Recent content by Breaking Star Games

I suppose it varies on how big of a houserule it ends up being as well. Smaller changes mostly for flavor area pretty easy to do and usually aren't big, cascading mechanical changes. But the bigger impact ones are usually "after a few adventures" when you really feel that pain point and...

Both may be in the Space Opera genre, but the actual themes and plot are quite different. Mass Effect makes me think of heroic combat with a magic system (which is actually kind of rare in Sci Fi, Fantasy has the majority here), so that basically leaves Genesys and Starfinder of the ones I know...

There is definitely an interesting discussion around how much an edition should change from its predecessor. D&D has definitely gone through extreme changes in the previous several to 3e, to 4e then to 5e. But throughout all of them, the community still had the older editions to enjoy, so more...

I definitely appreciate the system pulling its weight, so you don't need an amazing GM or player participation in a Writer's Room to make it work. So, though I don't love everything about it, I much prefer Root: The RPG's skill list over Blades in the Dark. It comes with 3 simple complications...

I really like multiple levels focused on generating complications because I think it maximizes player agency. The largest difference between rolls come up with complications vs binary is that by having player action create complications, you focus on that PbtA Play to Find Out rather than the...

Melodrama including some teen drama isn't as interesting for me. I'd rather we just tell a story with real stakes. I certainly don't mind the PCs being a mess of pressure, stress or emotions, but that pressure should feel real like Last Fleet portraying Battlestar Galactica keeping the last...

The biggest reason IMO to use D&D 5e is to get a local table because it's so popular. I have plenty of players to play with, so no reason for me personally. But my 5e books make a great temporary stand for my TV.

Maybe its just from all the TV shows I loved in the 90s and early 2000s, but there is definitely a special place in my heart for episodic with those season(s)-long stories. My profile pic gives a hint but Cowboy Bebop and Firefly are the stellar examples for me. It really does fit nicely with...

Work well is the tough part. IMO, TTRPGs generally don't work well with such sizes - though I'm of the opinion that 1 GM and 3 Players is the ideal, which is low for other tables. This runs into the Dinner Party problem where as you get past 4 or 5 people , you start having conversations (or...

The Between. I was shocked to see just how much excitement grew around it. Jason Cordova has done an incredible job building this great community in the Gauntlet. And the game on its own has well earned the huge backerkit success for some serious innovative mechanics. I know the Theorize Move...

It's a much simpler system than the 270 pages make it look. This is mostly due to lots of cleaned up screenshots and whitespace, plus 80 pages devoted to how each episode of Cowboy Bebop may play out in this game. I wouldn't buy this as an Art Book for the anime, nor would I look to it as a...

I'll second Traveller for being one of the first in the Gear as Advancement as the core focus. And it remains pretty awesome how you can grow in so many different forms of utility and power with Sci Fi gadgets having so many different options. Though you probably can't beat Cyberpunk 2020...

Ever since playing in one of Helena's Avatar Legends games, my first time with a professional GM, it made me really appreciate learning more from varying styles of GMing and helped solidify my understanding of running narrative games. I got to play in a playtest of Against the Odds as The...

I think boardgames and certain video games do players in the role of traitors better like Werewolf, Avalon, Secret Hitler, Among Us, TTT, etc. I know Paranoia plays in this space and a few other TTRPGs like Mountain Witch do. But the huge prevalence in boardgames vs TTRPGs makes its more...

This has been on the top of my list to run for a while but I'd want a group to be together for a solid 6+ sessions to really see the Blues and Troubles develop. And now with the Kickstarter for its expansion, Afterburn, moving along to deliver, I am waiting for that one. That looks to be the...