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@Sean C. @Stefan Bohacek @Blorbo Admin Chicken @Justin Ferrell I've once encountered someone who seemed to suffer from such extreme PTSD that they demanded everyone CW literally absolutely everything. And, of course, the Mastodon way by forciing all these CWs upon absolutely everyone all the same.
Now, I'm not even on Mastodon myself. I'm on Hubzilla which is doing CWs way differently from Mastodon, which has been doing that for longer than Mastodon has even existed, much less has had CWs.
We don't do CWs poster-side. We don't write CWs into the summary field. In fact, the summary field, which Mastodon has been using as a CW field since 2017, is still a summary field here. A summary field makes a whole lot of sense here, for while most Mastodon servers have a hard-coded character limit of 500, Hubzilla doesn't really have any character limit at all.
Also, we can't do Mastodon-style CWs in replies which are called "comments" here. Like on Facebook, like on Tumblr, like on every last blog out there, but very much unlike on Mastodon, our post editor and our comment editors are wholly separate things. The comment editor can't do summaries. Why not? Because, have you ever seen a blog comment with a summary?
No, we have our CWs automatically generated and reader-side. We have a kind of filter called "NSFW" that can automatically hide content behind a CW. It's basically Mastodon's "Hide with a warning", but as its own keyword filter list and seven years before Mastodon introduced "Hide with a warning". (Twelve years actually because Hubzilla inherited that feature from Friendica.)
When we post sensitive or disturbing content, we make sure that those who may not want to see that content have their filters triggered. We do so by making sure that appropriate keywords are in the post text (easy-peasy when you can post over 33,000 times more characters than on Mastodon) or by adding hashtags. The latter is what I do, hence the many hashtags down there.
It's also the only way to have a comment hidden. Again, Hubzilla doesn't have a summary field (= Mastodon CW field) for replies, so it has to rely on people making filters for uncomfortable content.
This could be a thing on Mastodon as well. After all, in October, 2022, Mastodon 4.0 introduced "Hide with a warning" to its filters which does the exact same thing as NSFW on Friendica and Hubzilla: hide messages depending on keywords. However, Mastodon's entire culture was defined in mid-2022 by those who had fled from Twitter in early 2022, so it's based on Mastodon 3.x without "Hide with a warning".
Besides, the vast majority of Mastodon users don't even know that Mastodon has "Hide with a warning", much less what it does. Precious few even seem to know that Mastodon has filters in the first place. And next to nobody knows what the non-Mastodon Fediverse has, nor do they care, also because most Mastodon users don't even know that the Fediverse goes beyond Mastodon, Pixelfed and PeerTube.
In addition, while Hubzilla is all about empowering its users to self-moderate their stream, the "Mastodon experience" is generally perceived as being coddled and pampered all over. By mods who remove unwanted content and by all the other users who hide uncomfortable content. Hide it from everyone all the same, regardless of whether or not someone needs that, just because one person needs it.
So back to the beginning: This person took Mastodon's culture to the absolute extreme. And they demanded that I a) adopted Mastodon's way even though it'd b) clash with Hubzilla's culture which is my native culture and c) exaggerate it to the maximum.
Of course, my suggestion to use "Hide with a warning" filters didn't come to fruition. For one, that would have required an infinite number of individual filters on Mastodon. Besides, that person felt entitled to have protection from literally absolutely any and all kinds of content served to them on a silver platter.
I think I ended up Superblocking them.
#Long #LongPost #CWLong #CWLongPost #FediMeta #FediverseMeta #CWFediMeta #CWFediverseMeta #Fediverse #Mastodon #Hubzilla #CharacterLimit #CharacterLimits #CharacterLimitMeta #CWCharacterLimitMeta #CW #CWs #CWMeta #ContentWarning #ContentWarnings #ContentWarningMeta #MastodonCulture -
#HamRadio #MorseCode operators, get ready for #CW on ARRL/RAC Field Day! Use my version of Morse Walker to prepare to key (or keyboard!) your way to successful QSOs.
- Choose "Field Day" at the top.
- Set your Section and Class under "Your Station Settings" (and adjust "Responding Station Settings" and "Effects Settings" as desired).
- Press return in the "Response" or click "CQ".
- Copy a call as usual in Morse Walker, and press return to send. As usual, when you copy correctly, it moves to the next entry when you press enter.
- Copy Class (which currently won't be above 20 in this simulation, even though a few real station are) and press tab (not enter) to move to the next box.
- Copy Section in the final box and press enter to send TU and your call sign for the next caller.
This is not hyper-realistic, but it's good enough practice to set you up for success. It's a trainer not a simulator. A couple things that you might notice:
- It sends more higher class numbers than you will see in practice. That's on purpose, so that you won't get thrown when you hear "18A" over the air.
- I did not add any mapping between section and call area. There's no weighting in my simulation that makes 4-calls likelier to be in the eastern seaboard. There's not even a mapping from Canadian call areas to sections, even though that's a requirement in Canada. Roll with it.
- You can't send "CLS?" or "SEC?" to ask for fills. Class and section are one-shot, just like RST and state in Morse Walker's POTA mode.
The other change I made is that it shows how many stations were in the pileup, which seemed important information to me to put against how many attempts it took to pull a correct call out of the pileup.
Thanks to W6NYC Henry for creating Morse Walker and making it open source, so that I could implement this. (I made a pull request so he can add this to the official version if he wants.)
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Shacks On The Air anyone?
There has been an explosion of “On The Air” programs lately. I think SOTA (Summits On The Air) may have kick started the trend. To my mind SOTA remains the purest and best of them all. Although there are many drive-up summits, many others require strenuous effort to reach the “activation zone” on foot. Unfortunately, here in southern Ontario, we have very few high elevation points. Some peaks over 500 meters (1600 feet) can be found, but without the required “prominence” to qualify for the SOTA program. I visited one of the few SOTA peaks in my area once. It was hard to see why it was classified as a peak. The activation zone was a section of flat road. SOTA forbids activating from inside a vehicle so all an activator has to do is park at the side of the road, get out and play radio at the roadside. Piff!
Woof Woof
Some friends and I enjoy a leisurely CW rag chew once a week. We have one thing in common – mourning the loss of once-loved canine friends. At the end of every session we sign off with “woof”. So when I think of the World Wide Flora and Fauna program (WWFF) my mind interprets that as “Woof-Woof”.
WWFF is very popular in Europe and to a lesser extent in North America. If you hear a station signing off with “73 44” you will know it is a WWFF QSO in which 44 contacts are required to activate a park. Some of the “Woof-Woof” program rules are quite strict. If you are operating from inside multiple parks you can only claim one for your activation, unlike POTA where one set of contacts can qualify for multiple activations in the right location. SSB participants in xOTA programs greatly outnumber CW operators so, although getting 44 contacts by phone may be relatively easy, getting the same QSO count by CW is sometimes more challenging. Fortunately, QSO counts for operating sessions are cumulative so you can return to the same park as many times as is necessary to validate an activation.
POTA
From humble beginnings the Parks On The Air program has exploded to become a formidable force in amateur radio. Every day there are multiple parks being activated around the world. The required QSO count to qualify an activation is 10. Ten is much more attainable than 44, but even so, there are days when even that number is a challenge. For those of us who like to handicap our operations by using QRP, a day of poor propagation conditions can bury our signals in the noise. I have participated in POTA for the last few years and have had very few outings in which I experienced a “busted activation”, i.e. made fewer than 10 contacts. Some operators avoid busted activations by making HT to HT VHF simplex contacts with other hams in their group. If you think that’s a good idea there is a way to make every POTA session an effortless success regardless of propagation conditions.
In days gone by the local indigenous hunters would drive herds of buffalo over a cliff where young braves would finish the kill. The hunt provided food for a whole winter. During one hunt a young brave was crushed by a falling buffalo and suffered the injury that gave this Alberta park its name.POTA was predicated on the idea that fewer rules makes for better participation. That’s a good premise and has worked well making POTA the “elephant outside the room”. On the downside, even the few rules that are in place are not enforced. When I made the suggestion that a Park to Park contact should mean a contact between two different parks, POTA management politely suggested I should forget about it and just enjoy my own operations.
I read one account of an “activation” completed within 100 feet (30m) of a park boundary. That is valid for trails, but not for actual parks. I know that particular park and it does not qualify for the 100 feet rule. Generally, an operator and all their equipment must be completely within a park’s boundary. But perhaps, if that rule doesn’t work for you, “forget about it” and enjoy yourself.
The Drive-Thru activation
Unlike SOTA, POTA does not forbid operating from inside a vehicle. This has led to something variously called “Parking Lots On The Air (PLOTA)” or “Drive-Thru” activations. Mea Culpa; I have been guilty of this several times but I try to avoid drive-thru activations except in winter. In winter, brave Canadians don’t even button up our Mackinaws until it gets to 100 below, and we stir our coffee with our thumbs. It is only out of respect for our radio equipment that we would even consider operating from inside the comfort of a vehicle when the howling wind is blowing the snow horizontally and the mercury in the thermometer is frozen solid.
Kakabeka Falls, northern Ontario, the “Niagara of the North”.
If you gotta moment during your PLOTA activation, step outta the car and take a look.In summer many of us prefer to enjoy a hike or visit some of the spectacular scenery in our parks before or after a radio session. But for some diehard POTA activators, the name of the game is contacts – lots of ’em – then drive on to the next park where once again its eyes down, antennas up; no time to get out of the car. We each enjoy our hobby in our own way.
All the other OTAs
There are so many OTA programs these days it’s getting out of hand. How about TOTA? Did you think it means Towers On The Air? You are correct. But it also means Toilets On The Air. How about that; you can play radio while attending to your bodily functions. I know of one ham who takes his Handy-Talkie into the shower so he doesn’t miss any calls from his buddies; SHOTA anyone? TOTA also means Tiles On The Air. A Tile is a Maidenhead subsquare about 5km by 7km.
I am surprised nobody has thought of What 3 Words On The Air (W3WOTA?, WWWOTA?). W3W is a ridiculous (my opinion) method of dividing the world up into small squares each designated by three unique words. A lot of words are needed to identify all the world’s locations so some very rare and unusual words are employed. The English language is pronounced very differently around the world, and even within the United States. I met a very interesting fella who proudly came from “the South” once. He explained that the words “pin” and “pen” are pronounced exactly the same where he came from. Imagine trying to battle poor propagation conditions while interpreting a strange dialect relaying a rare and unusual word. When I posted on this topic some time ago I received a comment that W3W is universally accepted by emergency responders and we should just get used to it. Yay, let’s all get used to confusion and damn the torpedoes.
The spectacular Athabasca Glacier along Icefields Parkway, Alberta. Maybe worth stepping out of the car to take a look. It is possible to hike right up to the base of the glacier, or take a specially-equipped bus ride out on the ice.Don’t laugh please
Try not to titter when I introduce the next OTA. It is called HEMA and stands for “Humps Excluding Marilyns”. I believe it is a European program but I haven’t come across it on this side of the Atlantic. My first reaction was to wonder why Marilyn’s humps were excluded. I am sure HEMA has attracted a lot of jokes but it is actually a serious program. A “hump” is a summit with at least a 100 meter prominence, while a “marilyn” is a summit with at least a 150 meter prominence. So a hump excluding marilyns is a summit with a prominence between 100 and 150 meters. Robert Ripley might have made a TV episode about this one.
I’m OOTA here
I have become involved with one of the new OTAs and have filed my first couple of logs. It is called “Out On The Air (OOTA)“. As “the seasons go round and round and the painted ponies go up and down” (Joni Mitchell) the carousel of time begins to take its toll and I have less energy than I used to have. Just a few winters ago I would strap on snowshoes and haul a sled full of radio equipment across the deep and crisp and even white landscape to do an outdoor winter activation. No more. Maybe less inclination to join the OTA rat race too. Now I am content to set up in the sunshine and enjoy just being outdoors with my radio, and maybe a newly built antenna. If I make a few contacts I am satisfied. The great thing about OOTA is that there is really only one rule – just get out of the shack and make at least one contact. That’s just fine with me. If you do a POTA or “Woof Woof” activation, or you activate a hump that wasn’t Marilyn’s that counts too. Softly, softly, catchee monkey; relax, breathe; soak up the summer sun; enjoy life, it doesn’t last forever.
Help support HamRadioOutsidetheBox
No “tip-jar”, “buy me a coffee”, Patreon, or Amazon links here. I enjoy my hobby and I enjoy writing about it. If you would like to support this blog please follow/subscribe using the link at the bottom of my home page, or like, comment (links at the bottom of each post), repost or share links to my posts on social media. If you would like to email me directly you will find my email address on my QRZ.com page. Thank you!
The following copyright notice applies to all content on this blog.
#AmateurRadio #CW #OutdoorOps #POTA
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. -
So, I was looking for something new to play, and I think I have found something i need to play just from the box art alone.
Super Valis 4's North American box art is, dare I say, absolutely peak.
I should probably check out the whole Valis series, so i am more putting this out as a warning, I may be waxing lyrically or ranting profanely for the next couple of weeks about this series... Depending on how things go.
Let's get back into the box art however. That, almost 80s, high fantasy inspired female character getting ready to attack a tiger that is leaping at her and breathing fire. The tiger is also being ridden by some metallic figure. It's a powerful image, and I say that with little sarcasm.
It makes me think about the Alisia Dragoon international box art. -
New(ish) old gear – Helios-44
A few years ago I was messing around with film photography. I had my grandpa’s old cameras and a Canon I bought at a flea market. A friend gave me a very sturdy Pentax camera he wasn’t using and after shooting a film roll I forgot the camera in a box with my other gear. Well, lately I’m getting back into it all – mostly digital though. And since I’ve been browsing “photography-Tube” I found out about the hype around Helios-44, with its vintage look and circular bokeh. Well, lo and behold the Pentax had a 58mm Helios-44M-2 on. Bought an adapter to use it with my new baby boy, the Fujifilm X-T30 III and… it’s fun, the results are very vintagey – but half of that is the in-camera recipe as well.
I know this isn’t the best Helios out there and it’s half-plastic unlike the earlier ones… And sure, it’s a bit dusty, it’s manual focus only, the crop factor makes the 58mm an 87mm equivalent but… I like it. Not an everyday lens and I have no idea what the results are with a sharp recipe; but it works well if I’m on a slow photo-walk taking atmospheric photos. Here are a few of my favourite results. All SOOC jpegs – compressed from the 15MB originals the Fujifilm spits out.
#Camera #Fujifilm #Gear #Helios #Lens #Photography #Vintage -
Seeing this poster as a 9 year old kid got me so hyped, you have no idea.
Seeing it today as a 45 year old man makes me want to watch the movie again 😄
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Top Greene’s “Adornment of Grace” Hat Show Contest Returns to Raleigh (May 17, 2026)
Celebrate culture, creativity, and timeless style at one of Raleigh’s most unique community events this spring. The Adornment of Grace Hat Show Contest is set to take over Top Greene Cultural Center, bringing together fashion, heritage, and self-expression in a powerful and elegant way.
Event Details
- Event: Adornment of Grace Hat Show Contest
- Date: Sunday, May 17, 2026
- Time: 3:00 PM – 6:00 PM
- Location: John P. Top Greene African American Cultural Center
- Admission: $15 (includes entry into the contest)
- Ages: All ages welcome
🎟️ Tickets: Available via RecLink
A Celebration of Culture, Style & Legacy
Top Greene’s Adornment of Grace Hat Show Contest is more than just a fashion event—it’s a celebration of Black culture and the rich tradition of hat-wearing. From church crowns to bold statement pieces, hats have long been a symbol of identity, pride, and creativity.
This special event invites the community to showcase their personal style while honoring generations of cultural expression.
✨ Featured Highlights
- 🎤 Special Guest: Dr. Donna Corbett
- 👗 The Mary Corbett Hat Collection
A stunning display of vintage hats celebrating timeless elegance and cultural influence - 🎨 Featuring Erica Kendrick
Ceramic artist, sculptor, and educator bringing creative perspective to the event
Best Hat Contest
Everyone who attends is automatically entered into the Best Hat Contest!
- Show off your best look and creative flair
- Walk the stage and represent your style
- Compete for a chance to win a FREE 3-hour rental at Top Greene
Bring your confidence, your culture, and your crown—because the hat makes the statement.
Why You Should Attend
- Celebrate Black culture and artistic expression
- Experience a one-of-a-kind fashion and community event
- Connect with creatives, families, and culture lovers in Raleigh
- Enjoy a stylish Sunday filled with inspiration and storytelling
Stay Connected with DoRaleigh
Follow DoRaleigh for more City of Raleigh Parks events, cultural celebrations, and community highlights happening across the Triangle.
Post your community News, Events, on our Submissions Page. If you interested in Advertising click here.
Follow Us: Instagram | Facebook | BSky | Linkedin
#BlackCultureRaleigh #CityOfRaleigh #CityOfRaleighGovernmentEventGuide #CityOfRaleighParks #culturalEventsRaleigh #DoRaleigh #downtownRaleigh #events #FamilyEventsRaleigh #fashionEventsRaleigh #hatShowRaleigh #May2026Events #News #raleigh #RaleighEvents #thingsToDoRaleighNC #TopGreeneCulturalCenter -
City of Raleigh Government Event Guide: Braceridge Road Pop-Up Meeting (April 29, 2026)
Stay informed and get involved in your community with this important City of Raleigh public meeting happening today. Residents are invited to learn more and share feedback on a key infrastructure project impacting North Raleigh neighborhoods.
Braceridge Road Drainage Improvements Pop-Up Meeting
🗓 Date: Wednesday, April 29, 2026
⏰ Time: 5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
📍 Location: Open space next to 4109 Batiste Road, Raleigh, NC 27613The City of Raleigh is hosting a pop-up public meeting focused on the Braceridge Road Drainage Improvements Project. This is a great opportunity for residents to connect directly with city staff, learn about proposed solutions, and provide input on a project that directly impacts the neighborhood.
Project Overview: Why It Matters
Flooding has become a recurring issue along Braceridge Road between Batiste Road and Sunridge Road. Currently:
- Water from a bioretention area flows through multiple residential backyards
- Runoff continues into the street
- This results in yard flooding and street flooding, impacting nearby homes and safety
The City is working to identify effective drainage solutions to address these concerns and improve stormwater management in the area.
What to Expect at the Meeting
Residents and stakeholders attending the pop-up meeting can:
- Learn about the proposed drainage improvements
- Ask questions directly to City staff
- Share feedback and local insights
- Help shape solutions that impact the community
This informal, drop-in style meeting makes it easy for neighbors to participate and stay informed.
Why Community Participation Matters
City-led infrastructure projects are strongest when residents are involved. By attending, you can:
- Ensure your voice is heard
- Provide real-world context about flooding impacts
- Help guide decisions that affect your neighborhood
If you live in or near the Braceridge Road area, your input is especially valuable.
Final Thoughts
Community engagement plays a vital role in shaping Raleigh’s growth and infrastructure improvements. Don’t miss this chance to connect with city leaders and contribute to a safer, more resilient neighborhood.
Stay tuned to DoRaleigh for more updates on City of Raleigh meetings, community events, and local news that matters.
Post your community News, Events, on our Submissions Page. If you interested in Advertising click here.
Follow Us: Instagram | Facebook | BSky | Linkedin
#CityOfRaleigh #CommunityEngagementRaleigh #DoRaleigh #drainageImprovementsRaleigh #events #News #NorthRaleighEvents #raleigh #RaleighCommunityMeeting #RaleighGovernment #RaleighInfrastructure #RaleighNCEvents #RaleighNeighborhoodNews #RaleighPublicMeeting #stormwaterRaleigh -
"This [NSS document] is the 'Great Replacement' theory, applied globally. It is the same might-makes-right worldview of the worst neocons, but in service of the abhorrent principle of segregation instead of democracy, and suggesting a future of American imperialism unmoored from any pretense of a belief in the equality of mankind."
#Trump #NSS #Europe #NATO #immigrants #racism #WhiteSupremacy #TechBros #broligarchy
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cool paper looking at moth diversity in New York!
The results are far from surprising (more trees and less light makes more moths), but I like how they used @inaturalist while being critical of the dataset.
#insects #science #biodiversity #urbanism #urbanization #cityWildlife
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0342856 -
MerryBytes the talking popcorn box made more Telefang content!~ He makes super fun game reviews and retrospectives but is sadly cursed by the algorithms... The only reason I noticed the new video is because I have his page bookmarked and I check it form time to time. :AltairPanic:
If you enjoy retro games and niche early 2000 FPS game content – be sure to give him a watch!~ 🍿🕶🕹 :AltairExcited:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UttTWK13DBY
#テレファング #携帯電獣テレファング #おすすめ #ユーチューブ #レトロゲーム #ポケモン
#Telefang #youtube #youtuber #retrogames #bootleg #bootleggames #fantranslation #pokemon #gbc #gba -
Mountain Tapir Tapirus pinchaque
Mountain Tapir Tapirus pinchaque
IUCN Red List Status: Endangered
Location: Colombia, Ecuador, northern Peru
Mountain Tapirs inhabit the high Andean cloud forests and páramos above 2,000 metres in the northern Andes. They are found in Colombia’s Central and Eastern Cordilleras, throughout Ecuador including Sangay and Podocarpus National Parks, and into northern Peru, notably in Cajamarca and Lambayeque.
The Mountain Tapir Tapirus pinchaque is one of the most threatened large mammals in the northern Andes, currently listed as Endangered. Their populations have declined by over 50% in the past three decades due to habitat loss, illegal hunting, climate change, and rampant mining. With fewer than 2,500 mature individuals remaining, they are quietly disappearing from their mist-shrouded mountain homes. Human encroachment, infrastructure development, and cattle grazing now invade their last strongholds. Without urgent action, they may vanish forever. Use your wallet as a weapon and fight back when you shop #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife and be #BoycottGold
Sweet-natured Mountain #Tapirs of #Ecuador 🇪🇨 #Peru 🇵🇪 and #Colombia 🇨🇴 face serious threats incl. illegal crops, #gold #mining, #palmoil #deforestation and hunting. Help them survive #BoycottPalmOil 🌴⛔️#BoycottGold 🥇⛔️ #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://palmoildetectives.com/2025/12/28/mountain-tapir-tapirus-pinchaque/
Share to BlueSky Share to TwitterThe Wooly #Tapir AKA Mountain Tapir gives birth to one calf at a time 🩷😻 They’re #endangered due to a many threats: #climatechange and #pollution from #gold mining. Resist for them! #BoycottPalmOil #BoycottGold 🥇☠️❌ #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://palmoildetectives.com/2025/12/28/mountain-tapir-tapirus-pinchaque/
Share to BlueSky Share to TwitterAppearance & Behaviour
Also known as the woolly tapir for their thick, dark, shaggy coat, Mountain Tapirs are built to survive in the cold, damp cloud forests and páramo grasslands. Their dense fur, white lips, and prehensile snout give them an almost prehistoric appearance. These solitary and elusive mammals are primarily nocturnal and crepuscular, navigating dense foliage with ease. Once thought to be loners, long-term studies in Ecuador have revealed that they form small, close-knit family groups, with calves gradually dispersing over several years (Castellanos et al., 2022).
Threats
Deforestation for palm oil, meat agriculture and illicit opium/coca cultivation
Large swathes of Andean cloud forest and páramo are being cleared to make way for palm oil agricultural expansion, cattle grazing, and opium or coca cultivation. These activities are not only destroying core habitat but also breaking up previously connected populations, leaving tapirs isolated and vulnerable to local extinctions. The introduction of cattle into remote tapir refuges has become increasingly common, even inside designated national parks such as Sangay in Ecuador. This leads to trampling of sensitive vegetation, direct competition for food, and destruction of the unique montane ecosystems that Mountain Tapirs rely on for survival.
Illegal hunting for meat, traditional medicine, and cultural uses
Although hunting pressure has declined slightly in Ecuador due to greater public awareness, it remains severe in Colombia and Peru. Tapirs are killed for their meat, and their skins are used to make traditional tools, horse gear, carpets, and bed covers. Additionally, body parts are sold in local markets or prescribed by shamans for use in traditional medicine. In many remote areas, Mountain Tapirs are still being actively poached, and it is now rare to find populations that are not affected by some form of overhunting.
Gold mining and illegal mining causing deforestation and poisoning of ecosystems
Gold mining projects in the northern Peruvian Andes and central Colombia are rapidly destroying the last cloud forest headwaters and páramo ecosystems where tapirs persist. Both legal and illegal mining operations contaminate streams and watersheds with heavy metals and toxic runoff, which has severe consequences for both tapirs and the human communities downstream. Mining also brings roads, noise, and human settlements into previously inaccessible areas, increasing hunting pressure and reducing available habitat. In some parts of Peru, nearly 30% of the Mountain Tapir’s current range now overlaps with active or planned gold mining concessions (More et al., 2022).
Climate change pushing tapirs further uphill into shrinking habitat
As global temperatures rise, the high-elevation ecosystems where Mountain Tapirs live are shrinking. Suitable climate zones are shifting higher up the mountains, but because mountains have limited space at the top, this forces tapirs into ever smaller areas with fewer food resources. This phenomenon, known as “the escalator to extinction,” is especially dangerous for highland species like the Mountain Tapir, who cannot move downward into warmer zones. Climate change also alters rainfall patterns and vegetation cycles, further straining the species’ delicate habitat requirements.
Road construction and vehicle collisions within protected areas
Infrastructure development is rapidly cutting through mountainous areas, including roads that bisect national parks and reserves. This not only fragments tapir habitat but also leads to direct deaths through vehicle collisions. Once roads are completed, traffic speeds increase and tapirs crossing roads—especially at dawn and dusk—become highly vulnerable. Roads also make previously remote areas more accessible to poachers, settlers, and resource extractors, while local governments often lack sufficient ranger staff to monitor and protect these newly exposed areas.
Fumigation campaigns using toxic chemicals to eradicate drug crops
In Colombia, the government authorises aerial fumigation of coca and poppy fields using glyphosate-based herbicides like Round-Up. These chemicals are sprayed over wide areas, including forests and National Parks, contaminating soil, plants, and water sources. Mountain Tapirs can absorb these toxins through skin contact or ingestion, potentially leading to illness, reproductive failure, or death. Fumigation also destroys native plants that tapirs rely on for food, further decreasing habitat quality in affected areas.
Widespread introduction of cattle and the threat of disease transmission
Domestic cattle are increasingly being introduced into mountain tapir habitat, especially within protected areas where enforcement is weak. These animals not only compete with tapirs for forage but also carry diseases such as bovine tuberculosis and foot-and-mouth disease. Disease outbreaks have already been documented among tapirs in other parts of Latin America and pose a serious threat to small, isolated populations. In the Andes, cattle often form feral herds that reproduce and spread deep into cloud forests, further eroding habitat integrity and increasing the risk of tapir extinction.
Weak enforcement of environmental laws and lack of large protected areas in Peru
Although some Mountain Tapir habitat falls within designated protected areas, law enforcement in Peru is generally under-resourced and poorly coordinated. Rangers are too few to patrol vast mountainous regions effectively, and illegal activities such as mining, logging, and hunting continue within protected boundaries. Furthermore, most reserves are too small or fragmented to support viable tapir populations over the long term. Without stronger policies, larger protected zones, and meaningful binational cooperation with Ecuador and Colombia, tapirs in Peru face an uncertain future.
Low reproductive rate and slow population recovery
Mountain Tapirs have a long gestation period of around 13 months and typically produce only one calf at a time, meaning population growth is inherently slow. When combined with high mortality from hunting, roadkill, and disease, their populations cannot recover quickly from losses. Calves stay with their mothers for extended periods, further limiting reproductive output. This slow life cycle makes the species particularly vulnerable to sudden or sustained threats across their fragmented range.
Geographic Range
This species is found in the high Andes of Colombia, Ecuador, and northernmost Peru. In Colombia, they are present in the Central and Eastern Cordilleras but are absent from the Western Cordillera and Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta. In Ecuador, they range from the central Andes down through Sangay National Park to Podocarpus, with new records emerging from previously unconnected areas in the western Andes. In Peru, they occur north and south of the Huancabamba River in Cajamarca and Lambayeque (More et al., 2022). The total range in Peru is estimated at 183,000 hectares, but mining concessions cover nearly 30% of this habitat.
Diet
Mountain Tapirs are browsers, feeding on a wide variety of vegetation including leaves, shoots, fruits, and bromeliads. Their diet varies depending on the availability of plants within their high-altitude habitats, playing an important role as seed dispersers within these fragile ecosystems.
Mating and Reproduction
Mountain Tapirs have a slow reproductive rate, with a gestation period of approximately 13 months. Females typically give birth to a single calf, which stays with them for several months or even years before dispersing. Calves are born with white stripes and spots that fade as they mature. Their slow breeding cycle makes it difficult for populations to recover from hunting and habitat loss.
FAQs
How many Mountain Tapirs are left in the wild?
Fewer than 2,500 mature individuals remain in the wild, and the population is continuing to decline by at least 20% every two decades due to ongoing threats like habitat destruction, hunting, and climate change (IUCN, 2015).
What is the average lifespan of a Mountain Tapir?
In the wild, Mountain Tapirs may live up to 25 years, though this is significantly affected by environmental threats. Captive individuals can live slightly longer under safe and controlled conditions.
What are the biggest challenges to conserving Mountain Tapirs?
Major challenges include habitat fragmentation due to road construction, agriculture, and mining; the presence of armed conflict zones that hinder research and protection; and the slow reproduction rate of the species, which makes population recovery difficult (Guzmán-Valencia et al., 2024; More et al., 2022).
Do Mountain Tapirs make good pets?
No. Keeping a Mountain Tapir as a pet is unethical and illegal. These intelligent, solitary animals require large, wild habitats to survive. Capturing and trading them causes immense suffering and drives the species further toward extinction. Advocating against the exotic pet trade is vital to their survival.
Take Action!
Boycott palm oil and products linked to Andean deforestation. Support indigenous-led conservation and agroecology initiatives in the Andes. Call for stronger protections against mining and deforestation in Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. Refuse to buy exotic animal products, including those used in folk medicine. #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife #Vegan #BoycottMeat
Support Mountain Tapirs by going vegan and boycotting palm oil in the supermarket, it’s the #Boycott4Wildlife
Support the conservation of this species
This animal has no protections in place. Read about other forgotten species here. Create art to support this forgotten animal or raise awareness about them by sharing this post and using the #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife hashtags on social media. Also you can boycott palm oil in the supermarket.
Further Information
Castellanos, A., Dadone, L., Ascanta, M., & Pukazhenthi, B. (2022). Andean tapir (Tapirus pinchaque) social groups and calf dispersal patterns in Ecuador. Boletín Técnico, Serie Zoológica, 17, 9–14. Retrieved from https://journal.espe.edu.ec/ojs/index.php/revista-serie-zoologica/article/view/2858
Delborgo Abra, F., Medici, P., Brenes-Mora, E., & Castelhanos, A. (2024). The Impact of Roads and Traffic on Tapir Species. In Tapirs of the World (pp. 157–165). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-65311-7_10
Guzmán-Valencia, C., Castrillón, L., Roncancio Duque, N., & Márquez, R. (2024). Co-Occurrence, Occupancy and Habitat Use of the Andean Bear and Mountain Tapir: Insights for Conservation Management in the Colombian Andes. SSRN. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.5061561
Lizcano, D.J., Amanzo, J., Castellanos, A., Tapia, A. & Lopez-Malaga, C.M. 2016. Tapirus pinchaque. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T21473A45173922. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T21473A45173922.en. Accessed on 06 April 2025.
More, A., Devenish, C., Carrillo-Tavara, K., Piana, R. P., Lopez-Malaga, C., Vega-Guarderas, Z., & Nuñez-Cortez, E. (2022). Distribution and conservation status of the mountain tapir (Tapirus pinchaque) in Peru. Journal for Nature Conservation, 66, 126130. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnc.2022.126130
How can I help the #Boycott4Wildlife?
Take Action in Five Ways
1. Join the #Boycott4Wildlife on social media and subscribe to stay in the loop: Share posts from this website to your own network on Twitter, Mastadon, Instagram, Facebook and Youtube using the hashtags #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife.
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Join 3,174 other subscribers2. Contribute stories: Academics, conservationists, scientists, indigenous rights advocates and animal rights advocates working to expose the corruption of the palm oil industry or to save animals can contribute stories to the website.
Mel Lumby: Dedicated Devotee to Borneo’s Living Beings
Anthropologist and Author Dr Sophie Chao
Health Physician Dr Evan Allen
The World’s Most Loved Cup: A Social, Ethical & Environmental History of Coffee by Aviary Doert
How do we stop the world’s ecosystems from going into a death spiral? A #SteadyState Economy
3. Supermarket sleuthing: Next time you’re in the supermarket, take photos of products containing palm oil. Share these to social media along with the hashtags to call out the greenwashing and ecocide of the brands who use palm oil. You can also take photos of palm oil free products and congratulate brands when they go palm oil free.
https://twitter.com/CuriousApe4/status/1526136783557529600?s=20
https://twitter.com/PhillDixon1/status/1749010345555788144?s=20
https://twitter.com/mugabe139/status/1678027567977078784?s=20
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5. Donate: Make a one-off or monthly donation to Palm Oil Detectives as a way of saying thank you and to help pay for ongoing running costs of the website and social media campaigns. Donate here
Pledge your supportLearn about other animals endangered by palm oil and other agriculture
Global South America S.E. Asia India Africa West Papua & PNGFrill-Necked Lizard Chlamydosaurus kingii
Grey Crowned Crane Balearica regulorum
Ecuadorean Viscacha Lagidium ahuacaense
Learn about “sustainable” palm oil greenwashing
Read more about RSPO greenwashing
Lying Fake labels Indigenous Land-grabbing Human rights abuses Deforestation Human health hazardsA 2019 World Health Organisation (WHO) report into the palm oil industry and RSPO finds extensive greenwashing of palm oil deforestation and the murder of endangered animals (i.e. biodiversity loss)
Read more#animals #Bantrophyhunting #Boycott4wildlife #BoycottGold #BoycottMeat #BoycottPalmOil #cattle #climateChange #climatechange #Colombia #deforestation #Ecuador #endangered #EndangeredSpecies #ForgottenAnimals #gold #herbivore #herbivores #hunting #infrastructure #lowlandTapir #Mammal #mammals #mining #PalmOil #palmOilDeforestation #palmoil #Peru #poaching #pollution #Tapir #Tapirs #ungulate #ungulates #vegan
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Another little detail of everyday life here that makes me happy: owls!
There was a pair of great horned owls in my old neighborhood, and I didn't expect there would be any in my new neighborhood in Saint Paul. But last night I heard an owl. Pretty sure it was a barred owl: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Barred_Owl/overview
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@leafgreen True,and there is nothing like poisons from chemicals which maybe spread to other plants.This makes food contaminated,which is not the same to these mushrooms which were fresh and they grew from the soil on their own.
That is why the soil can feed us if we feed it well.
#soil -
Supreme Court makes unprecedented move with 20 benches during summer break to address backlog of cases. Judges disclose intense workload and commitment to clear pending judgments. Vacation disposal significantly increases to 1,170 cases, reflecting the Court's dedication to resolving legal matters.
#3x #SupremeCourt #MastIndia #MastodonIndians #India @mastodonindians
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/during-summer-break-supreme-court-clears-record-1170-cases/articleshow/111560772.cms -
Part of my series of terms of venery (collective nouns for animals) I always liked “a nest of rabbits” because it makes me think of eggs 🪺 and Easter (next week already) but of course, rabbits 🐇 do make nests.
https://minouette.etsy.com/listing/106790055
#linocut #termsOfVenery
#printmaking #rabbit #Easter #nest #typography #bunnies #MastoArt -
@odevir giving attention to all the details. I really 💕 love this artist, and how he makes a real impact in his powerful animated storytelling.
Btw, he also did very nice work in collaboration with modern-day musicians, like #Moby's "Are You Lost In The World Like Me?", in this powerful animation:
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Teal and Gold Butterfly watercolor painting. This pretty winged insect is part of a series of butterflies. Silhouetted against a cream and gold watercolor background, it makes pretty wall art, home decor and stationery.
It's here - https://deborah-league.pixels.com/featured/teal-and-gold-butterfly-rachel-league.html
#mastodon #mastoart #art #artist #arte #artwork #AYearForArt #ArtMatters #fediart #butterfly #butterflies #butterflyart #wallart #homedecor #stationery #notecards #insect #watercolor #digitalart #wings #giftartnotcandy #blueandgold
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Good morning. 🫖☕😃
7 October 2025
The weather report I checked this morning said we can expect it to be partly sunny. I found that curious — why not partly cloudy? I appreciate the glass-half-full sentiment, though. Technically, the sun is always present, albeit sometimes obscured from our direct view by clouds or by the Earth itself. Clouds, however, come and go, so partly cloudy feels more accurate. Or is it more correct? I tried correcter, but it got the dreaded red squiggly underline. So yes — more correct is correct. Now that I’ve corrected that, I can move on.
The sun has always been and always will be. Well, like all things, it will eventually go away — but not within our wee little lifetimes, which are but a fraction of a second in the grand scheme of things. As far as humans go — or life on Earth, for that matter — the sun has always been. To be sure, Earth will cease to exist long before the sun does. Scientists predict that Earth will likely be snuffed out by the sun when it becomes a red giant in a mere 5 billion years or so.
Yes, it’s likely that humans won’t always be — but they will always be in our lifetimes 😜. I read a headline this morning about the discovery of a 57,000-year-old artifact. The headline claimed the object, which bore carvings, wasn’t created by humans. But when I read further, I discovered the carvings were made by Neanderthal people — which gave me pause 🤔. Wait a minute, weren’t Homo neanderthalensis human? Homo means “man,” you know.
Oh no! I’m running out of space and need to wrap this up. Homo neanderthalensis were human, just like Homo sapiens — different species, yes, but they interbred. So were they really that different, way back when?
“Somewhere in our DNA must lie the key mutation... that makes us the sort of creature that could wipe out its nearest relative, then dig up its bones and reassemble its genome.” — Elizabeth Kolbert
#morning #weather #sun #human #homosapien #homoneanderthalensis #plants #photography
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It's impossible for me to pick my favorite things Heidecker has ever done, but I think the two that stick in my head is his #YellowRiver Boys southern rock album all about drinking #piss, or his #Office #hours show that's a parody of Real Time with Bill Maher. The Yellow River Boys album is legitimately catchy, too! The bit where his wife catches him pissing into a jug of apple juice and calling him a "son of a gun" makes me laugh so hard.
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One reason why I don't drive an #Audi #S3 or #RS3 - at least a #GolfGTI is nowadays viewed as "middle aged mans car" and overlooked by the kind of people you *don't* want "admiring" it (as its overshadowed by the #GolfR, which I noped out on as too thirsty and more costly to maintain).
My registration mark also makes my car look older than it actually is..
I also do not leave my keys in easy to find locations, any #burglar would struggle to negotiate my chaotic house in darkness (I live alone, so having a few "trip hazards" around isn't a problem to me)
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Free Your Game—Run Cypher System
One of my favorite systems to run is Monte Cook Games’ Cypher System. Cypher powers two of my current campaigns, Numenera and Super Heroes. Today I want to share some of the reasons I love running the game, as well as one aspect of the system which I think could be a roadblock for new players. And, while I did receive a small grant to product some content for Monte Cook’s realm over on Moonbeam, I have received nothing from the company to write this post. I just like the system.
What I Love
There is a lot to love about GMing a Cypher System game. And these three are my favorite.
The Levels
Everything in Cypher System has a level, and I mean everything. These range from 0-10 in most cases, and the d20 target number for any check is the level multiplied by three. Astute mathematicians have already figured out the problem with this set up, because levels 7-10 are actually impossible to roll on a d20. How’s this work, then?
It works because before the roll is made the player is able to manipulate the level. If the character has an applicable skill, they can reduce the level by one or two. If they are using a beneficial tool they may lower the level by one, it’s called an asset. If they are attacking with a light weapon they can lower the level by one since they aren’t as difficult to maneuver. If they decide they want to try extra hard at the task they can spend some ability points to put effort into an attempt. Each level of effort applied lowers the level by one, and the amount of effort you may apply is capped by the character’s tier. A character may assist in an action, even if that’s only to hold their flashlight up while someone picks a lock or reads a book, and that’s another asset which lowers the level by one. And characters can use terrain to their advantage to lower the level by grabbing the high ground or taking cover. By manipulating the level in these ways the target number can be dropped into a possible, or even likely, success.
This may sound complicated, but I’ve not found it to be so. Any time I’ve run Cypher System things have worked fast. And they only accelerate the more comfortable people get with the game.
Intrusions
In Cypher System games the GM makes no rolls, which can be a bummer. On the other hand, a game master is able to alter the world by intruding on the narrative. These intrusions can occur out of the blue, or than can be a direct consequence of player actions (characters who throw their muscle around a settlement may encounter a patrol of guards who didn’t exist before that moment, for example). GM intrusions aren’t always by GM fiat, however, any roll that comes up a 1 triggers a GM intrusion which function much like a fumble in other system. When the GM does introduce an intrusion on their own, however, there is a reward to soften the blow. When triggering an intrusion the GM gives out an experience point to the player whose character will be impacted by it, and that player awards a second experience point to another player at the table.
Experience points in Cypher System are a valuable meta-currency which have uses beyond advancing the character. An XP may be spent to refuse a GM intrusion. Experience may also be spent to trigger a re-roll on any roll except a 1. Finally, an experience point can be spent to introduce a player intrusion into the world which offers the party a benefit. This last is up to GM discretion, and can be refused if the proposed intrusion is overpowered or doesn’t make sense, but the option is fun because it makes the players part of the world building.
In one game I ran I had a player action start a fire in an apartment building, which they needed to address. This led to some amazing antics. In another session two of the PCs stood near a standing stone I’d already described as being targeted by lightning. The two players made a poor assumption that the lightning had struck because the group had been messing with something and when I asked a player, “So, who do you want to give an experience point to?” He responded with, “Oops” just before seeing his character launched twenty yards as the next bolt hit.
My players have used intrusions on me, as well. During the fire I mentioned above one player created an “aqueduct” (it was in the lowest part of the city so it was actually grey water management) to help put out the fire. In one of the few fantasy sessions I’ve run using Cypher System one player used an intrusion to establish a prior relationship between their character and a goblin who was trying to get them to pay a toll.
Intrusions take the in-game narrative in all sorts of interesting directions. The guard the group was sneaking past can turn at just the right moment to discover a sneak and sound the alarm. A character can remember a contact they had in a settlement who might be able to provide information. Or a trap might be sprung on an over-cautious party. That’s only the start. Intrusions are a blast.
Reduced Prep Time
Running Cypher System doesn’t require a great deal of time copying out stat blocks or jotting down damage from traps. A dangerous area, or a dungeon crawl, can be as simple as mapping out the general locations out and then populating it with obstacles of specific levels. Level 2 kobolds, for example, may block the entrance to their settlement with level 5 traps.
Dealing with the traps is straightforward. If the players want to detect or disable the trap they will have default target number of 15 before any pre-roll modifications to the level. Since the trap is level 5, it does a base 5 points of damage.
Dealing with the kobolds doesn’t require much more work, and a GM never even needs to look at a stat block. They’ve been given level, so the target number to hit the creatures is 6. They also, by default, have 6 points of health since that’s their target number. They are smaller creatures and probably use their claws or light weapons, which means their attacks are faster, so defending against them is a level 3 check. Light weapons do two points of damage. At that point the kobolds in the crawl are basically done but, because they are communal beings, they tend to attack in packs when their traps fail. So four of the creatures may be combined as a single entity for combat. This gives them a base level of 3, or level 4 when attacking, and their combined attacks do medium weapon damage—4 points. They’ll also get health bonus based of their combined level, yielding 9 health. This is cool because a if a GM decides to throw 20 kobolds at the party, which could become cumbersome, they only show up as 5 distinct groups in the combat. Encounters can feel massive, while remaining mechanically simple.
Once a GM gets used to assigning levels to NPCs, and inventing creatures on the fly, session prep for Cypher System is reduced to creating a compelling hook and a specific goal. More can be built in advance, but it isn’t needed if a GM is comitted to riffing off the player’s actions. Now, I love using pre-existing adversaries for both stock Cypher System and Numenera because they’re designed well and the artwork is terrific, but not using them doesn’t slow me down even a little bit.
Potential Roadblock
As much as I love running Cypher System, and Numenera in particular, the game’s biggest roadblock is positioned at its on-ramp.
Character Creation
Cypher System characters are formed from a sentence, “I am an [adjective] [noun] who [verbs].”
The noun, or “type,” is the simplest of the three aspects—because there are only a few from which to choose. Numenera, which is a separate game powered by the system, has six types when using the two books from the box set, while stock Cypher System has four. These types cover typical archetypes like a mighty warrior, sneaky scout, enigmatic wizard, or charismatic bard. It’s straightforward, but then come the options.
There are fifty adjectives, or “descriptors,” in the Cypher System rulebook. These reveal a bit about the character’s background, and grant a character some one-time benefits. These can boosts to stat pools, skills, or a combination of the two—and sometimes the benefits are offset by personality quirks and hinderances. Numenera has nearly as many descriptors, but they are split over two books, so searching through them to fit an envisioned character takes a bit of work.
The verb, or “focus,” is even more overwhelming. A focus is a guide to what type of actions a character is driven toward, and they grant new benefits each time a character increases their tier. By my hand count there are just over 90 foci in the Cypher System rulebook. GMs are encouraged to whittle down the number of available foci to those which best fit their campaign, but even still the sheer amount of information is a lot. By contrast Numenera has only fifty-eight but, again, these are split between two hefty books.
It’s a lot of data, and as players try to figure out what options they’d like to consider they will find themselves flipping back and forth between many pages. The potential to be paralyzed by the sheer number of options, or become lost while flipping between chapters, is significant. That’s not to say the character creation process is difficult, it is not, it’s just a lot.
Having said all that there is a huge but coming up.
First, Monte Cook Games has addressed the character creation data flood with an excellent character creation tool on their web site. The tool is not a starter option, nor is it pay-walled. It is everything that’s in the core rulebook plus all the options which are added through their “white spine” genre books. And Monte Cook Games does this because the entirety of their game and genre supplements is in the system reference document they make available for free. Creating characters using the creation tool is fast, fun, and clear. There is no page turning and GMs can ensure characters fit their campaign by inviting players to a group and limiting the options which can be used during the build process. But it gets better. After a character is built, players may use the flexible web interface as their character-sheet. Or they can export out their created characters to a PDF. Or they can be exported as a JSON file and imported into FoundryVTT. It’s well-done.
At present you cannot build characters for other Monte Cook Games which use their IP, such as Numenera. Sort of. There is, after all, a great deal of overlap between the types, descriptors, and foci between Numenera and base Cypher System. If you are careful with the options you select you could probably get to a character who is very close to a Numenera equivalent—any differences can be fixed using the web-ui after the standard process is completed. Monte Cook Games is also hoping to bring their separate IPs to the character builder in the future. The additions will be behind a paywall, but the convenience might be worth it. At any rate, check out the Monte Cook Games’ character creation tool, it’s amazing.
Second, Monte Cook Games has announced that they are revising Cypher System in a way which keeps folks’ current books usable but makes character creation easier. Now, people in the Cypher community are a tad anxious about this announcement because MCG fans tend to buy many MCG books for their shelves. For my part, and I have no inside knowledge regarding the upcoming shift1, I’m kinda of excited. I know how dedicated Monte Cook Games is to their community and screwing over their player base just isn’t their MO.
Third, I have enjoyed the in person experience I’ve had helping my Numenera group build their characters. They loved using the prompts to see how their characters were linked, and the fiction they created during the build process has had a huge impact on how our campaign has evolved. So while the creation process is a lot, it’s also fun. And that’s cool.
Conclusion
Cypher System is my second favorite game to run right now, second only to Dragonbane. And, to be honest, the difference between the two is a coin flip. I love how fast it is to create challenges for players, I think intrusions are fantastic, and the level system is fast and intuitive. If you have not checked out Cypher System or Numenera it’s very much worth a look. You can pick it up over at Monte Cook Game’s website. The books aren’t cheap. The Cypher System Rulebook is $76.99 for a book/pdf combo, and the two-book box set for Numenera is $129.99 for the same. But, Monte Cook’s SRD is available for free, and there are some excellent starter kits for both base Cypher and Numenera which are under $30. Check this one out.
- Since writing this, I was given a very small amount of information from Monte Cook Games, since I cover the system. I can’t go into specifics, beyond what has been revealed by MCG already, but I’m even more excited. ↩︎
#DMing #DnD #dungeonsAndDragons #games #gaming #GMing #MonteCookGames #RolePlayingGame #RPG #TTRPG
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My Favorite Games (2025 Update)
My best-performing video over the past year has been My Favorite Games. Well, I’ve played a number of new games since I posted that video, so I thought it was time for an update.
Introduction
The games included in this list are ones I have played over the past year since my previous “favorite games” video and they have to be available to pick up as physical copies. So, while I have played a session of a game called Nuts, by Skrat from the A Squirrel Plays channel, it’s not eligible. I also haven’t played a session of one of my favorite games over the past year because I’ve been running other things, so Basic Fantasy RPG doesn’t appear on it. Go check out those games, though, folks, they are way fun—and Basic Fantasy RPG has one of the best communities in the hobby.
10. Monty Python’s Cocurricular Mediaeval Reenactment Programme
I was given a review copy of this game by Exalted Funeral, but was so impressed by it I went out and purchased the Head of Light Entertainment Screen for myself. I’ll also be purchasing another set of their odd dice.
What can you expect in The Programme? You can expect Monty Python. The world is dangerous, the denizens will drive characters loony, and the mechanics are simple. But, the GM will play different personas, which impacts game play, and beshrewments can send the entire table into something completely different. Watch those demerits, and get ready for a good time! You can pick up The Programme at Exalted Funeral for $50, but I recommend also picking up the HoLE screen for $33, as well as a set of their peculiar dice for $25.
9. Land of Eem
The Land of Eem has mechanics which bear a kinship to Powered by the Apocalypse games, with narrative twists and fail forward obstacles so the game is always moving. The world looks like someone combined the Muppets and Lord of the Rings, and it’s as subversive as you’d expect from The Muppets. If you’d like a game that’s light hearted and fast, but still has a good amount of depth, give Land of Eem a try.
There is a free QuickStart guide, but the beautiful Core Rulebook will set you back $40. I’d recommend going for the Deluxe Box Set—which includes a GM screen, a map, a terrific bestiary, and a mind-blowing setting book. That runs for $150.
8. Forbidden Lands
Forbidden Lands has wild lore, robust exploration, fun stronghold building, and a meta-narrative that’s there if a group wants to use it. The game also runs off of Free League’s excellent Year Zero dice pool engine, so game play is fast and dangerous. I ran a crawl of this a few months back because we had an off week and I wanted to toss something from Forbidden Land’s “Book of Beasts” at the group to see what they’d do. One character came out alive, mostly due to poor life-choices, but we had a blast getting to the end. This is a game I have not played enough.
If you want to pick up Forbidden Lands, you can pick up its beautiful box set for about $65. This set comes with a Player’s Handbook, a Gamemaster’s Guide, and a frame-worthy map. I’d have loved to have dice included in the box set but the two A5 books are hardbound stitched binding, have faux leather covers with gold foil imprints, and book ribbons. My only complaint about the game is I want to show off both the box and the books on my shelf.
Check this game out if you enjoy some grit that is challenging and fun. Oh, and it also has a fantastic FoundryVTT system.
7. Tales of Argosa
I just reviewed Low Fantasy Gaming’s successor, Tales of Argosa, on my channel. “Wow.” It carries over the low magic setting of its predecessor, while also incorporating a number of improvements to the system which were made in Pickpocket Press’ second game, Lowlife 20290.
Argosa uses a roll-under check system, which is my favorite way to play a game, but it’s combat system is the same d20 roll high many TTRPG players will find familiar. Despite the familiarity, Tales of Argosa stands out through a phenomenal exploit mechanic that is what 5e bonus actions should have been.
Tales of Argosa is very much an old school game but it’s not a retro-clone. Nor is it simple a distillation of modern mechanics which has old-school potency brought to the fore. It’s familiar, while being its own thing, and I love it. Check out Tales of Argosa if you’re looking for a game that’s fast and dangerous, but where the characters also aren’t overly squishy. You can pick it up at DriveThruRPG, a hard back copy costs about $45.
6. Shadowdark
Shadowdark is, at its core, a distillation of modern mechanics with some twists blended in to give it an old school feel. And the combination is brilliant. Torches run in real-time, so players can’t sit around dithering. Magic is roll-to-cast so a player has to question the wisdom of unleashing a spell in a particular moment. Sheets are spartan, so players need to spend more time interacting with the world instead of paging through their copious abilities. And initiative is always on, so attention seekers have to share the spotlight. I ran a Shadowdark gauntlet of zero-level characters last fall and it was amazing.
Shadowdark is an excellent bridge between old school and new school play. It’s terse presentation is clear and engaging, the artwork is a perfect vibe, and everything you need is in one book. Check this game out if you want to introduce folks who have only ever played Dungeons & Dragons 5e to some old school tropes. You can pick it up from The Arcane Library for $59.00. And if you’re worried about the game being supported, not only is Kelsey Dionne creating additional content, several other creators are following suit. There are new classes, the game’s been shifted to space, and monsters abound. This game is both good and popular. And it’s well deserved. Kelsey Dionne is an amazing person. Had I run Shadowdark more this past year I may have swapped it with the next entry on this list.
5. Into the Odd
When I first read Into the Odd I didn’t get it. It didn’t seem there was enough to it to function as a fun game! But I returned to it later and found I was more ready to comprehend how it’s designed.
The rules are so lite they can be missed with a blink! There are no to hit rolls, HP replenishes in each room, but the strength score drops when any damage taken exceeds HP and that remains. Movement is abstract. Keeping track of time is abstract. Wandering encounters help build an adventure’s fiction. And characters die, a lot. Into the Odd is a game where running and hiding from, tricking, or avoiding danger rewards a party with more dangerous spaces to investigate. Now, it’s not limited to dungeon or wilderness crawling, there are some lite rules for running a business or managing detachments of soldiers, so Into the Odd anticipates a widening experience as play continues. But it starts with crawling. And the lucky ones survive to delve a second time.
Into the Odd has become a favorite one shot game because I can have players roll their characters up at the table and be off and running in minutes. If you’re looking to try out a dungeon crawler, or looking or for some excellent tables to flesh out a world, check this game out. It’s a ton of fun and a nice change of pace. You can pick it up through Free League for around $45.
4. Sentinel Comics RPG
I first picked up Sentinel Comics RPG when it showed up in a Prime Day sale list for a ridiculous price in 2024. Since then it’s been listed for various sale prices, even as low as $9.99. This caused me to fear the system was going to be orphaned, which proved to be true. The game’s publisher, Greater Than Games, was recently shuttered in response to the tariff crisis. This is a shame because the game is phenomenal.
Sentinel comics is the first super hero game I played which felt like a comic book since the old TSR Marvel Game back in the 80s. Everything is narrative. If a player has a teleportation power and wants to use it for an attack they narrate how they do that. They don’t need a feat, there are no power points to spend, and there’s no formulas to tell people how much of an effect they can have. Instead, the player describes how they want to use their teleportation power, connects it to a quality the character has, and then adds in their current status. Each of these elements has a die assigned to them and, if a character does a “basic action” they use the middle value as the result. If they use one of their abilities, which are ways characters may use powers which have a bit of guidance, they use the dice that ability indicates. It really fast.
But what makes Sentinel Comics RPG shine is how barriers to success are dealt with. If a character is faced with any obstacle—a forcefield, a hostage being held, some bystanders standing under a falling building—they must be dealt with through an Overcome action. To deal with the obstacle the collected dice are rolled, and the result is read. But the way the results are designed means players will often have to accept a twist to be successful in the attempted action. A character might teleport through a forcefield, for example, not knowing that it was keyed to their dimensional signature. The character succeeds passing through barrier but it shocks them as they pass through and now they are hindered for a turn or two. The Overcome action is the heart of Sentinel Comics RPG.
If you enjoy Super Hero RPGs pick up Sentinel Comics RGP while you still can! As of this writing it’s on a fire sale for $20 at Greater than Games. Amazon also still has the excellent GM kit on sale for $25. The GM screen alone is worth it.
3. EZD6
EZD6 is a game of gonzo fun, present danger, and ridiculous moments. DM Scotty, who is the brains behind the game, designed it because he wanted a game that didn’t need math. It really is easy, I can have people versed in the rules in a few minutes, and if we forget anything during the briefing we can just tackle it when the situation arises.
For all its simplicity, however, character creation is fun. Different inclinations give the character a leg up in certain situations, hero paths grants some boons and abilities, and character aspects help flesh out their personality. Scotty has also created some additions to the system, including a full post-apocalyptic version, which extends the core ideas while keeping the simplicity intact. He’s currently working on a horror version, which I was able to play in, and it’s awesome.
If you want a game that is “grab and go” and sets the players imaginations free, EZD6 is a game I recommend. I love it. You can pick up a hardback/pdf combo at DriveThruRPG for around $25.
2. Cypher System/Numenera
Imagine a game where all the crunch was done before the roll. Everything in the game has a level, to make the level beatable players apply skills, spend points from their pools to give extra effort, or utilize a tool they have at their disposal. Once the final number is reached, it’s multiplied by 3, and that’s the target on a d20. Oh, and it can be played with any genre and in any setting, with minimal tweaks to the core system.
That’s Cypher System, and it’s amazing. Right now I’m using it to run a lunchtime super hero campaign once a month and have run a couple fantasy-themed one shots as well. I’m also looking forward to testing out more genres using Cypher System in the near future.
The Cypher System Reference Document contains all the mechanical information you need to run the game, and that includes their “white spine” genre books. So you can dive in to Cypher without having to lay down any cash if you want (but the books are beautiful, and look wonderful on a shelf).
Cypher’s publisher, Monte Cook Games, also has some distinct IPs which are not found in the reference document. The best known of these set a billion years in the future in the Ninth World. Numenera is science fantasy at its finest. The world is a weird mix of high technology and mediaeval fantasy. The game is set just as civilization is growing back from whatever caused the last world to collapse, an unknown number of years ago, and there are hints everywhere that the current batch of humans haven’t been around on the planet all that long. My campaign’s been going on for just about two years and I love the weird things the party encounters.
If you want a flexible system with fast mechanics that’s designed to be narrative forward, check out Cypher System. The core rulebook is about $77 for the hardback and PDF. For Numenera I recommend the two book box set, which costs about $130 for the book/PDF combo. There are also some starter sets for both systems, which can be found on Monte Cook Games’ web site. These cost around $30.
1. Dragonbane
Dragonbane is one of the first products Free League sent me as a review copy, but that’s not why it’s on the top spot of this list. It’s in the top spot because Dragonbane is amazing. In fact, I love this game so much I’ve picked up a copy of the box set to give to one my friends.
Sometimes people will call the Dragonbane box set a “starter set,” because that’s what most box sets are these days, but that’s a misnomer. The Dragonbane box set is the entire game. It includes the full rulebook, blank character sheets, creature and character standees, some pre-generated characters so a group can dive right in, a full adventure book, a reversible battle map on which terrain can be placed (but it is paper, don’t draw on it), and a set of lovely emerald-green translucent dice. And how much does this cornucopia of TTRPG goodness cost? The core set can be purchased for about $56!
Why do I love Dragonbane? Well, it’s a skill based system with roll-under mechanics. Magic is rare, but powerful, and combat is fast and dangerous. The game is fair, but it’s unforgiving if players don’t learn to make good choices. Also, monsters are both unpredictable and deadly. All this combines to create a game where negotiation needs to be on the table whenever possible, and retreat needs to be an option. That might not sound fun to folks who are used to a “clear the room” mentality, but I have so much fun seeing what my group gets into. They’ve befriended a troll, gotten swept up into an ancient conflict, and have forgotten that they are just a bunch of armed people and have no actual authority to do any of the things they do.
They’re even beginning to learn how to keep their party alive, well…most of them.
If you want to try something that scratches a fantasy itch, has players roll the familiar d20, but which also breaks away from concepts like armor class or hit point bloat Dragonbane is a terrific go to. My group has been playing it ever since our Basic Fantasy RPG campaign wrapped up and it’s a ton of fun.
#DMing #DnD #DungeonsDragons #dungeonsAndDragons #fantasy #gaming #GMing #Review #RolePlayingGame #RPG #TTRPG
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We Play Different Games
This is random TTRPG Thoughts #80
Written July 3, 2025I am three days away from Sabbatical, tomorrow is July 4th, and Senator Murkowski of Alaska voted for a bill she knows will hurt Americans across the country but because she got some treats for Alaska its fine if the rest of the country burns. I’ve got a headache and the “stop shoving your politics down my throat” folks are already complaining. But I’ve got coffee and my brain is sparking into gear. These are random TTRPG thoughts.
- Reading The Elusive Shift is becoming more and more fascinating. It also makes me even less interested in all the arguments about dice fudging, theater kid slurs, grognard insults, and the “proper way” a campaign should be run. Why? Because it seems like no one has said anything new about any of these topics since the 70s. I’ll still end up participating in this endless cycle of pontification, I’m sure. I’m human and that’s apparently what we do. But I’ll only end up boring myself.
- Cypher System is going to have a revision that will be released in the middle of next year. I’m rather interested in what will be revised, and they have promised current books will still be usable, but a lot of folks in the cypher community are biting their metaphorical nails. I empathize with them. I mean, I’ve been back in the hobby only since 2020 and haven’t had to deal with an edition change (I don’t run 5e so the 2025 edition isn’t something with which I have experience). I don’t think the new Cypher System book will be an entire new edition, but past scars are difficult to forget. I mean, I’m a Philly sports fan, I get that.
- I was able to interview Land of Eem’s Ben Costa and James Parks the other week and it was a wonderful conversation. Ben and James are great guys, and they have a new crowd funding campaign under way which touts a simplified version of the game for kids and the game’s first expansion! Check it out!
- I try to not be binary about the vast majority of existence, but there are two types of people in the world. Those who understand that building a concentration camp in a swamp makes you the bad guys, and those who are wrong.
- Free League’s Summer sale has started! Go check it out because they put out some amazing stuff and their discounts are steep.
- Over the last week I’ve had several folks bring up the idea that role-playing games are “escapist.” They didn’t mean anything bad by it, they were just pointing out that when life seems bleak it’s good to have a space to go and forget about it for a while with friends. And, you know, that is not a bad thing and I both appreciate how needed those spaces are and that TTRPGs can fill it. But I also don’t think RPGs aren’t quite as escapist as some folks think they. Why is that? Well, the game emerges from our own personalities. There’s always a small bit of ourselves in the characters we play (which is true even for GMs and their NPCs)—and that’s true for everyone from story-minded role-players to the most meticulous of min-maxers. We can never escape from ourselves but we can, either by deliberate action or instinct, explore who we are. Just remember, I’m an introvert so I get excited by weird stuff like that.
- As I was reading The Elusive Shift last night a thought emerged in my brain which I’d understood for a while but never articulated. Folks in this hobby do not play the same game, even if we’re using the same system. That’s because the game emerges from the group’s engagement with the world, and what exists in the world is a function of the GMs focus and tendencies. So, we can play a game of Shadowdark, Numenera, EZD6, or Dragonbane—but we never play |Shadowdark|, |Numenera|, |EZD6|, or |Dragonbane|. Now, there’s overlap between our games, it’s why we can play at open tables or conventions and people can have a good time, but we do not play the same games. I find that both liberating and humbling.
- Have you ever had a week where you want to run a game, but you’re kinda fried and can’t even consider running your on-going campaign? That’s where I am this week. I don’t have the energy to prep for my regular Dragonbane campaign so I’m offering to run a simple pick up and play game, instead. I find running new systems invigorates me and helps motivate me to get back to my long-form campaigns.
- The alternative for tonight is to play Dave Ward’s Plaguebound, where I get to play my imp-like character who is not a barbarian, but acts like one. This is also a compelling option because that character is an absolute blast to play. He’s pissed at the titular plague, which destroyed his home, and attacks it with relish. Looking back at my comment about not being able to escape ourselves, this character also makes me go, “hmmmm.”
- I have had some of the most wonderful comments from people on my videos lately. Folks have suggested games, offered kind words, shared their own insights, and have been kind. I do not do DM Tales for validation, because I don’t need that sort of soul-crushing pressure on my life, but experiencing kindness and appreciation from folks is a good thing. I’m also gratified that the majority of folks who pop up on DM Tales are insightful, kind, and share their joy. Because that’s the type of audience I want to attract.
#DMing #DnD #DungeonsDragons #dungeonsAndDragons #fantasy #gaming #GMing #RolePlayingGame #RPG #TTRPG
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The Electric State RPG
When I first saw Simon Stålenhag’s artwork for The Electric State 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
The Electric State RPG 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.
Setting
The 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 Creation
Characters 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.
Advancement
Travelers 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 Mechanics
The Rolls
The 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!
Combat
Combat 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 Neuronics
The 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.
Journeys
The 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 Product
Physical Book
The 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 Layout
The 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.
Conclusion
This 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 Free League’s web site. A Hardback book, which includes a PDF with purchase, costs about $51.35. The PDF alone can be purchased through DriveThruRPG (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.
#DMing #FreeLeague #gaming #GMing #Review #Reviews #RPG #TTRPG
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I picked up Into the Odd, Remastered when it was first released by Free League back in 2022. I read it right away but, at the time, I felt the game might be almost too rules lite. But that was a couple years ago and my tastes have changed. So I decided to revisit Into the Odd for Independent Role-Playing Game Month this year. I’m glad I did! Let’s take a look.
Core Mechanics
Into the Odd‘s core mechanic is the save. Players roll a d20 and attempt to roll equal to or under the most appropriate attribute for the check. A 1 is always a success and a 20 is always a failure.
Whenever a situation arises where a normal check isn’t appropriate, such as when a party makes a ruckus in a dangerous area, the Referee can make a luck roll using a d6. High rolls favor the players and low rolls trigger some sort of bad luck determined by the Referee. Checks for wandering encounters are a special form of luck roll. Whenever a party moves from one area to another in a populated region, such as a dungeon or wilderness, the Referee rolls a d6. A 1 triggers a random encounter, while a 2 gives a hint at a potential nearby encounter. I enjoy this mechanic, as it allows the dice to build up tension as a party explores.
Combat in Into the Odd is interesting because every attack hits. When an attack is declared the attacker rolls damage, from which the target subtracts their current armor score. If a character has not rested, or had either food or water, all attacks are impaired and damage is reduced to d4 damage no matter what weapon is being used. The reverse can also happen. When a character uses an attack the target is weak against the attack is enhanced and the damage is increased to a d12.
Hit Points are a character’s first pool of damage, for both PCs and NPCs. Once HP is reduced to 0 further damage is taken from a character’s Strength, and is considered a wound. Whenever a character takes damage to their Strength they must also make a Strength save or suffer Critical Damage. Characters in such a state must take a short rest and be tended to by an ally. If this is not done within one hour the character dies. Some creatures, however, can do horrific things to a PC if they ever suffer critical damage during combat–most of which present “colorful” ways to suffer an instant death. Combat is dangerous, and if it can be avoided, it is a wise option.
About Characters
Into the Odd may have the most simple character creation processes which has ever been devised for a tabletop role-playing game. Each character has three attributes–Strength, Dexterity, and Willpower. These scores are determined by a 3d6 roll, and applied to the attributes in the order listed. Each PC also begins play with 1d6 Hit Points.
Starting equipment is determined by taking a character’s highest attribute score and, using a table found on pages 10-11, comparing it to their starting Hit Points. Players see where the two values converge and write the equipment down on their sheets, adding any relevant information from the equipment list found on pages 12-13, and mark down any identifying characteristics which appear in the kit description. That’s it. If players would like, they can use the “Oddpendium” tables found in the back of the book to generate a character name, profession, and key capability. But it’s not necessary.
Characters advance by meeting one of the milestones listed on page 37. When a milestone is reached the player rolls a d20 for each attribute. If the result is greater than the current score, that attribute increases by one. Advancing characters also gain d6 hit points.
About Arcanum
Arcanum are the most sought-after items in the game, and are often the catalyst for any expeditions into the unknown. There are three levels of arcanum–normal, greater, and legendary–and both the powers and hazards associated with the arcanum increase with level. Some arcanum can be carried, while some legendary arcanum can be the size of a room.
These are also not simple “magic swords.” The abilities arcanum possess are unique, and are meant to be weird. There’s a list of arcana inside the book, but the “Oddpedia” includes two d100 tables for generating new arcanum on pages 134 and 135.
I like this design. It makes special items both weird and ripe with potential danger, and that is excellent flavor.
Beyond Delving
Into the Odd excels at exploration and dungeon crawling, but it also has some rules for what characters can do in-between expeditions.
As the characters advance their reputations will also increase, which will cause NPCs to treat them as “known figures”–though the type of treatment the PCs receive will depend on both their actions and the faction with which they’re interacting. If the party snatched a rare arcana from the grasp of a well-financed organization, for example, their “known” status may create enemies with which they’ll need to deal. A character’s reputation may also draw people who desire to apprentice with them. These are NPCs who are rolled up as characters and advance just like a PC does. In worst case scenarios, the apprentice becomes a nice back up PC if a player’s main character meets their demise. Depending how the main character perishes, it can also give the apprentice some motivations a player can use as role-playing fodder!
In addition to their reputation, characters may also invest money to start a new enterprise which can earn them profit. Enterprises cost 10 Guilders to establish and generate 1d4 Guilders income per month 1. The income is not automatic, however, as an enterprise will also suffer a threat which inflicts a 1d4 Guilder loss on the business if it’s not dealt with. If the loss is ever greater then an enterprise’s profit the business collapses, along with whatever money was invested in it. The nature of these threats isn’t specified in the rulebook, which gives a Referee a wide open space to create urban adventures as characters struggle to deal with whatever is threatening their business. Enterprises can also grow. Each month a business makes a profit their die type for both profit and loss increases one step–up to a d12. Threats to an enterprise can make for some wonderful adventure hooks!
If a party doesn’t want to be limit themselves to being small-business owners, they can further extend their influence by establishing detachments. Like enterprises, these cost 10 Guilders to establish, as well as 1d6 Guilders in upkeep each month. A detachment is treated as a single entity, and their base numbers can be increased by spending money on weapons and armor–for twenty times the listed equipment cost. Detachment attacks on individual targets are enhanced, doing d12 damage to their target, and they are immune to individual attacks unless they are explosive or “suitably large scale.” The rules for detachments are interesting, but could use a bit more fleshing out. Not much, as that would undermine the simplicity of the game’s design, but an example of play on how one might use detachments would be helpful.
Referee Stuff
Page 42 of Into the Odd is filled with materials for the Referee, what the game calls the Game Master. It begins with simple advice for running the game, including the basic duties of a Referee and how the save mechanic is meant to be used. It also includes advice for treasure, hazards, and designing encounters.
There’s also some bare bones advice on how to create creatures, followed by a few example monsters. When I first read the book I was a bit confused by the lack of a bestiary, but the more I have pondered the game the more I appreciate the design decision. Into the Odd is meant to be… odd…and providing too many typical tropes would have constrained the Referee from leaning into the oddness. Creating creatures is a simple process, and the example monsters serve as useful tutorials. They are more than enough to get started.
After the general advice Into the Odd has several pages on the game world, all described with its signature terse style. Each region in the world, including the main city of Bastion, is described much like an NPC. The flavor of the place is what matters, not the exact locations which can be found in each. This helps give some scaffolding for Referees to build their campaign, while also keeping the world open for them to develop as a result of play.
The final section in the book is the “Oddpedia,” which contains a number of tables a Referee can use to help resolve ways the game world responds to the character’s actions, but the tables are also a great resource for any other game a GM may want to run.
The Adventure
Pages 62-115 contain a sample adventure which functions as both an introduction for players and as an adventure creation tutorial for Referees. The adventure introduces a new town the PCs can spend time in, Hopesend, as well as a nice sized hex crawl which a party may traverse. The Sunken Marsh is a dangerous place, containing a number of mini-dungeons, is ripe with rumors, filled with potential random encounters, and descriptions for each hex.
The final part of the adventure, The Iron Coral, is a three level dungeon with sixty rooms to explore! Not only are the rooms presented using Into the Odd‘s terse style, they also include arrows pointing in the direction of the room’s exits and features. The dungeon’s maps are not a classic grid. Rather, they are presented in a hand-drawn style which indicates some of the basic contents of each room. It’s a beautiful design.
Between the intrigues of Hopesend, the hidden secrets of the Fallen Marsh, and the depths of the Iron Coral Into the Odd presents a wonderful sandbox for a starter campaign. It makes me want to run the system.
Layout
Into the Odd‘s interior design is unusual compared to other TTRPG books I’ve read. Margins are wide, which reduces the amount of text space on each page. This necessitates brevity for the throughout the book, which makes the game’s rules glanceable and allows the game to be easy to pick up and run. The few times this brevity works against the game, as with the rules for detachments, don’t out-weigh the benefits of this design choice.
The body text is a clean serif font while chapter titles are a decorative serif font with glyphs that are both tall and skinny. I’m a fan of the title font, it’s distinct and attractive.
I’m not certain how to describe the book’s artwork as anything other than “odd.” Most images seem to be composites of various elements, including photographs, which have been edited to share a similar color palette. Nothing feels quite “settled,” which is a perfect way to depict the game’s world. The more I examine the book the more I appreciate it.
There is only one heading level inside the book, their presentation contributes to the uniqueness of Into the Odd‘s layout. Headers are a bold san-serif font which are right-justified along the left page margin, and are presented with a significant amount of white space between it and the section above. The body text “below” the header it is set about 1/3 of the way across the page, beginning in-line with its heading, which makes tracking a topic’s beginning and end points easy. It also necessitates making rule descriptions even more terse than was already required due to the increased margin-size. Looking at the page, it seems almost as if the rules are laid out in a borderless table, with headings in one column and the associated text in another. I appreciate the bold design choice, and the skill it took to keep such terse descriptions useable for players and referees alike.
Book Design
Into the Odd is an A5 “digest” size book, weighing in at 146 pages. It’s a stitched binding hardback, so the book is durable. It’s also printed on flat paper and includes a book ribbon. All told, Into the Odd is a well-designed product with a great look and feel.
Conclusion
Is Into the Odd still too rules-lite for me? Not at all. The more I explore rules lite games the more I appreciate the concept. I’m bringing this game to a table as fast as I can because it’s dead simple and flavorful. If you want some old school danger with a fresh take on mechanics Into the Odd, Remastered is a great addition to your shelf!
Into the Odd Remastered can be purchased as a print book/PDF combination from Free League for $41.80 or as a PDF alone for $14.99 from DriveThru RPG. Check this one out.
In case you were wondering. 100 Pennies make a Shilling, 100 Shillings make Guilder. A Guilder is a lot of money. ↩
https://dmtales.com/2024/07/03/into-the-odd/
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I have now managed to run three of Free League’s fantasy games—Dragonbane, Forbidden Lands, and Symbaroum—and thought it would be fun to have them face off. How do these games compare to each other? Let’s find out!
Full disclosure
While I have now purchased multiple Dragonbane products, including a box set for a friend, I did receive review copies of both Dragonbane and Symbaroum. I did not, however, get any other compensation for sharing my thoughts on those games.
Organization
How a game is organized can have as much impact on its accessibility as the game’s mechanics. I’m ordering this section from most to least organized. In my mind, that is.
Dragonbane
Dragonbane is one of the best organized rulesets I’ve ever read. The character building process, in particular, is designed very well. Combat rules, the way skills work, and travel mechanics are all set up in a way that are “glanceable.” It’s one of the game’s characteristics that makes it a joy to run and play.
Forbidden Lands
Forbidden Lands’ layout is more minimalist than Dragonbane and is more text heavy overall. The game’s also broken up into two books, which can lead to a bit more page-flipping. The included booklet in the box set also feels like material that should have been included in the core books. Even so, Forbidden Lands is laid out well and the interiors are beautiful.
Symbaroum
Symbaroum‘s organization is rather scattershot. Essential pieces of information, like how to award experience points or starting equipment for archetypes, are hidden in text blocks or split into random places in the book. Hunting through the rulebook is a chore, which a shame because the game itself is really fun. It’s worth picking up, and I’d like to explore more products from the line, but Symbaroum‘s organization does hold it back a bit.
Core Mechanics
Each of these games is excellent for what they are trying to accomplish. For this section I’m listing them in the order I played the games.
Dragongane
Dragonbane has both the fastest and the simplest mechanics of the three. It’s a skill-focused, d20 based, roll-under system that players take to with minimal effort. Rolls are most often called against a skill, but attribute checks also happen. If a player rolls with a boon, they roll 2d20 and keep the lower die, if they roll with a bane they roll 2d20 and keep the higher die. If a player fails a roll and wants to try again they can push the roll, but will take a condition as a result. Each condition is tied to an attribute, and all checked based on that attribute with roll with a bane until it’s cleared.
A character’s hit points are equal to a character’s CON score, and willpower points are equal to their WILL score.
Spells are roll to cast against the character’s spell school (a secondary skill). Each casting costs Willpower Points and if a 1 is rolled it triggers a mishap. That’s never good.
Dragonbane has enough depth to make long-time gamers happy, but is so fast and clean it can keep a six year old’s attention. It’s nice.
Forbidden Lands
Forbidden Lands’ dice pool system requires a lot of dice rolling. I imagine learning how to form the dice pools may take a bit of getting used to [^1]. But rolls themselves are fast. 6s and 1s are set aside, and any 6 means a success has happened. Rolls can be “pushed” where any die that is not a 1 or a 6 is re-rolled. 6s add to a success (or trigger one) and 1s then damage the character’s stats or equipment according to the dice on which they appear. Everything feels consequential, and I love it. Pushed rolls also award a Willpower Point for every 1 rolled on the attribute’s dice (or base dice).
Spells auto-cast in Forbidden Lands, but players still roll dice equal to the power level (1-3) at which they cast the spell (they can never roll more dice than their current rank in a particular discipline). 6s will show that the spell has over-charged and will do more than the caster was attempting, but 1s mean a mishap was triggered and the player will need to role on a mishap table–which is a dangerous proposition! As a character’s casting rank increases, however, there are ways to reduce the number of required dice, or even negate the need for a roll at all.
Symbaroum
Symbaroum, is a d20 roll under system, with some interesting quirks. First, players roll all the dice. This can take some getting used to, as players roll for both offense and defense, but it does help keep players engaged even when it’s not their turn in initiative. Second, an opponent’s attribute modifiers change the target number a player needs to meet or roll under to succeed. This requires a bit of math before the dice can be rolled, but it’s pretty quick at the table.
In Symbaroum magic can be learned by anyone, but is dangerous. Wielding mystic powers, or bonding with artifacts, gives a character corruption. Every character has a threshold for this corruption to manifest, and a limit where they succumb to the power and are lost. It’s cool.
Character Builds
Each of these games has its own charm when it comes to building characters. I’ve arranged these in order of flexibility–from most flexible to least.
Symbaroum
Symbaroum provides some archetypes, but there’s no reason why a player can’t take the general rules for character creation and come up with their own ideas. Attributes are assigned through a point-buy system, though a standard array is provided. Skills in Symbaroum are called “abilities,” and can range from mundane learned skills to actual magical powers. If you want to make any fantasy concept you can think of for your character, Symbaroum is a great option. The process is straight-forward, but navigating the rules takes some getting used to.
Forbidden Lands
Forbidden Lands’ character creation is a point buy system with points distributed from two pools–one each for attributes and skills. The amount of points available to distribute is determined by a character’s age–younger characters have more attribute points to spend, while older characters are given more skill points. This trade off has a benefit, especially at the start of a game. Attribute points also serve as a character’s hit points for different types of damage, so having higher attribute scores is important. At the same time, dice rolled using a character’s skills can’t contribute to failures when a roll is pushed. This means, before they manage to increase their skill scores, younger characters will be more robust but less competent. Characters take up a profession, which will both grant them a special talent and provide a list of skills aligned to the role. Any skill in a profession’s list may have up to three dice assigned to it, while every other skill may only have one. The setup provides some decent variation among characters.
Dragonbane
Dragonbane‘s character creation process is the best defined of the three games. Players can choose whatever kin and profession they’d like to play, but the game is set up to make the process random from start to finish. In my experience with the system, the folks at my table have loved using this randomized process.
There are six attribute scores with values from 3-18, which are rolled using 4d6 and dropping the lowest value. These scores are used for “raw” checks, but Dragonbane‘s real emphasis is on skills. Each skill in the game is attached to a specific attribute, and the higher the associated attribute score the higher a skill’s “base chance” will be.
As with Forbidden Lands, each character has a profession which presents a list of skills in which the character can be trained. Training doubles the base chance in that skill, making success much more likely. Six of a character’s starting skills must come from their profession’s list, but the total number of a character’s trained skills is determined by their age. Older characters have more trained skills, making them more competent overall, but they also suffer some penalties to their attribute scores. Younger characters have bonuses to their attribute scores, but have fewer skills. Those in the middle suffer no changes to their attribute scores, and split the difference in the number trained skills. The variation is nice, and because skills are key to gameplay older characters don’t feel as though they’ve been penalized [^2].
Advancement
None of these games is class based, so grinding away for experience points isn’t an emphasis for game play. For this, I am grateful. In fact, one of the games doesn’t have experience points at all. I’ve organized this section by concept.
Experience Points
Symbaroum and Forbidden Lands both utilize experience points as a meta-currency which can be spent to improve a character.
Forbidden Lands grants experience points though a post session interview process, when a player is able to answer “yes” to any of the questions they get one XP. When a certain number of experience points are earned a character can have their current skills and talents improved, or learn new skills talents. This is represented by adding a die to the chosen skill or increasing a talent’s rank by one step. The higher the skill level or talent rank, the greater the cost to move up.
Symbaroum also allows players to spend experience points to advance, or learn new, abilities. The cost for doing is 10 XP per ability level–10, 20, and then 30 XP. Awarding experience is rather simple. A character is awarded 1 XP for each scene in which they appear during a session.
Advancement Marks
Dragonbane foregoes experience points in favor of advancement marks, which are awarded in two ways. First, when any player rolls a dragon (1) or a demon (20) on a skill check they place a check in the box next to that skill. Second, much like Forbidden Lands, post session the game master asks the table a number of questions. For each question a player answers, “yes” they are able to place a check next to any unmarked skill on their sheet. Once all the advancement marks are assigned, players roll a d20 for each checked skill. If the roll exceeds the current skill value it will increase by one. Casters may use their advancement marks to either increase their rank in their chosen school or learn a new spell. Though this takes some effort to learn, represented by a die roll.
New heroic abilities can be learned in two ways. First, when any skill score hits 18 the character receives a new ability. Second, when a character does something extraordinary the game master may award them a new heroic ability on the spot. Anyone who wants to learn a magic school must take the “Magic Talent” heroic ability and spend time with a teacher–after which the character makes an INT check, a success means the school has been learned. Even professions which are not casters may learn magic this way.
Combat Design
When I started exploring Free League’s catalogue I couldn’t understand how they could release so many fantasy role playing games. As I began to explore the games, however, I began to understand. Each of these games has a play style which is unique to it, and it’s best highlighted in how they each handle combat. I’m ordering these by how familiar they might feel to players.
Dragonbane
Dragonbane is the simplest design of the three. Initiative is card based, and combatants take turns in ascending order of the cards–it’s also drawn each round. Attacks are skill rolls, and damage inflicted is increased for characters with higher attribute scores. Monsters in the game auto-hit, which means players have to make calculated decisions to attack or reserve their action to take a defensive move in order to avoid taking damage. Armor in the game reduces damage by a set number.
Symbaroum
Initiative is set by the combatant’s QUICK scores. Characters may choose to go in a lower spot of combat if they choose, but once they do so order is set. The action economy is, “one move action, and one combat action,” but both are abstracted. Taking a healing elixir or switching weapons, for example is a “move action,” while rendering first aid and attacks are “combat actions.”
I am also a big fan of how armor works in Symbaroum. Each armor type is tied to a different die, which is rolled to mitigate incoming damage. The trade off is that while heavier armor uses larger dice, it also makes a character easier to hit. If a player rolls well, though, they can tank like a tank should tank!
Forbidden Lands
Initiative is card based but is not redrawn each round, though players may swap initiative cards with other PCs at the beginning of a round. Characters can take one fast action and one slow action each turn–though these are abstracted a bit. Things like movement and drinking an exlir are fast actions, while attacking is a slow action.Weapons do a set amount of damage, though extra 6s on attacks increase it.
Monsters, auto-hit and their entries have tables which denote their different attacks. The good news for players is parrying and dodging are both fast actions and can be used out of turn order as reactions.
Armor values in the game represent the number of dice a player roles in an attempt to mitigate damage. Every 6 rolled reduces damage by one. If the player rolls any 1s and takes damage from the attack, however, the armor’s protection is reduced by the number of 1s rolled. When an armor value hits 0 it needs to be repaired.
Production Value
Free League produces nice products. This section is ordered according to the date I first read the games.
Forbidden Lands
Forbidden Lands can be purchased a la carte, so players can pick up the Player’s Handbook and be ready to go. When it was first introduced, however, Forbidden Lands was sold as a box set–which can still be purchased. The set includes two faux leather, stitched binding, books–the Player’s Guide and the Gamemaster’s Guide, a beautiful map of the setting, some stickers to mark a party’s exploration, and a booklet with more complete options for character builds. The books are high quality, and everything about the interior is an homage to old school gaming. I’d have liked to see some of the Forbidden Lands dice included in the box set, but the quality of the books is a decent trade off.
Symbaroum
Symbaroum is the simplest setup, everything needed to play the game, excluding dice, is included in the core rulebook. Other books can be picked up to expand character options or the variety of creatures, but these aren’t needed to play. The game is a “full-size” hardbound book with stitched binding, and boasts some stunning artwork. The layout is quite good, and I appreciate how different elements are designed, but once again organization is Symbaroum‘s bane. A new edition could improve this a lot.
Dragonbane
Dragonbane is best in class when it comes to box set contents. The box set is often mis-labelled a “starter box”– but everything needed to play is included in the box set. There is a beautiful rulebook, an equally stunning campaign adventure book, a map of the default setting, a reversible battle mat with both dungeon and grassy terrain, cardboard standees and stands to depict combat, a booklet explaining solo rules, and a stunning set of dice. My only knock on the box set is the binding on the rulebooks, they’re glued in such a way that I can foresee the covers becoming a problem as some point, but the overall quality is terrific, and it’s typically under $50. Dragonbane has also released a separate bestiary and the core rules as stitched-bound hardbacks, printed on flat paper. If the stand alone books had book ribbons they would be perfect TTRPG products!
Conclusion
I make no secret how much I enjoy Dragonbane, it’s my favored blend of mirth, grit, and mayhem. I do, however, enjoy all these games for the different feel they each bring to the table. I have the most frustration with Symbaroum, but not because the system is difficult or clunky. It’s rather simple once all the bits are cobbled together, the organization is something I find difficult to navigate. This is a shame, because Symbaroum‘s a cool game I’d love for a lot more people to enjoy. Forbidden Lands is more gritty than my typical faire, but when I had that game at the table it was exciting and fast and fun. If you have the ability to try all three of these games out, do so. They’re a blast!
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#dd #DMing #DnD #DnD5e #Dragonbane #ForbiddenLands #FreeLeague #GMing #OSR #RPG #Symbaroum #tabletopRolePlayingGame #TTRPG
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7/x
