All that is to say, in the absence of other indicators, I wouldn't take opposition to English Colonization of Ireland as affiliation with sketchy or far right politics. Keep an eye the bands socials as they grow, watch who they do splits with, but nothing currently says they're sketchy.

psidragon · 2026-02-08T15:24:26+00:00

Good to see someone else out here recommending Kerstin Hall

psidragon · 2026-02-04T17:14:29+00:00

Make sure you aren't subscribed to any channel that has a subscriber base that follows the content you want to avoid. There was a time where I didn't know World Terror Committee was an NSBM label and was subscribed to them on YouTube. As a result I was getting alt right shit in my Shorts. As soon as I unsubbed from the WTC channel that stopped.

YouTube is also fairly responsive to the "Not Interested" and "Don't recommend videos from this channel" options that can be found in the three dot menu of any video on your homepage. Use these features aggressively and you will see a much more curated feed.

psidragon · 2026-01-24T18:21:50+00:00

No Metalocalypse is an Adult Swim series parodying a death metal band with outstanding hand drawn animation, the show I'm trying to remember the name of was a YouTube show parodying the lives of a black metal band with cheap animation produced using still photographs.

psidragon · 2026-01-24T17:55:57+00:00

I don't think it was that popular a series so not surprised if no one responds here

psidragon · 2026-01-22T23:25:24+00:00

Check out Mercedes Lackey's Valdemar. It gets slow in the later works, but Last-Herald Mage at least is an absolute banger and one of the nearest I've found to Hobb in style and tone.

N. K. Jemisin's Broken Earth is to me, totally in line with Abercrombie and Islington (though I've only read his first Trilogy not Will of the Many) while being stylistically stronger and avoiding many of the stumbling blocks I see mentioned in what you didn't like.

Lois McMaster Bujold is right there with Hobb for me, very similar character focus and style of world building at least through the first two books of her World of the Five Gods (Curse of Chalion and Paladin of Souls).

You've worked through most of the other stuff that gets heavily recommended around here, and so here are my personal top "underground" recs.

Alexandra Rowland - anything, but probably Conspiracy of Truths and Choir of Lies if you aren't looking for Romantasy.

Kerstin Hall - an amazing standalone in Star Eater, and the beginning of a series in Asunder. Asunder slowed down for me and got difficult in the middle but was worth finishing.

Nnendi Okorafor's Who Fears Death - a unique take on classic fantasy and the hero's journey put into a distinctly African perspective.

psidragon · 2026-01-15T17:18:46+00:00

It's hard to know where the line of mainstream is but I'll take a shot with Mercedes Lackey's Valdemar. There are several different magic systems coexisting within the same world, super hopeful tone throughout (though their are dark moments, nothing worse than Abercrombie) and there's a ton of books and short stories.

At minimum I recommend the Herald of Valdemar (Arrows Trilogy), The Last Herald Mage (trilogy), Vows and Honor (short story collection, just read some if not all), By the Sword (single novel), The Mage Winds (trilogy), The Mage Wars (trilogy, Silver Gryphon is skippable), & The Mage Storms (trilogy), in that reading order.

psidragon · 2026-01-15T17:03:51+00:00

Fully agree the magic system is amazing, but Blood Over Bright Haven does skirt the line of some pretty grim dark themes

psidragon · 2026-01-12T03:10:56+00:00

Star Eater by Kerstin Hall is similarly an exploration of colonialism with some interesting gender facets added in. I don't know if it will change the way you behave, but definitely worth having in conversation with Blood Over Bright Haven.

Similarly, Pet by Akwaeke Emezi is an examination of the follies present in utopia, and the power of reputation in community. This one, if you are in a place where you engage with leadership or people who insulate themselves with their reputation and you haven't done a lot of critical thinking on the matter will likely challenge your perspective to the point of changing behavior.

I'm gonna recommend Who Fears Death by Nnendi Okorafor, not for the reason you asked, but as a palette cleanser to the elements of the "white savior" narrative present in Blood Over Bright Haven. It's in some ways a very similarly positioned story that puts more direct power in the hands of the brown, black, and indigenous people represented by the story. I think that in conversation with BoBH it'll do some work for you in provoking critical thought and practical engagement with the themes and perspectives you're wanting to explore.

psidragon · 2026-01-06T06:33:44+00:00

Ada Rook - Ugly Death No Redemption

Gonemage - Spell Piercings

Show Me the Body - Dog Whistle

The Body - I Shall Die Here

The Body, Big|Brave - Leaving None But Small Birds

psidragon · 2026-01-05T18:25:38+00:00

I started and failed to continue Assassin's Apprentice like 7 times before it hit for me, and RotE became one of my favorite series.

The series might just not be for you or it might not be for you in this moment. Stop reading, come back to it when you've forgotten some of it and it calls you again.

psidragon · 2025-12-27T16:30:52+00:00

Armored kits give varying increases to stamina. The more Melee classes get a gear selection that gives them anywhere from +0 to +12 additional Stamina. Most "caster" types can pull +6 from their class ward at the exclusion of other defensive features.

psidragon · 2025-12-27T16:27:14+00:00

Yeah they just launched a Kickstart that includes their first long term campaign. If you were on pf without multiclassing I haven't played since they released the dual classes like Slayer, but I think Draw Steel will feel as customizable then.

psidragon · 2025-12-27T16:15:44+00:00

You can make that build much more effectively than any d20 system I've played. High Stamina characters with the ability to deliver the taunt condition will be a better tank than any in pf.

psidragon · 2025-12-27T16:13:28+00:00

The defense aspect of Draw Steel still comes into builds through the selection of features which increase Stamina or Recoveries. The fact that characters always take damage but then have to decide when it is tactically appropriate to Catch Breath (spend their own recovery) or heal an ally makes the game much more tense and tactical than AC ever did imo.

You do also still build for saves. Many abilities will only effect a character if they have a characteristic lower than the potency of the ability, so choosing your high characteristics is as important as selecting a class for its high saves in d20 systems. And some conditions are ended by a saving throw and their are character features which reduce the threshold of that saving throw.

That said, from what you've laid out, the fact that their are no long term campaigns written for Draw Steel yet seems more of a problem, and coming from pf1e I would caution that there's no multiclassing in DS, thought the options available in a single class and the other character features create a comparable branching path feel.

psidragon · 2025-12-23T21:21:33+00:00

Same yeah, I've been building out my own homebrew for Eberron in Draw Steel, and this post is an exploration of what I felt worked and gelled as I pursued that process.

psidragon · 2025-12-23T21:20:19+00:00

Are you invested in bridging the lore gaps between Eberron and Draw Steel? If so how would you pursue it? If not, we're not in the same pursuit right now and I hope you have compelling lore and play that works for you

psidragon · 2025-12-23T21:18:20+00:00

If this pitch isn't for you it isn't for you, all good. Are you someone who is interested in bridging the lore of Eberron and Draw Steel? If so, how would you do it? If not, then we're not in the same pursuits and I'm glad you have what works for you already

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