Owen K.C. Stephens (He/Him)
@owenkcstephens.bsky.social
4.1K followers 1.8K following 4.6K posts
28+ year veteran of writing, developing, and publishing ttRPGs. Co-Author of Starfinder and Star Wars Saga Edition, worked on D&D, Pathfinder, Fantasy AGE, Everyday Heroes and more. Freelance writer/consultant https://www.patreon.com/OwenKCStephens He/Him
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owenkcstephens.bsky.social
This campaign ends TOMORROW, we're close to another stretch goal, AND we have one planned beyond that!
Join us in these last 2 days t make this the best book it can be!
www.tinyurl.com/SuperPoweredLegends
Reposted by Owen K.C. Stephens (He/Him)
xanderking.bsky.social
Presented without comment.
A screenshot of me trying to prove a transphobe is actually an AI bot by instructing it to write a limerick about potatoes. A limerick about potatoes.
owenkcstephens.bsky.social
Yeah just... just send me ALL your notes...
Reposted by Owen K.C. Stephens (He/Him)
owenkcstephens.bsky.social
I can see that all your base belong to us.
...
Make your time.
owenkcstephens.bsky.social
Zombie Options for ttRPGS Using Tactical Maps
What if the walkers in a city full of zombies weren't represented by individually tracked undead? What if an endless hoard of zombies was terrain?
www.patreon.com/posts/zombie...
owenkcstephens.bsky.social
"Battle not with asshats lest ye become an asshat; and if you gaze into the internet the internet gazes into you."
owenkcstephens.bsky.social
I dislike unqualified statements. (Yes, even that one... though now I have qualified it in some regards.)
This means I struggle to not be an ass whenever I talk to someone who communicates things that are true most of the time simply as truths.
I am, as always, a work in progress.
owenkcstephens.bsky.social
What's a vampire's favorite citrus fruit?
Blood orange.
...
What, you expected this to be funny?
owenkcstephens.bsky.social
The GM Says: I'll pass out experience points next session.
The Players Hear: I didn't track any of the things you did, so i want to wait until you've forgotten the details before I make up a random number.
#GMSPCH
owenkcstephens.bsky.social
The Player Says: I lost my character sheet, so I had to rewrite it.
The GM Hears: I made some tiny, but crucial changes to my character.
owenkcstephens.bsky.social
The GM Says: I am going to run you all through one of my favorite classic adventures.
The Players Hear: I had to suffer through this nightmare as a player, so now I am inflicting it on you.
owenkcstephens.bsky.social
I like Big Macs.
I like Mac n Cheese.
I even like putting meat in my Mac n Cheese.
And as the person who has, repeatedly, stuffed cookies into a pie and then stuffed that pie into a cake, I am aware I hold no moral high ground here.
But for whatever reason, a Big-Mac-And-Cheese sounds revolting.
owenkcstephens.bsky.social
Q: What are you doing?
Normal person answer: Playing a new online game?
Game Designer Answer: Engaging in deep game narrative research and analysis with a new paradigm set.
owenkcstephens.bsky.social
Q: Why do you have so many dice?
Normal person answer: I've just bought some over the years.
Game Designer Answer: The d6s and d10 are tax write offs for die pool research, the d3s, d5s, and d7s are experimental options for expanding rpg design spaces, the d12s all just came with other dice sets...
owenkcstephens.bsky.social
Q: What did you do on your vacation?
Normal person answer: I went to the beach.
Game Designer Answer: I spent time doing a cost-benefit analysis of multi-step action economy in my favorite game.
owenkcstephens.bsky.social
Q: What kind of character did you make?
Normal personal answer: Elf wizard.
Game Designer Answer: A hybrid dps/controller optimizing the ability dependencies of two classes and an interesting but GM-pre-approved interpretation of combat maneuver mechanics.
owenkcstephens.bsky.social
#WritingPrompt: A genius lich, realizing that it is evil and will eventually, inevitably, attract the attention of heroes that will destroy it, seeks magic to force it to be actively good as the only possibly way to survive forever.
owenkcstephens.bsky.social
Based on JUST the titles, which of these books would you pick up to look at and consider reading?
"Guardians of the Paper Route"
"The Last Will and Testament of Baal Flamesword"
"Call Me Ishmael, Ghost Hunter"
"Public Scholomance 616"
"The Greenlich Files"
"Irene Adler, Josephine of Crime"
owenkcstephens.bsky.social
In the ttRPG field, people can be great writers, and terrible developers. Or great editors, and terrible developers. But the normal path to being a developer is to do really well as an editor or writer, and get "hired up" to dev.
I don't have a realistic solution.
#RealGameIndustry
owenkcstephens.bsky.social
"I've heard things you people wouldn't believe... Gregorian chants topping the pop charts on the shoulders of giants... I listened to Swing songs in the dark near the Zoot Suit Riots. All those fads will be lost in time, like reactions before TikTok videos... Time to Sea Shanty."
owenkcstephens.bsky.social
IKR?!
My doctor's explanation makes it sound like Invisible Man blood, and I didn't even know that was an option!
owenkcstephens.bsky.social
Looking at this quarter's health test results.
I gotta say, having "Occult Blood" is NOT as cool as the term makes it sound!
Reposted by Owen K.C. Stephens (He/Him)
paizo.com
You're very welcome, Owen!