Star Wars D&D and a campaign book

From New York Comic-Con, news of a Star Wars D&D rulebook and the preview of the campaign book Tyro Squadron Adventures

Yes you’re playing Rebels.

First thought: Darth Vader’s right there. Ever seen an RPG cover with a bunch of characters doing heroic poses and thought “They’re all gonna die next round” because of who they’re up against?

Oh well, at least it isn’t the FFG system.

Vampire LARP one-shot systems

A request for help with a first Vampire LARP reminded me that, as an observer from a safe distance beyond one-shots, I actually know a bit. Published LARPs, variant systems and the like. Might as well put my links here.

By Night Studios have resources (enough to run a V20-era LARP with a tablet) as well as a quickstart and Storyteller advice.

Published adventures, not many but mostly available on DriveThruRPG

Some free unofficial ones, among other genres

The really really system as used in End Of The Line and Enlightenment In Blood, nice and simple.

The Tyrant Philosophers RPG playtest

The Tyrant Philosophers RPG playtest signups are now open for the Handiwork Games adaptation of the novels by Adrian Tchaikovsky.

Playing ALIEN

A chance to play ALIEN at GEAS on Wednesdays, so stood by the GM first to make sure they had a player before some others came over. Could have also gone for Cosmic Dark but looked like it had enough. (And there were also games with wizards and stuff.)

Looks like no major changes to character creation in the Evolved Edition, and it only takes a couple minutes even without the helpful creator. I’m sure this has nothing to do with a potential high bodycount.

So far I’ve made an Officer, two Roughnecks, a Marine, a Marshal and an Entertainer, so I can start with a hero, a useful support type, a flawed civilian with a key skill, a fighter, a different protag, or someone all but useless that I can inflict on the group later on, mwa ha ha.

No androids... or are there?

And the most difficult part - coming up with a name that people can shout in an action scene. A good ALIEN-y name should have one or two syllables and a hard consonant.

Games Workshop announce Necromunda RPG

Necromunda Roleplay

A box set with miniatures for four intro characters and five enemies, blank character sheets and a screen as well as a rulebook.

I remember when Games Workshop got out of the RPG business, so strange to see them getting back in.

VTMDND Bones Of The Empire

Jason Carl demonstrates the D&D version of Vampire: The Dark Ages, from Gen Con 2026. Hopefully we can get the V6 demo back soon too?

(Update: 22nd September)

In the meantime the small number of Blood Points and the various uses for them is interesting - especially having to use one not a Frenzy.

RPGaDAY 2026 31: Edge

#RPGaDAY 2026

31: Edge

31. Why does a character think they have an edge?

Often literally when I make them. See my post on Distance for sword guys versus gun guys.

Generally I prefer if players have some way to avoid a single die roll messing up their big moment. This was a system in place by the time I got to Marvel Super Heroes Advanced in the 80s, where PCs had a whole lot of Karma to throw in to guarantee success. Most games I’ve played since with something like that have a more limited pool of “I win” points, but as long as it’s not zero I’m happy.

Ian explains Edge in Marvel SAGA, the game he ran for years in which I played Charity Chance!

Autocratik

Runeslinger

RPGaDAY 2026 25. Familiarity

#RPGaDAY 2026

25. Familiarity

25. One game you want to get more familiar with?

I would like a chance to play Storypath Ultra someday, and try the Quick Play variant too, as they’re streamlined next steps after the version used in Trinity Continuum.

Autocratik

Runeslinger

Vampire: The Masquerade V6 alpha playtest

Overall, this feels like an edition I could run, with quite a bit of houseruling and throwing some of its changes out entirely. Combat (physical and social) both feel more systemised. Clan Traits push clans too close to classes as is. STs not rolling dice is fine but NPCs having mostly flat difficulty feels a step too far. Coming after one of my favourite edition and getting rid of its biggest innovation, this feels like a step back while trying various new things.

(Also the feedback form really needed some N/A options for STs rather than players, and an Other spot for the list of other RPGs played.)

RPGaDAY 2026 23. Fortune

#RPGaDAY 2026

23. Fortune

23. An enjoyable moment of good or bad fortune.

Sometimes I want the system to add unpredictability to RPGs but quite often I don’t really.

A statistically odd roll can derail a cool moment, and that’s why most of the games I run have limited pools that players can use to convert failure to success. So my “and then I rolled a 1” stories are more about being annoyed.

The only system where I really like the risk in every “roll” is Dread, the horror RPG with Jenga as the mechanic where the tower falling when you pull out a brick writes out your character.

But there are influences outside of the way the dice fall which can affect a game too. Like the perfectly timed crash of thunder when a player mentioned a cult threatening the city.

Autocratik

Runeslinger

RPGaDAY 2026 14. Regard

#RPGaDAY 2026

14. Regard

14. What is a game held in high regard you have yet to play?

They’ve been piling up for the past few years while I mostly run and play (usually new versions of) old favourites.

Blades In The Dark, Daggerheart, Good Society, Masks: A New Generation, Eat The Reich. I’ve looked at some, figured Daggerheart isn’t the sort of thing I’d run, made a Masks character for a CC challenge, that’s all really. I could probably grab some indie RPG types and a long weekend and work on this.

For the longest I haven’t played an acclaimed game, I’ve had a copy of RuneQuest since I was about fifteen and done nothing with it. Call Of Cthulhu yes, Stormbringer yes, anything Glorantha no. Ultimately it’s not really my kind of thing so I don’t much mind, but it’s still on that shelf.

Autocratik

Runeslinger

Vampire V6 playtest AP

Vampire: The Masquerade V6 playtest as run by Alexander Ward

It didn’t hit most of my concerns. I don’t especially like the target taking off dice so we lose big pools and the clatter of may D10s. Glad to be shown Overqualified, the equivalent of taking half, still exists for players.

Drama seems like a minor thing here, which is a concern as one of the bg things being flagged up in the playtest.

22/09 update, back on through the WoD YouTube

Star Wars with D&D

Star Wars D&D collaboration coming next year.

WotC already did basically D&D systems for Star Wars twice, but not quite I guess.

Vampire: The Masquerade V6 playtest

DriveThruRPG link to all formats

This is an alpha playtest with feedback forms attached. And if the big swings go ahead I’m sure it will find an audience. I may not be in it.

Good Society second edition

Good Society has a second edition coming soon with a quickstart at the Kickstarter. Which reminds me I never got around to getting the first edition.

White Wolf Dev Diary #1

Text overview and video roundtable a week out from Gen Con.

Sating positive and negative things about Hunger Dice and Blood Points. Hmmmmm.

A commitment to human made art, good.

More black and white?

Tim Bradstreet portfolio mention!

Vampires will probably be able to light their own cigarettes.

“This community really likes to suffer.”

“It’s part of the fun!”

Blooper reel!

It took me FOUR takes to stop saying "flom"

Debbie

Anne Rice's Immortal Universe RPG

Anne Rice’s Immortal Universe coming to Backerkit this autumn starting with Interview With The Vampire.

From Renegade, so... a move away from them working on World Of Darkness?

Create your own stories of vampires, witches, psychics, and ordinary humans whose lives become forever entwined through love, loyalty, ambition, and loss. Together, you'll build chronicles that span decades, or centuries, exploring the emotional consequences and impossible choices of immortality.

The focus on drama and time sounds interesting.

(Update: I know someone working on it at the say-hello-online level.)

Seven-Part Pact

Seven-Part Pact is now Kickstarting.

Up to seven play mighty wizards and each is also in charge of part of running the game in what is described as a GM-full game. And each gets a character-specific board game as part of play.

From Jay Dragon (Yazeba’s Bed & Breakfast, Wanderhome).

Kieron Gillen and friends tried it and APed the results.

It’s about power, and hubris, and patriarchy/

As Gillen notes, big commitment RPGs are usually about time, long campaigns and the like, but his is intended for shortish games, with a one-shot design on the way, but about committing in that time, everybody prepping. He notes that his playtest group all GM games regularly.

I’d be curious to see if this encourages more formalised GM duty sharing games.

Caledonia By Night: Merchant City's Secret

A Vampire: The Masquerade V5 MET LARP group is starting in Glasgow. Interesting timing considering V5 might not be going much longer. Although the MET book only arrived in 2024, so a new official LARP could be a while coming. We’ll see.

Making a literal cat in the Buffy RPG

Making a literal cat in Buffy The Vampire Slayer

Starting after four minutes of preamble.

"Yeah ours won't talk" as they noted when I mentioned having tried with Mittens.

They are new to the system, and one new to the show.