Our February series is underway! We invited Maso Perez to join us to learn about the official Boyfriend Dungeon TTRPG, Life on the Edge!
We were thrilled to learn about this unique game where you play as people who can turn into weapons, and it's as much about your relationships with one another as it is about fighting through some very personal dungeons where you wield one another in battle.
If you like what you hear on this episode, the rest of this month's series is up on our patreon! Check out episode 2 and 3 right here:
Our 5-year anniversary celebration continues with a release from the Patreon vault: Undying Bonds Episode 1 is out on the public feed right now! In this series, @lordneptune-rb and @gingerreckoning are designing a magical girl/necromancer game based on Spencer Campbell's game, Nova!
If you like what you're hearing here, check out the rest of the episodes currently on our Patreon! Just sign up at the $5 level or higher and you'll unlock the remaining episodes along with a ton of other bonus content!
Become a patron of Character Creation Cast today: Get access to exclusive content and experiences on the world’s largest membership platform
We still have a ways to go, we're $28 away from reaching our first goal. Can you help us get there and unlock a set of 3 custom C3 dice for all $5 and up patrons? Check out the episode today for more details in the cold open!
I was inspired and created a second #MicroRyView over on the TikTok! Check this one out to learn a bit about Panda's Talking Games and how great Phil and @idellamithlynnd are!
If you like what you hear there, check out their latest episode right here:
I'm currently trying to dive into TikTok content creation with my first TikTok #MicroRyView! This time I am reviewing the latest @creationcast episode slightly by reviewing Spencer Campbell's work on Slayers and Nova as well as his own TikTok page. Check it out and spread some joy!
If you like what you hear, check out Spencer's work at:
Website: https://gilarpgs.com/
Itch: https://gilarpgs.itch.io/
TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@gilarpgs
And here's the episode I reviewed:
But more importantly, if you like what you see of his work. tell him and make his day a bit brighter.
Undying Bonds is a game design collaboration between @gingerreckoning and @lordneptune-rb based on marrying the stories and aesthetics of necromancy and magical girls using the LUMEN system by Spencer Campbell . Available for patrons at $5+
Now mind you, I would normally not dare to besmirch the legacy of a proud patriarch such as yourself, especially during this, a season of giving so pockmarked by the tragic underpinnings of mourning.
But nonetheless, bound by the curse of curiosity as I am, I have begun to question whether the death of dear Grandma may in fact be more than the random act of Yuletide calamity it appears to be.
That perhaps Grandma's untimely demise, despite the obvious evidence to the contrary and the corroboration of our own precocious young witness, may be more than a random, Reindeer-related collision.
Perhaps indeed, someone merely wishes for us to believe, so that they may reap the benefits of Grandma's beloved reputation among her adoring family. Who praytell do you think that may be, Grandpa?
a logical choice would be to pick a name for his cat that represents either the statistically most popular cat name chosen by speakers of his native language (usually a human name like Oliver), or to follow the custom of taking the cat’s name from its fur pattern, like “socks” or “tiger” or “spot”
but data strives not just to become more human but to be an individual, and he respects individuality and uniqueness in others
giving his cat the most popular name would not be respecting the cat’s uniqueness
naming his cat after its fur pattern would be respecting its individuality but reflect none of his own
therefore data names his cat, who is orange with stripes, spot
there is absolutely no way he doesn’t think this is funny, in that 1000% deadpan way he expresses himself
repeated viewings as an adult have definitely convinced me either the writers were bing more clever than is usually assumed, or that Data turned out as a very different character from the creative intent. He’s funny, passionate, and deeply emotional. Just… not in neurotypical ways.
I would also like to point out that a Spot is a small round marking and a point can also be a small round object. So by naming his cat Spot he made the cat a Data Point
I guess I'm sort of doing a small series on TTRPGs that get slept on, so let's talk about Ryuutama.
Ryuutama is a pastoral fantasy TTRPG about travel.
You manage your water and food, try to stay out of bad weather, fight monsters sometimes, and solve little problems in the villages you come across.
The vibe, as communicated by the book's gorgeous art and layout, is cozy and pastoral. However, the game also comes with a built-in tone slider. By deciding on the type of dragon that the GM is, the group can play a gentler, or more dire and combat-driven game.
Yes. This is required. You have to decide what sort of dragon your GM is.
Somewhat cutting against the usual TTRPG expectations, the GM is also encouraged to cameo in the game---either by appearing in the background of a scene in their dragon form, or by actually intervening in the story.
Gameplay is super easy to learn, but has some real tactical depth. Most dice rolls and d + d, with the size of each die based off one of your attributes. Combat uses a simple grid with front and back rows, and you get small bonuses for incorporating the environment into your attacks. Magic is available to everyone, and the spell lists are small, concise, and extremely useable.
Character creation involves a fair bit of customization, but the centerpiece is your profession. This is a game where it's reasonable to play as a farmer or a merchant, and there are huge advantages for doing so. Every class has stuff they can do in combat, but some classes are better at carrying gear, others at managing food and water, others at handling different environments.
Managing how you travel is important, and your HP in combat is a factor of how well rested, watered, and fed you are.
The book comes with lots of GMing advice, plus a bestiary and sample adventure, and it's probably one of the easiest to read rpg books I've encountered.
If you like games like Banner Saga, the Atelier series, One Way Heroics, or Yamafuda! 2nd Station, or if you want to try something that's a little like DnD but cozier, more travel-focused, and gentle, I'd highly encourage a look at Ryuutama.
A Heartwarming Tabletop RPG of Travel, Wonder and Friendship
Incidentally, if you're curious about more Ryuutama, the excellent Character Creation Cast podcast is kicking off a series on the game starting just this week! Check them out at @creationcast or charactercreationcast.com.
May I ask, when did you decide to make the Rusalka so significant to the plot, being the first fallen angel and also Margaret's mother? I was just wondering the thought process behind Rusalka and how she became the river milf we meet in Deuxmignon
Okay! This is an interesting road based on player choices.
First Rusalka was always a fallen as soon as fallen were a thing in the setting essentially. This comes directly from my efforts to honor as much of the Decemberists discography as completely as possible. In Rusalka, Rusalka one of the lies is literally
And all that you are is a star on the water
So I knew because angels are fallen stars she had to be be one of them because of this line. This explained her personality and motivations, she is both a creature of wrath and mercy. She punishes the ill deeds of humans and loves the loneliest souls. That is angel shit.
She became the first fallen and former angel of judgement after Gable wanted to explore the story of the skin on the bell. I originally just wanted to show the church was using the fallen they rounded up in creepy magic rituals, but in the interest of supporting Liz as hard as possible I made connections to important stuff to make that moment a bigger deal.
Being Margaret's surrogate mother in rebirth was a thing I wavered on– to the detriment of the overall story I think. I was initially toying with the idea of The Forest Queen calling the Mariner up through the river to drown Margaret and Travis. Again this was all in the spirit of making connections between significant things to make the PC's stories as significant as possible. However it became clear after the Nordia arc that it should definitely have been Rusalka.
I was hesitant to make it her at first because the killing of Margaret and Travis would clearly be an unjust thing and therefore outside of her character. However, with the forest queen making deals and my very real belief that immortal beings would pass through different phases in their personalities I feel like it makes sense. And whether it was Rusalka doing the initial drowning or not her stepping in to save Margaret and give her a new body to be reborn into makes perfect sense to me.
This evolved further when JPC came back for Dref's seance scene. He called death "the river" which was terminology I was initially avoiding because the river already means shit in Skyjacks. It's also very Greek and Roman and I frankly have not been drawing too much from those mythologies. Finally I read The Locked Tomb series and I wanted a bit of distance between my stuff and that stuff. But JPC said it and Dref is the authority on Death so I am not going to argue. This made The River even more important to death and gave Rusalka new narrative weight at a monster who lives in The River and drowns people.
She has an interesting contrast to The Cutting Stone who I think of as misguided mercy that boarders on cruelty and her as an avatar of sad and dark but earnest mercy.
Anyway, whether she drowned Margaret or not she saved Margaret and allowed her to be reborn. It is that connection to Rusalka and the river that allows Margaret to control water with magic. It is also that connection that allows Margaret to communicate and interact with the dead so easily. This is why she could teach Sweet but it was so dangerous for him to approach the river himself.
I hope this gives you a little more insight into the creative process and my timeline for that creative process!
Party of One is an actual-play podcast focused on two-player roleplaying experiences. Every week, host Jeff Stormer sits down with friends f
Just sent out our first Party of One monthly newsletter to subscribers! It's a great look at what episodes dropped this month, what's coming down the pipeline, and a little bit of behind-the-scenes goodness.
This month: We share November's podcast episodes, talk about going on vacation, and share our Party of One Wrapped numbers (because Spotify shouldn't get to have all the fun).
New episode up in the Patreon feed for $1 and up backers! We talk about Amelia’s birthday and working from home, and for once Amelia knows sports facts?!
Ryan Boelter - Lord Neptune Creates @lordneptune-rb - Tumblr Blog | Tumgag
