A mixed bag

Greetings from somewhere in the tabletop multiverse!

Having a family, with a three-month-old baby, really changes your priorities. So blogging has been on the back burner for a while. Being realistic, I am going to guess that it will continue like that for a while longer, despite my efforts to correct it and get back to writing. Oh well, we will see how it goes moving forward.

Tabletop games. Right. Especially Tabletop RPGs. That's what this blog is about, lest I forget. So I guess I might as well get back on topic again.

As you might imagine, having a little baby hampers my ability (or rather the time I have availiable) for playing tabletop rpgs, or other games, with my friends like I used to. It is a shame, but it is also a part of life. I do still read a lot of rpg books, talk rpgs with my friends, and work on my own rpg when I have the time, and energy, to do so. It is not quite the same as sitting down and actually playing though. The 5e D&D game on Saturday is on a mini-hiatus atm, while our GM is dealing with some technical issues. I'll get back to talking more about that game another time.

Back in 2016 I wrote a post on this blog about 11 tabletop horror games for Halloween which you can check out if you want some ideas for games to play. I highly recommend it.

A friend of mine will be doing his annual halloween game this year as well. As per what has become the custom, we'll be playing the Slasher Flick rpg. My participation in this years game depends largely on my little baby however, and how much energy I have. We shall see what happens. It's a fun game though. I might write a review on it at some point down the line.

I think that is all for me for this time.

See you all next time!

A spot of D&D, and my life at the moment.

Greetings all, from somewhere deep inside the Tabletop Multiverse!

A lot of things have happened since my last post here, earlier in the month. Not least of which, that I have become a father for the first time. That's right folks! The Tabletop Multiverse has finally gotten an heir.

In more tabletop RPG related news, there really isn't much news. Most of my time has gone to changing diapers, helping the baby's mommy any way I can, and taking naps with the baby.

The new 5e campaign - where we are starting off by playing through the Storm King's Thunder adventure module, and then see where we go after that - I mentioned in my last post has been put on hold until August 11. Partly due to my baby situation, but mostly due to our DM having some IRL stuff that got in the way until then. I look forward to when it returns though. :)

My young wizard, and his raven companion, is a lot of fun to play for me. It has been ages since I last played a wizard, and I have strangely never played one in either 5th or 4th edition D&D. 

Yes. I have played 4th edition. And you know what? I had fun. I don't necessarily think that 4th edition is a bad game system. It is very good for what it is. Mostly though, I have fond memories of playing it because I have had a lot of fun with my friends while doing it. We have a 4e campaign that is currently in its... 6th year, I think it is? While it is nearing its end, it IS still ongoing. Once that ends though, I have no idea whether we will continue the next campaign using 4th edition, or switch it to 5th edition instead. I am fine either way, though I think I would prefer giving 5th edition more of a chance as I haven't yet played it very much.

Other than that, I am spending what little free-time I have at the moment, working on the game system, and world, for my own fantasy tabletop rpg. It still doesn't have a name unfortunately. Mostly because I can't make up my mind on what I want to call it. Though I am sure it will get one eventually, and when it does, I will probably mention it in here. :) Apart from that, I am also doing a bit of work on the side, on a separate tabletop rpg project that is more focused on mystery and horror. It has a name, but it is still very early days, so I won't reveal it just yet. I have a ton of other ideas as well. :)

Anyway, time for me to go help with the baby.

Until next time!

Thoughts & Updates

Today I greet you once more from somewhere in the infinite expanse of the Tabletop Multiverse!

I hope my greeting finds you all well, and in good spirit. My hope is that you are all enjoying the summer (provided that it is summer where you currently are), and if not that whatever season you are in treats you kindly.

Over here, it's been unusually warm, something I have understood has been a rather common occurrence in many places this summer. A bit of rain wouldn't go amiss, but there's not much we can do besides wait and see what comes.

Again, I apologize for my absence. Most of my time have gone towards other things. In fact, I have barely even been able to play any tabletop rpgs in this time! Hopefully things will start to get better on that front soon enough.

I have found some time to work on my own tabletop rpg however. I love working on it, and I love the project, but I am not going to lie and say that it doesn't feel a tad overwhelming at times. It is not enough to dissuade me from working on it however, which is good. I guess it is the price you pay when you are trying to make a tabletop rpg from scratch, all by yourself.

I am lucky that I have a few friends online who are willing to help me play-test it. Though they are forced to wait long times for it between play-testing sessions, as there is still a lot of work to do on the project. My hope - I guess I should say "dream" really -, as I have mentioned before, is to be able to have it published some day. I know it is a competitive market, and I know it can be difficult, but I am not expecting to make a lot of money from it. I am just trying to chase a dream I've had for a very long time, and make it come true some day. Any money I am able to make off of it, will be a bonus, and will be going towards supporting my family as money is tight.

Anyway, with working alone on it, and the size of the project, I am not expecting it to be done any time soon. Probably not even this year. But I'll keep people updated on the progress through this blog, if anyone is interested.

I am hoping to return with more reviews, and thoughts, on tabletop role-playing games, and gaming, as I go along as well.

For now, I wish you all well, and I hope I'll see you all soon again, somewhere in the vast expanse of the Tabletop Multiverse.

Until next time!

Greetings once more!

Greetings once more from the Tabletop Multiverse!

Apologies for my absence, but it has been a very busy time for me between work, getting married, putting a lot of effort my tabletop RPG project, and much more.

I hope I will be able to return to posting on this blog again now. Exactly how often I will be able to post remains to be seen, and will most definitely depend on what is happening IRL for me.

This will most likely be a short post - meant more as a sign of life than anything else really.

So this means no new RPG-related news from me in this.

In my absence I did take the time to pledge for a Kickstarter from Free League - their new game Forbidden Lands which I think looks amazing. :) I really can't wait to give it a try once it arrives!

As I mentioned earlier, I have been spending time working on my own tabletop rpg project as well. I've been developing a game system as well as a world. It is far from finished yet. I guess you could say it is still in alpha. I do enjoy the challenge and the process of writing it though. It would be a dream to get it published some day for others to enjoy as well, but at the moment I am far away from being able to do that.

I'll return and write more about the project and what I am doing in a future post.

For now, it is time for this weary traveler of the Tabletop Multiverse's many winding paths to go rest his head for a bit and enjoy that thing widely known as "sleep".

Until next time!

Green Ronin has announced plans to launch a new fiction line

Greetings fellow travelers of the Tabletop Multiverse!

A day or so ago I was made aware of a press release from Green Ronin Publishing which details their plans to start work on their new "fiction initiative", as they refer to it.

In the press release we can read:

Green Ronin aims to include novels, anthologies, and both stand-alone and serialized short fiction in their releases, tied to the rich and varied worlds of their many tabletop roleplaying properties. Early releases will include fiction set in the romantic fantasy world of Aldea from the Blue Rose Roleplaying Game and tales of superheroic adventures set in the world of Earth-Prime from Mutants & Masterminds.

As part of this fiction launch, Green Ronin has come to an agreement with author and editor C.A. Suleiman to publish and distribute his previously existing fiction anthology Tales of the Lost Citadel in electronic and deluxe print formats. Tales of the Lost Citadel will be the first release for the new fiction imprint.

Sounds like they have big plans for this, and I admit it will be very interesting to see it all come to fruition. :) Personally, I can't wait to see how they tie it in with their existing worlds.

To help them in this endeavor, they have brought in some experienced help by bringing on board Jaym Gates, who has previously worked on anthologies such as 'Eclipse Phase: After the Fall', 'Vampire the Masquerade: Endless Ages' and the 'Strange California'. She has also written fan fiction and/or setting material for things such as: 'Blue Rose', 'Firefly: Smuggler's guide to the Rim', and many other things.

Green Ronin says:

Leading this effort as Fiction Line Managing Editor will be Jaym Gates, author and editor, whose guiding hand has recently been evident on projects such as the Strange California anthology and Eclipse Phase: After the Fall, among many others.

“I always said that if we started a fiction line, we needed to do it the right way, and that’s precisely why we’ve brought Jaym on board,” says Green Ronin President Chris Pramas. “She has the chops and the experience to make this line sing.”

“I’m excited and honored to work with the Green Ronin team,” says Gates. “I’ve been a fan of their stories for a long time, and look forward to the opportunity to help bring new stories to life in their worlds.”

In Jaym Gates, Green Ronin has found themselves an experienced Fiction Line Managing Editor, who has previously worked with companies such as Paizo Publishing, and 'The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America'.

All in all it sounds promising, and I have no doubt that Green Ronin will deliver the goods!

Until next time folks!

Kickstarter for Journey to Ragnarok for 5th edition D&D

Greetings once more from somewhere within the Tabletop Multiverse.

History is one of my great interests in life, along side world-building, role playing games, and a few other things.

When it comes to my interest in history, one of the things I have read the most about is the Viking age. Not that strange really, since I am Swedish after all. The viking age was part of my people's history. There's a lot more to it than just plundering "heathens", going out killing and raping for fun. That's not a very accurate description of the "vikings" (though I much prefer to call them Norsemen, so I will do so henceforth).

Anyway, this isn't a history blog, so let's connect this to something tabletop-related.

I've played a few Viking-based tabletop rpgs in my days, for example games like Viking (a swedish game), Yggdrasil (by Cubicle 7), as well as GURPS viking supplements, and a few others. I might come back to those in a different post (or a few posts), as well as games based on other historical periods, because I do think some of the games are really good.

What I want to talk about today though is a new supplement for 5th edition D&D that is up on Kickstarter called Journey to Ragnarok, where you get to be part of a story that culminates with Ragnarok itself. The video on the Kickstarter mentions you fighting side by side with the gods themselves.

From the Kickstarter page:

The idea behind Journey To Ragnarok was to merge our biggest passions: the 5th Edition of the most famous roleplaying game of all time and, of course, Norse Mythology.

Every single event, NPC or encounter that will cross Adventurers' path is the result of more than 15 years of love and research, readings and travels.

Our intent is to let the Adventurers discover and explore the true origins of Norse Mythology, that has deeply influenced Fantasy literature, games,comics and movies.

It will be very interesting to see how they have handled the mythology and what, if any (though this is D&D so there will probably be some at least), fantasy elements they've worked in.

Then again, Norse mythology is full of enough uncertainties that there is ample room for that. :)

Either way, I am looking forward to seeing how it goes.

Currently (at the time of writing this), they are already more than 4 times over their goal, with 22 days to go on the Kickstarter. If you think it sounds interesting, or already know enough about it and want to help them unlock even more stretch-goals, head over to the Kickstarter and check it out!

I'll see you all again, somewhere on the winding roads of the Tabletop Multiverse!

Kickstarter for Karvosti - The Witch Hammer

Greetings, once again, from somewhere within the Tabletop Multiverse.

Today we're diving into the world of the Swedish tabletop RPG sensation known as Symbaroum. Or, more precisely, the campaign they currently have on Kickstarter, namely: Karvosti - The Witch Hammer. It is for the english translation of the adventure, which is already out in swedish.

It's been up for a few days, but still has 15 days to go on it's Kickstarter run. Not that it really needs it as it has already been funded several times over. Then again, that also shows how much people are looking forward to its release. I think it is also a general indicator of the popularity that Symbaroum in general has been enjoying ever since its launch - and with good reasons! It is a great game to play, and has garnered a lot of interest. As a result it has already been translated in a few languages.

Did you enjoy adventuring in the Chronicle of the Throne of Thorns campaign? "Karvosti - the Witch Hammer" is a freestanding sequel to that campaign, following the "Thistle Hold - Wrath of the Warden" which was the first. It is going to be 152 pages of adventure.

From the Kickstarter:

Karvosti – The Witch Hammer is the second episode in the Chronicle of the Throne of Thorns. The 152 page book is a freestanding sequel to Thistle Hold – Wrath of the Warden and will be followed by five other episodes.

It is through these campaign and adventure modules that we will keep building the world of Symbaroum; aside from an in-depth introduction to a specific region in Ambria, Davokar or beyond, each book will introduce new optional rules and features: abilities, (monstrous) traits, mystical powers and rituals, creatures, artifacts, elixirs and much more.

Looking at this second episode in particular, it focuses on the cliff of Karvosti – the age-old thingstead of the barbarian High Chieftain, located deep within the forest of Davokar. The module is divided into three sections…

The Kickstarter is doing really well. With 15 days to go they have, at the time of me writing this, 418 backers, and have so far amassed SEK 327,429 (SEK = swedish kronor). Their goal was SEK 50,000.

Take a look at it if you haven't already, and if you like it give it a pledge. It'll help them unlock more stretch goals for what I think will be another really good product from them.

And if you haven't checked out the Symbaroum game, you can do so here.

Until next time!