Grand DM is on point as usual with ttrpg perspective. I’d recommend a follow if you like the truth.

#ttrpg Enforcers (1987, 21st Century Games). Near-future superhero RPG. Point-buy powers. Generic setting set in 2046 after some alien invasion and pollution weirdness. Sounds fine on paper if you’re into the old generic supers stuff like Champions, V&V, or FASERIP. It’s nearly 40 years old. That alone isn’t a crime—plenty of games from that era still run clean if the bones are solid. This one isn’t. The rules are overcomplicated in the exact way that makes my eyes glaze over. Math formulas everywhere: character creation, combat, skills, energy costs, damage numbers, carrying capacity, the works. Critics at the time pointed out you basically needed a calculator just to play. One modern write-up I saw of the lifting formula and damage charts was enough to make me close the tab. They talk a big game in the intro about being easier and more flexible than the competition, then dump you into charts, logs, multipliers, and “type this spreadsheet into your Atari” nonsense. Character gen starts with a concept, then you roll attributes anyway and hope your points stretch far enough. Powers are granular in that 80s “tweak the numbers forever” way, combat tracks initiative in a convoluted multi-action mess, and defensive options add more bookkeeping instead of making fights snappier. I’ve run supers for decades. I like systems that let you build the exact hero you want and then get to the table. Enforcers has the ambition of a point-buy supers game and then buries it under the kind of crunch that turns every session into homework. I’d rather steal the power ideas I like and run them in Champions, FASERIP, or something modern that doesn’t require a PhD and a slide rule. Old doesn’t mean good. Overcomplicated usually means it never left the shelf. This one earned its obscurity.

#ttrpg This years Annual Murderthon was switched to Night’s Black Agents from Slasher Flick and it has been a different experience. All the antagonists from the prior five years plus some from one shots are unified by a master manipulator who is bent on bringing the end of the world. Going to be running part 4 today in a few hours.

#ttrpg Folks may know me for my love of horror TTRPGs—Slasher Flick, Night’s Black Agents, All Flesh Must Be Eaten, the usual suspects—but I’ve got an equal amount of love for Supers RPGs. Champions, Villains & Vigilantes, FASERIP you name it. Point-buy systems that let you build the exact damn hero you want have always been catnip. S.M.A.S.H. (Super Mega Asymmetrical Super Heroes) from the Black Orifice crew who did Etherscope is the latest one that caught my eye. I haven’t got it to the table yet, so this is pure book-read territory, but it looks interesting as hell. The core pitch is asymmetry: every hero archetype actually plays by its own rules. Blasters, Bricks, Speedsters, Controllers, Martial Artists, Shapeshifters, Mimics, and Every-Heroes all interact with the mechanics differently instead of just being “the same chassis with different power lists.” You mash that together with a power source (gadgets, absorption, power suits, innate, technique, etc.) and an alter-ego, and you get a lot of distinct concepts without needing a spreadsheet the size of a phone book. Character creation is quick on purpose. It’s mostly diceless. Skills are basically “if your rating’s high enough, you succeed—unless the GM sets the difficulty so you have to burn a power or resource.” Dice show up mainly for flavor on certain power sources or Blaster damage. Combat is built to stay fast even when you’re dealing with multiple villains and minion hordes. Between fights there’s a light clue-finding system so the investigation parts don’t bog down the comic-book action. It’s flexible enough that you can skin almost any concept (gadgeteer Batman-type, energy-blasting flyer, controller with thralls, etc.) and the asymmetry is supposed to make each one actually feel different at the table instead of just narratively different. No default setting, just the tools, which suits me fine—settings should matter and the GM should own that. From the read, it seems like a solid swing at “every hero is genuinely super” without the usual bloat. Whether the asymmetrical rules stay clean once everyone’s at the table is the part I still need to see. Looks worth the slot on the shelf either way.

#ttrpg Bedlam Hall from the wonderful Monkeyfun Studios. Staff of a mansion try to survive the everyday terror of the trying to manage a family up to dastardly deeds and keeping the household running. Powered by the Apocalypse.

#ttrpg #dnd Was this the original min-maxer tool?

#ttrpg #dnd How do you feel about race/class restrictions in D&D? Does it give the world more flavor or less if certain races can’t be certain classes?

Your new 5e encounter table.

#ttrpg I’ve been playing ttrpgs for almost a half a century. A shitload of systems and genres. When I see the droning nonsense from some little woke pinhead who doesn’t have anywhere near the real world experience I have, I shake my head. If you have an idea that I like, I’ll probably just take it, make it better and adapt it to one of the dozens of systems at my disposal. I guess I’m not your customer these days. 🤣🤣🤣

#ttrpg My 16 year old self would’ve looked at this and said “fuck off slapdick jerkoff nerds.” My 58 year old self still says that to whomever felt the need to write this tripe.

Grand DM nails it.

This was a fun movie.

If you remember Dr. Steel, you probably took your pain relievers for your back today.

#ttrpg Sometimes it’s nice to play something less than serious, but yet still deadly.