My answers for #RPGaDay2023. Since this year included a look back to 2014, when my answer would be different I have highlighted it. Satyros proposed a #30yearsofMage this month, some of my #RPGaDay answers tie-in to that. Because this website is currently the free version and can have ads, here is a PDF of the answers without ads.
Day 1 #RPGaDay2023 FIRST RPG played (this year)
Day 1 #RPGaDay2023 FIRST RPG played (this year)
2023: Mage: the Ascension
#RPGaDay 2014: Cyberpunk 2020
Day 2 #RPGaDay2023 First RPG GAMEMASTER.
If the Fighting Fantasy books count, then them J I guess this applies to many people, but also appreciate why that might feel like a lacking answer 😉 More interestingly I hope, the 1st GM that I appreciated, Julian Baldwin. That I respected and there games were always great, Peter Austin.
Day 3 #RPGaDay2023 First RPG BOUGHT (this year)?
Humble RPG Bundle: Warhammer 40,000: Wrath & Glory, yet to play but I do have 2 Rogue Trader games on the go.
#RPGaDay 2014: I didn’t buy any games that year, partly due to moving and having no room at the time. I did later buy The Strange & Demon: The Descent which had come out in 2014.
Day 4 #RPGaDay2023 Most RECENT game bought
I recently backed Trinity Continuum Aegis, but that’s not finished yet.
Most recent purchase was some PDF supplements for Mage: the Ascension off the Storyteller Vault.
The last physical RPG book I bought was Fight to Survive. #FighttoSurvive
Day 5 #RPGaDay2023 OLDEST game you’ve played
AD&D (1977), although I didn’t play it till 1987.
Day 6 #RPGaDay2023 Favourite game you NEVER get to play
I’ve been fortunate and I’ve been able to play a ridiculous amount of games, yet there are still many I’d love to try! The redesign and reboot of Trinity Continuum effectively makes it a new game. The old system and setting I’d played a chronicle for over ten years.
A high priority is to try the new Fight to Survive.
#RPGaDay 2014 Promethean: The Created had hooked me, but it was years till I got to play it. A fabulous game.
Day 7 #RPGaDay2023 SMARTEST RPG you’ve played
Some great replies for this question. 🙂 I’ll avoid a big essay about the many amazing games.
Trophy and WILD are both fabulous, focused designs, and game play experiences. 😀
Day 8 #RPGaDay2023 Favourite CHARACTER
John Jackson. John Jackson is many! Initially an Orphan in one of my 90s Mage the Ascension games, a broker of peace, neutral in the Ascension War and eerie coffee magnet. Years later for a new game, the player decided to make a new version of John Jackson, during play it was decided it was really the old John Jackson. Years later John Jackson returned, but this time tweaked again. Years later, I played the real/clone of John Jackson in another game. A year later, the original player was playing the old John Jackson in another game.
There is so much more to John Jackson, each is a bit different, but are they actually independent of each other. Maybe think of many clones, or parallel worlds, or Twin Peaks the Return and what happens with Dale Cooper, but neither of those quite apply since John Jackson is actually the original John Jackson. Eventually I started writing fiction about the story of John Jackson. The character that keeps on turning up, but each time, less sure of themselves, and feeling more paranoid and unsure of their own memories. Will the next time be the last?
2014: my answer would have likely been about one of my long running LARP characters, or an old SFRPG character. But in retrospect, it was clearly John Jackson as well…
Day 9 #RPGaDay2023 Favourite DICE
I’ve been having fun with the D1000 again this year, in particular Realms of Chaos Warhammer. So really the D10, because of its versatility, plus base 10 is the most common human counting system. Same answer for #RPGaDay 2014
Day 10 #RPGaDay2023 Favourite tie-in FICTION
I love fiction tie-ins, but I also love exploring a game’s setting without any framework or references. Fiction isn’t essential to me, like spice, different flavours for different meals. Whether LotR, Arthurian Legends, Mythos, Tales from the Loop, RTG’s Cyberpunk, Street Fighter, etc., we are spoilt for choices, which is fabulous! My vacillating answer would be WoD like: Revelations of the Dark Mother, The Fragile Path, etc. Fiction that resides in universe, but is also myth, so they definitely don’t constrain play.
Bonus – Player fiction can be a wonderful treat.
Day 11 #RPGaDay2023 WEIRDEST game you’ve played
Our fun, weird, plus not so little hobby, has so many wonderful games and experiences, weird and not weird is all good with me. Going with Weird, as in Fate. John Jackson back from the grave, a tool of the Lady of Fate, in Risen Fists. A game fusing Wraith: the Oblivion with Mage: the Ascension, but using Street Fighter combat.
Day 12 #RPGaDay2023 Old game you STILL play
This year I returned to 1st ed. Warhammer to play a Realms of Chaos narrative campaign, in particular the descent/ascent of Cruk Firepaw. It is great when shifting between TTRPG and wargaming goes well.
Day 13 #RPGaDay2023 Most memorable character DEMISE
I thankful I have several answers I could give, whether mine or other players. I nearly went with Andy’s L5R Crane’s last stand in the Shadowlands but my favourite is the Luckiest Character and their Retirement Party!
In the summer of 1990 we played a ludicrous amount of Cyberpunk 2020. Ian’s character, Max, was the manifestation of luck, just constantly, it was preposterous. For their 9D10 attribute roll, Ian rolled 87, little did we realise that was just the start of an amazing streak of luck. Throughout a summer of many long sessions, probably approaching 200 hours of play, Max kept surviving deadly encounters and big risks constantly payed off. By this stage they’d earned a lot of IP(XP), connections, favours, and gear. The other players in the party had lost several characters, but Ian’s was still going strong. Finally after surviving a trip to Crystal Palace, narrowly avoiding ending up in the middle of a Mega-Corp War, clearing debts, forming some decent relationships, the character was all set to retire.
The retirement party took place at Afterlife nightclub, no biggie, the character was well known, even respected. Several hours of celebration went by, fun times. As Max was leaving with his fiancé he finally started messing up. A failed Awareness roll, so Ian described how his character was a bit too drunk and happily talking with his fiancé as Max bumped in to some low level gangers. No biggie, but Max didn’t want any trouble, plus he also thought nothing of the situation. OOC the group laughed at the massive skill and equipment difference, you know like a Hobbit and a Dragon. Things escalated, Ian rolled low for his persuasion check and role-played Max politely dismissing the gangers, but they took offence. Initiative was rolled the gang rolled high whilst Ian rolled a 1, he was going last. One of gangers had a polymer one-shot and then managed score a head hit, and well, Ian’s Death Save was a 10. Everyone cheered as the luckiest character finally got a series of bad rolls, plus it also all fitted the change in the character, no longer on edge, now a soon to be retired family man to be. Ian was ecstatic, what a pathetic but also appropriate way to go!
Day 14 #RPGaDay2023 Favourite CONVENTION purchase
Suzerain: Mortal Realms (2000) by TreeHouse. I have a bit of a tale about this book and myself, if you’ll indulge me. In 1999 TreeHouse were visiting the smaller UK conventions to drum up interest for the 2000 release. So I got to meet the creators and try out the game at the 1999 TowerCon in Blackpool. Martin Klimes ran the game that some friends and I played in. The session, it was great; it wonderfully showed off both the system and the setting. Afterwards the design team provided feedback forms. They told me they were pleasantly surprised that I had written a detailed 2 page essay. I’d raised a few points of view they hadn’t considered before, which led to some chats about the metaphysics of the setting and how it all worked; thankfully many Mage: the Ascension and GURPS chats had help train me for that chat. Awkwardly they explained that they had already sent the manuscript off to be printed, so my feedback was too late to change anything. Further discussions with Martin and Damian resulted in being invited to do some freelance writing, to expand upon some of the ideas that I’d written about. However, it was a difficult time for myself, since I had developed problems with both of my wrists, but I agreed to explore the opportunity. At that time speech recognition software was starting to be effective.
In April 2000 I started working at KJC Games, so I had substantially less free writing time, but later that year I was invited to run demo games at Gen Con UK 2000 in Manchester. TreeHouse paid for my ticket and accommodation during the event. It was a little bit awkward preparing gaming sessions for a game that had not been released yet, but fortunately at the event I had a few hours to read my newly purchased Suzerain rulebook. The book itself came in a beautiful slipcase, and even had some colour pages within the book. When added to the all the plans TreeHouse had in regards to the setting, computer games, LARPS, it was an inspiring thing to be involved in. Unfortunately for TreeHouse, along with a lot of other RPG companies, D&D 3rd Ed was launched that year and the 3rd books were also impressive as well as cheap!
Back to Suzerain, I was relieved that we had plenty of players come and check out the game and try demo games. I even mostly was given positive feedback from the players that I ran sessions for, as well as managing to sell several of the rulebooks. We also got to run Suzerain LARPs in the evening, but that’s another tale. Some of the customers asked the designers in attendance to sign their book, amusingly one person insisted that I sign their book, even after I clarified I hadn’t contributed anything to the book itself.
Later that year, design work at KJC Games got more intense plus I was also studying coding at night college, so alas I stepped away from TreeHouse. Over the years I’ve had a few chats with Martin, but sadly too busy with my own projects to get involved in again. It’s great that Suzerain has gone on to be a Savage Worlds setting. As for the old Suzerain: Mortal Realms, I have played it several times over the years and the book still has a special place in my collection.
Day 15 #RPGaDay2023 Favourite Con MODULE / ONE-SHOT
During a break at one of the TowerCons I was discussing different game options with some other players. The chat became about Mage the Ascension, those players hadn’t tried it yet, but they’d played many different cyberpunk games, so I proposed a different focused Mage game. The result was the PCs playing a team of Hit Marks sent to cleanse a Nephandi Chantry. The Hit Marks were prototypes, awakened and they had Rank 1 Spheres. The PCs had a list of rotes, but could also figure out new uses. A fun session and the players were surprised at how versatile Rank 1 Spheres were, plus wondering about the higher ranks! I have run this a few times, plus tweaked and run it in 2 Chronicles. Maybe one day I’ll edit it and submit to the STV.
Day 16 #RPGaDay2023 Game you WISH you owned
Despite not being a collector I have a ridiculously large collection of RPGs, whilst I don’t need the Invisible Sun Cube, it would be nice.
2014 nothing I particularly wanted, I guess old Ghostbusters.
Day 17 #RPGaDay2023 FUNNIEST game you’ve played
The fun of Funny haha & Funny odd, Warhammer campaign following the adventures of Chaos Champions. One ended up nicknamed as Goatface, who was rewarded with Temporal Instability. The player left for University, but Goatface stayed with the party, continuing to blink in and out existence. Goatface would typically appear during a quiet moment, just bleat something then disappear. Occasionally Goatface would appear in combat and assist the party, a bit like the Mysterious Stranger in the Fallout series, appear make a bleating noise then decapitate something then disappear. The end of that campaign, plus in other games, players would sometimes bleat, hoping for Goatface intervention, a great example of the fun laughs staying with us all for years.
Day 18 #RPGaDay2023 SYSTEM
I love how using a different game system can led to a different voyage of discovery. With some it is easy to mathematically convert between them, but even the subtle differences can still standout in gameplay, leading to some interesting chats & choices about what system to use and any tweaks.
E.g., my megadungeon campaign that fused GURPS, Mage: the Ascension, and Warhammer 40k. 🙂
It is extra special when the group navigates such an experience without getting lost or sunken by a system. Even adventures aboard custom ships, barely adequate rafts, or warp infused space hulks, can succeed, often empowered by system choices. 😀
Day 19 #RPGaDay2023 Favourite PUBLISHED adventure
This is possibly the day with the widest range of answers, so many choices! I have some fond memories of old D&D modules that, but apart from The Temple of Elemental Evil, I’ve only played/run them once. I’ve barely played any Call of Cthulhu published adventures, in part because I got told a lot about them by many of them players in other groups, particularly whilst working at my FLGS. Most of my Mythos experiences were player created.
Back in the early 90s I ran Awakening: Diablerie Mexico several times. It helped me convince some ‘D&D only’ players to try Vampire: the Masquerade. I’ve run the Giovanni Chronicles several times, a great framework, but as always not to be limited by. I’ve run Street Fighter High Stakes several times, it was always great, including one party that impressively quickly resolved things, which shows how open it is to player choices. Ceremony of the Samurai (1st Ed Legend of the 5 Rings), another adventure I’ve run many times, helping to show setting specific information.
I’m going to pick Alien Hunger (VtM). The many times I ran it, it always worked well in providing an introduction to the setting, as well as helping to initiate a Chronicle, partly why I had several Vampire groups running at once in the early 90s.
Day 20 #RPGaDay2023 Will still play in TWENTY years time
So many games, but two in particular. The 20th anniversary editions brought me back to the World of Darkness and Mage the Ascension. This led me back to Street Fighter. I’ve had a lot of fun with them both since, plus combining them. This month has been a celebration of #30YearsOfMage. I look forward to 20 more.
Day 21 #RPGaDay2023 Favourite LICENSED RPG
Another day with a wealth of answers! When two companies exchange IP, magic can happen. Capcom’s deal with old White Wolf resulted in the brilliant Street Fighter RPG, whilst Capcom had their Darkstalkers games. Darkstalkers is not the World of Darkness (WoD), but they did use the name and company logo for Vampire Savior: World of Darkness. An interesting version, not matched until Monte Cook’s fascinating take on the WoD.
If both companies had not been doing so well, and thus understandably focused on their big money earners, then who knows what could have been made?! Maybe the RPG aspect of SF6 would have happened decades earlier and we’d have had other big licenses tied in to SFRPG. The initial talks at White Wolf had included focusing on Mortal Kombat instead. Another what if. Considering how much money old White Wolf had access to for a while, maybe other big licenses could have resulted in a multi-reality setting, which the arcade fighters certainly explored.
The variety of fan made products is amazing, especially for what most would consider a niche RPG. Of course Darkstalkers, but also TMNT, Batman, King of Fighters, Mortal Kombat, Jackie Chan, Double Dragon, and more. With its highly focused combat system, it is surprisingly more akin to the openness of GURPS or #Heroes, especially given how easy it is to adapt other Storyteller games. Street Fighter is a game that punches way above its weight. #SFRPG
Day 22 #RPGaDay2023 Best SECONDHAND RPG purchase
If I think of SECONDHAND, as in indirect I still end up at the same answer as the full question, curious. In the early 90s after playing Champions 4th I bought a 2nd hand copy of Hero System 4th. The Hero System was a major influence on my ideas in the 90s and later with my work at KJC Games and beyond. Plus when added to GURPS, the old fun of converting characters between systems was easier, since Hero<->GURPS and GURPS has a lot of official licenses, resulting in a sort of Rosetta Stone. Hero and me: https://batjutsu.wordpress.com/2020/03/18/rpg-impact-5/
Day 23 #RPGaDay2023 COOLEST looking RPG product / book
So many choices, plus the more answers I read, the bigger the list became. Time to use the old #PieChartofIndecision
My answer would have been the crazy inspirational (+WTF) Mage: the Ascension 1st edition Screen. However, due to the wonderful range of answers I’m going to highlight Classic Traveller, in part because it might have a unique cover design!?
Thus, this interestingly is the opposite of one meaning of Coolest, as in Trendiest, why did others not copy Traveller? I appreciate it wouldn’t fit the image of many games, but no other games?
Thanks to Phil @thedicemechanic for highlighting this. The answer led to me doing a bunch of research, so bonus points. https://bsky.app/profile/thedicemechanic.bsky.social/post/3k5mr4lp4gb2g
Day 24 #RPGaDay2023 COMPLEX / SIMPLE RPG you play
Mage: the Ascension both Complex & Simplex, seemingly all things at once.
I found Trophy to be wonderfully simplex to explain and play, although I’ve not tried with people who are new to RPGs.
One then the other = Street Fighter. Typically complex for new people, a lot of things to look at during character creation, plus there are big decisions for future character development. Yet interestingly quickly the game is understood and is simple to play.
Day 25 #RPGaDay2023 UNPLAYED
In a long running game, a music tape, that the characters think might be cursed, has remained Unplayed. The characters figured out a way around playing the tape, via the fun of Spheres inverse logic gates, resonance, and 100% definitely not listening to the tape. A mostly Mage: the Ascension chronicle, with the rest of the World of Darkness joining in on occasion, plus Powerchords. Out sourcing sound analysis to a musical Pooka and a Wraith Chanteur, an attempt at a ritual focusing unplayed sounds through a Sluagh; the type of hubris Mage excels at. Keen for Keening. One day I’ll write up the details for the STV…
Day 26 #RPGaDay2023 CHARACTER SHEET
Amongst the great answers for today, I wanted to build upon a thought-provoking answer by Runeslinger, since it inspired me to write a new and more personal answer to the prompt. It has been decades since my experiments with character sheet design. With different games, seeing how I felt about information accessibility and prioritisation in play. From overly detailed, to minimal information D&D or Cyberpunk, leading to a few Vampire: the Masquerade games in 93 and 94, that just had a few descriptions, no actual stats. Those experiments were with curious player who agreed, not with tyrannical demands. In one game, the players hadn’t created their characters, so they never know their stats, but they did have a character overview and some backstory that fitted the descriptor. (I didn’t read Over the Edge till later, but later it was interesting to see that idea in a professional game.) This resulted in bleeding more towards a LARP style of sessions (multiple puns intended), which worked well for sessions focused on Elysium and Haven experiences. An experiment with Mage: the Ascension proved interesting, but quickly became a fixation on trying to determine their Sphere rankings, a bit too frustrating and comedic, but interestingly felt more like untutored Mages scrambling to make sense of a complex warp-able reality; this also made acquiring Rotes amazingly important.
No surprise, some players loved these character sheet experiments, and some hated them. Some felt set free, whilst others felt a bit lost without what had been a core game structure for them; fascinatingly, my chats revealed it wasn’t even a LARP versus tabletop thing. Which was all informative regarding those players’ preferences and sometimes revealing new things. Also of note, between gaming sessions, these experiments also had an impact. Some enjoyed discussing designs, whilst others wanted chats between sessions to be focused on character ideas, reminiscing and fun. A few players come to mind with their creative works, maybe something for a future blog post.
Nowadays I discuss sheet options as part of game discussion, with some players opting to have different character sheets. Returning to Runeslinger’s post and his closing comment, whilst people had different reasons for how they interact and relate to their character sheets, I likewise think there is something extra special about a character sheet that a player looks after and is lovingly cared for, regardless of its age. Whether they are the sheets of rare decade played characters, Investigators that have survived more than one Mythos mystery, or freshly created.
Day 27 #RPGaDay2023 Game you’d like a new EDITION of…
Street Fighter, but due to licensing that is unlikely, so I’m making my own.
EDITION: An answer inspired by https://thewatchhouserpg.blogspot.com/2023/08/rpgaday2023-27-game-youd-like-new.html The fun of making mini editions of newspapers for games, especially Cyberpunk 2020 screamsheets plus cuttings for handouts for a variety of games. This gave me practice for my later fanzine involvement and creations, plus early practice for me of being involved in collaborative projects.
Day 28 #RPGaDay2023 SCARIEST game you’ve played
SCARIEST (easily frightened; timid) I played a Sluagh LARP character for years that was quite timid, almost a coward, so they often became the assistant to whoever was the most powerful person in the room.
In 1991 Peter ran an Aliens campaign in Cyberpunk 2020. The first session was incredibly tense, soon escalating to scary. When the violence started, the fear didn’t go down, it went up! Masterful GMing and player buy-in all round, not bad for 15 year olds. Sadly RL stuff got in the way, we never completed that campaign, so myself and another player played a lot of Space Hulk.
Day 29 #RPGaDay2023 Most memorable ENCOUNTER
Thankfully far too many memories, but inspired by https://thewatchhouserpg.blogspot.com/2023/08/rpgaday2023-29-most-memorable-encounter.html I shall go with this answer that also addresses the prompt. 🙂
I ran a game in 97 that was about normal people in modern day. The PCs just had vague character descriptions instead of detailed stats (see Day 26). This campaign was created after a collection of wonderful player discussions; they wanted something initially mundane, then strange things to start.
When we started, each PC had an extensive prelude followed by the first group reunion, old friends at high school. The next day a 24 hour eclipse starts (sort of Dark Day from Palladium Nightbane), 80% of humans disappeared (a bit like The Quiet Earth (1985)). The next few days, some of the remaining people became quite violent; the PCs have to survive gangs and Escape from New York. A big part of the initial sessions was coming to terms with the violence, and how far the PCs were willing to go, plus the weird mystery of it all. The PCs have an urge to head west, a siren’s call to a place they knew would be a ‘Sanctuary’. As they travelled west the PCs start to develop Psi powers (Aeon Trinity), the further west, the bigger their power (idea from Monster Island – PBM). The campaign was great. Although we planned to run a 2nd campaign, two players moved away, the remaining players voted for other games. A shame, since the game was really a Mage: the Ascension campaign, the bigger mystery was about what rituals and errors had led to this global mess, and maybe how to undo it. 🙂
I’ve thought about a new version using Trinity Continuum
Day 30 #RPGaDay2023 OBSCURE
In one of my groups, Damian typically played strong & silent characters, but for the VtM Giovanni Chronicles, he made an obscure, impoverished nobleman, who often talked at length. The player did a great job of politically manoeuvring this character through the many chronicles, obscuring their motivations and making themselves invaluable to the various Elders & Methuselahs. This was all much to the confusion of the PCs, who were often surprised at Damian’s character deftly changing plans on the fly. Additionally, the character was a Lasombra, who despite having Obtenebration and later learning Obfuscate, only used their Disciplines in subtle ways. In a game about obscuring the truth of reality to the mundane world, a shadowy empowered character impressively navigated the dangerous vampire world, playing at a deeper level than most.
A bonus to this story, later, a player joined this group, but then complained to me that Damian (someone that they’d only known for a year) only played boring and incapable characters; I’d been playing with Damian since we were 12, so I know that wasn’t the case. I used the story of Damian’s Lasombra to help show that role-playing is more than memorising rules or playing charismatic characters, that a player does not need to always play a proactive and charismatic character, that sometimes the humble character in the party is doing more than the other characters, and even players, know. At the next session I mentioned the Lasombra, the rest of the group were buzzing with anecdotes. This helped the complaining player reconsider the current game of Aberrant, Damian was playing Gravitas (Strong & Silent), to realise that Damian had done more than they assumed; also to maybe talk with other people and check.
Day 31 #RPGaDay2023 FAVOURITE RPG of all time + FAVOURITE = “sport a competitor thought likely to win”
My tournament has a deep bracket, filled with all sorts of settings, rules, and genres. Against all the odds, the finale of RPGs comes down to two veterans that are always vying for my attention. Whilst both are showing their years, products of a different era, yet both do things few other games do, they are more than gatekeepers to me. Mage: the Ascension, a game that transcends its parts, vs. Street Fighter, the scrappy underdog that many assumed was just a joke. In the bout, Street Fighter starts using clever arena positioning then launches a devastating combo, forcing Mage back towards the arena edge, however, never underestimate a prepared Mage. Some might say it is cheating to be all things, whilst being neither a universal setting or engine, but apparently its fine in this tournament. The winner is Mage: the Ascension, by having Arete 10 and becoming one with all. Reality Warping Fighter
— #30YearsofMage #MagetheAscension #StreetFighter #SFRPG #Warhammer #WFRP #RealmsofChaos #SpaceHulk #TrophyRPG #ChangelingtheDreaming #PowerchordsRPG #Cyberpunk2020 #TrinityContinuum #AeonTrinity #Palladium #Nightbane #PrometheanTheCreated #WorldofDarkness
Batjutsu 