Root's Ramblings Issue 19

I don't know about you, but I'm glad 2025 is over. It's been a pretty shitty year for me personally, and I'm sure it was for a lot of you folks. It's now 2026 and a good time for a mental reset and a vacation did a lot of good for me with that.

Anyway, let's talk about RPG!

I have not been really active with my projects in general, but I'm happy to report the ID4-inspired project has been officially approved as a third party product for Mothership! My collaborator, fleetingxe, and I are very excited about that and aim to release the game to the public early this year, so stay tuned!

I also hosted the first issue for ASL RPG Anthology, a collaborative project created by Deaf and Hard of Hearing folks FOR Deaf and Hard of Hearing folks who love playing TTRPGs. Four collaborators joined for the first issue and created their own video talking about various topics such as worldbuilding tips, GM tips, and line and veils in ASL. Check it out below!

https://dice-stew.ghost.io/asl-rpg-anthology-issue-1

I took a look at my calendar for 2025 and tracked all of my RPG sessions, so here you go!

1. Mausritter campaign: This was a campaign I ran for approximately a year that wrapped up in the late spring. The group was local so I ran it mostly in-person which was very nice change of scenery. I used The Estate sandbox setting and threw in an adventure from the upcoming Rolling Coast setting. I did an in-depth write up if you're curious.

2. Longwinter campaign: I started this one in January with an expectation to conclude in a couple months. I was way wrong and it's still ongoing as of today which is quite an achievement for me personally. I am a big fan of Luka Rejec's writing and it's been a blast running this setting online with the group. We did had a player ghosting us, but the remaining players stayed committed to the campaign. I'm looking forward to the next session later this month after a holiday break.
3. Reach of the Roach God campaign: I was a player in this online campaign and the GM used two different systems, homebrew Liminal Horror then Cairn, since the setting is system neutral. It was interesting to experience the GM make adjustments as they figure out which system best suited the setting. I also really enjoyed learning a lot about SEA culture and history in this campaign, and that really helped me think more about how to roleplay a character from a background inspired by a culture I am not a part of, so that was a great experience for me.
4. Presence of Ruins campaign: this campaign was short-lived and fell apart mostly due to scheduling conflicts and some players lost interest. Nothing wrong with that as it is what it is. We used Legacy 2e system and the Engine of Life supplement to focus more on rebuilding and reconnecting among the factions. I think we lasted maybe 3 or 4 sessions - just enough to experience a story arc.
5. The Isle campaign: I was a player in this campaign by the same GM as the Reach of the Roach God campaign. I believe they used The Vanilla Game as a system for this one. We started playing in-person then had to switch to online for various reasons. We had a lot of character deaths and started a murder mystery that wasn't actually a murder. That was a funny side quest that went nowhere but we still had a lot of fun because of all the social shenanigans we got into with the locals on the island.
6. The Electrum Archive: I was a player for this short adventure (I think only 2 or 3 sessions?) and I honestly don't remember much about this one haha.
7. Eat the Reich: I ran this one-shot in-person and that was an interesting experience. The game was fun and great, but the group dynamic was pretty off, so I think it could've been a better experience with a different group. This game is very violent and obviously antifascist which is totally up my alley. Not for everyone that's for sure.
8. Tidebreak campaign: I was a player in this one too and the campaign didn't last that long. Tidebreak is based on Mothership system but it was a lot more procedural and sandbox rather than a typical adventure. I think the players including myself had a different interpretation and expectation when we first started and that didn't get resolved in time so I think everyone's motivation kind of fell off the cliff so the campaign was wrapped up quickly. I still think it has a good potential so I hope to give it another chance at some point in the future.
9. Thirsty Sword Lesbians campaign: I was really looking forward to run this one as I don't get the opportunity to do so. It's just one of those games where you need right players and right timing to be run well. This group lasted only two sessions I believe before it fell apart which was unfortunate but life happens. It wasn't my first time running it so I was fine with putting it back on the shelf and save it for another day whenever a next opportunity come up.
10. Let us Build a Tower campaign: I ran this one in-person using their map builder app which was very helpful and NOT helpful. The app was excellent for producing random floor map as the group navigate the tower - it has all the info you need and easy to refer to the book for stats and details. However, it doesn't save the map when you exit the app which is very unfortunate as it makes it pointless to use for campaign. I even took screenshots and that was an okay temporary measure but not sustainable long term. The concept of the game was great though, but the group got tired of the app issue pretty quickly so we wrapped up after a few months.
11. Wandering Blades: I was a player for this one-shot but don't really remember anything about it to be honest. I remember I wasn't a fan of some of the mechanics, but it was playtest material so things may have changed since then.
12. Ave Nox campaign: Started this one after Let Us Build a Tower campaign and moved to online at one of the players' request. The setting is really lethal and we are using OSE system as well, so there have been a lot of character deaths in this campaign. However the group seems to be enjoying it so far and I can't wait for them to learn more about the lore in the megadungeon. I think this one will last well into this year.
13. Tomb of a Thousand Doors campaign: I was so pumped when I got this in mail and set up an open table style campaign in my Discord servers and it was an instant hit. The players really enjoyed the first two sessions I've ran so far. I plan to run third session later this month and see how it goes. I really like how low-prep style suited this setting really well.
14. New Rats in the Old Bastion: I'm a player in this new campaign using Electric Bastionland. My character is basically a socially awkward giant with a big soft heart yet accustomed to the harsh life outside of the city. We started with the quest of hunting mutated rodents in the basement of a hotel of some sort. It was fascinating balance of dungeon crawl and social intrigue since we had to deal w/ the NPCs and murder investigation at the same time as hunting for those foul creatures. Good times.

That's all for 2025 and I have to say it was more productive than I thought considering the life circumstances. If you would like to see more in-depth blog post about any of the campaign/oneshot I've mentioned above then let me know in the comments.

My goal here is to rate a few games on itch.io every issue, especially those in need of reviews.

Root Woodland Generator by JoelHadf: This is amazing tool for anyone running Root the RPG and want to create their own woodland setting. 5/5

Thousand Miles from Home by Gordinaak Games: I really want to like this one as the concept is pretty rad. However, the map is not clearly labeled which area description is located, so it's hard to use as a Warden. Keep in mind this was made to be used with the Gordinaak setting book. 3/5

Tea Time for D20 by kumada1: This is simple yet nice social mechanic to make social interaction during rest time period more interesting. Can be used easily with any RPG system that has rest mechanic/phase. 5/5