A really underrated RPG is the **OneDice** system from Cakebread & Walton. It's a ultra-light system, ideal for running one-shots. They are various versions of it available - Space, Fantasy, WWII, etc. Each one is a complete game. They're all quite cheap and easy to run. It's called OneDice because you only need to roll one D6 to resolve anything. I just used a OneDice book called **B-Movies** to run an adventure called *Beatniks from Planet X*. Some 1950s high school kids had to stop a mysterious meteor from turning their classmates into filthy beatniks. To prepare for the game, I made some custom character sheets and pregens: [https://polyhedralnonsense.com/2023/08/10/onedice-b-movies-character-sheets-pregens/](https://polyhedralnonsense.com/2023/08/10/onedice-b-movies-character-sheets-pregens/) Last year I also made a custom character sheet for OneDice Pulp: [https://polyhedralnonsense.com/2022/07/15/onedice-pulp-mini-review-and-custom-character-sheet-for-a-pulp-adventure-rpg/](https://polyhedralnonsense.com/2022/07/15/onedice-pulp-mini-review-and-custom-character-sheet-for-a-pulp-adventure-rpg/)
I've been playing around with Thálassa, the Cairn-based RPG about adventures in the mythic ancient Mediterranean. I decided to make my own custom character sheet. It's fillable, and available in US Letter and A4 sizes. You can download it here: [https://polyhedralnonsense.com/2023/08/08/thalassa-character-sheets-for-a-mythic-age-rpg/](https://polyhedralnonsense.com/2023/08/08/thalassa-character-sheets-for-a-mythic-age-rpg/)
The latest issue of the **Cepheus Journal** just dropped. It's a free fanzine for the Cepheus Engine RPG (basically OSR Traveller) It's got an article on cats in space, a mushroom-filled colony world, and a weird mercenary cult. My contribution is "A Fistful of Spaghetti" - a guide to running Spaghetti Western style games in Cepheus. Free to download: [https://cepheusjournal.com/downloads/](https://cepheusjournal.com/downloads/)
Norton_Glover 1y ago • 100%
Sadly, over the last few years, most of the Lizard People have been completely priced out of LA's booming real estate market.
Norton_Glover 1y ago • 100%
I run a group that runs one-shots most weeks, so I usually get to at least try most games i'm interested in.
However, there are a few RPGs more suited to campaigns that i've never gotten around to trying. Two that come to mind:
- Ars Magica
- Pendragon
Norton_Glover 1y ago • 100%
Ran it once, plan to run it again. It's genuinely wonderful.
It takes the basic Black hack system and adds lots of excellent weird fantasy flavor - demon pacts, weird technology, intelligent cursed weapons. Perfectly captures the whole Elric-style fantasy genre.
It's also got tables for creating a fantasy world and a fantasy city.
It packs all of this into a mere 57 pages.
Norton_Glover 1y ago • 100%
I'd add the following:
The Black Hack
The Metamorphica - a fun book of tables of mutants, chaos stuff, and weird technology
Norton_Glover 1y ago • 100%
For more real-world info on magic books, I'd recommend Grimoires: A History of Magic Books by Owen Davies
Norton_Glover 1y ago • 100%
It almost seems inevitable.
I've seen a lot of old crunchier games from the 80s that somehow seemed like they required a VTT, despite them not existing at the time.
Norton_Glover 1y ago • 0%
Like a lot of GMs, I've started using VTTs in the last few years. It really does change the calculation on what RPGs I'm willing to run.
I'm a lot more willing to try crunchier games if they're supported by VTTs - Foundry specifically.
At some point, I wonder if designers will start making RPGs specifically designed with VTTs in mind.
Norton_Glover 1y ago • 100%
The character sheet for the Mothership RPG cleverly has the rules for character creation built right into the sheet.