Pathfinder 2nd Edition (2019)

Pathfinder is a heroic fantasy roleplaying game system with a high amount of character customization and progression, published by Paizo in 2009. It was developed as a response to Wizards of the Coast transitioning the D&D genre to D&D 4th Edition, which was seen as a strong deviation from the math-heavy norm from 3.5E. Pathfinder was built using the Open Game License (OGL) to revise and expand upon the beloved 3.5 ruleset.  The system it directly evolved from is Dungeons & Dragons 3.5 Edition The second edition of the game was released in 2019 as Pathfinder 2nd Edition Description Pathfinder 1e is well known for its "crunch". It relies heavily on strict rules, mechanical variation and math. The system is perfect for players who prefer heavy character optimization and customization, focus on tactical combat encounters and a strong ruleset for almost any situation. Pathfinder is proud of it's complexity and very much focuses on it. Boasting a massive library of  spells, classes, and feats, allows the players to build very mechanically different and unique characters. It is also renowned for its "Adventure Paths": epic, six-part published campaigns that take characters from level 1 to roughly level 20. System Overview & Key Features The d20 System & Action Economy Like 3.5E, the core engine runs on a d20 roll plus modifiers. On every turn the characters have a set structure to perform their actions. Mechanically separated into Standard, Move and Swift actions. Archetypes & Deep Customization Instead of relying on complicated "Prestige Classes," Pathfinder 1e popularized "Archetypes." These allow players to swap out base class features for heavily themed alternatives right from level 1. This enables the players an extensive levels of customization when combining with the thousands of available feats to further personalise their unique character concept. Base Attack Bonus (BAB) Martial prowess is measured by a Base Attack Bonus. As this number grows, martial classes can eventually achieve "iterative attacks," allowing them to attack with their weapons multiple times per their turns, although penalties apply for repeated attempts. Combat Maneuver Mechanics (CMB/CMD) The system introduced two systems to simplify actions like tripping, grappling or disarming your opponents: Combat Maneuver Bonus and Combat Maneuver Defense. This created a single, reliable formula to use when performing maneuvers against an enemy. Skill Ranks Instead of a single "Proficiency Bonus" like in modern games, players are given a pool of Skill Points at every level (determined by their class and Intelligence score) to manually distribute across a massive list of skills, allowing for highly granular non-combat abilities. Lethality and "Crunch" As characters level up, the numbers grow exponentially. This means, that by reaching higher levels of encounters, characters and their opponents are dealing huge amounts of damage, alongside with various magical buffs and spells that could instantly kill a character. Planning and tracking situational modifiers and buffs becomes vital for survival. Additional links pathfinderwiki.com - Pathfinder Wiki  aonprd.com - Archives of Nethys (Official free rules database for PF1e)

SAKE is a traditional tabletop roleplaying game with a touch of strategy game. It is a crunchy, modular, d20 point-buy game set in an early-modern fantasy world, with detailed systems for domain-building and overseas trading. Description In SAKE, you play the ruler of a domain, a merchant prince, a pirate lord or start as an adventurer with the goal of rising to power. You delve into dungeons, explore pockets of the Otherworld to find treasures, make pacts with fickle gods, study dangerous magic, scheme to assassinate rivals, trade to gather resources and raise an army to fight wars. SAKE is a full point buy system, which means all character development happens by buying skills and abilities using EXP gained from your character's personality traits and events during gameplay. SAKE is designed to take place in an early modern (fantasy) world, with muskets and plate armour, cannons and galleys, rising capitalism and waning feudalism. With magic and gods mixed in. The game's rules support more serious types of campaigns, like balancing between different political interest groups when playing domain ruler, or deciding how far one is ready to go when meddling with gods or magic for power that could save their party and/or domain. SAKE comes with its own world – the Asteanic World – but it is by no means exclusive to it. It can be used to play in other early modern fantasy worlds, or even in Earth's similar historical period. Additional links sake.ee - Official website drivethrurpg.com - Full book

Dungeons & Dragons 5.5E (commonly called the "2024 rules" or "D&D 2024") is the revised and updated version of the Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition tabletop roleplaying game, published by Wizards of the Coast. Released across three core rulebooks throughout 2024 and early 2025, it is not a new edition. It is the same game, refined. The revision was driven by a decade of player feedback and data on how tables actually run 5E, and it shipped to coincide with the game's 50th anniversary. The three revised core books are the Player's Handbook (September 2024), the Dungeon Master's Guide (November 2024), and the Monster Manual (February 2025). All three are reorganized, reworded for clarity, and mechanically updated. Rather than replacing 5th Edition with a "6th Edition," 5.5E expands and tightens the existing framework while maintaining backwards compatibility with every 5E adventure module, sourcebook, and campaign setting published since 2014. If you are new to D&D entirely, start with the Dungeons & Dragons 5e (2014) entry for a full explanation of how the game works. Everything described there still applies here. This entry covers what 5.5E specifically changed. Description D&D 5.5E plays identically to 5th Edition at the table. Players create adventurers, one player takes on the role of the Dungeon Master (DM), and the group tells a collaborative story driven by a twenty-sided die (d20) and the DM's rulings. The core loop, the "Three Pillars" of Combat, Exploration, and Social Interaction, and the fundamental mechanics (Advantage and Disadvantage, Bounded Accuracy, the Proficiency Bonus, the rest system) all carry over unchanged. What the 2024 revision addresses is the rough edges that a decade of play exposed. Martial classes (Fighters, Barbarians, Monks, Rogues) now have more tactical options in combat instead of repeating the same basic attack every turn. Spellcasting classes have been rebalanced to reduce the gap between low-level and high-level power. Rules that were famously unclear or frequently house-ruled (grappling, crafting, surprise, two-weapon fighting) have been rewritten. The Dungeon Master's Guide, long criticized as poorly organized, has been restructured into a book that new DMs can actually learn from rather than only reference. The result is a game that feels the same at the table but runs more smoothly. Groups that have been playing 5E for years will notice the quality-of-life improvements. Groups starting fresh will simply have a cleaner ruleset from day one. Both 2014 and 2024 material can be used at the same table without conversion, though the newer rules are recommended for new characters.

Haunted Holyoke is an actual play storytelling podcast created by teens from across Western Massachusetts through Valley Playwright Mentoring, an after-school program based at Holyoke Media. Each season follows a group of young people playing Kids on Bikes, a tabletop roleplaying game about ordinary kids confronting the strange, the supernatural, and the unseen forces shaping their town. Together, they build a shared story set in Holyoke, Massachusetts, where forgotten places hold memories, the past doesn’t stay buried, and every mystery comes with a cost. This project is part of Valley Playwright Mentoring, a program of Piti Theatre Company, and is made possible with support from MassHumanities, the Massachusetts Cultural Council, The Community Foundation of Western Mass, The Scarlet Socks Foundation, and other public and private funders. Blending improvisation, character-driven storytelling, and collaborative worldbuilding, Haunted Holyoke explores themes of memory, belonging, and what it means to face the unknown together. Links spotify.com - Spotify feed podcasts.apple.com - Apple Podcasts Feed

This is the podcast show of the The RPG Gazette. Here you will find our interviews and sometimes discussions between staff members on all manner of TTRPG related topics! Links spotify.com - Spotify feed

Dungeon World is a tabletop fantasy roleplaying game created by Sage LaTorra and Adam Koebel. The game uses the Powered by the Apocalypse engine. The game is advertised as having old school style with modern rules. The game uses six ability scores (Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, Charisma) and a character class model with choices of Bard, Cleric, Fighter, Immolator, Paladin, Ranger, Thief, or Wizard. System Overview & Key Features Classic Fantasy Adventure Explore a land of magic and danger in the roles of adventurers searching for fame, gold, and glory. Delve into goblin holes or chance a dragon's lair. Dungeon World takes classic fantasy and approaches it with new rules. Talk About What Matters Dungeon World's simple rules happen based on what's happening within the game, so you spend more time talking about the action and less time talking about the rules. Gamemaster's Toolkit Running a game shouldn't be a pain. Dungeon World gives the GM all the tools to run a game quickly and easily. Fronts help you keep the world around the players living and evolving. Moves are ways to drive your game forward. And your Agenda keeps you on track. No Dead Ends The rules always drive the action forward in unexpected ways. Rolling the dice always leads to an interesting outcome. Award-winning Design Dungeon World has won an Ennie for Best Rules, a Golden Geek for Best RPG, and an Indie RPG Award. Open License The text of Dungeon World is released under a Creative Commons Attribution license. You can make, distribute, and even sell anything you like based on Dungeon World. Additional links dungeon-world.com - Official website