Looking Back on 2024 – Looking Forward to 2025

[aramis erak]

2024 things I'm glad for:
Alien's supplements and both cinematics: Heart of Darkness and Destroyer of Worlds.
Modiphius' STA sup for the Klingon War.
Twilight 2000 4e Black Madonna.

2025 looking forward? Coriolis' new edition, Alien's new edition. Unless PDFs ship on time this week, Planet of the Apes.

Oh, and from 2015 through 2025, the 4 scenery chewers in my online group. Who have played, in 2024, D&D Rules Cyclopedia + Gazeteers, Tales from the Loop, and Jackals, with a one shot of Starships & Spacemen.

 

[thullgrim]

Looking Back

• Finally some of extended time with GURPS on the table. It scratched an itch but I’m not sure I’ll be going back to it.
• Backed too many kickstarters.
• Think I’ve finally gotten a handle on what my gaming might look like, in terms of system, might look like going forward.
• could not get an in-person group to stick. My fault.

Looking Forward

• Slimming down my collection and streaming what I run.
• Trying out some OSE or Shadowdark.
• Shadowdark KS
• More content for WHFRP 4e and Imperium Maledictum.
• More miniature wargaming like reach my grandson son Battletech Already ha Strike, play Age of Sigmar, Necromunda, and other games.
• Maybe start a bi-weekly open table game at the FLGS so I can get some in-person roleplaying.

 

[Velderan]

Half of me wants to embrace Shadowdark, but the other half of me wants to wait till the second edition (inevitable).

Given how smart Kelsey Dionne has been about handling Shadowdark’s success, making a second edition of the game anytime soon seems wildly out of character for her decision making process so far. I imagine she’d release a rule expansion book of some sort before she makes a second edition and so far she’s used the Cursed Scroll zine to release new material for the game so she may just be content to keep doing that. That’s what the upcoming Kickstarter is going to feature.

Maybe someday she releases a hardcover compilation of the zines or something, but if the game interests you I think you should at least grab the free rules and give it a try.

 

[sevenbastard]

she’s used the Cursed Scroll zine to release new material for the game so she may just be content to keep doing that

This is exactly my issue. I don't want a bunch of material spread around multiple small supplements I would prefer a single book of players options.

I checked out the free rules and it's good. I just feel like the game has the potential to be great as supplements are released, but no interest in needing a pile of zines to play.

 

[Lidgar]

For 2024, most have been mentioned, but I’ll add I really liked Jennell Jaquays/GG 5e Dark Tower. Awesome set that I’m looking forward to running alongside the Caverns of Thracia once that’s released.

Other than the 5e MM and Starter Set (weird to have to wait so long for that), I’m mostly looking forward to the Goodman Releases: Goodman’s 5e, and two box sets: Terror from the Underdeep and Castle Whiterock 5e. I’m curious if the later will use the forthcoming GG version of 5e.

 

[overgeeked]

This is exactly my issue. I don't want a bunch of material spread around multiple small supplements I would prefer a single book of players options.

I checked out the free rules and it's good. I just feel like the game has the potential to be great as supplements are released, but no interest in needing a pile of zines to play.

The core book has everything you need and a pile of player options. The Cursed Scroll stuff is just fun extras, not required to play. Over in the “perfect in one volume” thread, Shadowdark is one of the most popular answers of any game in the last few years.

 

[Clint_L]

Is Arkham Horror good? What are the upsides over CoC

I'll let you know after the first game. I'm mostly going off reviews and the fact that I adore the Arkham and Eldritch Horror board/card games. And that I think CoC is kind of a clunky system.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Looking back:
Got almost all the LU:A5E books
Got most of the 5E books from WotC I want
The Monster Overhaul
Magical Industrial Revolution (might be my favorite book)
Glad I got a little into painting minis, not to play, just to paint and relax
Got a lot of people into playing RPGs, and one or two into running games themselves

Looking forward to:
Shadowdark Kickstarter
New Pirate Borg Kickstarter fulfilling, got the core stuff there as well
Delve
Monstrous Menagerie II in book form
City of Arches and all other Sly Flourish in book form
Not backing projects I am not really excited about, like Draw Steel and Unnatural Selection.

Adding what I hope to get run:
Shadowdark
Ten Candles
Pirate Borg

Someone who wants to run Shadowdark, possibly using Magical Industrial Revolution and Monster Overhaul, might be the kind of table I'd most want to play at in 2025.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Half of me wants to embrace Shadowdark, but the other half of me wants to wait till the second edition (inevitable).

Kelsey is working on a de facto replacement for the hex-crawling rules, which will be part of March's Kickstarter as one of the central elements of one of the new Cursed Scroll zines.

I'm not sure how likely she is to update the main book, though, as the only core-ish additions or changes I've seen coming are the updated hexcrawling rules and finally getting the kobold ancestry (previously only a Discord post or available through the Shadowdarklings online generator) into print.

Everything else is likely to just be supplemental, like more monsters and gear, etc., although the stuff in Cursed Scroll so far has tended to be pretty specialized and nothing I can think of as "missing" from the core book.

In any case, keep an eye out in March. If she's going to tweak the core book, that would be when it would first might be available. She has said there are some surprises coming in the campaign.

 

[coralwave]

2024:

• A full year of gaming, almost no missed sessions (knock on wood).
• trying lots of one shot ultalight games
• getting Shadowdark to the table.
• overcoming major table troubles.
• A once flaky player joined a session from vacation. while on a boat, on a phone so we shared screen in discord so he can see the VTT.

2025:

• Getting Tales of Argosa, Dolmenwood, Zweihander, Crown & Skull Vol2 and Broken Empires (well, this one in PDF)
• OSRIC 3E!
• wrapping the current campaign up- first campaign for all players! over 1.5 years, too many crazy things to count
• A BitD mini series and then our next major campaign (tough choice. still debating). with a new player- a big deal for us, as we form a tight group.