Circular Dreamer

A bookshop is a most magical place.

Big sadge

Generally Final Fantasy can be played in any order due to unconnected stories and so on, but I'd have a few recommendations on playing order:

Play 1 before 9
Play 2 before any SaGa game
Play 3 before 5
Play 7 before 8/10/10-2

Also, wholeheartedly recommending Final Fantasy Tactics

Depends on the system, levels of interest, ability to improvise etc. Even if you are in over your head, finding out what systems, settings and ideas you enjoy would help you as a player too.

Personally, I'd recommend looking at some one-page RPGs (Honey Heist) and small books (Cairn) to start with

Any other stat?

I immediately assign it to my HP stat and now cast with a +26 modifier

I'd waste it all commissioning a Koudelka/Shadow Hearts RPG with clocks, d8 pools and unhinged monster illustrations...

...uh, I mean, yeah of course I'd but out WotC and give D&D back to the masses, er, yeah

Imagining every class screaming ACTION SURGE because they all took a dip in Fighter...

I am easily amused

Something you learn over time is how to effectively condense a full moveset into just using the "good moves."

Tekken sounds daunting with ~100 moves but it can be condensed down to ~10. Like, if there are three jabs but one is clearly better, you're using one move.

It says a lot about optimisation

Vergil's Judgement Cut End from Devil May Cry 5

Samurai Hag is definitely making the final cut (heh) however

Map of an island generated on: https://watabou.github.io/perilous-shores/ Would recommend

Hex rosette with vague encounter/features in each hex Probably intended to be humorous

Currently in the process of setting up a one-shot island for that dragon game #ttrpg

What the players see compared to what I see is *different* to say the least

Animation of a Weapon Art from Elden Ring

Liberally stealing, but would likely change it to a small damage buff over 5 rounds (or a flat buff for the next hit)

OR roll 1d4 and apply a benefit:
Temp HP
Damage Buff
AC Buff
Initiative Buff

The amount of creation options evolved over time, the gameplay hasn't really done the same

Wrestling games have similar problems to racing games, where they play very similar to decade-old games

Fire Pro Wrestling World is worth a look if you're ok with the presentation but Def Jam FFNY is 100/10

The Eternal Abyss:

Known by the locals as Wetherspoons

Anything to avoid the dreaded "surround the big thing and hit it until dead" strategy.

Some early Soulsbourne fights have good *translatable* ideas however:

Iron Golem supported by a bomb-throwing giant
Duplicates and worshippers in the Fool's Idol fight

Maybe the key is Secondary objectives?

Granted, it's an actual PC release with rollback netcode so I'm still looking forward to it

a group of young men are standing in a line and one of them is saying sike that 's the wrong number Alt: a group of young men are standing in a line and one of them is saying sike that 's the wrong number

SEGA to everyone expecting Virtua Fighter 6:

Liberally stealing this

Would lean towards A.

Getting the hill implies a "high-ground" bonus, perhaps multiplied by the type of unit taking it

Alternatively, taking the hill allows you to support taking an adjacent area?

It'll depend on what they're looking for, but ultimately the only thing you'll really need is a set of dice and a dream.

As far as specific products:
D&D Starter Set (if they just want D&D)
Cairn (first edition) is ultra cheap
Basic Fantasy RPG
Honey Heist (or another one-page RPG)

♥️

YouTube video by Ginny Di I ran a $5k D&D game (and had a panic attack 😰)

Ginny Di has a video detailing her experience running one of the "Castle" games. I think she does say they explicitly reached out without any prior interest from her side, but could be remembering it wrong.

Video in question:

youtu.be/WjvYbXZv6tY?...

That last one hits real hard

Alright, I've come up with a second list of neat JRPGs people may not be aware of. Most of the following are imperfect, but you won't find anything quite like them. 1/?

Minstrel Song's been on the backlog for a very long time, I'll keep it in mind

Screenshot of the videogame Wildermyth. Four characters are engaged in combat.

Haven't seen Wildermyth recommended so I'll recommend that.

Hard to describe, but it's a game that captures the feeling of playing a tabletop RPG (particularly D&D) really well

Screenshot from Final Fantasy IX. A Herald escorts nobles from Treno through Alexandria. Vivi's arrival in Alexandria introduces many incidental race/species such as the duck-person Herald (pictured), Hippaul (hippo-person) and Dante (dog-person). There's an awareness early on that humans are the most common species, but the other species are common enough that it helps Vivi blend in.

Screenshot from Final Fantasy IX. Vivi's ticket is declined, leading to this exclamation. Vivi's treated as a child by most NPCs in this opening segment, and that's interesting to see given what the plot has in store for them.

Screenshot from Final Fantasy IX. Alleyway Jack explains that he goes by various names, inviting Vivi (and the player) to uncover his true name in due time. Alleyway Jack feels very much like a GM-approved recurring character. Viewing it from a TTRPG perspective, he's an easy way to drop a character that knows relevant information/lore whilst also keeping players invested in a longer-term goal. I recall the end of Jack's quest, but not hia appearances along the way so it'll be interesting to see how that pans out.

Screenshot from Final Fantasy IX. Another character expresses frustration at Vivi's fake ticket. More confirmation that Vivi is perceived as a child at this point in the game.

Currently replaying Final Fantasy IX (slowly) with the intent to view certain things through a #TTRPG lens:

Vivi's arrival in Alexandria teases you with all these varied race/species. I want to know more about the Hippo/Fish/Duck people.

Alleyway Jack screams plot hook

More in the alt text.

Okay, so this got a good bit of attention, so I think I'll go ahead and do another thread, this time on Strategy RPGs you may not have played. Some are great, others are just really interesting, but they're all worth your attention. 1/? #gaming #retrogaming

Might as well chuck in a few extra awards like:

Patch of the Year
Patch Notes of the Year
Most Improved Game of the Year (sponsored by Cyberpunk or No Man's Sky)

the only echo chamber I'M worried about is the echo chamber in wave echo cave, 15 miles east of phandalin in the sword mountains, home to the forge of spells, and known as the lost mine of phandelver, subject to phandelver's pact, an agreement between the gnomes and dwarves to share the mithril and—

It’s 1992. All is good. Batman Returns is the summer blockbuster, Snap! are top of the charts and there’s something new happening.
It’s the first day of the FA Carling Premiership.
But what were the teams wearing back then?

✨Yes! It’s the 1992 Throwback Kit Review! #PL30✨