Many RPGs use d20s for resolving combat, like D&D, 13th Age, and Lancer. Caleb and I have been playing a lot of d20 games recently and we wanted to talk about the nature of d20 combat. It’s a very swingy system, where every combatant can miss in a single round, resulting in nothing happening. Can this problem be fixed?

News: I am exporting all of RPPR’s back catalogue to Youtube! Listen to older episodes and share them with friends. Subscribe now to help us get more notice on the site.

Caleb is running a Red Markets 2E playtest campaign. Go to Hebanon Games to listen and access the beta draft rules. Caleb’s also running a bunch of Delta Green on Dead Channels.

Shout Outs

We ran a Fate Core campaign called Cointract Island on RPPR Actual Play. Over 16 episodes, a trio of heroes explored an island overrun with genetically engineered and cybernetically enhanced creatures. In this post mortem, Bridget, Fae, Lydia, and I discuss the campaign’s themes, the Fate system, and crypto bro culture.

Bridget as Felicia, cat girl bartender
Lydia as Aava Amaranth, cyborg hacker
Fae as ‘Emily);Drop Table;– (AKA Indy), a scrappy scavenger

In this episode, James Wallis, co-host of Ludonarrative Dissidents podcast and author of “Everybody Wins: Four Decades of the Greatest Board Games Ever Made,” and I talk about what RPG designers can learn from board games. We talked about the history and influence of board games, the challenges of playtesting RPGs, and how incorporating board game mechanics can benefit RPG design. We also have some shout outs.

News: On the RPPR Patreon, on the newest episode of After Hours, we discuss the most horrifying spells in Dungeons and Dragons. On Recommendizer, Thad and I talk about good inspirational sources for zombie apocalypse games. Our next campaign on RPPR Actual Play is Delta Green: Impossible Landscapes. Check out this poster for the campaign!

Shout Outs

  • Who Fears the Devil: a collection of short stories about Silver John, who fights witches and ghosts in the Appalachian mountains.
  • The Night Ocean: a biographical novel of H.P. Lovecraft, his life, and the early days of fandom.
  • A Town Called Malice: a storytelling game inspired by Nordic noir and isolated small town horror.
  • Die: A comic series about RPG players entering in their fantasy campaign world
  • Terracotta Army: A worker placement board game about building statues for the emperor’s tomb.
  • Dread: A classic RPG that uses Jenga for its conflict resolution system.
  • Jury Duty: A reality comedy series about a fake trial and 1 real juror.

Music: Chillhops Essentials Spring 2023