Today’s combination: Stature (Prompt) + Drive (Weekly Modifier) + Blessed (Weekly Modifier) + Pulp & Two-Fisted Adventure (Genre)

Here is today’s NPC.

Nathaniel Morrow (Fantasy Name Generator used for the name: 20th-century English name generator)

Nathaniel Morrow was a young, renowned pilot for the Morrow Traveling Airshow. His daring abilities and his drive to be the best made him known far and wide, cementing his reputation as the preeminent aviator on the circuit. His remarkable stature among other, far older pilots was exactly why Doctor Lars Peukert reached out to him to test-fly the experimental Peukert X-71 Hyper Plane.

Boarding the aircraft at Dr. Peukert’s secret facility in Seattle, Nathaniel intended to cross the Pacific in record time. Unfortunately, the doctor’s team lost contact with him shortly after takeoff. As the silence stretched on, he was widely presumed lost at sea.

Against all odds, Nathaniel unexpectedly touched down at Pearl Harbor, shattering the speed record. The military dismissed his wild tales of where he had been, convinced the young pilot was simply blessed—surviving in such a badly damaged aircraft was nothing short of a miracle. Yet, upon returning to Dr. Peukert, Nathaniel recounted the full truth: during his flight, he had passed through a strange storm cloud and entered a wondrous, uncharted world. He had spent weeks surviving in that lost land before finally escaping back to his own reality.

Thus began Nathaniel and Dr. Peukert’s relentless drive to find the lost land beyond the storm.

Thanks for reading; I am looking forward to your RPG a Day 2026 post, comments, and conversation. If you want further information about #RPGaDay2026, be sure to check out Autocratik’s blog.

A Spanish version of this post is available at the Desde la Fosa Facebook page.

See you all tomorrow!

Today’s combination: Discipline (Prompt) + Drive (Weekly Modifier) + Works Hard (Weekly Modifier) + Fantasy (Genre)

Here is today’s NPC.

Antonia One Eye (Fantasy Name Generator used for the name: Bandits)

Antonia was born into poverty in Karral, a major metropolis in the southern trade routes, where the imperial ways meet the Thunsen River. Living as an urchin and pickpocket in the bustling streets, she lost her left eye, leaving a terrible scar, after stealing from a powerful crime lord, the heir of the elder Thief Lord.

Banished from the city by the Beggar Master, Antonia was forced to survive among the outlaw bands in the hills outside the city. Despite the hardships and cruelties she faced, Antonia was driven by a thirst for vindication and revenge, quickly rising to leadership among the brigands.

Other bands would raid caravans, spend their coin wantonly, and engage in internecine infighting. Antonia’s crew was disciplined, recruiting the most skillful warriors and cunning spotters. They carried out the most daring heist with the greatest rewards.

Antonia One Eye became known as Queen of the Bandit Hills.

The One Eye’s crew carried out the daring attack that captured the new Thief Prince, ransomed him to The Brotherhood of Shadows for a fortune, and the head of the old Beggar Master.

Known for her tenacity and diligence, none of her crew were ever found despite the Thief Prince hunt and bounties. Rumors insist Antonia sails a pleasure barge down the canals of the delta of exotic and ancient Nefatara.

Thanks for reading; I am looking forward to your RPG a Day 2026 post, comments, and conversation. If you want further information about #RPGaDay2026, be sure to check out Autocratik’s blog.

A Spanish version of this post is available at the Desde la Fosa Facebook page.

See you all tomorrow!

Quick recap for the uninitiated:

RPG a Day is a social media event started by David F. Chapman (aka Autocratik) that has been going on for the past 13 years. The purpose of the event is to celebrate all the positive aspects of tabletop role-playing games (TTRPGs) by sharing our experiences, ideas, and creations via social media posts, videos, blog entries, or other creative endeavors. If you decide to participate, there is a series of daily prompts to spark your creativity and encourage discussion. Tag your content with the hashtag #RPGaDay2026 so everyone can follow along!

You can find the prompts at Autocratik’s blog. He also partners with Anthony Boyd (aka Runeslinger), whose blog Casting Shadows also features the prompts along with an alternative set of questions you can use.

I’m reproducing this year’s infographic with the prompts and instructions below.

Okay, with that out of the way: what are my plans for this year?

The infographic mentions that this year can be approached as a character creation challenge, and I’m taking up that challenge. I hope to create 31 short NPC descriptions, aiming for two to four paragraphs each. We’ll see how well I manage to stick to that goal!

To set things up, I took the daily prompt. I combined it with the weekly modifiers (on the left side of the calendar) and the daily modifiers (at the bottom of the calendar), which are based on the Monday’s Child nursery rhyme—a poem I didn’t know until I saw the reference on the infographic. Together, these three elements give me the theme and motivation for each NPC.

To determine the genre for each character, I created this little random table to roll on:

After rolling 31 times, here is the master list I’ll be working with throughout August:

I don’t think I can invent 31 completely original names on top of everything else, so I’ll be using Fantasy Name Generator to help generate them.

These NPCs will be posted right here on the blog and shared across my socials: Instagram, Threads, Bluesky, and Sunglar’s Musings on Facebook. I also plan to post a Spanish version of each NPC over at Desde la Fosa.

These are the prompts in Spanish in case you want to participate in your language:

This will run alongside my regular schedule of movie and video game inspiration posts, my Saturday Recommendations on Sunglar’s Musings, and hopefully Sunday interviews here on the blog.

That is an ambitious schedule, and something might fall through the cracks along the way, but I’m going all in! We’ll take stock of how I did by the end of August.

I hope you join us on this adventure for August 2026. Don’t forget to tag your posts with the #RPGaDay2026 hashtag. The RPG a Day community on Facebook is also a great hub for sharing posts and interacting with other participants. Whether you complete all 31 days or pop in for one, join us to celebrate the positives of this great community.

See you tomorrow!

Also, as part of my 40 Years a Gamer retrospective, he is directly involved. I met Ramfis, as he mentions in his reply to the first answer, when he worked in Comics at Plaza Las Americas. He sold me many comics and games while working there. I wanted to get Rifts when it came out, and they let me know that they did not have it, but I could get it at Role Playing Emporium, where I met Samuel “Sammy” Maldonado and got to know a larger game community in Puerto Rico.

Comics, the store, was an integral part of my gaming journey, and Ramfis was right there. We are contemporaries, and beyond being acquaintances at a local comic store, we became fast friends. We would hang out in our early 20s and remain in touch after he left the island.

When Hurricane Maria happened, Ramfis was an important support, personally and in his efforts to help and create awareness of the disaster on the island.

Ramfis has been a friend for over thirty years, and it is always a pleasure to talk to him. I am happy to share this interview so you can all get to know him better as well.

Introduce yourself! Who are you, and what do you do in the world of cosplay and Renaissance Fairs?

My name is Dr. Ramfis L. Marquez. Professionally, I am a psychotherapist, educator, and martial arts instructor. Still, outside of my clinical work, I have spent more than four decades immersed in martial arts, historical combat studies, historical reenactment, and living history. My primary martial art is Sin Moo Hapkido, in which I currently hold an 8th Dan rank, as well as a 3rd Dan rank in traditional Korean swordsmanship. Over the years, I have also trained in Tae Kwon Do, Aikido, Judo, traditional Jujitsu, and a variety of Japanese and European fencing arts.

Martial arts have given me not only technical skills but also a deep appreciation for history, philosophy, and storytelling. I have also been a lifelong nerd, science-fiction fan, and historical fantasy enthusiast. Long before cosplay became mainstream, I was fascinated by knights, samurai, mythology, fantasy literature, Star Wars, military history, and the worlds that emerge when imagination and history intersect. People of our generation would remember me as one of the attendants at Comics in Plaza Las Américas.

In the world of cosplay and Renaissance Fairs, I am primarily known for portraying medieval Templar knights, crusaders, and historical warriors. At comic conventions, however, I enjoy mixing things up with Mandalorian and Jedi-inspired portrayals. I love combining historically inspired armor, martial arts principles, theatrical storytelling, and combat choreography to bring these characters to life. One of my favorite aspects of the hobby is creating and performing choreographed combat demonstrations that blend historical techniques, safety, and entertainment. For me, it is about preserving history while making it accessible, educational, and exciting for modern audiences.

Beyond cosplay and martial arts, I am also an author. Writing has become another creative outlet through which I explore history, mythology, and human nature. For more than a decade, I have been developing Hanzo, an alternate-history fantasy series set in a world where the Tokugawa Shogunate never truly fell and evolved into a technologically advanced imperial power. The story blends espionage, military action, political intrigue, historical revisionism, and martial arts adventure.

Over the past two years, I have also been developing a historical medieval fantasy series titled Friday of Ash and Steel. The story follows a secret order of warrior-monks navigating faith, war, politics, and supernatural mysteries during a dark medieval world inspired by the Crusades and European history. It explores themes of sacrifice, duty, brotherhood, and the tension between spiritual conviction and human ambition.

Most recently, I began work on a third project called Boat Unit Omega. Unlike my previous works, it is set in a contemporary military environment inspired by the anti-drug trafficking campaigns of the Caribbean and Latin America during the 1990s. While grounded in historical military operations, it incorporates elements of science fiction, horror, mystery, and the supernatural. Think of it as part military thriller, part naval special warfare story, and part cosmic mystery.

What draws me to all these pursuits—cosplay, martial arts, historical combat, and writing—is the opportunity to step into another world and invite others to join me there. Whether through armor, storytelling, combat demonstrations, or fiction, I enjoy helping people experience a sense of wonder, adventure, and connection to something larger than themselves.

How would you describe your art or creative endeavors when designing combat choreography, making props, or putting together your cosplays?

I see cosplay and combat choreography as forms of storytelling. Every piece of armor, weapon, costume, prop, and movement should communicate who a character is and what world they inhabit. The visual details matter because they help create immersion and emotional connection.

When I design combat sequences, I draw from decades of martial arts experience while adapting movements to fit historical themes and audience expectations. The challenge is creating something that appears authentic and dangerous while remaining completely safe for everyone involved. A successful combat demonstration should tell a story even if the audience never hears a single word.

When building armor or assembling costumes, I enjoy blending historical inspiration with practical functionality. I am not always striving for museum-level accuracy. Sometimes the goal is to capture the spirit, symbolism, and emotional impact of a historical figure while still creating something visually dramatic and memorable.

In many ways, my writing influences my cosplay, and my cosplay influences my writing. Whether I am creating a knight for a Renaissance Fair, a Templar character for a photo shoot, or a fictional warrior for one of my novels, I am ultimately asking the same question: “Who is this person, and what story are they trying to tell?” At its core, my creative process is immersion. I want people to feel as though they are witnessing a knight, crusader, samurai, warrior monk, or spacefaring hero step out of history—or out of a book—and into the real world, if only for a few moments.

With all this background in armor, history, and combat, do you participate, or have you ever participated in LARPing?

While I have not been deeply involved in formal LARP communities, many of the activities I enjoy share similarities with LARPing. Renaissance Fairs, historical reenactments, character portrayals, and combat demonstrations all involve stepping into another role and helping create an immersive experience.

I have tremendous respect for the creativity found within the LARP community. The combination of storytelling, costuming, world-building, improvisation, and performance is fascinating to me, and there is certainly a great deal of overlap with what I do.

From a clinical perspective, I also believe LARP offers meaningful mental health benefits. Research has increasingly suggested that role-playing activities can encourage creativity, social connection, emotional expression, problem-solving, confidence-building, and stress reduction. LARP provides participants with opportunities to explore different aspects of themselves in a safe and structured environment.

For many people, it can serve as a healthy outlet for imagination, self-expression, social interaction, and personal growth. It allows individuals to experiment with identity, practice interpersonal skills, and engage in collaborative storytelling while having fun. Perhaps most importantly, LARP creates communities. In a world where many people struggle with loneliness and social isolation, spaces that encourage meaningful human connection have tremendous value.

I know you don’t actively play TTRPGs, but from your perspective, what do you know about them?

What I find most interesting about tabletop role-playing games is their ability to combine storytelling, creativity, strategy, and social interaction. They allow people to create narratives collaboratively rather than consume them. From an outsider’s perspective, I see TTRPGs as a continuation of humanity’s oldest traditions: storytelling around a campfire, mythology, hero tales, and collective imagination.

As a clinician, I also see tremendous value in tabletop gaming communities. For individuals struggling with anxiety, depression, social isolation, or difficulties forming social connections, tabletop games can provide a welcoming environment where relationships develop naturally around shared interests and cooperative storytelling.

Over the years, I have had the opportunity to observe these communities firsthand and have consistently been impressed by how welcoming and inclusive they are. Neurodivergent individuals, socially anxious individuals, and people who may feel like outsiders often find acceptance and belonging within these groups. A wonderful example is my friends at Comic and Gaming in Bristow, Virginia. Time and time again, I have watched them welcome newcomers, curious observers, and first-time players with enthusiasm, patience, and kindness. Communities like that represent the very best aspects of the hobby.

From a mental health perspective, tabletop role-playing games can foster communication skills, teamwork, creativity, emotional regulation, problem-solving, perspective-taking, empathy, and social confidence. While they are certainly entertainment, I believe they can also be meaningful tools for personal growth and human connection.

Would you like to try playing TTRPG sometime? What theme or type of story would catch your attention?

Absolutely. Given my interests, I would naturally gravitate toward historical fantasy, military campaigns, crusader-era adventures, samurai stories, alternate histories, and darker fantasy settings inspired by real historical periods. In many ways, the stories I write would probably make excellent campaign settings.

A game inspired by Friday of Ash and Steel could focus on warrior-monks investigating supernatural threats while navigating medieval politics and religious conflict. A Hanzo campaign could explore espionage, martial arts intrigue, and geopolitical struggles in an alternate Japanese empire. A Boat Unit Omega campaign could blend military operations, special warfare, mystery, and cosmic horror.

I am particularly drawn to stories that explore leadership, honor, sacrifice, loyalty, and moral dilemmas. As both a martial artist and a mental health professional, I am fascinated by what happens inside a person’s mind when they are forced to make difficult choices under pressure.

What projects, combat events, or upcoming fairs are you currently working on?

At the moment, I continue developing historical combat demonstrations and refining several knight and crusader portrayals for future Renaissance Fair appearances and historical-themed events. I am also deeply immersed in my writing projects. Friday of Ash and Steel has been a passion project for over a decade and continues to evolve. Hanzo has occupied much of my creative attention over the last two years. More recently, Boat Unit Omega has become an exciting new endeavor that allows me to explore military history, science fiction, horror, and mystery through a very different lens.

In addition, I continue teaching martial arts through seminars and workshops, which often influence the way I approach choreography, movement, character development, and storytelling. Like many enthusiasts, I am always searching for new ways to bring together history, martial arts, mythology, performance, and imagination.

Where can people see your choreography, your cosplays, and learn more about what you do?

People can usually find my work through social media, Renaissance Fair appearances, martial arts seminars, conventions, and community events. Much of what I create is shared through photographs, videos, creative writing, and collaborations with fellow enthusiasts in the cosplay, martial arts, historical reenactment, and fantasy communities.

I regularly share armor builds, knight portrayals, combat demonstrations, martial arts content, historical discussions, and behind-the-scenes glimpses into my writing projects and creative process. For me, one of the greatest joys is connecting with others who share a passion for history, storytelling, craftsmanship, and imagination.

Any closing thoughts?

One of the things I love most about cosplay, Renaissance Fairs, tabletop gaming, LARP, martial arts, historical reenactment, and creative writing is that they bring people together. These hobbies allow us to celebrate history, craftsmanship, imagination, storytelling, and human creativity regardless of our backgrounds.

In many ways, these communities provide something that has become increasingly rare in modern life: a sense of belonging. They allow people to be creative, explore different aspects of themselves, and connect with others through shared passions. Whether someone is wearing handcrafted armor, rolling dice around a gaming table, participating in a LARP event, writing fantasy novels, practicing stage combat, or simply attending a fair as a spectator, they are contributing to a community built around imagination and human connection.

As both a martial artist and a clinician, I believe these communities offer something truly valuable. They remind us that play, storytelling, creativity, and fellowship are not merely forms of entertainment—they are deeply human experiences that help us build resilience, friendships, meaning, and purpose. At the end of the day, that sense of connection and wonder is what keeps me coming back.

Thank you, my friend, for your availability to answer the questions and for your insight.

Here are some of Ramfis’ social media links:

JungShinSinMooHapkido: https://www.instagram.com/jung_shin_sinmoohapkido

Hanzo: Blade of the Eternal Shogunate: https://www.facebook.com/people/Hanzo-Blade-of-the-Eternal-Shogunate/61577683421189/

Hap-Ki- 道 – The Science of Self Defense: https://www.facebook.com/groups/SoWonSulHapkido

I wish you continued success and enjoyment of all your endeavors.

I’ve become very interested in fantasy and sci-fi series, classic series from my youth, and series based on or influenced by role-playing games. If you have read my posts on Sunglar’s Musings, you know that 70s and 80s fantasy comics have been a topic I’ve written about repeatedly.

Because of this interest, when I saw an ad for Dokyo: Batalla De Los Reinos (Battle of the Realms), I wanted to learn more and wrote to the author to request an interview. Jonathan was very kind and not only answered my questions but also shipped the comics I ordered in record time, along with a few extras, for which I am very grateful.

I haven’t read Leyenda del Reino de Dragones (Legend of the Kingdom of Dragons) yet, but I love the 4 (out of 6) issues of Dokyo: Batalla De Los Reinos (Dokyo: Battle of the Realms) that I have read so far. It is a series clearly influenced by role-playing games, video games, anime, classic animated series, and adventure comics. Jonathan has a style I really love, as it is cartoony, highly appropriate for fantasy adventures, dynamic, and refreshing.

I love seeing local creators producing comics of this quality and caliber. I highly recommend them.

Well, you’ve read my thoughts on his comics, so I’ll leave you with the artist and creator.

Introduce yourself! Who are you and what do you create?

My name is Jonathan Collazo Galindez. I am a local comic book artist and graphic artist. A few of my creations are Dokyo: Batalla De Los Reinos (Dokyo: Battle of the Realms), which currently has 6 chapters, and Leyenda del Reino de Dragones (Legend of the Kingdom of Dragons), whose first chapter was released a few months ago. As a comic creator, I really like fantasy and stories that contain RPG or D&D elements. I grew up watching TV series from that era, like He-Man, ThunderCats, and Dungeons & Dragons, among others.

How would you describe your art?

I describe my comic story as one full of medieval fantasy, capturing the essence of those adventure series from our childhood. In the Dokyo: Batalla de Los Reinos comics, we meet Dokyo and his sister, young siblings who survived the attack on their father’s kingdom, which was destroyed by the dark lord Minamoto.

Dokyo, along with his sister Suiko, learns how to survive by becoming mercenaries and hiding their past. However, by the hand of destiny, they get back on track to fight evil.

How did you discover TTRPGs (tabletop or pen-and-paper role-playing games)?

My beginnings with TTRPGs were at the table with pencil and paper; among them were Dungeons & Dragons, Vampire: The Masquerade, and Marvel Super Heroes.

Since I didn’t have much income, a great friend and I made our own Warhammer game with plastic dragon and monster figures, dice, and cardboard elements. Another one I played and loved for its lore was Magic: The Gathering.

Are you actively playing? What are you playing right now?

Right now, I’m just sticking to playing video games.

Where can people find your projects?

Librería Norberto González in Plaza Las Américas, Librería Bajo el Carambola, Librería El Rincón del Lector, and online, you can find me as Saragoka Studio on both Instagram and Facebook.

Thanks to Jonathan for his kindness in participating in this interview and for sharing his comics with me.

I’ll leave you with a few links if you want to know more about his comics:

• Saragoka Studio Website: https://www.saragokastudio.com/
• Facebook Profile: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063949185932
• Instagram Profile: https://www.instagram.com/saragokastudio/

There is a Spanish version of this interview at Sunglar’s Musings.

I must admit that I had wanted to interview Samuel for a while, even if he didn’t know it. Last September, I bought his fantasy comic at an event at the Cuartel de Ballajá. My son and I loved it; we read it and enjoyed it immensely.

We also bought two copies of his monster book, Saving Point: Monster Book Vol. 1 (one for me and another for my son). As a fan of RPG bestiaries, I found Samuel’s art and designs to be excellent. I want to use his creatures at the table soon. The stats in the book are very easy to drop into D&D 5e or adapt to any OSR system.

I highly recommend his published works, and I am eager to see the next installments in the series. Without further ado, I’ll share the answers that Samuel so kindly provided.

Introduce yourself! Who are you and what do you create?

Greetings, everyone. My name is Samuel Figueroa. I am an illustrator, graphic designer, and writer, originally from Cupey Alto, San Juan. If you go to my Instagram gallery (sadsamuart), you will realize that my passion and favorite subjects are creatures, fantasy, and science fiction. Since I was little, I have been a fan of nature and science, and as my decisions steered me toward creativity and illustration, it was inevitable that I would find joy in creating original worlds and strange creatures to populate them.

How would you describe your art?

Even though I would love to be a painter and create the kind of illustrations that often accompany fantasy stories and Western role-playing games (RPGs), my artistic development took me down the path of comics, manga, anime, and Disney. Comic artists like Joe Madureira, Mike Weringo, and Yukito Kishiro formatted my mind, and although my style is distinctive, a very personal mix, I always seek to connect with those who find those styles appealing.

How did you discover TTRPGs?

In high school, I had a friend with “advanced” knowledge of RPGs. While the only thing I knew was Zelda, he already knew about D&D and a long list of RPGs from that era, like Lunar and Final Fantasy. What he brought to school was what got me hooked on RPGs. From then on, it was the only type of game that interested me for many years, until it became clear that the genre was transforming and expanding with series like Mass Effect and Halo, among others. Very beautiful times.

Today my tastes are “set,” so it’s obvious that games like Pathfinder: Kingmaker and Baldur’s Gate 3 were purchases that took zero brain cells to add to my collection. Beyond what I learned in high school, my fascination with fantasy creatures and stories set in a medieval environment led me to collect books on creatures and mythology, including the D&D Monster Manual, Pathfinder books, Magic: The Gathering, and lore books. Now I am also soaking up the Warhammer 40K universe, to the horror of the characters in my own worlds. They know things will get complicated, having Warhammer as an inspiration.

Do you play actively? What are you playing right now?

As for games like D&D, I would love to say yes, but all the groups I have played with promise a campaign, and then it just ends up being one-shots. I have bought dice and books galore, but I haven’t found a consistent group to play a story from beginning to end. That pushes me toward digital, which is why the games I have played recently are Baldur’s Gate 3, Pathfinder: Kingmaker, Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous, Dragon Age: Inquisition, and Fallout 4.

What is the next thing you want to play?

Since I haven’t been able to have a complete D&D and/or Pathfinder experience, I think I would focus on getting that. I suppose D&D or Pathfinder is “vanilla,” considering all the variety out there today in RPGs and homebrews, but well… I want to enjoy the worlds that drove the industry and bounce ideas off players immersed in those worlds. I love seeing memes and videos from influencers who obviously play D&D frequently and offer a glimpse of their highly imaginative adventures.

What projects do you currently have available, and what are you working on right now?

Right now, I am developing the Saving Point series, a fantasy comic whose adventures center on a group of adventurers trying to recover a “lifesaving” sphere stolen from their village. Without it, warriors who die cannot be revived by magic, and in a world where humanity has few tools to compete with monsters and mythical creatures, being able to return to fight another day is essential. But that quest is just the beginning, and the group of adventurers couldn’t be more wet-behind-the-ears, more immature, or more vulnerable to the machinations of evil already in play.

The comics Saving Point #1 and #2 and Vol. 1 of the Monster Book are already available. I am working on the script for the 3rd comic and, simultaneously, developing creatures for the Saving Point Monster Book Vol. 2. I already have enough creatures to fill the book, published as previews in my Instagram gallery (sadsamuart), but I keep designing to include the most interesting ones in the final book. I would love to do a selection of minifigures, perhaps inspired by the classic Bandai “M.U.S.C.L.E. Men / Kikenshi,” but for now I am working on the project by myself; I won’t be able to move it forward until I finish comic #3.

Where can people find your projects?

Right now, what I have left online is available at the Tripleta Studio store. The first two comics were developed and illustrated in partnership with Rangely García, a talented Puerto Rican artist whose comedic sensibilities and art underscored the series’ beginnings. Once I finish comic #3, I will be preparing a selection of products to participate in convention activities again. Previously, the series lived alongside the Tripleta Studio selection, but due to events out of my control, I will now have to move it on my own until it picks up steam. It’s a big challenge, but I don’t see it as impossible.

Any final comments?

These past few years have been challenging for me personally, and economically for the island, and I must admit they have affected my plans for this year. But if no other unexpected blow comes along, I hope to fully invest in the comic and other Saving Point products, perhaps by bringing in a compatible artist to publish faster. My guiding star is the ambition to create a Latino Wizards of the Coast and to bring the imagination and local flavor of fantasy and science fiction to the world. If Japan can do it, so can we. Hopefully, the series’ success paves the way for much more.

Thank you again, Samuel. I am looking forward to seeing your upcoming projects and hope to promote them when they are available.

Thank you all for reading. I will see you next weekend.

Links where you can follow Samuel and see his work:

Art of Bayul on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bayularts

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sadsamuart

Saving Point at Tripleta Studio: https://tripletastudio.myshopify.com/collections/saving-point

(A Spanish version of this interview is available on Sunglar’s Musings.)

To close out our week here on the blog celebrating Vampire: The Masquerade’s 35th anniversary, let’s look at my recommendations for playing VtM and exploring the World of Darkness (WoD).

(Note: The links below are DriveThruRPG affiliate links!)

The Classic World of Darkness

First, most obviously, Vampire: The Masquerade. I own the current 5th edition of the rules in digital format, but I feel like I would probably run a game with the 20th-anniversary rules. For those of you who have played both, which do you recommend?

• VtM 20th Anniversary Edition: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/94815/vampire-the-masquerade-20th-anniversary-edition?affiliate_id=3727
• VtM 5th Edition: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/256795/vampire-the-masquerade-5th-edition?affiliate_id=3727

Like I said earlier this week, if I were to run VtM, I would keep it an all-vampire affair. But if you want to mix your games, I have played Werewolf, Mage, and I really like Demon: The Fallen (I never actually played Changeling or Wraith).

• Werewolf 20th Anniversary Edition: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/112871/werewolf-the-apocalypse-20th-anniversary-edition?affiliate_id=3727
• Mage 20th Anniversary Edition: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/149562/mage-the-ascension-20th-anniversary-edition?affiliate_id=3727
• Demon: The Fallen: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/636/demon-the-fallen?affiliate_id=3727

My absolute favorite book for VtM, other than the core rulebook, has always been the lore-heavy Book of Nod:

• The Book of Nod: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/538135/vampire-the-masquerade-5th-edition-the-book-of-nod?affiliate_id=3727

A Savage Alternative

For something COMPLETELY different, I could easily see myself running a Vampire and World of Darkness campaign using (say it with me now!) Savage Worlds.

What would I need? The core rulebook, of course, and the Horror Companion. The rules in that latter book have most of what I need, including rules for Vampires, Werewolves, Demons, Ghosts, and magic for Mages.

• Savage Worlds Adventure Edition (SWADE): (A steal for $9.99 in PDF!) https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/261539/savage-worlds-adventure-edition?affiliate_id=3727
• SWADE Horror Companion: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/448302/swade-horror-companion?affiliate_id=3727

Finally, Contagion Savage Adventures is a setting for Savage Worlds that proposes a world not unlike the WoD—a world where mythical creatures fight a once-secret battle now out in the open. It is a very interesting setting, fully compatible with the Horror Companion above, and something I would definitely mine for a possible “Savage World of Darkness” homebrew:

• Contagion Savage Adventures: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/198324/contagion-savage-adventures?affiliate_id=3727

(Bonus tip: If you look online, you can also find a fan-made Savage Worlds conversion for Monte Cook’s World of Darkness. While it’s not exactly the original WoD, it has rules for the creatures in that book that give you great ideas for additional tweaks!)

Thanks for reading along this week! It’s been so much fun doing this themed week on the blog. Is this something you enjoyed? Let me know in the comments, and if it proves popular, I may try doing another themed week soon!

I heard it on AM radio of all places (yes, at 53, I am officially that old) that Bonnie Tyler passed away at 75.

Just by looking at my friends’ reactions on social media, I can tell that her music resonated deeply with those of us who have been rolling dice for four decades. But what does this have to do with vampires and gaming, you ask? To that, I say: have you actually listened to the lyrics and watched the music video for “Total Eclipse of the Heart”?

Let me show it to you:

With lyrics like these, you can immediately see the vampiric undertones:

“I don’t know what to do and I’m always in the dark.” “Your love is like a shadow on me all of the time.” “Once upon a time there was light in my life / But now there’s only love in the dark.” “Forever’s gonna start tonight.” “Turn around, bright eyes / Every now and then I fall apart.”

I am NOT making this up. Writer Jim Steinman originally conceived the song as a piece for a musical adaptation of the movie Nosferatu (you can read about it in this People article), and the song’s Wikipedia page notes that its original title was “Vampires in Love.”

The connection is not subtle! Even the TV series The Vampire Diaries has an episode named after the song.

This track is a core part of the music I automatically relate to vampires, forever playing on the gaming soundtrack in my head. I KNOW that fans of VtM and the World of Darkness probably have very different, likely more goth-punk, musical references for their games. But between Dracula the Musical, Bonnie Tyler, and other sweeping 80s rock epics, these are my ultimate GM musical references.

Bonnie Tyler had many other hits, of course. The one I immediately think of in a broader gaming context is “Holding Out For A Hero.” It’s been used in superhero movies and countless action sequences, and it is a truly perfect anthem for TTRPG heroics. Here’s the video:

And, keeping with the World of Darkness theme, I must mention that Whitesnake’s “Still of the Night” is obviously an anthem for Werewolf: The Apocalypse:

So, appropriately enough, we started the workweek with a post about musical inspiration for VtM, and ended on the same topic we began with.

See you tomorrow for the final post in our Vampire series. Rest in peace, Bonnie.

The idea behind the campaign came about in this long post about my experiences playing VtM. That post is a good companion to this week’s topics if you are interested in a deeper dive into my history with the game, which serves as the framing for my post about it last Monday.

That was followed by a post where I wrote up the timeline for the campaign concept; bits of it were the future then, but they are the past now. There are elements like a pandemic in 2022, which is eerie when we think of what we lived through recently, but also lots of wild things that never happened.

I did say in that second post, titled “Vampire Cyberpunk,” that my intent was NOT to mash up the Cyberpunk TTRPG and VtM for a game called Masquerade 2020 (playing on the old Cyberpunk 2020 name). But now, with Cyberpunk Red being such a popular version of the game, and my timeline featuring a “Red Plague,” I’ll go all in and call this possible campaign (one of dozens I keep hoping to play one day) Vampire, the Red Masquerade!

So, I’ll revisit and rewrite the campaign to fit the timeline I outlined earlier and update it for today. I hope this is interesting for our readers.

Pre-Campaign Considerations

These are my considerations and ideas for running the campaign, even before thinking about the plot:

• Vampires Only: The players would all play vampires, no other World of Darkness creatures. It’s challenging enough to get vampires from different clans working together, so no Garou or Mages from other books. All characters will be vampires or vampire-related, such as ghouls.
• Established Connections: The players must have some pre-game connections. They don’t all have to be friends, but they must know at least two other characters in the game. Be it a friendship, a relationship, or a shared mentor, the connection can be one of friendly competition rather than animosity or rivalry. If this proves complicated, I have an idea for a conciliatory figure within Camarilla circles who could bring them together initially.
• Manageable Group Size: Just as 14 years ago, there are currently seven official players at my table. (This may seem like a lot to some of you, but we already do a lot of role-playing and manage our time so that everybody feels included, and I think the group can manage.) I just can’t add another player to the mix, or my players will kill me!
• Jettison the Metaplot: As much as this is a draw for hardcore VtM fans, I don’t want it! I believe my players trust me and would embrace this storyline (pun intended).
• Camarilla Focus: The campaign would be focused on the Camarilla. I know many people adore the Sabbat, but the secrecy and politicking of the Camarilla seem more interesting to me. I’m not saying the Sabbat wouldn’t exist, only that, at the beginning, all characters are in the Camarilla.
• Near-Future Setting: The campaign is set in the near future, making it recognizable, but getting rid of some real-world preconceptions and giving it just a little Cyberpunk/Blade Runner edge without making it full-on sci-fi.
• System Choice: As far as systems go, I’d likely use the VtM 20th Anniversary Edition or see what new edition White Wolf is set to announce at GenCon 2026. A very possible alternative would be to adapt the setting to Savage Worlds (no surprise there!). I think the rules could easily handle that, and there are some books and fan-made conversions that could make it easy.

The Timeline of New Uruk (What Mortals Know)

US Economic Collapse (2033-2036): The US economy suffers a massive downturn; India, Brazil, the Republic of Ireland, and the Asian Tigers (China, Singapore, and Korea) emerge as global economic superpowers.

The Breaking of the EU and the Creation of the EIBC (2036): The Republic of Ireland abandons the European Union, causing fractures and dissension within the organization and plunging Europe’s economy into a tailspin. Ireland joins the Eire-India-Brazil Cooperative Consortium (EIBC).

The Beginning of the African Wars (2038): US President Clayton Arthur Brooks is visiting the African Initiative Industrial Center in Wilmington, Delaware. As part of his Re-industrialization of America Initiative, African natural resources are brought to the United States for processing and manufacturing. Abroad, the perception is that the US is helping international conglomerates exploit Africans with the collaboration of their governments. A series of bombs detonated by Pan-African rebels and local sympathizers cause widespread destruction in the city, and President Brooks is injured, dying soon after. Vice President Matt Vargas is sworn in as President; he cracks down on local activists, and Congress declares war on the Pan-African rebels. Thus begins the Africa Wars.

The Mexico-Venezuela War (2040-2042): With more US troops deployed in Africa and a worsening oil crisis, oil tankers flying the Mexican flag are detained in Venezuela, accused of buying oil illegally. Mexican Special Forces liberate the ships, and soon after, Venezuela declares war on Mexico, dragging most of Central and South America into the conflict. Aggressions escalate over seven months, and after the Venezuelan carpet bombing of Mexico City, a Coalition of Mexican, US, Brazilian, and Argentine armed forces invade Venezuela and depose its president. The invading forces remain in the country to ensure a peaceful transition but are accused of exploiting the oil resources of Venezuela. The United Nations does nothing to intervene, and many countries leave the organization.

The First Female US President and the Race to Mars (2042): New York State Governor Naomi Diallo-Hayes runs a campaign promising to restore the US economy and end the African Wars, winning by a historic landslide. The EIBC Space Agency (EIBC-SP) announces its plan to establish a permanent Moon colony as a stepping-stone to the eventual exploration of Mars within the next twenty years.

The End of the African Wars and the NYC Pandemic (2043): Naomi Diallo-Hayes is sworn in as President of the United States and fulfills her promise of ending the African Wars. By summer, as the last POW returns home after the armistice, the US economy shows early signs of recovery, and Americans look optimistically to the years ahead. Then the Pandemic of 2043 begins in New York City. Panic grows, and the city is placed under martial law and quarantined by the end of the year. Other US metropolitan areas are quarantined, but the infection is controlled quickly in America and Europe.

The Year of the Red Plague (2044): Mexico and Canada are the only other two countries in the Americas that experience major outbreaks. As tensions grow in quarantined New York, unidentified terrorists strike and release a biological weapon, thought to be the cause of the initial Pandemic outbreak, killing 96% of the remaining population of the quarantined zone. Called the “Red Plague” because the infected hemorrhage massively before dying, it decimates New York City and surrounding areas; millions die, and authorities declare the zone a biological hazard, condemning and abandoning the city. The state’s and its neighbors’ economies collapse, causing mass migration and widespread fear. The Pandemic hits Asia the hardest, with China the most affected; millions die, and Chinese prosperity is dealt a devastating blow.

The Reconstruction (2045-2067): President Diallo-Hayes refuses to let these events define her presidency and launches a massive reconstruction initiative. Wilmington, Delaware, is rebuilt, and former residents of New York, Connecticut, Long Island, and New Jersey are all granted incentives to relocate. The city is reconstructed with a massive influx of federal funds, the architecture a mixture of classic and cutting-edge, led by the Wilmington Reconstruction Endeavor Director, famed architect Hassid Rosenberg, of mixed Iraqi and Jewish descent. The New York Stock Exchange officially relocates to the rebuilt city, and the city becomes a melting pot of many cultures, with growing Muslim and Jewish communities. Following a citizen’s referendum, Wilmington is renamed “New Uruk.”

The Crash of 2068 and its Aftermath (2068-2070): The EIBC-SP Moon Base is fully operational, and plans for the Mars Mission are underway. Despite the long-term plans of the Diallo-Hayes Administration and the best efforts of the administrations that followed, regional conflict, worsening climate change, a ravaged ecosystem, and economic instability bring about a new wave of the Red Plague, leading to an economic collapse that reverberates worldwide. The poor become poorer while the rich become entrenched in their towers of privilege. Many projects in New Uruk remain unfinished, and the world’s rot infiltrates the new city, marring the dreams of those who envisioned them. Such is the world of 2070!

The Campaign Pitch (The Truth Behind the Devastation)

In 2043, after President Naomi Diallo-Hayes’ inauguration, the last POWs of the Africa Wars had returned home. After decades of hardship, the United States looked with optimism to the years ahead. This was not to be.

The plague struck in New York, and soon panic grew. Fearing a pandemic, the city was placed under martial law and quarantined. Other major metropolitan areas were also quarantined, but the infection was controlled quickly. Not so in New York. Millions were trapped inside the quarantine zone. Riots erupted, chaos ensued, more people died, and then the terrorists struck. A bacteriological weapon, believed to be the original cause of the plague, was released in the city and killed 96% of the people inside the quarantine zone. The city was declared a hazard, condemned, and abandoned.

The plague was soon brought under control, and Mexico and Canada were the only countries with significant outbreaks. The US economy suffered a major setback, but President Diallo-Hayes’ initiative to rebuild Wilmington, Delaware, after the 2038 bombing was a success. Soon, the New York Stock Exchange moved to the rechristened Wilmington, and the once-almost-abandoned city became New Uruk.

What the people don’t know, not even some of its leaders, is that the events leading up to the destruction of New York, the plague, and the rise of a new metropolis on the eastern seaboard of the US were all the machinations of the Kindred.

Specifically, a member of the Camarilla created the plague that killed many humans, but also decimated many Sabbat gathered in New York through his machinations. The Cainites have driven back the Garou, who fight to save a dying world. The Mages have all but disappeared, but whether this is the action of their enemies or a sign of impending doom is unclear.

It is 2070. Come to the new city built by the triumphant Camarilla as they plot to impose their rule upon all the children of Caine. But deep in the bowels of the shining new city, a man stirs; he cannot remember his name, but his return foretells dark times ahead.

Postscript

While writing this post, I found out about a World of Future Darkness outlined in White Wolf Magazine in the early 90s. Click on the previous link to read about that campaign on the White Wolf Fandom wiki. So, I guess I was about 20 years too late with my idea! Nothing new under the sun. Regardless, the above would be the campaign I would play.

Before getting to the topic of the post, allow me a rather long digression.

If you read my About Me: Tabletop RPG post, you may wonder, “Why would you write this post if you think the game is overrated?” Allow me to elaborate.

I stand by my take that some people talk as if Vampire—and indeed the World of Darkness—were the absolute pinnacle of gaming—and I must say that’s my biggest gripe. However, Vampire: The Masquerade and the revolution it caused in tabletop role-playing games is undeniable. While TTRPGs had been evolving out of the dungeon for years, Vampire was lightning in a bottle. It arrived at the perfect confluence of gaming and pop culture.

It seems to me that Anne Rice was riding a wave of popularity, especially after the publication of Queen of the Damned in 1988, and everyone around me seemed to be into Rice in the late 80s and early 90s. Vampire captured a post-punk feel and aesthetic, married it with gothic horror, and built a gothic-punk world with a classic, highly imaginative mythology.

To me, the setting of Vampire and the larger World of Darkness (WoD) was its true strength. The system was never my favorite, but as I mentioned in a previous post, people did not play it for the system. They played it for the story.

The game was a showcase for a different style of play that had become increasingly popular, but White Wolf popularized it with a massive audience. It also brought many people to TTRPGs in ways that D&D, the big brand, hadn’t.

As a gamer in the 90s, it felt like Vampire and WoD were everywhere. I had a few fun sessions with my friend Karlo, and I really liked Werewolf. Still, as the game’s popularity exploded, WoD sessions around me became large-group affairs where people rarely got to play, and I became disillusioned. Also, I really enjoyed fantasy gaming, and there was a prevailing attitude of “your game is lesser” from some WoD players. This really turned me off.

I did love The Book of Nod, and I’ve had plans for a Vampire game I’d like to run for years (I wrote about it here). I also own a LOT of WoD books, including some of the 20th-anniversary editions for Vampire, Werewolf, and Mage.

But I also think some overstate the importance of the game. If you watch the World of Darkness documentary, it makes it seem like there was just one popular game in the 70s and 80s, that Vampire remade TTRPGs, and that nothing has been the same since.

And that’s not quite true. Vampire and WoD have waxed and waned, never quite gone but no longer the cultural phenomenon they once were, and games have evolved in incredibly interesting ways since. TTRPGs have moved well beyond the WoD explosion, yet some fans still act as if it was the end-all, be-all. That’s why I think it’s overrated at times.

Well, that was quite the digression. But it is important context if I’m going to write about Vampire this week!

While I like the modern setting of Vampire: The Masquerade, I am a massive fan of the original inspirations for the vampire myth, of Dracula’s shadow over the mythology, and of the themes of Stoker’s work that the game presents.

In 2004, I was taking classes toward an MA in English literature, revisiting Vampire through the new World of Darkness (aka The Chronicles of Darkness) —specifically Vampire: The Requiem—and brainstorming what I wanted to do with the game.

I was also a big fan of Frank Wildhorn and his musical Jekyll & Hyde. So, when his Dracula, the Musical opened on Broadway, we took a trip to NYC to see it.

I really enjoyed it! Not quite as much as Jekyll & Hyde, which I had seen on Broadway a few years earlier (that score remains one of my favorites), but it really inspired me to run a vampire game. Just as the sweeping lyrics and themes of shows like Les Misérables deeply influence my creative process and Game Mastering style, the music of Dracula always makes me want to dive back into the World of Darkness.

I never actually played Vampire: The Requiem, preferring Masquerade. But the music of Dracula, the Musical constantly makes me want to run a Vampire game.

I know the world of Masquerade probably conjures very different musical cues for others (like 90s industrial or goth rock). Still, the classic tale told in song is always inspiring, speaking to longing, the nature of undeath, and profound loss. I invite you to listen to it!

In fact, Jekyll & Hyde is also a phenomenal tale of duality and the nature of good and evil that could very well be inspirational to WoD players.

If you are interested in Dracula, the Musical or Jekyll & Hyde, here are some links to check out:

• Dracula the Musical (2011 Cast Recording on Spotify): I understand this has additional songs and improvements from the one I listened to back in 2004! Listen Here
• Dracula the Musical (2004 Original Broadway Cast Recording on YouTube): I own this one on CD! Listen Here
• Jekyll & Hyde Soundtrack (YouTube): Listen Here
• Jekyll & Hyde Soundtrack (Spotify): Listen Here
• Jekyll & Hyde featuring David Hasselhoff: Yes, you read that right. Watch Here
• Dracula the Musical, a trailer for a 2013 Production: Watch Here

Thanks for reading! Tomorrow I’ll write about my original Dracula movie—the first one I watched as a kid—over at Sunglar’s Musings, in case you are interested.

Autocratik and Runeslinger posted this year’s topics yesterday, and I am incredibly excited. Getting the prompts a month early gives us the perfect opportunity to plan ahead and prepare our content for August.

If this is the first time you’ve heard of it, let me fill you in on what RPG a Day is all about.

The initiative offers a series of daily prompts and ideas that you can use to create social media posts, art, blog entries, videos, whatever you feel inspired to make! The goal behind RPG a Day is to foster positive discussions, recognize the amazing things happening in our hobby, and welcome newcomers into the tabletop role-playing community. There are so many things to celebrate, and August is the perfect time to do it.

I invite you to join us and participate. It is a ton of fun!

Remember to tag your content with the #RPGaDay hashtag, whether you write just one post or tackle all thirty-one.

For more information and to view the full prompt list and additional details, check out Autocratik’s post on his blog or Runeslinger’s post over on his Casting Shadows blog.

See you on August 1st!

Recently a friend and fellow blogger, Jay Steven Anyong, (check out his blog, Patreon and itch.io page) recently recommended One Page Rules to me. The project started out as a one-page ruleset to play tabletop battles with, but it eventually spawned several rulesets (for battles, skirmishes, narrative campaigns) and two original settings inspired by Warhammer including a huge number of factions. The best thing is: most of it is free. You can even get free paper miniatures from DriveThruRPG (and its sister sites). With the advent of affordable 3D printers they also started to provide STL files for original miniatures through their Patreon and MyMiniFactory and preprinted ones via Etsy. So it is a viable alternative to – for example – the games from that workshop in the UK.

Personally, I am not that interested in miniature gaming anymore. I don’t have anyone to play with living nearby and I never had the patience for painting whole armies of miniatures. But I really like what I’ve seen from the lore they created and might eventually pick up the books just for reading pleasure. If you are excited by the miniature hobby I highly recommend you check out One Page Rules. For the price of free you get several complete and fully playable games which you can play using any miniatures you already own, or you can just use the freely available paper minis!

Puerto Rico has not always participated in Free RPG Day. Gaming Zone participated in 2014, and the Puerto Rico Role Players were there.

Paladin Books and Games in Isabela participated a few years ago, though I was sadly unable to go.

Puerto Rico has seen a boom in FLGS (Friendly Local Game Stores) in recent years. There are many CCGs, but post-pandemic, we have also seen growing interest in TTRPGs. One of these stores, Titan Games, has been participating in Free RPG Day for the past few years.

I participated in 2024, running Savage Worlds. Last year, I was not in Puerto Rico for the event, but this year I was ready to participate.

The gaming community in Puerto Rico really came out in force, and both Titan Games locations in Caguas and Río Piedras had several tables playing TTRPGs. There were games of:

• D&D 5e
• Daggerheart
• Star Wars: Edge of the Empire
• Mothership
• Mörk Borg
• Vampire: The Masquerade
• And my own Shadowdark table!

I ran Kneel Before the Goblin King by Joseph R. Lewis, a great short adventure that will be part of a crowdfunding project for print copies in July. I printed out the map, used the random online character generator to create pre-gens, got a player cheat sheet from Etsy, and ran four friends through a deadly Shadowdark adventure.

It ended up in a TPK (Total Party Kill). Incredibly, I had never had a TPK in a session before in my 40 years of gaming. Even when I tried to create an adventure just to do that a few years ago for D&D 5e, I had never wiped out the entire party. A first time for everything, I guess! We had a lot of fun.

Allow me to share a video about the games played, the fun we had, and the loot I grabbed:

I am thrilled I got to spend the day with friends, make new ones, and meet other members of the community. I am delighted to see the Puerto Rico TTRPG community thriving. Thanks to everyone who participated, and to Titan Games for supporting the community.

I mentioned Paladin Books and Games at the beginning of the post. The store may no longer be there, but the former owner, Mario Vélez, has a very active community of gamers who share reviews and meet up for games. You can find The Gaming Dragons on Facebook and on YouTube.

I hope you had fun on Free RPG Day, in whatever form you got to celebrate the day. See you all at Free RPG Day 2027!

It is a great honor and a happy occasion to talk with my good friend and fellow GM, Mario. I knew who Mario was before I met him. I knew people who played with the “Cayey Game Master” (Cayey is a municipality in Puerto Rico), but I don’t think we met until 2009, when we started organizing the Puerto Rico Role Players.

He joined the Facebook group early on, and we had a lot to talk about as longtime GMs, contemporaries, and people who had played similar systems for many years.

When we had our first informal gatherings to meet other members of the Puerto Rico Role Players, he was there. He’s been a staple of Geeknics and events. I even got to play in one of his mythical Mariotóns (day-long marathon gaming sessions with dozens of players!).

While we don’t see each other nearly as often as I would like, I am always happy to see Mario!

When I reached out to gamers and creators for interviews, Mario was kind enough to answer my questions for this series. I am thrilled to write this and am always happy to call Mario a friend.

Let’s get to the questions.

Introduce yourself! Who are you, and what do you create for your adventures?

My name is Mario Agrait Rodríguez. I am from Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico. I have two kids; one is 29 years old, and the other is 9 years old. The older one is a GM and has his own group. They both started playing as soon as they learned not to put the dice in their mouths and to roll them for the first time.

I love cinema, literature, and crafting my own game scenarios and scenery. I have been Game Mastering since 1986, when I discovered AD&D and OD&D. We have been playing in the Mystara campaign world since we started, first using 1E and then moving to 3E.

The way I like to work is by keeping my campaigns moving forward, well-documented, and feeding them with players’ ideas and contributions. Each new campaign has all the previous campaigns as background. They can even cross paths with old characters. For that, I have been using Obsidian Portal, a wiki-type service, since 2011. All my campaigns are there.

The other side of gaming that I love is crafting terrain and props. We use miniatures and crafted scenery to play large battles. I love painting and crafting my own scenery. My players also love miniatures and help with my crafts.

How would you describe your art or creative endeavors as a GM?

I allow myself to be inspired by everything: poetry, literature, popular culture, current events, history, comics, TV series, movies, and even dreams. I follow an organized path to assemble all ideas into something coherent that works inside the campaign or as a new campaign. They know everything they think can and will be used against them.

When I tackle an idea, I ask simple questions like: “Will this fit my campaign?” “How can I use this idea?” “How can I make this interesting to the players?” “How can I tie this idea to previous material?” Then I move to bigger questions. I feed from my players’ brains like a Mind Flayer!

Another trick is to study the material you are using and try to fill in the blanks before the players ask for something you haven’t prepared. Whenever I can, I review what I have created and add information. I complete missing data such as genealogy trees, character descriptions, gear stats, new spells, and much more.

How did you discover TTRPGs?

This is possibly one of the weirdest RPG stories I know:

1. A boy named Eric was into reading Science Fiction and Fantasy and wanted to play D&D. His mother gave him the Red Box OD&D set as a gift. He didn’t have anyone to play with, though.
2. The boy named Eric decided to give his neighbor, Luis, the Red Box OD&D set as a gift.
3. Luis took the boxed set to his friends, and they learned to play. Luis didn’t want to be the DM, so he gave the Red Box OD&D set to Ismael as a gift.
4. Ismael became the DM and continued playing when he moved to another city to study at the university.
5. Ismael and I met at the university. We were from different cities. He showed me the game and gave me the Red Box OD&D set as a gift. I then became a DM.
6. I moved to another city and met a boy named Eric, who had wanted to play D&D all his life but didn’t have anyone to play with. He became my friend and one of my players.
7. My friend Eric was the first owner of the Red Box OD&D set I used for playing. See event #1.

Do you actively play TTRPGs? What are you playing right now?

My group and I played OD&D for more than 20 years, and around 2002, we switched to 3.0. We have adapted some rules from 3.5 and Pathfinder and added our own house rules into the mix. We found the 3.0 system good for customizing characters, especially for experienced players (some members of my group have been playing with me for 30+ years).

We also play other games: Space: 1889, d20 Modern, d20 Future, d20 Shadowrun, DC Heroes 3rd Edition, and Gamma World 4th Edition. I’m the GM on these campaigns. Some of our players are GMs on their own campaigns, playing d20 Modern, D&D 3.0, 3.5, and 5E. I also used to play Star Trek by FASA and Shadowrun 2nd Edition, and I still have the manuals.

We are currently playing d20 Shadowrun, but it is very possible that we will move back to D&D 3E shortly (depending on the feedback from players, as they are having tons of fun with SWR), and I’m already working on the material for the next D&D campaign.

What projects are you currently working on?

Painting like a hundred minis. That is a story that never ends. Crafting different terrain and new buildings, an inn with removable floors and furniture. There is a telescope and a planetarium to add to the old wizard’s library and laboratory. And there is a small tree house for gnomes. I also just finished crafting a scabbard for my younger one’s plastic sword.

Where can people see your projects and learn more about your games?

On Facebook, our group is called “Stray Dogs Role Playing Gamers”.

Here are the Obsidian Portal links for my campaigns:

• Tales from Mystara: https://d-d-3-0-tales-from-mystara.obsidianportal.com/wikis/main-page
• Gamma Rifts: https://gamma-rifts.obsidianportal.com/wikis/main-page
• Into the Shadows: https://d20-shadowrun-into-the-shadows.obsidianportal.com/wikis/main-page
• Justice League – A Better World: https://justice-league-a-better-world.obsidianportal.com/wikis/main-page

Any closing thoughts?

My players are the biggest highlight of my campaigns. I am very honored to play with them. I think that, on my part, the biggest achievement of my games is still having the capacity to surprise players after all these years. Something that makes them come back for more. It is either that, or they have some secret desire to get new psychological scars each week!

Some of my best GMing advice: Concentrate on the story over the rules, and on the players over the rest. Once you commit to a gaming date, don’t change it; be consistent. Take the time to hear your players’ ideas and to incorporate them into the world. And take time to rest your mind, by playing other games or by taking a vacation from gaming.

And finally: Keep rolling those dice until the day you die!

I originally discovered it as an Ashcan edition that I played at Gen Con back in 2007, and it completely fascinated me. I have run it with my regular weekly group more than once and brought it to the Puerto Rico Role Players Geeknics a few times as well.

The core idea, psychics (or supers, if you prefer) waking up after an accident with amnesia, running to escape from their captors while exploring their powers, and trying to piece together their past, is incredibly compelling. I have run it in a modern city, in a steampunk setting, right here in Puerto Rico, and even on a spaceship! I love the concept and the system. Honestly, I am sincerely surprised I haven’t run it more.

Now, there is a Kickstarter campaign for a 2nd Edition! Check out the campaign here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1179631078/psirun-second-edition

According to the campaign page, here is a breakdown of what to expect:

What’s Changing?

The focus for this edition is on refinement rather than a complete overhaul. The creator is taking 15 years of play feedback to heart, specifically focusing on:

• Clarified Rules: The text is getting an expansion to answer common questions and address the edge cases that have popped up over the last decade and a half.
• Polished Mechanics: Expect some tightening of the existing systems. The core “Otherkind” dice pool, where you balance your goals, your memories, and the encroaching danger, remains the engine. You are still rolling that handful of dice and making those classic, agonizing decisions on the Risk Sheet. You can read about the “Otherkind” dice poll rules here.
• New Visuals: The aesthetic is getting completely refreshed with all-new art and cartography.

The Stretch Goals

The campaign is also looking to expand the game’s utility, particularly for modern play. If they hit their higher funding targets, there will be a write-up for playing Psi*Run online. Specifically, it will feature an experimental format designed for social media platforms like Bluesky, where you play the Runner while others take on the role of the world around you. I would absolutely love to see this in action.

I am already a backer and wholeheartedly recommend this game. Go check it out!

Favorite Game: Mutant Year Zero

That was a tough one. I have played and enjoyed a lot of TTRPGs but Mutant Year Zero has a special place in my heart. I played in a long-running campaign which we unfortunately never finished but I experienced some of the best roleplaying and the most dramatic scenes in this campaign. Of course this was in no small part because of the other players and the GM, but in my opinion the mechanics and setting were crucial for this outcome. I can highly recommend all games by Free League Publishing, but Mutant Year Zero is definitely my favorite!

Best Lore: Werewolf – The Apocalypse

It didn’t take long to decide which game I would pick for this category. Even to this day I have fond memories of the original World of Darkness. One aspect of these games that I tremendously enjoyed was the deep lore. The whole mythology and history of the setting were extremely interesting to me and one reason I kept playing these games was to find out more about how this world worked. The WoD jargon we had to learn back in the day, had quickly become second nature and I still remember most of it today. I picked Werewolf and not Mage or Vampire since I especially liked the lore they came up with for the Garou and the cosmic conflict between the Wyrm, the Weaver and the Wyld. Great stuff!

Best Art: The Electric State

This was another tough one. There are so many great-looking roleplaying game books out there. But in my opinion the roleplayng games based on the art by Simon Stålenhag are on another level. His art is realistic and otherworldly at the same time. His images evoke nostalgia but also grant a glimpse into an alternate reality. Even if you don’t intend to run or play them, the games based on his artbooks: Tales from the Loop, Things from the Flood and The Electric State are worth a buy just for the art alone.

Best Mechanics: Numenera

From a game master’s standpoint Numenera had the best mechanics of any game I ran so far. What I enjoyed the most was that it makes it incredibly easy to improvise. A NPC is basically defined by its level and perhaps a special ability. The rules are extremely easy and instead of explaing rules to players or looking up stuff I could focus on what’s really important. I also love the fact that all rolls are player-facing. I found this extremely refreshing. In 2014 I wrote a post about the game called “Numenera: One of the best games I’ve ever ran!” and that still holds true.

Biggest Personal Impact: Night’s Black Agents: Solo-Ops

In 2020 my friend Ralf ran Night’s Black Agents: Solo-Ops for me and it was the most intense and rewarding roleplaying experience I ever had. Period. I just reread my post I wrote back about the experience and unfortunately it didn’t give it justice. One-on-one roleplaying can be a very intense experience. As a player you’re under constant pressure, you don’t have other players to rely on. You’re the one who has to make decisions all the time and you have to suffer the consequences alone. The mechanics are quite brilliant and really helped to support the narrative. Playing Leyla Khan, the protagonist of the game, was a very interesting experience and gave me new perspectives. I highly recommend anyone to check this game out!

Overhated: D&D 4th Edition

I fully agree with Roberto here. D&D 4th Edition is still hated by a lot of D&D fans but it’s not a bad game. Personally the game didn’t click for me when I first tried it but I like many of the things the designers tried to achieve back in the day. Compared to 5th Edition I think it might even be the better game in many regards. It had a bold vision and tried to kill too many sacred cows in the process which didn’t sit well with most fans. With the right kind of players I might even run it again.

Underrated: The Fantasy Trip

The Fantasy Trip is a classic roleplaying game that was held back mostly by the fact that it was out-of-print for about 40 years. In 2017 Steve Jackson – it’s author – reacquired the rights and released an updated version in 2019. The Fantasy Trip is a very easy to learn system for tactical battles between fantasy characters on a hex grid which becomes a full TTRPG with the inclusion of the rules from “Into The Labyrinth”. Much like the more well-known GURPS it just uses three stats, has a 3d6 roll under mechanic and is basically level- and classless. But unlike GURPS it’s much easier but almost as versatile. People have used TFT to run anything from high fantasy to far-future space opera. If it hadn’t been gone for so long, I am sure more people would sing its praises. But unfortunately aside from a few die-hard fans it’s mostly disregarded and overlooked by the players.

Overrated: D&D 5th Edition

Don’t get me wrong: I don’t hate 5th Edition. I actually had a lot of fun playing it. But having said that it’s neither the best D&D edition ever, nor the best fantasy RPG out there. After the disastrous fan reaction of 4E it was a return to a more familiar D&D but it also reintroduced elements which should have better be buried long time ago. While 4th Edition was too bold for its time (and fan base), 5th Edition was not bold enough. 5th Edition has neither the tactical combat of 4th Edition nor is it as easy as B/X. But 5th Edition seems to have hit a nerve and for many players who left for Pathfinder during the 4E era returned, so it was probably the right game at the time, but it’s just not THE BEST fantasy roleplaying game as it is hailed by many.

Criminally Overlooked: Colonial Gothic

In my opinion the games from Rogue Games are among the most criminally overlooked games out there and Colonial Gothic especially so. Colonial Gothic is a supernatural horror game set during the American Revolution. It uses an original d12-based system which is pretty easy to learn and fun to play. I would have overlooked this game myself if I hadn’t met its author Richard Iorio at GenCon in 2010 since the American Revolution is not a topic I naturally steered towards. But if you choose to overlook Colonial Gothic you miss a very well researched game with a lot of background material which is not only fun to play but also might teach you a thing or two about the American Revolution. If the subject matter is not your cup of tea I can also highly recommend Shadow, Sword & Spell, his take on Sword & Sorcery using the same system.

Has Aged Well: Alternity (TSR)

Alternity is a scifi roleplaying game that was unfortunately doomed from the start. It could have been to scifi was D&D was to fantasy. But after TSR had been bought by Wizards of the Coast, the company didn’t want it to be a direct competitor to its new d20 System, so they cancelled the line way before its time. When I had another look at Alternity just a couple of weeks ago I was surprised how well everything has aged. Sure, it has its quirks, but overall Alternity held up pretty well and could easily be used to run games inspired by contemporay fiction. I love the roll-under task resolution mechanics with its detailed degrees of success which is both surprisngly easy and still offers a lot of depth. Unfortunately you can’t buy it digitally anywhere aside from a couple of sourcebooks hidden away in the d20 Modern section on DriveThruRPG.

Needs a New Edition: RIFTS

Again, I am agreeing with Roberto on this: RIFTS need a new edition. RIFTS has a lot going for it: great art, an exciting setting where everything is possible, intriguing character oprions. Unfortunately the rules suck. The Palladium system is basically an AD&D heartbreaker that hasn’t really aged well. Savage RIFTS might be an option to some, but I don’t think the Savage Worlds system really works for RIFTS. If there’s a game that needs a reboot it’s RIFTS!

Not Usually My Thing, But … Pathfinder 1st Edition

Over the years I have stated multiple times that I prefer rules-light to rules-medium games. Regardless I am having a blast playing in a Pathfinder 1st Edition campaign with my friends. Sure, I running it would probably make my head explode and without the help of PCGen I wouldn’t have been able to play my character all this time, but during these many months I really grew to love this game. If my current GM would offer to run another Pathfinder campaign after this one, I wouldn’t hesitate to join.

Current Game: ShadowDark

ShadowDark is a game I just very recently picked up and fell in love with. I don’t think I need to sing the praises here, since everyone is already pretty much enamoured with this game already. I am kinda late to the party. So what do I love about this game? It’s OSR-ish but still includes some modern ideas. It’s rules-light and extremely light to homebrew for. It’s perfect if you want something that feels like original D&D while being much more streamlined and way less clunky. If you are even remotely interested in dungeon crawling you owe it to yourself to check it out! I am currently planning a one-on-one campaign with my wife using ShadowDark and a sandbox campaign which I plan to run for a group of friends. I haven’t actually run it, yet, but I am sure this could actually become my go-to game in the future.

First Game: TORG

The first TTRPG I ever played was actually the original TORG from West End Games. Back in the early 90’s I went to a local con interested in finally being able to try out these tabletop roleplaying games I’ve heard so much about. Back in these days RPGs weren’t really that well known in Germany even in the nerdier circles. But I was already a huge computer roleplaying game fan at this point. I don’t remember why I chose to play TORG at this day, but I had a lot of fun even though I also made my first contact with “that guy”. I don’t actually remember what the adventure was actually about other than that we fought zombies in the jungle of Borneo and that I played a private detective from the Nile Empire. But even though the rules were clunky and one of the players was a bit problematic, it didn’t deter me from becoming the huge TTRPG fan I am today.

Game Everyone Should Play:

Dungeons & Dragons. Period. If you are serious about roleplaying game you should have played it at least once. Give it a try just to find out what it is about. Most people would probably recommend a recent edition but I think you shouldn’t dismiss Basic D&D. Sure it’s a bit old, but it held up pretty well. Old-School Essentials is a great choice if you want authentic rules but with a better layout and overall legibility. If you want a more “authentic” experience you can still pick up the “Red Box” on DriveThruRPG for a few bucks. D&D is such an important part of our hobby, that you owe it to yourself to at least play it once.

So what are your thoughts on my picks? Do you agree? Do you disagree? Do you think I am totally out of my mind? Please share your comments below!

It was probably a combination of all of this. But eventually I gave it another chance. Why? That’s kind of a funny story. From time to time I get the urge to dabble in game design. One of the white whales which I keep hunting is a D&D variant of my own. Over the years I have looked at countless retro-clones and none of the games out there had everything I wanted from my “perfect” old-school D&D game. There was always at least something missing. So I started working on my own. Since I like milestone levelling and 5th Edition’s advantage/disadvantage mechanic, I looked at 5th Edition as a basis and started removing and rewriting stuff to make it as simple as Basic D&D. In the beginning I still had a skill system, but I quickly realised that it wasn’t a good fit for what I wanted to achieve. So I decided to use broad “backgrounds” which fulfill a similar role. I also wanted to get rid of Vancian magic and eventually I decided a roll-to-cast system would be a great fit for an OSR-adjacent system. Since I prefer theatre-of-the-mind I replaced ranges in feet with more abstract range bands: Close, Near, Far. And without realising it, I had reinvented Shadowdark.

At some point, I had doubts this amalgamation of ideas would actually work, so I looked at similar games for inspiration: Vagabond, Nimble, and eventually Shadowdark. The more I learned about Shadowdark (I hadn’t read the full rules at this point), the more I realized that my ideas were so close to Shadowdark that it would be easier to write a couple of house rules for Shadowdark instead of basically reinventing it.

There’s one caveat: I haven’t run or played Shadowdark yet. But I plan to do remedy this in the near future. My wife agreed to give a one-on-one campaign a try and I think ShadowRim (which is basically The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim with the serial numbers filed off) might be the perfect setting for us. Alternatively I have a couple of ideas for a sandbox campaign about a cursed estate somewhere in the borderlands. Whatever we end up playing I am pretty excited at this point!

What are your thoughts on Shadowdark? When did you first discover it and why do you like (or dislike it)? Please share your thoughts below.

Such is the case with the subject of today’s interview. Axel6748 contacted me through my Bluesky account (‪@sunglar.bsky.social), and I’ve really enjoyed getting to know them and seeing the content they are publishing for Shadowdark. When I announced I was looking for Puerto Rican creators working in the TTRPG space or related endeavors, Axel6748 kindly reached out. I am incredibly thankful for their time and kindness!

Introduce yourself! Who are you and what do you create?

I do keep my real-life identity anonymous, but I go by Axel6748 online, and I am a Puerto Rican tabletop role-player and Game Master. Lately, I have been working on Shadowdark content for a free monthly zine called The Menu.

In the future, I hope to start a blog to talk about TTRPGs, Anime, Indie Games, and other Nerd/Geek topics, as well as self-publish my own material and supplements for Shadowdark and whatever tabletop system I like and find passion for.

How would you describe your art or creative endeavor?

My creative process is whatever sparks my interest. Sometimes I want to create a theme because I have an idea in my head, and I like to use random tables and word banks to generate ideas for adventures, modules, or classes.

How did you discover TTRPGs?

Man, how did I discover TTRPGs? Well, mainly through pop culture growing up, such as cartoons, and my cousin playing 3.5e D&D. However, I really got into 5th Edition around 2016 to 2017. I was originally going to play 4th Edition, but the game sadly never happened. That led me to learn 5e and meet wonderful people!

Do you actively play TTRPGs? What are you playing?

I have been playing 5e D&D as well as Shadowdark; d20 dragon fantasy games are my comfort zone.

What do you want to play next?

I want to try out some of the lesser-known systems, such as Goblinz by The Ugly Goblin, Tactiquest by level2janitor, Trespasser by tundalus, and a few others. I also want to try bigger systems like Draw Steel (specifically that Night Shift Demon Division 3rd-party supplement).

What projects are available, and what are you working on next?

As of now, I only have one free class on my Itch.io page called The Bravero, and I’m working on The Menu. I’ve released 3 Adventures (one B/X compatible, two Shadowdark) and a few Shadowdark classes.

Where can people get your projects?

You can find my stuff on my Itch.io page, my Bluesky, and my upcoming Tumblr Blog (and possibly Substack too) via my Carrd!

• Carrd: https://axel6748.carrd.co
• The Menu Zine (May 2026 Issue): https://the-menu-zine.itch.io/the-menu-may-2026
• The Bravero Class: https://axel6748.itch.io/bravero

Thank you, Axel6748! Be sure to check out the links provided to explore their content. See you all next Sunday!

I’ve had the pleasure of knowing Julio for a few years through the Puerto Rico Role Players group, our Geeknic events, and social media. He first told me about the game he’s developing a few months ago, we caught up about it at the latest Geeknic, and he’s been sharing some of his progress in the Tabletop Game Designers Puerto Rico group.

He was kind enough to answer my questions and participate in this interview!

Introduce yourself! Who are you, and what are you creating?

My name is Julio, and I specialize in Worldbuilding.

How would you describe your art or creative work?

Well, I try to be as descriptive as possible, so I would say it’s highly detailed.

How did you discover TTRPGs (tabletop or pen-and-paper role-playing games)?

In high school, some friends invited me to play Dungeons & Dragons. I really liked the game’s concept and saw its creative potential. Unfortunately, the DM got tired of it and killed us all with an Ancient Wyrm that left the city looking like a lake of lava.

Are you playing actively? What are you playing right now?

At the moment, I’m not playing anything. I want to focus on my personal and professional goals, but as soon as I have the time, I would like to play my own TTRPG.

What is the next thing you want to play?

I would like to play my own game, but I’d definitely get back into D&D—it has always been my favorite.

What projects do you have available, and what are you working on right now?

I am creating my new TTRPG world called “RE//in Eden-01”, which is what I am dedicating myself to at the moment.

It is a mysterious world where the player lacks a physical body, as they are a digitized soul in a crystal container. However, that crystal can be installed in a synthetic body tailored to the character’s needs (representing different character classes).

The player can have more than one body to use, depending on what they need to do. Bodies are created in two ways: Cybernetic or Biological. The player can create a cybernetic body with a human appearance or a fully robotic humanoid. They can also choose to create a “chimera,” where they can make anything from a demi-human to a tentacled aberration.

The world is in danger of being consumed by different factions seeking to gain control, exploit resources, and enslave and strip the inhabitants. The player is “isekai’d” into this world after their death because their soul was copied by an ancient system of unknown origin that saw potential in them. Will the players help restore the world, or will they use their power to eliminate the competition for domination?

Where can people find your projects?

I still have a lot to write, but I plan to set up a public access site soon so people can check it out.

Any final comments?

I hope you all like it once it’s ready!

Julio, thank you very much for your time. I wish you much success in your work, and I’ll be sure to share any news about the game here on the blog and across my socials as it develops!

Last year, I was not in Puerto Rico for Free RPG Day. I visited Tabletop Gaming Center, a terrific FLGS in Connecticut, which I got to check out a few times while I was up there. However, this year, as I celebrate my 40th anniversary as a tabletop role-playing gamer, it is incredibly important to me to support the local gaming community.

As I look at the current TTRPG and general gaming community in Puerto Rico, I am encouraged. When Puerto Rico Role Players began over 18 years ago, there was certainly gaming happening, but there was a definite lull in the overall sense of community among TTRPG gamers. We, along with others, worked hard to foster the growth of that community.

I don’t pretend we are solely responsible for the thriving gaming scene around me today. The massive popularity of D&D 5e and the boom the pandemic brought to the TTRPG industry are certainly the largest factors, but I like to think we did our part!

I am incredibly happy to see so many people playing TTRPGs, board games, and LARPing like Echo Trails. Actual play groups like Juego La Mesa, gaming influencers like The Gaming Dragons and Planeta Meeple, and others, organizing and running events—these are fantastic signs of a healthy hobby. There are more FLGS on the island now, and seeing people actively play and teach others how to play truly warms my aging gamer heart!

I would love to play more outside my weekly group, visit more stores, and run more games myself, but I am just so glad to see others doing so. Real life, work, and family health all impact my available time, so I try to keep doing my part in these spaces by posting here on the blog, on my Facebook page, Sunglar’s Musings, and across my social media channels.

That does not mean I’ve given up on more active participation! We continue planning events with Puerto Rico Role Players and Dungeons & Dragons Puerto Rico (we are already planning for the next Geeknic!), and I want to participate in events like Free RPG Day to keep in touch with the community and support it directly.

So, to return to the topic of those first two sentences: For Free RPG Day 2026, I will be running Shadowdark at Titan Games at their Río Piedras location. Specifically, I will be running Joseph R. Lewis’ one-shot, Kneel Before the Goblin King!

Brief aside: If you’re planning to play at my table, don’t spoil it for yourself by reading the adventure! That said, I have become a massive fan of Lewis’ work. His adventures are easy to run, provide information effectively and succinctly, and offer lots of opportunities for GMs to make the adventure their own. I highly recommend them.

To summarize: Come to Titan Games Río Piedras on Saturday, June 27th, and play some Shadowdark at my table. There will be space for six players, and pre-generated characters will be provided. The store opens at 11:00 AM, and I’ll be there to start running the game as soon as we have a quorum.

I will not be the only one running tabletop role-playing games that day, and there will be Free RPG Day events at Titan Games in both Río Piedras and Caguas. Check out their website, Facebook, Instagram, and Discord for more information.

Hope to see you there!

Once upon a time—specifically in 1985—FASA published a Masters of the Universe “role-playing game” (and there is a reason for those quotes). You can read about it on RPG.net and in this review, but I’ll quote the latter to save you some time:

“Unfortunately, the Masters of the Universe Role Playing Game does not live up to its name. It’s another bad licensed board game. Not only that, but it’s an incomplete, unplayable board game with some of the worst and most confusing rules ever written.”

There was also a Legends of Grayskull TTRPG using the Cortex rules announced some years back, which unfortunately never came to be when the game’s owner sold it.

So, what options do you actually have? Allow me to share a few.

Umdaar: Rebel Broadcast Edition

Evil Hat Games just published Umdaar: Rebel Broadcast Edition, a stand-alone game powered by the Fate system and heavily inspired by MotU, She-Ra, Thundercats, One Piece, and The Legend of Korra. The game looks great, the rules are a perfect fit for the genre, and it’s PWYW via DriveThruRPG so that you can check it out risk-free. However, if you like it, you can always support the company by paying for the book.

• DriveThruRPG Link: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/568102/umdaar-rebel-broadcast-edition?affiliate_id=3727
• Evil Hat Games Store: https://evilhat.com/product/umdaar/

Cartoon Action Hour

Cartoon Action Hour was designed specifically to emulate the exact type of cartoons that inspired the movie. I backed the project some years ago, and they have a dedicated setting guide called Warriors of the Cosmos that is directly inspired by He-Man and similarly themed series.

• Cartoon Action Hour https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/213819/warriors-of-the-cosmos-pack-bundle?affiliate_id=3727
• Warriors of the Cosmos: https://www.drivethrurpg.com//product/212244/cah-s3-the-complete-guide-to-warriors-of-the-cosmos?affiliate_id=3727

Blades of Power: Synth and Sorcery Roleplaying

If you are willing to wait until it is published, James Spahn of Barrel Rider Games is currently running a Kickstarter for their new game, Blades of Power: Synth and Sorcery Roleplaying. It is a TTRPG based on the D&D B/X ruleset, and it sounds like an absolute blast. Here is the description straight from their crowdfunding page:

“…a “stand-alone fantasy roleplaying game that is fully compatible with Old School Essentials and other classic B/X rules set, but designed for play that emulates the fantasy found in classic adventure cartoons of the 1980s. It’s on sunsets across apocalyptic landscapes. It’s larger-than-life heroes with fabulous magical powers. It’s our power blade in one hand and a laser-blazer in the other as you face off against the time-traveling Draconis Maximus, the vile Serpentmen of Venom Spire, and the brain-bending Denizens of the Dream-City, for the fate of the universe!”

• Kickstarter Campaign: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/barrelridergames/retroquest

MotU 3.5

For a different take on the d20 system, there is a D&D 3.5 conversion for He-Man. I’m entirely sure this is the specific d20 system I would personally use for MotU—it is a bit more rules-heavy than what I’d prefer for this genre—but YMMV!

• Fan Conversion Link: https://ralp.net/dungeons/he-man/

Playing with Miniatures!

While not strictly a TTRPG, there is a dedicated MotU miniatures game called Masters of the Universe: Battleground. Check it out if you want to get tactical on the grid!

• Game Link: https://archon-studio.com/motubattleground

Here is a video review:

And finally, I would be entirely remiss if I didn’t say that (say it with me, everyone): you could absolutely do MotU with Savage Worlds!

Last week, I was working at a tradeshow, and late in the day, one of the visitors to the booth was this very friendly young gentleman. He engaged with us about the products we were showcasing, and we ended up talking about him being an artist, his love for board games, and the fact that he’s a TTRPG gamer. I told him I’m a gamer too and asked, “Does he know about Puerto Rico Role Players?”

Turns out, I’ve known Kevin in the digital world for almost 10 years! He’s been a participant in Puerto Rico Role Players for years, and we even exchanged messages on Facebook back in early 2017! The last thing I expected was meeting him in person at a trade show. I love the magic of the online gaming community, which allows me to meet people like Kevin. It always makes me happy to meet fellow geeks in the wild!

Having made the connection and already knowing his art form through following him online, I reached out to him to see if he would participate in this series of interviews. He graciously agreed, and he is the subject of today’s post. Without further ado, here we go.

Introduce yourself! Who are you and what do you create?

Hello, world! I’m Kevin M., Professor Montijo, or nerdygeekyart (depending on who you ask). I’m a Government Financial Analyst by day, an Accounting and Auditing Professor by night, but in my free time, I make art.

How would you describe your art or creative endeavor?

I would describe my art as colorful, miscellaneous, and delightfully nerdy. On my art pages, you’ll find everything from simple doodles to full illustrations of the things I know and love, as well as professional work I’ve been hired for. Even though my art is more of a personal passion, I’ve been hired for professional projects, such as illustrating and designing art for a physical card game and serving as an Art Director for a PC game available on Steam.

Aside from regular illustrations, you’ll also find game assets, concept art, 3D models/renders, clay sculptures, dungeon maps, and a plethora of art pieces made either digitally or using any number of mixed media—from pen and ink, to alcohol markers, to watercolors, to whatever I can find in my art bins.

How did you discover TTRPGs?

Like many people my age, I grew up playing or collecting cards from various TCGs like Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh, and even the Neopets TCG (Yes, I still have access to my Neopets account). Those were, in essence, my gateway drug to the delightfully nerdy activities one could play on the school floor or any available table (other than Tazos/POGs, of course). I was always a fan of classic board games, starting with Monopoly, my great aunt’s favorite, and other classics like Cluedo, Battleship, Operation, etc.

I think an absolutely pivotal moment in my love for tabletop games was when I got my hands on the first edition of a little game called Munchkin. When I brought that compact box to school, my

classmates and I had a blast every single time we played. Each game was entertaining and chaotic, and we often challenged ourselves to draw our characters with all the gear and loot they had amassed throughout their journey to level 10. That led me to eventually getting a more advanced version of the game called Munchkin Quest, in which you actually generated a randomized dungeon as you explored, each room filled with crazy effects, a plethora of wacky monsters to slay, and that oh so coveted loot. I still recall one particularly intense game with my best friend at the time, where, against all odds, we managed to beat the final boss, a level 20 plutonium dragon with a mix of gear, random loot, potions, and sheer luck. Now my collection of tabletop games has grown significantly, nearly reaching 300 different titles and counting.

As for TTRPGs, it’s difficult to pinpoint an exact manner of discovery. I remember visiting a small local comic convention when I was very young, purchasing some comics, collectible figures, and a few other things, when something suddenly caught my eye: a box full of dice of varying shapes and colors. That plethora of polyhedra and platonic solids called out to me like a siren to an unsuspecting sailor. As I rummaged through the box, I ended up picking out a red d20 with blue speckled paint from a now-discontinued Chessex set. That newly acquired icosahedron made me want to research what all those dice were used for. Dungeons & Dragons was, of course, at the epicenter of my search, along with a string of other TTRPGs. Unfortunately, I didn’t know a single soul who played, so I had to push most of that research to the back of my mind for the time being.

Fast forward a couple of years, and I started to learn about the Pathfinder TTRPG. For some reason, the more I learned about it, the more I got into it, and eventually decided to buy one of their starter sets. I became absolutely obsessed with it, reading every bit of material and eventually purchasing the core rulebooks and some adventure modules. That being said, I still knew nobody who played. I went to a small, Christian private school with very few students (my class was made up of just 12), and I didn’t have a personal internet connection during my time at school, so meeting people online was not really an option. For some reason, I longed to play the game so much that it never occurred to me that I could try my hand at being a Dungeon Master/Game Master and teach the game to my small circle of friends. Eventually, as I moved on to college, I managed to get a personal internet connection, make friends who shared my interests, and begin playing a few TTRPGs. The rest is history.

Do you actively play TTRPGs? What are you playing?

The TTRPG I play most actively is D&D, either online or with small groups in sporadic bursts. I’m currently not involved in any active sessions, but I look forward to my next adventure!

What do you want to play next?

There are a few TTRPGs or settings that I own the core material for and would love to try out, but I haven’t had the chance yet. These are mainly, but not limited to:

• Nimble: A fast and tactical TTRPG.
• Vagabond: A pulp fantasy TTRPG.
• Dragonbane: A classic fantasy TTRPG.
• Lodestar: A D&D 5e setting based around space-fantasy, heavily influenced by Treasure Planet.

What projects are available, and what are you working on next?

I’m currently working on improving my 3D modeling and rendering skills with Nomad Sculpt and Blender to bring all my fantastical and nerdy 2D ideas to the third dimension with some hopefully exciting applications in the near future.

Where can people find your work?

I’m most active on Instagram and TikTok, both under @nerdygeekyart ! There you’ll find my art, some peeks into my life, and time-lapses of some of my work. Don’t be afraid to pop by and say hi! And, if you like what you see, feel free to follow!

Any closing thoughts?

I would say to all my nerds, geeks, and dweebs out there: the one thing that will lead you to do the things you enjoy most and meet amazing people who share your interests and passions is to be your wonderful self unapologetically. Don’t be afraid to geek out over the things you love. Be kind. Be understanding. Be open-minded and, again, be yourself. Do that, and everything else will follow.

Cheers!

Your friendly neighborhood nerd

Thank you very much, Kevin! See you all next week for the next interview, dear reader.

Allow me to share some information I am paraphrasing from the MG Foundation of America.

What is it? MG is a rare neuromuscular, autoimmune disorder that causes extreme fatigue and profound muscle weakness. Impulses from the brain travel down nerves but are blocked by antibodies before they reach the muscle. The body is essentially attacking itself and stopping normal muscle function.

You might be wondering what this has to do with role-playing games. Bear with me; I’ll get to it. I’ve decided to talk about this publicly to raise awareness and add my two cents to the conversation about the disorder, but let’s get back to the explanations for a second.

First documented by a physician in Oxford, England, in 1672, MG can impact a person’s ability to see, swallow, smile, walk, breathe, or engage in everyday activities. Everyone’s disease presents a little differently—that’s why myasthenia is known as a “snowflake disease.” (I AM a snowflake, I knew it! Unique and special, I mean.)

For me, the worst symptoms were losing my voice, slurring my words, and simply not being able to speak properly. Those of you who know me in real life saw me a couple of years ago when I was significantly weaker, experiencing serious difficulty speaking and swallowing.

To my family and friends, this is no secret. Many acquaintances know as well. If we’ve run into each other over the last four years, I’ve probably talked about this face-to-face, and I have always tried to share information about MG with people I meet. Still, I’ve been reluctant to discuss it or publish anything on social media for fear of being vulnerable. One often worries about how others will react, how revelations like this might affect employment opportunities, or how people will treat you. But in the spirit of the month and all it celebrates, I’ve decided to share my diagnosis and how I’ve dealt with it.

So, how is myasthenia gravis treated, and what is the prognosis? There is currently no cure, but there are treatments to manage the symptoms. For most individuals, myasthenia gravis is a manageable chronic condition. The outlook for most people with MG is positive, as current treatment options are often highly effective. While existing treatments do not cure the disease, most patients experience improved muscle strength, and some even achieve remission.

What else should you know about Myasthenia Gravis?

I have been incredibly fortunate to have great doctors who identified the right medications and treatments. Having the insurance to access these treatments has greatly reduced my symptoms and made them manageable. I am in better physical shape now than I was four years ago, and I hope to continue to manage my condition effectively.

But this was not the case four years ago. MG is hard to diagnose, and some people spend years without proper answers. I was experiencing symptoms for two full years before I was correctly diagnosed, and by then, I was having trouble speaking and swallowing. It was incredibly taxing and frustrating for me as someone whose voice is a vital tool for my line of work. It was scary. It affected my ability to communicate properly with loved ones. It also impacted my favorite hobby: tabletop role-playing games.

What does a Game Master do when he cannot speak?

With all the other complications in life, not being able to play a game may seem like the least of my concerns. But as I’ve said often, gaming is part of my mental health routine. It is a creative endeavor I enjoy outside my other responsibilities. It is something that connects me with my dear friends. We are part of each other’s support group, and the time we spend together is something we value and treasure.

Having to consider giving that up was just another source of stress during an already difficult time.

The reality was that I needed to rest; speaking for hours often left me exhausted. At the same time, I did not want to give this up. I wanted to cling to this vestige of normalcy in the midst of chaos.

This wasn’t easy for my players. My voice was hoarse, broken, and sometimes slurred. I would speak with great difficulty. Often, I would use text-to-speech software when I could not speak properly. Some people would not put up with this, but my players are first and foremost my friends—guys like Carlos, Fernan, both Josés (Bellavista and Garcia), Lao, and Oscar—they knew how important our weekly gatherings were. They knew how much it meant to me, and they kept showing up. They supported me despite the limitations, and we played on.

That meant the world to me. It helped me deal with my sadness and my frustration. Their love was a vital part of the support my friends and family showed me during those difficult times.

I am doing much better right now. The medications I take help me manage the symptoms. I know the signs, rest regularly, listen to my body’s cycles, and manage my condition. I hope that this improvement continues in the long term. I am incredibly grateful for the love and support everyone around me shows me every single day. Gaming has truly given me a circle of friends who are like family—a gift that continually enriches my life.

Now, I hope to use the spaces I have online to share my story, build knowledge about myasthenia gravis, return the kindness shown to me, and, hopefully, raise awareness of this relatively rare condition. Knowledge is power! Hopefully, further research will find a cure for MG.

While I’ve gotten to know other MG patients, I have not met other gamers with MG. I wonder whether there are more of us in gaming spaces and whether we can organize to support each other and the larger MG community. If you are a patient, even if you do not wish to share your diagnosis publicly, please feel free to contact me.

If you want to learn more, here are some useful links:

What is MG: https://myasthenia.org/understanding-mg/what-is-myasthenia-gravis/

The Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America: https://myasthenia.org/

Donate to the Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America: https://myasthenia.givevirtuous.org/donate/donation-form

Global Genes: https://globalgenes.org/disorder/myasthenia-gravis/

European Myasthenia Gravis Association: https://eumga.eu/

Thank you for reading!

Some of the images I used in this post are from the Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America website, and this post: Back to Doing What I Love: My Myasthenia Gravis Story By Kathalina Nguyen: which you can read here: https://myasthenia.org/blog/2024/08/08/back-to-doing-what-i-love-my-myasthenia-gravis-story/

I want to do my part as an ally because too many of my friends, loved ones, and fellow gamers are members of the LGBTQ+ community. While we all dream of a day when who you are and who you love are non-issues and universally respected, we are not quite there yet. Love is love!

To celebrate, I’m sharing a list of ten perfect games to bring to the table this month. You can check out the full CBR article here:

https://www.cbr.com/lgbtq-ttrpgs-to-play-with-friends-pride-month

And on a more personal note, I want to recommend Closet, a game by Paco García of GMS Magazine. I had the chance to back his crowdfunding campaign, and honestly, I absolutely love it. I think it’s an excellent tool to help us step into other people’s shoes and empathize a lot more with the struggles the LGBTQ+ community faces daily. You can find it on DriveThruRPG here:

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/528214/closet

When someone attacks a party member, we all roll initiative!

He is a longtime gamer who, much like my own compulsive homebrewing habits, absolutely loves tinkering with systems and creating his own rulesets. Let me share my interview with him so you can get to know him and his work a little better.

Introduce yourself! Who are you and what do you create?

I’m Angel Miranda, better known as Enyol. I’m a full-time teacher and part-time TTRPG designer.

How would you describe your creative endeavor?

I design all sorts of things for different TTRPGs. I’ve designed 4 different game systems and published one. I’ve designed monsters, classes, and rules for Pathfinder 1e and D&D 5e; most of these have been self-published.

How did you discover TTRPGs?

I discovered TTRPGs in college, when I saw a group of people playing at a table. I was immediately interested in it. I’ve been playing and running games since 2006.

Do you actively play TTRPG? What are you playing?

I’m actively playing at the moment. I’m running a Paradigm Odyssey campaign (a system of my design and my baby), and I’m a player in a Daggerheart campaign and in a D&D 5e Campaign.

What do you want to play next?

Next, I’d like to keep playing and polishing my Paradigm Odyssey system with friends and strangers, and I’d love to test out Fabula Ultima and Vagabond.

What projects are available, and what are you working on next?

I’m currently working on a Spanish-language TTRPG YouTube channel for my local audience, and I’m always looking to take Paradigm Odyssey to different stores across the island.

Where can people get your project?

People can find me on YouTube at: Roleplayers de Boriken and on Instagram at @Paradigm.Odyssey.

Any closing thoughts? Final commentary: Remember rule #1, always have fun

Thank you, Angel, for sharing your time and your creations with us. You can check Angel’s DriveThruRPG page here: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/publisher/31128/enyol