Posted in: Dungeons and Dragons, Role Playing Games, Star Trek

RPGaDAY2025 Day 28: Suspense

Written by TardisCaptain

So, what do we have here for Day 28 of the RPGaDAY 2025 Challenge? A topic of ‘suspense’. According to Dictionary.com the definition of suspense is “a state or condition of mental uncertainty or excitement, as in awaiting a decision or outcome, usually accompanied by a degree of apprehension or anxiety. It can also be a state of mental indecision or the state of being suspended.


I’d like to invite you to my future blog post about suspense that will be published later.

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No, I guess that joke won’t fly as well will it. I seriously considered making that the blog post.

Trying to come up with the text for this post that doesn’t automatically reach for the “how do you have suspense in your game” was something I struggled with. I’m not big on the suspense expected in horror games. How can you experience the emotion of horror when you are comfortably sitting around the gaming table with your friends in a safe and relaxing location?

Perhaps I should run with the last part of the definition that is posted above. The state of being suspended. In my post about ‘tactics’ I mentioned how a poorly executed plot conclusion from a GM ended the FASA Star Trek game that I was in. That was a bad way to suspend a campaign. Occasionally, there is a human-interest story that talks about a D&D campaign that has lasted for 20 or 30 years. I think the reason these are interesting is due to our real-world experiences with RPG campaigns. The Dungeons and Dragons 3.5 campaign that lasted a few years was highly enjoyable. I was able to get a character from the lower levels to a higher one through the experience point process. It was kewl to see the character getting increasingly powerful. But suddenly the DM stated that the campaign was ending soon (this was 2019) and that we would pick it up again later after we had taken a break. We were looking forward to getting back together again and added it to the curses we give the year 2020.

Should a GM plan for an end to the campaign? If yes, should the GM announce it at the beginning of the game that there would be an endpoint to reach? How is the best way to do this?

I think it depends upon the game that is being played. Dungeons and Dragons, or most fantasy systems, could go on for quite some time (as demonstrated in the articles mentioned above). But once the characters have made a certain level, perhaps it’s time to retire them. Make them NPCs that the new characters hear about, work for, use as patrons, fight against, etc. This could make the game world continue to grow and expand.

Sticking with D&D, there are some published modules that are a campaign unto itself. B# The Lost City is one that I’d love to run. Basic Fantasy released a campaign called “Morgansfort: The Western Lands Campaign”. At a past SaltCON I picked up two boxed sets by Goodman Games called “The Heroes Arise” and “Saga of the Dragon Cult” which contained several individual modules that took the characters from first level to tenth by the end of the campaign.

Another game that has a different thought process is Star Trek Adventures 2nd Edition. This is an episode simulator, not a tactical simulator like D&D. The adventure is broken down into 3-4 scenes just like an episode is. Because it is episodic, the GM could plan a season of 10+ episodes with a possible season ending story arc. Then, just like in the TV series, there could be a ‘summer break’ with some changes made to the ‘show’ when it returns for another season. I recall in one fan-made Star Trek RPG called Where No One Has Gone Before, they had a ratings system for the ‘episodes’ and if they were not high enough, there were charts with changes from the studio owners to try to boost the ratings. It looked silly, but I don’t know if I’d ever try to implement it at the table. I wonder if the ratings were low enough, then the series could be canceled? And if so, perhaps there could be a game where a letter-writing campaign by fans could bring the ‘show’ back?

Have you experienced a good or bad suspension to a campaign? Have you planned for a campaign suspension? Tell me about it. This article is open for discussion on the TardisCaptain dot Com Discord server. You can also email me at Carl (at) TardisCaptain.com with any comments.

Posted in: Role Playing Games, Star Trek, Video Game

RPGaDAY2025 Day 27: Tactic

Written by TardisCaptain

We have maneuvered ourselves to Day 27 of the RPGaDAY 2025 Challenge and closer to the end of the month. Today’s topic is ‘tactic’ and it’s one that connects with multiple forms of gaming.

In my blog post about the topic Recent, and in other RPG review posts as well, I talked about how my tactical mind engaged while playing. This is usually a sign for me that I’m enjoying the game. Checkers, chess, a collectable card game, other board games, the brightness of a video game and especially roleplaying systems. There’s a point in the game where my mind clicks and suddenly, I’m wondering how I’m going to use or get around the system. I also know that it must be a good system if I’m thinking about how to use/get around it while away from the game.

I recall playing the Warcraft: Orcs & Humans video game in the late 90’s. I quickly observed that the computerized opponent would quickly send available troops that were just generated to attack me. The better tactic would have been to build up the number of troops instead of sending them out one at a time. One of the units in this video game was called the Conjurer who could summon disposable troops like scorpions and water elementals that I could control. So, I’d find a choke point on the map, set a bunch of knights and archers there to kill the lone unit that was sent to attack me. Behind the knights and archers were several conjurers who would all summon the disposable units at the same time which would then be sent in a wave to scout out and attack the enemy encampment. It took a while, but the constant grind would allow me to safely keep the bulk of my troops and resources safe while the enemy was weakened to the point where they could not resist a complete all-out assault from my units.

I’ve previously blogged about a FASA Star Trek RPG session in the 90’s where the GM had painted himself into a corner (we didn’t know that at the time) and, unbeknownst to him, all of the players were calling each other on a daily basis on how we were going to get out of the dire situation. When we saw the lame way the GM ended the scenario, it wasn’t good for him. We (half-jokingly) threatened to hang him, and it was the final game with him. Which was too bad as I enjoyed the FASA Star Trek RPG.

Each game has its own system. Figuring out the system is part of the appeal to me. Sometimes I figure it out and I realize that I can enjoy it more, such as Star Trek Adventures 2nd Edition. Sometimes I realize that the system is bunk or too easily manipulated (such as the Warcraft example I posted above). While I still enjoyed the Warcraft game, I realized that the re-playability factor wasn’t there. I think this is why I’m not keen on some board games. I’m wondering how limited they might be as compared to the wide-open options of a roleplaying game.

Oh, and we also used tactics in real life. Protecting ourselves online by not clicking on strange links that were suddenly sent to us in instant messages, not posting things on social media that might announce that we are out-of-town for a while until after we’ve returned. Not leaving valuables in the car where people can see them is another example of the tactics used in OpSec (operational security).

Have you noticed patterns in different game systems that has allowed you to generate tactics? Do you use OpSec online or in real life? Tell me about it. This article is open for discussion on the TardisCaptain dot Com Discord server. You can also email me at Carl (at) TardisCaptain.com with any comments.

Posted in: Role Playing Games, Star Trek

RPGaDAY2025 Day 26: Nemesis

Written by TardisCaptain

Day 26 of the RPGaDAY 2025 Challenge and we have another repeat prompt with ‘nemesis’. This was used back in the 2021 challenge and I homebrewed a piece of equipment for Star Trek Adventures that appeared in the movie, Star Trek Nemesis.

I would have loved to come up with something again like this, unfortunately I’m getting ready for the upcoming SaltCON End-of-Summer. One game I’m running is already sold out (the game on Sunday), with the other two filling up fast.

So I remembered one of the past fan-made homebrewed supplements for the Star Trek Roleplaying Game by Decipher (aka CODA Star Trek RPG). Patrick Goodman had a very good site called Beyond the Final Frontier that collected some of the fan-made homebrews. This included some from my friend Roger Taylor. Since fans were looking for anything to fill in the gaps, they made their own. This included a supplement for the Enterprise TV series and the Insurrection and Nemesis movies.

The cover to the fan-made Nemesis supplement

This fourteen page PDF was written by Sonny Smith (aka TheAndorian or Cypher West). It included stats for Remans, the Norexan Class Battlecruiser (the Valdor seen in the movie), the Scorpion Class Fighter, and stats for Shinzon, Commander Donatra and The Viceroy.

I thought it was a good start to a homebrewed supplement and I was hoping that it would get expanded to show the Kolarans, the Argo, the Scimitar, B-5 type Androids and more. It was one of those projects that gave me hope that I could make my own Star Trek RPG fan-made supplements. Again, feeding off of the energy of other ideas and efforts.

I will get there. I will have my own homebrewed Star Trek supplement. I will get past this nemesis of not getting things done.

Was there a fan-made RPG supplement that inspired you? Tell me about it. This article is open for discussion on the TardisCaptain dot Com Discord server. You can also email me at Carl (at) TardisCaptain.com with any comments.

Posted in: Anime, Character Creation Challenge, Role Playing Games, Star Trek

RPGaDAY2025 Day 25: Challenge

Written by TardisCaptain 1 Comment on RPGaDAY2025 Day 25: Challenge

For Day 25 of the RPGaDAY 2025 Challenge how can I not talk about the topic of ‘challenge’ to hype up the movement that I’m proud of. The Character Creation Challenge.

I’ve blogged about this before in a previous RPGaDAY post. And earlier this year I almost didn’t make it through the 31 days because of a lot of real-world issues that popped up. It almost broke me. But even in darkest times I felt the love and support from both gamers and Trekkies. The hugs that I got at SaltCON. Friends supporting me at the club meetings. Those on the message board communities that cheered me over the line. Friends that donated to the financial shortfall I suddenly found myself in. Anything that was small, still helped out in a big way.

I’m energized for the next challenge in 2026. I’ve got plans in place to make sure that it won’t be so rough next year. I’ve got new games that I’ve picked up (some have been donated by the authors). I will get though this because we will get through this. Things may suck right now, but they can’t suck forever. Cyndi Lauper at her farewell tour had everyone take out their phones and turn on the flashlights in the amphitheater. She then said, “Look around at all of the people here giving a little bit of themselves and how it has made this place brighter. This is a community of light.” Everyone of you, just shining the light that you have, have made things brighter. The comments, the feedback, the laughter around the gaming table. We can overcome any challenge, gaming or real-life.

And if you’ll excuse me, I’d like to do a partial lyric dump from a recent anime movie that I watched with my geek family.

We’re shattering the silence, we’re rising, defiant
Shouting in the quiet, “You’re not alone”
We listened to the demons, we let them get between us
But none of us are out here on our own
So we were cowards, so we were liars
So we’re not heroes, we’re still survivors
The dreamers, the fighters, no lying, I’m tired
But dive in the fire, and I’ll be right here by your side

Feedback from LexTenebris on Mastodon regarding my blog post on Recent. I think the better Western example of isekai in our literature is actually A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court. The protagonist is pulled out of his life and dropped into a fantastic one. His personal knowledge makes a difference to the situation and changes the world elementally. Ultimately, he is returned to our world. John Carter of Mars is another fantastic isekai series before there was isekai. If your GM wasn’t making who you were important to who you are, they really weren’t running an isekai story. They were running a fantasy story with the trappings of the setup of an isekai story. That’s certainly valid, but it’s not nearly as interesting. If you’re looking for a very modern example of isekai in Western literature, check out Forgotten Ruin from Nick Cole. Great novel series, very pulp, much fun. (My note, I did pick up this last book on Kindle to read after reading this response)

Have you recently overcome a challenge? Have you participated in an online RPG challenge? Tell me about it. This article is open for discussion on the TardisCaptain dot Com Discord server. You can also email me at Carl (at) TardisCaptain.com with any comments.

Posted in: Quotes, Star Trek

Daily Star Trek Quotes: August 25-31

Written by TardisCaptain
My reaction to most stuff nowadays.

Here are the Daily Star Trek Quotes that will appear on the @STrekQuotes Mastodon account and the @STrekQuotes Bluesky account for the week of August 25th through August 31st. Note: Because Twitter/X will use posts to train AI, we will no longer be posting on that platform. This is out of respect for the owners of Star Trek.

August 25
“I’m not a supreme being. I’m flesh and blood, like you.” Picard- Who Watches the Watchers, Stardate: 43173.5 #StarTrek #StarTrekTNG #IDIC #Quote

August 26
Happy Birthday to Chris Pine. https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Chris_Pine #StarTrek #StarTrekFilm #IDIC #Quote

“Made your choice, lassie?” Scott “I have the beat and shouting.” Jaylah “Let’s make some noise.” (Sabotage by Beastie Boys starts) “That’s a good choice.” Kirk- Star Trek Beyond, Stardate: 2263.2 #StarTrek #StarTrekFilm #IDIC #Quote

August 27
“You’ve always been curious about other societies, and that is why I allowed you to read about them. Because I believe that ignorance is our greatest enemy.” Kolopak- Tattoo, Stardate: Unknown #StarTrek #StarTrekVOY #IDIC #Quote

August 28
“The wind does not respect a fool.” Kahless- Rightful Heir, Stardate: 46852.2 #StarTrek #StarTrekTNG #IDIC #Quote

August 29
“Your life’s going to be different now. Your future is full of possibilities. You know, you’re going to be doing things that you haven’t even dreamed of. There’s really no reason to be afraid.” Dr. Bashir- Chrysalis, Stardate: Unknown #StarTrek #StarTrekDS9 #IDIC #Quote

August 30
“Laddie… don’t you think you should… rephrase that?” Scotty “You’re right. I should. I didn’t mean to say that the Enterprise should be hauling garbage. I meant to say that it should be hauled away as garbage.” Korax- The Trouble with Tribbles, Stardate: 4523.3 #StarTrek #StarTrekTOS #IDIC #Quote

August 31
“This is the stone of J’Kah, which represents the foundation of all we believe. A life of order and control through logic.” Vulcan Elder- The Andorian Incident, Date: June 19, 2151 #StarTrek #StarTrekENT #IDIC #Quote

What are your favorite daily Star Trek quotes selected for this week? This article is open for discussion on the TardisCaptain dot Com Discord server. You can also email me at Carl (at) TardisCaptain.com or click on my social media links with any comments.

Posted in: Dungeons and Dragons, Role Playing Games

RPGaDAY2025 Day 24: Reveal

Written by TardisCaptain

And now we uncover the Day 24 topic of the RPGaDAY 2025 Challenge which is ‘reveal’. I had to think about this one for a moment until I decided that I wanted to talk about revealing the map that the player characters are on.

Being a gamer since the early days of BECMI and AD&D 1st Edition, I have many memories of a map on the table being drawn by the Dungeon Master as our characters moved around on it. As I took on DM roles I realized how much of a challenge this can be. My favorite DM is physically unable to move around the table like he was previously to draw the map. When I was planning to run an OSR one-shot for some 5e players, the map that I had downloaded from the internet was too big (by the number of squares) on the dry-erase mat that I had purchased.

One of the nice things about going to gaming conventions like SaltCON is seeing how some GMs have handled the map situation when it comes to revealing where the characters are at. Some just have portions of the map pre-printed and they get laid down as the characters enter the area. One GM introduced me to the Dry-Erase Hexagon Game Tiles that I picked up after finding it om Amazon. Some will cover the pre-drawn map with paper and then remove it as the characters move along.

While I haven’t seen it in person, I’ve had some GMs tell me about a projector that they had set up above the gaming table that would allow them to digitally display the map on the table for the players to move their figures on. This sounds like a dream situation for me. While I love my house, I don’t have a room big enough to host a regular gaming event.

This also reminded me of why I didn’t like some virtual tabletop systems. The worse one was Fantasy Grounds where the map was so graphic heavy that even the GM with a high-powered gaming computer was experiencing massive lag and slowness.

I’m willing to try out new ideas and take suggestions. Have you had any luck with other options to reveal the playing map while around the table? Tell me about it. This article is open for discussion on the TardisCaptain dot Com Discord server. You can also email me at Carl (at) TardisCaptain.com with any comments.

Posted in: Anime, Role Playing Games

RPGaDAY2025 Day 23: Recent

Written by TardisCaptain 1 Comment on RPGaDAY2025 Day 23: Recent

Oh, ‘recent’ is the topic for Day 23 of the RPGaDAY 2025 Challenge. I think I’ll talk about a one-shot RPG session that I participated in for a friend who wanted to try out a new game he picked up from Kickstarter.

The game is called Gates of Krystalia and it is set up in the sub-genre of fiction called “Isekai” (which for some reason I keep wanting to pronounce it as ‘ee-seak-ay-al” which is completely wrong). The word is Japanese and means “different world” and the stories involve a person or persons who are transported to/reborn/reincarnated into a parallel universe or fantasy world. It’s a fish-out-of-water set up where the characters must survive in their new-found environment. One of my kids explained to me that Alice in Wonderland is an early example of Isekai storytelling. We were all regular humans on the same bus when it crashed over the side of a ravine and died. When we woke up, we were quickly pushed into our new fantasy bodies by an over-worked angel. We didn’t play long enough to find out how our previous human lives (and knowledge) interacted with our new bodies and environment.

So, Gates of Krystalia has an interesting RPG system. Instead of using dice, we had a regular deck of 52 playing cards. I hadn’t brought my special RPG dice deck with me which would have been perfect, so I borrowed a set from one of the hosts that had neon cats on it (or Tron Cats as my kids put it). As first-level characters we only had 25 of the 52 cards face down. Any time we had to randomly generate a number, we pulled a card. Ace had a value of 1, Jack had a value of 11 and it kept rising for each face card up to 13. There were ways that the numbers could be doubled, or certain attribute adjustments made to the pull. When we were in combat, we pulled five cards and could choose which card we wanted to play in combat. There was also the possibility of having a special hand (like two of a kind, all of the same suite, etc.) that would give us bonuses in that combat round. If we were damaged in combat, we had to reduce that amount from our draw pile into the discard pile. Cards could be returned to the draw pile when the character was healed or rested.

We didn’t get very far in the one-shot, but my tactical mind was starting to click when I tried to strategize. I’m not much of an Isekai fan to know if I’d want to play in a full campaign, but I’d like to see the system in action a little bit more. I guess to keep it Isekai for me, it would have to continue to be a fish-out-of-water scenario. And I don’t know if that concept would last longer than a session or two before the character had adjusted themselves to their new world or body. Then is it Isekai anymore? I was trying to suggest to the GM that he run Gates of Krystalia as a one-shot at an upcoming SaltCON. I know that there would probably be a few interested parties who would want to check it out.

Feedback on my challenge post for ‘Enter‘ from LexTenebris on Mastodon.

What he posted was really long for me to cut and paste here, but he liked to hack at examples like getting past the door. He referenced a game that he has really enjoyed, Ironsworn (https://tomkinpress.com/pages/ironsworn). I think the key thing he stated in his post was this: “Every time you go to the dice, you take the risk of introducing complications, which may be as simple as harm to yourself in a mechanical sense, but also very well could be a complication introduced in your fictional positioning within the narrative. You’ve taken too long with the door, and guards are coming around the corner right now. You’ve shorted out the panel and set off an alarm that your character is not aware of, which is going to increase the difficulty of things going forward. Fictive positioning is just as important as mechanical tracking in this case.”

Am I missing the point on Isekai storytelling? Is there a recent gaming event that you enjoyed? Tell me about it. This article is open for discussion on the TardisCaptain dot Com Discord server. You can also email me at Carl (at) TardisCaptain.com with any comments.

Posted in: Role Playing Games

RPGaDAY2025 Day 22: Ally

Written by TardisCaptain

Here we are on Day 22 of the RPGaDAY 2025 Challenge. We have a special topic today with the prompt of ‘Ally’. An ally is someone (individual or team) that cooperates towards a common goal or benefit. To be someone’s ally is to help them out when every you can.

I want to thank my allies. I want to thank those who have helped me. Without your help, I don’t know if I could have made it as far as I’ve could.

First and foremost are my geek wife and family. Not only do they support me when it’s time for dad to make another blog post, but they also help me with artwork (see P.R.O.M.P.T.) or with reviews (such as the Mystery Dice Goblin review) or just bouncing ideas off of. I’ve mentioned about the inter-activeness of ideas and getting energy from them and sometimes my geek family has helped me out with this.

I also want to thank every one of my allies who visit my blog and read my posts. I see the hit counters go up, I see where the clicks come from. Part of the reason this general geek blog turned into more of an RPG geek blog is because that is where the most visits drew you to my little corner of the internet. Every feedback post that you make on the various social media platforms, every thumbs up icon, every virtual donut that is given to me on the TardisCaptain dot Com Discord Server. I love the interaction that we have. I try to post some of the feedback items that I’ve received because they have been good enough to share. I’ve done this for both the RPGaDAY and Character Creation Challenge series. When I launch some new series soon, I hope to get the same amount of feedback as well to share. I especially want to thank those of you who click on my sponsored links to Amazon or DriveThruRPG. I don’t run this blog to make money. If anything, it’s earned peanuts. But what little bit it does earn, I use to pick up other RPGs to review or use in challenges.

I want to thank my gaming friends. Those that invite me to different games that are campaigns or one-shots. Those that run local gaming stores and coordinate the GMs for SaltCON. Even those who just come up to give me a hug (you don’t know how much that helped me out mentally) or sent me special gifts (I still don’t know who mailed me the gift card to Wienerschnitzel). In a world that is trying to beat me down mentally and physically, you don’t know how much your friendship has helped keep me sane. At least as sane as any one of us are.

I try to pay it forward by being an ally to others. I try to re-post the social media links that you make about your blogs. If I can, I try to back crowdfunding campaigns or just buy the product you are selling. I try to respond and give feedback if I feel that I can contribute. Even if it’s a game that I don’t have much interest in playing or homebrewing for, I hope you have fun interacting with it.

Who are your gaming allies? Tell me about it. This article is open for discussion on the TardisCaptain dot Com Discord server. You can also email me at Carl (at) TardisCaptain.com with any comments.

Posted in: Doctor Who, Dungeons and Dragons

RPGaDAY2025 Day 21: Unexpected

Written by TardisCaptain

On special Day 21 of the RPGaDAY 2025 Challenge we get to talk about the ‘unexpected’. I specifically wanted to talk about keeping things unexpected for the players so that they can experience the storyline that the GM has planned for them. Yes, a proper RPG session is a joint storytelling experience, but the GM still works out the appropriate plot points ahead of time.

To quote River Song from Doctor Who: “Spoilers” (wicked grin). Spoilers in a game can be a bad thing. We hate spoilers for the latest TV episodes and movies. And it should be the same for gaming. Seeing the look on the players faces as they figure out the clues (or completely miss it all together). That is part of the fun of the game.

I recall two things about this from my past. When I was early into the RPG hobby, I remember being at a local gaming store talking about some of the modules that were for sale. I wondered about players buying the module that the GM was going to run to know the story ahead of time. This is probably why I preferred to homebrew my adventures and gaming world to keep this from happening. I remember the person I was talking with making the statement that he could (and had) changed the module to fit his campaign needs. Even to the point of just keeping the module title to present the unexpected to his players.

Recently at a SaltCON event, I signed up to play a one-shot of the Fallout RPG. One of my kids was in attendance and really wanted to play a session with her Father. At the table I quickly realized that I had already played this one-shot at a previous convention. So in order to not spoil the other players fun, I did not say or do anything about the knowledge I already had on the plot. It was actually to my benefit as we got farther along the plot on this session than we had previously.

I’ve also blogged about the multi-year Dungeons and Dragons 3.5 campaign that I played with some friends. While talking with the DM, I mentioned that I was going through some older Dragon Magazine articles looking for some research information. He cautioned me about reading some of the older adventures found in the magazines as he was currently using one for the campaign. I was glad that he had warned me, just in case as I wanted to feel the thrill of the unexpected.

What do you do to keep things unexpected in your game? Would you make drastic changes to the characters or plot? Have you found yourself at a table where you knew the adventure? How did you handle it? Tell me about it. This article is open for discussion on the TardisCaptain dot Com Discord server. You can also email me at Carl (at) TardisCaptain.com with any comments.

Posted in: Role Playing Games, Star Trek

RPGaDAY2025 Day 20: Enter

Written by TardisCaptain 2 Comments on RPGaDAY2025 Day 20: Enter

On Day 20 of the RPGaDAY 2025 Challenge our topic is “enter”. What do you usually do when you are entering a location? Well, most of the time you are entering through a door. This is the angle I wanted to blog from because getting past a door has been one of the examples that I’ve used to explain a roleplaying game system to new players. Especially for a simple one-shot game like those played at SaltCON or at my local gaming store.

One of the games that I’ve GMed quite a few times for these one-shots is Star Trek Adventures 2nd Edition. When explaining the rules, the first thing that I say is that this game is an episode simulator, not a tactical simulator. Then the second thing explain is how the 2d20 system works. After talking about the attributes and the departments developing your target number based on your action, I bring up the challenge. The characters trying to get past the door that is between them and their objective. Perhaps they are being pursued by an enemy, or someone on the other side of the door is critically injured, etc. In STA2e, your character sheet doesn’t define what steps you can or can’t take, the player does. You see the door in front of you, it has these traits (reinforced, computerized, looks frail, strong lock, etc.) what do you do? One character may try to break down the door. In that case as the GM, I’d tell them what attribute and department to use for your target number and how many successes that need to be rolled. If the door was reinforced, the target number would be higher, if it was already damaged, it could be lower. Another character may try to pick the lock, check out the computer controls for the door (if present), try to communicate through the door to guide someone through the process of unlocking the door, etc. Again, I like the ability for the player to decide instead of the character sheet. At the last SaltCON a father and son team heard this explanation, was quickly able to get into their first STA2e game and enjoyed themselves. Even the son was asking if they could pick up the core rulebook after the one-shot. I was quite proud when I heard that.

Are there other games that have similar concepts of allowing the players to get past the door in any method of their choosing? While I’m certain that most experienced players can come up with ideas of their own, I’m looking for systems that actively encourage this thinking. While I haven’t played it yet, I’m eager to try the Siege system used for Castles and Crusades. It’s a D20 system, but the character has two (or three) primary ability scores that when used in a skill test, has a lower base target number to reach. A character can try to use a skill that would fit a non-primary ability, but the base target number would be higher. Then that target number is adjusted based upon the traits of the scene (like a door being reinforced instead of barely holding on its hinges).

I know I’ve seen other games like this, but in the short amount of time that I have to write this blog post, I can’t do a deep dive into them all. But like that father and son team, I hope that it gives players a chance to enter into a system that they really like.

Feedback from LelxTenebris on Mastodon: @TardisCaptain Did you know that Gallant Knight Games is putting together a new edition of the D6 System? The Kickstarter definitely funded, and if you take a look at it, there is guaranteed to be a module which is essentially Star Wars with the serial numbers filed off. My suspicion is that this is going to probably be the best choice for classic WEG-style Star Wars play, if that’s the kind of mechanics that you want to go for. I was not down for the Fantasy Flight version, specifically for the custom dice, which I thought was way too fiddly and ignores the fact that pretty much everyone already has some dice. At this point, if I wanted to play a Star Wars game, I would probably either break out Scum and Villainy if I was interested in playing/GMing for a group, or just Starforged and go with the narrative framework.

Are there other RPG systems that you could explain using the door example? Do you like the idea of the players trying to enter past a door as a way to explain the system to them? Tell me about it. This article is open for discussion on the TardisCaptain dot Com Discord server. You can also email me at Carl (at) TardisCaptain.com with any comments.

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