Memory of Ord

Savage Worlds is a tabletop roleplaying game designed by Shane Lacy Hensley and published by Pinnacle Entertainment Group. Originally released in 2003 and updated, as the Adventure Edition in 2018. Its a universal system for running games in almost any genre from weird west and high fantasy to deep space sci-fi. The game is specifically engineered to handle cinematic pulp action and massive battles without slowing down the narrative. The system it directly evolved from is Deadlands (1996) Description Savage Worlds has everything you need to play narrative or miniature-based games, with quick, simple, yet comprehensive rules for everything from combat to Dramatic Tasks, Chases, and Interludes. The emphasis is on less bookkeeping for the Game Master so she can quickly and easily create worlds and adventures for any setting and focus on the players and their actions to keep the action and story rocketing along. System Overview & Key Features Step Dice Mechanic Instead of fixed numeric modifiers, character attributes and skills are rated by die types, ranging from a four sided die (d4) to a twelve sided die (d12). To succeed at a task, a player rolls their skill die and tries to hit a standard target number, which is almost always a 4. The Wild Die Player characters and major non player characters get to roll an extra six sided die called the Wild Die whenever they make a trait test. They roll this alongside their standard skill die and take the higher of the two results, significantly increasing their baseline competence. Acing (Exploding Dice) If any die rolls its maximum possible value, such as rolling an 8 on an eight sided die, the die "aces". The player gets to roll that die again and add the new value to the total. This can chain multiple times, allowing for massive, cinematic successes against all odds. Initiative with Playing Cards Instead of rolling dice for turn order, combat initiative is tracked using a standard deck of playing cards with the Jokers left in. This makes tracking turn order incredibly fast and visually clear. Drawing a Joker grants that character a powerful bonus to all their rolls for that round. Additional links peginc.com - Official Pinnacle Entertainment Group website savagepedia.wiki - Savage Worlds Wiki (Extensive fan curated rules and setting resource)

Forged in the Dark is a tabletop roleplaying game framework and System Reference Document created by John Harper. Released in 2017, it is the underlying engine that powers Blades in the Dark and has since been used by independent designers to build countless other games, such as Scum and Villainy and Band of Blades. It excels at telling stories about capable but flawed groups of people pulling off daring missions against overwhelming odds. The system it directly evolved from is Blades in the Dark Description Instead of being a single game, Forged in the Dark is an open license toolkit. Players form a crew, whether they are space smugglers, military mercenaries, or rebel outcasts, and undertake dangerous missions known as Scores. The system is heavily narrative and focuses on failing forward, meaning a bad dice roll never stalls the story, but instead introduces a new complication. It completely eliminates tedious planning phases by throwing players directly into the action. System Overview & Key Features The d6 Dice Pool To resolve a risky action, a player rolls a pool of six sided dice based on their action rating. The highest single die determines the result. A six is a full success, a four or five is a partial success with a consequence, and a one to three is a bad outcome. Position and Effect Before the dice hit the table, the Game Master establishes the Position (Controlled, Risky, or Desperate) and the Effect (Limited, Standard, or Great). This ensures everyone understands exactly what is at stake and how much impact the action will have. Progress Clocks The game tracks complex threats and long term projects using circular clocks divided into segments. A stealth mission might have a clock for the guards going on high alert, filling up bit by bit as the players roll partial successes or failures. Stress and Resistance Characters have a Stress track that they can spend to push themselves for extra dice or to assist an ally. More importantly, players can spend Stress to resist any consequence the Game Master introduces, allowing characters to survive deadly situations by sheer willpower. Flashbacks Players do not need to spend hours planning a heist or mission. When they encounter an obstacle, they can simply spend Stress to declare a flashback, narrating how their character anticipated the problem and set up a solution in the past. Phases of Play The game flows through specific phases. Free Play is where characters gather information and choose a target. The Score is the actual mission. Finally, Downtime allows the crew to recover from injuries, reduce their heat, and work on personal projects before the cycle begins again. Additional links bladesinthedark.com - Official System Reference Document and rules database evilhat.com - Official Evil Hat Productions website

Dungeon Master Diaries is a podcast about Shadowdark and other role-playing games where two GMs talk about their recent experiences at the table, and hopefully give you something useful that you can take to yours. Links dungeonmasterdiaries.libsyn.com - Podcast website youtube.com - Youtube channel spotify.com - Spotify feed discord.gg - Discord server