Death Bat's 2025 Predictions

 I honestly don't have too many for this year. I have a lot in my personal and professional life to worry about, and so paying attention to gaming trends is pretty low on my list of things right now, but this is a tradition, and I have a few minutes, so here goes!

The RPG Tabletop Predictions

1. D&D 2025 will do just fine

I expect that the game is now too big to suffer any real setback. The worst that could happen is old players churn out, and diehards move to alternative systems, but the game has enough popular attraction to simply replace any churn with fresh blood for Hasbro. That said, I do not expect them to get the virtual tabletop thing together this year, and if/when we see it, I predict a lot of AI will be in use.

2. Nothing else in the RPG sphere will come close to D&D's marketshare

Another low-hanging fruit prediction! I just don't see anything out there on the market or predicted that isn't more traditionally cottage industry/niche corner stuff. Everything will have its rabid fanbase, and the gaming community will continue to be crowded with lots of little tents for lots of little crowds.

3. The looming Tariff Wars will hurt game publishing

It seems like the rise of tariffs on countries where publishers go to save some money on printing will impact the hobby more than a little bit. Get ready for the possibility of $80-$100 hard covers, we could easily see that happen by the end of 2025. Some publishers will skew toward finding local printers, but that will still prove more costly. It is possible (likely) this will lead to game publishers aiming for smaller page count books to offset costs a bit by reducing content. 

4. 13th Age Still won't come out this year

I have no reason to suspect one way or the other, so I am just gonna call it: 13th Age in March 2026!

The Computer Gaming Predictions

1. The Industry will continue to implode as more Games-as-a-Service models fail

I think 2024 was a rough year for the video game industry if you work in it, and 2025 will be similar. The large AAA publishers are more risk averse than ever, and games-as-a-service models are becoming too high risk now, following flops like Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League and Concord. I suspect that we will see AAA companies continue to flounder, and a lot of the energy will get picked up by the B rank and indie publishers for the many genres and styles of games people want but which AAA devs and publishers are ignoring because they can't figure out how to maximize their earnings on them. Either way, more layoffs, more studio shutdowns, and more chaos will fill 2025. 

2. Consoles and PC hardware will get more expensive

The aforementioned likelihood of tariffs imposed on China and abroad will lead to more expensive consoles and PCs. Local manufacturing will not be ready or able to fill the gaps. I predict 2025 is the year we all get real comfortable hoarding the hardware we already have. With luck Nintendo will get Switch 2 out the gate before tariffs impact their import costs, but don't count on it. 

3. 2025 Will be the worst year for new games

I think we're due for a really bad year of uninspired, boring, over-monetized and poorly conceived games. I don't think 2025 will be a kind year to the video game hobbyist and we will see a dearth of meaningful content. Any genuinely good games to come out will be impressive exceptions, and most likely from the B list and indie tier developers.

4. Bungie hits rock bottom in 2025

It's already hitting rock bottom, and I predict it is possible Bungie could find itself in dire staights and goes the way the Concord devs went if they can't pull Destiny out of its death spiral before their hypothetical GaaS Marathon product appears....and if it does appear in 2025 (I don't think it will) I predict it will tank.

Okay, that's my gloom and doom list for 2025! I look forward to hopefully being proven wrong on all counts, but time will tell.

Death Bat's 2025 Gaming Plans: Dragonbane, Mothership, Savage Worlds and the Usual Suspects

Here it is! The short and sweet outline of what I plan to do for 2025....at least in theory:

Part I: The things I am certain to be running this year:

Dragonbane

Starting next week we are going to finally start a campaign in Dragonbane. I am really looking forward to this, as until now if you wanted to play BRP Fantasy, the only real options were: find a copy of the out of print (albeit POD) Magic World, customize Runequest, or finnagle Mythras. Actually those are all good options, but Dragonbane has a astyle, character and odd mix of OSR and modernity that resonates well with me. I am looking forward to this.

Savage Worlds

We started Savage Worlds this weekend, using Supers/Horror mashup for a sort of Planetary/Hellboy/Horror Comics inspired campaign. I think this is going to be a fun, long prospect for a campaign as I get to lean in to my secret obsession I never usually write or talk about: the comic genre and all its quirks! I also plan to offer up more SW genres down the road, and am really looking forward to the new Science Fiction Companion when it ships in February.

Mothership

I plan to run more Mothership intermittently throughout 2025, and may warm up to a short or long campaign again at some point. I realize with Mothership it is as much about the player investment in the experience as anything, so how much Mothership I get to run will depend on the group I assemble.

Part II: The things I expect to run or try to run this year, but there are caveats:

D&D 5.75

The new D&D is on hold until the Monster Manual comes out. I have to see how the final tome in the revised books looks so I can assess my feelings on the new revision, and how it all comes together. Right now, using existing monsters with new characters makes the characters feel a but overpowered and I can't tell if that's by design, or because we're missing the appropriately revamped monsters to accompany them.

Tales of the Valiant

I really want to run this, but I need to detox a bit from having run way too much 5E in 2024. If the final book in the D&D 5.75 set doesn't really live up to expectations, I may just insist that any future 5E in 2025 be via Tales of the Valiant.

GURPS

I would love to get a chance to play GURPS again, but it's thunder may be stolen by Savage Worlds in 2025, which is honestly a better fit for my regulars. I may get to run GURPS with my son and some new players, though, if I can find them.

Mork Borg and Vast Grimm (and Maybe Death In Space)

This is all part of the Mork Borg universe. I anticipate running more one shots and short 2-3 session games here at some point, especially if this year is not monopoloized by protracted D&D campaigns. That said, which flavor and variant (and I also just got Ronin, another Mork Borg spin off that is amazing) depend on mood, I guess.

Part III: The Fever Dreams

I can sum the unlikely candidates up like this: Runequest (because I can't quite invest in Glorantha); Mythras (because as soon as I start diving in to relearn it I remember why I stop); Vaesen (I really want to, but the cute approach to the art is at odds with my ability to convey a horror atmosphere); then there's Pathfinder 2E, which I actually fully expect I may be playing in as a player, but do not think I will get around to GMing this year, but who knows! I often say that then prove myself wrong for at least one session. Also Traveller, which I wouldn't mind running, but I need a shift in my group dynamics before I will consider it (e.g. honest die rollers only please). That last one applies to a lot of these games, actually. 

I didn't mention Cypher System because I can't quite pin down what I want to do with it, but that could change in 2025. I also can't quite bring myself to offer it up right now (despite loving the system) because the die rolls are all player facing, and when you may have one or more suspects in your group who like to cheat on their die rolls, it can be very demoralizing. Yes, I likely need to have a chat with the specific person(s) about this. If you wonder why I don't just kick them, keep in mind I am gaming with a group of players who have in some cases been together as gamers and friends for 18 or more years, so these are not just randos, or people I don't know (or want to know), or pickup gamers. So at some point an honest talk is a better approach. Also, we're all really old now, and so one would think age would make us better people, both on how to approach this and (yes) why on earth would anyone at this stage cheat? It is frustrating....but it is not like 20+ years ago when when the cheating was generally unheard of among those I gamed with, as we all took the experience more earnestly. So yeah, I do need to decide what to do about this and how to approach it, and maybe I am doing so in too nuanced a fashion, but age has a way of doing that to you I guess.

Anyway, See you all on the flip side in 2025! Some predictions to come next. 

Death Bat's 2024 Computer Gaming in Review

 2024 was the year I really started to feel my age. I've complained about this before, and as you can see my gaming lists often include some older titles, or titles I played 2 or more years after their release, but this year was especially onerous. To look at what I did in 2024 I can turn to my Steam Review, and the equivalent on Xbox and maybe PlayStation, if they do that sort of thing. I would label this year the "year I Learned to Love Walking Simulators and Creepy Retro Horror Games That Don't Ask You To Do More than Run Away When The Time Is Right." My aging reflexes can handle those games just fine!

The Steam Metrics

According to Steam I played Destiny 2 the most, though only through March after which I quit, and I haven't been able to bring myself back to it, not even for the grant finale of the Final Shape. I also apparently played a lot of Division 2, which I can't really get enough of, and also a fair amount of Forza Horizon 5 which surprised even me until I realized that we're talking like maybe 20 hours in that game spread out over the course of several months. I also played a lot of Diablo IV in October and November of this year (because it works really well on the Steam Deck). 

Xbox - Year of Decline

Beyond Steam I had some very minimal engagement on the Xbox, which has all but ceded its position in the market to PlayStation and PC (and Switch, technically). People play on Xbox now because that's the walled garden you invested in. If you have even one alternative route out of there, odds are you've already taken it and not even noticed. Either way, my year in Xbox can be summed up as: Alan Wake Remastered, which I played with the intent to get to Alan Wake II on Xbox, but I haven't done so as of yet. Part of the holdup is by the end of Alan Wake Remastered I felt the game was so far up its own butt with the metatextual "author creates literal reality" that I felt their grand plan was being let down by the needs of the video game medium to turn it all into a shooter (of average quality) at the expense of what, in a future time from when Alan Wake was made, could have been just as easily a jump-scare driven walking simulator.

PlayStation 5

My PlayStation time was spent early on getting so burned out on Fortnite I bailed entirely and missed three seasons in a row. I jumped back in for an OG season, and stuck around for the current season. Then they put Skibidi Toilets into it and I was slapped in the face by the cold reality that I was enjoying a game which had moved beyond the realm of memes I could generationally feel comfortable with. So yeah, I'll probably take a long break from Fortnite in 2025 (again).

Aside from that my clan got PS5 VR2 headsets for the holidays and have already played a ton of VR games. It's really good, actually....but I am glad I waited until they shaved $150 off the price of the headset. It has an optional hookup to use it for PC, by the way, improving the versatility. A few of the games are excellent exercise inducers, too. Not for everyone, of course, and VR is most definitely not how one relaxes with gaming, but if you want to merge "moving around a lot, sometimes a whole lot" with "playing a video game" then VR has you covered.

Oh, and I played completely through Horizon Zero Dawn (again) on PS5 and PC, and am halfway through Forbidden West on both. So there is that! 

Switch (and also all the weird indie horror games on Steam)

On Switch I played a lot of games like Blood Wash, Night at the Gates of Hell, and The Silver Case. I also played a lot of games like this on Steam (such as Ad Infinitum), but the thing is....none of these games take more than a couple hours of your time (usually), so they are a "blip" on the Steam tracking radar (though they do contribute to the 158 games Steam says I played over the year).  They are fun and short romps, sometimes also terrible games but not bad enough to feel regret...and occasionally they are brilliant. I highly recommend Pools, for example, its both weird, creepy and relaxing and meditative.  

This was also the year I realized I buy too many JRPGs on Switch and play them for a few minutes to a few hours before either (roll a D6): 1-2 losing interest at a plot driven by anime teenagers in school; 3-4 getting disgusted with the recycled plot of some generic anime fantasy realm; 5-6 getting tired of the grindy parts (usually after a fantastic lead in with a good plot). I did play Persona 3 Portable on Switch and...you know what? That one was pretty good until it got grindy, even with all the angsty teens in school. Alas, I will never capture the lightning in a bottle that was Final Fantasy VII on the original PlayStation. Not even the FFXVII Remake can do that.*

So this year, I have plenty of games I enjoyed, some more so or less so than others, but it was mostly a year of "playing comfort games" mixed with lots of short fun experiments. But go check out Pools if you want a fun, relaxing and enigmatic walking simulator that doesn't pressure you at all. Much.

*For those of you who also wonder why this is so, note that it's because the most important ingredient to enjoying "That Game from the 90's I loved" is your younger self. You can never really go back.

Death Bat's review of Last Year's Projections

 Well here we are again! Another year, another review on last year's predictions and projections for the outgoing year. How did my plans and predictions stack up?

Predictions:

D&D 2024 Releases but Beyond Isn't Ready - near as I can tell I am spot on about this; that demo with fully 3D figures that looked like a CRPG? I don't think there's any evidence that exists right now, so far as I can tell...

Tales of the Valiant - I predicted it would be successful and might eat some of Pathfinder's market share but not penetrate the core D&D crowd. I think I am wrong on the first count and right on the second count. Instead, it looks like TotV will be its own niche corner, and won't really eat anyone's market share, instead becoming yet another variant with its own core crowd thanks to Kickstarter.

D&D-Spin Off Fatigue - I expected this to happen in 2024, and I think to some degree it has happened, as the "alternative to D&D" market has indeed fragmented into something like a dozen different variants from Daggerheart to Tales of the Valiant, Pathfinder, Shadowdark and all the existing D20 variants out there. It's so bad that I think D&D 2024 is effectively succeeding by being an anchor with the most common ground in the middle of it all. 

Fewer new IP and Gaming Properties - I am not sure this is true. It seems like there are a metric ton of new IPs and games out there, or on the way, but what I am missing is where people are collecting their information. I rely largely on ENWorld for my gaming news, and they are only "so so" at things not related to D&D. 

Goals:

Mothership - I wanted to run more Mothership in 2024. I did run a one shot in January and a two parter at the end of the year in December. I did not run another lengthy campaign, however. I forget offhand when the Mothership Boxed set finally arrived, but I recall it was sometime in May. That waiting for the new edition to release proved to be part of why it didn't take off; it finally came out, and as is often tradition for Kickstarters it took me a while to get back in the mood to deal with it. I also realized that my last really successful online Mothership game was a bit of lightning in a bottle; you sort of need the right kind of group to really pull off Mothership. I don't know that I currently have that sort of group right now. Some of my players, sure! But others.....hmmmm not so much.

Dragonbane - Despite wanting to run this, I have not as yet gotten around to it. 2024 was a year where I found little time to mess with new mechanics, and ended up sticking to the "familiar and easy," which is to say, lots of D&D 5E.

Traveller - I did run a short Traveller campaign early on. I stopped running Traveller for one very specific and disappointing reason, about which I won't dive too deeply here, but let's just say that I wish players would let the dice roll and not fudge crap all the time (read: cheat). I am unsure of how to fix this problem other than to run games of somewhat more complexity, making it harder to easily cheat on die rolls, or to take over some dice rolling (which I really prefer not to do). In general I sort of assume that this happens on occasion from certain people, but it was a bit excessive in the last Traveller game I ran, and was substantiated by others. As a result, I really lost my taste for running the game for my group. And honestly....it's impacted me kind of hard ever since, and I am extremely reluctant to run certain game systems with entirely player-facing die roll mechanics as a result. If certain players (and there are only certain ones here, mind you; others in my group are great and honest!) desire to cheat to insure their "victory" then why not just play a video game, watch a movie or read a book? 

Post More - Pssh 'nuff said! I totally slacked off on posting for most of 2024.

Pace Myself - I think I did okay here. I have gamed less often on Saturday, which is often a trouble night for me, especially now that I live a 25 miles south of the city where the gaming locations we meet are at.

Miscellaneous:

I made some offhand comments, and wanted to mention those:

Rivers of London - Chaosium has not done much new with it, but its still there being promoted. In this day and age a game with maybe one sourcebook in a year or two is becoming increasingly common. I did buy the first novel in the series the game is based on, but haven't read it yet. 

Esper Genesis - They actually came through! The print edition of the Technician's Guide arrived a few months back, so kudos to them for getting this out at last. A pity it arrived in the wake of a new edition of D&D and took so long I suspect it will be harder for Alligator Alley to get the trust of Kickstarter backers.

GURPS - I suggested GURPS could have a new edition but won't. In their defense, they did get a good reprint with nice binding. I think, based on my observation of the market and the interesting directions it has gone, that GURPS is probably best off as a niche game system with a core fanbase that can remain ignored by the broader community.

13th Age 2nd Edition - I suggested it won't come out in 2024 and I was right. Another Kickstarter waaaay behind deadline. I am looking forward to this one when it comes out. Will it come out in 2025? Maybe, but it will arrive to a saturated market. Unless WotC releases the new Monster Manual and it turns out to be garbage for some reason, causing a wave of dissatisfied DMs to look elsewhere.

Pathfinder - I suggested maybe Pathfinder's increased costs will lead to a shrink in market share. I have no idea if this is true or not, but I know I have fellow players who have commented on how Paizo's books are getting too expensive to keep up with now. I think the costs are driven by the unionization of their workstaff, which is a good thing, but also a rough spot to be in a largely non-union, low-profit corner of the business. I suspect 2025 could be a make or break year for Paizo. 

Okay, next I'll make some predictions for 2025 and set some goals!

An Old School Feeling I haven't Felt in a Long Time....the Dragonbane Publishing Community

 A brief post, but I just wanted to share that I discovered a metric ton of content brewing on drivethrurpg.com, much of it pay-what-you-want and plenty of it worth money. I've been picking up print on demand versions of some Dragonbane books, but when I started sifting through the total available content I was really pleasantly surprised to see that there is a robust and growing community of enthusiasts for the game sharing all sorts of fun content from new professions and talents to monsters, encounter charts, modules and more. It genuinely reminds me of the old days, when game interest was 90% driven by earnest enthusiasts, and people just having fun....there's no posturing, no profiteering, just cool stuff.

This has me rethinking my priorities on what to play next. Dragonbane's ability to generate such enthusiasm has sparked some very old feelings in me, and reminds me of gaming from many an age ago. Must think about what I can do with this! I had sort of been waiting on the side to see if more rules content came out, to flesh out elements of the magic system and resources that I felt would make the game a bit more robust for my needs....and turns out all of that is sitting here amidst dozens of useful zines and resources the community has put together already, and practically all of it is eminently useful (and often pretty, too). 

The Economy of design in a Tri-Fold / One-Sheet Module (Or: Not All Tri-folds are Created Equal)

 Last night my group returned to Mothership, which I haven't run since January. It was fun! But it was a tad bit frustrating for me, as I picked a tri-fold module to kick things off which, on an initial reading, sounded fun....but in actual play I realized it was maybe too skimpy, too brief in its presentation and details for me to work comfortably with. On the plus side, an important component of running this sort of tiny module is that you as GM must out of necessity be ready to riff and improv, and I immediately started doing so, but as I was, I had to wonder to myself if I couldn't have just saved myself a bit of grief by simply writing my own scenario instead. 

And then I remembered The Haunting of Ypsilpon-14, a benchmark of quality in this sort of module design. I wrote more about that module here, and now that I've had a lot of Mothership scenarios under my belt, I realize that there is a special and unique art to designing a compact adventure that fits on two sides of a page and somehow gives enough detail to a Warden to comfortably run the adventure and extrapolate new directions and details without much effort. 

So why does one tri-fold module succeed and others fail? The module I was working with last night is called "Tombship of the Lich" and comes from a boxed set of 5 modules called Terrors from the Cosmos. The thematic elements of the modules are essentially a blend of futuristic horror with more primal, magical (technomantic) horror. They have thematic similarities, and a chunk of the modules are driven by the style and presentation, including extra monster cards, art pieces (in the deluxe set) and a "off color on black background" design aesthetic. So....a lot of flashy weirdness, as has come to dominate the new wave alt indie zinerpg scene, in other words.

Taken at its own value, the Tombship of the Lich module is a short set up (investigate an anomaly and the tombship) with a timer countdown, and a description of half a dozen key locations. The module offers guidelines and links to connect locations, and some guidance on the big bad (the lich Nekrul) and his reanimated alien skeletal cyborg army. It is simple enough. I think if I did not have high expectations, and did not have the GM/Warden narrative style I have (where I like to make sure there is consistency in the underlying plot and universe, and like to convey through description what is going on, and want to make sure the PCs have a reason and interest to be involved and have agency) then maybe this module could be run really simply, and without any real effort at preamble or expectations. But it really doesn't work that well without adding a lot to it (for what I need, anyway). It is like the barest outline. 

Contrast with The Haunting of Ypsilon-14.  Like all tri-fold modules it's got only so much space to work with, but it provides an alarming amount of interesting detail that you can extrapolate a universe from without much effort. It's economy of design maximizes the connectivity of the setting, and the text is effectively embedded in a diagramatic map which allows the Warden to spatially understand what is going on and where things are happening. If you run it on Roll20 the module even comes with an actual map with a retro aesthetic that works very well for this purpose (you can find it here, in fact).  That map really helps, but the tri-fold's diagrammatic layout works quite well. The one in the Tombship module is far more basic and doesn't entirely clarify how it relates to the text. 

The Haunting module also provides a myriad of NPCs for the game, with just the briefest but most useful bits of information as well as some nice metrics to keep track of who dies by the creature next. It is not afraid to put a lot of text in a small space, and it (smartly) puts black text on a yellow background, which is far more readable than blue text on a black background. Little things like this are important! 

At every point of design the Haunting module extrapolates just a bit more detail, and provides it in a succinct, often bullet-point like manner, giving the Warden what is needed without burdening unnecessary additional details. The Tombship module in contrast uses a much larger font, skims over some conceits that would be useful to have clarified (at a certain point it becomes unclear why the party even needs to board the Tombship when they could arguably maneuver their ship to "throw" the quantum payload in to the warp) and honestly, my players were just being good spirits about it and didn't start questioning some of these detaile (even as I was pondering them and working out arbitrary excuses in my head). 

This has got me to thinking: I should review some of these! There are good tri-fold modules and bad. Another good one: Dinoplex Cataclysm. I think maybe this is a new thing I can do on the blog to have fun with. More to come!

The Value of Dynamic, Speedy and Unpredictable Action and Combat

 My group is fizzing out a bit on D&D, and it's probably because the new edition (5/75 or whatever version # you want to give it) is mainly a continuation of standard 5E, which is easily the least exciting version of D&D when it comes to dynamic combat and variables. While it is true that 5E spun out of the 3rd and 4th edition eras where the amount and volume of combat mechanics was either so overwhelming or so procedural that it led to an arms race in rules mastery and tactical acumen among many gamers, the 5th edition response is to create a tepid experience which is fun for a while but eventually it all starts to feel very much like the same thing, over and over again. This might be forgivable if it was quick, but D&D combat is often anything but, even when it is sufficiently simplified that you basically have combat down to a basic roll to hit or save, deal damage, repeat process.

Other game systems manage to do much better and more dynamic combat, but not too many manage to hit the perfect trifecta of being dynamic, speedy and unpredictable. As it happens, perhaps one of the best game systems of all time for dramatic, fun and fast combat comes from the Fast! Furious! Fun! RPG itself: Savage Worlds. Indeed, Savage Worlds is so fast that if you are too used to running typical combat and pacing modules in D&D style format, then it can be a bit shocking to watch Savage Worlds compound the same experience in to less than half the time, leaving the GM scrambling for more content.

This is a roundabout way of me saying that Savage Worlds is back on the menu in my game group, and we will be playing it again, perhaps as early as this weekend, although I have also promised Mothership (which is also engrained with a fast, furious and fun approach to combat!) I'm just so very, very tired of the distinctly samey feel of all things in 5E/5.75E these days, but at least I can identify the burnout as being system-based, and not idea based!

Savage Worlds and Mothership both fit the bill for this sort of more engaging and dynamic but very fast combat approach. I think Mork Borg fits in well, and if you go back to the OSR era then any number of classic OSR games can fit this bill as well. Among more contemporary systems we can get quick and dynamic combat out of Cypher System, too. I'll have to try Dragonbane eventually and see how it feels as well.....I am sure it will be dynamic and unpredictable, but not so sure how speedy it will be. 

Return of the Living Dead RPG Announcement

 So this is kind of exciting: Evil Genius Games is partnering with Living Dead Media, which I guess owns the IP on the Return of the Living Dead films to make an RPG. Announcement here!

On the one hand, I love the idea.....and unlike some other zombie franchises (Walking Dead and so forth) I happen to have a real fondness for the "Return..." series of films. So for me, I would definitely look forward to this. The only problem I foresee is that I worry a bit about the likelihood of this happening, if only because there has been a fair amount of behind-the-scenes dirty laundry aired on Evil Genius Games and its business practices (as well as its connection to bitcoins). How much of that is substantive vs. merely some internal politics is more or less uncertain, best as I can tell....so I will optmistically go for "hopefully any issues have been sorted out over the intervening months," thus explaining this recent announcement.

Evil Genius released Everyday Heroes, a 5E-based reimagining of the original D20 Modern RPG, and then pumped out a bunch of sourcebooks based on classic films of the last several decades. Their treatment on these have all been surprisingly good, managing to make me consider the possibility of running a campaign in the universe of Universal Soldier, a film I utterly derided when I saw it in theaters an eternity ago. They have released movie tie-ins for Rambo, The Crow (original movie), Kong: Skull Island, Total Recall, Escape From New York and Pacific Rim, so if anyone can do this, it would be them. Their release of a Return of the Living Dead RPG would fulfill one of the items on my wishlist, which also includes a "The Thing" RPG spinoff. If you haven't checked out Everyday Heroes, happen to like these movies, and are not burned out on 5E based mechanics, you should take a look! 

When You're In the Mood for "D&D," Just Not Specifically D&D - Mythras Classic Fantasy, Fantasy AGE, Cypher System And Other Weird Variants

 I've had lengthy times where I grew tired of D&D and wanted a break from fantasy, which then led to me running other game systems in different genres such as Mothership, Call of Cthulhu, Savage Worlds and so forth. More recently I have been facing a stranger issue: a desire to run something D&D-like, just NOT actual D&D. I mean, I am running and enjoying D&D....but I know it is less because of the current edition rules at this point than it is because of the campaign I am running, and the sundry plots and characters; the game is succeeding despite itself, not because of itself. Indeed, I realize that my main problem with D&D 5.5 (2024 edition) is that it's frankly just more of the same....lots of noteworthy changes, but none of them shake it up mechanically beyond being a horde of slight iterations. It is like they patched D&D 5E, and you notice the improvements, but ultimately also notice its still just the same game. To run with a video game analogy: they added in ray tracing an patched a loot exploit so it looks cooler and plays more smoothly, but its still the same game you've already played to death.

This has gotten me looking in to other options for a fantasy fix which mix up the mechanics sufficiently that I can feel a breath of fresh air even if I am still running some archetypal adventuring campaigns. I've explored Tales of the Valiant and while I am eager to test it out as a GM, it's still got the same problem D&D 5.5 does; it's just a variant on the thing we've been playing for the last ten years already. Pathfinder 2E Remastered is also good at "D&D like" so it's a bit closer to what I want....but in many ways it is the closest direct competitor to D&D, and has its own unique range of issues when it comes to applying it to classic D&D-ish fantasy without being D&D. 

This leads me to a few other systems I've considered, as follows:

Mythras Classic Fantasy - this just recently received a huge upgrade with the new Mythras Classic Fantasy Unearthed expansion. If you don't know what this is, it's a hack of the Mythras Fantasy RPG (which is itself a valid alternate to D&D) in which it retools the game's chassis to accomodate classes and a very "D&D like" level structure, along with a D&D-derived magic system and plenty of monsters and magic items. It is Mythras at core, but reframes everything to feel like D&D. Specifically it feels like an emulation of AD&D 1st edition, just now powered by a BRP-derived game engine with lots of skills, D100 mechanics and an extra heap of lethality. Cool stuff. 

Pros: Classic Fantasy is a very robust reimagining of D&D style play in a more gritty chassis powered by Mythras; it is well supported with a bunch of modules, main books, the Classic Fantasy Imperative (a ORC-license restatement of the rules as a stand along product, though note you will still want the original Classic Fantasy book for Mythras as it holds all the monsters and more goodies), and the new CF Unearthed book. Plus, you can use all the other Mythras material with it, it's fully compatible.

Cons: I always run into a stumbling block with Classic Fantasy, which evokes for me two things: AD&D and Mythras. I then leave myself wondering if this mix of chocolate and peanut butter really work, or if it makes more sense for me to simply play straight Mythras or straight AD&D. I also prefer BRP Itself, over Mythras, another issue entirely. Also, the special attack rules for Mythras can lead to player decision paralysis, a very common issue I encounter when running Mythras.

Fantasy Age 2E: Green Ronin quietly released Fantasy Age 2nd Edition last year and I am not sure anyone noticed. It's since released a Cthulhu Mythos and Technofantasy expansion on Drivethrurpg, and the 2nd edition is largely backwards compatible with prior books. Fantasy Age, if you did not know, is derived from the Adventure Game Engine (AGE), originally created for the Dragon Age RPG, and this is a full-on iteration designed for use in whatever setting you want. It is class and skill based (though they use focus and talent terms), and is in many ways similar in structural design to D&D with leveling up, escalating hit points and lots of fast paced, hard hitting magic. The latest edition is more robust than the 1st edition Basic Book, too.

Pros: You get a similar experience to D&D but will find Fantasy AGE allows for a lot of design flexibility; its a great system to make unique looking characters, and is pretty easy to GM as well. It has ample support material and the core book is pretty robust.

Cons: Some people find the high starting hit points take getting used to; combats will last longer, sometimes when you don't expect them to. The stunt system unique to Fantasy AGE can lead to a bit of decision paralysis for players, but I find that a few sessions will get them very used to it. Also, because its core design was meant to emulate a video game, it can sometimes feel a tad video-gamish.

Cypher System - Godforsaken and Others: Cypher System has had a lot of expansion into the realm of fantasy gaming in the last several years. The Revised Cypher System rules have plenty of content, but if you add Godforsaken and the Cypher Bestiary you have all you need for a robust D&D-ish campaign but powered by the deceptively simple point-pool system of Cypher. They also have the Planebreaker setting, a new Diamond Throne update and the Ptolus City Setting out for Cypher, most of which were originally settings for D&D 3rd edition or later 5th edition, so its got support for D&D-like campaigns baked in.

Pros: Cypher System is a resource pool game system with player-facing die mechanics which is incredibly easy for the GM to run, and you can simultaneously make very archetypcal D&D-themed characters and also go as off the rails in PC design as the GM is willing to let you. It de-emphasizes a lot of the nitty gritty mechanical elements of D&D, but with the cost advantage of making story and collaborative engagement top priority.

Cons: Cypher System, despite being so cool, can be hard for classic RPG enthusiasts to wrap their heads around, as the pool resource mechanic is counterintuitive to more simulationist rules systems like D&D. Cypher System also works best for GMs (and players) who enjoy improvisation and ad hoc developments, and the game really shines when this is leaned into, but flounders badly if you rgroup does not embrace it.

There are some other ones to consider too! In brief:

Basic Roleplaying, Runequest and Magic World: BRP has a nice new edition update out, and it just got a GM's screen. It's plus is BRP is the best system ever, but its downside is they don't have a single unique modern resource for providing fantasy gaming content. The core book has some material, but its not robust enough. A few years ago before Chaosium changed ownership they published Magic World, which does do exactly that, but its only available in PDF and POD (and had a lot of errata). It's not a bad option, but it is a shame that BRP's latest edition does not have more setting/genre resources out for it, and it continues to get neglected in favor of Runequest. Runequest, in turn, is a great alternative to D&D if you want to really experience something different in the world of Glorantha, but a difficult setting for most to parse out and make their own. If you just want a system to power your own creation, Runequest will disappoint. 

Dragonbane: This is a hybrid reimagining of what the original BRP Magic World of the 80's (from the Worlds of Wonder Boxed Set) became in Sweden, also called Drakar och Demoner, and it was brought back with a Free League flourish, now based on a D20 mechanic instead of a D100 mechanic. It's actually a really neat alternative to OSR D&D gaming, but it needs a bit more support to serve as a broader tool set for enterprising gamers. It also has a problem of looking and feeling like a D&D alternative, but in fact being much closer to its BRP roots and therefore being rather deadly to any game group which plays it like a straight up D&D dungeon crawl. I'm keen on trying this one out eventually, but it's not going to scratch the "D&D but not D&D" itch for me.

Savage Worlds Fantasy and Savage Pathfinder: actually these would work pretty danged well for scratching the "totally D&D feel but not D&D at all" itch. Pathfinder for Savage Worlds brings in classes and themes modeled from Pathfinder 1st edition and is not so wed to Golarion that you can't hack it for your own thing. Add in the SW Fantasy Companion (revised for SWADE) and you have essentially all you need to do everything I've been talking about. The top reason it might not be as ideal is because Savage Worlds excels at being multigenre, and I have found that I enjoy it a lot more in a modern or SF setting than fantasy....though that said, Savage Pathfinder rocks hard. The other problem with Savage Worlds is if you associate hit point bloat and long, protracted combats with the D&D experience, then Savage Worlds may not work for you! It's too fast.

There are others I have not mentioned....GURPS Dungeon Fantasy and the reissue of The Fantasy Trip both come to mind, for example. 

One of my game nights needs a change of system soon. I think it's probably going to be Pathfinder for Savage Worlds, but I might talk them in to a short campaign in Dragonbane just to see how it feels. I am super keen on Fantasy AGE at some point as well, but I really want to absorb the nuances of the system to feel comfortable with it, first....and that requires time I rarely have these days!

Tales of the Valiant and what it Needs Next to Get Adopted by My Group

 I really, really want to play Tales of the Valiant. I am annoyed that D&D 2024 is sufficiently interesting that it is hard not to also want to play it (and is the easier sell, of course); so Tales of the Valiant is mostly getting "behind the scenes" love from me as a GM while I wait for that tipping point when I think that it will also be an easy sell to my players. Really, it needs two things from my perspective to become the next ruleset we try out: more subclasses for players, and Roll20 support. We currently have neither!

Right now, the TotV Player's Guide has 2 subclasses per character class. This is in contrast with D&D 5.5 which manages 4 subclasses per class in the PHB, and also has a tome out on dmsguild.com right now which updates the remaining 69 subclasses out there. So D&D 5.5 has a clear advantage here. Kobold Press has been catching up with ancestry options (well, ancestry and lineages in the parlance of TotV), with two PDF resources out adding a plethora of previous species to the mix, but nothing yet for new subclasses. 

The other thing TotV needs to get adoption rates going (for my group, at least) is Roll20 support. I know they are committed to Shard Tabletop, but last I check Roll20 support was promised and it's for better or worse where many people staked out their VTT gaming ecosystems. I also happen to have TotV set up on Alchemy Tabletop, which is a really cool and weird alternative...and I find both Alchemy and Roll20 more intuitive for myself than Shard....Shard has a great player interface, but does not have the sort of resources I would need as a GM to run games; it seems like it is better designed for pre-published modules. I mean, you can probably run homebrew on it well enough, but honestly my old brain can't figure it out; Roll20's more broadly applicable interface has ruined me a bit.

Anyway, the point is.....Tales of the Valiant is really close to adoption in my group, but as seasoned old players they need more variety in choice than the core books currently offer, and most of my players are not in the habit of manually updating existing 5E stuff to match TotV's conversion requirements, so honestly if someone could just take the time to put out a new book of subclasses or even a conversion document that does the work it would be simply awesome. As GM I do not fret this stuff, I have all I need for the game now, and then some! But for my players? Yeah we need more stuff for them.

As GM though: there's Frog Gods' new Tome of Horrors update which is surprisingly good (it brings in a lot of unusual stuff to BFR/TotV not seen in a while), and Legendary Games has popped out some BFR compatible books as well, including Mythos Monsters, Sea Monsters and some modules. There are other books out already, though maybe not at the ideal pace....and a lot of scenarios, which is not (imo) what TotV needs right now half so much as new subclasses and stuff for players.

So! What I guess I am saying is: TotV can stand on its own two feet if it can ramp up content in a manner consistent with its Big Dog competition. It will forever be the niche game played by D&Ders who are no longer infatuated with WotC, but it can totally own that market....if it can give their largely older, veteran base more material to work with. Just my thoughts!

EDIT: One other thing Tales of the Valiant badly needs: A forum!!! If I want to look for useful Pathfinder 2E advice I can go to Paizo. However there is no unifying forum I am aware of for Tales of the Valiant (I believe they have some sort of Discord but....referring to my prior comments about being an old guy....I find Discord a rough place to have a standardized forum, ime). Right now, if you look for places to talk about TotV, good luck! You mostly get lengthy topics on other forms where people try to talk about TotV and then get trashed by people who dislike it for various petty reasons. So yeah....I really think the Kobolds would benefit from setting up some sort of forum for their product, where fans of the product can actually converse and exchange ideas and content. Just saying. 

....And if I am wrong, and there is a good place for this, can someone point me in the right direction?