rpg a day 2018
One game came to mind immediately: Blades in the Dark. When I needed to put my Tomb of Annihilation game on hold while I finalized preparations to move (i.e. when I disassembled my gaming table and packed up all my stuff), two fellows in my gaming group stepped up to run games for us. One, Starfinder, I was already familiar with. I liked the setting, but ultimately, Pathfinder-style games aren’t my thing (although I maintain I would play the HELL out of the Starfinder setting in D&D 5E). The other game, was one I think I’d heard of, but that’s all: I’d just heard the name. I knew nothing about it.

So, we made a crew of Bravos and played. The setting is a sort of fantasy gothic steampunk Victorian-era world, a world where the sun has gone dark, and you and your companions are the criminal element in this city of canals, corruptions, and vengeful spirits. We called ourselves the Barbican Bastards, and now, after having played it three or four times, we’re still very low on the totem pole and would be comically inept if we didn’t come close to dying so often (or as close to dying as the game allows; generally, your character is only going to die if you really want them to for dramatic purpose. You can, however, be incapacitated for enough game sessions that it’s useful to have a backup character). To me, if feels a lot like a Victorian-era Shadowrun, albeit with a game system that is much easier to grasp.

There’s a sci-fi version now, too: Scum & Villainy. I highly recommend checking them out if you’re burning out on classic fantasy RPGs, but still want to play less-than-moral characters, shall we say.