If we're defining the trad/osr/storygame divide in ttrpg by structures of game narrative structur/prep/control, and the 'classic' form of trad game prep/writing is a linear sequence of story beats, and osr is a place/situation to bumble through, is there a "shape" storygame modules most easily take?

So is there any material to the 'all pbta games are the same' notion that crop up in ttrpg spaces sometimes, or are we going purely off dice, difficulty/success bands being (usually) the same, and character abilities (usually) organizing into playbooks? Cuz that really seems the only basis.

Playing with formatting for the upcoming weird west #ttrpg project, mostly about integrating images. Aim is for a balance of information (what to expect), inspiration (why this may appeal), and mechanical details (how it would work in game).

Do we have a term yet in #ttrpg design for systems with rare or even single use mechanical spaces (ie just this once, we play blackjack)? I'm noticing it as a recent thing from da/da and pbta story game spheres, though I'm sure it's elsewhere too. Frequent for limited scope games built for set arcs

So for #ttrpg indie designers, is there like an online space for... design book group/workshop? Like designers round robin feedback and playtests (ideally with some mutual commitment/cycle schedule) seems it'd be invaluable, at least where I'm at in the process.

I love #Lancerttrpg homebrew ecosystem, but people making unproblematic/heroic new manufacturers really misses the point, I feel. These companies license death machines, are by definition war profiteers. The fact your cool mech comes from troubling origins is part of how the game engages its themes.

Normal folk making a pirate ttrpg: swashbuckling action! bold ship moves!

My weird brain on a hypothetical pirate game: well the mechanical core would have to be a social/political persuasion game for consensus building among the crew, minimizing deadly combat encounters, building a personal brand-

Long personal sidebar from the recent #ttrpg discourse about system matters or system flexibility - people seem to think that roleplay isn't shaped by the system, that because out of combat mechanics to DND are so much lighter/looser, they are a pure blank canvas on which to tell a story. And...No?

#ttrpgdesgn thought: I feel like the natural shape of a #ttrpg version of your christie-style cozy murder mystery is the eccentric detective (and the investigation writ large) is the gm, and the PCs are the suspects. No clue if this is something or just verging into a murder mystery dinner party

3 things I could (and do) talk about unprepared and unprompted for 3 hours:

1: ttrpg design
2: golden age Caribbean pirates
3: that thing in fantasy of killing the gods as allegory for the enlightenment in a way usually uncritical of resultant projects of empire, up to lionizing the US-Afghan war.

Long thought on #ttrpg design - this isn't a revelation and it's not unique to the medium - but damn if we're not ten different things serving ten different needs. What is the fun vs. what is a vehicle to the fun, what designers provide vs. what the GM or players provide seems to vary wildly.

I haven't read them all, but other #weirdwest #ttrpg games *usually* offer player options in a narrow band of archetypes, with variation mostly in whether you play the bare hits or get the deeper cuts. Given the historic and 'realism plus' trends, it's unsurprising, but not often evocative either.

Finished drafting a #ttrpg playtest (alpha? The terminology seems unclear). Currently set for 30k words - is that normal? That's like a third to half of a full rpg book. Still learning to be economic with this stuff. Player rules all live in first 12 pages, so that's something. #rpgdesign #indierpg

On finishing touches on a public facing #ttrpg playtest! What forums or mediums have people found to be the best for something like that? A free level patreon or discord requires buy in, itch and drivethru are classic but contested. Where and how is best to get eyes on this? #indierpg #rpgdesign

So thinking in terms of #rpgdesign about the mechanics of social and psychological conflict in #ttrpg design. Put in practice, can you talk someone to 'death'? (Not literally, but can social systems produce hard mechanical results) 1/8

Sketch by the talented www.instagram.com/_afart__ exploring the style of an upcoming project. Iterating on a class whose brain picks up radio signals, stray thoughts, and a psychic star screaming the sum of all cosmic knowledge in gibbering cacophany. They're very normal about it. #ttrpg

Question for the vast murmurring ocean in this digital space: when looking at the intersections of #ttrpg and #weirdwest, what are the current examples to know, the spaces yet to explore, or the pitfalls to avoid? Maybe too broad a question, but wide feedback might be useful to a current project.

Activating like a dormant sleeper cell here. Will rig everything with dynamite to detonate in case this foray into digital space proves unwise.