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39200	The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023 Or will they? Dead After Dinner is a truly pick-up-and-play murder mystery that will delight you and your scenery-chewing friends. Desperation Tim Hutchings, game designer and academic The best game I’ve played this year is a tie between Desperation by Jason Morningstar and Orestes’ Choice by Susanne Vejdemo. Desperation is a card-driven TTRPG with a marvelous mechanic: Players draw a card with a bit of spoken text on it and then assign those words to one of the characters in play. It is so dang smart and makes for rich yet tight storytelling as the cards force new contexts for the actions of the characters. The game comes with two dark American Gothic-flavored scenarios: a starving Kansas town locked in a brutal winter and a cursed fishing boat lost in the north Pacific. The faux woodcuts by Jabari Weathers and Brennen Reece are wonderful to look upon and convey the game’s tone as much as the flavorful card text.
39201	The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023 Dead After Dinner is a truly pick-up-and-play murder mystery that will delight you and your scenery-chewing friends. Desperation Tim Hutchings, game designer and academic The best game I’ve played this year is a tie between Desperation by Jason Morningstar and Orestes’ Choice by Susanne Vejdemo. Desperation is a card-driven TTRPG with a marvelous mechanic: Players draw a card with a bit of spoken text on it and then assign those words to one of the characters in play. It is so dang smart and makes for rich yet tight storytelling as the cards force new contexts for the actions of the characters. The game comes with two dark American Gothic-flavored scenarios: a starving Kansas town locked in a brutal winter and a cursed fishing boat lost in the north Pacific. The faux woodcuts by Jabari Weathers and Brennen Reece are wonderful to look upon and convey the game’s tone as much as the flavorful card text. My best game experience was Orestes’ Choice, a LARP by Susanne Vejdemo.
39202	The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023 Desperation Tim Hutchings, game designer and academic The best game I’ve played this year is a tie between Desperation by Jason Morningstar and Orestes’ Choice by Susanne Vejdemo. Desperation is a card-driven TTRPG with a marvelous mechanic: Players draw a card with a bit of spoken text on it and then assign those words to one of the characters in play. It is so dang smart and makes for rich yet tight storytelling as the cards force new contexts for the actions of the characters. The game comes with two dark American Gothic-flavored scenarios: a starving Kansas town locked in a brutal winter and a cursed fishing boat lost in the north Pacific. The faux woodcuts by Jabari Weathers and Brennen Reece are wonderful to look upon and convey the game’s tone as much as the flavorful card text. My best game experience was Orestes’ Choice, a LARP by Susanne Vejdemo. It’s the first heavy-duty chamber LARP I’ve played since the pandemic; it reset my brain and helped me remember what I value in play.
39203	The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023 Desperation is a card-driven TTRPG with a marvelous mechanic: Players draw a card with a bit of spoken text on it and then assign those words to one of the characters in play. It is so dang smart and makes for rich yet tight storytelling as the cards force new contexts for the actions of the characters. The game comes with two dark American Gothic-flavored scenarios: a starving Kansas town locked in a brutal winter and a cursed fishing boat lost in the north Pacific. The faux woodcuts by Jabari Weathers and Brennen Reece are wonderful to look upon and convey the game’s tone as much as the flavorful card text. My best game experience was Orestes’ Choice, a LARP by Susanne Vejdemo. It’s the first heavy-duty chamber LARP I’ve played since the pandemic; it reset my brain and helped me remember what I value in play. Players continuously swap roles as they play through a very queer Greek myth in which young Orestes returns home and must decide whether to kill his treacherous mother and father-in-law.
39204	The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023 It is so dang smart and makes for rich yet tight storytelling as the cards force new contexts for the actions of the characters. The game comes with two dark American Gothic-flavored scenarios: a starving Kansas town locked in a brutal winter and a cursed fishing boat lost in the north Pacific. The faux woodcuts by Jabari Weathers and Brennen Reece are wonderful to look upon and convey the game’s tone as much as the flavorful card text. My best game experience was Orestes’ Choice, a LARP by Susanne Vejdemo. It’s the first heavy-duty chamber LARP I’ve played since the pandemic; it reset my brain and helped me remember what I value in play. Players continuously swap roles as they play through a very queer Greek myth in which young Orestes returns home and must decide whether to kill his treacherous mother and father-in-law. Never have I planned a murder with such erotically charged practice stabbing.
39205	The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023 It is so dang smart and makes for rich yet tight storytelling as the cards force new contexts for the actions of the characters. The game comes with two dark American Gothic-flavored scenarios: a starving Kansas town locked in a brutal winter and a cursed fishing boat lost in the north Pacific. The faux woodcuts by Jabari Weathers and Brennen Reece are wonderful to look upon and convey the game’s tone as much as the flavorful card text. My best game experience was Orestes’ Choice, a LARP by Susanne Vejdemo. It’s the first heavy-duty chamber LARP I’ve played since the pandemic; it reset my brain and helped me remember what I value in play. Players continuously swap roles as they play through a very queer Greek myth in which young Orestes returns home and must decide whether to kill his treacherous mother and father-in-law. Never have I planned a murder with such erotically charged practice stabbing. Dungeon Crawl Classics Thilo Graf of AAW Games I run and play a ton of different RPG systems, but precious few have had such a tremendous and lasting impact on my design and games as Dungeon Crawl Classics by Goodman Games.
39206	The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023 The faux woodcuts by Jabari Weathers and Brennen Reece are wonderful to look upon and convey the game’s tone as much as the flavorful card text. My best game experience was Orestes’ Choice, a LARP by Susanne Vejdemo. It’s the first heavy-duty chamber LARP I’ve played since the pandemic; it reset my brain and helped me remember what I value in play. Players continuously swap roles as they play through a very queer Greek myth in which young Orestes returns home and must decide whether to kill his treacherous mother and father-in-law. Never have I planned a murder with such erotically charged practice stabbing. Dungeon Crawl Classics Thilo Graf of AAW Games I run and play a ton of different RPG systems, but precious few have had such a tremendous and lasting impact on my design and games as Dungeon Crawl Classics by Goodman Games. With aesthetics influenced by all-time greats like Leiber and Moorcock, volatile magic, a relatively flat power curve for a d20-based game, and an emphasis on the skill of the players, as opposed to primarily rewarding the crafting of effective builds, DCC is a joy to run and play.
39207	The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023 It’s the first heavy-duty chamber LARP I’ve played since the pandemic; it reset my brain and helped me remember what I value in play. Players continuously swap roles as they play through a very queer Greek myth in which young Orestes returns home and must decide whether to kill his treacherous mother and father-in-law. Never have I planned a murder with such erotically charged practice stabbing. Dungeon Crawl Classics Thilo Graf of AAW Games I run and play a ton of different RPG systems, but precious few have had such a tremendous and lasting impact on my design and games as Dungeon Crawl Classics by Goodman Games. With aesthetics influenced by all-time greats like Leiber and Moorcock, volatile magic, a relatively flat power curve for a d20-based game, and an emphasis on the skill of the players, as opposed to primarily rewarding the crafting of effective builds, DCC is a joy to run and play. It is not as much of a heroic power fantasy as D&D 5e or Pathfinder, but neither is it as minimalist as many old-school games.
39208	The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023 Players continuously swap roles as they play through a very queer Greek myth in which young Orestes returns home and must decide whether to kill his treacherous mother and father-in-law. Never have I planned a murder with such erotically charged practice stabbing. Dungeon Crawl Classics Thilo Graf of AAW Games I run and play a ton of different RPG systems, but precious few have had such a tremendous and lasting impact on my design and games as Dungeon Crawl Classics by Goodman Games. With aesthetics influenced by all-time greats like Leiber and Moorcock, volatile magic, a relatively flat power curve for a d20-based game, and an emphasis on the skill of the players, as opposed to primarily rewarding the crafting of effective builds, DCC is a joy to run and play. It is not as much of a heroic power fantasy as D&D 5e or Pathfinder, but neither is it as minimalist as many old-school games. With fickle gods, mutating magics, lucky scoundrels, and ferocious fighters, DCC feels like playing through a Bal-Sagoth or Eternal Champion song.
39209	The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023 Never have I planned a murder with such erotically charged practice stabbing. Dungeon Crawl Classics Thilo Graf of AAW Games I run and play a ton of different RPG systems, but precious few have had such a tremendous and lasting impact on my design and games as Dungeon Crawl Classics by Goodman Games. With aesthetics influenced by all-time greats like Leiber and Moorcock, volatile magic, a relatively flat power curve for a d20-based game, and an emphasis on the skill of the players, as opposed to primarily rewarding the crafting of effective builds, DCC is a joy to run and play. It is not as much of a heroic power fantasy as D&D 5e or Pathfinder, but neither is it as minimalist as many old-school games. With fickle gods, mutating magics, lucky scoundrels, and ferocious fighters, DCC feels like playing through a Bal-Sagoth or Eternal Champion song. It’s also easy to pick up if your group has any experience with D&D’s third edition or Pathfinder.
39210	The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023 With aesthetics influenced by all-time greats like Leiber and Moorcock, volatile magic, a relatively flat power curve for a d20-based game, and an emphasis on the skill of the players, as opposed to primarily rewarding the crafting of effective builds, DCC is a joy to run and play. It is not as much of a heroic power fantasy as D&D 5e or Pathfinder, but neither is it as minimalist as many old-school games. With fickle gods, mutating magics, lucky scoundrels, and ferocious fighters, DCC feels like playing through a Bal-Sagoth or Eternal Champion song. It’s also easy to pick up if your group has any experience with D&D’s third edition or Pathfinder. DCC rocks! Its focus on simple, impactful rules was a core design inspiration for the (almost system-neutral) Survivalist’s Guide to Spelunking for 5e, a book I wrote with Douglas Niles and Stephen Yeardley.
39211	The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023 It is not as much of a heroic power fantasy as D&D 5e or Pathfinder, but neither is it as minimalist as many old-school games. With fickle gods, mutating magics, lucky scoundrels, and ferocious fighters, DCC feels like playing through a Bal-Sagoth or Eternal Champion song. It’s also easy to pick up if your group has any experience with D&D’s third edition or Pathfinder. DCC rocks! Its focus on simple, impactful rules was a core design inspiration for the (almost system-neutral) Survivalist’s Guide to Spelunking for 5e, a book I wrote with Douglas Niles and Stephen Yeardley. It warms my heart to know that DCC authors, judges, and players use the book as well!
39212	The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023 It is not as much of a heroic power fantasy as D&D 5e or Pathfinder, but neither is it as minimalist as many old-school games. With fickle gods, mutating magics, lucky scoundrels, and ferocious fighters, DCC feels like playing through a Bal-Sagoth or Eternal Champion song. It’s also easy to pick up if your group has any experience with D&D’s third edition or Pathfinder. DCC rocks! Its focus on simple, impactful rules was a core design inspiration for the (almost system-neutral) Survivalist’s Guide to Spelunking for 5e, a book I wrote with Douglas Niles and Stephen Yeardley. It warms my heart to know that DCC authors, judges, and players use the book as well! Dungeons & Dragons Mike Haracz, corporate R&D chef and host of Heroes’ Feast I’m lucky enough to be in the seventh year of a homebrew Dungeons & Dragons campaign, one I play with friends locally in the Chicagoland area.
39213	The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023 With fickle gods, mutating magics, lucky scoundrels, and ferocious fighters, DCC feels like playing through a Bal-Sagoth or Eternal Champion song. It’s also easy to pick up if your group has any experience with D&D’s third edition or Pathfinder. DCC rocks! Its focus on simple, impactful rules was a core design inspiration for the (almost system-neutral) Survivalist’s Guide to Spelunking for 5e, a book I wrote with Douglas Niles and Stephen Yeardley. It warms my heart to know that DCC authors, judges, and players use the book as well! Dungeons & Dragons Mike Haracz, corporate R&D chef and host of Heroes’ Feast I’m lucky enough to be in the seventh year of a homebrew Dungeons & Dragons campaign, one I play with friends locally in the Chicagoland area. Our campaign is called The Heartsguard Saga, and it’s based off Deven Rue’s map of a place called Euphoros.
39214	The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023 It’s also easy to pick up if your group has any experience with D&D’s third edition or Pathfinder. DCC rocks! Its focus on simple, impactful rules was a core design inspiration for the (almost system-neutral) Survivalist’s Guide to Spelunking for 5e, a book I wrote with Douglas Niles and Stephen Yeardley. It warms my heart to know that DCC authors, judges, and players use the book as well! Dungeons & Dragons Mike Haracz, corporate R&D chef and host of Heroes’ Feast I’m lucky enough to be in the seventh year of a homebrew Dungeons & Dragons campaign, one I play with friends locally in the Chicagoland area. Our campaign is called The Heartsguard Saga, and it’s based off Deven Rue’s map of a place called Euphoros. My players are at around level 15 and I frequently give them a variety of amazing and unique gear that I’ve dreamed up all on my own... which they go on to forget they have, and never use.
39215	The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023 Its focus on simple, impactful rules was a core design inspiration for the (almost system-neutral) Survivalist’s Guide to Spelunking for 5e, a book I wrote with Douglas Niles and Stephen Yeardley. It warms my heart to know that DCC authors, judges, and players use the book as well! Dungeons & Dragons Mike Haracz, corporate R&D chef and host of Heroes’ Feast I’m lucky enough to be in the seventh year of a homebrew Dungeons & Dragons campaign, one I play with friends locally in the Chicagoland area. Our campaign is called The Heartsguard Saga, and it’s based off Deven Rue’s map of a place called Euphoros. My players are at around level 15 and I frequently give them a variety of amazing and unique gear that I’ve dreamed up all on my own... which they go on to forget they have, and never use. We used to play in person, but since the pandemic I run the game virtually online from my house.
39216	The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023 It warms my heart to know that DCC authors, judges, and players use the book as well! Dungeons & Dragons Mike Haracz, corporate R&D chef and host of Heroes’ Feast I’m lucky enough to be in the seventh year of a homebrew Dungeons & Dragons campaign, one I play with friends locally in the Chicagoland area. Our campaign is called The Heartsguard Saga, and it’s based off Deven Rue’s map of a place called Euphoros. My players are at around level 15 and I frequently give them a variety of amazing and unique gear that I’ve dreamed up all on my own... which they go on to forget they have, and never use. We used to play in person, but since the pandemic I run the game virtually online from my house. I put a camera hovering over my gaming mat, and make a labeled grid for the players so they call out, “Move me from A5 to B10.” During important rolls, I even make my players face their camera toward their dice for added suspense!
39217	The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023 Our campaign is called The Heartsguard Saga, and it’s based off Deven Rue’s map of a place called Euphoros. My players are at around level 15 and I frequently give them a variety of amazing and unique gear that I’ve dreamed up all on my own... which they go on to forget they have, and never use. We used to play in person, but since the pandemic I run the game virtually online from my house. I put a camera hovering over my gaming mat, and make a labeled grid for the players so they call out, “Move me from A5 to B10.” During important rolls, I even make my players face their camera toward their dice for added suspense! Petrana Radulovic, entertainment reporter I’d wanted to play Dungeons & Dragons since I was in high school, but I never knew how to get into it.
39218	The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023 Our campaign is called The Heartsguard Saga, and it’s based off Deven Rue’s map of a place called Euphoros. My players are at around level 15 and I frequently give them a variety of amazing and unique gear that I’ve dreamed up all on my own... which they go on to forget they have, and never use. We used to play in person, but since the pandemic I run the game virtually online from my house. I put a camera hovering over my gaming mat, and make a labeled grid for the players so they call out, “Move me from A5 to B10.” During important rolls, I even make my players face their camera toward their dice for added suspense! Petrana Radulovic, entertainment reporter I’d wanted to play Dungeons & Dragons since I was in high school, but I never knew how to get into it. Thankfully, in the doldrums of 2020, someone I knew knew someone who knew someone (that’s literally what the connection was) who was interested in running a game.
39219	The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023 My players are at around level 15 and I frequently give them a variety of amazing and unique gear that I’ve dreamed up all on my own... which they go on to forget they have, and never use. We used to play in person, but since the pandemic I run the game virtually online from my house. I put a camera hovering over my gaming mat, and make a labeled grid for the players so they call out, “Move me from A5 to B10.” During important rolls, I even make my players face their camera toward their dice for added suspense! Petrana Radulovic, entertainment reporter I’d wanted to play Dungeons & Dragons since I was in high school, but I never knew how to get into it. Thankfully, in the doldrums of 2020, someone I knew knew someone who knew someone (that’s literally what the connection was) who was interested in running a game. That kicked off my D&D career, but was this year that everything finally clicked in my brain and it went from a hobby I enjoyed to one that I spend every free minute of my spare time thinking about.
39220	The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023 We used to play in person, but since the pandemic I run the game virtually online from my house. I put a camera hovering over my gaming mat, and make a labeled grid for the players so they call out, “Move me from A5 to B10.” During important rolls, I even make my players face their camera toward their dice for added suspense! Petrana Radulovic, entertainment reporter I’d wanted to play Dungeons & Dragons since I was in high school, but I never knew how to get into it. Thankfully, in the doldrums of 2020, someone I knew knew someone who knew someone (that’s literally what the connection was) who was interested in running a game. That kicked off my D&D career, but was this year that everything finally clicked in my brain and it went from a hobby I enjoyed to one that I spend every free minute of my spare time thinking about. Part of it is finally having reliable groups.
39221	The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023 I put a camera hovering over my gaming mat, and make a labeled grid for the players so they call out, “Move me from A5 to B10.” During important rolls, I even make my players face their camera toward their dice for added suspense! Petrana Radulovic, entertainment reporter I’d wanted to play Dungeons & Dragons since I was in high school, but I never knew how to get into it. Thankfully, in the doldrums of 2020, someone I knew knew someone who knew someone (that’s literally what the connection was) who was interested in running a game. That kicked off my D&D career, but was this year that everything finally clicked in my brain and it went from a hobby I enjoyed to one that I spend every free minute of my spare time thinking about. Part of it is finally having reliable groups. After some initial shuffling of members, in 2023 I’ve been blessed to have not one but two separate D&D groups, both with enthusiastic members who are committed to at least trying to meet regularly.
39222	The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023 Petrana Radulovic, entertainment reporter I’d wanted to play Dungeons & Dragons since I was in high school, but I never knew how to get into it. Thankfully, in the doldrums of 2020, someone I knew knew someone who knew someone (that’s literally what the connection was) who was interested in running a game. That kicked off my D&D career, but was this year that everything finally clicked in my brain and it went from a hobby I enjoyed to one that I spend every free minute of my spare time thinking about. Part of it is finally having reliable groups. After some initial shuffling of members, in 2023 I’ve been blessed to have not one but two separate D&D groups, both with enthusiastic members who are committed to at least trying to meet regularly. And yes, part of it is Baldur’s Gate 3, which helped me to understand some of the more complicated D&D mechanics and just generally made me very excited about combat in a way I never was before.
39223	The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023 Thankfully, in the doldrums of 2020, someone I knew knew someone who knew someone (that’s literally what the connection was) who was interested in running a game. That kicked off my D&D career, but was this year that everything finally clicked in my brain and it went from a hobby I enjoyed to one that I spend every free minute of my spare time thinking about. Part of it is finally having reliable groups. After some initial shuffling of members, in 2023 I’ve been blessed to have not one but two separate D&D groups, both with enthusiastic members who are committed to at least trying to meet regularly. And yes, part of it is Baldur’s Gate 3, which helped me to understand some of the more complicated D&D mechanics and just generally made me very excited about combat in a way I never was before. I’ve still yet to actually have a game in person! My groups are spread out across North America, but I’m hoping to manifest an in-person session soon.
39224	The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023 That kicked off my D&D career, but was this year that everything finally clicked in my brain and it went from a hobby I enjoyed to one that I spend every free minute of my spare time thinking about. Part of it is finally having reliable groups. After some initial shuffling of members, in 2023 I’ve been blessed to have not one but two separate D&D groups, both with enthusiastic members who are committed to at least trying to meet regularly. And yes, part of it is Baldur’s Gate 3, which helped me to understand some of the more complicated D&D mechanics and just generally made me very excited about combat in a way I never was before. I’ve still yet to actually have a game in person! My groups are spread out across North America, but I’m hoping to manifest an in-person session soon. Here’s to 2024 being an even better D&D year for me.
39225	The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023 That kicked off my D&D career, but was this year that everything finally clicked in my brain and it went from a hobby I enjoyed to one that I spend every free minute of my spare time thinking about. Part of it is finally having reliable groups. After some initial shuffling of members, in 2023 I’ve been blessed to have not one but two separate D&D groups, both with enthusiastic members who are committed to at least trying to meet regularly. And yes, part of it is Baldur’s Gate 3, which helped me to understand some of the more complicated D&D mechanics and just generally made me very excited about combat in a way I never was before. I’ve still yet to actually have a game in person! My groups are spread out across North America, but I’m hoping to manifest an in-person session soon. Here’s to 2024 being an even better D&D year for me. Eating Oranges in the Shower Sam Dunnewold, Dice Exploder podcast The Golden Cobra challenge is always a deep well of exciting (and free!)
39226	The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023 Part of it is finally having reliable groups. After some initial shuffling of members, in 2023 I’ve been blessed to have not one but two separate D&D groups, both with enthusiastic members who are committed to at least trying to meet regularly. And yes, part of it is Baldur’s Gate 3, which helped me to understand some of the more complicated D&D mechanics and just generally made me very excited about combat in a way I never was before. I’ve still yet to actually have a game in person! My groups are spread out across North America, but I’m hoping to manifest an in-person session soon. Here’s to 2024 being an even better D&D year for me. Eating Oranges in the Shower Sam Dunnewold, Dice Exploder podcast The Golden Cobra challenge is always a deep well of exciting (and free!) new larps from the bleeding edge of the hobby.
39227	The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023 Part of it is finally having reliable groups. After some initial shuffling of members, in 2023 I’ve been blessed to have not one but two separate D&D groups, both with enthusiastic members who are committed to at least trying to meet regularly. And yes, part of it is Baldur’s Gate 3, which helped me to understand some of the more complicated D&D mechanics and just generally made me very excited about combat in a way I never was before. I’ve still yet to actually have a game in person! My groups are spread out across North America, but I’m hoping to manifest an in-person session soon. Here’s to 2024 being an even better D&D year for me. Eating Oranges in the Shower Sam Dunnewold, Dice Exploder podcast The Golden Cobra challenge is always a deep well of exciting (and free!) new larps from the bleeding edge of the hobby. This year, like a song that’s stuck in my head, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about Eating Oranges in the Shower by Hazel Anneke Dixon, a game about exactly what it sounds like.
39228	The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023 And yes, part of it is Baldur’s Gate 3, which helped me to understand some of the more complicated D&D mechanics and just generally made me very excited about combat in a way I never was before. I’ve still yet to actually have a game in person! My groups are spread out across North America, but I’m hoping to manifest an in-person session soon. Here’s to 2024 being an even better D&D year for me. Eating Oranges in the Shower Sam Dunnewold, Dice Exploder podcast The Golden Cobra challenge is always a deep well of exciting (and free!) new larps from the bleeding edge of the hobby. This year, like a song that’s stuck in my head, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about Eating Oranges in the Shower by Hazel Anneke Dixon, a game about exactly what it sounds like. You play as members of a group chat who discover the /r/ShowerOrange subreddit, a real community dedicated to the “liberating” act of eating an orange while taking a shower.
39229	The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023 I’ve still yet to actually have a game in person! My groups are spread out across North America, but I’m hoping to manifest an in-person session soon. Here’s to 2024 being an even better D&D year for me. Eating Oranges in the Shower Sam Dunnewold, Dice Exploder podcast The Golden Cobra challenge is always a deep well of exciting (and free!) new larps from the bleeding edge of the hobby. This year, like a song that’s stuck in my head, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about Eating Oranges in the Shower by Hazel Anneke Dixon, a game about exactly what it sounds like. You play as members of a group chat who discover the /r/ShowerOrange subreddit, a real community dedicated to the “liberating” act of eating an orange while taking a shower. You each decide to try this out for yourself before returning to compare notes, and because it’s a LARP, you actually go do the thing.
39230	The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023 My groups are spread out across North America, but I’m hoping to manifest an in-person session soon. Here’s to 2024 being an even better D&D year for me. Eating Oranges in the Shower Sam Dunnewold, Dice Exploder podcast The Golden Cobra challenge is always a deep well of exciting (and free!) new larps from the bleeding edge of the hobby. This year, like a song that’s stuck in my head, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about Eating Oranges in the Shower by Hazel Anneke Dixon, a game about exactly what it sounds like. You play as members of a group chat who discover the /r/ShowerOrange subreddit, a real community dedicated to the “liberating” act of eating an orange while taking a shower. You each decide to try this out for yourself before returning to compare notes, and because it’s a LARP, you actually go do the thing. This game is so strange and delightful, not to mention delicious.
39231	The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023 Here’s to 2024 being an even better D&D year for me. Eating Oranges in the Shower Sam Dunnewold, Dice Exploder podcast The Golden Cobra challenge is always a deep well of exciting (and free!) new larps from the bleeding edge of the hobby. This year, like a song that’s stuck in my head, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about Eating Oranges in the Shower by Hazel Anneke Dixon, a game about exactly what it sounds like. You play as members of a group chat who discover the /r/ShowerOrange subreddit, a real community dedicated to the “liberating” act of eating an orange while taking a shower. You each decide to try this out for yourself before returning to compare notes, and because it’s a LARP, you actually go do the thing. This game is so strange and delightful, not to mention delicious. The principal act is compelling on its own. It feels forbidden somehow, even as it’s obviously harmless.
39232	The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023 Eating Oranges in the Shower Sam Dunnewold, Dice Exploder podcast The Golden Cobra challenge is always a deep well of exciting (and free!) new larps from the bleeding edge of the hobby. This year, like a song that’s stuck in my head, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about Eating Oranges in the Shower by Hazel Anneke Dixon, a game about exactly what it sounds like. You play as members of a group chat who discover the /r/ShowerOrange subreddit, a real community dedicated to the “liberating” act of eating an orange while taking a shower. You each decide to try this out for yourself before returning to compare notes, and because it’s a LARP, you actually go do the thing. This game is so strange and delightful, not to mention delicious. The principal act is compelling on its own. It feels forbidden somehow, even as it’s obviously harmless. But Dixon also captures something ephemeral and nostalgic about what it’s like to be in a niche online community and group chat, and the magic of making discoveries in those spaces.
39233	The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023 new larps from the bleeding edge of the hobby. This year, like a song that’s stuck in my head, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about Eating Oranges in the Shower by Hazel Anneke Dixon, a game about exactly what it sounds like. You play as members of a group chat who discover the /r/ShowerOrange subreddit, a real community dedicated to the “liberating” act of eating an orange while taking a shower. You each decide to try this out for yourself before returning to compare notes, and because it’s a LARP, you actually go do the thing. This game is so strange and delightful, not to mention delicious. The principal act is compelling on its own. It feels forbidden somehow, even as it’s obviously harmless. But Dixon also captures something ephemeral and nostalgic about what it’s like to be in a niche online community and group chat, and the magic of making discoveries in those spaces. On an increasingly centralized internet, that experience has become rare, and I miss it.
39234	The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023 You play as members of a group chat who discover the /r/ShowerOrange subreddit, a real community dedicated to the “liberating” act of eating an orange while taking a shower. You each decide to try this out for yourself before returning to compare notes, and because it’s a LARP, you actually go do the thing. This game is so strange and delightful, not to mention delicious. The principal act is compelling on its own. It feels forbidden somehow, even as it’s obviously harmless. But Dixon also captures something ephemeral and nostalgic about what it’s like to be in a niche online community and group chat, and the magic of making discoveries in those spaces. On an increasingly centralized internet, that experience has become rare, and I miss it. Exquisite Biome Everest Pipkin, game and software developer I’ve heard Exquisite Biome described as “Spore for the kitchen table,” and if that isn’t a great pitch I don’t know what is.
39235	The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023 You each decide to try this out for yourself before returning to compare notes, and because it’s a LARP, you actually go do the thing. This game is so strange and delightful, not to mention delicious. The principal act is compelling on its own. It feels forbidden somehow, even as it’s obviously harmless. But Dixon also captures something ephemeral and nostalgic about what it’s like to be in a niche online community and group chat, and the magic of making discoveries in those spaces. On an increasingly centralized internet, that experience has become rare, and I miss it. Exquisite Biome Everest Pipkin, game and software developer I’ve heard Exquisite Biome described as “Spore for the kitchen table,” and if that isn’t a great pitch I don’t know what is. Coming from Caro Asercion (game designer) and Si Sweetman (illustrator), Exquisite Biome is in the world-building TTRPG tradition, but it focuses specifically on ecological biomes and the creatures that populate them.
39236	The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023 This game is so strange and delightful, not to mention delicious. The principal act is compelling on its own. It feels forbidden somehow, even as it’s obviously harmless. But Dixon also captures something ephemeral and nostalgic about what it’s like to be in a niche online community and group chat, and the magic of making discoveries in those spaces. On an increasingly centralized internet, that experience has become rare, and I miss it. Exquisite Biome Everest Pipkin, game and software developer I’ve heard Exquisite Biome described as “Spore for the kitchen table,” and if that isn’t a great pitch I don’t know what is. Coming from Caro Asercion (game designer) and Si Sweetman (illustrator), Exquisite Biome is in the world-building TTRPG tradition, but it focuses specifically on ecological biomes and the creatures that populate them. Through short generative prompts tied to a deck of playing cards, you build and witness the lives of animals far beyond the edge of our own world.
39237	The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023 It feels forbidden somehow, even as it’s obviously harmless. But Dixon also captures something ephemeral and nostalgic about what it’s like to be in a niche online community and group chat, and the magic of making discoveries in those spaces. On an increasingly centralized internet, that experience has become rare, and I miss it. Exquisite Biome Everest Pipkin, game and software developer I’ve heard Exquisite Biome described as “Spore for the kitchen table,” and if that isn’t a great pitch I don’t know what is. Coming from Caro Asercion (game designer) and Si Sweetman (illustrator), Exquisite Biome is in the world-building TTRPG tradition, but it focuses specifically on ecological biomes and the creatures that populate them. Through short generative prompts tied to a deck of playing cards, you build and witness the lives of animals far beyond the edge of our own world. Playing Exquisite Biome feels a little bit like being David Attenborough on an alien planet.
39238	The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023 But Dixon also captures something ephemeral and nostalgic about what it’s like to be in a niche online community and group chat, and the magic of making discoveries in those spaces. On an increasingly centralized internet, that experience has become rare, and I miss it. Exquisite Biome Everest Pipkin, game and software developer I’ve heard Exquisite Biome described as “Spore for the kitchen table,” and if that isn’t a great pitch I don’t know what is. Coming from Caro Asercion (game designer) and Si Sweetman (illustrator), Exquisite Biome is in the world-building TTRPG tradition, but it focuses specifically on ecological biomes and the creatures that populate them. Through short generative prompts tied to a deck of playing cards, you build and witness the lives of animals far beyond the edge of our own world. Playing Exquisite Biome feels a little bit like being David Attenborough on an alien planet. With beautiful, evocative art and short, easy-to-parse rules, Exquisite Biome is my go-to “what if we made up some weird little guys and set them in motion for an hour” game.
39239	The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023 Exquisite Biome Everest Pipkin, game and software developer I’ve heard Exquisite Biome described as “Spore for the kitchen table,” and if that isn’t a great pitch I don’t know what is. Coming from Caro Asercion (game designer) and Si Sweetman (illustrator), Exquisite Biome is in the world-building TTRPG tradition, but it focuses specifically on ecological biomes and the creatures that populate them. Through short generative prompts tied to a deck of playing cards, you build and witness the lives of animals far beyond the edge of our own world. Playing Exquisite Biome feels a little bit like being David Attenborough on an alien planet. With beautiful, evocative art and short, easy-to-parse rules, Exquisite Biome is my go-to “what if we made up some weird little guys and set them in motion for an hour” game. And truly, what higher calling is there?
39240	The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023 Coming from Caro Asercion (game designer) and Si Sweetman (illustrator), Exquisite Biome is in the world-building TTRPG tradition, but it focuses specifically on ecological biomes and the creatures that populate them. Through short generative prompts tied to a deck of playing cards, you build and witness the lives of animals far beyond the edge of our own world. Playing Exquisite Biome feels a little bit like being David Attenborough on an alien planet. With beautiful, evocative art and short, easy-to-parse rules, Exquisite Biome is my go-to “what if we made up some weird little guys and set them in motion for an hour” game. And truly, what higher calling is there? Fetch My Blade Did you know you can play one of the best tabletop RPGs whenever you want, without any scheduling nightmares or unfeasible time commitments? You can when you play Fetch My Blade, a solo journaling role-playing game created by Kelly Tran and Ethan Yen!
39241	The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023 Through short generative prompts tied to a deck of playing cards, you build and witness the lives of animals far beyond the edge of our own world. Playing Exquisite Biome feels a little bit like being David Attenborough on an alien planet. With beautiful, evocative art and short, easy-to-parse rules, Exquisite Biome is my go-to “what if we made up some weird little guys and set them in motion for an hour” game. And truly, what higher calling is there? Fetch My Blade Did you know you can play one of the best tabletop RPGs whenever you want, without any scheduling nightmares or unfeasible time commitments? You can when you play Fetch My Blade, a solo journaling role-playing game created by Kelly Tran and Ethan Yen! In Fetch My Blade, you role-play as a friendly or fierce dog of a retired legendary sword master.
39242	The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023 Through short generative prompts tied to a deck of playing cards, you build and witness the lives of animals far beyond the edge of our own world. Playing Exquisite Biome feels a little bit like being David Attenborough on an alien planet. With beautiful, evocative art and short, easy-to-parse rules, Exquisite Biome is my go-to “what if we made up some weird little guys and set them in motion for an hour” game. And truly, what higher calling is there? Fetch My Blade Did you know you can play one of the best tabletop RPGs whenever you want, without any scheduling nightmares or unfeasible time commitments? You can when you play Fetch My Blade, a solo journaling role-playing game created by Kelly Tran and Ethan Yen! In Fetch My Blade, you role-play as a friendly or fierce dog of a retired legendary sword master. Create your character by choosing one of six dog breeds, including shih tzu, corgi, mastiff, border collie, husky, and chihuahua, or select your own!
39243	The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023 Playing Exquisite Biome feels a little bit like being David Attenborough on an alien planet. With beautiful, evocative art and short, easy-to-parse rules, Exquisite Biome is my go-to “what if we made up some weird little guys and set them in motion for an hour” game. And truly, what higher calling is there? Fetch My Blade Did you know you can play one of the best tabletop RPGs whenever you want, without any scheduling nightmares or unfeasible time commitments? You can when you play Fetch My Blade, a solo journaling role-playing game created by Kelly Tran and Ethan Yen! In Fetch My Blade, you role-play as a friendly or fierce dog of a retired legendary sword master. Create your character by choosing one of six dog breeds, including shih tzu, corgi, mastiff, border collie, husky, and chihuahua, or select your own! Determine three truths about your master and aid them when a mysterious stranger challenges them to a duel.
39244	The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023 With beautiful, evocative art and short, easy-to-parse rules, Exquisite Biome is my go-to “what if we made up some weird little guys and set them in motion for an hour” game. And truly, what higher calling is there? Fetch My Blade Did you know you can play one of the best tabletop RPGs whenever you want, without any scheduling nightmares or unfeasible time commitments? You can when you play Fetch My Blade, a solo journaling role-playing game created by Kelly Tran and Ethan Yen! In Fetch My Blade, you role-play as a friendly or fierce dog of a retired legendary sword master. Create your character by choosing one of six dog breeds, including shih tzu, corgi, mastiff, border collie, husky, and chihuahua, or select your own! Determine three truths about your master and aid them when a mysterious stranger challenges them to a duel. It is up to you to go on a perilous quest of your own to retrieve your master’s fabled weapon in time for their final duel.
39245	The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023 And truly, what higher calling is there? Fetch My Blade Did you know you can play one of the best tabletop RPGs whenever you want, without any scheduling nightmares or unfeasible time commitments? You can when you play Fetch My Blade, a solo journaling role-playing game created by Kelly Tran and Ethan Yen! In Fetch My Blade, you role-play as a friendly or fierce dog of a retired legendary sword master. Create your character by choosing one of six dog breeds, including shih tzu, corgi, mastiff, border collie, husky, and chihuahua, or select your own! Determine three truths about your master and aid them when a mysterious stranger challenges them to a duel. It is up to you to go on a perilous quest of your own to retrieve your master’s fabled weapon in time for their final duel. Throughout this transformational quest, you use three six-sided dice to resolve mechanics for racing against time, overcoming treacherous encounters, and uncovering new truths about your master’s shrouded past.
39246	The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023 You can when you play Fetch My Blade, a solo journaling role-playing game created by Kelly Tran and Ethan Yen! In Fetch My Blade, you role-play as a friendly or fierce dog of a retired legendary sword master. Create your character by choosing one of six dog breeds, including shih tzu, corgi, mastiff, border collie, husky, and chihuahua, or select your own! Determine three truths about your master and aid them when a mysterious stranger challenges them to a duel. It is up to you to go on a perilous quest of your own to retrieve your master’s fabled weapon in time for their final duel. Throughout this transformational quest, you use three six-sided dice to resolve mechanics for racing against time, overcoming treacherous encounters, and uncovering new truths about your master’s shrouded past. Embrace your inner doggy, buy this 17-page game, and begin your adventure today! Swiftly now — your master’s fate is in your paws!
39247	The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023 In Fetch My Blade, you role-play as a friendly or fierce dog of a retired legendary sword master. Create your character by choosing one of six dog breeds, including shih tzu, corgi, mastiff, border collie, husky, and chihuahua, or select your own! Determine three truths about your master and aid them when a mysterious stranger challenges them to a duel. It is up to you to go on a perilous quest of your own to retrieve your master’s fabled weapon in time for their final duel. Throughout this transformational quest, you use three six-sided dice to resolve mechanics for racing against time, overcoming treacherous encounters, and uncovering new truths about your master’s shrouded past. Embrace your inner doggy, buy this 17-page game, and begin your adventure today! Swiftly now — your master’s fate is in your paws! Home Wesley “Nox” Crowe, aka Noxweiler Berf, creative director for Hunters Entertainment Doug Levandowski and Yeonsoo Julian Kim’s Home drew me in immediately, and has been one of my most recommended tabletop role-playing games.
39248	The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023 Determine three truths about your master and aid them when a mysterious stranger challenges them to a duel. It is up to you to go on a perilous quest of your own to retrieve your master’s fabled weapon in time for their final duel. Throughout this transformational quest, you use three six-sided dice to resolve mechanics for racing against time, overcoming treacherous encounters, and uncovering new truths about your master’s shrouded past. Embrace your inner doggy, buy this 17-page game, and begin your adventure today! Swiftly now — your master’s fate is in your paws! Home Wesley “Nox” Crowe, aka Noxweiler Berf, creative director for Hunters Entertainment Doug Levandowski and Yeonsoo Julian Kim’s Home drew me in immediately, and has been one of my most recommended tabletop role-playing games. If you know me or my work, then the fact that it’s a horror game probably won’t come as much of a surprise.
39249	The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023 It is up to you to go on a perilous quest of your own to retrieve your master’s fabled weapon in time for their final duel. Throughout this transformational quest, you use three six-sided dice to resolve mechanics for racing against time, overcoming treacherous encounters, and uncovering new truths about your master’s shrouded past. Embrace your inner doggy, buy this 17-page game, and begin your adventure today! Swiftly now — your master’s fate is in your paws! Home Wesley “Nox” Crowe, aka Noxweiler Berf, creative director for Hunters Entertainment Doug Levandowski and Yeonsoo Julian Kim’s Home drew me in immediately, and has been one of my most recommended tabletop role-playing games. If you know me or my work, then the fact that it’s a horror game probably won’t come as much of a surprise. It’s a haunted house exploration simulator that can be played with a full table of players or alone as a solo journaling experience.
39250	The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023 Throughout this transformational quest, you use three six-sided dice to resolve mechanics for racing against time, overcoming treacherous encounters, and uncovering new truths about your master’s shrouded past. Embrace your inner doggy, buy this 17-page game, and begin your adventure today! Swiftly now — your master’s fate is in your paws! Home Wesley “Nox” Crowe, aka Noxweiler Berf, creative director for Hunters Entertainment Doug Levandowski and Yeonsoo Julian Kim’s Home drew me in immediately, and has been one of my most recommended tabletop role-playing games. If you know me or my work, then the fact that it’s a horror game probably won’t come as much of a surprise. It’s a haunted house exploration simulator that can be played with a full table of players or alone as a solo journaling experience. It uses custom tarot cards and a whiteboard to track your character’s progress as they dare to shine a light on the chilling danger of a variety of potential scenarios full of ghosts and other dark entities.
39251	The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023 Embrace your inner doggy, buy this 17-page game, and begin your adventure today! Swiftly now — your master’s fate is in your paws! Home Wesley “Nox” Crowe, aka Noxweiler Berf, creative director for Hunters Entertainment Doug Levandowski and Yeonsoo Julian Kim’s Home drew me in immediately, and has been one of my most recommended tabletop role-playing games. If you know me or my work, then the fact that it’s a horror game probably won’t come as much of a surprise. It’s a haunted house exploration simulator that can be played with a full table of players or alone as a solo journaling experience. It uses custom tarot cards and a whiteboard to track your character’s progress as they dare to shine a light on the chilling danger of a variety of potential scenarios full of ghosts and other dark entities. The action is propelled through the use of the custom tarot cards — the Night Deck — which are filled with prompts that require the creative interaction of players.
39252	The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023 Swiftly now — your master’s fate is in your paws! Home Wesley “Nox” Crowe, aka Noxweiler Berf, creative director for Hunters Entertainment Doug Levandowski and Yeonsoo Julian Kim’s Home drew me in immediately, and has been one of my most recommended tabletop role-playing games. If you know me or my work, then the fact that it’s a horror game probably won’t come as much of a surprise. It’s a haunted house exploration simulator that can be played with a full table of players or alone as a solo journaling experience. It uses custom tarot cards and a whiteboard to track your character’s progress as they dare to shine a light on the chilling danger of a variety of potential scenarios full of ghosts and other dark entities. The action is propelled through the use of the custom tarot cards — the Night Deck — which are filled with prompts that require the creative interaction of players. Each round, players take turn as the director of the story and guide the narrative forward using the guidance of the cards to describe and draw each room of the haunted house that they are exploring.
39253	The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023 If you know me or my work, then the fact that it’s a horror game probably won’t come as much of a surprise. It’s a haunted house exploration simulator that can be played with a full table of players or alone as a solo journaling experience. It uses custom tarot cards and a whiteboard to track your character’s progress as they dare to shine a light on the chilling danger of a variety of potential scenarios full of ghosts and other dark entities. The action is propelled through the use of the custom tarot cards — the Night Deck — which are filled with prompts that require the creative interaction of players. Each round, players take turn as the director of the story and guide the narrative forward using the guidance of the cards to describe and draw each room of the haunted house that they are exploring. The game encourages collaboration in determining the story’s direction and does a remarkable job of steering the action forward without a single game master putting forth the often large amount of preparation that role-playing games usually require.
39254	The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023 It’s a haunted house exploration simulator that can be played with a full table of players or alone as a solo journaling experience. It uses custom tarot cards and a whiteboard to track your character’s progress as they dare to shine a light on the chilling danger of a variety of potential scenarios full of ghosts and other dark entities. The action is propelled through the use of the custom tarot cards — the Night Deck — which are filled with prompts that require the creative interaction of players. Each round, players take turn as the director of the story and guide the narrative forward using the guidance of the cards to describe and draw each room of the haunted house that they are exploring. The game encourages collaboration in determining the story’s direction and does a remarkable job of steering the action forward without a single game master putting forth the often large amount of preparation that role-playing games usually require. As the game progresses, characters collect wounds and push past the terrors that await them and work together to resolve the mysteries at the root of each horror.
39255	The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023 It uses custom tarot cards and a whiteboard to track your character’s progress as they dare to shine a light on the chilling danger of a variety of potential scenarios full of ghosts and other dark entities. The action is propelled through the use of the custom tarot cards — the Night Deck — which are filled with prompts that require the creative interaction of players. Each round, players take turn as the director of the story and guide the narrative forward using the guidance of the cards to describe and draw each room of the haunted house that they are exploring. The game encourages collaboration in determining the story’s direction and does a remarkable job of steering the action forward without a single game master putting forth the often large amount of preparation that role-playing games usually require. As the game progresses, characters collect wounds and push past the terrors that await them and work together to resolve the mysteries at the root of each horror. The solo mode of the game plays just as smoothly as the group experience, leaning on the prompts and player’s imagination to create a journal documenting the character’s harrowing encounter.
39256	The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023 The action is propelled through the use of the custom tarot cards — the Night Deck — which are filled with prompts that require the creative interaction of players. Each round, players take turn as the director of the story and guide the narrative forward using the guidance of the cards to describe and draw each room of the haunted house that they are exploring. The game encourages collaboration in determining the story’s direction and does a remarkable job of steering the action forward without a single game master putting forth the often large amount of preparation that role-playing games usually require. As the game progresses, characters collect wounds and push past the terrors that await them and work together to resolve the mysteries at the root of each horror. The solo mode of the game plays just as smoothly as the group experience, leaning on the prompts and player’s imagination to create a journal documenting the character’s harrowing encounter. I can’t recommend it enough. Grab a copy of the PDF, turn down the lights, and start mapping your own haunted house!
39257	The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023 Each round, players take turn as the director of the story and guide the narrative forward using the guidance of the cards to describe and draw each room of the haunted house that they are exploring. The game encourages collaboration in determining the story’s direction and does a remarkable job of steering the action forward without a single game master putting forth the often large amount of preparation that role-playing games usually require. As the game progresses, characters collect wounds and push past the terrors that await them and work together to resolve the mysteries at the root of each horror. The solo mode of the game plays just as smoothly as the group experience, leaning on the prompts and player’s imagination to create a journal documenting the character’s harrowing encounter. I can’t recommend it enough. Grab a copy of the PDF, turn down the lights, and start mapping your own haunted house! The Luminant Age I became an immediate fan of Luminant Age after being invited to be a contributor.
39258	The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023 Each round, players take turn as the director of the story and guide the narrative forward using the guidance of the cards to describe and draw each room of the haunted house that they are exploring. The game encourages collaboration in determining the story’s direction and does a remarkable job of steering the action forward without a single game master putting forth the often large amount of preparation that role-playing games usually require. As the game progresses, characters collect wounds and push past the terrors that await them and work together to resolve the mysteries at the root of each horror. The solo mode of the game plays just as smoothly as the group experience, leaning on the prompts and player’s imagination to create a journal documenting the character’s harrowing encounter. I can’t recommend it enough. Grab a copy of the PDF, turn down the lights, and start mapping your own haunted house! The Luminant Age I became an immediate fan of Luminant Age after being invited to be a contributor. What caught my eye at the start was the Four Humanities ancestries named Blood, Clay, Silk, and Horn.
39259	The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023 The game encourages collaboration in determining the story’s direction and does a remarkable job of steering the action forward without a single game master putting forth the often large amount of preparation that role-playing games usually require. As the game progresses, characters collect wounds and push past the terrors that await them and work together to resolve the mysteries at the root of each horror. The solo mode of the game plays just as smoothly as the group experience, leaning on the prompts and player’s imagination to create a journal documenting the character’s harrowing encounter. I can’t recommend it enough. Grab a copy of the PDF, turn down the lights, and start mapping your own haunted house! The Luminant Age I became an immediate fan of Luminant Age after being invited to be a contributor. What caught my eye at the start was the Four Humanities ancestries named Blood, Clay, Silk, and Horn. This year, many of my Thursday mornings have been a whirlwind of weird as our playtest party encounter teleporting flickrats, heal via esseweaving, and get hunted down by cultists in stryx bonemasques.
39260	The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023 As the game progresses, characters collect wounds and push past the terrors that await them and work together to resolve the mysteries at the root of each horror. The solo mode of the game plays just as smoothly as the group experience, leaning on the prompts and player’s imagination to create a journal documenting the character’s harrowing encounter. I can’t recommend it enough. Grab a copy of the PDF, turn down the lights, and start mapping your own haunted house! The Luminant Age I became an immediate fan of Luminant Age after being invited to be a contributor. What caught my eye at the start was the Four Humanities ancestries named Blood, Clay, Silk, and Horn. This year, many of my Thursday mornings have been a whirlwind of weird as our playtest party encounter teleporting flickrats, heal via esseweaving, and get hunted down by cultists in stryx bonemasques. The city we’re in, Ourichor, is built on giant oil-rig-like platforms in the open ocean.
39261	The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023 The solo mode of the game plays just as smoothly as the group experience, leaning on the prompts and player’s imagination to create a journal documenting the character’s harrowing encounter. I can’t recommend it enough. Grab a copy of the PDF, turn down the lights, and start mapping your own haunted house! The Luminant Age I became an immediate fan of Luminant Age after being invited to be a contributor. What caught my eye at the start was the Four Humanities ancestries named Blood, Clay, Silk, and Horn. This year, many of my Thursday mornings have been a whirlwind of weird as our playtest party encounter teleporting flickrats, heal via esseweaving, and get hunted down by cultists in stryx bonemasques. The city we’re in, Ourichor, is built on giant oil-rig-like platforms in the open ocean. There are no sun nor stars, but three moons... that you’re allowed to see.
39262	The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023 I can’t recommend it enough. Grab a copy of the PDF, turn down the lights, and start mapping your own haunted house! The Luminant Age I became an immediate fan of Luminant Age after being invited to be a contributor. What caught my eye at the start was the Four Humanities ancestries named Blood, Clay, Silk, and Horn. This year, many of my Thursday mornings have been a whirlwind of weird as our playtest party encounter teleporting flickrats, heal via esseweaving, and get hunted down by cultists in stryx bonemasques. The city we’re in, Ourichor, is built on giant oil-rig-like platforms in the open ocean. There are no sun nor stars, but three moons... that you’re allowed to see. Also, did I mention the predominant religion featured, the Angelites, memorialize their dead by preserving their eyeballs? You can even wear them as mourning jewelry.
39263	The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023 Grab a copy of the PDF, turn down the lights, and start mapping your own haunted house! The Luminant Age I became an immediate fan of Luminant Age after being invited to be a contributor. What caught my eye at the start was the Four Humanities ancestries named Blood, Clay, Silk, and Horn. This year, many of my Thursday mornings have been a whirlwind of weird as our playtest party encounter teleporting flickrats, heal via esseweaving, and get hunted down by cultists in stryx bonemasques. The city we’re in, Ourichor, is built on giant oil-rig-like platforms in the open ocean. There are no sun nor stars, but three moons... that you’re allowed to see. Also, did I mention the predominant religion featured, the Angelites, memorialize their dead by preserving their eyeballs? You can even wear them as mourning jewelry. This Pathfinder 2nd edition-compatible setting has been as enchantingly addictive as the fictional ichor that propelled Ourichor into the renaissance era that the project is named after.
39264	The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023 What caught my eye at the start was the Four Humanities ancestries named Blood, Clay, Silk, and Horn. This year, many of my Thursday mornings have been a whirlwind of weird as our playtest party encounter teleporting flickrats, heal via esseweaving, and get hunted down by cultists in stryx bonemasques. The city we’re in, Ourichor, is built on giant oil-rig-like platforms in the open ocean. There are no sun nor stars, but three moons... that you’re allowed to see. Also, did I mention the predominant religion featured, the Angelites, memorialize their dead by preserving their eyeballs? You can even wear them as mourning jewelry. This Pathfinder 2nd edition-compatible setting has been as enchantingly addictive as the fictional ichor that propelled Ourichor into the renaissance era that the project is named after. While there are only two exquisitely illustrated supplements on creatures and equipment available currently, I recommend those with a love of the unusual to keep an eye out for more in the years to come, such as the upcoming Paragons of Luminant Age that introduces NPCs and explores their motives through the four moons.
39265	The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023 The city we’re in, Ourichor, is built on giant oil-rig-like platforms in the open ocean. There are no sun nor stars, but three moons... that you’re allowed to see. Also, did I mention the predominant religion featured, the Angelites, memorialize their dead by preserving their eyeballs? You can even wear them as mourning jewelry. This Pathfinder 2nd edition-compatible setting has been as enchantingly addictive as the fictional ichor that propelled Ourichor into the renaissance era that the project is named after. While there are only two exquisitely illustrated supplements on creatures and equipment available currently, I recommend those with a love of the unusual to keep an eye out for more in the years to come, such as the upcoming Paragons of Luminant Age that introduces NPCs and explores their motives through the four moons. Marvel Multiverse Role-playing Game As a role-player, I’ve spent a lot of time looking for a good lightweight superhero RPG.
39266	The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023 There are no sun nor stars, but three moons... that you’re allowed to see. Also, did I mention the predominant religion featured, the Angelites, memorialize their dead by preserving their eyeballs? You can even wear them as mourning jewelry. This Pathfinder 2nd edition-compatible setting has been as enchantingly addictive as the fictional ichor that propelled Ourichor into the renaissance era that the project is named after. While there are only two exquisitely illustrated supplements on creatures and equipment available currently, I recommend those with a love of the unusual to keep an eye out for more in the years to come, such as the upcoming Paragons of Luminant Age that introduces NPCs and explores their motives through the four moons. Marvel Multiverse Role-playing Game As a role-player, I’ve spent a lot of time looking for a good lightweight superhero RPG. I’ve tried quite a few but had yet to find one that really hit the mark for me until I tried Marvel Multiverse Role-playing Game.
39267	The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023 Also, did I mention the predominant religion featured, the Angelites, memorialize their dead by preserving their eyeballs? You can even wear them as mourning jewelry. This Pathfinder 2nd edition-compatible setting has been as enchantingly addictive as the fictional ichor that propelled Ourichor into the renaissance era that the project is named after. While there are only two exquisitely illustrated supplements on creatures and equipment available currently, I recommend those with a love of the unusual to keep an eye out for more in the years to come, such as the upcoming Paragons of Luminant Age that introduces NPCs and explores their motives through the four moons. Marvel Multiverse Role-playing Game As a role-player, I’ve spent a lot of time looking for a good lightweight superhero RPG. I’ve tried quite a few but had yet to find one that really hit the mark for me until I tried Marvel Multiverse Role-playing Game. I have to say, I was initially dubious about this game but it has blown me out of the water.
39268	The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023 You can even wear them as mourning jewelry. This Pathfinder 2nd edition-compatible setting has been as enchantingly addictive as the fictional ichor that propelled Ourichor into the renaissance era that the project is named after. While there are only two exquisitely illustrated supplements on creatures and equipment available currently, I recommend those with a love of the unusual to keep an eye out for more in the years to come, such as the upcoming Paragons of Luminant Age that introduces NPCs and explores their motives through the four moons. Marvel Multiverse Role-playing Game As a role-player, I’ve spent a lot of time looking for a good lightweight superhero RPG. I’ve tried quite a few but had yet to find one that really hit the mark for me until I tried Marvel Multiverse Role-playing Game. I have to say, I was initially dubious about this game but it has blown me out of the water. The game is utterly devoted to giving the players the feeling of playing a hero in the Marvel universe with tons of cool powers and power categories based on key Marvel heroes like Spider-Man and the Hulk.
39269	The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023 While there are only two exquisitely illustrated supplements on creatures and equipment available currently, I recommend those with a love of the unusual to keep an eye out for more in the years to come, such as the upcoming Paragons of Luminant Age that introduces NPCs and explores their motives through the four moons. Marvel Multiverse Role-playing Game As a role-player, I’ve spent a lot of time looking for a good lightweight superhero RPG. I’ve tried quite a few but had yet to find one that really hit the mark for me until I tried Marvel Multiverse Role-playing Game. I have to say, I was initially dubious about this game but it has blown me out of the water. The game is utterly devoted to giving the players the feeling of playing a hero in the Marvel universe with tons of cool powers and power categories based on key Marvel heroes like Spider-Man and the Hulk. The system is easy, streamlined, and really carries the four-color comic book flavor.
39270	The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023 Marvel Multiverse Role-playing Game As a role-player, I’ve spent a lot of time looking for a good lightweight superhero RPG. I’ve tried quite a few but had yet to find one that really hit the mark for me until I tried Marvel Multiverse Role-playing Game. I have to say, I was initially dubious about this game but it has blown me out of the water. The game is utterly devoted to giving the players the feeling of playing a hero in the Marvel universe with tons of cool powers and power categories based on key Marvel heroes like Spider-Man and the Hulk. The system is easy, streamlined, and really carries the four-color comic book flavor. Probably one of the coolest aspects of the game is that while there is an exhaustive list of Marvel heroes and villains at the back of the book, you can create your own hero with their own power set and use that “bestiary” of heroic and villainous figures as allies and enemies in your own heroic adventures.
39271	The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023 I’ve tried quite a few but had yet to find one that really hit the mark for me until I tried Marvel Multiverse Role-playing Game. I have to say, I was initially dubious about this game but it has blown me out of the water. The game is utterly devoted to giving the players the feeling of playing a hero in the Marvel universe with tons of cool powers and power categories based on key Marvel heroes like Spider-Man and the Hulk. The system is easy, streamlined, and really carries the four-color comic book flavor. Probably one of the coolest aspects of the game is that while there is an exhaustive list of Marvel heroes and villains at the back of the book, you can create your own hero with their own power set and use that “bestiary” of heroic and villainous figures as allies and enemies in your own heroic adventures. For those of us who’ve always wanted to make their own X-Gene Mutant, Spirit of Vengeance, or Spidersona, this is a must-have book that will bring hours of enjoyment.
39272	The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023 I have to say, I was initially dubious about this game but it has blown me out of the water. The game is utterly devoted to giving the players the feeling of playing a hero in the Marvel universe with tons of cool powers and power categories based on key Marvel heroes like Spider-Man and the Hulk. The system is easy, streamlined, and really carries the four-color comic book flavor. Probably one of the coolest aspects of the game is that while there is an exhaustive list of Marvel heroes and villains at the back of the book, you can create your own hero with their own power set and use that “bestiary” of heroic and villainous figures as allies and enemies in your own heroic adventures. For those of us who’ve always wanted to make their own X-Gene Mutant, Spirit of Vengeance, or Spidersona, this is a must-have book that will bring hours of enjoyment. Masks of the Masks Superhero comics, for all their many flaws, remain my life’s great passion.
39273	The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023 The game is utterly devoted to giving the players the feeling of playing a hero in the Marvel universe with tons of cool powers and power categories based on key Marvel heroes like Spider-Man and the Hulk. The system is easy, streamlined, and really carries the four-color comic book flavor. Probably one of the coolest aspects of the game is that while there is an exhaustive list of Marvel heroes and villains at the back of the book, you can create your own hero with their own power set and use that “bestiary” of heroic and villainous figures as allies and enemies in your own heroic adventures. For those of us who’ve always wanted to make their own X-Gene Mutant, Spirit of Vengeance, or Spidersona, this is a must-have book that will bring hours of enjoyment. Masks of the Masks Superhero comics, for all their many flaws, remain my life’s great passion. That’s why, of all the games I’ve played this year, the one I want to shout about from the rooftops is Masks of the Masks by Hazel Amber Goswick.
39274	The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023 The system is easy, streamlined, and really carries the four-color comic book flavor. Probably one of the coolest aspects of the game is that while there is an exhaustive list of Marvel heroes and villains at the back of the book, you can create your own hero with their own power set and use that “bestiary” of heroic and villainous figures as allies and enemies in your own heroic adventures. For those of us who’ve always wanted to make their own X-Gene Mutant, Spirit of Vengeance, or Spidersona, this is a must-have book that will bring hours of enjoyment. Masks of the Masks Superhero comics, for all their many flaws, remain my life’s great passion. That’s why, of all the games I’ve played this year, the one I want to shout about from the rooftops is Masks of the Masks by Hazel Amber Goswick. The game is an incredible piece of art: a tabletop RPG presented as a fully illustrated comic book, an homage to Bronze Age superhero stories just as Watchmen did, that critically explores and examines the violence inherent in its medium.
39275	The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023 For those of us who’ve always wanted to make their own X-Gene Mutant, Spirit of Vengeance, or Spidersona, this is a must-have book that will bring hours of enjoyment. Masks of the Masks Superhero comics, for all their many flaws, remain my life’s great passion. That’s why, of all the games I’ve played this year, the one I want to shout about from the rooftops is Masks of the Masks by Hazel Amber Goswick. The game is an incredible piece of art: a tabletop RPG presented as a fully illustrated comic book, an homage to Bronze Age superhero stories just as Watchmen did, that critically explores and examines the violence inherent in its medium. It’s an absolute joy to behold as you flip through it; you can feel the love, consideration, and attention to detail dripping off of every move and every panel.
39276	The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023 For those of us who’ve always wanted to make their own X-Gene Mutant, Spirit of Vengeance, or Spidersona, this is a must-have book that will bring hours of enjoyment. Masks of the Masks Superhero comics, for all their many flaws, remain my life’s great passion. That’s why, of all the games I’ve played this year, the one I want to shout about from the rooftops is Masks of the Masks by Hazel Amber Goswick. The game is an incredible piece of art: a tabletop RPG presented as a fully illustrated comic book, an homage to Bronze Age superhero stories just as Watchmen did, that critically explores and examines the violence inherent in its medium. It’s an absolute joy to behold as you flip through it; you can feel the love, consideration, and attention to detail dripping off of every move and every panel. Then, in play, it’s a revelation; a brilliant blend of Belonging Outside Belonging and Powered by the Apocalypse that builds on some of the luminaries of both systems to create something that just sings.
39277	The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023 Masks of the Masks Superhero comics, for all their many flaws, remain my life’s great passion. That’s why, of all the games I’ve played this year, the one I want to shout about from the rooftops is Masks of the Masks by Hazel Amber Goswick. The game is an incredible piece of art: a tabletop RPG presented as a fully illustrated comic book, an homage to Bronze Age superhero stories just as Watchmen did, that critically explores and examines the violence inherent in its medium. It’s an absolute joy to behold as you flip through it; you can feel the love, consideration, and attention to detail dripping off of every move and every panel. Then, in play, it’s a revelation; a brilliant blend of Belonging Outside Belonging and Powered by the Apocalypse that builds on some of the luminaries of both systems to create something that just sings. Plus, it has some of the most wicked advancement mechanics I’ve run into in years, that both add to the play experience while heightening the ever-looming sense of dread and tragedy that’s so essential to comics of that time period.
39278	The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023 The game is an incredible piece of art: a tabletop RPG presented as a fully illustrated comic book, an homage to Bronze Age superhero stories just as Watchmen did, that critically explores and examines the violence inherent in its medium. It’s an absolute joy to behold as you flip through it; you can feel the love, consideration, and attention to detail dripping off of every move and every panel. Then, in play, it’s a revelation; a brilliant blend of Belonging Outside Belonging and Powered by the Apocalypse that builds on some of the luminaries of both systems to create something that just sings. Plus, it has some of the most wicked advancement mechanics I’ve run into in years, that both add to the play experience while heightening the ever-looming sense of dread and tragedy that’s so essential to comics of that time period. Cannot recommend enough. The Monster Overhaul The Monster Overhaul, by Skerples, reimagines not just the monsters, but the very notion of what a bestiary can and should be.
39279	The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023 It’s an absolute joy to behold as you flip through it; you can feel the love, consideration, and attention to detail dripping off of every move and every panel. Then, in play, it’s a revelation; a brilliant blend of Belonging Outside Belonging and Powered by the Apocalypse that builds on some of the luminaries of both systems to create something that just sings. Plus, it has some of the most wicked advancement mechanics I’ve run into in years, that both add to the play experience while heightening the ever-looming sense of dread and tragedy that’s so essential to comics of that time period. Cannot recommend enough. The Monster Overhaul The Monster Overhaul, by Skerples, reimagines not just the monsters, but the very notion of what a bestiary can and should be. The book is divided into 20 categories, each containing 10 critters that hew to a theme.
39280	The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023 It’s an absolute joy to behold as you flip through it; you can feel the love, consideration, and attention to detail dripping off of every move and every panel. Then, in play, it’s a revelation; a brilliant blend of Belonging Outside Belonging and Powered by the Apocalypse that builds on some of the luminaries of both systems to create something that just sings. Plus, it has some of the most wicked advancement mechanics I’ve run into in years, that both add to the play experience while heightening the ever-looming sense of dread and tragedy that’s so essential to comics of that time period. Cannot recommend enough. The Monster Overhaul The Monster Overhaul, by Skerples, reimagines not just the monsters, but the very notion of what a bestiary can and should be. The book is divided into 20 categories, each containing 10 critters that hew to a theme. The categories are unusual: There is “Dragons,” of course, but also “Summer” and “A Wizard Did It.” “Summer” monsters include the Froghemoth and Pyromancers.
39281	The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023 Plus, it has some of the most wicked advancement mechanics I’ve run into in years, that both add to the play experience while heightening the ever-looming sense of dread and tragedy that’s so essential to comics of that time period. Cannot recommend enough. The Monster Overhaul The Monster Overhaul, by Skerples, reimagines not just the monsters, but the very notion of what a bestiary can and should be. The book is divided into 20 categories, each containing 10 critters that hew to a theme. The categories are unusual: There is “Dragons,” of course, but also “Summer” and “A Wizard Did It.” “Summer” monsters include the Froghemoth and Pyromancers. Some of these may sound similar to classic D&D monsters, others are entirely new. Tables galore help build and flesh out encounters. “Summer” has a set of generic swamp hexes; other entries have lairs and dungeons.
39282	The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023 Cannot recommend enough. The Monster Overhaul The Monster Overhaul, by Skerples, reimagines not just the monsters, but the very notion of what a bestiary can and should be. The book is divided into 20 categories, each containing 10 critters that hew to a theme. The categories are unusual: There is “Dragons,” of course, but also “Summer” and “A Wizard Did It.” “Summer” monsters include the Froghemoth and Pyromancers. Some of these may sound similar to classic D&D monsters, others are entirely new. Tables galore help build and flesh out encounters. “Summer” has a set of generic swamp hexes; other entries have lairs and dungeons. There is an entire flowchart table for populating a megadungeon. Every page of this book is designed to make the reader think about monsters, how to make them feel new, or to recontextualize them, or to simply subvert player expectations.
39283	The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023 The book is divided into 20 categories, each containing 10 critters that hew to a theme. The categories are unusual: There is “Dragons,” of course, but also “Summer” and “A Wizard Did It.” “Summer” monsters include the Froghemoth and Pyromancers. Some of these may sound similar to classic D&D monsters, others are entirely new. Tables galore help build and flesh out encounters. “Summer” has a set of generic swamp hexes; other entries have lairs and dungeons. There is an entire flowchart table for populating a megadungeon. Every page of this book is designed to make the reader think about monsters, how to make them feel new, or to recontextualize them, or to simply subvert player expectations. Like all great RPG supplements, The Monster Overhaul not only offers answers for these questions and more, it also teaches the reader how to continue answering them long after these published tables and suggestions are exhausted.
39284	The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023 The categories are unusual: There is “Dragons,” of course, but also “Summer” and “A Wizard Did It.” “Summer” monsters include the Froghemoth and Pyromancers. Some of these may sound similar to classic D&D monsters, others are entirely new. Tables galore help build and flesh out encounters. “Summer” has a set of generic swamp hexes; other entries have lairs and dungeons. There is an entire flowchart table for populating a megadungeon. Every page of this book is designed to make the reader think about monsters, how to make them feel new, or to recontextualize them, or to simply subvert player expectations. Like all great RPG supplements, The Monster Overhaul not only offers answers for these questions and more, it also teaches the reader how to continue answering them long after these published tables and suggestions are exhausted. A monstrous achievement that should be on every GM’s shelf.
39285	The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023 The categories are unusual: There is “Dragons,” of course, but also “Summer” and “A Wizard Did It.” “Summer” monsters include the Froghemoth and Pyromancers. Some of these may sound similar to classic D&D monsters, others are entirely new. Tables galore help build and flesh out encounters. “Summer” has a set of generic swamp hexes; other entries have lairs and dungeons. There is an entire flowchart table for populating a megadungeon. Every page of this book is designed to make the reader think about monsters, how to make them feel new, or to recontextualize them, or to simply subvert player expectations. Like all great RPG supplements, The Monster Overhaul not only offers answers for these questions and more, it also teaches the reader how to continue answering them long after these published tables and suggestions are exhausted. A monstrous achievement that should be on every GM’s shelf. Bonus: Reach of the Roach God Reach of the Roach God is the hardcover high-watermark of A Thousand Thousand Islands (ATTI), a series of zines, that presents a system-agnostic setting inspired by the folklore of Southeast Asia.
39286	The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023 Tables galore help build and flesh out encounters. “Summer” has a set of generic swamp hexes; other entries have lairs and dungeons. There is an entire flowchart table for populating a megadungeon. Every page of this book is designed to make the reader think about monsters, how to make them feel new, or to recontextualize them, or to simply subvert player expectations. Like all great RPG supplements, The Monster Overhaul not only offers answers for these questions and more, it also teaches the reader how to continue answering them long after these published tables and suggestions are exhausted. A monstrous achievement that should be on every GM’s shelf. Bonus: Reach of the Roach God Reach of the Roach God is the hardcover high-watermark of A Thousand Thousand Islands (ATTI), a series of zines, that presents a system-agnostic setting inspired by the folklore of Southeast Asia. Odoyoq, the roach god, senses new ways it can insinuate itself into the lives of non-roachkind.
39287	The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023 There is an entire flowchart table for populating a megadungeon. Every page of this book is designed to make the reader think about monsters, how to make them feel new, or to recontextualize them, or to simply subvert player expectations. Like all great RPG supplements, The Monster Overhaul not only offers answers for these questions and more, it also teaches the reader how to continue answering them long after these published tables and suggestions are exhausted. A monstrous achievement that should be on every GM’s shelf. Bonus: Reach of the Roach God Reach of the Roach God is the hardcover high-watermark of A Thousand Thousand Islands (ATTI), a series of zines, that presents a system-agnostic setting inspired by the folklore of Southeast Asia. Odoyoq, the roach god, senses new ways it can insinuate itself into the lives of non-roachkind. The three schemes are presented as both traditional adventures and as collections of facts — about the setting, about the people living there and their motivations, about the desires of the god and the machinations of its agents.
39288	The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023 Like all great RPG supplements, The Monster Overhaul not only offers answers for these questions and more, it also teaches the reader how to continue answering them long after these published tables and suggestions are exhausted. A monstrous achievement that should be on every GM’s shelf. Bonus: Reach of the Roach God Reach of the Roach God is the hardcover high-watermark of A Thousand Thousand Islands (ATTI), a series of zines, that presents a system-agnostic setting inspired by the folklore of Southeast Asia. Odoyoq, the roach god, senses new ways it can insinuate itself into the lives of non-roachkind. The three schemes are presented as both traditional adventures and as collections of facts — about the setting, about the people living there and their motivations, about the desires of the god and the machinations of its agents. Events will quickly throw a small village, a monastery, and a necropolis into chaos.
39289	The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023 Like all great RPG supplements, The Monster Overhaul not only offers answers for these questions and more, it also teaches the reader how to continue answering them long after these published tables and suggestions are exhausted. A monstrous achievement that should be on every GM’s shelf. Bonus: Reach of the Roach God Reach of the Roach God is the hardcover high-watermark of A Thousand Thousand Islands (ATTI), a series of zines, that presents a system-agnostic setting inspired by the folklore of Southeast Asia. Odoyoq, the roach god, senses new ways it can insinuate itself into the lives of non-roachkind. The three schemes are presented as both traditional adventures and as collections of facts — about the setting, about the people living there and their motivations, about the desires of the god and the machinations of its agents. Events will quickly throw a small village, a monastery, and a necropolis into chaos. Two gazetteers and a sourcebook on the roaches follow, giving the GM ample material to expand the campaign.
39290	The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023 A monstrous achievement that should be on every GM’s shelf. Bonus: Reach of the Roach God Reach of the Roach God is the hardcover high-watermark of A Thousand Thousand Islands (ATTI), a series of zines, that presents a system-agnostic setting inspired by the folklore of Southeast Asia. Odoyoq, the roach god, senses new ways it can insinuate itself into the lives of non-roachkind. The three schemes are presented as both traditional adventures and as collections of facts — about the setting, about the people living there and their motivations, about the desires of the god and the machinations of its agents. Events will quickly throw a small village, a monastery, and a necropolis into chaos. Two gazetteers and a sourcebook on the roaches follow, giving the GM ample material to expand the campaign. All this is wrapped in Munkao’s fantastically disgusting artwork.
39291	The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023 A monstrous achievement that should be on every GM’s shelf. Bonus: Reach of the Roach God Reach of the Roach God is the hardcover high-watermark of A Thousand Thousand Islands (ATTI), a series of zines, that presents a system-agnostic setting inspired by the folklore of Southeast Asia. Odoyoq, the roach god, senses new ways it can insinuate itself into the lives of non-roachkind. The three schemes are presented as both traditional adventures and as collections of facts — about the setting, about the people living there and their motivations, about the desires of the god and the machinations of its agents. Events will quickly throw a small village, a monastery, and a necropolis into chaos. Two gazetteers and a sourcebook on the roaches follow, giving the GM ample material to expand the campaign. All this is wrapped in Munkao’s fantastically disgusting artwork. His vistas and cultural portraits are gorgeous, but when he brings his talents to bear on feelers and chitin and filth, the results are revolting in the best possible way.
39292	The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023 Odoyoq, the roach god, senses new ways it can insinuate itself into the lives of non-roachkind. The three schemes are presented as both traditional adventures and as collections of facts — about the setting, about the people living there and their motivations, about the desires of the god and the machinations of its agents. Events will quickly throw a small village, a monastery, and a necropolis into chaos. Two gazetteers and a sourcebook on the roaches follow, giving the GM ample material to expand the campaign. All this is wrapped in Munkao’s fantastically disgusting artwork. His vistas and cultural portraits are gorgeous, but when he brings his talents to bear on feelers and chitin and filth, the results are revolting in the best possible way. Sadly, this is likely the final installment in the ATTI series and unlikely to be reprinted, so get this book while you can! Monsterhearts Figuring out what to talk about proved trickier than I expected.
39293	The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023 The three schemes are presented as both traditional adventures and as collections of facts — about the setting, about the people living there and their motivations, about the desires of the god and the machinations of its agents. Events will quickly throw a small village, a monastery, and a necropolis into chaos. Two gazetteers and a sourcebook on the roaches follow, giving the GM ample material to expand the campaign. All this is wrapped in Munkao’s fantastically disgusting artwork. His vistas and cultural portraits are gorgeous, but when he brings his talents to bear on feelers and chitin and filth, the results are revolting in the best possible way. Sadly, this is likely the final installment in the ATTI series and unlikely to be reprinted, so get this book while you can! Monsterhearts Figuring out what to talk about proved trickier than I expected. A lot of the things I played this year were playtests or previews for things not out yet, which would feel more like a humblebrag than a recommendation, or were my own games which were great to play but would feel a bit weird and self-indulgent to suggest as the “best.” A really pleasant TTRPG memory I had from this year was playing Monsterhearts for the first time in three years.
39294	The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023 All this is wrapped in Munkao’s fantastically disgusting artwork. His vistas and cultural portraits are gorgeous, but when he brings his talents to bear on feelers and chitin and filth, the results are revolting in the best possible way. Sadly, this is likely the final installment in the ATTI series and unlikely to be reprinted, so get this book while you can! Monsterhearts Figuring out what to talk about proved trickier than I expected. A lot of the things I played this year were playtests or previews for things not out yet, which would feel more like a humblebrag than a recommendation, or were my own games which were great to play but would feel a bit weird and self-indulgent to suggest as the “best.” A really pleasant TTRPG memory I had from this year was playing Monsterhearts for the first time in three years. This was one of the first games I ever played (for ages afterwards I kept calling playbooks in every game “skins”).
39295	The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023 His vistas and cultural portraits are gorgeous, but when he brings his talents to bear on feelers and chitin and filth, the results are revolting in the best possible way. Sadly, this is likely the final installment in the ATTI series and unlikely to be reprinted, so get this book while you can! Monsterhearts Figuring out what to talk about proved trickier than I expected. A lot of the things I played this year were playtests or previews for things not out yet, which would feel more like a humblebrag than a recommendation, or were my own games which were great to play but would feel a bit weird and self-indulgent to suggest as the “best.” A really pleasant TTRPG memory I had from this year was playing Monsterhearts for the first time in three years. This was one of the first games I ever played (for ages afterwards I kept calling playbooks in every game “skins”). I played a one-shot with some friends I was reconnecting with and we mostly group game mastered.
39296	The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023 Sadly, this is likely the final installment in the ATTI series and unlikely to be reprinted, so get this book while you can! Monsterhearts Figuring out what to talk about proved trickier than I expected. A lot of the things I played this year were playtests or previews for things not out yet, which would feel more like a humblebrag than a recommendation, or were my own games which were great to play but would feel a bit weird and self-indulgent to suggest as the “best.” A really pleasant TTRPG memory I had from this year was playing Monsterhearts for the first time in three years. This was one of the first games I ever played (for ages afterwards I kept calling playbooks in every game “skins”). I played a one-shot with some friends I was reconnecting with and we mostly group game mastered. We played a gang of messy screw-ups who didn’t hugely get along, my character had traded her old gender to the fae over the summer, and we tried to investigate a potential monster hunter, a NPC most of our characters found too cool to talk to.
39297	The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023 A lot of the things I played this year were playtests or previews for things not out yet, which would feel more like a humblebrag than a recommendation, or were my own games which were great to play but would feel a bit weird and self-indulgent to suggest as the “best.” A really pleasant TTRPG memory I had from this year was playing Monsterhearts for the first time in three years. This was one of the first games I ever played (for ages afterwards I kept calling playbooks in every game “skins”). I played a one-shot with some friends I was reconnecting with and we mostly group game mastered. We played a gang of messy screw-ups who didn’t hugely get along, my character had traded her old gender to the fae over the summer, and we tried to investigate a potential monster hunter, a NPC most of our characters found too cool to talk to. There was a gag about someone doing a club remix of “Danny Boy” at a memorial service and the group chat with those friends is still named “Danny Boyz (The Pipes, The Pipes).” Mörk Borg Jasmine Bhullar, writer, content creator, executive producer of DesiQuest Of the games I delved into this year, although several afforded hours of entertainment, I felt myself repeatedly returning to one in particular.
39298	The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023 This was one of the first games I ever played (for ages afterwards I kept calling playbooks in every game “skins”). I played a one-shot with some friends I was reconnecting with and we mostly group game mastered. We played a gang of messy screw-ups who didn’t hugely get along, my character had traded her old gender to the fae over the summer, and we tried to investigate a potential monster hunter, a NPC most of our characters found too cool to talk to. There was a gag about someone doing a club remix of “Danny Boy” at a memorial service and the group chat with those friends is still named “Danny Boyz (The Pipes, The Pipes).” Mörk Borg Jasmine Bhullar, writer, content creator, executive producer of DesiQuest Of the games I delved into this year, although several afforded hours of entertainment, I felt myself repeatedly returning to one in particular. Although Mörk Borg was released in 2020, it was only in 2023 that I happily stumbled upon it and was able to somehow get a table together to run a game.
39299	The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023 We played a gang of messy screw-ups who didn’t hugely get along, my character had traded her old gender to the fae over the summer, and we tried to investigate a potential monster hunter, a NPC most of our characters found too cool to talk to. There was a gag about someone doing a club remix of “Danny Boy” at a memorial service and the group chat with those friends is still named “Danny Boyz (The Pipes, The Pipes).” Mörk Borg Jasmine Bhullar, writer, content creator, executive producer of DesiQuest Of the games I delved into this year, although several afforded hours of entertainment, I felt myself repeatedly returning to one in particular. Although Mörk Borg was released in 2020, it was only in 2023 that I happily stumbled upon it and was able to somehow get a table together to run a game. The book itself has a stunning and distinct art style that immediately transports you into the doom metal fantasy of the setting; but that’s only a small part of its allure.

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