10 RPGs I want to play in 2026 in no particular order

- Draw Steel
- Mythic Bastionland
- Coriolis: the Great Dark
- Vagabond
- Cloud Empress
- Mothership
- Dragonbane
- Dolmenwood
- Cairn 2e
- Goblinville

Today I wrote about GM burnout and something that worked for me: running prewritten TTRPG adventure modules. Checking my preconceptions helped me GM more and better! abekin.bearblog.dev/gming-advent...

I review SPINE, the first solo #TTRPG experience that worked for me. What worked and what made it stand out? abekin.bearblog.dev/spine-play-r...

Introduce yourself with 5 animals you've seen in the wild:

Blue-spotted salamander
Blackburnian Warbler
Western chorus frog
Eastern hercules beetle
Snowy Owl

I just finished playing Siderius Plug's Spine Immortality in Ninety-nine Endnotes (or SPINE) and really enjoyed it. I had a few very minor quibbles but overall delighted in a playspace of narrative and book braided so intentionally. A great solo #TTRPG experience!

In my latest blog I muse on what I want from a TTRPG adventure and call out an example that doesn't work for me abekin.bearblog.dev/information-...

I'm really excited to check this out. Nova is a fantastic reviewer and I have to check this out ASAP.

Another TTRPG night down a player, another one shot of Shadowdark! A lost ruin in the jungle; a cult and croakfolk clashing. What did I think of The Concealed Abbey of the Dragonfly Horde after I ran it? abekin.bearblog.dev/concealed-ab...

I wrote up a play review of Wavestone Monolith, a mini-adventure for Shadowdark created by Kelsey Dionne. abekin.bearblog.dev/wavestone-mo...

I finished reading Dragon Delves. It's fine, but not great. There's a few stinkers in here (Dragon of Najkir, I'm looking at you). A Copper for a Song is the coolest and most flawed. I've drifted away from 5e as this style doesn't vibe with me. #TTRPG
abekin.bearblog.dev/dragon-delve...

1. First played: D&D 3.0
2. First run: D&D 3.0. Running a game looked fun!
3. Played most: Probably D&D 3.5. I mostly run these days
4. Run most: D&D 5e, maybe 3.5.
5. Favorite: Today? Dragonbane, just the right tone of fantasy
6. Most recently played: Symbaroum
7. Most recently run: Pirate Borg

Share the last 4 TTRPGs you played and expose your gaming habits

Pathfinder 2nd Ed
Pirate Borg
D&D 5e
Symbaroum

Dragonbane fell off this list, love that game. I'm still a fantasy person!

I continue my While I Read of Dragon Delves. There are two TTRPG adventures in this post and they leave me with two thoughts.
* Why is this wilderness portion here?
* Time limits are good
abekin.bearblog.dev/dragon-delve...

I read 3 more adventures from Dragon Delves. These middle adventures have their ups and downs. Are these dynamic spaces or set piece tunnels? abekin.bearblog.dev/dragon-delve...

I'm reading through Dragon Delves. I'm curious how the first D&D 2024 adventures look and how they are constructed. What's beneath that sick art by Justine Jones on the special edition cover? Come join me as I read through the book! abekin.bearblog.dev/while-i-read...

@katbailey.bsky.social Hi! I'm interested in your Nintendo newsletter mentioned on AotBG but can't find it. It's not in the show notes and everything I try is failing. Thanks!

Not my home, but I know my way around

I just finished running Lost Mine of Phandelver and I really, really dislike this adventure. Bad information design, boring encounters, poorly motivated and the worst random encounter tables I've seen. Why is this adventure so beloved? I went into this excited and quickly just wanted it to be over.

Five authors from whom I've read 10+ books

Max Gladstone
Adrian Tchaikovsky
Martha Wells
Mary Robinette Kowal
Ursula Vernon

My spreadsheet, which is not comprehensive, also include John Scalzi and James SA Corey in this club.