My tabletop game design is deeply inspired by Japanese roleplaying games. In order to more thoroughly understand those roots, I have been playing the mainline Final Fantasy titles and 100% completing them. As part of that process, I’ve created this blog series where I deconstruct each game into lessons for my ttrpgs. Final Fantasy IV … final fantasy iv could have been a ttrpg
I’ve been inspired by Hilander’s ZLDA dungeons recently. It’s made me reconsider what I view as the essential components of a dungeon. This is not the first time I’ve mused about dungeons, but I’ve gained some experience since then. I feel more confident in saying that a dungeon is any dangerous location isolated from the … the dungeons of final fantasy
The third entry in the Final Fantasy series was a departure from the game design of Akitoshi Kawazu and a spiritual return to the first game. It’s a story about four prophesied heroes destined to restore light to elemental crystals and overcome the evil forces plaguing the lands. Only, there’s so much more of FF3 … final fantasy iii could have been a ttrpg
Final Fantasy II could have been a ttrpg…but it probably would have been even more controversial than its video game counterpart. Despite having relatively limited exposure to the Final Fantasy community outside of FFXIV, I am well aware that Final Fantasy II is one of the more unpopular entries in the series. Many creators openly … final fantasy ii could have been a ttrpg
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
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
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
Earlier this month, fellow blogger soopersmert (Random Ape Encounter) proposed a mini-collab to investigate the style of play implicit in generic roleplaying games. Soopersmert has already tackled their experience with GURPS, followed by dadstep (To Be Resolved) writing about his perspective on Cypher. Generic game systems used to be one of my major interests, so … generic play: revisiting cortex prime
