Half Minotaur Farmer

I am back again to talk about initiative, and a little bit more. I made a post before about my development of a tropical fantasy game initially called Tampalasan . In that post, I talked about an initiative mechanic I've developed under a d20-based system internally called GRIP . I was able to playtest it together with the initial version of the game. That was 5 years ago. Playtesting and development of it has been on and off. That game has transformed into something more, like most things we create and cherish, into this current game I am planning to release a public playtest. I initially announced it to be January, but collating different versions and feedback to produce a public playtest was more work than I expected, so it might be February. Or just Q1 2026 to be safe. Let me talk a bit about it. In a land where celestial-eaters have conquered the sky , and gods have stayed in their own dominions, mortals are left to fend against a mythic overworld filled with wonders and horro...

I've thoroughly enjoyed my Mythic Bastionland and Eco Mofos games. I was part of a short campaign using Mythic Bastionland that ended a few weeks ago, ran by Goobernuts (go check his  site  and itch page ).  I've also ran a few games of Eco Mofos one-shot games with friends and acquaintances.  I did not notice this at first, but Eco Mofos' Hermits and Mythic's Seers have a lot in common - elder visionaries, having glimpsed the past and future, helping the PCs in one way or another. The wise old eccentric mentor is a well-documented trope, but it's interesting to see them as an upfront supporting role in both games. So, it got me thinking: what if Hermits and Seers are the same? What if Mythic Knights are just Punks given legitimacy by Seers? What if Eco Punks are just Knights who gained power without Seers, but are just as powerful and dangerous? It would be cool to see Magitech Punks and Infallible Knights fighting side-by-side, like a buddy cop movie. So, let'...

RAD by Hipólita definitely caught my eye as a Mausritter-inspired post-nuclear sovietica OSR-style adventure game. Bullets, mutations, community building, and resource management are promised in the game's description, and I am all for it. I got a copy of it from the Ind of the Year 2023 itch bundle . You can check the book here . There is no definitive version number in the book, so for documentation's sake, version I'll use is from Jan 2024 download I've made. And as of writing this, there seems to be no new update. Putting a naive but curious character would be fun in a post-apocalypse survival game, so we'll take note of [Dimasilaw] archetype when making the character. See  Cooking Characters Primer  for more details about archetypes. So let's dive in and make our post-nuclear explorer! kill fascists and look cool doing it Step 1. Roll 3d6 for each of the main stat , keeping the two highest die result as the score. If the total value of all stats is less tha...

I am a fan of sword & sorcery adventures - unlikely heroes in a desolate land, marching against a tyrannical force of power. Sometimes pulpy, sometimes grim, sometimes mythic, sometimes futuristic. Black Sword Hack seems to cater all these niches in the genre, with amazing art and style, that's why I was enticed into buying the book. I have the Ultimate Chaos Edition via kickstarter, printed Feb 2023, which we'll use for making a character. You can purchase the book or pdf here . a great book in front of a shelfie For this game, I think a [Dimabiro] profile would be fun. A serious but easily irritated character, trying to succeed in a world of law and chaos. See Cooking Characters Primer for more details about archetypes. And now it's time to make our doomed adventurer, following the book's three-step process. Step 1: Roll for character attributes . The game uses the standard six from the world's most popular tabletop game, as this game is intended for running ...

GLAIVE is a rules toolkit for running old-school fantasy RPGs created by Scott Wegener. Talent-powered competent adventurers in standard adventure fantasy game. Check out the book here . We are using v2.2 of the game. This is traditional fantasy game, so I'll keep [Dimaapi] archetype in mind to make a typical fighter/combatant dude to start things off. See Cooking Characters Primer for more details about archetypes. So, let's make our adventurer and dive into the character creation rules!  Step 1. Roll for background, gear, and bond.  Rolled [12] and [59] on background table (d100). A smuggler liberator character is appealing, so I'll go with Smuggler.  I like him already.  Now for gear, I have to get a dungeoneering gear pack and choose a weapon of choice. Rolled [5] on Dungeoneering Gear, so I get Swordman's Pack (lucky!). Then I'll choose a Sword  as a weapon to complement it. I imagine our character the guy who takes front in tunnels, and wards off trouble...

I'm currently running my initial draft for Tampalasan, a tropical fantasy adventure game that has strong influence of Filipino and Southeast Asian concepts, but still has stereotypical fantasy elements. Planning to launch a playable version of it on Session Zero Online, this coming Jan 30 2021 . One of the things I've pondered for a while is its initiative system, which I want to focus more on strategy and less on tactics. Combat options will still be there, but it shouldn't be the main focus of the game, and it shouldn't alienate those who do not delve deep into combat mechanics. I've covered before how an initiative system dictates the type of game your playing , and I still believe that.  Here are some aspects from initiative systems I took inspiration from, and what aspects I don't like about them.  1. Group initiative , where roll against your Speed/Dex stat to go first before the enemies. Used in Into the Odd, Bastionland, and a few other games. Simple and...

My first short rpg review, and I will take on 4 micro-rpgs already! I am cheating a bit, since they are all under one resolution system and a connected setting/premise, even though this review is technically for 4 micro-rpgs. These are games by Sinta Posadas , known as diwataMANILA in twitter. I'll be reviewing Succulent Sorcerers , Petal Paladins , Bonsai Brawlers , and Mossy Mechanics , all under Planted TRPG-verse! Screenshots of the game below are all used with permission of the author for the purpose of this review. The four warriors of the Planted TRPG universe - - -  PREMISE You are sentient potted plants, with each archetype having their own abilities and adversities. Each edition provides different character options and session scenarios, but all use the same resolution system of roll under d6, intended for a one-shot play. They look like little playbook-rpg zines per edition, that can be played with each other.     Each archetype has their ...

So I made a collection of chicken-inspired backgrounds for the other world's favorite rpg . It is also my submission for Chicken Jam . I called it Life of the Poultry , because I don't want to stretch people's mind about what to expect in the pack. One of the backgrounds in it, which I have been teasing in my twitter timeline , is based on Filipino monster lore* about black chicks ( itom nga piso ) that can be ingested, so a human becomes an aswang. This will cause them to crave for human flesh but to gain the ability of chimeric transformation. It is said that you can make an aswang regurgitate the black chick, potentially turning them back to human, by making it extremely dizzy so it starts vomiting. You then hang the individual by its feet and light a pile of rice straw beneath it. The smoke will make the aswang vomit more, flushing out the black chick.  But this black chick says fuck it, I'm not gonna go another person's stomach. Here is a reveal of that ...

So it's recently announced that there will be a Troika Backgrounds Jam in itch, hosted by Jared and Cartwheel . Aiming to post at least 6 backgrounds, here's a draft of one of the backgrounds I plan to submit. Another H2G2 character, this time it's the savvy drunk journalist that got stuck in an utterly insignificant little blue green planet for quite some time. = = = a really amazing together guy. image source unknown Marooned Field Researcher You were investigating a remote little blue green planet as a submission for a galactic space guide, but you ended up getting stuck there for more than you've intended. You coped by drinking and partying with the locals to subside your existential dread. Eventually, you were able to hitch a ride from a bypassing spaceship and escape, but you realize the galaxy has changed since you last ventured it. Possessions  a satchel a large bath towel an electronic guide to space commuters a portable spaceship detecto...

Because of a friend's influence, I decided to watch Gurren Lagann's momentous scenes last weekend as a hype-feel watch for the incoming Session Zero event. I've finished one of my games, "May Project na Naman si Kapitan?" (see previous blogpost), and cut losses on my other game that is not going well, development-wise. This feels-trip watch inspired me to do Troika backgrounds for 2 notable characters, Simon and Viral. Check them out below. - - -  source . used without permission Spiral Digger of Heavens You were once a mech pilot and warrior, wielder of a metaphysical energy called Spiral, who helped liberate your world against a universe-threatening force. Along the way you have lost many of your comrades, your mentor, and your lover. Now that life and growth have been restored in your world, you understand that you are no longer needed there. You wander around the cosmos helping those who have need help drilling through the walls and ceilings tha...