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The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023
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.
Unlike many TTRPGs that one merely has aspirations of playing one day, Mörk Borg does everything in its power to make the game easy to run. Although it’s a short read, no line is wasted.
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The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023
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.
Unlike many TTRPGs that one merely has aspirations of playing one day, Mörk Borg does everything in its power to make the game easy to run. Although it’s a short read, no line is wasted. Even item descriptions are dripping with hints at nefarious deeds one must have done to acquire them. The optional classes are an absolute delight for those of us that savor the idea of playing the unsavory. From the esoteric introverts that choose to make their hovel far from prying eyes to the unfortunate discarded-at-birth cutthroats who’ve had to scratch out a living any way they can, there is something for everyone.
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39302
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The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023
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.
Unlike many TTRPGs that one merely has aspirations of playing one day, Mörk Borg does everything in its power to make the game easy to run. Although it’s a short read, no line is wasted. Even item descriptions are dripping with hints at nefarious deeds one must have done to acquire them. The optional classes are an absolute delight for those of us that savor the idea of playing the unsavory. From the esoteric introverts that choose to make their hovel far from prying eyes to the unfortunate discarded-at-birth cutthroats who’ve had to scratch out a living any way they can, there is something for everyone. There is always the option of creating something more tailor-made if none of the classes are appealing, but I appreciate that Mörk Borg offers beginner-friendly ideas and archetypes to help you create something that fits right into the gritty setting.
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39303
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The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023
Unlike many TTRPGs that one merely has aspirations of playing one day, Mörk Borg does everything in its power to make the game easy to run. Although it’s a short read, no line is wasted. Even item descriptions are dripping with hints at nefarious deeds one must have done to acquire them. The optional classes are an absolute delight for those of us that savor the idea of playing the unsavory. From the esoteric introverts that choose to make their hovel far from prying eyes to the unfortunate discarded-at-birth cutthroats who’ve had to scratch out a living any way they can, there is something for everyone. There is always the option of creating something more tailor-made if none of the classes are appealing, but I appreciate that Mörk Borg offers beginner-friendly ideas and archetypes to help you create something that fits right into the gritty setting. Furthermore, in the process of putting a game together, I found a glut of free online tools from dungeon generators to NPC character sheet generators that made game prep a breeze.
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39304
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The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023
Although it’s a short read, no line is wasted. Even item descriptions are dripping with hints at nefarious deeds one must have done to acquire them. The optional classes are an absolute delight for those of us that savor the idea of playing the unsavory. From the esoteric introverts that choose to make their hovel far from prying eyes to the unfortunate discarded-at-birth cutthroats who’ve had to scratch out a living any way they can, there is something for everyone. There is always the option of creating something more tailor-made if none of the classes are appealing, but I appreciate that Mörk Borg offers beginner-friendly ideas and archetypes to help you create something that fits right into the gritty setting. Furthermore, in the process of putting a game together, I found a glut of free online tools from dungeon generators to NPC character sheet generators that made game prep a breeze. I find myself coming back to this game again and again with each game session only giving me ideas for future campaigns.
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39305
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The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023
Even item descriptions are dripping with hints at nefarious deeds one must have done to acquire them. The optional classes are an absolute delight for those of us that savor the idea of playing the unsavory. From the esoteric introverts that choose to make their hovel far from prying eyes to the unfortunate discarded-at-birth cutthroats who’ve had to scratch out a living any way they can, there is something for everyone. There is always the option of creating something more tailor-made if none of the classes are appealing, but I appreciate that Mörk Borg offers beginner-friendly ideas and archetypes to help you create something that fits right into the gritty setting. Furthermore, in the process of putting a game together, I found a glut of free online tools from dungeon generators to NPC character sheet generators that made game prep a breeze. I find myself coming back to this game again and again with each game session only giving me ideas for future campaigns. I know I’m not alone in this feeling given the number of Mörk Borg-compatible games that have sprung up this year, from Pirate Borg to Chris Lockey’s upcoming Abyss of Hallucinations.
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The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023
From the esoteric introverts that choose to make their hovel far from prying eyes to the unfortunate discarded-at-birth cutthroats who’ve had to scratch out a living any way they can, there is something for everyone. There is always the option of creating something more tailor-made if none of the classes are appealing, but I appreciate that Mörk Borg offers beginner-friendly ideas and archetypes to help you create something that fits right into the gritty setting. Furthermore, in the process of putting a game together, I found a glut of free online tools from dungeon generators to NPC character sheet generators that made game prep a breeze. I find myself coming back to this game again and again with each game session only giving me ideas for future campaigns. I know I’m not alone in this feeling given the number of Mörk Borg-compatible games that have sprung up this year, from Pirate Borg to Chris Lockey’s upcoming Abyss of Hallucinations.
I’m Sorry Did You Say Street Magic
Madison Durham, writer and journalist, staff writer at Reviewed
To me, some of the most joyful moments in tabletop gaming come from the experience of creative collaboration — the magic of making something new with friends, be it a narrative, a character, a world, or in this case, a city.
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The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023
Furthermore, in the process of putting a game together, I found a glut of free online tools from dungeon generators to NPC character sheet generators that made game prep a breeze. I find myself coming back to this game again and again with each game session only giving me ideas for future campaigns. I know I’m not alone in this feeling given the number of Mörk Borg-compatible games that have sprung up this year, from Pirate Borg to Chris Lockey’s upcoming Abyss of Hallucinations.
I’m Sorry Did You Say Street Magic
Madison Durham, writer and journalist, staff writer at Reviewed
To me, some of the most joyful moments in tabletop gaming come from the experience of creative collaboration — the magic of making something new with friends, be it a narrative, a character, a world, or in this case, a city. I’m Sorry Did You Say Street Magic by Caro Asercion is a GM-less city-building game, played between a group of two to six people with a stack of index cards and your favorite writing utensils.
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39308
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The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023
I find myself coming back to this game again and again with each game session only giving me ideas for future campaigns. I know I’m not alone in this feeling given the number of Mörk Borg-compatible games that have sprung up this year, from Pirate Borg to Chris Lockey’s upcoming Abyss of Hallucinations.
I’m Sorry Did You Say Street Magic
Madison Durham, writer and journalist, staff writer at Reviewed
To me, some of the most joyful moments in tabletop gaming come from the experience of creative collaboration — the magic of making something new with friends, be it a narrative, a character, a world, or in this case, a city. I’m Sorry Did You Say Street Magic by Caro Asercion is a GM-less city-building game, played between a group of two to six people with a stack of index cards and your favorite writing utensils. The whimsically illustrated rulebook lays out the tools by which you’ll lay bricks for your city, weaving together your ideas and your fellow players’ to establish Landmarks, Residents, and Neighborhoods, all on a quest to find the city’s true names.
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39309
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The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023
I’m Sorry Did You Say Street Magic
Madison Durham, writer and journalist, staff writer at Reviewed
To me, some of the most joyful moments in tabletop gaming come from the experience of creative collaboration — the magic of making something new with friends, be it a narrative, a character, a world, or in this case, a city. I’m Sorry Did You Say Street Magic by Caro Asercion is a GM-less city-building game, played between a group of two to six people with a stack of index cards and your favorite writing utensils. The whimsically illustrated rulebook lays out the tools by which you’ll lay bricks for your city, weaving together your ideas and your fellow players’ to establish Landmarks, Residents, and Neighborhoods, all on a quest to find the city’s true names. It’s a beautifully simple game, guided by a Compass, which can be anything — literally.
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39310
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The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023
I’m Sorry Did You Say Street Magic
Madison Durham, writer and journalist, staff writer at Reviewed
To me, some of the most joyful moments in tabletop gaming come from the experience of creative collaboration — the magic of making something new with friends, be it a narrative, a character, a world, or in this case, a city. I’m Sorry Did You Say Street Magic by Caro Asercion is a GM-less city-building game, played between a group of two to six people with a stack of index cards and your favorite writing utensils. The whimsically illustrated rulebook lays out the tools by which you’ll lay bricks for your city, weaving together your ideas and your fellow players’ to establish Landmarks, Residents, and Neighborhoods, all on a quest to find the city’s true names. It’s a beautifully simple game, guided by a Compass, which can be anything — literally. It’s almost impossible for me to capture the magic of this game with words, because each session we played was so entirely unique, from the verdant turtle-city in the sky we built out in stages to the haunted shell of a city we later used as our D&D setting.
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39311
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The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023
I’m Sorry Did You Say Street Magic by Caro Asercion is a GM-less city-building game, played between a group of two to six people with a stack of index cards and your favorite writing utensils. The whimsically illustrated rulebook lays out the tools by which you’ll lay bricks for your city, weaving together your ideas and your fellow players’ to establish Landmarks, Residents, and Neighborhoods, all on a quest to find the city’s true names. It’s a beautifully simple game, guided by a Compass, which can be anything — literally. It’s almost impossible for me to capture the magic of this game with words, because each session we played was so entirely unique, from the verdant turtle-city in the sky we built out in stages to the haunted shell of a city we later used as our D&D setting. It’s a perfect game full stop, but especially for those seeking to rekindle their creativity, or simply to sit down and create with friends.
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39312
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The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023
The whimsically illustrated rulebook lays out the tools by which you’ll lay bricks for your city, weaving together your ideas and your fellow players’ to establish Landmarks, Residents, and Neighborhoods, all on a quest to find the city’s true names. It’s a beautifully simple game, guided by a Compass, which can be anything — literally. It’s almost impossible for me to capture the magic of this game with words, because each session we played was so entirely unique, from the verdant turtle-city in the sky we built out in stages to the haunted shell of a city we later used as our D&D setting. It’s a perfect game full stop, but especially for those seeking to rekindle their creativity, or simply to sit down and create with friends.
Triangle Agency
“I laughed so hard my face hurt.” —me, 10 minutes after my first session of Triangle Agency
I love a game with style and a clear, fun point of view, so I’ve been a fan of Triangle Agency since I picked up its player guide in beta form earlier this year (to prep for writing a published adventure for the game).
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39313
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The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023
It’s a beautifully simple game, guided by a Compass, which can be anything — literally. It’s almost impossible for me to capture the magic of this game with words, because each session we played was so entirely unique, from the verdant turtle-city in the sky we built out in stages to the haunted shell of a city we later used as our D&D setting. It’s a perfect game full stop, but especially for those seeking to rekindle their creativity, or simply to sit down and create with friends.
Triangle Agency
“I laughed so hard my face hurt.” —me, 10 minutes after my first session of Triangle Agency
I love a game with style and a clear, fun point of view, so I’ve been a fan of Triangle Agency since I picked up its player guide in beta form earlier this year (to prep for writing a published adventure for the game). Written in the form of a cheerful, slightly threatening employee handbook, the Field Agent Manual guides you through the creation of your supernaturally powered character, then gets you ready for your role finding and containing Anomalies that threaten the nature of reality.
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39314
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The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023
It’s a perfect game full stop, but especially for those seeking to rekindle their creativity, or simply to sit down and create with friends.
Triangle Agency
“I laughed so hard my face hurt.” —me, 10 minutes after my first session of Triangle Agency
I love a game with style and a clear, fun point of view, so I’ve been a fan of Triangle Agency since I picked up its player guide in beta form earlier this year (to prep for writing a published adventure for the game). Written in the form of a cheerful, slightly threatening employee handbook, the Field Agent Manual guides you through the creation of your supernaturally powered character, then gets you ready for your role finding and containing Anomalies that threaten the nature of reality. After your team’s morning meeting, of course.
Beyond the style of the materials, though, playing the game was an absolute blast. The mix of mundane life, weird occurrences, and corporate BS created a fast-paced game experience that was playful and easy to understand (just count those threes!
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39315
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The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023
Triangle Agency
“I laughed so hard my face hurt.” —me, 10 minutes after my first session of Triangle Agency
I love a game with style and a clear, fun point of view, so I’ve been a fan of Triangle Agency since I picked up its player guide in beta form earlier this year (to prep for writing a published adventure for the game). Written in the form of a cheerful, slightly threatening employee handbook, the Field Agent Manual guides you through the creation of your supernaturally powered character, then gets you ready for your role finding and containing Anomalies that threaten the nature of reality. After your team’s morning meeting, of course.
Beyond the style of the materials, though, playing the game was an absolute blast. The mix of mundane life, weird occurrences, and corporate BS created a fast-paced game experience that was playful and easy to understand (just count those threes!), got every player invested in our characters and each other (even in a group of total strangers), and allowed the whole table to lean into both the strange and ridiculous nature of life.
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39316
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The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023
Written in the form of a cheerful, slightly threatening employee handbook, the Field Agent Manual guides you through the creation of your supernaturally powered character, then gets you ready for your role finding and containing Anomalies that threaten the nature of reality. After your team’s morning meeting, of course.
Beyond the style of the materials, though, playing the game was an absolute blast. The mix of mundane life, weird occurrences, and corporate BS created a fast-paced game experience that was playful and easy to understand (just count those threes!), got every player invested in our characters and each other (even in a group of total strangers), and allowed the whole table to lean into both the strange and ridiculous nature of life. This year, it was just the kind of joy that I needed.
2023 was a personal tabletop gold mine.
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39317
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The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023
Written in the form of a cheerful, slightly threatening employee handbook, the Field Agent Manual guides you through the creation of your supernaturally powered character, then gets you ready for your role finding and containing Anomalies that threaten the nature of reality. After your team’s morning meeting, of course.
Beyond the style of the materials, though, playing the game was an absolute blast. The mix of mundane life, weird occurrences, and corporate BS created a fast-paced game experience that was playful and easy to understand (just count those threes!), got every player invested in our characters and each other (even in a group of total strangers), and allowed the whole table to lean into both the strange and ridiculous nature of life. This year, it was just the kind of joy that I needed.
2023 was a personal tabletop gold mine. We finally got Brennan Lee Mulligan’s first official 5e homebrew; I discovered tabletop meetup hub and game master meat market StartPlaying.Games, where you can, as I have, hire a handsome Scottish man to D&D dominate you and your friends every week; and I played a ton of my new favorite party game, As You ’Wich.
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The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023
After your team’s morning meeting, of course.
Beyond the style of the materials, though, playing the game was an absolute blast. The mix of mundane life, weird occurrences, and corporate BS created a fast-paced game experience that was playful and easy to understand (just count those threes!), got every player invested in our characters and each other (even in a group of total strangers), and allowed the whole table to lean into both the strange and ridiculous nature of life. This year, it was just the kind of joy that I needed.
2023 was a personal tabletop gold mine. We finally got Brennan Lee Mulligan’s first official 5e homebrew; I discovered tabletop meetup hub and game master meat market StartPlaying.Games, where you can, as I have, hire a handsome Scottish man to D&D dominate you and your friends every week; and I played a ton of my new favorite party game, As You ’Wich. It’s a dead-simple hand-builder that, for me at least, boils down to convincing your nephews to eat disgusting sandwiches (hair, mustard, and broken glass on marble rye, absolutely not toasted).
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39319
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The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023
), got every player invested in our characters and each other (even in a group of total strangers), and allowed the whole table to lean into both the strange and ridiculous nature of life. This year, it was just the kind of joy that I needed.
2023 was a personal tabletop gold mine. We finally got Brennan Lee Mulligan’s first official 5e homebrew; I discovered tabletop meetup hub and game master meat market StartPlaying.Games, where you can, as I have, hire a handsome Scottish man to D&D dominate you and your friends every week; and I played a ton of my new favorite party game, As You ’Wich. It’s a dead-simple hand-builder that, for me at least, boils down to convincing your nephews to eat disgusting sandwiches (hair, mustard, and broken glass on marble rye, absolutely not toasted). But the fresh grand dame of my tabletop world is Triangle Agency, a gleaming, razor-sharp new TTRPG that feels like a cross between The X-Files, Annihilation, and playing Control with the Robert Anton Wilson mod turned on.
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39320
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The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023
This year, it was just the kind of joy that I needed.
2023 was a personal tabletop gold mine. We finally got Brennan Lee Mulligan’s first official 5e homebrew; I discovered tabletop meetup hub and game master meat market StartPlaying.Games, where you can, as I have, hire a handsome Scottish man to D&D dominate you and your friends every week; and I played a ton of my new favorite party game, As You ’Wich. It’s a dead-simple hand-builder that, for me at least, boils down to convincing your nephews to eat disgusting sandwiches (hair, mustard, and broken glass on marble rye, absolutely not toasted). But the fresh grand dame of my tabletop world is Triangle Agency, a gleaming, razor-sharp new TTRPG that feels like a cross between The X-Files, Annihilation, and playing Control with the Robert Anton Wilson mod turned on.
In Triangle Agency, you are super-abled agents investigating and stopping ontological anomalies from destroying reality, with mechanics that feel like the platonic ideal mix of analytic crunch and grand narrative weirdness.
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39321
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The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023
It’s a dead-simple hand-builder that, for me at least, boils down to convincing your nephews to eat disgusting sandwiches (hair, mustard, and broken glass on marble rye, absolutely not toasted). But the fresh grand dame of my tabletop world is Triangle Agency, a gleaming, razor-sharp new TTRPG that feels like a cross between The X-Files, Annihilation, and playing Control with the Robert Anton Wilson mod turned on.
In Triangle Agency, you are super-abled agents investigating and stopping ontological anomalies from destroying reality, with mechanics that feel like the platonic ideal mix of analytic crunch and grand narrative weirdness. And my god, it is gorgeous, with jaw-dropping art and design that puts it on the same shelf as Wanderhome and Mörk Borg.
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39322
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The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023
It’s a dead-simple hand-builder that, for me at least, boils down to convincing your nephews to eat disgusting sandwiches (hair, mustard, and broken glass on marble rye, absolutely not toasted). But the fresh grand dame of my tabletop world is Triangle Agency, a gleaming, razor-sharp new TTRPG that feels like a cross between The X-Files, Annihilation, and playing Control with the Robert Anton Wilson mod turned on.
In Triangle Agency, you are super-abled agents investigating and stopping ontological anomalies from destroying reality, with mechanics that feel like the platonic ideal mix of analytic crunch and grand narrative weirdness. And my god, it is gorgeous, with jaw-dropping art and design that puts it on the same shelf as Wanderhome and Mörk Borg. The full game ships early in 2024, but you can get the digital rules and start playing right now, for the low, low price of “whatever you think is appropriate.”
Twilight: 2000
Charlie Hall, senior editor, tabletop
I firmly believe that tabletop role-play should always take into account the audience that sits down at the table to play.
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The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023
But the fresh grand dame of my tabletop world is Triangle Agency, a gleaming, razor-sharp new TTRPG that feels like a cross between The X-Files, Annihilation, and playing Control with the Robert Anton Wilson mod turned on.
In Triangle Agency, you are super-abled agents investigating and stopping ontological anomalies from destroying reality, with mechanics that feel like the platonic ideal mix of analytic crunch and grand narrative weirdness. And my god, it is gorgeous, with jaw-dropping art and design that puts it on the same shelf as Wanderhome and Mörk Borg. The full game ships early in 2024, but you can get the digital rules and start playing right now, for the low, low price of “whatever you think is appropriate.”
Twilight: 2000
Charlie Hall, senior editor, tabletop
I firmly believe that tabletop role-play should always take into account the audience that sits down at the table to play. That’s part of the reason why I hate best-of lists for this particular category of games in particular.
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39324
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The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023
In Triangle Agency, you are super-abled agents investigating and stopping ontological anomalies from destroying reality, with mechanics that feel like the platonic ideal mix of analytic crunch and grand narrative weirdness. And my god, it is gorgeous, with jaw-dropping art and design that puts it on the same shelf as Wanderhome and Mörk Borg. The full game ships early in 2024, but you can get the digital rules and start playing right now, for the low, low price of “whatever you think is appropriate.”
Twilight: 2000
Charlie Hall, senior editor, tabletop
I firmly believe that tabletop role-play should always take into account the audience that sits down at the table to play. That’s part of the reason why I hate best-of lists for this particular category of games in particular. What difference does it make if something scores highly on some arbitrary rubric if it doesn’t resonate with the people in your community?
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39325
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The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023
In Triangle Agency, you are super-abled agents investigating and stopping ontological anomalies from destroying reality, with mechanics that feel like the platonic ideal mix of analytic crunch and grand narrative weirdness. And my god, it is gorgeous, with jaw-dropping art and design that puts it on the same shelf as Wanderhome and Mörk Borg. The full game ships early in 2024, but you can get the digital rules and start playing right now, for the low, low price of “whatever you think is appropriate.”
Twilight: 2000
Charlie Hall, senior editor, tabletop
I firmly believe that tabletop role-play should always take into account the audience that sits down at the table to play. That’s part of the reason why I hate best-of lists for this particular category of games in particular. What difference does it make if something scores highly on some arbitrary rubric if it doesn’t resonate with the people in your community? And so I look at year-end lists like these as a kind of menu, boards of fare that clever game masters can use to pick just the right flavor for a given table.
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The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023
And my god, it is gorgeous, with jaw-dropping art and design that puts it on the same shelf as Wanderhome and Mörk Borg. The full game ships early in 2024, but you can get the digital rules and start playing right now, for the low, low price of “whatever you think is appropriate.”
Twilight: 2000
Charlie Hall, senior editor, tabletop
I firmly believe that tabletop role-play should always take into account the audience that sits down at the table to play. That’s part of the reason why I hate best-of lists for this particular category of games in particular. What difference does it make if something scores highly on some arbitrary rubric if it doesn’t resonate with the people in your community? And so I look at year-end lists like these as a kind of menu, boards of fare that clever game masters can use to pick just the right flavor for a given table.
For me this year was all about reconnecting with the other dads in my neighborhood after years spent locked inside during the pandemic.
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The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023
The full game ships early in 2024, but you can get the digital rules and start playing right now, for the low, low price of “whatever you think is appropriate.”
Twilight: 2000
Charlie Hall, senior editor, tabletop
I firmly believe that tabletop role-play should always take into account the audience that sits down at the table to play. That’s part of the reason why I hate best-of lists for this particular category of games in particular. What difference does it make if something scores highly on some arbitrary rubric if it doesn’t resonate with the people in your community? And so I look at year-end lists like these as a kind of menu, boards of fare that clever game masters can use to pick just the right flavor for a given table.
For me this year was all about reconnecting with the other dads in my neighborhood after years spent locked inside during the pandemic. I spun up a Discord that we used to organize friendly games of Call of Duty’s DMZ mode, organized a few visits to the local brewery to catch up make new connections, and generally just tried to get awkward, middle-aged men accustomed to seeing each other socially again.
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39328
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The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023
That’s part of the reason why I hate best-of lists for this particular category of games in particular. What difference does it make if something scores highly on some arbitrary rubric if it doesn’t resonate with the people in your community? And so I look at year-end lists like these as a kind of menu, boards of fare that clever game masters can use to pick just the right flavor for a given table.
For me this year was all about reconnecting with the other dads in my neighborhood after years spent locked inside during the pandemic. I spun up a Discord that we used to organize friendly games of Call of Duty’s DMZ mode, organized a few visits to the local brewery to catch up make new connections, and generally just tried to get awkward, middle-aged men accustomed to seeing each other socially again. One night I decided to bust out Twilight: 2000, and it was an instant hit.
Twilight: 2000 is a game about surviving in the aftermath of a fictional nuclear conflict in the heart of Europe.
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39329
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The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023
What difference does it make if something scores highly on some arbitrary rubric if it doesn’t resonate with the people in your community? And so I look at year-end lists like these as a kind of menu, boards of fare that clever game masters can use to pick just the right flavor for a given table.
For me this year was all about reconnecting with the other dads in my neighborhood after years spent locked inside during the pandemic. I spun up a Discord that we used to organize friendly games of Call of Duty’s DMZ mode, organized a few visits to the local brewery to catch up make new connections, and generally just tried to get awkward, middle-aged men accustomed to seeing each other socially again. One night I decided to bust out Twilight: 2000, and it was an instant hit.
Twilight: 2000 is a game about surviving in the aftermath of a fictional nuclear conflict in the heart of Europe. It’s an alternate history where the Cold War went hot, swallowing up an entire United States Marine division.
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39330
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The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023
And so I look at year-end lists like these as a kind of menu, boards of fare that clever game masters can use to pick just the right flavor for a given table.
For me this year was all about reconnecting with the other dads in my neighborhood after years spent locked inside during the pandemic. I spun up a Discord that we used to organize friendly games of Call of Duty’s DMZ mode, organized a few visits to the local brewery to catch up make new connections, and generally just tried to get awkward, middle-aged men accustomed to seeing each other socially again. One night I decided to bust out Twilight: 2000, and it was an instant hit.
Twilight: 2000 is a game about surviving in the aftermath of a fictional nuclear conflict in the heart of Europe. It’s an alternate history where the Cold War went hot, swallowing up an entire United States Marine division. Players take on the role of soldiers and other hangers-on just trying to make it out alive.
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39331
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The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023
For me this year was all about reconnecting with the other dads in my neighborhood after years spent locked inside during the pandemic. I spun up a Discord that we used to organize friendly games of Call of Duty’s DMZ mode, organized a few visits to the local brewery to catch up make new connections, and generally just tried to get awkward, middle-aged men accustomed to seeing each other socially again. One night I decided to bust out Twilight: 2000, and it was an instant hit.
Twilight: 2000 is a game about surviving in the aftermath of a fictional nuclear conflict in the heart of Europe. It’s an alternate history where the Cold War went hot, swallowing up an entire United States Marine division. Players take on the role of soldiers and other hangers-on just trying to make it out alive. The heady mix of dice-driven gunplay and a playing-card-style encounter creation makes it easy to run.
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39332
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The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023
For me this year was all about reconnecting with the other dads in my neighborhood after years spent locked inside during the pandemic. I spun up a Discord that we used to organize friendly games of Call of Duty’s DMZ mode, organized a few visits to the local brewery to catch up make new connections, and generally just tried to get awkward, middle-aged men accustomed to seeing each other socially again. One night I decided to bust out Twilight: 2000, and it was an instant hit.
Twilight: 2000 is a game about surviving in the aftermath of a fictional nuclear conflict in the heart of Europe. It’s an alternate history where the Cold War went hot, swallowing up an entire United States Marine division. Players take on the role of soldiers and other hangers-on just trying to make it out alive. The heady mix of dice-driven gunplay and a playing-card-style encounter creation makes it easy to run. But the fun begins even before that with character generation, which uses old school randomized tables to simulate an entire military career.
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The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023
I spun up a Discord that we used to organize friendly games of Call of Duty’s DMZ mode, organized a few visits to the local brewery to catch up make new connections, and generally just tried to get awkward, middle-aged men accustomed to seeing each other socially again. One night I decided to bust out Twilight: 2000, and it was an instant hit.
Twilight: 2000 is a game about surviving in the aftermath of a fictional nuclear conflict in the heart of Europe. It’s an alternate history where the Cold War went hot, swallowing up an entire United States Marine division. Players take on the role of soldiers and other hangers-on just trying to make it out alive. The heady mix of dice-driven gunplay and a playing-card-style encounter creation makes it easy to run. But the fun begins even before that with character generation, which uses old school randomized tables to simulate an entire military career. If you’re looking to get your video gaming buddies around the table for something that doesn’t require a headset or shouting down pre-teens in a glitchy public lobby, the all-inclusive starter set comes highly recommended.
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The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023
One night I decided to bust out Twilight: 2000, and it was an instant hit.
Twilight: 2000 is a game about surviving in the aftermath of a fictional nuclear conflict in the heart of Europe. It’s an alternate history where the Cold War went hot, swallowing up an entire United States Marine division. Players take on the role of soldiers and other hangers-on just trying to make it out alive. The heady mix of dice-driven gunplay and a playing-card-style encounter creation makes it easy to run. But the fun begins even before that with character generation, which uses old school randomized tables to simulate an entire military career. If you’re looking to get your video gaming buddies around the table for something that doesn’t require a headset or shouting down pre-teens in a glitchy public lobby, the all-inclusive starter set comes highly recommended.
Project ECCO
It’s a near-impossible task to get a consistent group together, so solo TTRPGs have become my primary method of gaming.
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The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023
Twilight: 2000 is a game about surviving in the aftermath of a fictional nuclear conflict in the heart of Europe. It’s an alternate history where the Cold War went hot, swallowing up an entire United States Marine division. Players take on the role of soldiers and other hangers-on just trying to make it out alive. The heady mix of dice-driven gunplay and a playing-card-style encounter creation makes it easy to run. But the fun begins even before that with character generation, which uses old school randomized tables to simulate an entire military career. If you’re looking to get your video gaming buddies around the table for something that doesn’t require a headset or shouting down pre-teens in a glitchy public lobby, the all-inclusive starter set comes highly recommended.
Project ECCO
It’s a near-impossible task to get a consistent group together, so solo TTRPGs have become my primary method of gaming. However, the barrier for me is finding a game with a balance of narrative and mechanics that isn’t overwhelmingly crunchy, but also isn’t open-ended to the point of choice paralysis.
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The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023
Players take on the role of soldiers and other hangers-on just trying to make it out alive. The heady mix of dice-driven gunplay and a playing-card-style encounter creation makes it easy to run. But the fun begins even before that with character generation, which uses old school randomized tables to simulate an entire military career. If you’re looking to get your video gaming buddies around the table for something that doesn’t require a headset or shouting down pre-teens in a glitchy public lobby, the all-inclusive starter set comes highly recommended.
Project ECCO
It’s a near-impossible task to get a consistent group together, so solo TTRPGs have become my primary method of gaming. However, the barrier for me is finding a game with a balance of narrative and mechanics that isn’t overwhelmingly crunchy, but also isn’t open-ended to the point of choice paralysis. For me, Project ECCO found that balance.
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The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023
Players take on the role of soldiers and other hangers-on just trying to make it out alive. The heady mix of dice-driven gunplay and a playing-card-style encounter creation makes it easy to run. But the fun begins even before that with character generation, which uses old school randomized tables to simulate an entire military career. If you’re looking to get your video gaming buddies around the table for something that doesn’t require a headset or shouting down pre-teens in a glitchy public lobby, the all-inclusive starter set comes highly recommended.
Project ECCO
It’s a near-impossible task to get a consistent group together, so solo TTRPGs have become my primary method of gaming. However, the barrier for me is finding a game with a balance of narrative and mechanics that isn’t overwhelmingly crunchy, but also isn’t open-ended to the point of choice paralysis. For me, Project ECCO found that balance.
A story of time travel and cosmic horror, Project ECCO is easy to get into and relatively quick to play (three to 10 hours per game).
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The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023
But the fun begins even before that with character generation, which uses old school randomized tables to simulate an entire military career. If you’re looking to get your video gaming buddies around the table for something that doesn’t require a headset or shouting down pre-teens in a glitchy public lobby, the all-inclusive starter set comes highly recommended.
Project ECCO
It’s a near-impossible task to get a consistent group together, so solo TTRPGs have become my primary method of gaming. However, the barrier for me is finding a game with a balance of narrative and mechanics that isn’t overwhelmingly crunchy, but also isn’t open-ended to the point of choice paralysis. For me, Project ECCO found that balance.
A story of time travel and cosmic horror, Project ECCO is easy to get into and relatively quick to play (three to 10 hours per game). Between the hundreds of narrative prompts, unlocking various time travel “devices” (coins, dice, tarot cards, etc.
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The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023
If you’re looking to get your video gaming buddies around the table for something that doesn’t require a headset or shouting down pre-teens in a glitchy public lobby, the all-inclusive starter set comes highly recommended.
Project ECCO
It’s a near-impossible task to get a consistent group together, so solo TTRPGs have become my primary method of gaming. However, the barrier for me is finding a game with a balance of narrative and mechanics that isn’t overwhelmingly crunchy, but also isn’t open-ended to the point of choice paralysis. For me, Project ECCO found that balance.
A story of time travel and cosmic horror, Project ECCO is easy to get into and relatively quick to play (three to 10 hours per game). Between the hundreds of narrative prompts, unlocking various time travel “devices” (coins, dice, tarot cards, etc.), and the absolutely stunning layout, this is one of my favorite TTRPGs, period.
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The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023
Project ECCO
It’s a near-impossible task to get a consistent group together, so solo TTRPGs have become my primary method of gaming. However, the barrier for me is finding a game with a balance of narrative and mechanics that isn’t overwhelmingly crunchy, but also isn’t open-ended to the point of choice paralysis. For me, Project ECCO found that balance.
A story of time travel and cosmic horror, Project ECCO is easy to get into and relatively quick to play (three to 10 hours per game). Between the hundreds of narrative prompts, unlocking various time travel “devices” (coins, dice, tarot cards, etc.), and the absolutely stunning layout, this is one of my favorite TTRPGs, period.
Played in the pages of a yearly planner, Project ECCO hits every beat of a good time-travel story: time loops and timeline divergences, a shady and controlling Time Travel Agency, and an unknowable cosmic Entity consuming spacetime.
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The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023
However, the barrier for me is finding a game with a balance of narrative and mechanics that isn’t overwhelmingly crunchy, but also isn’t open-ended to the point of choice paralysis. For me, Project ECCO found that balance.
A story of time travel and cosmic horror, Project ECCO is easy to get into and relatively quick to play (three to 10 hours per game). Between the hundreds of narrative prompts, unlocking various time travel “devices” (coins, dice, tarot cards, etc.), and the absolutely stunning layout, this is one of my favorite TTRPGs, period.
Played in the pages of a yearly planner, Project ECCO hits every beat of a good time-travel story: time loops and timeline divergences, a shady and controlling Time Travel Agency, and an unknowable cosmic Entity consuming spacetime. As you play, you (literally) burn through the days of your planner, creating an artifact, marked and changed by the telling of your agent’s story.
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The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023
For me, Project ECCO found that balance.
A story of time travel and cosmic horror, Project ECCO is easy to get into and relatively quick to play (three to 10 hours per game). Between the hundreds of narrative prompts, unlocking various time travel “devices” (coins, dice, tarot cards, etc.), and the absolutely stunning layout, this is one of my favorite TTRPGs, period.
Played in the pages of a yearly planner, Project ECCO hits every beat of a good time-travel story: time loops and timeline divergences, a shady and controlling Time Travel Agency, and an unknowable cosmic Entity consuming spacetime. As you play, you (literally) burn through the days of your planner, creating an artifact, marked and changed by the telling of your agent’s story.
For an example of gameplay and a masterfully produced actual play, listen to the Project ECCO miniseason of My First Dungeon with game designer Elliot Davis.
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The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023
A story of time travel and cosmic horror, Project ECCO is easy to get into and relatively quick to play (three to 10 hours per game). Between the hundreds of narrative prompts, unlocking various time travel “devices” (coins, dice, tarot cards, etc.), and the absolutely stunning layout, this is one of my favorite TTRPGs, period.
Played in the pages of a yearly planner, Project ECCO hits every beat of a good time-travel story: time loops and timeline divergences, a shady and controlling Time Travel Agency, and an unknowable cosmic Entity consuming spacetime. As you play, you (literally) burn through the days of your planner, creating an artifact, marked and changed by the telling of your agent’s story.
For an example of gameplay and a masterfully produced actual play, listen to the Project ECCO miniseason of My First Dungeon with game designer Elliot Davis.
The Quiet Year
Em Friedman, associate professor of English at Auburn University and Polygon contributor
Look, The Quiet Year appeared not once but twice on last year’s roundup, I know.
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The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023
Between the hundreds of narrative prompts, unlocking various time travel “devices” (coins, dice, tarot cards, etc.), and the absolutely stunning layout, this is one of my favorite TTRPGs, period.
Played in the pages of a yearly planner, Project ECCO hits every beat of a good time-travel story: time loops and timeline divergences, a shady and controlling Time Travel Agency, and an unknowable cosmic Entity consuming spacetime. As you play, you (literally) burn through the days of your planner, creating an artifact, marked and changed by the telling of your agent’s story.
For an example of gameplay and a masterfully produced actual play, listen to the Project ECCO miniseason of My First Dungeon with game designer Elliot Davis.
The Quiet Year
Em Friedman, associate professor of English at Auburn University and Polygon contributor
Look, The Quiet Year appeared not once but twice on last year’s roundup, I know. Jay Dragon praised its elegance and Keerthi Sridharan noted the way their game group used it as a prologue (as Friends at the Table and The Adventure Zone have popularized), and it’s a standard early on in my TTPRG class.
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The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023
As you play, you (literally) burn through the days of your planner, creating an artifact, marked and changed by the telling of your agent’s story.
For an example of gameplay and a masterfully produced actual play, listen to the Project ECCO miniseason of My First Dungeon with game designer Elliot Davis.
The Quiet Year
Em Friedman, associate professor of English at Auburn University and Polygon contributor
Look, The Quiet Year appeared not once but twice on last year’s roundup, I know. Jay Dragon praised its elegance and Keerthi Sridharan noted the way their game group used it as a prologue (as Friends at the Table and The Adventure Zone have popularized), and it’s a standard early on in my TTPRG class. But for me it was the standout game of this year because after running it for my niece (then 4) and nephew (8), my nephew asked that I run “the skulls game” for his entire class.
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The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023
For an example of gameplay and a masterfully produced actual play, listen to the Project ECCO miniseason of My First Dungeon with game designer Elliot Davis.
The Quiet Year
Em Friedman, associate professor of English at Auburn University and Polygon contributor
Look, The Quiet Year appeared not once but twice on last year’s roundup, I know. Jay Dragon praised its elegance and Keerthi Sridharan noted the way their game group used it as a prologue (as Friends at the Table and The Adventure Zone have popularized), and it’s a standard early on in my TTPRG class. But for me it was the standout game of this year because after running it for my niece (then 4) and nephew (8), my nephew asked that I run “the skulls game” for his entire class. While not intended for a dozen grade schoolers, it turns out the mechanics of The Quiet Year — which ensure everyone gets to have their turn unimpeded by the commentary of others, ritualizes dissent and discussion, as well as having a glorious sheet of blank paper to draw the zombie chicken monster friend of your dreams — turned out to be a perfect framework to imagine how to work together.
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The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023
Jay Dragon praised its elegance and Keerthi Sridharan noted the way their game group used it as a prologue (as Friends at the Table and The Adventure Zone have popularized), and it’s a standard early on in my TTPRG class. But for me it was the standout game of this year because after running it for my niece (then 4) and nephew (8), my nephew asked that I run “the skulls game” for his entire class. While not intended for a dozen grade schoolers, it turns out the mechanics of The Quiet Year — which ensure everyone gets to have their turn unimpeded by the commentary of others, ritualizes dissent and discussion, as well as having a glorious sheet of blank paper to draw the zombie chicken monster friend of your dreams — turned out to be a perfect framework to imagine how to work together. All that, and it fits in my pocket.
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39348
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The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023
Jay Dragon praised its elegance and Keerthi Sridharan noted the way their game group used it as a prologue (as Friends at the Table and The Adventure Zone have popularized), and it’s a standard early on in my TTPRG class. But for me it was the standout game of this year because after running it for my niece (then 4) and nephew (8), my nephew asked that I run “the skulls game” for his entire class. While not intended for a dozen grade schoolers, it turns out the mechanics of The Quiet Year — which ensure everyone gets to have their turn unimpeded by the commentary of others, ritualizes dissent and discussion, as well as having a glorious sheet of blank paper to draw the zombie chicken monster friend of your dreams — turned out to be a perfect framework to imagine how to work together. All that, and it fits in my pocket.
What Dust Remains
Danny Quach, Digital Thiccness, TTRPG writer, designer, and performer
Despite my generally sunny disposition, big smile, and boisterous laughter (as well as being deemed the internet’s emotional support himbo), I love all of my emotions — the good, bad, and ugly.
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The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023
While not intended for a dozen grade schoolers, it turns out the mechanics of The Quiet Year — which ensure everyone gets to have their turn unimpeded by the commentary of others, ritualizes dissent and discussion, as well as having a glorious sheet of blank paper to draw the zombie chicken monster friend of your dreams — turned out to be a perfect framework to imagine how to work together. All that, and it fits in my pocket.
What Dust Remains
Danny Quach, Digital Thiccness, TTRPG writer, designer, and performer
Despite my generally sunny disposition, big smile, and boisterous laughter (as well as being deemed the internet’s emotional support himbo), I love all of my emotions — the good, bad, and ugly. I love emo/screamo/post-hardcore music and exploring the darkness through lyrics. I love the gothic and macabre, finding comfort in losing something you once had. I love horror movies and the inherent queerness of being an outcast being pushed to their limits.
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The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023
All that, and it fits in my pocket.
What Dust Remains
Danny Quach, Digital Thiccness, TTRPG writer, designer, and performer
Despite my generally sunny disposition, big smile, and boisterous laughter (as well as being deemed the internet’s emotional support himbo), I love all of my emotions — the good, bad, and ugly. I love emo/screamo/post-hardcore music and exploring the darkness through lyrics. I love the gothic and macabre, finding comfort in losing something you once had. I love horror movies and the inherent queerness of being an outcast being pushed to their limits. And I love games that explore themes of melancholy and loss. Enter: What Dust Remains by 2022 Diana Jones Emerging Designer award winner Bianca Canoza — aka Momatoes.
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The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023
All that, and it fits in my pocket.
What Dust Remains
Danny Quach, Digital Thiccness, TTRPG writer, designer, and performer
Despite my generally sunny disposition, big smile, and boisterous laughter (as well as being deemed the internet’s emotional support himbo), I love all of my emotions — the good, bad, and ugly. I love emo/screamo/post-hardcore music and exploring the darkness through lyrics. I love the gothic and macabre, finding comfort in losing something you once had. I love horror movies and the inherent queerness of being an outcast being pushed to their limits. And I love games that explore themes of melancholy and loss. Enter: What Dust Remains by 2022 Diana Jones Emerging Designer award winner Bianca Canoza — aka Momatoes. Taught by the designer herself, I got to play this at Big Bad Con 2023 with two other strangers who quickly became co-collaborators in this tragic world we built in under two hours that told a story of a legacy that wasn’t quite within reach.
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The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023
I love emo/screamo/post-hardcore music and exploring the darkness through lyrics. I love the gothic and macabre, finding comfort in losing something you once had. I love horror movies and the inherent queerness of being an outcast being pushed to their limits. And I love games that explore themes of melancholy and loss. Enter: What Dust Remains by 2022 Diana Jones Emerging Designer award winner Bianca Canoza — aka Momatoes. Taught by the designer herself, I got to play this at Big Bad Con 2023 with two other strangers who quickly became co-collaborators in this tragic world we built in under two hours that told a story of a legacy that wasn’t quite within reach. Impassioned and intriguing card-prompted questions along with focused, intense moments of dice rolls that helped move the story along, What Dust Remains challenged me to discover, explore, and sit in moments of despair and desperation and had the whole table contemplating what parts of us are we going to sacrifice to leave a legacy that would be bigger than we could ever be behind.
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The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023
I love horror movies and the inherent queerness of being an outcast being pushed to their limits. And I love games that explore themes of melancholy and loss. Enter: What Dust Remains by 2022 Diana Jones Emerging Designer award winner Bianca Canoza — aka Momatoes. Taught by the designer herself, I got to play this at Big Bad Con 2023 with two other strangers who quickly became co-collaborators in this tragic world we built in under two hours that told a story of a legacy that wasn’t quite within reach. Impassioned and intriguing card-prompted questions along with focused, intense moments of dice rolls that helped move the story along, What Dust Remains challenged me to discover, explore, and sit in moments of despair and desperation and had the whole table contemplating what parts of us are we going to sacrifice to leave a legacy that would be bigger than we could ever be behind.
The Wildsea
Earlier this year, I searched for the perfect system to kickstart my new actual-play campaign with three “must-haves” in mind: a vivid world, rich character options, and simple but punchy rules.
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The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023
Taught by the designer herself, I got to play this at Big Bad Con 2023 with two other strangers who quickly became co-collaborators in this tragic world we built in under two hours that told a story of a legacy that wasn’t quite within reach. Impassioned and intriguing card-prompted questions along with focused, intense moments of dice rolls that helped move the story along, What Dust Remains challenged me to discover, explore, and sit in moments of despair and desperation and had the whole table contemplating what parts of us are we going to sacrifice to leave a legacy that would be bigger than we could ever be behind.
The Wildsea
Earlier this year, I searched for the perfect system to kickstart my new actual-play campaign with three “must-haves” in mind: a vivid world, rich character options, and simple but punchy rules. Through sheer accident (providence?), I stumbled upon The Wildsea by Felix Isaacs and Mythworks — and it was love at first sight.
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The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023
Impassioned and intriguing card-prompted questions along with focused, intense moments of dice rolls that helped move the story along, What Dust Remains challenged me to discover, explore, and sit in moments of despair and desperation and had the whole table contemplating what parts of us are we going to sacrifice to leave a legacy that would be bigger than we could ever be behind.
The Wildsea
Earlier this year, I searched for the perfect system to kickstart my new actual-play campaign with three “must-haves” in mind: a vivid world, rich character options, and simple but punchy rules. Through sheer accident (providence?), I stumbled upon The Wildsea by Felix Isaacs and Mythworks — and it was love at first sight.
In this game, players embody wildsailors: swashbuckling adventurers who traverse a strange and vibrant world made of fantastical vegetation.
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39356
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The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023
Impassioned and intriguing card-prompted questions along with focused, intense moments of dice rolls that helped move the story along, What Dust Remains challenged me to discover, explore, and sit in moments of despair and desperation and had the whole table contemplating what parts of us are we going to sacrifice to leave a legacy that would be bigger than we could ever be behind.
The Wildsea
Earlier this year, I searched for the perfect system to kickstart my new actual-play campaign with three “must-haves” in mind: a vivid world, rich character options, and simple but punchy rules. Through sheer accident (providence?), I stumbled upon The Wildsea by Felix Isaacs and Mythworks — and it was love at first sight.
In this game, players embody wildsailors: swashbuckling adventurers who traverse a strange and vibrant world made of fantastical vegetation. The character generation process encourages delightfully bizarre concepts like pinwolf-taming sharpshooters trapped in amber, omen-speaking moth chefs, or even collections of a thousand spiders wearing skin suits.
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The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023
The Wildsea
Earlier this year, I searched for the perfect system to kickstart my new actual-play campaign with three “must-haves” in mind: a vivid world, rich character options, and simple but punchy rules. Through sheer accident (providence?), I stumbled upon The Wildsea by Felix Isaacs and Mythworks — and it was love at first sight.
In this game, players embody wildsailors: swashbuckling adventurers who traverse a strange and vibrant world made of fantastical vegetation. The character generation process encourages delightfully bizarre concepts like pinwolf-taming sharpshooters trapped in amber, omen-speaking moth chefs, or even collections of a thousand spiders wearing skin suits. The mechanics are structured around a d6 dice pool system with bands of success that generate interesting outcomes no matter what you roll.
The beautifully illustrated rulebook not only allowed me to add my own twists, but actively endorsed it, with multiple sections dedicated to alternate ways of running encounters and ideas for creating your own unique lore.
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The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023
Through sheer accident (providence?), I stumbled upon The Wildsea by Felix Isaacs and Mythworks — and it was love at first sight.
In this game, players embody wildsailors: swashbuckling adventurers who traverse a strange and vibrant world made of fantastical vegetation. The character generation process encourages delightfully bizarre concepts like pinwolf-taming sharpshooters trapped in amber, omen-speaking moth chefs, or even collections of a thousand spiders wearing skin suits. The mechanics are structured around a d6 dice pool system with bands of success that generate interesting outcomes no matter what you roll.
The beautifully illustrated rulebook not only allowed me to add my own twists, but actively endorsed it, with multiple sections dedicated to alternate ways of running encounters and ideas for creating your own unique lore. My players and I had an absolute BLAST playing The Wildsea both on and off stream, and we were stoked (but not surprised!) when it won an Ennie this year.
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The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2023
), I stumbled upon The Wildsea by Felix Isaacs and Mythworks — and it was love at first sight.
In this game, players embody wildsailors: swashbuckling adventurers who traverse a strange and vibrant world made of fantastical vegetation. The character generation process encourages delightfully bizarre concepts like pinwolf-taming sharpshooters trapped in amber, omen-speaking moth chefs, or even collections of a thousand spiders wearing skin suits. The mechanics are structured around a d6 dice pool system with bands of success that generate interesting outcomes no matter what you roll.
The beautifully illustrated rulebook not only allowed me to add my own twists, but actively endorsed it, with multiple sections dedicated to alternate ways of running encounters and ideas for creating your own unique lore. My players and I had an absolute BLAST playing The Wildsea both on and off stream, and we were stoked (but not surprised!) when it won an Ennie this year. If you’re looking for a narratively focused game with an imaginative world and mechanics that inspire cinematic play, then give The Wildsea a shot!
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Rogue Trader’s role-playing embraces the brutality and freedom of Warhammer 40K
“In the grim darkness of the far future, there is only war.” That’s the tagline of Warhammer 40,000, one of the most over-the-top and brutal sci-fi settings around. But even in a merciless, brutal dystopia that grinds its people into dust, some get to enjoy being on the top of the food chain. Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader is about the perils and pleasures of being atop that particular hierarchy.
Rogue Traders in 40K are freelance explorers, scouting the far frontiers of the Imperium of Man. It’s a risky career, but it comes with luxurious rewards: agency, freedom, power, and a giant flagship. As the player, I explore a system of the Imperium with a loyal crew of companions, making impactful choices and determining the fate of those around me.
Rogue Trader is a computer role-playing game in the vein of Baldur’s Gate 3 or Pillars of Eternity.
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Rogue Trader’s role-playing embraces the brutality and freedom of Warhammer 40K
But even in a merciless, brutal dystopia that grinds its people into dust, some get to enjoy being on the top of the food chain. Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader is about the perils and pleasures of being atop that particular hierarchy.
Rogue Traders in 40K are freelance explorers, scouting the far frontiers of the Imperium of Man. It’s a risky career, but it comes with luxurious rewards: agency, freedom, power, and a giant flagship. As the player, I explore a system of the Imperium with a loyal crew of companions, making impactful choices and determining the fate of those around me.
Rogue Trader is a computer role-playing game in the vein of Baldur’s Gate 3 or Pillars of Eternity. I create my custom protagonist, determining stats and bonuses based on my backstory, home world, and so on. I’m then thrust into a high-pressure job interview as a potential heir to a Rogue Trader aboard her flagship.
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Rogue Trader’s role-playing embraces the brutality and freedom of Warhammer 40K
Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader is about the perils and pleasures of being atop that particular hierarchy.
Rogue Traders in 40K are freelance explorers, scouting the far frontiers of the Imperium of Man. It’s a risky career, but it comes with luxurious rewards: agency, freedom, power, and a giant flagship. As the player, I explore a system of the Imperium with a loyal crew of companions, making impactful choices and determining the fate of those around me.
Rogue Trader is a computer role-playing game in the vein of Baldur’s Gate 3 or Pillars of Eternity. I create my custom protagonist, determining stats and bonuses based on my backstory, home world, and so on. I’m then thrust into a high-pressure job interview as a potential heir to a Rogue Trader aboard her flagship. Little do we know that there’s a coup in the works, and traitors aboard the ship.
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Rogue Trader’s role-playing embraces the brutality and freedom of Warhammer 40K
Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader is about the perils and pleasures of being atop that particular hierarchy.
Rogue Traders in 40K are freelance explorers, scouting the far frontiers of the Imperium of Man. It’s a risky career, but it comes with luxurious rewards: agency, freedom, power, and a giant flagship. As the player, I explore a system of the Imperium with a loyal crew of companions, making impactful choices and determining the fate of those around me.
Rogue Trader is a computer role-playing game in the vein of Baldur’s Gate 3 or Pillars of Eternity. I create my custom protagonist, determining stats and bonuses based on my backstory, home world, and so on. I’m then thrust into a high-pressure job interview as a potential heir to a Rogue Trader aboard her flagship. Little do we know that there’s a coup in the works, and traitors aboard the ship. After a deadly struggle against heretics and demons, I ascend to the position of Rogue Trader.
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Rogue Trader’s role-playing embraces the brutality and freedom of Warhammer 40K
Rogue Traders in 40K are freelance explorers, scouting the far frontiers of the Imperium of Man. It’s a risky career, but it comes with luxurious rewards: agency, freedom, power, and a giant flagship. As the player, I explore a system of the Imperium with a loyal crew of companions, making impactful choices and determining the fate of those around me.
Rogue Trader is a computer role-playing game in the vein of Baldur’s Gate 3 or Pillars of Eternity. I create my custom protagonist, determining stats and bonuses based on my backstory, home world, and so on. I’m then thrust into a high-pressure job interview as a potential heir to a Rogue Trader aboard her flagship. Little do we know that there’s a coup in the works, and traitors aboard the ship. After a deadly struggle against heretics and demons, I ascend to the position of Rogue Trader. I’m the captain now, and I get to decide how to run my ship.
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Rogue Trader’s role-playing embraces the brutality and freedom of Warhammer 40K
It’s a risky career, but it comes with luxurious rewards: agency, freedom, power, and a giant flagship. As the player, I explore a system of the Imperium with a loyal crew of companions, making impactful choices and determining the fate of those around me.
Rogue Trader is a computer role-playing game in the vein of Baldur’s Gate 3 or Pillars of Eternity. I create my custom protagonist, determining stats and bonuses based on my backstory, home world, and so on. I’m then thrust into a high-pressure job interview as a potential heir to a Rogue Trader aboard her flagship. Little do we know that there’s a coup in the works, and traitors aboard the ship. After a deadly struggle against heretics and demons, I ascend to the position of Rogue Trader. I’m the captain now, and I get to decide how to run my ship.
This is a vast game, with tons of features you’d expect from a CRPG — companions (each with their own narrative paths and conversation trees), top-down strategic combat, and branching choices that impact the world around you.
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39366
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Rogue Trader’s role-playing embraces the brutality and freedom of Warhammer 40K
Rogue Trader is a computer role-playing game in the vein of Baldur’s Gate 3 or Pillars of Eternity. I create my custom protagonist, determining stats and bonuses based on my backstory, home world, and so on. I’m then thrust into a high-pressure job interview as a potential heir to a Rogue Trader aboard her flagship. Little do we know that there’s a coup in the works, and traitors aboard the ship. After a deadly struggle against heretics and demons, I ascend to the position of Rogue Trader. I’m the captain now, and I get to decide how to run my ship.
This is a vast game, with tons of features you’d expect from a CRPG — companions (each with their own narrative paths and conversation trees), top-down strategic combat, and branching choices that impact the world around you. I get to make choices all day — in fact, that’s part of the gig of a Rogue Trader.
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39367
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Rogue Trader’s role-playing embraces the brutality and freedom of Warhammer 40K
I create my custom protagonist, determining stats and bonuses based on my backstory, home world, and so on. I’m then thrust into a high-pressure job interview as a potential heir to a Rogue Trader aboard her flagship. Little do we know that there’s a coup in the works, and traitors aboard the ship. After a deadly struggle against heretics and demons, I ascend to the position of Rogue Trader. I’m the captain now, and I get to decide how to run my ship.
This is a vast game, with tons of features you’d expect from a CRPG — companions (each with their own narrative paths and conversation trees), top-down strategic combat, and branching choices that impact the world around you. I get to make choices all day — in fact, that’s part of the gig of a Rogue Trader. Some are more important than others; whenever I get to specific points in the story, I can choose from one of three major paths.
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39368
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Rogue Trader’s role-playing embraces the brutality and freedom of Warhammer 40K
I’m then thrust into a high-pressure job interview as a potential heir to a Rogue Trader aboard her flagship. Little do we know that there’s a coup in the works, and traitors aboard the ship. After a deadly struggle against heretics and demons, I ascend to the position of Rogue Trader. I’m the captain now, and I get to decide how to run my ship.
This is a vast game, with tons of features you’d expect from a CRPG — companions (each with their own narrative paths and conversation trees), top-down strategic combat, and branching choices that impact the world around you. I get to make choices all day — in fact, that’s part of the gig of a Rogue Trader. Some are more important than others; whenever I get to specific points in the story, I can choose from one of three major paths. Dogmatic choices exult the God-Emperor and loathe the mutant and the witch, the Heretical options pursue corruptive power, and the Ionoclast path is the closest thing we have to modern-day “good guy” morality.
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39369
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Rogue Trader’s role-playing embraces the brutality and freedom of Warhammer 40K
After a deadly struggle against heretics and demons, I ascend to the position of Rogue Trader. I’m the captain now, and I get to decide how to run my ship.
This is a vast game, with tons of features you’d expect from a CRPG — companions (each with their own narrative paths and conversation trees), top-down strategic combat, and branching choices that impact the world around you. I get to make choices all day — in fact, that’s part of the gig of a Rogue Trader. Some are more important than others; whenever I get to specific points in the story, I can choose from one of three major paths. Dogmatic choices exult the God-Emperor and loathe the mutant and the witch, the Heretical options pursue corruptive power, and the Ionoclast path is the closest thing we have to modern-day “good guy” morality.
After the events of the tutorial, my beautiful voidship is run down and my staff is struggling.
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39370
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Rogue Trader’s role-playing embraces the brutality and freedom of Warhammer 40K
I’m the captain now, and I get to decide how to run my ship.
This is a vast game, with tons of features you’d expect from a CRPG — companions (each with their own narrative paths and conversation trees), top-down strategic combat, and branching choices that impact the world around you. I get to make choices all day — in fact, that’s part of the gig of a Rogue Trader. Some are more important than others; whenever I get to specific points in the story, I can choose from one of three major paths. Dogmatic choices exult the God-Emperor and loathe the mutant and the witch, the Heretical options pursue corruptive power, and the Ionoclast path is the closest thing we have to modern-day “good guy” morality.
After the events of the tutorial, my beautiful voidship is run down and my staff is struggling. As the newly anointed Rogue Trader, I have to trek around the various planets of the Koronus Expanse to get a new Navigator, fix my ship up, and avoid any major diplomatic incidents with the locals.
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39371
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Rogue Trader’s role-playing embraces the brutality and freedom of Warhammer 40K
I get to make choices all day — in fact, that’s part of the gig of a Rogue Trader. Some are more important than others; whenever I get to specific points in the story, I can choose from one of three major paths. Dogmatic choices exult the God-Emperor and loathe the mutant and the witch, the Heretical options pursue corruptive power, and the Ionoclast path is the closest thing we have to modern-day “good guy” morality.
After the events of the tutorial, my beautiful voidship is run down and my staff is struggling. As the newly anointed Rogue Trader, I have to trek around the various planets of the Koronus Expanse to get a new Navigator, fix my ship up, and avoid any major diplomatic incidents with the locals. My voidship is the size of a modern city; I’m as much a governor as a captain, and I have to manage the ship, its cargo, and its many occupants.
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39372
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Rogue Trader’s role-playing embraces the brutality and freedom of Warhammer 40K
Some are more important than others; whenever I get to specific points in the story, I can choose from one of three major paths. Dogmatic choices exult the God-Emperor and loathe the mutant and the witch, the Heretical options pursue corruptive power, and the Ionoclast path is the closest thing we have to modern-day “good guy” morality.
After the events of the tutorial, my beautiful voidship is run down and my staff is struggling. As the newly anointed Rogue Trader, I have to trek around the various planets of the Koronus Expanse to get a new Navigator, fix my ship up, and avoid any major diplomatic incidents with the locals. My voidship is the size of a modern city; I’m as much a governor as a captain, and I have to manage the ship, its cargo, and its many occupants.
In the process of getting back on my feet, I uncover a nefarious cult and a deep conspiracy.
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39373
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Rogue Trader’s role-playing embraces the brutality and freedom of Warhammer 40K
Dogmatic choices exult the God-Emperor and loathe the mutant and the witch, the Heretical options pursue corruptive power, and the Ionoclast path is the closest thing we have to modern-day “good guy” morality.
After the events of the tutorial, my beautiful voidship is run down and my staff is struggling. As the newly anointed Rogue Trader, I have to trek around the various planets of the Koronus Expanse to get a new Navigator, fix my ship up, and avoid any major diplomatic incidents with the locals. My voidship is the size of a modern city; I’m as much a governor as a captain, and I have to manage the ship, its cargo, and its many occupants.
In the process of getting back on my feet, I uncover a nefarious cult and a deep conspiracy. It’s not an easy job, but I’m blessed with a handful of companions from the Imperium to help me out.
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39374
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Rogue Trader’s role-playing embraces the brutality and freedom of Warhammer 40K
Dogmatic choices exult the God-Emperor and loathe the mutant and the witch, the Heretical options pursue corruptive power, and the Ionoclast path is the closest thing we have to modern-day “good guy” morality.
After the events of the tutorial, my beautiful voidship is run down and my staff is struggling. As the newly anointed Rogue Trader, I have to trek around the various planets of the Koronus Expanse to get a new Navigator, fix my ship up, and avoid any major diplomatic incidents with the locals. My voidship is the size of a modern city; I’m as much a governor as a captain, and I have to manage the ship, its cargo, and its many occupants.
In the process of getting back on my feet, I uncover a nefarious cult and a deep conspiracy. It’s not an easy job, but I’m blessed with a handful of companions from the Imperium to help me out. I can call on them to unlock doors or perform other environmental checks, but they come most in handy in combat.
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39375
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Rogue Trader’s role-playing embraces the brutality and freedom of Warhammer 40K
After the events of the tutorial, my beautiful voidship is run down and my staff is struggling. As the newly anointed Rogue Trader, I have to trek around the various planets of the Koronus Expanse to get a new Navigator, fix my ship up, and avoid any major diplomatic incidents with the locals. My voidship is the size of a modern city; I’m as much a governor as a captain, and I have to manage the ship, its cargo, and its many occupants.
In the process of getting back on my feet, I uncover a nefarious cult and a deep conspiracy. It’s not an easy job, but I’m blessed with a handful of companions from the Imperium to help me out. I can call on them to unlock doors or perform other environmental checks, but they come most in handy in combat.
When I meet opposition, it’s deeply satisfying to control my troops in a turn-based battle.
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39376
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Rogue Trader’s role-playing embraces the brutality and freedom of Warhammer 40K
After the events of the tutorial, my beautiful voidship is run down and my staff is struggling. As the newly anointed Rogue Trader, I have to trek around the various planets of the Koronus Expanse to get a new Navigator, fix my ship up, and avoid any major diplomatic incidents with the locals. My voidship is the size of a modern city; I’m as much a governor as a captain, and I have to manage the ship, its cargo, and its many occupants.
In the process of getting back on my feet, I uncover a nefarious cult and a deep conspiracy. It’s not an easy job, but I’m blessed with a handful of companions from the Imperium to help me out. I can call on them to unlock doors or perform other environmental checks, but they come most in handy in combat.
When I meet opposition, it’s deeply satisfying to control my troops in a turn-based battle. Each fight takes place on a grid; it’s very similar to Baldur’s Gate 3 or even XCOM 2.
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39377
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Rogue Trader’s role-playing embraces the brutality and freedom of Warhammer 40K
As the newly anointed Rogue Trader, I have to trek around the various planets of the Koronus Expanse to get a new Navigator, fix my ship up, and avoid any major diplomatic incidents with the locals. My voidship is the size of a modern city; I’m as much a governor as a captain, and I have to manage the ship, its cargo, and its many occupants.
In the process of getting back on my feet, I uncover a nefarious cult and a deep conspiracy. It’s not an easy job, but I’m blessed with a handful of companions from the Imperium to help me out. I can call on them to unlock doors or perform other environmental checks, but they come most in handy in combat.
When I meet opposition, it’s deeply satisfying to control my troops in a turn-based battle. Each fight takes place on a grid; it’s very similar to Baldur’s Gate 3 or even XCOM 2. Some positions provide cover, while others are out in the open.
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39378
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Rogue Trader’s role-playing embraces the brutality and freedom of Warhammer 40K
My voidship is the size of a modern city; I’m as much a governor as a captain, and I have to manage the ship, its cargo, and its many occupants.
In the process of getting back on my feet, I uncover a nefarious cult and a deep conspiracy. It’s not an easy job, but I’m blessed with a handful of companions from the Imperium to help me out. I can call on them to unlock doors or perform other environmental checks, but they come most in handy in combat.
When I meet opposition, it’s deeply satisfying to control my troops in a turn-based battle. Each fight takes place on a grid; it’s very similar to Baldur’s Gate 3 or even XCOM 2. Some positions provide cover, while others are out in the open. Friendly fire is also a very real concern. An arc of auto-fire from a bolter, or a Navigator’s third eye opening, can harm friend as well as foe.
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39379
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Rogue Trader’s role-playing embraces the brutality and freedom of Warhammer 40K
In the process of getting back on my feet, I uncover a nefarious cult and a deep conspiracy. It’s not an easy job, but I’m blessed with a handful of companions from the Imperium to help me out. I can call on them to unlock doors or perform other environmental checks, but they come most in handy in combat.
When I meet opposition, it’s deeply satisfying to control my troops in a turn-based battle. Each fight takes place on a grid; it’s very similar to Baldur’s Gate 3 or even XCOM 2. Some positions provide cover, while others are out in the open. Friendly fire is also a very real concern. An arc of auto-fire from a bolter, or a Navigator’s third eye opening, can harm friend as well as foe. My Rogue Trader is a sniper, and she would be lost without her Senechal taking the front lines.
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39380
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Rogue Trader’s role-playing embraces the brutality and freedom of Warhammer 40K
In the process of getting back on my feet, I uncover a nefarious cult and a deep conspiracy. It’s not an easy job, but I’m blessed with a handful of companions from the Imperium to help me out. I can call on them to unlock doors or perform other environmental checks, but they come most in handy in combat.
When I meet opposition, it’s deeply satisfying to control my troops in a turn-based battle. Each fight takes place on a grid; it’s very similar to Baldur’s Gate 3 or even XCOM 2. Some positions provide cover, while others are out in the open. Friendly fire is also a very real concern. An arc of auto-fire from a bolter, or a Navigator’s third eye opening, can harm friend as well as foe. My Rogue Trader is a sniper, and she would be lost without her Senechal taking the front lines. There’s a lot of firepower at my disposal, and it’s mostly quite satisfying to use — even if I occasionally shred my poor Senechal with a devastating AOE.
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39381
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Rogue Trader’s role-playing embraces the brutality and freedom of Warhammer 40K
I can call on them to unlock doors or perform other environmental checks, but they come most in handy in combat.
When I meet opposition, it’s deeply satisfying to control my troops in a turn-based battle. Each fight takes place on a grid; it’s very similar to Baldur’s Gate 3 or even XCOM 2. Some positions provide cover, while others are out in the open. Friendly fire is also a very real concern. An arc of auto-fire from a bolter, or a Navigator’s third eye opening, can harm friend as well as foe. My Rogue Trader is a sniper, and she would be lost without her Senechal taking the front lines. There’s a lot of firepower at my disposal, and it’s mostly quite satisfying to use — even if I occasionally shred my poor Senechal with a devastating AOE.
I can chat with the companions between battles, learning more about their pasts.
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39382
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Rogue Trader’s role-playing embraces the brutality and freedom of Warhammer 40K
I can call on them to unlock doors or perform other environmental checks, but they come most in handy in combat.
When I meet opposition, it’s deeply satisfying to control my troops in a turn-based battle. Each fight takes place on a grid; it’s very similar to Baldur’s Gate 3 or even XCOM 2. Some positions provide cover, while others are out in the open. Friendly fire is also a very real concern. An arc of auto-fire from a bolter, or a Navigator’s third eye opening, can harm friend as well as foe. My Rogue Trader is a sniper, and she would be lost without her Senechal taking the front lines. There’s a lot of firepower at my disposal, and it’s mostly quite satisfying to use — even if I occasionally shred my poor Senechal with a devastating AOE.
I can chat with the companions between battles, learning more about their pasts. Most of them have deep and dark secrets I can uncover with a little time or patience, and they have fascinating stories to tell.
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39383
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Rogue Trader’s role-playing embraces the brutality and freedom of Warhammer 40K
When I meet opposition, it’s deeply satisfying to control my troops in a turn-based battle. Each fight takes place on a grid; it’s very similar to Baldur’s Gate 3 or even XCOM 2. Some positions provide cover, while others are out in the open. Friendly fire is also a very real concern. An arc of auto-fire from a bolter, or a Navigator’s third eye opening, can harm friend as well as foe. My Rogue Trader is a sniper, and she would be lost without her Senechal taking the front lines. There’s a lot of firepower at my disposal, and it’s mostly quite satisfying to use — even if I occasionally shred my poor Senechal with a devastating AOE.
I can chat with the companions between battles, learning more about their pasts. Most of them have deep and dark secrets I can uncover with a little time or patience, and they have fascinating stories to tell. Abelard, my Senechal, is a guy who sucks morally but will back me to the absolute hilt.
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39384
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Rogue Trader’s role-playing embraces the brutality and freedom of Warhammer 40K
Some positions provide cover, while others are out in the open. Friendly fire is also a very real concern. An arc of auto-fire from a bolter, or a Navigator’s third eye opening, can harm friend as well as foe. My Rogue Trader is a sniper, and she would be lost without her Senechal taking the front lines. There’s a lot of firepower at my disposal, and it’s mostly quite satisfying to use — even if I occasionally shred my poor Senechal with a devastating AOE.
I can chat with the companions between battles, learning more about their pasts. Most of them have deep and dark secrets I can uncover with a little time or patience, and they have fascinating stories to tell. Abelard, my Senechal, is a guy who sucks morally but will back me to the absolute hilt. I grew to love hearing about his days in the Imperial Navy, and he was the one guy I felt like I could trust.
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39385
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Rogue Trader’s role-playing embraces the brutality and freedom of Warhammer 40K
Friendly fire is also a very real concern. An arc of auto-fire from a bolter, or a Navigator’s third eye opening, can harm friend as well as foe. My Rogue Trader is a sniper, and she would be lost without her Senechal taking the front lines. There’s a lot of firepower at my disposal, and it’s mostly quite satisfying to use — even if I occasionally shred my poor Senechal with a devastating AOE.
I can chat with the companions between battles, learning more about their pasts. Most of them have deep and dark secrets I can uncover with a little time or patience, and they have fascinating stories to tell. Abelard, my Senechal, is a guy who sucks morally but will back me to the absolute hilt. I grew to love hearing about his days in the Imperial Navy, and he was the one guy I felt like I could trust. Augusta, a Sister of Battle, starts as a one-note zealot, but cracks form in that facade when I learn about her past and doubts.
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39386
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Rogue Trader’s role-playing embraces the brutality and freedom of Warhammer 40K
My Rogue Trader is a sniper, and she would be lost without her Senechal taking the front lines. There’s a lot of firepower at my disposal, and it’s mostly quite satisfying to use — even if I occasionally shred my poor Senechal with a devastating AOE.
I can chat with the companions between battles, learning more about their pasts. Most of them have deep and dark secrets I can uncover with a little time or patience, and they have fascinating stories to tell. Abelard, my Senechal, is a guy who sucks morally but will back me to the absolute hilt. I grew to love hearing about his days in the Imperial Navy, and he was the one guy I felt like I could trust. Augusta, a Sister of Battle, starts as a one-note zealot, but cracks form in that facade when I learn about her past and doubts. Cassia and Pasqal both represent two sub-factions in 40K, and they have lots to share about the Navigators and Tech-Priests.
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39387
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Rogue Trader’s role-playing embraces the brutality and freedom of Warhammer 40K
There’s a lot of firepower at my disposal, and it’s mostly quite satisfying to use — even if I occasionally shred my poor Senechal with a devastating AOE.
I can chat with the companions between battles, learning more about their pasts. Most of them have deep and dark secrets I can uncover with a little time or patience, and they have fascinating stories to tell. Abelard, my Senechal, is a guy who sucks morally but will back me to the absolute hilt. I grew to love hearing about his days in the Imperial Navy, and he was the one guy I felt like I could trust. Augusta, a Sister of Battle, starts as a one-note zealot, but cracks form in that facade when I learn about her past and doubts. Cassia and Pasqal both represent two sub-factions in 40K, and they have lots to share about the Navigators and Tech-Priests.
My absolute favorite companion is Marazhai Aezyrraesh, a dark space elf who feeds off the suffering of sentient beings.
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39388
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Rogue Trader’s role-playing embraces the brutality and freedom of Warhammer 40K
I can chat with the companions between battles, learning more about their pasts. Most of them have deep and dark secrets I can uncover with a little time or patience, and they have fascinating stories to tell. Abelard, my Senechal, is a guy who sucks morally but will back me to the absolute hilt. I grew to love hearing about his days in the Imperial Navy, and he was the one guy I felt like I could trust. Augusta, a Sister of Battle, starts as a one-note zealot, but cracks form in that facade when I learn about her past and doubts. Cassia and Pasqal both represent two sub-factions in 40K, and they have lots to share about the Navigators and Tech-Priests.
My absolute favorite companion is Marazhai Aezyrraesh, a dark space elf who feeds off the suffering of sentient beings. He’s cruel, depraved, and an absolute hoot.
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39389
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Rogue Trader’s role-playing embraces the brutality and freedom of Warhammer 40K
Most of them have deep and dark secrets I can uncover with a little time or patience, and they have fascinating stories to tell. Abelard, my Senechal, is a guy who sucks morally but will back me to the absolute hilt. I grew to love hearing about his days in the Imperial Navy, and he was the one guy I felt like I could trust. Augusta, a Sister of Battle, starts as a one-note zealot, but cracks form in that facade when I learn about her past and doubts. Cassia and Pasqal both represent two sub-factions in 40K, and they have lots to share about the Navigators and Tech-Priests.
My absolute favorite companion is Marazhai Aezyrraesh, a dark space elf who feeds off the suffering of sentient beings. He’s cruel, depraved, and an absolute hoot. Yes, he may flay a few too many people for my tastes, but he’s the best companion to bring to a party.
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39390
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Rogue Trader’s role-playing embraces the brutality and freedom of Warhammer 40K
Abelard, my Senechal, is a guy who sucks morally but will back me to the absolute hilt. I grew to love hearing about his days in the Imperial Navy, and he was the one guy I felt like I could trust. Augusta, a Sister of Battle, starts as a one-note zealot, but cracks form in that facade when I learn about her past and doubts. Cassia and Pasqal both represent two sub-factions in 40K, and they have lots to share about the Navigators and Tech-Priests.
My absolute favorite companion is Marazhai Aezyrraesh, a dark space elf who feeds off the suffering of sentient beings. He’s cruel, depraved, and an absolute hoot. Yes, he may flay a few too many people for my tastes, but he’s the best companion to bring to a party.
In the grand scheme of things, this is one of the most complete and detailed explorations of the 40K universe you can find.
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39391
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Rogue Trader’s role-playing embraces the brutality and freedom of Warhammer 40K
I grew to love hearing about his days in the Imperial Navy, and he was the one guy I felt like I could trust. Augusta, a Sister of Battle, starts as a one-note zealot, but cracks form in that facade when I learn about her past and doubts. Cassia and Pasqal both represent two sub-factions in 40K, and they have lots to share about the Navigators and Tech-Priests.
My absolute favorite companion is Marazhai Aezyrraesh, a dark space elf who feeds off the suffering of sentient beings. He’s cruel, depraved, and an absolute hoot. Yes, he may flay a few too many people for my tastes, but he’s the best companion to bring to a party.
In the grand scheme of things, this is one of the most complete and detailed explorations of the 40K universe you can find. The game is an homage to the Warhammer 40K RPGs from Fantasy Flight Games, including Rogue Trader and Dark Heresy.
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39392
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Rogue Trader’s role-playing embraces the brutality and freedom of Warhammer 40K
Augusta, a Sister of Battle, starts as a one-note zealot, but cracks form in that facade when I learn about her past and doubts. Cassia and Pasqal both represent two sub-factions in 40K, and they have lots to share about the Navigators and Tech-Priests.
My absolute favorite companion is Marazhai Aezyrraesh, a dark space elf who feeds off the suffering of sentient beings. He’s cruel, depraved, and an absolute hoot. Yes, he may flay a few too many people for my tastes, but he’s the best companion to bring to a party.
In the grand scheme of things, this is one of the most complete and detailed explorations of the 40K universe you can find. The game is an homage to the Warhammer 40K RPGs from Fantasy Flight Games, including Rogue Trader and Dark Heresy. I spent years as a teenager and young adult poring over these sourcebooks (which Rogue Trader is inspired by), learning more about the tiny details of life in the Imperium.
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39393
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Rogue Trader’s role-playing embraces the brutality and freedom of Warhammer 40K
Cassia and Pasqal both represent two sub-factions in 40K, and they have lots to share about the Navigators and Tech-Priests.
My absolute favorite companion is Marazhai Aezyrraesh, a dark space elf who feeds off the suffering of sentient beings. He’s cruel, depraved, and an absolute hoot. Yes, he may flay a few too many people for my tastes, but he’s the best companion to bring to a party.
In the grand scheme of things, this is one of the most complete and detailed explorations of the 40K universe you can find. The game is an homage to the Warhammer 40K RPGs from Fantasy Flight Games, including Rogue Trader and Dark Heresy. I spent years as a teenager and young adult poring over these sourcebooks (which Rogue Trader is inspired by), learning more about the tiny details of life in the Imperium. Developer Owlcat Games has paid the same attention to every detail of the Koronus Expanse.
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39394
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Rogue Trader’s role-playing embraces the brutality and freedom of Warhammer 40K
My absolute favorite companion is Marazhai Aezyrraesh, a dark space elf who feeds off the suffering of sentient beings. He’s cruel, depraved, and an absolute hoot. Yes, he may flay a few too many people for my tastes, but he’s the best companion to bring to a party.
In the grand scheme of things, this is one of the most complete and detailed explorations of the 40K universe you can find. The game is an homage to the Warhammer 40K RPGs from Fantasy Flight Games, including Rogue Trader and Dark Heresy. I spent years as a teenager and young adult poring over these sourcebooks (which Rogue Trader is inspired by), learning more about the tiny details of life in the Imperium. Developer Owlcat Games has paid the same attention to every detail of the Koronus Expanse. I delve into ancient facilities staffed by tech-priests of the Machine God, the hostile xenos city of Commorragh, or massive cities built to honor the God-Emperor of Mankind.
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39395
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Rogue Trader’s role-playing embraces the brutality and freedom of Warhammer 40K
He’s cruel, depraved, and an absolute hoot. Yes, he may flay a few too many people for my tastes, but he’s the best companion to bring to a party.
In the grand scheme of things, this is one of the most complete and detailed explorations of the 40K universe you can find. The game is an homage to the Warhammer 40K RPGs from Fantasy Flight Games, including Rogue Trader and Dark Heresy. I spent years as a teenager and young adult poring over these sourcebooks (which Rogue Trader is inspired by), learning more about the tiny details of life in the Imperium. Developer Owlcat Games has paid the same attention to every detail of the Koronus Expanse. I delve into ancient facilities staffed by tech-priests of the Machine God, the hostile xenos city of Commorragh, or massive cities built to honor the God-Emperor of Mankind.
I love the characters, the environments, the writing, the lore, and the flow of battles.
|
39396
|
Rogue Trader’s role-playing embraces the brutality and freedom of Warhammer 40K
In the grand scheme of things, this is one of the most complete and detailed explorations of the 40K universe you can find. The game is an homage to the Warhammer 40K RPGs from Fantasy Flight Games, including Rogue Trader and Dark Heresy. I spent years as a teenager and young adult poring over these sourcebooks (which Rogue Trader is inspired by), learning more about the tiny details of life in the Imperium. Developer Owlcat Games has paid the same attention to every detail of the Koronus Expanse. I delve into ancient facilities staffed by tech-priests of the Machine God, the hostile xenos city of Commorragh, or massive cities built to honor the God-Emperor of Mankind.
I love the characters, the environments, the writing, the lore, and the flow of battles. But I have concerns with the game’s pacing. By the end of the first chapter, I had leveled up 16 times.
|
39397
|
Rogue Trader’s role-playing embraces the brutality and freedom of Warhammer 40K
The game is an homage to the Warhammer 40K RPGs from Fantasy Flight Games, including Rogue Trader and Dark Heresy. I spent years as a teenager and young adult poring over these sourcebooks (which Rogue Trader is inspired by), learning more about the tiny details of life in the Imperium. Developer Owlcat Games has paid the same attention to every detail of the Koronus Expanse. I delve into ancient facilities staffed by tech-priests of the Machine God, the hostile xenos city of Commorragh, or massive cities built to honor the God-Emperor of Mankind.
I love the characters, the environments, the writing, the lore, and the flow of battles. But I have concerns with the game’s pacing. By the end of the first chapter, I had leveled up 16 times. Each level offered marginal rewards, like being able to move slightly farther during the character’s turn in combat or having a higher parry chance when being attacked.
|
39398
|
Rogue Trader’s role-playing embraces the brutality and freedom of Warhammer 40K
I spent years as a teenager and young adult poring over these sourcebooks (which Rogue Trader is inspired by), learning more about the tiny details of life in the Imperium. Developer Owlcat Games has paid the same attention to every detail of the Koronus Expanse. I delve into ancient facilities staffed by tech-priests of the Machine God, the hostile xenos city of Commorragh, or massive cities built to honor the God-Emperor of Mankind.
I love the characters, the environments, the writing, the lore, and the flow of battles. But I have concerns with the game’s pacing. By the end of the first chapter, I had leveled up 16 times. Each level offered marginal rewards, like being able to move slightly farther during the character’s turn in combat or having a higher parry chance when being attacked. A slow drip-feed system means each level feels less important, and even though I’m growing stronger, I don’t get that sense of long-term satisfaction.
|
39399
|
Rogue Trader’s role-playing embraces the brutality and freedom of Warhammer 40K
Developer Owlcat Games has paid the same attention to every detail of the Koronus Expanse. I delve into ancient facilities staffed by tech-priests of the Machine God, the hostile xenos city of Commorragh, or massive cities built to honor the God-Emperor of Mankind.
I love the characters, the environments, the writing, the lore, and the flow of battles. But I have concerns with the game’s pacing. By the end of the first chapter, I had leveled up 16 times. Each level offered marginal rewards, like being able to move slightly farther during the character’s turn in combat or having a higher parry chance when being attacked. A slow drip-feed system means each level feels less important, and even though I’m growing stronger, I don’t get that sense of long-term satisfaction.
It’s especially frustrating to hit a roadblock like the one at the end of Act 1, where an incredibly tough boss rolls out of nowhere and spanks my crew — and I can’t leave to go grind experience somewhere else.
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