#dming

Emil Fischer 🏳️‍🌈My bunny, marshmallow needed surgery and I'm selling professional <a href="https://mstdn.games/tags/ttrpg" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#ttrpg</a> <a href="https://mstdn.games/tags/DMing" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#DMing</a> to pay for it. Seriously, I'll run basically any rules set or module you can think of. <a href="https://mstdn.games/tags/EATTHEREICH" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#EATTHEREICH</a>-- a game about being a vampire and killing Nazis and THE BOUGHS OF ETERNITY--A lvl 20 dnd2014 dungeon crawl both seem to be popular choices right now. Here's my page on Start Playing <a href="https://startplaying.games/gm/emilsgameroom" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank">https://startplaying.games/gm/emilsgameroom</a>And my Ko-Fi, which I just started today <a href="https://ko-fi.com/emilfischer" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank">https://ko-fi.com/emilfischer</a>

Ruminations of a Canadian GeekHaving to delay playtesting on my game In frustrating news, I just don't have the mental energy these days to run my weekly game, and then incorporate the feedback into the rules for the following week. I've gotten a lot of good feedback, but with moving my fiance to Canada and the general state of the world, other things need that effort each week. In response I'm moving the game over to Pathfinder 1e. Why that game? It is close enough to 3.5e (Much closer then 5e from what I can tell!) that I can DM it without nearly as much […] <a href="https://canageek.wordpress.com/2025/02/19/having-to-delay-playtesting-on-my-game/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank">https://canageek.wordpress.com/2025/02/19/having-to-delay-playtesting-on-my-game/</a>

BlintSaturday we had a really great time, playing <a href="https://tutter.org/tags/LegoDnD" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#LegoDnD</a> with friends! <a href="https://tutter.org/@Arcter" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@Arcter</a> ran the campaign (<a href="https://tutter.org/tags/DMing" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#DMing</a>), and he told us a really enjoyable story! Of course both the players and the characters had a chance to eat hot chicken wings.I really enjoyed playing as Rhazak Thornveil (a tiefling warlock) and with Ember the baby dragon.<a href="https://tutter.org/tags/DnD" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#DnD</a> <a href="https://tutter.org/tags/Lego" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Lego</a> <a href="https://tutter.org/tags/ttrpg" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#ttrpg</a> <a href="https://tutter.org/tags/hotwings" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#hotwings</a>

DM TalesThe Electric State RPGWhen I first saw Simon Stålenhag’s artwork for <a href="https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Electric-State/Simon-Stalenhag/9781501181412" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Electric State</a> I was captivated. His pieces bear a haunting familiarity which becomes unnerving as you take in the details. So, when I saw that Free League was crowdfunding an RPG based on The Electric State it was a no-brainer to back it. And when I was able to read it, this game left me thinking.Introduction<a href="https://freeleaguepublishing.com/shop/the-electric-state-rpg/core-rulebook/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Electric State RPG</a> is not about gaining treasure or saving the world. It’s about journeying through this world and provokes players to discover how their characters are changed by it. It’s wild.SettingThe game takes place in an alternate reality 1990s, where many of the cultural cornerstones from our world also exist. Grunge is a thing, vehicles have a 90s aesthetic, and much of the technology is identical to our world. But there is one aspect of The Electric State which takes our 90s and twists it off angle enough that it becomes an alien landscape.Neuronics broke the world.In The Electric State RPG the human brain was not only charted, it was both mapped and replicated. This created the opportunity for humans to connect their minds to “neuroscapes” which allowed people to control remote drones and pilot them as though they were wearing the vehicles as skin. It opened up the door to have new neural networks created, giving the rise to robotics our world can only imagine.The technological leap, combined with social and economic pressures, triggered a US Civil War which broke the county into several nations. The key nation in the game, Pacifica, consists of what used to be the State of California. It claims to be a democracy, but it’s dominated by Sentre, the corporation which created neuronics. Pacifica is in decline. While the densest population centers still feel “normal,” the further one travels from the big cities the more Pacifica’s decay is on display. It’s a society on the verge of collapse, but most folks are too tuned into their neurocasters to take note or care.It’s a depressing setup, to say the least, but it gets worse. Ever since Sentre pushed out its latest update, Mode 6, neuro addiction has been on the rise. More and more people are being found dead, through either starvation or dehydration, wearing their neurocasters—blissfully connected to the neuroscape and ignoring reality until their very end. Even stranger, Mode 6 seems to have coincided with the growth of “Intercerebral Intelligences.” These entities have emerged from the neuroscapes, and there are rumors some of them have escaped into the physical world and created physical forms for themselves out of the drone wreckage which dots the landscape. Even more odd, cults are arising which treat these intelligences as gods.As I read the book I tried to come up with a genre for the game. Alternate History, Science Fiction, or Post-Apocalyptic didn’t quite cover things, though there are elements of these in the game. I finally settled on describing The Electric State RPG as psychological horror.Character CreationCharacters in The Electric State work off of ten archetypes which designate their key attribute, starting talent and money, as well as their basic equipment.Characters also each have a Dream and a Flaw. These have no mechanical impact on the game but do serve as an excellent skeleton from which a character’s personality can develop.Each traveler has four Attributes: Strength, Agility, Wits, and Empathy. Starting values range from 2-6 and are determined by rolling 4d6. Players roll the dice, and will re-roll until every die shows a value of 2 or higher. The values on the four dice are then are assigned to the Attributes as the player wishes. If players would rather use point buy for their attributes, they may. They are given 16 points to assign, but no value can be lower than 2 or greater than 6.Two other derived attributes, Health and Hope, represent a characters physical and emotional well-being. Health is (Strength + Agility)/2 and Hope is  (Wits + Empathy)/2. Both results are rounded up.The last tracked value, Bliss, denotes the pull Neuronics has on the character. More on that in a bit.AdvancementTravelers who follow their Dream or role-play their Flaw are rewarded with Improvement Rolls after each session. For each role granted a player is able to chose one of their four attributes and roll a d6. If they roll over their current score, that attribute increases by 1. These roles aren’t just “succeed” or “fail,” however, if a character fails their roll they gain a new skill instead. It’s an interesting way to show how characters are changing during their journey through their collapsing world.Core MechanicsThe RollsThe Electric State uses a streamlined version of Free League’s Year Zero Engine. For an attempt a player rolls a number of d6s equal to the attribute score most appropriate for the task. The number of dice rolled may be modified by a traveller’s gear, skills, or hinderances affecting them.Any 6s mean the character has achieved a success, and multiple 6s mean the character’s success is “extra”—like succeeding while being so quiet no one hears the traveler’s actions.If no 6s are rolled, or if a player wants to go for higher level of success, they may push their roll. To do this the player sets aside any dice showing a 1 or a 6 and re-rolls the rest. At this point 1s become active. Any 1s on a die rolled from a character’s attributes, or added through skills, reduce a character’s Hope—pushing them further to the brink of having a breakdown and perhaps suffering mental trauma. Any 1s on dice added through gear reduce the gear’s bonus. When a gear’s bonus hits zero it becomes busted and cannot be used. To keep gear dice separate players should roll two different color dice for attempts.Opposed rolls in The Electric State are a competition for the most 6s between all opponents. Whoever rolls fewer 6s loses.This streamlined version of the Year Zero Engine (YZE) makes setting up their dice pools, and reading results, a bit easier on the players. At the same time, it also makes pushing rolls a bit more risky because dice added through skills can trigger a loss of Hope. In other YZE games like Forbidden Lands, for example, skills never have a negative impact on the character when a roll is pushed. I like the added risk!CombatCombat in The Electric State RPG is designed for theater of the mind. Ranges are abstracted and are differentiated by zones. Zones can be differentiated by any natural separation between combatants—a hedgerow, a stream, or even a locked door or barricade can create zones in combat.There are five ranges in the game. Engaged is anyone who is at “in your face” distance. Short is anything in the same zone. Medium is anything in an adjacent zone. Long is up to 4 zones away. Extreme is anything over 4 zones away.Initiative is narrative-driven. If combat happens, and this is a game where combat should be a last resort, the character who triggers the combat will go first. They will be followed by all allied combatants, and then opponents. If there is a combat where the narrative says who goes first is a toss up, both sides roll a d6 and add the highest Wits value from an allied combatant. I’m a big fan of narrative-driven initiative, and making it side-based speeds things up at the table.On a turn a combatant gets one move and one action, or two moves. Minor actions, like ducking for cover or interacting with an object, are considered free actions. How many free actions a character gets is determined by narrative. Shouting a warning, ducking for cover, and then reloading a gun makes narrative sense—though perhaps the reloading could be pushed to a subsequent turn or take up the Traveler’s move. Shouting a warning, typing in a computer password, reloading a gun, and rummaging for a sandwich in a single turn is narrative absurdity. Players and GMs need to work together to keep the in-game fiction working with some sort of logic.Close combat attacks are made against anyone in Engaged distance and use a character’s Strength attribute as base dice. Ranged attacks are made against any target short range or greater, and use a character’s Agility attribute as base dice. Attacks will also add skill and weapon bonus dice to an attack roll.Each weapon in the game has a set amount of damage inflicted through a hit and each 6, beyond the first, rolled in an attack inflicts an additional point of damage against the target. The desire to deliver a heavy blow is a wonderful way to entice players to push rolls!When attacks hit The Electric State RPG includes a few ways to make an active defense.When struck by a close attack a character may decide to Fight Back. This turns an attack attempt into an opposed roll, giving the target a chance to avoid taking damage or even hitting back. Any character who takes this reaction, however, forfeits their next turn—both movement and action. If a character had already acted in the current round they forfeit their turn in the subsequent round, instead.Characters targeted by ranged attacks may seek cover, which reduces the number of dice rolled against them, or they be attempt to Dodge the incoming attack. Similar to Fighting Back, when a character dodges they forfeit their next turn—either in the current or subsequent round.Armor can also be used to mitigate damage. Each armor type has an Armor Level which indicated how many dice should be rolled against damage. Any 6s on the armor roll reduce incoming damage by 1 point.Damage from attacks reduces a character’s Health. When their Health score reaches zero the character is incapacitated and must make Death Rolls. To make this roll a player rolls four dice and notes the number of 6s rolled. Player gets three Death Rolls to try and get three 6s. If they do, the character stabilizes. If not, the character is dead.An incapacitated character may be Rallied. Any player attempting to rally a downed traveler rolls Empathy. On a successful roll the incapacitated character rejoins the fight with Health equal to the number of 6s rolled, but they are not stabilized. Rallied characters still need to make death saves and can perish even while continuing to fight. I love a good rallying mechanic in games, and this sounds terrific.Using NeuronicsThe most fascinating aspect of the game is the ability to enter a neuroscape to search for information, interact with attached entities, or hack the system. In The Electric State neuroscapes are powered by massive towers which dominate the landscape. Many are connected to a global network, much like our internet, while some are limited to local access only.Accessing a neuroscape requires the use of a neurocaster, and each character is equipped with one at the start of play. Not all neurocasters are created equal. The different models have gear bonuses for Processor, Network, and Grapics which are applied for different tasks inside the neuroscape. While neurocasters can connect wirelessly, they are more effective when connected via a hardwire and get +2 dice to all attempts inside the virtual world.Finding information in, or hacking, the network are each given a difficulty rating of 1-3, commensurate with the attempt’s difficulty. This rating indicates the number of successful Wits rolls the player needs to make in order to achieve their goal—though there are certain talents which increase the number of dice for neurocasting attempts. Each attempt takes one stretch of time (about 5-10 minutes), though if any attempt fails subsequent rolls extend to a shift of time (about 5-10 hours).Combat inside a neuroscape is possible, and will be flavored like whatever world is being emulated. Because the physics of a neuroscape are virtual, however, all combat is treated like close combat—using Wits instead of Strength. Just as in the real world, an attacked entity may fight back which may cause an attack to fail.But there’s a twist.Accessing the neuroscape, is not without risks. When connected to a neuroscape every failed roll increases a traveller’s Bliss by one. Failed attempts can be pushed, just as in the physical world, with the typical risk of losing Hope while doing so. Any traveller whose Bliss becomes greater than their current Hope is lost to The Electric State and cannot will themselves to disconnect from the network (though they may still take actions inside the virtual world to aid the group). Stranded players can be forcibly disconnected, but this will result in their Hope being reduced to zero and will trigger a mental trauma (if that rule is being used by the table).The risk vs. reward aspect of Neuronics is one of the most fascinating aspects of play for me. Great things can be accomplished, and players may have both skills and equipment which will entice them to attempt such tasks, but in the end the Neuroscape may become a trap from which they cannot escape. It’s pretty cool.JourneysThe Electric State RPG is not designed for long term campaign play. The characters aren’t heroes, but travelers, and their journey has a specific destination. A typical set up is for the GM and players to gather and select both the destination and the route the group will take to get there. The GM will then create Stops along the way which create both tension and danger for the group as they pass through a society in the midst of collapse. This flies in the face of more “sandbox” style play, where players take their characters wherever they want and the GM sets up situations in response to their actions. At the same time, given the nature of the game, an “on rails” journey does make some sense.For tables which would like a more free-form trip to reach their destination, they may decide to forego a planned route and choose their direction based on whatever they feel drives the group. In this case, a GM will either move stops to match the route, or improvise a stop to trigger the story—with or without using the excellent tools in the core rulebook.Why are the travelers on their journey? That’s up to the players. The simplest way to tie the destination to a traveller’s goal is to link it to their Dream. Something about the destination is linked to whatever they’re holding on to for hope in The Electric State RPG’s dystopian world. Travelers may also share goals if the players decide their stories are intertwined.Travelers will also each have a personal threat, which will create urgency on the journey. Each of these threats will have a counter. Each time they appear the danger the threat represents will increase until they reach a final confrontation with the traveller. As with goals, threats may be shared between travelers if the players decide it makes sense.Threats in this world aren’t just tied to the travelers. Each stop on the journey also has its own threats and counters, compounding the dystopian feel of the world.There are tools in chapter 5 which help GMs work with the players to set up a journey and create stops. The advice here is well-done, with ample examples to spark ideas.The ProductPhysical BookThe Electric State is a “full-sized” book clocking in at 230 pages. The cover bears one of Simon Stålenhag’s pieces from the art book, which is stunning. The cover art isn’t borderless, though. Instead, there is a white bevel around the image which feels like an older style design language—like it comes from the 90s. The rear cover displays another piece of art from The Electric State, along with a blurb describing the game’s core concepts. The interior cover pages show a map of Pacifica, the game’s default location, and stuffed in the back is a fold out map which is stunning. It’s not as large as some other posters included in Free League products, but it’s the perfect size to be used at the table. I like it.My only knocks on the physical book are there are no book ribbons and it’s printed on glossy paper. But the glossy paper didn’t bother me as much as it normally does because the interior layout is so high contrast.Internal LayoutThe design language for The Electric State is minimalist, and is a perfect fit for the game. Borders around call outs and tables are a thick black line. And these are “taped” to the page with scotch, or even duct, tape—as though the book was from the early days of desktop publishing and what we’re reading is a pre-print mock-up. The heading font is an attractive sans serif, and second level headings are preceded by the in-game “Sentre” logo which helps them stand out. Third level headings use the body’s serif font with a bold face and are indented.Blockquotes, which I assume come from the original art book, are strewn through out The Electric State RPG. These are separated from the rest of the text with a large quotation mark above and a thick black line below and are presented in an italicized sans serif font. Very nice-looking.Lists use a light-weight Sentre logo for bullet points, which is a stunning design choice. Tables utilize a lightweight sans serif font for the body cells, and a bold sans serif font for heading cells—table rows are separated by a thin line.Chapter title pages display a full spread image from Simon Stålenhag’s artwork, with the chapter title on one of the spread’s pages in a large sans serif font, a blockquote below the title lays out the feeling for what is to come.Everything in the layout is stark, and yet easy on the eyes. I never tired reading it.The Electric State RPG’s core rulebook is filled with Simon Stålenhag’s art, to the point where finding a spread without a piece of art on it feels unusual. It is a visual feast, and the artwork never looses its haunting and provocative power. It’s amazing. I now want to purchase Simon Stålenhag’s books so I can experience it more.ConclusionThis game has me drooling to run it. It’s “almost normal” world, tweaked to the point where even the familiar feels alien, draws me in. It’s a game which guides players to learn something about the nature of journey and hope in the midst of a slow moving crisis. It can be used to tell amazing stories, but it can also help players experience some deep introspection—just like Simon Stålenhag’s artwork.You can pick up The Electric State RPG from <a href="https://freeleaguepublishing.com/games/ny-electric-state-rpg/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Free League’s web site</a>. A Hardback book, which includes a PDF with purchase, costs about $51.35. The PDF alone can be purchased through <a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/467022/the-electric-state-roleplaying-game%20?affiliate_id=3013717" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">DriveThruRPG</a> (Affiliate Link) for $24.99.I don’t often suggest anything beyond, “If you like this sort of thing, maybe check this out.” For The Electric State RPG I will say if you found any part of this review appealing get this book. This game is wild.<a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/dming/" target="_blank">#DMing</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/free-league/" target="_blank">#FreeLeague</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/gaming/" target="_blank">#gaming</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/gming/" target="_blank">#GMing</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/review/" target="_blank">#Review</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/reviews/" target="_blank">#Reviews</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/rpg/" target="_blank">#RPG</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/ttrpg/" target="_blank">#TTRPG</a>

DM TalesRandom TTRPG thoughts #55It’s two days after Christmas, the little brought a cold home school so we feel a tad crummy but are otherwise functional, and it feels like the break is already over. But, I’ve got new games to read, and the coffee is brewed. These are random TTRPG thoughts!<ol><li>I set up a Christmas-themed one shot for <a href="https://cypher-system.com" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Cypher System</a> yesterday, which we ran instead of <a href="https://freeleaguepublishing.com/games/dragonbane/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Dragonbane</a> since we didn’t know who could play. It was weird, fun, and the players rolled HORRIBLY. But in the end all we well.</li><li>I really want to play <a href="https://freeleaguepublishing.com/games/dragonbane/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Sentinel Comics RPG</a> before New Year’s Eve. I’ve got a <a href="https://www.greaterthangames.com/products/sentinel-comics-the-roleplaying-game-game-moderator-kit" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">GM Kit</a> to break in!</li><li>The wonderful thing about getting new games is I have more books to read. The horrible thing about getting new games is I have to figure out where to slot them in the queue.</li><li>My Christmas-themed one shot was, according to one player, the basic plot of Red One. I’ve not seen the movie, but I have seen the trailers so I can’t say I wasn’t influenced.</li><li>I do enjoy teaching new games to people. It’s a fun part of being a GM.</li><li>I am ecstatic when a player stops looking at their sheet to see what they can do, and begins to tell me what they want to do. Those are great moments.</li><li>Alas, the giant candy cane spear never did hit its mark.</li><li>The Monte Cook Games <a href="https://tools.cypher-system.com/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">character builder</a> is pretty cool. I can’t wait until they add their custom IP to it!</li><li>Another fun thing about GMing is when players take it upon themselves to explain their actions, both successes and failures. Last night one player rolled a 1 on an action, triggering a GM intrusion. Instead of waiting to see what I said he asked, “Can I describe what happens?” I replied, “Sure!”  He’d been trying to toss a gravity cypher at the big bad, and described it being wrapped like a present. His character pulled the bow to activate it but, instead of tossing the device, he threw the bow. The cypher activated and he ended up stuck to the ground with glitter in his face. Amazing.</li><li>What games are you playing over the holidays?</li></ol><a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/dd/" target="_blank">#dd</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/dming/" target="_blank">#DMing</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/dnd/" target="_blank">#DnD</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/dungeons-dragons/" target="_blank">#DungeonsDragons</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/dungeons-and-dragons/" target="_blank">#dungeonsAndDragons</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/gaming/" target="_blank">#gaming</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/gming/" target="_blank">#GMing</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/role-playing-game/" target="_blank">#RolePlayingGame</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/rpg/" target="_blank">#RPG</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://dmtales.com/tag/ttrpg/" target="_blank">#TTRPG</a>

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