New Year, New Games.
New Year, New Games.
My short list of roleplaying games to play in 2023.
The BIG Games
Noblis/Glitch and Ars Magica. These two are the eternal big whales of games to run for me. They require a significant commitment from players of focus and time. I’ve had some short runs of these, enough to know there’s some excellent gaming in there if we can get the time in.
Legacy: Life Among the Ruins I have played in runs of 4-6 sessions. I’d like a long run of 10-12 sessions. I think the experience of a long run like that informs how I make my Ars Magica reboot in Legacy 2E.
DeGenesis, Blackbirds, and Invisible Sun are games I’ve read a few times and have that BIG game vibe. I’d like to see how these play out on the table.
Just For Fun
These are games I haven’t gotten to the table but want to, or I haven’t gotten more than a taste of the game.
Double Cross - A Supers RPG where powers come by way of an alien virus, lose control, and you’re the new bad guy!
Jiangshi: Blood in the Banquet Hall is a collaborative storytelling RPG about a Chinese-American family making their living by running a restaurant in one of America's Chinatowns circa 1920.
Ruin Masters - Riot Minds d100 dungeon crawler. I understand it’s pretty lethal!
Fading Suns - This game has been tugging at me since the 80s. A robust and evocative sci-fi setting and several editions, but not enough playtime.
Nahual - shape-shifting Mexican Angel hunters?! Hell yeah!
Coriolis - Free League’s big setting sci-fi game I’d like more playtime with. I’d update the combat system with the best of mechanics from Aliens and Twillight:2000 versions of the Zero Year engine.
Con Games
The convention one-shot is a different beast. You’re running a one-off set for strangers, most likely. You’re likely teaching the game. You probably see all the mechanics, and you’re on a schedule for 2 or 4 hours. That means I need games I’m fantastic at running or are easy for me to run.
Fate RPG - For my friend, Morgan. He ran a ton of Fate and was vital to me “getting” Fate. I know he’s introduced a lot of folks to the game and had several ongoing ‘con-campaigns’ he’d run for folks. I want to pick up this banner. Being the cranky old veteran I am, death doesn’t really sting for me, except for two civilians. Morgan is one.
Tenra Bansho Zero - Says it’s made to run as one shot. I’ve done it a few times. You can squeeze it into four hours, and I love this game.
Atma - New to my toolbox is a card-based anime-ish RPG-in-a-box. It promises a complete game in 2 hours —and it delivers. I ran it a few times at PAXU this year in a 2-hour slot for Games on Demand. I hope to see new expansions for it!
Apocalypse World: Burned Over. I feel like Apocalypse World is a lovely old comfortable hoodie, missing the hood string, worn decal of some pop culture symbol where IYKYK. I can run this all day. This year I’ve got a ‘living campaign’ I’ll run across game conventions. It’s called Near Earth Orbit.
