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I played a demo of it at Gen Con. There's a lot of cross pollination from other d20 games like Shadow of the Demon Lord and Pathfinder 2e. The lead designer said they wanted to do their own thing but also be close enough to 5e to not completely scare off people reluctant to learn new systems...

There’s horror all around us. We rarely get to see things like tentacled horrors or immortal bloodsuckers in real life, but we’ve all had harrowing experiences of meetings that could have been emails and co-workers who keep messing with the thermostat without asking permission. Triangle Agency...

The popularity of cozy games has exploded over the past few years. These games explore slice of life stories rather than epic tales of star empires or dragon war. If you’ve played Animal Crossing, Stardew Valley or still love The Sims you’re familiar with this style of game. It’s unsurprising...

Sometimes when I run Blades or PbtA I get tired of coming up with complications. There are days when the players can't hit a 10 to save their life and it's hard when you're on your fifth "uh... you're out of ammo again" success at cost. I like that Spire mixes up those events so sometimes it's...

Having worked on IP based RPGs big and small, I can confirm that this happens a fair amount. Just like not every campaign has to be an epic, years long affair, RPG lines can just be one or two books about a thing someone in the company likes. This gives hardcore fans something new to enjoy and...

Players enjoy a good conspiracy. What they truly love is to be part of one. Games like Delta Green and Vampire The Masquerade bring the players together by surrounding them with secrets and making it hard to know who should be entrusted with forbidden knowledge. Spire: The City Must Fall, from...

Most old school RPGs share two design principles. The first is an abundance of charts and tables to choose entries from or to roll on. These provide inspiration for the GM when they are writing up the next adventure or give them ideas when the players stray from the obvious path. The second is a...

The Merry Mushmen have made a name for themselves as the masterminds behind Knock! Magazine. This periodical offers lively discussion about the OSR through design articles, rules hacks and short adventures. They moved into publishing full fledged adventures with Nightmare Over Ragged Hollow last...

Can confirm Knave doesn't have this but it does have a spell creation chart that I like. (This may be a spoiler for an upcoming review).

Last year, Shadowdark broke onto the scene as a breath of fresh air. It mixed the best parts of OSR austerity and 5e fluidity to make an experience that appeals to both audiences. Its embrace of third party support has mostly expressed itself in adventures and small add-ons to let groups adjust...

For the next three weeks, Bundle of Holding has the corebook and several supplements on offer for cheap.

The distress signal is one of the hardiest hooks in the Game Master’s toolbox. It offers a bit of mystery and the promise of action. What’s the problem? Is it a trap? How do we fix things? Can we fight back if we’re caught off guard. Distress Signals from Reece Carter offers a collection of...

The single adventures released for Marvel Multiverse Role Playing Game have been pretty straightforward to this point. That makes sense based on the audience the game is aiming to hit. They want to capture people who are new to Marvel games, new to role playing games and likely both. I think...

We ended up playing three games which was just long enough for one player to trigger their Trouble. Were I booking this for a campaign, I'd probably play until everyone has popped their initial trouble and then close out the season.