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Open playtests are decent at providing acceptance testing (whether or not users will accept or value a given feature). They are poor at providing systems testing results (how components interact with one another). Targeted internal testing or with outside groups you can depend on to follow...

I think whether or not mechanics that have I say in who your characters feels or thinks are going to feel natural to you is going to have a lot to do with how you start in the hobby. I personally cut my teeth on games like Vampire, Classic Deadlands and Legend of the Five Rings. The idea that a...

In literally every instance of play where the spotlight is on a given character in games like Apocalypse World, Monsterhearts, Vampire - The Requiem Second Edition, Legend of the Five Rings Fifth Edition, insert game with binding social mechanics players are making decisions about what their...

That's the basic structure of some RPGs. There is no given set of play procedures that is fundamental to all roleplaying games.

What I'll say is this - in order for your character's desires to be at stake in a game like Torchbearer players are making active choices to enter social conflicts where they are at stake. GMs do not have the authority to just have NPCs act upon you on a whim. Having constraints upon future...

Apocalypse Keys Apocalypse World Blades in the Dark Vampire - The Requiem, Second Edition

I think there are a lot of people who are aware of the existence of other roleplaying games, but have not tried them or really even thought about them, in the same way that there is a fairly significant amount of people who have only played board games like Monopoly and Sorry and never ventured...

I'm somewhat the opposite. As I have gotten older, I have become more and more disinterested in deep investment in a particular game. I want games that are more or less complete in a single package and are not trying to sell me a game line. I also crave novelty even more. I want distinct, novel...

Sure, if you limit the discussion to games that are structured in basically the same way the differences between how much the individual games' rules will impact the play experience will be fairly minor (and mostly aesthetic). I find myself thoroughly shocked.

I don't know. I think the 2024 version is more for real than the 2022 version. This Vikings team has some quality wins. I don't see them in the same tier as the Lions or the Eagles, but I don't see them as a team to sleep on. I'd put them on the same level as the Commanders, Cardinals, Packers...

Do you think it would be possible to not frame their desire to have creative input as world bending power?

Roleplaying games require dynamic creativity, fictional reasoning and the ability to think on your feet. That is an altogether different thing than saying all roleplaying games are based on "Improv Principles". I would argue that blocking is fundamental to the play experience of the vast...

In general, I think the best thing you can do is to clearly lay out the meta expectations for play that exist beyond setting concerns, what sort of character motivations are appropriate, and most importantly the sort of themes that should be reinforced through play. Then they can evaluate if...

Detroit got over 300 yards in the return game today. Absolutely wild.

My personal litmus test is what is the response at the table when a player has their character go off book. Is it embraced? Does everyone groan a little? Does the GM try to bring everything back on track or do they let things play out? The real-world response by the players and the GM here are...

Masks: Dragons, Ravens and Spiders clash.

Cortex Exalted Hack: Haunted by Past Betrayals.

Mouseguard was one of the easiest games to get into that I've ever played. Straight forward conflict rules, easy character creation, premise that is coherent and functional. Burning Wheel is a bit more to swallow, but the writing in the text is pretty easy to grok. There's just a lot of layers...

Halycon Herald and Deck of Villainy for upcoming Masks game I'm going to be running. Pledged the Cosmere RPG Kickstarter.

From a mechanical standpoint, games that include options that when invoked fundamentally shift the decision space of everyone involved. Movement rates and precise positioning are not required. For example I would consider L5R 5th Edition fairly tactical in that the conflict space is very dynamic...