Solstice Greetings and the End of 2020

 

This year freakin' sucked. It's traditional to do a blogpost at the end of the year to discuss what has happened over the last twelve months, and to be honest, it's going to be hard. 

It started badly, losing my beloved cat Marla in January. She really was the most important thing in our lives, and losing her so suddenly hit me really hard, and I'm still not (and probably never will be) over it. 

Then we had a bad case of the flu, I blacked out, and just a month after we'd recovered from that, the rest of the world went to hell as the pandemic swept across the globe. With governments lead by floppy-haired pillocks who wouldn't know common sense if it smacked them in the face, it got out of control. As I write this, the strain in the UK has mutated into an even more contagious disease that threatens to dominate the country. The rest of the world has put us in isolation and our green and pleasant land has become the next Children of Men. 

While we try to survive the last days of 2020, looking back there were some good moments. They were few, but they were there. My wife launched her awesome Etsy shop, where her hand-crafted and upcycled goth coolness has been really busy in the build up to Halloween and Christmas. 

Lockdown (1 and 2, with a 3rd on the horizon) meant I got to stay home and hide. In between therapy sessions for my worry and stress, I managed to finish off a massive project that'll possibly be announced sometime close to the Doctor Who New Year Special - Revolution of the Daleks (hmmm, I wonder what it could be?). 

I also managed to finish off an adventure for EN's Awfully Cheerful Engine, which will hopefully launch next year.

And, thanks to Stoo and 300+ Kickstarter backers, WILD has been funded and will see print around Easter next year too! Just have to finish off those extra bits that were unlocked as stretch goals. Thank you to everyone who backed it or shared it!

We just have to hope there's a next year. The way this year has treated us, there's still the chance of a zombie apocalypse or rogue asteroid to really finish of a really crappy year.

So, I'm signing off for the rest of the year. I'm hiding in my bunker (when I'm not stuck at the dayjob). 

Stay safe everyone. 

WILD Kickstarter - the Final Week

 

It's the final week of the WILD RPG Kickstarter, and I've been completely blown away by the response. Thank you, everyone, who has backed, encouraged, or shared the Kickstarter to spread the word of it far and wide. It is currently over double its intended goal, blasting past the important stretch goal to have fantastic original artwork by Gareth Sleightholme commissioned for the tarot deck, and for these cards to actually see print!!

These cards will be in the book as well, which was always an important part of the way the game works. All the rules and a reference resource for the cards all in the first book, which (once you've played through the simulation) can become effectively a 'player's handbook' as further books expand the way dreams work and delve deeper into the collective unconsciousness. These are more aimed at the DreamMaster.

The extra pages that have been unlocked in the Kickstarter are a great opportunity to explore further, and open up the game beyond the 'training dive simulation' - giving advice for the DreamMaster for how dreams work, dream stability, and what you can expect to do and experience within the dreamscapes.

With just five days to go on the Kickstarter, I'm stunned at how successful it has been, and thank you all again. I hope you enjoy it when it heads out to you in April 2021.

Until next blog post, stay safe everyone. It's crazy and scary out there, and if I had the choice I wouldn't leave the house - but the dayjob means I have to. 

Take care, stay safe, and stay multi-classy.

WILD - Kickstarter update

 

First of all, many, MANY thanks to everyone who has backed, shared, and supported the WILD Kickstarter. It's been going so much better than I'd ever dreamed, and we're edging ever closer to the important stretch goal to get Gareth Sleightholme to do the tarot art for the book (and then it's just a little further to get the cards printed too!)

The Focused Diplomat card
art by Gareth Sleightholme

Gareth's artwork will make the game so much better, and he's already been putting extra research into the imagery and symbolism of the traditional tarot cards to incorporate into the new WILD versions.

The Kickstarter has already blown past a few stretch goals, meaning the game is going to grow by another 20pgs, which is great because I woke this morning with a new clarity (if you pardon the pun) of all the extra stuff that needs to be in these pages, which will open the game up to many, many more dreamscape adventures. 

There will also be digital tools which mean you can play online with a digital version of the tarot deck, so you can draw cards, get additional information about the cards (and hopefully audio description of the cards for those who would like it). 

There will be some other cool extras as well including a user manual for the dreamshare device, and an additional adventure of corporate espionage written by Stoo, who has helped bring WILD to life as well as running the playtests.

It's been an exciting week and a bit so far, and another couple of weeks of WILD lay ahead. Hopefully we'll raise the extra funds required for those cards and the art. Fingers crossed. 

If you haven't already, please check out the Kickstarter here - spread the word!

If you want to hear Stoo and me talking about WILD, check out this livestream that aired with The Dark Orb last night. 

Until next time, stay safe.

Coming SATURDAY 14th NOVEMBER - WILD: Training Dive Simulation

 

Mock up cover for WILD - Art by Qistina Khalidah - 3D Mock up by Will Brooks

It is just a few days away, but WILD is heading to Kickstarter. I mentioned in the previous post, that the Training Dive Simulation - a starter into the world (and dreamworlds) of WILD would be heading to Kickstarter soon, and soon it is! Saturday to be precise. 14th November 2020.

It's a bit like that bit in Monty Python and the Holy Grail - "People said we were mad to launch a Kickstarter in November" but if this year has proved anything - we still need to dream. And to have dreams of something better.

With the American Presidential Election producing such a *hopefully* positive result (c'mon man, just concede, it's embarrassing) those dreams of something better seem to be making their way into reality. And the hopes of a vaccine against this awful virus means there's a little light at the end of this horrible tunnel of a year. 

Anyway, enough rambling. WILD is coming. As I said before, it's a great introduction to the game and can be played solo, or in a group with or without a GM. And it's different every time you play. If this one is successful, I've got expansions planned that will build upon this to reveal the dreamscapes, dreams within dreams, the collective unconscious, the incursions into the waking world... Oh the plans... 

But first, we need to get this one launched and funded! If it's successful enough, there will be a dedicated WILD Tarot set to go along with it! So, even if you're not keen, or can't afford it right now, please spread the word when it launches on Saturday.

Head over to the Kickstarter page, and you can be notified the moment it launches.

And head over to WILDRPG.com for more insights as the Kickstarter (hopefully) progresses. 

Thank you everyone. Stay safe, and keep dreaming.

Coming soon to KICKSTARTER - WILD

 

It's been a few years since my last post - at least it seems like it. What a year. As I type this, millions of Americans are casting their votes, millions of Brits prepare for another lockdown to keep this virus under control, and the world seems to be going crazy.

In the middle of all this, I've been writing the new edition of Doctor Who for Cubicle 7, and my good friend Stoo Goff has decided that he's going to Kickstart WILD - my roleplaying game of dreamshare technology. The game I've been working on for the last eight or nine years... Finally... 

Yes, it's filling me with equal amounts of relief (for finally getting it out there) and terror (what if no one likes it?) But it's moving. And sooner than you think. Hopefully, all going well, the Kickstarter will launch this month. 

The Kickstarter will be for WILD - Training Dive Simulation. It's the full rules you need to play, with simple character creation. You can use these to do whatever you like with the game - however it comes with a scenario where you play as a new trainee at ClarIT, the company behind the dreamshare technology. As part of your training you get to experience the first dreamshare experiment - when the creator of the device went into the dreamstate of his comatose daughter with the hopes of waking her. 

In the narrative of the game, he failed, and was trapped in the dreamscape with her - only when his ex-wife entered the dreamrealms did Clarity wake and everyone was freed from their unconscious state.

This simulation can be played traditionally with a group and a GM (or DreamMaster), without a GM, or even solo as a journalling game. The scenario unfolds through the draw of tarot cards (as does any conflict resolution), so you can play the simulation multiple times and every one will be different. 

Of course, as the system is all in here, imaginative gamers can take those concepts and run with it - creating dreamscapes and worlds of their own.

I just hope you all like it. 

Head over to the Kickstarter page here and you can sign up to be notified the moment the Kickstarter launches. Thank you for taking a look!

Head over to www.wildrpg.com for more, and stay tuned for updates.

Above all, take care of yourselves. Stay safe. Vote if you're able.

Dream of a better future.

System Update

 

It has not been a good year for many of us, and it has certainly taken its toll. I hope that #RPGaDAY proved to be a slight relief from the horrorshow that is our world at the moment. 

I realise, it has been a while since I updated the blog. There have been many reasons for this. Some good, some not so.

On the good side, I've been working hard on the new edition of Doctor Who: The Roleplaying Game. Hopefully there should be an announcement about that later this year, but I'm really happy with the way the game has evolved and developed, and regenerated into a faster version. I'm excited to see how it comes out. 

This has kinda meant that WILD has been a little delayed again. The main rules and abridged character creation are all done. Most of the game is ready, and laid out, I just need to finished the guide to the tarot cards which can be interpreted to create endless scenarios. The time consuming bit is drawing the cards!

There's another project I was asked to write as well, which I'd started but has had to be filed to the backburner until these commitments are met. Sorry!

All of this with a highly stressful dayjob where I spend most of my time worrying about my contact with the public - this has lead to counselling, and more CBT, in an attempt to avoid just freaking out, quitting, and hiding at home for the next two to three years. 

Is it working? Not sure yet, but I'll keep trying. 

In the meantime, stay safe everyone. Wear a mask. Protect others. Look after yourself and your friends and family.

May the Force be with you.

#RPGaDAY2020 - Wrapping it all up!

Hi again! It's the end of #RPGaDAY2020 and time I caught up! And then, wrapped it all up in a fitting way.

Right, day Twenty-Four was HUMOUR. You know, games always need a little humour in them. I know that sometimes our old D&D games used to devolve down into a string of Monty Python quotes - usually "run away!!!" but it's always good, especially in these gloomy and miserable times. And one of my favourite games of all time (Ghostbusters) is definitely a game played for laughs.

Day Twenty-Five was LEVER. I mentioned this in my video introduction to #RPGaDAY this year - I have fond memories of being so freakin' stupid in my old D&D games. I remember we did a dungeon where there was a room with a lever on the wall and, being the clueless 1st level thief that I was, flipped it to see what happened. The gravity in the room reversed, and everyone flew up to the ceiling (taking damage - especially those wearing full plate armour). Seeing what I'd done, I flipped it again to bring everyone back to the ground, and everyone fell (and took damage again). I was such a dufus. I remember the next time I triggered a trap it teleported me a mile above the building we were in... 

Day Twenty-Six was STRANGE. I like the weird. You know that already. I adore Twin Peaks, and the weirder things are the better. I guess that's why I've been writing WILD. I just like the potential of doing the weirdest stories. 

Day Twenty-Seven was FAVOUR. I suppose this one should have been the first on the list, as my big favour was really asking you to get involved and to spread a little positivity in the world about tabletop gaming. And it seems a lot of you have already done this, thank you.

Day Twenty-Eight was CLOSE. It's only been in the last couple of years that I've had games come to a satisfying close. The plots wrap up, there's a big finale, and we go onto a different game altogether. It's a new thing for me, most of the games I used to play in the past just kinda fizzled out as circumstances changed, and players moved away... It's great to have a conclusion, an epic battle, a heroic action, and a proper conclusion to the story you've been building over the previous months. And maybe to leave things a little open for a sequel if you fancy going back to the game in the future.

Day Twenty-Nine was RIDE. Vehicles are always tricky in tabletop games. The best vehicle rules I've seen have both been in licensed games that were properties that had a lot of chases in them - James Bond and Indiana Jones. The James Bond RPG by Victory Games was a work of genius, and the chase rules in there were simple and brilliant. And then there's the Indiana Jones RPG (the old TSR one) and that one had the coolest chase flowchart I've seen, allowing you to have randomly generated and endless chases whether this was on foot or in a vehicle. Brilliant stuff!!

Day Thirty was PORTAL, and if RPGs are anything they are a portal into the imagination like no other media. They're a truly interactive and imaginative story building exercise. All you have to do is to step through...

Day Thirty-One is EXPERIENCE and I'm going to wrap up #RPGaDAY2020 by asking another question...

What was your experience with #RPGaDAY? Did you enjoy taking part? Were the prompts okay? I know there have been some negative comments about the single word prompts lacking something - I kinda hoped that they'd free things up and enable you to interpret the prompts in your own ways without it being a single question (which, after so many years, are tricky to come up with). There are so many of these monthly prompts things going around, does the world need another one?

Anyway, I hope you DID enjoy #RPGaDAY this year, and I hope it brought a little distraction in this crappy world at the moment. I'd just like to finish by thanking Anthony Boyd again for doing 99% of all the work this year with #RPGaDAY as I've been a bit swamped. Without Anthony's help there would not be an #RPGaDAY. And thank you again to Will Brooks for designing the cool graphic, and to Simon Miles of Dunromin University Press for the cool dungeon map alternative graphic that has inspired so many this year. And thanks to those of you who took part, and kept it positive, and spread the word of RPGs. 

We now return you to your scheduled viewing...

Stay multi-classy, and above all, stay safe.

Take care.

#RPGaDAY2020 - Catchup (again) - Days TWELVE to TWENTY-THREE

 

#RPGaDAY2020 has gotten away from me a bit, like the Doctor says in Blink (one of the best episodes of new Doctor Who in my opinion - well, certainly one of my favourites). A combination of being incredibly stressed through the dayjob (people seem to have forgotten there's a pandemic), which has left me incredibly drained physically, and just a bit gloomy. My only respite has been writing for some awesome and exciting projects on my days off...

Anyway, let's try and catch up a bit before #RPGaDAY heads into its last full week...

Where were we? Oh, yes... Day 12 was MESSAGE. There has always been a message behind #RPGaDAY, and that has been to spread some positivity about tabletop gaming. I hope that message is still continuing. RPGs are great, and I've said before I can attribute RPGs as being the reason I know some awesome friends who have stayed in my life for forty-plus years. I can also thank RPGs for getting me my first job, and for introducing me to my wife. See? RPGs can be good for you!

Day 13 was REST, and I saw someone post online that maybe it was time to give #RPGaDAY a rest? What do you think? I read this, and the response agreeing with it, and I was disheartened. For an initiative trying to spread positivity, surely stopping would be giving in to negativity? Hell, in these troubling times shouldn't we be grabbing even the slightest bit of positivity with both hands and hanging on for dear life?

Day 14 was BANNER. If these last couple of weeks are anything to go by, I'm very like Bruce Banner... 

Very angry... and tired. Always angry and tired. Which is a shame because it's really impacting my games. So tired I find it hard to concentrate during the games...

Day 15 was FRAME... I'm sorry. I got nothing. I'll come back to this one later when I'm not so tired... so angry and tired...

Day 16 was DRAMATIC. I love game systems (and a GM) that allows things to get really dramatic. Nothing like running along the top of a train, or surfing a crashing starfighter as it plummets into the atmosphere. I mean, RPGs are great escapism so why not do something really dramatic and exciting? 

Day 17 was COMFORT, and a chance to reiterate that everyone should feel comfortable at the game-table.  Everyone should feel safe, and over the last few years there have been a number of safety tools like the X-Card, and Lines & Veils, that have made it easier to feel safe at the table. They are brilliant, and a positive way to stay comfortable while stretching the imagination.

Day 18 was MEET. A lot, if not most, of the good friends I've met over the years has been through tabletop gaming. And those who I knew before the gaming quickly became involved. We battled the hordes together and forged bonds that have lasted years, if not decades. I've met some brilliant people through gaming, and through the game industry. I dread to think what my life would have become (or who I'd have met) without it.

Day 19 was TOWER. Many, many moons ago I suggested that it would be great to produce a tabletop RPG of the worlds of Stephen King - and at its heart would be the RPG of the Dark Tower, just like it is the heart that connects most of King's works. How cool would that be? It could be all out horror, gaming in Derry and Castle Rock, or more like the fantasy worlds of Eyes of the Dragon, and the realms of Mid-World... I reached out to King's lawyers, but I think it was bad timing just as the movie deal was happening for the seriously bad adaptation. Maybe one day...

Day 20 was INVESTIGATE. Which kinda brings us to my favourite RPG at the moment (and of the last few years), Tales From The Loop. It's not about going out and killing things - it's about investigating mysteries and weird happenings. Especially as you're playing kids and teenagers - it means you're not going into places all tooled up with guns and weapons. I love it.

Day 21 was PUSH, which kinda ties in with the INVESTIGATE one from before because I really like the Push mechanic in Tales from the Loop. I know it's appeared in many games beforehand, but it's just great that you can try to reroll an important task if you fail (or fail to do well enough) - it's just that you're going to take some form of condition from pushing yourself. Either injuring yourself in the process, or becoming exhausted. 

Day 22 was RARE, and I know a lot of people have been using that prompt as a way to talk about particularly rare RPGs. I think the rarest ones I have are the Dune: Chronicles of the Imperium RPG that people keep listing on Ebay for silly money. I love Dune, and I'm really excited to see the new one from Modiphius, but this was the first attempt at a Dune RPG. Rather lovely it is too...

Probably the rarest thing I have is the prototype 'pitch' that was printed to show the BBC what we had in mind for the Doctor Who Roleplaying Game. I think only ten or twenty were printed. 

Day 23 is EDGE...   Hey dude, you inspired a prompt! (Edge will get this, and maybe three other people).

Okay, that's it for now. I need sleep. Lots of editing to do tomorrow.

Take care and stay safe everyone.

And stay multi-classy.

#RPGaDAY2020 - DAYS FIVE to ELEVEN - "CATCHUP"

I knew this would happen. I've a big writing project on (or three) and I just don't have the time to put the effort into #RPGaDAY that it deserves. I'm really sorry. Anyway, I can't concentrate on the writing just yet, as I sit at home waiting my phone appointment with my therapist. (Always hate that hour or so before a scheduled phonecall where you're all antsy and just can't settle until it's over) So this seems like the perfect opportunity to try my best to catch up.

Day Five was TRIBUTE, and if I could pay tribute to anyone it would be to a whole host of people. First of all to Anthony Boyd (aka Runeslinger) who, for the last five years, has stepped in to do most of the heavy lifting for #RPGaDAY when I've been too busy. Without his help #RPGaDAY would have faltered by the wayside many, many years ago. Thank you! Also, thanks to my gaming groups for keeping me playing, and for getting me started all those years ago. 

Day Six was FOREST. I love forests. Almost as much as I love the sea. My fondest memory of my childhood was a holiday we had in the borders of Scotland with my parents, in a little cottage in the middle of a forest. I could let my imagination run wild and pretend to be anything I wanted to be (though at that time, all I really wanted to be was Luke Skywalker). I reminds me that you don't need masses of technology or props to let your imagination take you to any place in the universe. Tabletop gaming does that brilliantly. With just a rulebook and a couple of dice you can be transported to places you can only dream about, and experience adventures that can surprise you.

Day Seven was COUPLE, and again I have to thank tabletop RPGs for introducing me to my wife. I met Debs at university, but started socialising with her through tabletop gaming. It was all Vampire: The Masquerade's fault...

Days Eight and Nine were SHADE and LIGHT. I must admit, I've always played Light characters. Horribly good. Sickening really. I just can't play the darker elements. When we started to play FFG's Star Wars RPG a few years ago, I statted up a cool Zabrak character because I really liked Darth Maul. We were playing apprentice Jedi, and my character was very dark-side but wanting to turn to the light through his training and renounce the dark. In the end he became a veritable paragon of the light, even influencing the events after he'd sacrificed himself to save the others through the power of the Force. 

Day Ten, and I've nearly caught up. Day Ten was WANT. If I could have anything regarding tabletop RPGs it would be to earn enough writing them to quit the dayjob. I can want this all I like, but it isn't going to happen. Especially the speed I write and my messed up brain. 

Which brings us up to date and today's prompt is STACK. I'm in a really lucky situation where I have stacks of things I should be writing. Two of which are achingly close to completion. I really have been lucky to get to be in such a situation. 

Right, I'm sorry they were a bit brief, and not very well thought out. I'm always amazed and happy to see that so many people are joining in again this year. Thank you for getting involved and spreading the word. 

In these difficult times, stay safe, and stay multiclassy.

#RPGaDAY2020 - DAY FOUR: "VISION"

#RPGaDAY2020 and we're already on Day Four, and I wish I had the VISION to have prepared all of this in advance. The dayjob is incredibly anxiety inducing thanks to having to deal with the public, and I'm spending my days off working on an incredibly cool project (or three) that I'd much rather be doing - but it's meant every moment of my day has been taken up with work in some shape or description, and I've not had the FORESIGHT to prepare for #RPGaDAY in advance.

What a dufus. Not the first time I've called myself a dufus today either.

While I'm not getting much of a chance to write entries for each of the month's prompts, I do take a little time to SEE all of the cool posts that have already been circulating the internet with regard to #RPGaDAY, and loving everyone's wide and varied interpretations of the prompts. Thank you everyone for taking part and spreading a little love of the hobby in these trying times.

Stay safe everyone.

#RPGaDAY2020 - DAY THREE: "THREAD"

#RPGaDAY2020 is now on Day Three, and the prompt is THREAD. 

We're playing a couple of games at the moment (Things from the Flood and Changeling: The Lost), both with different GMs, but both of them are running the games with a brilliantly open-world way of managing the plot-threads. Both of our GMs have said that plots are ticking away at their own speed, progressing and advancing with or without our intervention. Something I really love in these games.

Of course, I'm sure our GMs thought we were a lot smarter than we really are when they started weaving all of these plot-threads through the games. There have been a few occasions where we've missed something completely, a plot has been resolved by an NPC because we've become distracted by a different element of the setting, or just gone off for a meal or a date - accidentally forgetting about the coming apocalypse in one case!

#RPGaDAY2020 - DAY TWO: "CHANGE"

Day Two of #RPGaDAY2020 is the word "Change", and I've decided to take that as a quick look at the change in my gaming tastes. It's weird, but recently I've gone back to playing 1st edition AD&D, back with my old D&D group from many, many years ago - the same group that introduced me to gaming back in the mid 80s. 

Looking through the rulebook I have to admit a complete change in my tastes. I love the way that games have become works of art, with amazing illustrations and design. They've become simpler, and faster. Quick to pick up, especially for new players, and leave you free to enjoy the storylines and the drama rather than having to constantly flick through dozens and dozens of rulebooks. 

Probably why my favourite games of all time (Ghostbusters, WEG Star Wars, Buffy, Tales from the Loop) are all super fast and quick to learn. 

#RPGaDAY2020 - DAY ONE - "BEGINNING"

Day One of #RPGaDAY2020 and we start at the very BEGINNING. 

I'm going to interpret this as how did I start playing tabletop RPGs? Well that goes back many, many years to the mid 1980s. The usual Saturday afternoon and I headed over to see a friend of mine who had the unfortunate nickname of Crud, expecting the usual afternoon of programming a ZXSpectrum to enable us to play the most basic of Light Cycle games. Instead, Crud said "we're not doing that, we're going over to JR's house"... 

We trekked over to his house, the far side of the city, and there I was introduced to my first tabletop RPG. Traveller...

Those little black books had so much information in them! I created a character, who was well into his 50s by the time he'd finished his military service, and played for a bit but wasn't really sure what was going on. It was all very new to me, but I was intrigued and very keen to try some more. It was only a matter of time before I was asked to come along to the next game, something very different - Dungeons & Dragons...

Exploring #RPGaDAY

With #RPGaDAY looming ever closer, I thought it was time to share the alternative version of this year's prompts graphic. The prompts are the same, don't worry, but the graphic you can use is very different.

Last year when Anthony Boyd and I were discussing the new format for #RPGaDAY, changing it from full questions to single word prompts, the concept of producing the list as a map came up. Will Brook's awesome graphic has become the "board game" or possibly even the outside terrain map of the month's prompts - produced on a cool hex-grid. Especially as this year's colours really make you think of those old terrain maps from the 80's.

This year, however, we thought we'd go all in and produce a dungeon map. It's a simple dungeon, with one route through it that takes you through the 31 prompts as locations. I set out to have a go at doing it myself, but I haven't drawn a dungeon map in decades and it was awful. 

So I called in my very good buddy Simon Miles from Dunromin University Press. I've known him since I was about five, so that's *cough* years... He was also one of our regular Dungeon Masters back in my teens, and I've started playing 1st Ed AD&D again recently with Simon as the DM after a break of thirty-five-odd years. Just like old times with the old D&D group!

Simon's never really stopped DMing and creating, and you can find his publications and dungeons on DrivethruRPG through the Dunromin University Press website.

Awesome map. And it adds a new element to the experience of #RPGaDAY... you could use the prompts to act as inspiration for encounters within the rooms of the dungeon, and even run a room a day as an actual play! Fab!

Remember, if you'd prefer the old graphic, you can find that below, along with translations of the prompts.

#RPGaDAY2020 Prompts

1    Beginning

2    Change

3    Thread   

4    Vision

5    Tribute

6    Forest

7    Couple

8    Shade

9    Light

10    Want

11    Stack

12    Message

13    Rest

14    Banner

15    Frame

16    Dramatic

17    Comfort   

18    Meet

19    Tower

20    Investigate    

21    Push    

22    Rare

23    Edge

24    Humour

25    Lever

26    Strange

27    Favour

28    Close

29    Ride

30    Portal

31    Experience

The RPGaDAY2020 Prompts in Spanish, translated thanks to Roberto Micheri.

1. Comienzos
2. Cambio
3. Hilo o Enhebrar
4. Visón
5. Tributo
6. Bosque
7. Pareja o Par
8. Sombra o Sombrear
9. Luz
10. Deseo o Necesidad
11. Pila, Apilar o Montón
12. Mensaje
13. Descanso
14. Estandarte o Consigna
15. Marco o Esqueleto
16. Dramático
17. Comodidad, Consuelo o Alivio
18. Satisfacer, Cumplir o Reunirse
19. Torre
20. Investigar
21. Empujar
22. Raro o Extraño
23. Borde, Ventaja o Límite
24. Humor
25. Palanca
26. Extraño
27. Favor
28. Cerrar
29. Montar o Paseo
30. Portal
31. Experiencia

We've also had the prompts translated into German by ShineShadow and Michael L. Jaegers, many thanks!!

1 Anfang
2 Veränderung
3 Verlauf  
4 Vision
5 Tribut
6 Wald
7 Paar
8 Schatten
9 Licht
10 Wollen
11 Stapel
12 Nachricht
13 Ruhe
14 Banner
15 Rahmen
16 Dramatisch
17 Komfort  
18 Treffen
19 Turm
20 Nachforschen  
21 Drängen  
22 Selten
23 Grenze
24 Humor
25 Hebel
26 Seltsam
27 Gunst
28 Ende
29 Reiten
30 Portal
31 Erfahrung 

And translated into Swedish, thanks to Rickard Falk! Thank you again!

1    Början

2    Förändring

3    Tråd

4    Vision

5    Hyllning

6    Skog

7    Par

8    Skugga

9    Ljus

10    Vilja

11    Stapel

12    Meddelande

13    Vila

14    Baner

15    Ram

16    Dramatisk

17    Tröst

18    Möte

19    Torn

20    Undersöka

21    Trycka

22    Ovanlig

23    Kant

24    Humor

25    Spak

26    Främmande

27    Favör

28    Nära, Stänga

29    Rida

30    Portal

31    Erfarenhet

And translated into Italian, with many thanks to Daniele Di Rubbo! Awesome!

1. Inizio 2. Cambiamento 3. Filo 4. Visione 5. Tributo 6. Foresta 7. Coppia 8. Ombra 9. Luce 10. Bisogno 11. Catasta 12. Messaggio 13. Riposo 14. Stendardo 15. Cornice 16. Drammatico 17. Conforto 18. Incontro 19. Torre 20. Investigare 21. Spinta 22. Raro 23. Margine 24. Umorismo 25. Leva 26. Strano 27. Favore 28. Chiudere 29. Cavalcare 30. Portale 31. Esperienza

Translation for into Portuguese(BR) by Richard ‘Bat’ Brewster and Eric Souza.

1. Começo
2. Mudança
3. Discussão / Fio 
4. Visão
5. Homenagem
6. Floresta / Bosque
7. Casal / Dupla
8. Sombra / Tom 
9. Luz
10. Desejo
11. Pilha (de coisas)
12. Mensagem
13. Descanso
14. Estandarte / Bandeira / Insígnia
15. Moldura
16. Dramático
17. Conforto
18. Encontro
19. Torre
20. Investigar
21. Empurrar
22. Raro
23. Limite / Borda
24. Humor
25. Alavanca
26. Estranho
27. Favor
28. Fechar
29. Montar
30. Portal
31. Experiência

With many thanks to Maciej Jesionowski, the prompts have now been translated into Polish. 

1.    Początek
2.    Zmiana
3.    Wątek
4.    Wizja
5.    Hołd
6.    Las
7.    Para
8.    Cień
9.    Światło
10.    Potrzeba
11.    Sterta
12.    Wiadomość
13.    Odpoczynek
14.    Sztandar
15.    Rama
16.    Dramatyczny
17.    Komfort
18.    Spotkanie
19.    Filar
20.    Zbadać
21.    Pchać
22.    Rzadkie
23.    Krawędź
24.    Humor
25.    Dźwignia
26.    Dziwny
27.    Sprzyjać
28.    Blisko
29.    Jazda
30.    Portal

And into French with many thanks to Sebastien Allard & Francois Letarte

RPGaDAY est de retour pour sa septième année! Ce mois d'août nous demandons aux rôlistes de partout de faire preuve de créativité et d'utiliser ces mots comme point de départ pour parler, peindre, écrire ou filmer quelque chose de cool, de positif, ou d'impressionnant à propos de notre hobby! Utilisez #RPGaDAY2020 pour rejoindre la conversation! Débutez ici! 1. Début 2. Changer 3. Fil 4. Vision 5. Hommage 6. Forêt 7. Couple 8. Ombre 9. Lumière 10. Vouloir 11. Pile 12. Message 13. Repos 14. Bannière 15. Cadre 16. Dramatique 17. Confort 18. Rencontrer 19. Tour 20. Enquêter 21. Pousser 22. Rare 23. Tranchant 24. Humour 25. Levier 26. Étrange 27. Faveur 28. Fermer 29. Chevaucher 30. Portail 31. Expérience Vous avez réussi!

And into Portuguese thanks to Felipe Teixeira Holzmann:

1. Começo 2. Mudança 3. Tópico 4. Visão 5. Tributo 6. Floresta 7. Dupla 8. Sombra 9. Luz 10. Quero 11. Pilha 12. Mensagem 13. Descansar 14. Faixa 15. Moldura 16. Dramático 17. Conforto 18. Conhecer 19. Torre 20. Investigar 21. Empurrar 22. Raro 23. Borda 24. Humor 25. Alavanca 26. Estranho 27. Favor 28. Perto 29. Passeio 30. Portal 31. Experiência

Announcing #RPGaDAY2020

[Image Description: graphic looks like a classic tabletop RPG, in green and yellow colours. There are 31 hexagon shapes, numbered 1 to 31 with a word each. The list is in this post. At the top left there is the following text “RPGaDay2020. RPGaDay is back for a seventh year! This August we’re asking tabletop gamers everywhere to get creative and use these words as a daily prompt to talk, paint, write or film something cool, positive and awesome about our hobby!” on the top right it says “use #RPGaDay2020 to join the conversation!”. At the very bottom it says “presented by autocratik, with a graphic from @willbrooks1989″ with the small symbols for twitter and instagram next to it. /end ID]

August isn't too far away and that can only mean the imminent arrival of #RPGaDAY - an internet incentive to try and get the world talking in a positive and encouraging way about tabletop roleplaying games. 

Every day during August (remember, AUGUST, don't start yet) check out the cool graphic above designed by the awesome Will Brooks. See what the word prompt is for that day, and write, post, blog, vlog, podcast, draw, paint, sculpt, sing, interpretive dance... anything at all, about tabletop gaming inspired by that prompt. Keep it positive, remember we're all about positivity and inclusivity.

To inspire you (hopefully), Anthony Boyd, my co-host for the last five years of #RPGaDAY and I have made a little video to tell you more...

As we get nearer the time I'll upload the awesome dungeon crawl map created by Dunromin University Press as an alternative to the regular graphic. 

Below you'll also find the list of prompts in plain text, and I'll add translations as they come in.

See you in August!

#RPGaDAY2020 Prompts

1    Beginning

2    Change

3    Thread   

4    Vision

5    Tribute

6    Forest

7    Couple

8    Shade

9    Light

10    Want

11    Stack

12    Message

13    Rest

14    Banner

15    Frame

16    Dramatic

17    Comfort   

18    Meet

19    Tower

20    Investigate    

21    Push    

22    Rare

23    Edge

24    Humour

25    Lever

26    Strange

27    Favour

28    Close

29    Ride

30    Portal

31    Experience

The RPGaDAY2020 Prompts in Spanish, translated thanks to Roberto Micheri.

1. Comienzos
2. Cambio
3. Hilo o Enhebrar
4. Visón
5. Tributo
6. Bosque
7. Pareja o Par
8. Sombra o Sombrear
9. Luz
10. Deseo o Necesidad
11. Pila, Apilar o Montón
12. Mensaje
13. Descanso
14. Estandarte o Consigna
15. Marco o Esqueleto
16. Dramático
17. Comodidad, Consuelo o Alivio
18. Satisfacer, Cumplir o Reunirse
19. Torre
20. Investigar
21. Empujar
22. Raro o Extraño
23. Borde, Ventaja o Límite
24. Humor
25. Palanca
26. Extraño
27. Favor
28. Cerrar
29. Montar o Paseo
30. Portal
31. Experiencia

We've also had the prompts translated into German by ShineShadow and Michael L. Jaegers, many thanks!!

1 Anfang
2 Veränderung
3 Verlauf  
4 Vision
5 Tribut
6 Wald
7 Paar
8 Schatten
9 Licht
10 Wollen
11 Stapel
12 Nachricht
13 Ruhe
14 Banner
15 Rahmen
16 Dramatisch
17 Komfort  
18 Treffen
19 Turm
20 Nachforschen  
21 Drängen  
22 Selten
23 Grenze
24 Humor
25 Hebel
26 Seltsam
27 Gunst
28 Ende
29 Reiten
30 Portal
31 Erfahrung 

And translated into Swedish, thanks to Rickard Falk! Thank you again!

1    Början

2    Förändring

3    Tråd

4    Vision

5    Hyllning

6    Skog

7    Par

8    Skugga

9    Ljus

10    Vilja

11    Stapel

12    Meddelande

13    Vila

14    Baner

15    Ram

16    Dramatisk

17    Tröst

18    Möte

19    Torn

20    Undersöka

21    Trycka

22    Ovanlig

23    Kant

24    Humor

25    Spak

26    Främmande

27    Favör

28    Nära, Stänga

29    Rida

30    Portal

31    Erfarenhet

And translated into Italian, with many thanks to Daniele Di Rubbo! Awesome!

1. Inizio 2. Cambiamento 3. Filo 4. Visione 5. Tributo 6. Foresta 7. Coppia 8. Ombra 9. Luce 10. Bisogno 11. Catasta 12. Messaggio 13. Riposo 14. Stendardo 15. Cornice 16. Drammatico 17. Conforto 18. Incontro 19. Torre 20. Investigare 21. Spinta 22. Raro 23. Margine 24. Umorismo 25. Leva 26. Strano 27. Favore 28. Chiudere 29. Cavalcare 30. Portale 31. Esperienza

Translation for RPGaDay Portuguese(BR) by Richard ‘Bat’ Brewster and Eric Souza.

1. Começo
2. Mudança
3. Discussão / Fio 
4. Visão
5. Homenagem
6. Floresta / Bosque
7. Casal / Dupla
8. Sombra / Tom 
9. Luz
10. Desejo
11. Pilha (de coisas)
12. Mensagem
13. Descanso
14. Estandarte / Bandeira / Insígnia
15. Moldura
16. Dramático
17. Conforto
18. Encontro
19. Torre
20. Investigar
21. Empurrar
22. Raro
23. Limite / Borda
24. Humor
25. Alavanca
26. Estranho
27. Favor
28. Fechar
29. Montar
30. Portal
31. Experiência

With many thanks to Maciej Jesionowski, the prompts have now been translated into Polish. 

1.    Początek
2.    Zmiana
3.    Wątek
4.    Wizja
5.    Hołd
6.    Las
7.    Para
8.    Cień
9.    Światło
10.    Potrzeba
11.    Sterta
12.    Wiadomość
13.    Odpoczynek
14.    Sztandar
15.    Rama
16.    Dramatyczny
17.    Komfort
18.    Spotkanie
19.    Filar
20.    Zbadać
21.    Pchać
22.    Rzadkie
23.    Krawędź
24.    Humor
25.    Dźwignia
26.    Dziwny
27.    Sprzyjać
28.    Blisko
29.    Jazda
30.    Portal
31.    Doświadczenie

And into French with many thanks to Sebastien Allard & Francois Letarte

RPGaDAY est de retour pour sa septième année! Ce mois d'août nous demandons aux rôlistes de partout de faire preuve de créativité et d'utiliser ces mots comme point de départ pour parler, peindre, écrire ou filmer quelque chose de cool, de positif, ou d'impressionnant à propos de notre hobby! Utilisez #RPGaDAY2020 pour rejoindre la conversation! Débutez ici! 1. Début 2. Changer 3. Fil 4. Vision 5. Hommage 6. Forêt 7. Couple 8. Ombre 9. Lumière 10. Vouloir 11. Pile 12. Message 13. Repos 14. Bannière 15. Cadre 16. Dramatique 17. Confort 18. Rencontrer 19. Tour 20. Enquêter 21. Pousser 22. Rare 23. Tranchant 24. Humour 25. Levier 26. Étrange 27. Faveur 28. Fermer 29. Chevaucher 30. Portail 31. Expérience Vous avez réussi!

And into Portuguese thanks to Felipe Teixeira Holzmann:

1. Começo 2. Mudança 3. Tópico 4. Visão 5. Tributo 6. Floresta 7. Dupla 8. Sombra 9. Luz 10. Quero 11. Pilha 12. Mensagem 13. Descansar 14. Faixa 15. Moldura 16. Dramático 17. Conforto 18. Conhecer 19. Torre 20. Investigar 21. Empurrar 22. Raro 23. Borda 24. Humor 25. Alavanca 26. Estranho 27. Favor 28. Perto 29. Passeio 30. Portal 31. Experiência