What is/are your most recent TTRPG purchase(s)?

[GothmogIV]

A couple years ago I played a 9 month campaign of Twilight: 2000 (the current edition from Free League). Had a lot of fun. Really like the system, which somehow manages to be relatively rules light while modeling a gritty vibe where inventory and base management matter. Quite the unicorn. I could play it forever.

Inspired by that, I bought the original Mutant Year Zero core book to scratch my Gamma World itch. Turned out to be not quite gonzo enough for that. But I again liked the system and was really struck by the campaign. Free League is doing something smart by having a default campaign integrated with each of their games.

A few weeks ago, I broke down and bought as many of the Mutant Year Zero books as I could get my hands on. About 5, I think. Hopefully I'll get to run them one day.

Try Mutant Crawl Classics by Goodman Games. You want irradiated gonzo chaos? Look no further!

 

[Thomas Shey]

So, I have both. What I like about the new version is the presentation (the book is beautiful) and the addition of many optional mechanics that come from other systems. You can add strike ranks, for example. Sanity. Passions. All these different bits and baubles from other games (Rune Quest, Pendragon, Call of Cthulhu) if you want to. It's a really nice hardcover and well worth the money, in my opinion. And the GMs screen is freaking gorgeous.

Didn't they have a lot of that as optional rules in the Big Yellow Book (aka the prior standalone BRP book)? I'm not sure about all of them, but I'd swear I remembered strike ranks there.

 

[BigbyBear]

I got my 13th Age 2e Heroes' Handbook in the mail yesterday. It made me instantly regret not going for the Gamemaster's Guide too. 13th Age is what really got me back into running games, I'm looking forward to revisiting it. It's been a minute.

 

[THEMNGMNT]

Try Mutant Crawl Classics by Goodman Games. You want irradiated gonzo chaos? Look no further!

That's TOO gonzo!

 

[Thomas Shey]

A couple years ago I played a 9 month campaign of Twilight: 2000 (the current edition from Free League). Had a lot of fun. Really like the system, which somehow manages to be relatively rules light while modeling a gritty vibe where inventory and base management matter. Quite the unicorn. I could play it forever.

Inspired by that, I bought the original Mutant Year Zero core book to scratch my Gamma World itch. Turned out to be not quite gonzo enough for that. But I again liked the system and was really struck by the campaign. Free League is doing something smart by having a default campaign integrated with each of their games.

A few weeks ago, I broke down and bought as many of the Mutant Year Zero books as I could get my hands on. About 5, I think. Hopefully I'll get to run them one day.

Its always hard with post-apoc games to judge how much gonzo people will like. When Gamma World first came out back in The Dim Times, I kind of loved it, but it'd be way over the top for me these days (I figured that out a few years ago when I tried running Metamorphosis Alpha with another system using the Amazing Engine version as a sourcebook (and even that had the gonzo cut back a little) and realized it was too much.

Yet, there are people out there who love Mutant Crawl Classics, and it, if anything, turned the gonzo up.

Edit: And while I'm posting this, you post the above post.

 

[Thomas Shey]

I got my 13th Age 2e Heroes' Handbook in the mail yesterday. It made me instantly regret not going for the Gamemaster's Guide too. 13th Age is what really got me back into running games, I'm looking forward to revisiting it. It's been a minute.

I've found the GG very instructive in areas, since I'm getting near the end of my 13A 1e game. You can definitely tell the difference in having years of opportunity to see certain monsters (especially upper level ones) in play and not; its particularly striking comparing the 1e Huge Green Dragon and the 2e 3x Green Dragon (which is its equivelent) and how much they've cut it back and otherwise changed it.

 

[THEMNGMNT]

Agreed. I am struggling to find the sweet spot. I want post-apocalyptic ruincrawling with mutant flora and fauna, psychic powers, homicidal robots, death rays, etc. But I want it presented in a way that seems realistic. And I don't want it too far in the future -- I want the ruins to be recognizable as our civilization. I can't explain or justify why I am so picky on this topic.

 

[THEMNGMNT]

I've found the GG very instructive in areas, since I'm getting near the end of my 13A 1e game. You can definitely tell the difference in having years of opportunity to see certain monsters (especially upper level ones) in play and not; its particularly striking comparing the 1e Huge Green Dragon and the 2e 3x Green Dragon (which is its equivelent) and how much they've cut it back and otherwise changed it.

I kickstarted both of the 2E books. They are a definite step up in quality. I am about 55 sessions into what will probably be a 75 session 1E 13th Age campaign. I like the system but don't love it. I think my players would have benefited from the 2E books, which do a great job of presenting the system.

 

[Thomas Shey]

I kickstarted both of the 2E books. They are a definite step up in quality. I am about 55 sessions into what will probably be a 75 session 1E 13th Age campaign. I like the system but don't love it. I think my players would have benefited from the 2E books, which do a great job of presenting the system.

I'm not a big D20-sphere fan in general, but 13th Age has some virtues. It just became progressively obvious as I got up in levels (my PCs are 9th level right now) that especially the Epic Tier was, as best I can tell, not as thoroughly playtested as it could be; I ran into some things that blew up kind of spectacularly (some of this may be editorial control problems, but a few of them were corebook things).

I mean, it should be no surprise that after years of opportunity for it to be kicked about in the field they'd find some areas that needed work, and, well, work on them. I kind of wish I'd had the GM book about six months ago, though.

 

[GothmogIV]

Didn't they have a lot of that as optional rules in the Big Yellow Book (aka the prior standalone BRP book)? I'm not sure about all of them, but I'd swear I remembered strike ranks there.

Yes. I think so. I was trying to think of Runequest specific mechanics. Regardless: lovely book that I am happy that I got! Maybe check out the free PDF first. Full disclosure: I have dragon sickness with RPG books, so I but...a lot.