Looking for TTRPG Advent Ideas! Our family does unique advent calendars. Puzzles, books, compliments, dice, cookies...we've tried it all. This year I need 24 TTRPG games/activities that can be played in <30 min. Budget's tight, so free is ideal, but happy to pay for awesome. Send links!

Today's TTRPG lesson from improv class: Try "warming up" your players before diving into the game. Consider interactive recaps or games focused on listening and collaboration (even if completely unrelated to the game). Help everyone at the table shift gears before settling in to play.

Still working on "Dixie Needs a Walk" (walk your reactive dog!) for @binarystar.games Minimalist Game Jam. I've only written for established TTRPGs, so it's exhilarating to explore new mechanics & how the underlying math can support storytelling. Tail Wags, Bag of Treats, Bouncy Steps anyone?

Minimalist TTRPG Jam 5

A game jam from 2026-09-01 to 2026-11-01 hosted by Binary Star Games. Make a Thing Right Now V: How are there 5 of these This, for the FIFTH year in a row somehow, is a jam all about primal, elemental...

itch.io

For a change of pace, we played some Delta Green today. There's an interesting tension between leaning into experiencing the horror and sanity loss and trying to be the hero in an ongoing story. We love our characters. How often does that push us into the "safe" choice over the "story" choice?

"How did you get into TTRPGs?" My mom brought home the D&D red box in the early 80s and ran a dungeon for my dad and me. No Satanic panic in our household!

Michael J Patrick@michaeljpatrick.bsky.social · 2w ago

"How did you get into TTRPGs?" I willed them into existence as a child.

And we are LIVE

Bard & Raven@bardandraven.bsky.social · 2w ago

Join us later today to learn more about the #Daggerheart compatible cyberpunk adventure “Dread Ravers” and the people behind it in our first Fear Fest creator spotlight – meet @def-not-a-hag.bsky.social, Harry & Strachan! Taking place on October 1 at 8 pm CEST • 2 pm EDT Join us in chat 🖤

"Ten customers of Real Life Too, makers of long-term VR pods, were found in their pods minus multiple organs. Real Life Too notes that under the ToS, they are not liable for any loss, real or imagined." +99 more reasons your PCs should stop reading the Feed. www.drivethrurpg.com/product/5870...

Cyberpunk D100: 100 Headlines Overloading the Feed | Skywater Ranch Publishing, LLC | Skywater Ranch Publishing, LLC | DriveThruRPG

Corporate advertising, crime sprees, politics, human interest…everyone’s talking about the latest newsworthy events in the city. 100 Headlines Overloading the Feed gives you 100 news blurbs to add col...

drivethrurpg.com

FamCon Update: Daggerheart Goblin Urban Rebels heist attempt on the warehouse of corrupt Chancellor Whitmore... End-of-Session Questions - What's in Whitmore's warehouse? - Who did we rob? - What's in those vials we stole? - What scrolls did we set on fire? - Where can we find a 2nd safehouse?

I keep our publishing idea backlog on a poster: The Sea of Possibility. I've found the fatal flaw with this system. On my list of potential GM tools, I have written "Roll for Blame." Love the title. Can't for the life of me remember what the product was supposed to be.

I really cannot properly emphasize how huge of a resource the Liminal Horror TTRPG wiki is in terms of being an index of excellent writing resources (not just for horror stuff). You should dig into this and go read/save as much as you can. liminalhorrorrpg.com

Today's TTRPG lesson from improv class: Some improv games use gibberish (think "Simlish") in place of another language. Why not do the same for demonic, celestial, or other fantasy languages? Try it out: pick signs and billboards you pass and "translate" them aloud into gibberish.

Whoops. Cursed Dolls just spilled out of my mind. There are 100 of them. That certainly won't be a problem. www.drivethrurpg.com/product/5859...

DeeDee the clank wizard just went out in a Blaze of Glory in our BeastFeast game, saving the party. GMs seem surprised when players choose Blaze of Glory in an ongoing campaign. But I've seen it happen a lot. Maybe having control over your character's death makes you more willing to embrace it?

Rowan's comment about players creating the story engine through Hope/Fear dice spoke to me. Especially for horror: every roll risks feeding Fear to the GM. The players actively create the fuel for those nightmarish turns of fate, while Hope gives them the resources to fight back.

The Panic Table@panictable.com · 3w ago

Daggerheart is a Horror game. At least that’s what @dngnclub.itch.io thinks. Watch our heart to heart with @darringtonpress.bsky.social designers @therowanhall.bsky.social and @spenserstarke.bsky.social re: their DH hopes and fears; also @annethegnome.bsky.social was there. youtu.be/exqnuWwmVAE

TTRPG question: How would you feel about a player introducing a new PC in an ongoing campaign as a major, established figure in the setting, such as the Fanewraith from Witherwild? I'm realizing it feels different to me than a PC becoming important through play. #Daggerheart

I played this as my first solo RPG back in its v1.1.1 iteration. It's amazing how much emotional punch it delivers with such short prompts. Possibly because I can't help but cast my puppers as the heroes. It sold me on solo journaling games. Excited to see the new multiplayer options!

Ethan 🔜 Gamehole Con@glyphtide.games · 3w ago

We've exceeded $100k! The journey continues 🗡️🐕 www.kickstarter.com/projects/hit...

3x/year my family takes time off work for our own private TTRPG convention, FamCon. Last FamCon's theme was "All deaths are final." Six PCs met untimely ends. We kick off again Friday w/a new theme: "We finish what we start." We're pulling out games-in-progress & getting them back to the table.

What better way to start a Sunday morning than with a little light survival horror? The second Heart of Fear scenario offers a night of zombie mayhem. Drop it into any dark Daggerheart campaign, and see if your PCs can survive the Blood-Soaked Field. www.drivethrurpg.com/product/5853...

Played Scarlet Minotaur in Shadowdark & realized I could turn over my character sheet & do equally well. The "answers" weren't on the sheet. Meanwhile, running Daggerheart for new players, I made a bookmark to help them find all their cool abilities. Neither's better, just different. #ttrpg

This is one of my favorite podcasts. These two always give me much to contemplate in the Daggerheart realm.

Daggerheart to Heart@daggerhearttoheart.bsky.social · 4w ago

Welcome to the new home of Daggerheart to Heart! A Daggerheart Community podcast focused on helping others play the incredible TTRPG from @darringtonpress.bsky.social Every two weeks a new podcast airs discussing the latest news, topics, and community spotlights #daggerheart

One should never miss the opportunity to be a very good doggo!

Ethan 🔜 Gamehole Con@glyphtide.games · 4w ago

We just passed 90k! Please share the word to all your solo-journaling and/or sword doggo-loving friends! www.kickstarter.com/projects/hit...

Share the last 4 TTRPGs you played and expose your gaming habits (Or don't. I'm not a cop). Daggerheart (currently hitting this 3-5 times/week) Shadowdark (scarlet minotaur) Ashes without Number (techno wizads have invaded Oregon) Delta Green (doing my best impersonation of Alt Natil Park Service)

Rayne Grimm Vulpes Zer-Duh@raynegrimm.bsky.social · 4w ago

Share the last 4 TTRPGs you played and expose your gaming habits (Or don't. I'm not a cop). Pokemon Tabletop united (my current top fave & one I'm gming) Startrek (I believe it was adventures) Trashprincess(this was hilarious) BITD (had fun with the players but not a system that was my cup of tea)

Today's TTRPG lesson from improv class: We give other players space for a scene with an NPC played by the GM. But scenes can be more powerful when multiple players are involved. A great group scene creates that same "we did that!" feeling as winning a tough battle. Roleplay can be a team sport.

A different take on collaborative storytelling in Dying Spire: I laid out a blank battlemat, marked the Spire, & asked what else was there. I drew their ideas, then revealed the Goathogs. The players' additions got lots of use in battle w/o a pre-printed map dictating the terrain. #daggerheart

Ran Daggerheart's Dying Spire @ RoseCityCC Sunday. My table was a mix of Daggerheart newcomers + forever GMs finally getting to play. Turns out having GMs on the other side of the screen guarantees drama. Finale: Blaze of Glory made the boss vulnerable + 2 tag teams. Last one crit for 99 damage!

I ran @trekiros.bsky.social 's revamped Sablewood Messengers @ Rose City Comic Con. 3 newbies & 2 Daggerheart veterans scrambled to save the city. Added stakes kept everyone engaged. New countdowns added tension & the rules remained accessible. Trek's vid overview: www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZeu...

I Fixed Daggerheart's Starter Adventure

YouTube video by Trekiros

youtube.com

At Rose City Comic Con yesterday, I was struck by the number of solo comic book characters that wandered around in pairs. Seeing pairs of Batmen and Spidermen especially tickled my funny bone.

Today's TTRPG lesson from improv class: Don't be afraid to jump into a scene where someone has the spotlight. Help them shine; interact with the PC & build on what's happening. Ask a question, paint the scene, advance conflict. Impactful character moments don't have to be solo moments.

Our heroes faced a Haven harvester in our quest to save the Fanewick yesterday. Fighting a Colossus in the middle of the Witherwild was epic. We made it go "boom". My only regret is that my hedge witch didn't get to don her holocaust cloak and go inside the inferno of its inner workings.

A year into running Daggerheart, I've created literally dozens of new adversaries. In decades of D&D, I've never felt the same urge to create legions of new monsters. Why? Daggerheart does 3 things inviting GMs to become game designers.