It’s was quite a year last week. On the other hand coffee has been consumed, no one in the house is throwing up, and today I get to play two RPG sessions. As the neurons in my head fire up with disjointed flashes of lucidity my mind wanders into unexpected valleys and canyons. These are random TTRPG thoughts.
- For my “Hobby Lunch” session I have converted my Sentinel Comics RPG adventure over to Cypher System. I’m interested to see how it plays.
- I have made only a few gridded maps over the last few months because I’m playing theater of the mind more and more. I know it’s not for everyone, but I appreciate how it drives people more to expanding the fiction than measuring squares. And, if folks want a reference for a complex scene we just lay out objects to give a basic representation.
- Last week I made my first map inside FoundryVTT, using some forest assets I purchased. I was stunned by how fun the process was, and it’s easy to set up things like overhead tiles without having to export and import from other map programs over and over.
- I still need to get folks together for my third play test of my Sentinel Comics RPG adventure. Everyone keeps getting sick!
- I’m wrestling with my review for The Path of Glory. I don’t want to give anything away to my players in case we run it!
- If make maps direct in FoundryVTT is my other map software useless? Nope. For outdoor scenes, in particular, I can use other mapping software applications to create the backdrops. If I want a stream cutting through the middle, with a slope on the one side, I can do that. If I want foliage and clutter on the ground, I can set that up. If I want a clear path I can lay that out as well. In FoundryVTT I can drop tiles on top of that backdrop to complete the map. I can also manipulate the tiles. So…suddenly the cart in the road or the tree that has fallen in the road is moveable. This is something I think Arkenforge is great at for in person games, by the way. Yes, I could do this with physical terrain in person, but I’d end up breaking it.
- Creative writing assignment. Give me a narrative description of a TTRPG creature which functions like a virus, has no charisma, believes it’s entitled to whatever it wants, and yet is able to devour people while they watch. It seems appropriate to give this monster a musky smell for some reason.
- Come to Ecclesicon! It’s gonna be a blast!
- There are many distinct aspects to tabletop role-playing hobby, but one of most important is agency. What is agency? It means a character’s choices impact the world around them. It doesn’t mean a character will succeed, or that a world’s reactions will benefit the character. It’s an affirmation a character’s actions have meaning. In a world where it feels like agency is being taken away more and more, particularly if you are visibly part of a vulnerable population, that’s a powerful reminder. Our actions have meaning.
- Everyone check out the Dirtbags kickstarter, it’s a neat little system.
