I have been running Era: Empowered for just over 1 year online now. Over the year the number of players each session has flexed up and down, with a maximum of 6 player a minimum of 2, but typically 4 players. We have even had drop in players from time to time who try it out for a session or more. So what is Era: Empowered? Well Era is the system behind multiple Shades of Vengeance RPGs, with each type bringing a different flavour to the core system, from Kinetic abilities, Artifacts, Fear, Terror and with Empowered - super powers. It is a D10 system, that you use your abilities and skills to determine the number of dice you roll. Beat the threshold and you have successes, the more success the better the outcome, but be careful of ones, as they are failures and can limit your outcome, also if your ones outnumber your successes you fumble.. Think Critical Failures.. So what about the game. The team either arrived in Ibidan or were born there, in a time where being Empowered was illegal....

System D&D 5e Game Master Andrew Venue: Glanville Hall Wednesday night In 1981 a game called Castle Amber was released by TSR to be run with the Expert D&D set. In a nutshell the characters get stuck in a mysterious mansion and have to find their way out. Castle Amber has been updated to 5th edition and is described as the perfect old-school “funhouse dungeon”. However, I can assure you that Pat Sharp will not be making an appearance! Follow this link for further information about the game.

System D&D 5e Game Master Marco Venue: Glanville Hall Wednesday night It is set a year after Giants have invaded and taken over the land. Giants of different types working to an unknown common goal for reasons equally unknown. The party, part of a resistance movement that has tried to find a way to beat these impossible odds, finds help from an unlikely source and a battle against time, evil (and giants!) ensues. It has been over a year and a half since they came. A largely peaceful world torn apart by invasion. Giants of all kinds despite their historic enmity joined in unexplained alliances catching all around them off guard. Within a few short weeks, villages were razed to the ground, towns overrun and cities were taken over with overlords and their minions keeping control. Despite most means of defence being confiscated and enslavement being the norm, small pockets of defiance remain, desperately holding onto what is left of their freedoms in the hope of one day getting the ...

Hi as one of the four GMs for the April Rotation in venue, I thought of a bit of a mini interview on Marco. When did you first start playing RPGs and what were they? I started way back in 1980 playing 1st Edition AD&D What was the most memorable part of those sessions? Spending lunchtimes meeting up by a copse of trees with fellow geeks. I remember being more than a little fast and loose with rules and rolls but feeling happy being allowed to be me! Why did you start GMing? My kids reached about 11 years old and expressed an interest in playing so I set up a game just for my family to play How long have you been GMing? For about 14 years (but with BIG gaps in between!) What systems have you GMed? I am a monogamous AD&D guy. I have GM’d 2nd edition and 5th edition What are the pleasures and pitfalls of GMing? Having the ability to create something that people look forward to is a great pleasure. Its hard work at times but so worth it The pitfall (other than not being able to pla...

So I asked Calum for and interview as he is up for GMing one of the April Rotation Games. His response: "Sure - this is my first time GMing so there's not too much to say really..." When did you first start playing RPGs and what were they? I first started playing RPG's a few years ago, with an online game of 5e a friend was running for a group of new players. What was the most memorable part of those sessions? The most memorable part was a fight in an underground, waterlogged cave.  My character was a tabaxi, and we all know how cats don't like water!  It became a game of trying not to get in the water, leaping from rock to rock whilst trying to get close to the witch we were fighting.  It was really fun, and a great example of how creative roleplay from both players and the GM can spice up combat encounters. Why did you start GMing? This is my first time running a game, but I put myself forward because I think it will help me appreciate being a player more, and t...

System D&D 5e Game Master Calum Venue: Glanville Hall Wednesday night A mixture of Roleplaying and action, nestled on the coast of the Azure Sea is Saltmarsh, a sleepy fishing village that sits on the precipice of destruction. Smugglers guide their ships to hidden coves, willing to slit the throat of anyone fool enough to cross their path. Cruel sahuagin gather beneath the waves, plotting to sweep away coastal cities. While Saltmarsh slumbers, the evils that seek to plunder it grow stronger.

System Era Game Master Mark C The Chosen, Legions of creatures are invading our world and taking people. Only a few “Chosen” individuals can see them – less than 1% of the population. But we have to fight back and face the horror of the Anonassi.. Join the war against creatures from another dimension, fighting for Humanity across the centuries against the hordes from a dark universe hoping to take over our own…

System D&D 5e Game Master Andrew Venue: Glanville Hall Wednesday night In 1981 a game called Castle Amber was released by TSR to be run with the Expert D&D set. In a nutshell the characters get stuck in a mysterious mansion and have to find their way out. Castle Amber has been updated to 5th edition and is described as the perfect old-school “funhouse dungeon”. However, I can assure you that Pat Sharp will not be making an appearance! Follow this link for further information about the game.

System Era: Hitman Game Master Mark C Venue: Glanville Hall Wednesday night In this game, you are a hitman, an assassin who eliminates targets for anyone paying the right amount. Whether your skill is stealth, approaching your enemies unseen, firing a bullet from a neighbouring rooftop, hacking automated defences or demolishing a building to eliminate everyone inside, you are always in demand. You might be new to being an assassin, or you might be a grizzled veteran about ready for retirement. None of this matters to the Assassins’ Guild; only that you can complete the job and your team are assigned. With the protection of the Guild, you need not fear retribution once you escape the scene of the crime – the scrubbers have your back. Every trace of you, every piece of camera footage, everyone who will testify that you were there will vanish without a trace. As a result, joining the Assassin’s Guild was never a hard decision for you, even with the possible downsides.....

System D&D 5e Game Master Richard Venue: Glanville Hall Wednesday night With the disappearance of the archangel Avacyn from the shadow plane, humanity becomes the universal prey when the light fades and the moon rises. Gavony is where humanity remains safest and strongest, but it also has more dead buried here than anywhere else and so is plagued by undead and geists. In Stensia, where the sun never seems to break through the oddly coloured clouds, the vampire bloodlines rule and keep their "cattle" safe from any Werewolves or others that might endanger their food. Kessig contains vast forests and is home to Werewolves. Nephalia is a coastal province and home to a number of small-to-medium port towns. It is populated mainly by humans, gesits and vampires, all of whom seek business, secrets or solitude. Avacyns wards have slowly been fading since her disappearance and once again humanity is left unprotected and is at the mercy of those that wish to hunt them. The balance ...

So to continue in the theme of interviewing each GM, we have up next Richard. When did you first start playing RPGs and what were they? Started with Live Role play when i was 14 i think and played for a few years, then attended a pen and paper game a couple of years later for one night.  Didn't really get back into it until i was 25 and have been playing ever since.  Larping was at Chislehurst Caves and woods in Sidcup.  First pen and paper would have been D&D but no idea on which version, from 25 it was a Star Wars game. What was the most memorable part of those sessions? There's been a few but one that sticks in mind the most was playing a character whos tongue had been removed.  This meant i had to act or draw out my plans when i was trying to communicate with the other party members. Why did you start GMing? I wanted to recreate some of the world from the Larp days so felt i would try and bring it to the table. How long have you been GMing? On and off for abo...

Hi as one of the three GMs for the October Rotation in venue, I thought of a bit of a mini interview on you. When did you first start playing RPGs and what were they? About 4 or 5 years ago. I moved to a new area and did not know anyone. Looking on MeetUp, this looked quite interesting so I gave it a go…  I started playing in a Cthulhu game and then played some D&D 5e. I enjoyed the stories and interaction. What was the most memorable part of those sessions? I enjoyed the roleplaying aspects, playing different and wacky characters. I also enjoyed the stories and developing characters within the world. It is those interactions that were most memorable. If you have put time and effort into creating a character who has a nice backstory, acted consistently within the world and developed a personality, it’s tough to roll a D100 sanity and hope that this one roll does not mark the end. Why did you start GMing? Just wanted to give it a go to be honest. Seemed fun… How long have you be...

Hi as one of the four GMs for the October Rotation in venue, I thought of a bit of a mini interview on you. When did you first start playing RPGs and what were they? I started playing RPG's in school, GURPS and 3.5 DnD. We were young and it was a chaotic mess where we barely understood the rules... but it was the stepping stone to better games later. What was the most memorable part of those sessions? The most memorable part of those sessions, and any session in RPG games really, is the memorable story beats. Whether it's something the GM has been planning, a player throwing a curveball or a combat round creating a story: all exciting stuff Why did you start GMing? I started GMING recently, just last year. My resident 'forever DM' was getting burnout so I stepped in for some oneshots How long have you been GMing? Oops, I answered this in the last one. I started last year properly, there might have been a casual game I ran one session of much earlier... but since I can...

Hi, we are starting to get some pitches in for next Rotation, so I thought it would be best to pull some of them together to tout some interest and support. As always they can be viewed on our website . But for a snapshot summary read further.... Deadlands Game Master : David H - System: Savage Worlds "The Reckoning" awakened an ancient evil, and you'd best hope the howls you hear on the High Plains are just a pack of ravenous wolves... The Spoken Night Game Master : George  -  System:  D&D 5E In the world of Skotar, where magic flows freely and the gods rise and fall on the belief of their followers, the Hatean Kingdom is in its final years. The dark cannot be unheard. Alien RPG Game Master:  Paul  -  System:   Free League Publishing "I can't lie to you about your chances, but... you have my sympathies." Stay alive if you can. Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus Game Master Freddie  -  System:  D&D 5E From the city of Baldur's...

System D&D 5e Game Master Freddie In Hall Looking to run from October with a party of 4 or so. It's a relatively long campaign but takes you into hell, so what's not to like! It starts in the city of Baldur's Gate "as it slowly succumbs to the sway of corrupt powers and evil gods".  The adventurers will go on a search for redemption as they descend into Avernus, the first layer of the Nine Hells, which is ruled by the Archdevil Zariel.  Players will also have the option of wading into the Blood War.

System Savage Worlds Game Master David H In this award-winning, best-selling setting, gunfighters, braves, hucksters, martial artists, shamans, mad scientists, the blessed, and more square off against far more than desperate bandits.  An event called "The Reckoning" awakened an ancient evil, and you'd best hope the howls you hear on the High Plains are just a pack of ravenous wolves...

System Free League Publishing Game Master Paul In Hall "I can't lie to you about your chances, but... you have my sympathies." Space is vast, dark, and not your friend. Gamma rays and neutrino bursts erupt from dying stars to cook you alive, black holes tear you apart, and the void itself boils your blood and seizes your brain. Try to scream an no one can hear you — hold your breath and you rupture your lungs. Space isn't as empty as you'd think, either — its frontiers are ever expanding. Rival governments wage a cold war of aggression while greedy corporations vie for valuable resources. Colonists reach for the stars and gamble with their lives — each new world tamed is either feast or famine. And there are things lurking in the shadows of every asteroid — things strange and different and deadly. Things alien. This is the official ALIEN tabletop roleplaying game—a universe of body horror and corporate brinkmanship, where synthetic people play god while space tru...

System D&D 5e Game Master George In Hall In the world of Skotar, where magic flows freely and the gods rise and fall on the belief of their followers, the Hatean Kingdom is in its final years. The king is a sickly, weak-willed child and the cowardly nobility squabble over dwindling wealth while rarely dispatching any forces beyond their walls. The commoners toil on, relying on the sheer scale of their territory and the untamed lands at their borders to keep old rivals and newly independent states at bay, for now. As winter looms, the duke of Fablehall caves to pressure to call freelance adventurers into a group to investigate why the nearby hamlet of Eulham has failed to deliver its annual harvest tithe. So close to Fablehall and far from any borders, not to mention home to a respectable sorcerer, Eulham is thought to be one of the sleepiest of town in all Skotar. It is here, in the Hatean Kingdoms’ breadbasket, that a new threat begins to stir. The dark cannot be unheard. A 5E ca...

Looking for online RPG groups for beginners? Or perhaps you are a veteran player in need of another in-person campaign? Finding a tabletop RPG group near you can be a challenge, but fear not this little ditty should help you find the right RPG group for you. Time and location are the two biggest problems for RPG players looking for a RPG group. How to Find a RPG Group Offline There’s no experience quite like playing RPG in the physical presence of your fellow players. Most beginner and experienced RPG players alike prefer to play offline RPG. It is not as easy to find a group, but it is 100% possible. The Starter’s Set The official D&D Starter Set might be the best way to play D&D for the first time. It includes a set of dice, premade characters, a basic rulebook, and a game that takes players from Level 1 to Level 5. Other RPGs have similar starting rule sets that are great for diving into a RPG. If you have (or can find) a group of friends who would also like to form a beginn...

North Hammer Saga System  D&D 5e Game Master  Richard Online Based in an original, Norse-inspired setting, they are looking to release regular content, following an expansive and divergent story.  In the first module, “Overpowered”, the world of Tyrgard is assaulted by a fearsome insectoid race, who strike without warning and then retreat, leaving their victims reeling, but presenting ample opportunity for the right adventurers to exact revenge...   Let us know if you fancy playing