Actual Play – Lost in Translation (Eberron) #1 (8/22-9/15/20)

So, this is a campaign write-up from almost a year ago now that I never got around to finishing because… Life Happened in a few major ways. The campaign has since been put on probably-eternal hiatus, but I cared for it dearly and also felt a stab of guilt every time I saw this report sitting my drafts. I’ve cleaned up what I already had written to the best of my ability and left the rest as notes. Huge, inexpressible thanks to my wonderful DM and co-player for this game; it was a fantastic experience and I wish we could’ve played more.

System: Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition – Eberron: Rising From the Last War

The Clouded Eye sees all…

Here’s our motley crew of scoundrels! We are playing with the Organization/Group Patron rules in the Eberron book pretty much as they’re written.

Steel (Andrew) is an amnesiac Warforged searching for his missing past. He assumes his memories were lost when he was damaged in the war, and recalls nothing prior to being repaired by our gang members. His analytical ability and mechanical expertise set him up as the Safecracker of the group. [Class: Artificer (battlesmith)]

Raen’llar “Raen” of House Aleanviir (Sab) Raen`llar is a Sulutar Drow who was recently ousted from his home and brought to Khorvaire. He misses Xen’drik and has little desire to adapt to life overseas. After getting into trouble with the law, Raen was promised sanctuary and assistance by the gang. He is the Burglar of the squad, providing stealth and agility etc. [Class: Monk (way of mercy)]

the group’s emblem

The Clouded Eye is the name of our venturous little gang; a crew of shadowy smugglers looking to carve out a foothold in the Lower City. We specialize in covert acquisition and retrieval, smuggling goods up to our lair in the Central Plateau via of our front operation, the friendly neighborhood Clawfoots Courier service…

Not long ago, these were but lofty ambitions. But now that the PCs have joined the gang, things are beginning to take shape… Could breaking into the burgeoning drug market be the big break the Eye has been looking for? [Patron type: Crime Syndicate].

(full AP report below the cut!)

[Actual Play Report – Fiasco]

A Semester at St. Sacred Lily…

I recently* had the opportunity to test out In the Language of Flowers, my first-ever Fiasco playset, and finally got around to putting together the play report!

Huge thanks to my friends Jade, Athena, and Eupho for playtesting with me! The session was a lot of fun and we ended up with some great characters. Full play-by-play below the cut. Enjoy!

*3 months ago; time is a construction.

[Original TRPG Content] -Wandering Stars, Expansion Rules for WuDe

I recently had the pleasure of working on something for the 5 Powers jam over on itch.io!

You can check out the submission here:

Wandering Stars (PDF) (itch.io)

This is a set of alternate and expansion rules for the base WuDe game which I intended for darker and fantasy campaign settings. It introduces some new mechanics, and also includes a redesigned character sheet to accommodate them.

If you’re unfamiliar with WuDe, the game centers around the use of the Element Dice system, a narrative framework that uses interpretations of 6-sided dice to guide RPG storytelling.

The system is based on the East-Asian philosophy of Yin & Yang and the 5 elements, using dice faces to represent the different elements and black and white dice to represent yin and yang, respectively. For more about Element Dice, check out the 5 powers blog.

I unfortunately am writing this post much after the fact and no longer have all my design notes, so the breakdown will be brief, but there are some thoughts/process notes below the cut for those interested.

Again, thank you very much to Ralf Meyenberger for hosting the jam and providing wonderful support. Please check out WuDe if you have the chance! It’s a really interesting system.

Enjoy!

In the Language of Flowers – a Girls’ School Yuri Fiasco Playset

In the Language of Flowers is a Fiasco playset set in the rose-colored world of catholic girls’-school yuri: where affections are fleeting, and the lines between love and friendship are as evanescent as the seasons. At the insular St. Sacred Lily Girls’ Academy, players can enjoy the unique blend of antiquity, outlandish romanticism, and teenage melodrama that etches classical works indelibly into the pillars of yuri culture. 

You can download Language of Flowers for free here, or for pay-what-you-want on itch.co:

itch.io download (v 1.1 PDF)

direct download (v 1.1 PDF)

This is a concept that is very near and dear to my heart, and the playset is something I’ve been sitting on for a long time. I hope that fans of the genre will find joy in what’s here. Though my goal was to recreate the tone of a classical yuri setting, I tried to add enough modern elements that it feels fun and accessible even to those not super familiar with older titles.

There are, in hindsight, many things I could have done differently, but hopefully I stuck a good balance and managed to do my favorite genre some justice.

Huge thanks to my my friend Eupho for her support and suggestions, as well as to my playtesting group for their enthusiasm and feedback. This scenario would not exist without you!

I would love to hear your thoughts of comments if you do try In the Language of Flowers! Please don’t hesitate to reach out either here or on twitter.

I plan to release this playset in Japanese as well, but it might take awhile.

Gokigenyou.

[Board Game Translation] Tanpopo

The English version of Tanpopo by Hitoiki (I can not live alone) Games is finished!

Huge thanks to designer Takai Kyu not only for being so helpful in answering my questions about the rules, but also for allowing me to post this translation in the first place!

download (English illustrated pdf)
download (English text-only pdf)

Tanpopo is a beautifully-illustrated tile placement game in which players are gods trying to guide dandelion plants across the sea using their power to control the forces of nature. It was originally released at Game Market 2017 (Spring) with limited printing.

I don’t own the game myself, but after working on it would love to play it someday. The publisher’s motto—I can not live alone—is a prevailing theme in many of his works, and togetherness is the undercurrent here as well. Victory is solo, but can only be achieved by cooperating with everyone else. It’s a very positive experience.

Tanpopo is no longer for sale, but you can check out and purchase Hitoiki’s other games here. Most of them have English instructions in the box.