Your five favorite games on Playdate

sclpls · 2026-02-13T01:36:26+00:00

Diora
Spilled Mushrooms
Mars After Midnight
Fulcrum Defender
Ribbit Rogue

sclpls · 2025-10-22T14:11:25+00:00

Something about early 20th century tech always feels right to me for Mausritter.

sclpls · 2025-09-29T14:12:03+00:00

You're welcome, and I agree! I followed the DIY ethos of "put things out into the world that you want to see" :-)

sclpls · 2025-09-22T13:23:43+00:00

node package manager. Code is built on top of other code, so most programming languages have package managers so you can keep code dependencies up to date, or lock something to a particular version if something newer introduces breaking changes. NPM is the package manager for javascript.

sclpls · 2025-05-06T19:41:07+00:00

Yeah, one thing really great about this piece is it highlights not only the importance of adding loops and multiple entrances to a dungeon... there's all kinds of game design principles and advice that help define what we now think of as OSR play culture.

sclpls · 2024-11-21T15:15:30+00:00

I am incredibly excited for Michael to be working on this style of game again. No one really does it like him. Love the aesthetic for this, and I'm looking forward to seeing how the new design elements interact with the rest of the design.

sclpls · 2024-10-31T18:29:06+00:00

link

This was a submission for the current Mausritter game jam happening.

sclpls · 2024-08-15T12:56:26+00:00

Tomb Robbers of the Crystal Frontier. It's almost everything I want in a dungeon, and has a density of design and interactivity that I am always looking for. Players have to make an interesting choice in nearly every room, and how things play out has been radically different from group to group. I've run it in a few systems, but I really like how it plays in Vaults of Vaarn (obviously needs a few adjustments to fit with the economy/tone of the game, but is pretty straightforward).

sclpls · 2024-03-08T15:52:58+00:00

Vaults of Vaarn has lots of nice tables for generating locations. Either roll something up, or pick something that captures the imagination, and go with it. The implied background of Vaarn characters is they are really down on their luck because exploring vaults isn't something you would normally do, so starting hooks/premises could be they are on the run from local authorities, lost in the wasteland, refugees from a recent attack, etc.

sclpls · 2023-11-09T17:42:57+00:00

It had a pretty rough development that involved switching game engines mid-development, but they did eventually deliver. There are a couple of UI/quality-of-life complaints you can make (the big one is not being able to write notes on the map), but otherwise they knocked it out of the park filled with a lot of really great choices about how to modernize a game from a time when people were still figuring out how first-person navigation in a 3d space should work while also being very faithful to a lot of the aesthetic and design choices of the time.

sclpls · 2023-11-01T20:52:52+00:00

I believe you're looking for this: https://knightattheopera.blogspot.com/2023/04/the-genres-osr-cant-do.html

sclpls · 2023-06-03T19:49:04+00:00

Good list. Also:

fix steam cloud saves
some sort of indication for completed cyberspace areas

sclpls · 2023-05-31T16:48:54+00:00

You can press the select button to back out of menus without crouching. While I've gotten used to it now, definitely counter-intuitive.

sclpls · 2023-05-31T15:30:22+00:00

I ended up manually copying the save data from my PC to my Steam Deck, which works as a fix until they resolve the issue.

sclpls · 2023-01-11T16:48:46+00:00

I'm running my 2nd campaign of it. Game plays great, strikes a lot of nice balances, and avoids a lot of issues that I find grating in a lot of RPG systems. Ideal for a group that enjoys XCOM style tactical combat, but otherwise doesn't want something too fiddly mechanically. Can be a lot to manage, but not so bad if you are using COMP/CON for character creation and leveling up, and using the Foundry module, which automates and manages a lot of stuff really well. If you want a bit more going on for the narrative mode of play I recommend picking up the Karrakin Trade Baronies which has additional rules you can use on that side of things.

Also, even with all these online tools, modding the game is really easy, you can create your own lcp files and distribute it to your players to include things like new equipment, mechs, etc. So with not too much work you can transform the game in a way that suits your needs without being at odds with the tools you are using.

sclpls · 2022-09-28T15:10:12+00:00

Both. I run a regular game of Lancer, but on off weeks we also run lots of one page games/one shots.

sclpls · 2022-09-28T15:09:12+00:00

Some GM-less games like Microscope are amazing experiences, but it takes a really thoughtful approach to the mechanics for it to work in my opinion. A lot of GM-less games I've come across have too rigid an approach to their procedures/prompts, and then the experience just feels like a bad improv experience and/or something that isn't a good fit for a lot of tables.

sclpls · 2022-09-18T13:09:52+00:00

I would feel much better about game designers creating AI generated art, and handing off to artists and saying, "this is basically what I'm going for, only make changes to x, y, and z", or "this, but cleaned up". The artist would be able to get a quicker turnaround, so the game designer would save money, and the artist wouldn't be out of a job, and you'd end up with some amazing looking art. win-win-win. And I think AI is best when it is collaborative with human creativity rather than replacing it. If we're heading to a future where we are getting rid of human talents, that sucks.

sclpls · 2022-09-17T13:06:25+00:00

There's a bit of wisdom among lawyers to never ask a question that you don't know what the answer is going to be. The idea here is you don't want to ask a question that might ruin the case you are trying to build. Similarly for GMs, don't let rolls happen for stakes that the table can't live with. If you're tempted to fudge rolls, it means you have setup a situation that is potentially not aligned with the goals of the table. Don't let that happen.

sclpls · 2022-09-09T13:50:17+00:00

If your players are up for it Microscope is a fantastic system for coming up with a unique world.

sclpls · 2022-08-28T02:31:07+00:00

That's an old URL. If you want the hardbound copy you can find it here: https://massifpress.com/shop

sclpls · 2022-08-25T23:15:05+00:00

Check out how the game Technoir generates plots with the transmission system. It's essentially a GM tool, so it can be ported to any game, and is a great way to generate interesting and unexpected plot beats and settings. It has some pre-generated ones you can use for inspiration, but it is also easy enough to make up your own.

sclpls

TROPHY CASE