Role-playing

NASA still has plenty of cool projects afoot in the real world—did you hear about that asteroid-redirecting test? Or those space-friendly cameras?—but it’s also trying to stir imaginations in fantastically creative ways, too. Enter The Lost Universe, the agency’s first-ever tabletop roleplaying game. What Will VR Solve, Anyway? Its first what now? Yes, a TTRPG crafted at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, with a gameplay instructional booklet currently available for free download here (plus a Tolkien-esque map); it’s for…

“In Likeness Machines, you draw tarot cards to determine the future the growing career of a fictional actor. But as your actor faces hardship and failure, the heads of studios scheme to replace your actor with an AI replicant. To win, you’ll have to race against the snowballing power of your AI self and get out of the industry while you can. The game showcases a speculative, satirical dystopia—but one that’s unfortunately within reach with further union busting, profit seeking corps, and streaming’s enshittification.”“In…

“Hellborn is a rules-medium Tabletop Role Playing Game set in a futuristic, technologically ascended version of Hell, where players take on the role of demonic mercenaries trying to survive and amass wealth, fame, and power through their daring feats and the jobs they undertake.”“Midnight is a bustling metropolis shrouded in a permanent enchantment of darkness. A crossroads between realms and a beacon to witches the world over... Witches of Midnight was built using the Forged in the Dark system (based on Blades in the…

“here, there, be monsters! is a rules-lite response to monster-hunting media from the monsters’ point of view. It’s both a love letter and a middle finger to stuff like Hellboy (and the BPRD), the SCP Foundation, the Men in Black, the World of Darkness games, and the Urban Fantasy genre in general. It is an explicitly queer, antifascist,and anti-capitalist game about the monstrous and the weird, in any flavor you want, not as something to be feared, but to be cherished and protected.“Play as a diverse crew of monstrous,…

As convention season starts up again, people across the country are preparing for the major American game shows: Gen Con, all flavors of Pax, and even smaller cons like Big Bad Con and Gamehole Con are open to registration. Sure everyone is distracted by galaxies far,far away and the edge of Hyrule’s map, but board games haven’t gone out of style. It’s going to be a good year, everybody stay safe out there!Gillian Jacobs Reacting to Her D&D Character Sheet From Community | io9 InterviewFeatured Game: Citizen…

It has been a hell of a time in the world of games. As people reckon with the reveal that Wizards of the Coast sent Pinkertons after a Magic: The Gathering leaker, more and more actual plays and streams are releasing massively produced and slick games. We’re excitedly waiting for The Ravening War—Dimension20's next installment in the A Crown of Candy series—and in the meantime, thoroughly enjoying My First Dungeon’s DIE AP. How Conspiracy Theories and Disinformation Spiral Out of Control on the Internet | TechModoWe’ve…

Image: Darrington PressDarrington Press, in it’s first-ever State of the Press, announced multiple new projects and plans to attend GenCon 2023 via a YouTube video released today. Matthew Mercer, the longtime DM of Critical Role and chief creative officer, hosted the event alongside Mica Burton, an actress and actual play performer who has previously appeared on Critical Role. You can watch the full State of the Press below.Three new games were shown during the video. The first is a board game, Queen by Midnight, a…

There are so many incredible crowdfunding campaigns going on, I really can’t stand it. Games are so good, y’all. I’ve also got some new games, supplements and additions, and indie designers who are taking it upon themselves to break apart systems and find new, incredible, and transformative ways to play games. (Every Lancer fan should buy Legionnaire, for real.) But onto our featured game, a JRPG inspired TTRPG 10+ years in the making.New Weapons, Missions, Powers & Locations | The Legend of Vox MachinaFeatured Game:…

We return to tabletop with clear eyes and fingers itching to roll some dice. As reviews and social reactions start rolling in for the Dungeons & Dragons film, we’ve begun collecting creative, unique, and independent games from across the community. Crack open a tome of Shakespearean drama, solo psychological horror, or exploit the criminal gig economy with these games.All the Witches is a digital-only Kickstarter that uses both deck-building mechanics using tarot cards and attribute-based skill checks. It’s designed…

New from Darrington Press, Till the Last Gasp is a two-person board game that encourages dramatic storytelling through the lens of a duel taking place between two enemies. Players take on the roles of characters with a grudge to settle who are squaring up for one final fight. While Till the Last Gasp is designed to be a combination of tabletop role playing game and board game, it can be played fully without any role playing whatsoever, allowing for for consequence-free storytelling without a pressure to perform.Darrington…