Who are the really interesting modern TTRPG designers?

[Joshua Randall]

I can come back later and say why for my votes.

Agree the 13th Age 2e is a dud.

Sundered Isles is Starforged, but you’re pirates in the (fantasy’d up) age of sail. Kickstarted. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/shawntomkin/sundered-isles-expansion-for-ironsworn-starforged

You’ve probably already played Apocalypse World / Meguey and Vincent Baker - but it’s worth a re-read because of how revolutionary it was. The game that codified the Forge-ite principals of story now play, in a game that doesn’t make you feel like it’s an esoteric PhD dissertation.
AW is secretly (?) one of the best written games in terms of prose style. (Its mechanical explanation could be cleaner. ) Every “naughty word” and every neologism is deliberate.

 

[SJB]

Trophy Gold, a new way of running dungeons (essentially the murder hobos are on a downward spiral and need more and more gold); offers an interesting method for reframing classics.

The Dee Sanction, fantastic Elizabethan setting, once more the investigators need to work hard not to get themselves damned.

Perilous Land, Arthurian adventures, a kind of anti-Pendragon in the degree of abstraction. It capsized when slathered in Osprey production values.

Revolution Comes to the Kingdom, roleplaying in an anonymous 1960s banana republic. The twist is there is a second aspect of the game: dungeon crawling!

Zenobia: roleplaying in a beautifully realised fantasy eastern Roman Empire. Again, the free version is better than the commercial, which has execrable stock art.

I think a common thread is that the designers choose a simple core dice mechanic - 2d6 in some cases - and then get on with creating a great atmosphere.

 

[Reynard]

For more new developers in the independent and indie scene, you can check this article: 10 Indie TTRPG Designers To Watch In 202022

That is a great link. Thank you.

 

[MGibster]

I'm going to echo Robin D. Laws here simply because he tends to create games that are very good at achieving their goal. The Gumshoe system is simply fantastic for investigatory games where combat takes a back seat.

I'm going to include Kenneth Hite here as well, who was also involved in games like Trial of Cthulhu and Night's Black Agents, both of which use Gumshoe, because just about everything he touches is gold. Hite and another person worked on the Dracula Dossier which I would rank as one of the all time great RPG campaigns. It's simply fantastic.

 

[SJB]

they are still active with the new (if somewhat disappointing) version of 13th Age.

Agree the 13th Age 2e is a dud.

How so? I thought it was still in playtest.

 

[Joshua Randall]

How so? I thought it was still in playtest.

It is. And they’re not doing anything interesting or necessary with the changes.

 

[gorice]

I'd be interested in hearing about people's play experiences of some of these games. I'm honestly a bit jaded about the next big thing in RPGs, whatever it is, because I worry that a lot of it is just hype. When I read articles about this stuff, it's not clear to me that the writer has actually played and reflected on the game.

I honestly haven't played enough games to say who the best or most interesting designers are, but Vincent & Meguey Baker are excellent, and clearly know their craft. I've played the hell out of Apocalypse world, and can't recommend it enough. If you haven't played it, do so. It will teach you things.

 

[hawkeyefan]

Grant Howitt and Chris Taylor from Rowan, Rook, & Decard.

Together they’ve made the sister games Spire: The City Must Fall and Heart: The City Beneath. Both of which are excellent.

They’re currently working on Hollows, a tactical skirmish RPG. Totally different in design from Spire and Heart. It’s in playtest and it does things differently than any other RPG I’ve seen.

In addition, Grant has also written Eat the Reich, a game where you play vampire commandos attacking Nazi occupied Paris to drink all of Hitler’s blood. It’s a short campaign of all out action and mayhem.

Grant also has produced a number of one-page-RPGs. Some of these seem like they’re purely experimental, but some are also quite playable. You can see how he’s testing ideas and pushing the boundaries of design with these small games. Even the ones that may not be fully playable are worth reading just to see what kind of design he’s working on.

Basically, these guys started small with some indie type games and have now graduated to full time designers. They’re still pushing things and themselves, not relying on sticking to what’s comfortable for them.

Just great stuff all around.

 

[Reynard]

I'd be interested in hearing about people's play experiences of some of these games. I'm honestly a bit jaded about the next big thing in RPGs, whatever it is, because I worry that a lot of it is just hype. When I read articles about this stuff, it's not clear to me that the writer has actually played and reflected on the game.

I honestly haven't played enough games to say who the best or most interesting designers are, but Vincent & Meguey Baker are excellent, and clearly know their craft. I've played the hell out of Apocalypse world, and can't recommend it enough. If you haven't played it, do so. It will teach you things.

If you have any interest at all in solo RPGs, GM-less RPGs or play to find out guided RPGs, I recommend Ironsworn and Starforged. I am a big fan of everything those games do.

 

[Reynard]

Grant Howitt and Chris Taylor from Rowan, Rook, & Decard.

Together they’ve made the sister games Spire: The City Must Fall and Heart: The City Beneath. Both of which are excellent.

They’re currently working on Hollows, a tactical skirmish RPG. Totally different in design from Spire and Heart. It’s in playtest and it does things differently than any other RPG I’ve seen.

In addition, Grant has also written Eat the Reich, a game where you play vampire commandos attacking Nazi occupied Paris to drink all of Hitler’s blood. It’s a short campaign of all out action and mayhem.

Grant also has produced a number of one-page-RPGs. Some of these seem like they’re purely experimental, but some are also quite playable. You can see how he’s testing ideas and pushing the boundaries of design with these small games. Even the ones that may not be fully playable are worth reading just to see what kind of design he’s working on.

Basically, these guys started small with some indie type games and have now graduated to full time designers. They’re still pushing things and themselves, not relying on sticking to what’s comfortable for them.

Just great stuff all around.

For some reason I was under the impression that Spire and Heart were OSR games. Huh. I will have to check out some RR&D games.