#ttrpg

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One of my long-running aspirations is to design a (#dnd -style) #fantasy #ttrpg setting that features truly vast cities, of a size comparable to modern-day major metropolitan areas.

As a result, I've accumulated a number of books that try to examine the structure and layout of cities - what makes a modern city a city, instead of just focusing on any single town. This particular book offers layout views of streets and buildings of major cities - without labeling them - so that readers can get a feel for their structure instead of getting bogged down in the details.

Wizards RPG Team: Eberron (Hardcover, 2019, Wizards of the Coast)

If I had to choose, I'd say that #Eberron is my favorite #DnD setting. The world is simply well designed from the ground up, and not just an agglomeration of tropes. I also like that you can fit pretty much any D&D element into the setting if you put a little thought into it.

And I really like Keith Baker's attitude when it comes to character concepts: "What do these game mechanics mean for your character? How do you interpret this class/subclass/race for your game and this individual person?" This is as it should be. #ttrpg

Michael Alyn Pondsmith: Castle Falkenstein (Paperback, 1994, A to Z Printing) No rating

Most #Steampunk #ttrpg settings have the problem that they tend to gloss over the evils of Imperialism and Colonialism. #CastleFalkenstein fares better than most, since it portrays Imperialism as something that ought to be opposed more often than not. It is perhaps unfortunate that the point-of-view protagonist is a white male 20th century American, but it should not be too hard to include other characters.

Still, I don't particularly care for the Castle Falkenstein rules systems, and I'm not sure what I'd use it instead. Yes, there was a #GURPS version published for it (which I recommend as a generic "World Guide" even if you don't use the rules, as well as the supplement Castle Falkenstein - The Ottoman Empire), but they'd need to be updated for 4E...

#TranshumanSpace was one of the few times Steve Jackson Games attempted to support an entire line focusing on an original #ttrpg setting for #GURPS , and it's still far away my favorite. And while it has its dark sides, it is also one of the more optimistic near-future settings out there - it portrays humanity largely being able to tackle their own problems.

Alas, I fear we are currently heading for a darker timeline. Still, it would be interesting to revisit this setting, and compare and contrast where we stand now vs. what the setting portrayed where we are going.

I frequently fantasize about a fantasy #ttrpg setting based on both German #folklore and the history of Germany, ca. 1600 AD.

Thus, when I came across this magazine in the Oldenburg train station while waiting for a late train, I knew that this was great research material!

I love highly detailed #ttrpg settings, so #HarnWorld was definitely a setting of interest to me. Though ultimately, I neither played in it nor ran a game in it - while I've participated in my share of "gritty" games, we like to balance the grittiness with a fair share of humor, as in #WFRP . HarnWorld, on the other hand, is a setting that is both gritty and plays it straight.

Furthermore, the modules were and still are fairly pricey when compared to other products of comparable complexity, which kept me from investing as much money in this game line as I have in some others.

Of all the #DnD expansions to the #ForgottenRealms during TSR's "let's slap real world cultures into this world", al-Qadim was the best by far.

Part of the reason was that the player characters were assumed to be locals by default, instead of portraying the region as something to be "conquered" by player characters from the Heartlands of Faerun. #ttrpg

The design style of Jugendstil - or "Art Nouveau", as it is called in English - has long been a subject of fascination for me.

If I had the time and resources for such a project, I'd do #ttrpg products with cover illustrations in that style. #art #arthistory #Jugendstil #ArtNouveau