Building TTRPGoblin has been wild - started as "let's help Singaporean GMs get better at admin" and somehow we're building GM superpowers now 😅

No more guessing:

Will this group mesh well? ✅
Should I explain rules in detail? ✅
Focus on roleplay or combat? ✅
Any social dynamics to consider? ✅

It's like having player intel that actually matters.

Looking at this data: 6 players, mostly Philanthropists with some Achievers and Socialisers. 2 new to me, 5 new to system, but 80% know each other. Average 5-star rating.
Lovely intel for session prep. (and I should get to prepping, I'm running #ParanoiaRPG - Stealth Train!)

I built a solution. Before every session, GMs now get a full breakdown:

- Player personality types (Achievers, Socialisers, etc.)
- Experience levels
- Who knows who
- Gaming history
Everything you need to prep the perfect session

Screenshot of TTRPGoblin's GM session analytics showing: Player types section with Achiever (1), Socialiser (1), and Philanthropist (4). Table Overview section displaying metrics: 2 New to You, 1.4 Avg Sessions with You, 5 New to System, 0 Avg Sessions with System, 80% Know Each Other, 0.5 Avg Shared Sessions, 4.4 Avg Sessions Per Player, 5 Avg Rating. Bottom section shows start of Player Connections area

🧵
Just shipped something I'm genuinely excited about 🎲
You know that feeling when you're GMing and you have no idea what your players actually want? Like, is this person into roleplay or combat? Do they know anyone else at the table?

Karen Eiffel in Stranger than Fiction saying "no, they came pre smoked"

(but also)

Movie you’ve watched more than six times using gifs.

(“Hard mode” no Star Wars, Star Trek, or LOTR)

Movie you’ve watched more than six times using gifs.

(“Hard mode” no Star Wars, Star Trek, or LOTR)

😤

My story breaking this news exclusively was 7K+ words and had almost all of this in it, and more:
www.npr.org/2025/04/15/n...

A whistleblower's disclosure details how DOGE may have taken sensitive labor data A whistleblower tells Congress and NPR that DOGE may have taken sensitive labor data and hid its tracks. "None of that ... information should ever leave the agency," said a former NLRB official.

Sharing with everyone reading this thread the story breaking this news and putting it into context:

www.npr.org/2025/04/15/n...

Aaaaaaaaaaaa. Okay can.

I know it isn't quite the spirit of the lesson, but as I really shouldn't take on more now, putting a wish out there till then: I'd love to see a Kala Mandala AP with @dungeonmotherkir.bsky.social and other folk (I'll find who you are)

What if, and hear me out: what if you don't actually need her to tag back in for those pieces? What if the user experience wayfinder or the hawk-eyed editor is actually better equipped to fill in those missing design gaps than lunatic poet game design priestess ever was?

Stop thinking of yourself as a game designer. You are not in game designer mode, at least not in any sense that is rewarding or interesting. Figure out what you need to be, instead, in order for this work to feel meaningful in its own right. Become that person for a while.

It's been a long time since I was last in a newsroom, but I've got a sudden hankering to stretch those (feature) journalism muscles to write about all the cool stories I'm coming across in the TTRPG space in Singapore and southeast Asia!

If this is three, what is this? #monkeyisland

As you can see, nothing ground breaking. Some more:

🏯 SPIRIT PALACE (4-4): Like D&D's "Magnificent Mansion" but with a time dilation twist

🥊 WATER BUFFALO STRENGTH (1-1): Similar to "Bull's Strength" but with mind magic immunity

🌿 BETEL TRANCE (2-4): Spirit communication via ritual herbs

Simple but fun flavouring - took me all of an hour? Some of my and players' favourite spells:

🧵 BATIK BINDING (3-1): Like D&D's "Web" but using magical cloth patterns

🎭 WAYANG KULIT (2-1): Shadow puppet messengers (similar to "Unseen Servant")

Examples of reskinning - still spells you’re probably familiar with, but with Southeast Asian flavour:

"Shield" → "Durian Shell" (spiky fruit protection)

"Spider Climb" → "Naga Form" (serpent transformation)

"Unseen Servant" → "Wayang Kulit" (shadow puppets)

Key Change #4: Since I now have a much shorter spell list, I reskinned them to be particularly SEA-inspired. Also, rolling doubles (1-1, 2-2, etc.) grants exceptionally powerful spells! (since in those cases players have no other options)

Key Change #3: Switched to 2d4 instead of 2d6, making rolls quicker for faster character creation - most of the time was spent reading skills and spells (I also created a one-page char creation guide, if anyone's interested)

Key Change #2: I let players choose how to combine their dice rolls for spells (e.g., 1-3 or 3-1). Gives meaningful choice without overwhelming options.

Key Change #1: In Kala Mandala, magic is "everyday and matter-of-fact, like physics" – but my players were hesitant to use one-time scrolls. So mechanically, I've adapted #Cairn's approach to inventory and fatigue management. (but with some liberties). I love seeing players make those decisions.

I hacked (though I have no business doing so) a few things though - so here’s an overview:

- Adapted Cairn's inventory & fatigue management
- Players choose how to combine dice for spells
- Switched to 2d4 (faster character creation)
- SEA-inspired reskins + powerful doubles!

A spell table. The spells: 1-1: Water Buffalo Strength: Gain +4 STR and immunity to mind-affecting magic (1 watch) 1-2: Naga Form: Transform lower body into serpentine tail; swim effortlessly; tail strike (d8 damage) (d6 turns) 1-3: Jungle Camouflage: Skin patterns match surroundings; near-invisibility when still (1 turn) 1-4: Garuda Wings: Sprout wings allowing flight; create powerful gusts (1 turn) 2-1: Wayang Kulit: Create animated shadow puppets that can spy, distract, or deliver messages (1 watch) 2-2: Ancestor Calling: Summons ancestors who grants one skill to each all allies (all who gain a skill gain 1 Fatigue) (1 day) 2-3: Spirit House: Create shelter that pacifies local spirits and protects area (1 watch) 2-4: Betel Trance: Induce trance to communicate with spirits and see invisible entities (1 turn) 3-1: Batik Binding: Magical cloth patterns restrain target; DEX save to avoid (d6 turns) 3-2: Durian Shell: Skin becomes tough and spiked; +2 armor; attackers take 1 damage (3 turns) 3-3: Nine Spires Shield: Create magical dome; all inside gain +3 armor and magic immunity (d6 turns) 3-4: Sacred Thread Binding: Create boundary that spirits/demons cannot cross. Caster can choose other creatures with varying rates of success (1 watch) 4-1: Gamelan Charm: Summon ethereal musical instruments that play entrancing melodies. All who hear must save WIL or be transfixed (d4 turns) 4-2: Voice of Command: Target must save WIL or follow one reasonable command (Immediate) 4-3: Courtly Illusion: Create illusions of wealth/status that fool all senses (1 watch) 4-4: Spirit Palace: Transport to spectral palace where full rest takes only 1 turn of real time. Caster retains 1 Fatigue. Only once per week. Below the table are pencil sketches of characters performing magical rituals with mystical symbols or diagrams visible.

Instead of sleeping in the morning of my last session, I woke up extra early, inspired to reflavour these 16 Southeast Asian-inspired spells that my players are rather enjoying. 🧙‍♂️ #TTRPGs #KalaMandala #SoutheastAsianFantasy

1/🧵

Thank YOU for letting us trace the Wolf's Path

I am only a couple of stories in, but this is glorious, is leaving me heady, and has been responsible for more than one missed stop on commutes. Go read.

I think I've run one too many games, and have been struck by The GM Curse™. Been rolling like total ass as a player now. T.T
During last week's Mörk Borg game, last three rolls were mine.. and as my dead party watched in horror, I rolled a 1, 2, and 3.

alas. What wouldn't I give to be around, for both a game and a good pie & pint. Miss my time living in York for uni! (wish that I had played TTRPGs at that time, though)

THE UNEXPECTED BONUS: I've never lacked willing players to help me practice. Running the same adventure multiple times has been genuinely fun! And when they keep asking for more? I’m running out of published adventures in this world - so have to start learning new skills in writing oneshots!