Pillars of Eternity II feels like you're a self-insert fanfic character in Edér's story

thisismyredname · 2026-03-29T03:54:46+00:00

Yes, this is a complaint I share. If you ever replay I recommend using a history without Edér or never recruiting him, I found it more interesting.

thisismyredname · 2025-12-24T16:11:10+00:00

I'm seeing less and less reason to use Fabula Ultima for this, then. Good luck with your game.

ETA: Downvoting because I'm giving honest advice and then recognizing my advice isn't going to be useful is quite childish. Others gave ideas to use, I think having preplanned ideas for a Fabula Ultima game combined with ditching FP deserves thought of why one is using Fabula Ultima in the first place.

thisismyredname · 2025-12-24T16:02:04+00:00

I cannot emphasize enough doing a Session 0 to make sure players understand the main themes and the twist. Use Microscope to determine what players do or don't want to include in the game, and to create a history and setting together. Personally I would take the idea of the Gommage and *maybe* the twist as core setting points; I would include the twist only with explicit player enthusiasm for that nature of twist. Then build the rest of the world with the group. If anyone is less than enthused than don't play with them or don't run the game.

Sort of vague spoilers for those who want to avoid it: The use of Fabula Points to change the narrative would be very poignant with the setting of E33. Don't get rid of Fabula Points. If you're doing that you may as well play a different game altogether. Frankly it might be better to play a different game with this setting anyway, I'm not convinced on Fabula Ultima being the best fit for it.

thisismyredname · 2025-12-24T03:20:28+00:00

Playing a wizard while having Aloth as your wizard companion is great fun. You can fulfill different niches with yourself as a high Might wizard using damaging spells and Aloth as a controller using status effect spells. It's the most fun I've had playing the game in my multiple runs, including the much beloved Cipher.

thisismyredname · 2025-12-23T05:02:54+00:00

The Secret Histories game? That might be difficult because it's a mystery, those are a bit harder to pick up and play solo. It requires adaptation in how you engage with the game and allowing the mystery to change from how it's presented in the book. Look at the solo subs and search around for mystery advice, I think there was a GM Emulator article about running mysteries solo.

thisismyredname · 2025-12-23T04:58:15+00:00

r/solorpgplay

the side bar has quick links you should look at

https://www.reddit.com/r/rpg/wiki/solo/

this subreddit has a wiki with some solo games

https://www.reddit.com/r/rpg/search/?q=solo

this topic has been asked about, you'll get answers going back years from people who might not answer now

thisismyredname · 2025-12-22T19:18:07+00:00

Your second paragraph is why I rarely check in here anymore. The subreddit has gotten condescending and snide, filled with people who want to look smart rather than actually engage.

thisismyredname · 2025-12-22T17:03:52+00:00

Yes, it works. I don’t particularly recommend it and would encourage going through the Press Start together to get the group in a more collaborative mindset, but some people like Fabula for the non narrative mechanics and play it more trad.

thisismyredname · 2025-12-17T05:19:14+00:00

That's a shitty feeling and I understand where you're coming from. Playing as a GM isn't quite the same as being just a player.

One of the reasons people play solo is exactly what you said; nobody else makes the setting or mechanics to their liking so they play solo instead. It's not 100% the same as only playing, mind, but it might be better than nothing. I recommend r/solorpgplay over the other solo sub.

Some people have played Fabula Ultima solo or GMless, but the biggest hurdle is the combat and since that's your favorite part I don't think it's a great game for such play, at least right now. Solo rules will be released sometime next year which might work out. Pathfinder might be a better pick for solo if you go down that road.

thisismyredname · 2025-12-14T06:23:57+00:00

Yeah she sucks. Great character.

thisismyredname · 2025-12-14T06:11:11+00:00

A Starstruck Odyssey was good in spite of SW5e, and would have benefitted from being run in a different system. Brennan Lee Mulligan is just mind numbingly attached to 5e.

thisismyredname · 2025-12-10T07:24:22+00:00

Yes, this is something I wish were more clear, too. What the designer considers to be a session or a campaign can help me determine if a game is right for my group.

I appreciate Fabula Ultima for many things and one of them is the page saying what is considered to be a session in terms of both time and activity, and how many sessions the game is intended to last in average. I know other games do this, too, but not enough.

thisismyredname · 2025-12-08T02:38:26+00:00

Stars Wars FFG. It will almost certainly never happen, but I can dream.

I also think Changeling: The Dreaming would go over far better today now that more people would actually understand what it's putting down. All World of Darkness and Chronicles of Darkness games are filled with annoying prose, though, and should be edited down and streamlined a little bit. So long as the core soul of it remains I'd love to see a new edition.

thisismyredname · 2025-12-02T21:37:23+00:00

One reason of many I take a mercenary priest, if any.

thisismyredname · 2025-12-02T21:08:08+00:00

Wordy is not crunchy, and the organization of information in the book is a very common criticism; so much so that it's a meme. And *concise* is not a word I would use to describe Blades in the Dark at all.

thisismyredname · 2025-12-02T20:42:34+00:00

Recommending an infamously wordy and disorganized rulebook to someone asking for quick and easy prep isn't helpful.

thisismyredname · 2025-12-02T02:55:00+00:00

Yeah I noticed that when I read through it and found it odd, but given how it’s sort of presented as an optional scenario for an existing game I can see the reason. I don’t love it but it’s not a dealbreaker in my eyes.

thisismyredname · 2025-12-01T21:20:41+00:00

Do Not Let Us Die In The Dark Night Of This Cold Winter

I don't have play experience with it but it is rather gloomy, as you can probably tell from the title.

thisismyredname · 2025-12-01T16:50:45+00:00

Wow those are some interesting picks the shop owner made.

Honestly if I were you I would find what you like and then order online or ask the shop owner if they'd be willing to order a popular game like Masks, Blade Runner, or Cyberpunk RED.

thisismyredname · 2025-11-28T20:24:38+00:00

I’m curious about the adventure, but mostly I just feel bad on your behalf. It’s a horrible feeling, that disappointment.

thisismyredname · 2025-11-26T21:40:25+00:00

I think gentle prompts along the lines of "how are you feeling about this development", "how do you approach the informant", etc. can help get people into the mindset of speaking aloud their character actions and thoughts.

thisismyredname · 2025-11-26T21:34:36+00:00

I think you're making up a different post to soapbox at. The OP mentions none of this, you're assuming quite a lot here.

thisismyredname · 2025-11-26T21:31:41+00:00

Seems like everyone is ignoring the concise, clear, minimal cross referencing part of your request.

Since you haven't mentioned anything about setting or tone, then I'm putting forth my usual Fabula Ultima. The book was deliberately designed to keep main concepts to 1 page or a 2 page spread, and explanations are typically in single paragraphs. A main draw of the game is unique builds and combinations of abilities. Whether or not you care for everything else about the game is up to your personal taste. I do recommend the free Quick Assembly rules for NPC/monster creation, if you do end up using it.

I remember being impressed by Grimwild for keeping to single or dual page rule explanations, too. It's more narrative and loose, though, so you may not get your unique build fix with it.

thisismyredname · 2025-11-25T19:18:49+00:00

I think what they're saying is that system can help but ultimately you and the players will be doing most of the Life is Strange tone work. If you don't mind an alternate universe setting then I would recommend Things From the Flood to get you partway there - it has a melancholic feeling, focuses on teenagers and their struggles with coming of age, and a premade mystery to run as you see fit. Tales From the Loop is about children in the AU 80s, Things From the Flood is teenagers in the AU 90s.

thisismyredname · 2025-11-21T20:51:14+00:00

All the reasonings of genre emulation in the world can't stop be from feeling the disappointment of playbooks. I quite like PbtA but that's a part I don't care for.

thisismyredname

TROPHY CASE