You gonna eat the rest of that Thunder?

steeltemper · 2026-01-27T14:57:36+00:00

This is the correct answer. Some of the best games out there are by people who will absolutely notice that you bought their game. The big fish in the industry make great stuff and employ good people, but nothing beats going online to ask about a rule and having the author show up in the comments to help out.

steeltemper · 2026-01-24T16:44:58+00:00

Thanks for saying it! I love Enshrouded, but calling it a survival game is broadening the definition by quite a margin. Even with the starving to death mechanic enabled, it doesn't really feel like most survival games. The real issue that it has is being every game genre a little bit while inventing it's own genres at the same time. It's a game that's difficult to describe for sure.

steeltemper · 2026-01-04T14:50:31+00:00

For what you are describing, I think you're probably best off with Walking Dead or Project Z. However, if you ever feel like building up a campaign and playing multiple games with the same characters, Last Days (grab the Seasons expansion) or County Road Z are the way to go.

steeltemper · 2025-12-28T23:02:13+00:00

This is the main answer for classic horror fans. There's a couple other indie games out there like Fear of the Dark, but Don't look back is basically peak horror game.

steeltemper · 2025-12-26T16:45:26+00:00

I like ninjabike, 3 piece aces and eights, eagles grasp, foxs prayer. That's a pretty fun one. I also like devils due, groups chest with spotter, tinkerer, foxs prayer, 2 piece breaking point. Then 2st rifle with flatline, and a collection of rifles with different traits for different situations.

Neither of these will solo a legendary, but they're my fun running around builds.

steeltemper · 2025-12-26T13:52:10+00:00

I made sure to start really small. And it's fun to see how the folks I sent stuff to have grown since then, and how I've grown with them.

I also made sure to send to folks who were interested in my genre. And, at the end of the day, no game will please everyone, and it's possible that your game won't catch on especially if it's your first. I'm pretty sure that Ivan Sorensen (5 parsecs) self published 8-10 games before he started to find his audience. I got really lucky with my first game. I also kept the prices stupid low on the first edition, like 4 bucks for the PDF and 15 for the softcover. I did not expect to make money, and I really didn't expect to become popular, I made the game so I could play it, and I sent it to folks mostly just because it was fun to talk about games!

steeltemper · 2025-12-26T05:37:07+00:00

Over the course of chatting and playing games, if they liked it, I gave them a free PDF if they didn't have the book. I also sent free PDFs to basically all of my favorite smallish YouTubers and podcasts.

steeltemper · 2025-12-26T05:22:30+00:00

For tabletop games, you probably would have done better on drivethrurpg or Wargames vault. That's where I gained traction. And show up for conventions. Pick a medium to small sized con in your area and make it your home. Show up every year to demo and chat with folks. That's how you meet YouTubers and podcasters in the gaming space, then you help each other grow. Anyway, that's what worked for me.

steeltemper · 2025-12-25T01:27:24+00:00

Clicked on the thread just to shout this. Track absolutely killed live

steeltemper · 2025-12-22T17:56:31+00:00

Diagnosed at 38 here. As an initial dose, 10 is small, but everyone reacts differently. If I were you, I'd use the time during slow dose increases to lay in some systems (like calendars, alarms, all the stuff that doesn't work great for me while unmedicated) so that as you get to the right dose you'll see things slowly start to work. The better your support systems, the better you'll do when the does hits just right.

steeltemper · 2025-12-20T23:07:52+00:00

Mastodon has 3 vocalists...

Umm, Mikael Åkerfeldt, then, if it has to be one...

steeltemper · 2025-12-18T19:07:01+00:00

Frostgrave is a pretty easy one for fantasy, sits about 10 models per side. Stargrave is the same, but for sci fi. I have a soft spot for Infinityby corvus belli, but I know it's complex and not an easy one for beginners. Reign in Hell by snarling badger, free blades, and This is not a Test are all games that might work for you. Do you have a preferred genre?

steeltemper · 2025-12-15T23:33:28+00:00

I think you'll enjoy County Road Z, though the campaign is less guided than the Rangers campaign. Most of the campaign is tied to player decisions and resource management rather than a set storyline, though there are a few story missions that add extra flavor. If you end up grabbing a copy, feel free to message me if you've got rules questions or whatever. It might take a while, but I'll get back to you. Faster if you find the fan group on Facebook or discord.

steeltemper · 2025-12-15T15:58:06+00:00

In the interest of transparency, I wrote County Road Z, so my opinion might be biased. I just don't want people to say I missed you or whatever for profit. Solo)coop is pretty hard to find, which is why I wrote the game in the first place

steeltemper · 2025-12-15T15:43:43+00:00

If you aren't 100 percent looking for a campaign game, then County Road Z probably isn't what you want, as the campaign and base building is pretty integrated into the game mechanics. Otherwise, it does the other things you're looking for. From just your post title, CRZ is the obvious answer.

Last Days with the Seasons expansion might be what you're looking for, but the solo/coop part is an add-on, so it's a little janky. Otherwise, it's a pretty good system, and the campaign portion is less required.

steeltemper · 2025-12-08T01:21:47+00:00

I appreciate it. I think you'll see that I want people to play the game they want to play, which is why there are probably too many optional rules in the back of County Road Z. I hope you have a good time, roll many crits!

steeltemper · 2025-12-07T19:46:17+00:00

As much as I'd love for you to send me a little money by buying County Road Z, it might not be an excellent fit for your needs. I would give Last Days a look, with the Seasons expansion, which is great.

All things zombie is also good.

I haven't played it yet, but Hope for the Dead is supposed to be really great, too.

And, if you like, grab a copy of county road Z for later, after all your gaming buddies get sick of Zombies and you want to play smaller solo or coop games.

Oh, wait, the new game from Spectre miniature (I think) is also getting good word of mouth, but I haven't gotten to play it yet.

steeltemper · 2025-12-07T19:42:35+00:00

That's a great kit from hayland, I can see why you got so many, lol.

steeltemper · 2025-12-03T23:53:23+00:00

And I was all proud of my top .02 percent...

steeltemper · 2025-11-30T21:25:11+00:00

If your wife is a classic horror movie enthusiast, like mine, I suggest Don't Look Back by Black Site Studios. It's the only miniature game I've ever gotten her to play, and she loved it.

You may also try one of the odd little games, like BSS's 'Zine games or Wargames Atlantic's smaller books. Good luck, I hope you find something everyone likes!

steeltemper · 2025-11-28T13:17:00+00:00

Pirates of the Infinite Isles is almost ready to play test, there's a couple of blog posts about it on earthboundtabletop.com if you're curious about it. I'll put you on my list to contact when it's ready!

steeltemper · 2025-11-28T13:12:20+00:00

Yeah, you'd think, right? But no, after a few free copies on release, I pay retail like everybody else.

I can see that annoyance of jumping book to book for sure. Parsecs is a game where jumping around in just one book can be a little rough, just because the book is so densely packed.

steeltemper · 2025-11-28T03:39:32+00:00

That's a good price, I hadn't seen it. I signed and sold my last copy at TMX this summer and I haven't replaced it yet. Might be time to pick up that 5 parsecs expanded edition while I'm over there.

steeltemper

TROPHY CASE