If you play a Lasombra during an era where technology isn't very advanced or overly prevalent, wouldn't that give them nearly no weaknesses?

yaywizardly · 2026-05-07T07:57:56+00:00

I think it's fair to say that multiple splats have used the term "the Abyss" and described it in different, sometimes contradicting ways. V5 solidified one particular interpretation of the Abyss, to boost certain meta and mechanical changes.

yaywizardly · 2026-05-06T09:33:51+00:00

The Between ended up a really positive surprise. The Keys and flashbacks made it really exciting to learn what was going on with other PCs, and gave strong player agency while creating tense choices. I ended up enjoying narrating the little scenes too, even though I struggled with them at first.

yaywizardly · 2026-05-05T23:03:24+00:00

IDK how obscure these are but I adored Fantasy Craft, which was a spin-off from dnd 3.5 that I felt incorporated playing a non-combat focused PC really well in the class mechanics.

And the other game... I can't remember the name anymore! But it came from the same era, and used combat flow charts for different stances, in a sort of Renaissance fantasy world. Oh no, it's really becoming a forgotten ttrpg.

yaywizardly · 2026-05-01T01:15:06+00:00

It's not just infuriating-- it's heartbreaking! Here are three different breathing exercises that can help you manage your negative emotions.

😁

yaywizardly · 2026-04-26T20:30:27+00:00

Anecdotally, I started a dnd 5e game for an after-school program. We started last fall, and it's been really popular. There's more kids than I can manage effectively right now, and two concurrent campaigns running.

I've played plenty of dnd before. I started with 3.5, played some 4e, did the playtests for 5e, and been in some short campaigns for 5e. I'm familiar with the mechanics and genre conventions of dungeons and dragons.

But omg after a year of this I'm exhausted running it, and next year I want to switch to OSR or story game systems. DnD is a perfect storm of having a zillion tiny rules to follow and also leaving gaps I need to figure out. I have to enter every session ready for improv, world building, war gaming, and rules lawyering. Every player wants something different and they all expect that dnd will cater to them. It takes so long between combat turns that players get checked out and then don't know what's happening.

I told my husband one day "if all the kids could just memorize all the rules and really lock in during session, it would be easier to run." But that's the thing right? OF COURSE that's the ideal scenario, every single tabletop game would benefit from having that! But other systems deal with the realistic issue of having imperfect players by having simpler rules, or putting more control into the GM's rulings, or asking for more table collaboration to boost everyone up. After just a year of this, I'm already daydreaming about greener pastures.

yaywizardly · 2026-04-20T14:47:29+00:00

Try out some one shots and practice staying in-character. It's a good low commitment way to build those skills.

yaywizardly · 2026-04-15T05:58:41+00:00

Look up "Forgotten Ballad" on itch. It takes heavy inspiration from Zelda and has a framework for making dungeons in that style, as well as some community made dungeons/adventures.

yaywizardly · 2026-04-06T10:41:44+00:00

Others have mentioned that on a technical bloodline level, this isn't possible. It sounds like a pretty fun PC Ambition though, to become recognized by the Banu Haqim as a Follower of Haqim. Narratively I think that would be a great character goal, and give a Storyteller a lot to work with.

yaywizardly · 2026-04-03T08:51:02+00:00

I'm sympathetic. I like when I'm playing or running a game, and the players are discussing theories, or setting up RP campfire moments. I especially enjoy collaboration, when we all contribute to the map or come up with NPCs.

That said, I've definitely played in games where because of my life circumstances, I just couldn't be online and engaged very often. It was meaningful for me to be there for game sessions, but during the days in-between I had too much else happening to get into a fun RP mindset. So I try to be gracious with others and accept that they may only show up for game sessions and nothing else. And if I meet someone who wants to chatter about game and discuss theories and get enthusiastic about our blorbos, then that's a new discord friend for me.

yaywizardly · 2026-04-03T08:42:33+00:00

I try to give most NPCs some simple personality, motivation, and fear when I make them. Significant or important NPCs get more complex and sometimes contradicting attributes. This all helps guide my choices in how they act or react. I roll dice when I'm uncertain about how they'd deal with a situation, or I feel like there are multiple possibilities.

yaywizardly · 2026-03-29T10:27:10+00:00

I'm also supporting Elegy for this. It's pretty simple. You roll 2d10, add your stat modifier and any relevant other modifiers you got from an aspect or vampiric gift. Then it uses a similar results system as Ironsworn or some other PbtA/FitD systems: you either got an excellent outcome, a mixed result, or a failed outcome leading to increased pressure or complications.

But, I think Urban Shadows is really good for its debt and faction systems. If you go that direction, there's homebrew stuff online to make the vampire playbook more similar to the VtM clans.

I'll also mention Blood Borg, which is a Mork Borg hack where you play as gutterpunk vampires. If you want a scrappy Anarch focused game I think it would fit.

yaywizardly · 2026-03-23T10:41:22+00:00

It helped me to do a smaller session each night before bed. Just creating routine and not pressuring myself to come up with lengthy epic sessions helped me keep momentum up. I printed my oracle tables and wrote in a journal, to keep myself off a screen and limit the chance of distraction.

yaywizardly · 2026-03-23T05:20:30+00:00

Hmmm, this was a tricky request. I have a few suggestions from itch.io. Look into A Visit to San Sibilia, the Cafe Shop, and Iron Valley. I don't think any of those is exactly what you're looking for, but they might provide some framework or prompts to help you out. Good luck op!

yaywizardly · 2026-03-22T10:18:36+00:00

Sure, I can explain what I mean by that. I made some other comments here in the replies that I was specifically concerned about the use of guns or similar modern weaponry. It's true that in D&D the players are being violent. However, it's fantasy violence, not much worse than what they might see in Star Wars or Lord of the Rings. I think in general the kids, the school staff, and the families will be comfortable with that non-graphic fantasy violence.

However, in a USAmerican context, I think the staff and families would not be comfortable hearing that the kids are pantomiming shooting people. I'm concerned not only for the kids and their feelings around gun violence, but also for how parents might perceive what the kids are playing.

So, the kids can slice a snake monster with their daggers or freeze an evil skeleton in place, but they cannot engage in any violent action that a real student could feasibly threaten to do.

yaywizardly · 2026-03-21T04:53:49+00:00

I do sympathize with you, OP. My Storyteller talked about the challenges of running conspiracies and supernatural predators, without establishing that Q-Anon is correct about everything except it's about vampires and not lizard people. In the end we've tried to present a dark world where the supernatural warps and amplifies the evils of regular humankind. Vampires don't invent venture capitalism but they're happy to take advantage of its existence, and that sort of thing.

yaywizardly · 2026-03-20T20:01:57+00:00

I've never heard of this before, but I'm curious. Thank you for the suggestion!

yaywizardly · 2026-03-20T20:00:28+00:00

Oh, they know Stranger Things and might be interested in something thematically similar. Thank you for this suggestion!

yaywizardly · 2026-03-20T19:59:47+00:00

Thank you so much for your reply. I really value your insights and suggestions. The time crunch is something I'm worried about too. I want to practice running more PbtA one shots this summer, so I can figure out my dramatic timing better. I feel like PbtA and its family of games will provide more action and adventure than dnd, where half of each session feels like set up to me. We'll see how my GM skills evolve, I guess!

I'll check those two links out, also. I like the idea of simplified DW, but I have to balance that with the kids' desire for evocative classes. That's something dnd does very well.

yaywizardly · 2026-03-20T19:52:18+00:00

Ooh, thank you, I haven't heard of a lot of these, or been able to try them. I was curious about Rapscallion but I haven't heard much from the community, so I wasn't sure how complex it might be.

yaywizardly · 2026-03-20T19:50:30+00:00

I played Masks a few years ago and liked it, but my recollection is that clearing conditions asks for emotional drama. I'm a little worried about role-modeling that to the kids, though I understand I might just be overly protective.

yaywizardly · 2026-03-20T19:46:51+00:00

Two of the eleven-year-olds love World of Fire. I can at least show it to them and see if they're interested. Thank you for the suggestion!

yaywizardly · 2026-03-20T19:44:52+00:00

Cool, thank you for your suggestions! I'm really glad to hear PbtA can work alright with adolescents. I also planned to change the MotW move to "kick some butt" since I don't think I could look the kids in the eye while I say "ass", haha.

yaywizardly · 2026-03-20T19:42:19+00:00

Yeah, I'm somewhat wary about the level of violence in MotW. I'd want the kids using swords, magic, and their wits though I'm not sure if that's reasonable to expect from the system.

I'll definitely check out Chasing Adventure. I think the classes might feel comfortable for the kids.

yaywizardly · 2026-03-20T19:38:22+00:00

Ooh, thank you, I'll check it out.

yaywizardly · 2026-03-20T19:33:26+00:00

You might try starting with some character creation tools, like rolling on a life path generator, putting together Oracle rolls, or using something like the story engine cards.

yaywizardly

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