RPGaDay2018 – Day 25: Game That Had An Impact On You In The Last Year.

Name a game that had an impact on you in the past year.

I would definitely say that over the past year, that game has been STAR TREK ADVENTURES, from Modiphius.

From a professional standpoint, I worked on three different projects for the game (two of which have been released so far), which were all extremely positive experiences with a company that is responsive, supportive and professional. The fact that I was able to contribute to one of my favorite properties, STAR TREK, for the first time in 20 years, was an additional cherry on that particular sundae.

From a personal standpoint, I actually started a STAR TREK ADVENTURE game with some local friends, which marks the first time in many years that I’ve had the chance to do any gaming for fun. Not only that, but during the past year, the now-wrapped Geek & Sundry webseries SHIELD OF TOMORROW, a STAR TREK ADVENTURES campaign played live on camera by a group of talented performers, in costume and on a set, was the entry point for me into becoming a fan of Actual Play Streaming.

 
 

RPGaDay2018, Day 24 – Which RPG Do You Feel Deserves Greater Recognition?

Which RPG do you feel deserves greater recognition?

Honest answer: Everything that’s not D&D.

Right now, we are in the midst of a tabletop RPG popularity renaissance, exceeding even the previous high mark of the early 1980s. But largely, this is almost exclusively limited to Dungeons & Dragons.

For example — when Joe Manganiello went on Steven Colbert’s show and they did an unprecedented nationally-broadcast chat about their shared nerdy hobby, they talked not about tabletop RPGs in general, but D&D.

This makes sense — honestly, the game is the 800-lb gorilla that created the entire hobby. I’ve been working as a professional game designer for 25 years, and I still shorthand the stuff I do with “it’s like D&D.” We all do.

The fact is, there are a bunch of inventive, creative, brilliant and hard-working people pouring their hearts into amazing work out there — and none of it gets the attention of Dungeons & Dragons. I guarantee you that when they talk about their creations, a small part of them dies a little inside when they have to downshift their explanation to “…it’s a bit like D&D.” And that’s not even talking about the money — a little more attention paid to non-D&D RPGs might not make a dent in Wizards Of The Coast’s bottom line, but could make the difference in being able to continue doing this, for the average indie designer.

There’s so much great stuff out there. It all deserves more recognition.

 
&nsbp;

RPGaDay2018, Day 23 — Which Game Do You Hope To Play Again?

Which game do you hope to play again?

In all honesty? Any of them.

As I’ve said before, things have been so hectic for such a long time, I have not been able to be in a regular game for literally years. This is exacerbated by most of my good friends being spread out all over the globe (necessitating getting familiar/comfortable with online play tools, which I’ve never used before).

…and a bad side-effect of becoming a fan of some of the streaming RPG web series that have launched is that I have become wracked with seething envy over the possibilities of what can be created by playing a great game with a group who is utterly invested in their characters and the process: an ideal which (let’s be frank) is seldom achieved.

Well crap. This turned maudlin.

I blame the rain.