The Bearded One (he/him)

As a gamer, but not a video gamer... Try being Chaotic Good: do not obey immoral laws just because they are the law. And don't hesitate to be kind, charitable, and loving just because it breaks some laws. Bad laws are meant to be broken by good people. bsky.app/profile/marc...

One of the main reasons why I began using Startplaying.games was to learn a bunch of #TTRPG systems that I hadn't encountered yet. Quite successful, but I'm not finished learning and there are a lot more games I'm eager to try.

My Kids on Bikes #TTRPG is set in the last few weeks before the 1990 midterm elections. It keeps US politics in mind while we role-play. The DJT administration makes me think of games like Spire and Eat the Reich.

I play many different #TTRPG games, and going from PbtA game like Masks to D&D5e reminds me that while I love the narrative aspects of RPGs, I often miss the simple joy of playing with my collection of colorful math rocks.

My most recent emotional reaction in a #TTRPG: My PC doctor was treating a patient in a Delta Green scenario when her fellow agents realized that the hostile ghost we'd been haunted by was fueled by the patient. She raged but was unable to stop the murder of her patient. Excellent session!

My older brother taught me to play D&D for my 9th birthday in lieu of getting me a proper birthday present. He and his friends reluctantly let me join in their games, and I haven't stopped playing #TTRPG for more than a few months in over 45 years.

Regarding evil parties in #TTRPG campaigns: I feel that itch can be scratched better in a setting like Midnight in which proactively good characters are hunted by the overwhelmingly evil government. Classic Star Wars has that mood also, and it's an evergreen setting.

Does anyone else have fond memories of the In Nomine #TTRPG? I don't know how well it would work for longer or open ended campaigns, but it produced some great stories in one-shots and mini-campaigns IMO.

#TTRPG and #LGBTQ frequently go hand in hand because you are encouraged to create a character you will enjoy playing. That often means playing a character of your desired gender and orientation. That's part of what role-playing is for.

TTRPG is a free hobby. All you need are people to play with. There are multitudes of free rules sets like Lasers and Feelings, and dice (when necessary) are cheap. #TTRPG is inherently anti-capitalist.

I think a lot of people don't have a clear idea what Benedict Arnold did to be branded as a traitor. I think a lot more people will understand what DJT has done to America and how he should be remembered.

Today is the first annual #DollyDay. How shall we celebrate? My preference would be to burn down the patriarchy, but I'm willing to hear other suggestions.

There are too many to name. I'm currently running Kids on Bikes and Masks (PbtA). I'm playing in games of Daggerheart, Delta Green, Stonetop. I've recently enjoyed games of Honey Heist, Perils and Princesses, and Mothership. My favorite #TTRPG system currently is Powered by the Apocalypse.

I play #TTRPG to feel scared, but in a fun way!

A good GM can elevate a mediocre or even a bad game system. But when a great GM gets to run a high quality game, the results can be spectacular. That is what I got to experience as a player in a Delta Green #TTRPG last night. DG may not be the right game for all, but I loved it.

I suppose this is a fair time to give free advertising to a retailer that I have a very happy history with. heartbeatdice.ecwid.com

A new Kids on Bikes #TTRPG is ready to roll; seats still available, and rules will be taught to novices. startplaying.games/adventure/cm...

September 11: 25 years ago, I was still asleep when the attacks began. My housemate called me and told me to turn on the TV because I didn't believe him. That evening I had a job at a hospital where I had to explain the attack to a client who hadn't heard.

Reminder: Donald Trump once told an interviewer that if Ivanka wasn't his daughter (at the time she was 13 years old), he would possibly be dating her.

On hearing the news that IKEA will partner with Elder Scrolls 6, the only joke I can think of is "I used to be an adventurer until I took a Blahaj to the knee."

In fond memory of Dolly Parton: 9 to 5 is a movie (and a song) which still has a powerful message even 45 years later. Dolly, you touched us all. 💝💖💔

I expanded my reading and conversational vocabulary by reading first comic books and then #TTRPG rulebooks like Call of Cthulhu and Vampire the Masquerade. Now, my reading habit is well established and feeds my writing habit.

Describe your music taste in 3 artists, no genres: 1. Mozart 2. Enya 3. Indigo Girls

Gross Domestic Product needs to take a back seat to Gross National Happiness. USA is consistently rated as a far less pleasant place to live than any of the northern European countries.

I wonder what players and GMs think about re-implementing character backgrounds from previous failed games. I sometimes want to let a character grow when they haven't yet gotten the chance due to an aborted #TTRPG.

Another entire D&D session with a handful of skill rolls but no combat. Players had a good time. I'm calling this a win! ##TTRPG

Reminder: Donald Trump once told an interviewer that if Ivanka wasn't his daughter (at the time she was 13 years old), he would possibly be dating her.

Once again, my world building is getting in the way of my writing actual fiction.

I would absolutely watch a #JustStabMeNowMovie . The story is a good one and I'd bet it would be inexpensive to produce.

Continuing my habit of making at least one day each week into a day devoted to writing, art, or other creative activities. Happy Monday!

#WorldCup The United States is showing that they do not want to be a part of the society of nations. Instead, they are demonstrating their antisocial tendencies. At this point, look to the US only as an example of how not to behave. #EpsteinFiles #8647

In celebration of Pride Month this June, I've decided that all of my one-shot #TTRPG games on Startplaying.games will be free of charge. 🏳️‍🌈 🏳️‍⚧️

I'm a fan of many #PbtA games. Now that I've read Stonetop #TTRPG I'm excited for the chance to run it over on Startplaying.games. I hope you'll join me on Wednesdays at noon eastern time.

Stranger in a Strange Land gave us the word "grok" which has entered the lexicon, but it also gave us "discorporate" which sadly has not.

I have now played my first game of Honey Heist ##TTRPG. Possibly the best comedy rpg this side of Toon! 🤣

"Every gun that is made,every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies ... a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed." -- Pres. D. Eisenhower

Huge amounts of the Epstein files are still illegally withheld and we are 2 months into an illegal war with Iran. Unrelated fact: "Wag the Dog" was released in theaters 29 years ago. Some people thought it may be a moment on President Clinton. Huh.

We don't talk enough about the 1989 movie Parenthood. It was not groundbreaking, but it is a star-studded and emotionally affecting look at one large family. 4 stars out of 5.

Major benefit of StartPlaying.games is learning new #TTRPG . I got to play a one-shot of Perils & Princesses with a talented GM last night.

Things you only hear at a #LARP convention: "How to play volleyball: You're the bad guys, the rules are what you decide they are."

Things you only hear at a #LARP convention: "I think you're my great great great great great great granddaughter."

#LARP On the way to Intercon X in RI. Tomorrow I'll be running House of the Rising Cat! 🤞

I finally did my first session zero for Daggerheart #ttrpg last night. The questions for each other really helped to turn us into a party of friends instead of just a group of strangers with similar goals.

There is a weird satisfaction when your GPS instruction is "continue straight for 451 miles."

When the serving spoon for your General Tso's Chicken falls into your coffee cup, and you wind up with General Tso's Coffee... 🤢, then 🤔.

Just thinking about that scene in Little Miss Sunshine where the family steals the corpse from the hospital and stows it in their trunk: Just what laws were they really breaking?

My brother-in-law: "I'm not qualified to operate a backhoe." Me: "I've never tried to operate any kind of ho."

In honor of #StrangerThings , my family will be watching Violent Night as our X-Mas movie this year.

Did anyone else read the Urban Shadows rulebook and think "This game would be perfect for 1 GM + 1 player"?

I just finished my third full watch of The Good Place. Still one of the top 5 TV shows of all time and probably one of the 2 best series finales ever!