Picked up Adventures in Rokugan from @edge_english on @DriveThruRPG. After poking through it, we decided we're going to get the hardcover as well. So, our initial thoughts: It feels a lot closer to 2nd edition L5R, than it does any other edition. It feels like high samurai fantasy, which is exactly what L5R was to us. 3rd edition on felt a lot less 'high fantasy', and 5e L5R doesn't feel much like fantasy at all - it feels like samurai drama.

The Importance of NPCs. #ttrpg
Long, long ago, PC parties didn't travel by themselves in groups of 4-5. Not often. It simply wasn't practical. The AD&D books included lists of henchmen and hirelings, and it was reasonably expected you'd have a few - more so when you hit 'name'. Basically, around level 10 or so, you attracted followers. A lot of followers. You basically became a mobile army. But this made sense, and here's why:

The First Rule of Combat #ttrpg
Practically speaking, the goal in combat is to inflict as much damage as you can on your opponents, while mitigating the damage your side will take. You don't enter a combat you don't think you'll win, and you try to gauge how much it'll 'cost'. Some games are designed to allow for this kind of mentality (Shadowun as an example, 2e Legend of the Five Rings as another). Range, cover, and the sheer damage output the character can unleash can end a combat in a single round.

The Unique Beast.
We find it interesting, and frustrating, that unique creatures from our mythology become just generic creatures when they show up in a #ttrpg. Something gets lost when this happens. First, and foremost, they always stop being mythological. By this, we mean such creatures can't only be taken down by 'a hero'. They're not as terrifying as they were in mythology - because it's expected a PC party should be able to beat them.

#ttrpg "Too Generic"
There's some RPGs out there that have gone minimalist, and that works for them. Then there's others that go that route, and we're wondering what they're thinking.

Pick a genre or movie where 'getting better' - either linearly or laterally, is a thing. For example, Star Wars. Luke's journey into learning how to use the Force. Any number of anime where the main character develops and grows. Superhero comics where the character has their origin and grows. You get the idea.

@DymonStorage
So, you're planning to build at Baseline and Clyde. The local community fought you on this and lost. You plan on building a large building - taller than pretty much any other building in the area. Something that's going to blot out the view of a chunk of the area. You plan to tear down the woods in the area, that houses wildlife. That people walk through and enjoy. Trees that the community get to watch change with the seasons. Where rabbits live. Where cats wander.

#ttrpg #ttrpgredlist
Culture. Faith. Education.
This, we think, should be what determines what kind of magic a character has access to in games where magic exists. Rather than having magic be an open book where all spells are available to choose from, where your character is from, where they were trained, and what beliefs exist should determine what's available and what isn't. You follow the Goddess of Peace, you don't get harmful spells. You're from a desert region, you might get a lot of fire, sand, and wind spells.

#ttrpg #ttrpgredlist
For us, a good RPG is one that allows you to explore the setting, in any way you wish, and support you in that goal. The mechanics should be able to support this desire, and the characters you want to make within the confines of the setting. If the game doesn't have a setting, it needs to support the players (and game master) in the genre of the game - a fantasy RPG supports playing in a fantasy world, a cyberpunk RPG supports playing in a cyberpunk world.

#ttrpg - Threat and Momentum.
From the Homeworld RPG, two mechanics have shown up: momentum, which the players gain and spend for benefits, and threat, which the game master gains and spends to complicate matters. This is what we talk about when we talk about having 'fudging' coded into the game mechanics. We approve of this - rather than just having the GM cheat at dice rolls. Because check this out:

#ttrpg:
As a GM, do you build encounters to the PC's strengths and weaknesses, or do you build to the setting and region? Do you go for suspension of disbelief and verisimilitude, or to create awesome scenes? None of these ways are wrong, but each table, we think, has a preference. We go for trying to paint scenes which are accurate to the region, add verisimilitude, and then see how the players run with what's been provided.

Re: Activision-Blizzard.
Guess what? As people, we don't need to presume innocence. We can look at the women speaking out, and go 'okay, yes' and believe them. We don't need to go 'let's wait until the trial is over'. Know what the trial is for? To see if there's enough evidence to formally prosecute. To assign a penalty that's enforced by law. We, as people, do not have to wait and see. We can take the accusations on faith because there's so many of them, and they're believable.

Our view on Satan / Evil.
To us, Satan is the breaker-of-chains, the one who refuses to follow blindly, the one who accepts that knowledge is a good thing, and that it is good to question authority. Good and evil are human things. There is no force outside of humanity tempting us - we provide our own temptation. It is our choice whether or not to give in to temptation - the gods have no interest in our struggles of good and evil. The universe doesn't care.

How to make a (relatively) new player's day in @PlayWarframe. Do two missions with them, then tell them 'pick a warframe'. When they've picked one, drop a whackload of plat and send it to them as a gift.
The player was overjoyed. :D It feels nice to do that. And all we asked was they pay it forward sometime. When they're deeper into the game, go help some new player, make them feel special.

We like doing that - just dropping a surprise gift on a newer player. Give them a new frame or two, a few weapons.

#lgbtq #ReligiousFreedom
Protecting the LGBTQIA community from discrimination is a great thing. About damn time, in fact.

"But my religious freedoms!" we're hearing.
They still exist. This is just stopping you enforcing your faith on other people. You know, infringing on THEIR religious freedoms.
You know who else complained about losing their religious freedoms?

White people, when black people were protected from discrimination.

Men, when women were protected from discrimination.

#ttrpg #dnd Let's discuss removing supernatural evil from the game. This is going to take a Shintoistic view of the world and what's in it, and compare it to tabletop games. Bear with us. In Shinto, there is no universal good or evil. The universe doesn't care if you're 'good' or 'bad'. It cares if you're spiritually pure or not - which is an entirely different thing. 'Good' and 'Evil' depends on mortal choice and action, and is dictated by society.