Existential Road Tripping – Review: Electric State RPG

Electric State is the latest setting / art collection to come out of Simon Stålenhag, the force behind Tales from The Loop and Things from The Flood – both TTRPGs published by Free League. The artistic inspiration fits really well in converting to a roleplaying game, and it gives a chilled-out post-apoc(ish) 1990s vibe that is something genuinely different.

I’ve run this game in a one-shot, and you can watch the Actual Play of this on the Unconventional GMs channel here. We played through the first “Stop” (adventure location) from the book in just under 2 hours – and like everything we’ve done, there’s minimal editing and proper engagement with the rules – so if you want to watch it in action, check it out there.

While you’re reading this, I should tell you about my Patreon. Patrons get access to content 7 days before they hit this site, the chance to request articles or content, and the chance to play in one-shot games, for a very reasonable backer level of £2 per month. If you like what you read, want to support the blog, and have the funds for it, please consider supporting here. Telling people about the blog, and sharing links/retweeting is much appreciated also – thanks!

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Trindie, But Make it Cool – 5 Games I’m Jiving To Now

I’m always looking for new TTRPGs. I have a lot of different game styles I like to run, but I’ve come to think of what I’m looking for for games that really jive with me. I like games that have a mixture of crunch and player agency – 13th Age is in many ways my ideal game. So, here are 5 games I’ve not played yet that I’m itching (no pun intended, although I think you can get most of these on itch.io as it happens) to get down!

For legibility, I’ve put the links in a group at the bottom of this post, rather than clutter them through the paragraphs – most of these have free samples / quickstarts, so check them out!

While you’re reading this, I should tell you about my Patreon. Patrons get access to content 7 days before they hit this site, the chance to request articles or content, and the chance to play in one-shot games, for a very reasonable backer level of £2 per month. If you like what you read, want to support the blog, and have the funds for it, please consider supporting here. Telling people about the blog, and sharing links/retweeting is much appreciated also – thanks!

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Prep Technique: The Solo RPG

You can’t escape that there’s been a massive rise in Solo RPGs over the past few years. A glance at itch.io makes it look like the industry is drowning in solo journaling games, and there’s a whole culture of youtubers and streamers who play solo and share their thoughts and approaches. 

It’s true, it can feel a bit awkward to start with. But if you’re ignoring this part of the hobby, even if (like me) you’d much rather play with a group, I think you’re missing out. In fact, solo RPGs can be a huge part of your prep arsenal, giving benefit to your group play.

While you’re reading this, I should tell you about my Patreon. Patrons get access to content 7 days before they hit this site, the chance to request articles or content, and the chance to play in one-shot games, for a very reasonable backer level of £2 per month. If you like what you read, want to support the blog, and have the funds for it, please consider supporting here. Telling people about the blog, and sharing links/retweeting is much appreciated also – thanks!

I’m going to talk about three ways Solo RPGs can help you prep for group play, and then go through what you might use for them.

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