Count_Zero
Hero
Continued GMing Shadows of the Dragon Queen for 5e.2024, hitting the 1 year mark on the (admittedly monthly) game.
Let's Talk About Our Year In TTRPGs
- Thread starter Reynard
- Start date
This year was mostly consistent with a PF2e Stolen Fate AP campaign that started near the beginning of the year. We did end up missing or having to cut short some sessions, but we're around 2/3 of the way through the second book so the plan for 2026 is to continue that. Aside from that, we got in a few sessions of a Shadowdark gauntlet dungeon from Cursed Scroll #3. To end the year we're planning a one-shot of Pirate Borg during the holiday break, so we'll see how that goes. The group I run games for is pretty excited by the concept so should be fun.
I think the thing I've figured out at this point is I'm probably going to look at moving on from PF2e when our current campaign winds down. As a system it addresses a lot of what I found lacking in 5e but it ultimately has one of the same issues I had with higher level 5e play: combat takes way too long. The combat is at least more interesting to me, but the thing I think I would prefer at this point is faster combat and the players having more time spent getting creative with exploration and roleplaying. I'm not 100% sure Shadowdark is what I'll end up running once we're done with Stolen Fate, but it's on the short list of things I want to run a short series of adventures with to see how the group I run games for does with it. Depending how well Pirate Borg goes, that will be in the mix as well as Dolmenwood/OSE.
I think the thing I've figured out at this point is I'm probably going to look at moving on from PF2e when our current campaign winds down. As a system it addresses a lot of what I found lacking in 5e but it ultimately has one of the same issues I had with higher level 5e play: combat takes way too long. The combat is at least more interesting to me, but the thing I think I would prefer at this point is faster combat and the players having more time spent getting creative with exploration and roleplaying. I'm not 100% sure Shadowdark is what I'll end up running once we're done with Stolen Fate, but it's on the short list of things I want to run a short series of adventures with to see how the group I run games for does with it. Depending how well Pirate Borg goes, that will be in the mix as well as Dolmenwood/OSE.
Ralif Redhammer
Legend
It's been a while since I ran a game, but I think in hindsight I was a little too stringent with Paradox when I ran it. But I did love the magic system and the themes of the game.
Voadam
Legend
I started off 2025 with significant health issues that had required me in 24 to drop running my three year online weekly 5e Iron Gods campaign and drop out of my regular now multi decade bi-weekly face to face group where I was a player in a 5e game and also to drop an improv group that was doing gaming stuff. I was able to keep up in the online group as a player as my brother started a new fantasy campaign in a homebrew system with our shorter three hour online sessions but there was a couple periods where even that was too much.
These health issues mostly resolved in the summer and after a recuperation period I got back into gaming as a PC in both my regular online and face to face groups with the face to face one starting a modern X-Files type game using the Cypher System. Possible upcoming work promotion would make significant impacts on my time so I have been hesitant to get back into DMing right now. The improv group might do some one off things next year which might work out for me to join again.
Once I got back into gaming I was pretty frustrated at the regular cancellations of our regular games, a bit more than in the past.
I continued to get stuff throughout the year, mostly PDFs of either old stuff on sale or in bundles (old edition D&D, World of Darkness, Call of Cthulhu, Shadowrun) or more recent 5e and OSR and assorted weirdness like Forged in the Dark stuff. As a celebration after my health issues resolved I bought myself a physical 2024 5e MM.
I also continued to read gaming sourcebooks usually finishing off reading something cover to cover every month, like the physical 2024 5e PH I had gotten last year or a PDF of the 2e Planeswalker's Handbook.
These health issues mostly resolved in the summer and after a recuperation period I got back into gaming as a PC in both my regular online and face to face groups with the face to face one starting a modern X-Files type game using the Cypher System. Possible upcoming work promotion would make significant impacts on my time so I have been hesitant to get back into DMing right now. The improv group might do some one off things next year which might work out for me to join again.
Once I got back into gaming I was pretty frustrated at the regular cancellations of our regular games, a bit more than in the past.
I continued to get stuff throughout the year, mostly PDFs of either old stuff on sale or in bundles (old edition D&D, World of Darkness, Call of Cthulhu, Shadowrun) or more recent 5e and OSR and assorted weirdness like Forged in the Dark stuff. As a celebration after my health issues resolved I bought myself a physical 2024 5e MM.
I also continued to read gaming sourcebooks usually finishing off reading something cover to cover every month, like the physical 2024 5e PH I had gotten last year or a PDF of the 2e Planeswalker's Handbook.
aramis erak
Legend
It's been rough...
Most of the summer, Wed FTF 1p.
Fall has been 2p. Really embracing Daggerheart.
Online group has been 4 to 5 p... and solid. Doing Daggerheart... it's good.
Am looking forward to Alien Evolved Edition (aka 2nd ed) down the road... doing prep already, finding the (many) small differences from 1st to 2nd. Need to dump a hundred or so on foundry modules for it... but they're worth it. In future, I'll just order those as part of the supplement preorders, get the discounts.
I got foundry a few months back. I love it for Daggerheart. I want the official corebook stuff for it, too.
Most of the summer, Wed FTF 1p.
Fall has been 2p. Really embracing Daggerheart.
Online group has been 4 to 5 p... and solid. Doing Daggerheart... it's good.
Am looking forward to Alien Evolved Edition (aka 2nd ed) down the road... doing prep already, finding the (many) small differences from 1st to 2nd. Need to dump a hundred or so on foundry modules for it... but they're worth it. In future, I'll just order those as part of the supplement preorders, get the discounts.
I got foundry a few months back. I love it for Daggerheart. I want the official corebook stuff for it, too.
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Temperantia
Explorer
It's been a good year, gaming-wise:
GMing:
Wrapped up a 5E campaign for newbies to the hobby that begun last year. This went on for 36 sessions in total and incorporated some official material like Forge of Fury. I'll migrate this group to a different ruleset and setting for the new year and a new campaign, likely Hexxen 1733 (a German baroque-era / fantasy RPG) or Forbidden Lands, should the former fail to convince.
For a different group that started in the summer, I ran the Symbaroum Copper Crown trilogy and we just recently moved on to the first book of the Throne of Thorns campaign. 11 sessions in total so far.
Several one-shots, mostly Call of Cthulhu (maybe around 5 in total), as well as single forays into Mothership (the Adrift scenario) and most recently Imperium Maledictum.
Playing:
In a Curse of Strahd 5E campaign, 25-ish sessions in. I've burned through three characters; they all had it coming and it's great fun.
A one-shot each of Mothership, Pirate Borg and an OSR game.
GMing:
Wrapped up a 5E campaign for newbies to the hobby that begun last year. This went on for 36 sessions in total and incorporated some official material like Forge of Fury. I'll migrate this group to a different ruleset and setting for the new year and a new campaign, likely Hexxen 1733 (a German baroque-era / fantasy RPG) or Forbidden Lands, should the former fail to convince.
For a different group that started in the summer, I ran the Symbaroum Copper Crown trilogy and we just recently moved on to the first book of the Throne of Thorns campaign. 11 sessions in total so far.
Several one-shots, mostly Call of Cthulhu (maybe around 5 in total), as well as single forays into Mothership (the Adrift scenario) and most recently Imperium Maledictum.
Playing:
In a Curse of Strahd 5E campaign, 25-ish sessions in. I've burned through three characters; they all had it coming and it's great fun.
A one-shot each of Mothership, Pirate Borg and an OSR game.
I’m going to be doing a RPGs in 2025 review this Sunday on my talk show! Here are my notes!
My 2025
My 2025
- Released City of Arches
- Released 22 City of Arches supplements on Patreon
- Released the 5e Artisanal Database
- Ran 110 games in 2025 (3x5e, D&D 2014, and Tales of the Valiant)
- Finished a 20 level City of Arches 3x5e campaign
- Started work on my new big 2026 project (80k words!)
- Started a new Patreon project for 2026
- D&D 2024 fully released
- Daggerheart
- Dolmenwood
- 13th Age
- Draw Steel
- Land of Eem
- Cairn
- Nimble 5e
- 5.2.1 SRD released in five languages in the CC
- Black Flag released in the CC
- Two new starter sets for D&D
- Jeremy Crawford and Chris Perkins join Darrington Press
- Acquisitions Incorporated switches to Daggerheart
- Critical Role Season 4 switches to D&D 2024
- Project Sigil Ends
- The "End" of One-D&D
- I think 2026 is going to be a quiet year for RPGs (bad for Youtube click bait!).
- Big project from me in the summer.
- I think it's a great time for reflection on our own personal hold on the hobby.
- Great opportunity to play lots of games.
- Let's get back to the table and run awesome games.
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The Soloist
Hero
In 2025, solo mode:
I don't expect to play so many different games solo in 2026, or maybe not. My hyperactive brain likes new rules. That doesn't seem to slow down with age (almost 61).
____________________
As a player in a group:
__________________
As a GM for a group:
- Cypher System Predation setting book. 6 sessions. We enjoyed it a lot. Players wanted to continue but I ran out of ideas for the episodic campaign. Hoping to run it again in 2026.
In 2026, looking forward to GMing Coriolis The Great Dark and Dreams & Machines.
- Dragonbane
- D&D BX (OSE), 1e, 2e, 3e, 3.5e and 5e24.
- Shadow of the Weird Wizard
- Fantasy AGE
- Cypher System, sci-fi sessions
- Numenera
- Clash of Steel 2e
- Barbarian Prince
- Modern AGE
- Romance of the Perilous Land
- Lair of the Leopard Empresses (Monster!, Monster! / aka Tunnels & Trolls)
- GURPS
- Fantasy Trip.
- And others I forget.
I don't expect to play so many different games solo in 2026, or maybe not. My hyperactive brain likes new rules. That doesn't seem to slow down with age (almost 61).
____________________
As a player in a group:
- CoC
- Digital_Shades (cyberpunk)
- Paranoia
__________________
As a GM for a group:
- Cypher System Predation setting book. 6 sessions. We enjoyed it a lot. Players wanted to continue but I ran out of ideas for the episodic campaign. Hoping to run it again in 2026.
In 2026, looking forward to GMing Coriolis The Great Dark and Dreams & Machines.
After not being able to play or run since the birth of our son last year, I got to run Fabula Ultima a couple of times towards the end of this year. I’m looking forward to getting to run it some more next year.
I did get to go to Origins this year, but I signed up so late that I didn’t even try to do any events other than spending time in the Boardroom. Origins is where I was able to pick up copies of Fabula Ultima and the GM toolkit. I was glad I got to go and spend time with my friends there.
I did get to go to Origins this year, but I signed up so late that I didn’t even try to do any events other than spending time in the Boardroom. Origins is where I was able to pick up copies of Fabula Ultima and the GM toolkit. I was glad I got to go and spend time with my friends there.
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