The first one, I mean. If you’re new here, this is the third post in a series where I talk about video games from a ttrpg perspective. Video games are one of my major inspirations as a GM and ttrpg designer, so I like to think about how I would translate digital mechanics to the … final fantasy could have been a ttrpg
I’ve been playing my way through Final Fantasy and other Japanese roleplaying games, and I have many thoughts on how their design translates to the tabletop medium. Earlier this year, I was inspired to write about Final Fantasy Tactics; after finishing Final Fantasy XII, I have decided to turn this into a series of posts. … final fantasy xii could have been a ttrpg
Symbolism is important. I have never experienced an easy dragon fight. I used to hate monsters in ttrpgs because I felt like fights were never interesting unless the opposition was using tactics. I’ve since learned that I just needed to play better systems than 5e, and I’ve accumulated a healthy respect for monster fights. That’s … i’m beginning to think some of you don’t want to kill dragons
Sword World 2.5 has been on my list of games to play for several years now, ever since I saw this youtube series discussing Japanese TRPG culture. My understanding of ttrpgs was exclusively limited to the experiences I’ve had in the USA, and since then, I’ve been interested in learning how people play in other … exploring sword world 2.5
In 2025, I wrote a post called “alternative game fantasy: a manifesto“. It was my best attempt at expressing dissatisfaction with the six cultures of play, specifically because I feel left out of the cultures described. Since then, I have written many more posts, played and reviewed many more games, and had a singularly enlightening … the lost manifesto: optimizer culture
During college, I used to attend weekly board game nights with some friends. Sentinels of the Multiverse was a repeat favorite: a cooperative, fixed-deck card game. The game is easy enough to play while drunk, but it also has enough depth that a room full of nerds can sink their teeth into tactical optimization. Sentinel … disassembling sentinel comics
We started preparing for our GURPS mini campaign about two months ago. Myself and several other intrepid explorers from the Paper Cult forums have been running a variety of our unplayed games in an effort to “Meet The RPG”. GURPS was chosen to be the latest subject of our ttrpg book club. I had played … looking for the fingerprints on GURPS
I need to be less of a tourist when it comes to Japanese roleplaying games. I exist downstream from decades of culture and art that exists in conversation with itself, and I thoroughly enjoy the byproduct — whether that’s anime influences or modern games. However, it becomes embarrassing to have such enthusiasm for this genre … final fantasy tactics could have been a ttrpg
As part of an organized effort on the Paper Cult forums, I have been playing a variety of games in short 3-session campaigns to “Meet The RPG“. It’s kindof like a book club, but for games. Our first game of 2026 was Beam Saber, a Forged in the Dark mecha game by Avalyn Ramsay. I’ve … beam saber campaign report
In late 2024, I was hanging out in Farmer Gadda’s discord server, talking about tabletop rpgs (as was custom at the time). He mentioned that he had published 28 blog posts that year, and would like to try writing one a week in 2025. As someone with a disastrous amount of hubris, I thought to … 2025: how it’s going
