2025 – Page 6 – PopCult Reviews

31 Days of Character Creation #19 – Death in Space

So I had a different ttrpg in mind for this day, but when I sat down and started working through it I found the character creation rules to be very poorly laid out and communicated. I think being a primary school teacher for over ten years has left me always looking for streamlined, visual, easy to comprehend tabletop systems. There are a lot of people who play and ttrpgs in the sciences or other technical fields and they often make their games in a way that makes sense to them, but not to someone new. As a teacher, my brain is always thinking about how that new person can be caught up easily.

Farewell, David

On 16 Jan, 2025 we lost one of the greatest artists of my lifetime, David Lynch. I have said a lot about this man before on my blog. You know I admire him immensely. I can safely say no other artist on this planet has had a greater impact on shaping my personal tastes & sensibilities as David did. In reading & watching his thoughts on creativity I learned a lot about the work it takes to shape that initial idea.

31 Days of Character Creation #17 – Black Sword Hack

The dark fantasy world is one I haven’t really explored in any medium, but have always been curious about. Michael Moorcock, Jack Vance, and Robert E. Howard are names I’ve known since I was a kid thumbing through genre-related magazines like Wizard, Starlog, and Fangoria. But I’ve never read a word of their work. In 2025, I’m hoping to sample at least one of those writers. They certainly have fans as evidenced by Black Sword Hack, an OSR game that seeks to recreate the tone of these stories.

31 Days of Character Creation #16 – Vaesen

Today’s game is a Norwegian tabletop RPG and I don’t think many people know that Norway has a quite robust ttrpg and larping community. Years I ago I remember reading an article about Norwegian roleplay and learning about a complex Mad Men-inspired LARP someone there designed. So they are doing things a little differently than the most popular games in the States.

Solo Tabletop RPG Review & Actual Play – Everspark Part One

You can purchase Everspark here.

I was planning on playing a different game. I had read through it. Then I sat down to play. I quickly became overwhelmed by how many resources and other things needed to be tracked. What made it worse was that the game did not have a single page that outlined the game loop. Rules were spread across 140 pages in a PDF that had not been bookmarked or indexed fully. After trying for an hour, I realized I wasn’t having fun, which defeats the purpose of playing any tabletop RPG, solo or with a group. I tossed it away. I pivoted to one of my favorite creators, Cezar Capacle, who authored two of my favorite RPG things from 2024: Random Realities and Against the Wind. That game is the one Capacle is currently raising funds for, Everspark.

31 Days of Character Creation #15 – The One Ring 2e

I’ve always been a bit leery of tabletop RPGs derived from pre-established and highly developed settings. I think that can take away GM and player agency because you feel pressure to follow the lore rather than do your own worldbuilding.

31 Days of Character Creation #14 – Symbaroum

For today’s character we look to the grimdark world of Symbaroum. This is a nice blend of OSR elements, but also some of the more modern narrative-driven games. The setting is a step up from Mork Borg which is intentionally vague. Here we have a bleak world with more detail added, if that is your thing. Here’s how the game is described on its official webpage:

Explore the vast Forest of Davokar in the hunt for treasures, lost wisdoms and fame. Visit the barbarian clans to trade or to plunder their treasuries. Establish a base of power among princes, guilds or rebellious refugees in the capital city of Yndaros. Or survive encounters with Arch Trolls, dark-minded Blight Beasts and undead warlords. But whatever you do, never ignore the warnings spoken by the wardens of the forest: tread carefully and do not disturb the ruins of old, for the dark deep of Davokar is about to awaken.

PopCult Podcast – The Order/A Real Pain

A troubled FBI agent discovers a white supremacist conspiracy in rural Idaho. Two cousins embark on a tour in Poland to reconnect with their deceased grandmother.

31 Days of Character Creation #12 – Knave 2e

It’s back to some old school style fantasy but with some modern design twists. Knave 2e is a light system capable of big things. Character creation takes a matter of minutes, but you still end up with a lot of pieces to build off of. Here’s how the game is describe on its official website:

Knave 2e is an exploration-driven fantasy RPG and worldbuilding toolkit, inspired by the best elements of the Old-School DnD movement.

31 Days of Character Creation #10 – Star Trek Adventures 2e

As you might guess from the title of this system, it’s a Star Trek tabletop role playing game. Here’s the description from the official website:

From the 21st through to the 32nd century, join Starfleet, the Klingon Empire, the Romulan Star Empire, and countless other civilizations, and journey across the Star Trek universe with your crew. Explore strange new worlds, encounter fantastical alien life-forms, and engage in dramatic adventures in a detailed and immersive Galaxy.

Tell your stories and unravel the mysteries of the unknown!