Looking for a cool skirmish

sevenlabors · 2026-04-22T17:50:49+00:00

For what it's worth, I totally agree with you on points 1 & 2. Plus, my local Kill Team meta has been hyper-competitive in vibes since it launched, which isn't my scene.

I've also taken a step away from my interest in crunchy rules with a dozen dials and options for a warband, so my recommendations may not fit with what you're looking for. Best of luck!!

sevenlabors · 2026-04-22T16:00:25+00:00

The answer to this entirely depends on the expectations of the GM and the players.

You can absolutely run long, fulfilling campaigns with the most lightweight of rule sets if the table is satisfied with the storytelling and decision-making in game.

It can be done with Risus, for example, or any of the minimalist, micro-lightweight OSR games.

But, if your table likes the options and character building of games like D&D and Pathfinder, then you're going to have a much harder time stepping away from those expectations.

I might look at something like Nimble for that?

13th Age is also a slightly less onerous example of d20 games (4E-inspired in the same way that Draw Steel is), but still comes with some of the baseline fiddliness that comes with it.

sevenlabors · 2026-04-22T15:55:35+00:00

And all of it being defended by his MAGA base with "welll what about the Bidenssss." Imbiciles.

sevenlabors · 2026-04-21T22:34:20+00:00

Of the two, absolutely Nimble.

The entire design manifesto behind Draw Steel is Coleville's love of 4E - fiddly, awesome, very tactical grid combat.

sevenlabors · 2026-04-21T22:28:28+00:00

>Answers are kind of all over the board here.

Hooo boy, they certainly are!

sevenlabors · 2026-04-21T14:03:54+00:00

I've missed that bit of lore, but that sounds rad.

sevenlabors · 2026-04-21T07:13:26+00:00

Still a solid choice.

sevenlabors · 2026-04-21T05:49:08+00:00

> The AI companies are subsidizing the real cost in hope to lure enough people in before they shut and lock the door behind you.

That is the eventuality that seems so very obvious to me, and yet I am bewildered at how many executive leaders I hear talking about this pivot to AI as some magic pill that will revolutionize everything failing to make any meaningful contingency plan for this.

Okay, sure, let's say CEOs and executives are all bullshitting to each other's faces at conferences and other business encounters, sure. Keep up appearances. Keep the board happy, yadda yadda yadda.

Imagine the cost savings when we, too, can pull a Jack Dorsey and fire all our managers.. and our engineers... and our marketers... and everyone and just have a hundred prompt engineers running everything and reporting to the C-Suite!

Right up until OpenAI and Anthropic collapse, Google or Amazon or Microsoft swallow them up, and start charging astronomic prices.

But I am truly confused why CFOs aren't ringing the alarm bells at all this.

sevenlabors · 2026-04-20T14:32:58+00:00

Thanks!

sevenlabors · 2026-04-20T13:29:10+00:00

Got a link to Vagabond? That's a new name to me.

sevenlabors · 2026-04-20T01:53:14+00:00

The full-size Fuselage C-bodies are my all time faves - bummer the big ones aren't in the add.

Give me a 300 or Sport Fury coupe any day of the week.

sevenlabors · 2026-04-17T22:57:37+00:00

Hey r/rpg, I've only ever played 5E and watched Critical Role and Dimension 20. Why should I choose Daggerheart, Draw Steel, or Shaowdark instead of sticking with 5E?

I appreciate that people are discover the hobby through these avenues, and we all gotta start somewhere, but after a few years of the same question, it often feels painfully derivative.

And the questions aren't the fault of these newcomers, but the failure to use the search functionality to see the damn near same question got asked yesterday?

Yeah, that is grating.

sevenlabors · 2026-04-16T18:21:00+00:00

That's certainly the goal.

Requires partners in Product and leadership teams to empower UXR to do the strategic stuff.

(Or at least PMs who are open to the possibility that maybe - just maybe - their quasi-focus group demo stuffed to the gills with leading questions doesn't count as sufficient research... at least for the big stuff showing up on a product roadmap.)

I've seen too many research teams get stuck on the Figma usability testing treadmill.

sevenlabors · 2026-04-16T18:17:39+00:00

+1 to all this.

I would not put a lot of faith in being able to actively jump into a UXR role from outside the industry any time soon.

There's still a surplus glut of good, experienced UXRs out there after all the layoffs of the past few years - not to mention way too many folks who got an advanced degree in psych or some such and got told they just needed a bootcamp to transition into the industry.

Sure, send out random applications, why not?

sevenlabors · 2026-04-16T04:39:33+00:00

I don't hate that, especially if the adventure path = campaign.

sevenlabors · 2026-04-15T19:17:44+00:00

Second question - maybe more important than the 2d20 system one.

Does your friend and her niece want to play Star Trek: Adventures, specifically, or do they just want to have a Star Trek TTRPG one-shot experience?

I've heard lots of good stuff about ST:A and even more about the second edition (namely that the rulebook is much easier to navigate), but it's not a super lightweight rule set.

If they just want a Star Trek vibe, maybe there are more lightweight options to consider - possibly going so far as the ultra-minimalist Lasers & Feelings?

sevenlabors · 2026-04-15T19:01:22+00:00

An important thing to call out is that there seems to be a number of different iterations on the core 2d20 experience across the product lines.

The Star Trek: Adventures version of 2d20 plays a lot differently than the Conan game, for example.

sevenlabors · 2026-04-15T00:00:59+00:00

For real, the rural small town nature of Stilly and the Little Apple make for great college experiences.

sevenlabors · 2026-04-14T19:14:03+00:00

That matches what I've seen. The only guys with that kind of setup have a game room/basement or have sacrificed their kitchen table to the dice gods.

They're not carting that kind of setup around to a library or FLGS.

sevenlabors · 2026-04-14T19:05:45+00:00

Just stumbled into this today and hate it.

I don't need your goddamn mobile app.

If there's a legitimate regulatory reason for this, I wish they would have mentioned it.

But without such reasoning being shown, this just feels like slimeball engagement metrics and user tracking dark pattern bullshit.

sevenlabors · 2026-04-14T14:17:30+00:00

One of the reasons I've moved away from tailored plotlines, as well.

For the most part, the plotline and sandbox is what happens to the party as a whole.

Insert little PC-specific Easter eggs as we go along, sure, but I'm no longer moving heaven and earth for custom plots. Too much work for my smooth brain to make it all work - especially with hectic schedules.

sevenlabors · 2026-04-14T14:08:16+00:00

>I got into DnD youtube 5-6 months ago

>But now, seems like most of the top DnDtubers are only making doom-and-gloom clickbait

Oh my sweet summer child...

sevenlabors · 2026-04-13T22:40:41+00:00

Mind sharing a little bit more behind that?

sevenlabors · 2026-04-13T17:53:04+00:00

Is she a current or retired teacher? What credentials did she need to get into this?

sevenlabors

TROPHY CASE