Hey there, underlings of the Trash Lord! It’s me, Jenna Simons, your one-woman HR team! We’ve had a few things come up over the past couple of weeks that have just been pointed out to me as consistent problems, and I don’t want to call anyone out, but they’re really not good for anyone. So here’s just a quick status memo asking you for a few behavioral changes around the Palace of Garbage.
The explosive barrels: These are not toys. If you have been assigned to guard them, you actually have not. You are being assigned to guard the area around them, while staying – and I cannot stress this enough – well away from the barrels themselves. If you’re upset because these things are super volatile and one stray gunshot would blow them up? We know! That’s why we want you to stay away from them as much as possible!
The crusher: Please do not patrol the walkway on the rope bridge. We know it’s dangerous. That’s why it’s there. You can cut it. Remember your orientation video. There is never a route where you should need to walk along the rope bridge.
Taunting the prisoners: Our Refuse Monsters are technically prisoners, yes. No, they are not attractive. But taunting them is just mean and inhumane, even aside from the risk that they break free and devour you. Again, they are part of our team. There’s just no cause for this.
Answering What Are You Playing: It’s really not that complicated, and it makes the Trash Lord happy. I don’t understand what the holdup is here.
Bonus question: What’s your favorite tabletop roleplaying system? Yes, even if you’re not into tabletop roleplaying. That makes it funnier.
​Andrew Ross (@dengarsw): It’s Go Fest weekend, so that’ll be taking up most of my time for sure. I’d like to say I’ll hit Splatoon 3 for at least a daily win, but between all the prepping, walking, and trading, my friends don’t leave me a lot of time, ha ha.
Honestly, I’ve never played a tabletop roleplaying game. I’ve looked into a few for educational purposes but it never got very far. I know my brother and a few people I’ve known over the years enjoyed Pathfinder, and that’s one I’ve been curious about trying myself.
Brianna Royce (@nbrianna, blog): My whole fam is sick, so I think we’re just gonna hang out this weekend and work on projects and play Guild Wars 2. I haven’t gotten very far (playing with kids is like herding insane cats), but I am loving the aesthetic of Secrets of the Obscure.
I think the one I know best and played the longest is actually Shadowrun, and while it’s kind of generic, I really liked the cheeseball flexibility of it – you really can find a way to play any concept and any plot in Shadowrun. Star Wars will always be my fave, though – some combo of D6 and Saga. I actually really liked the narrative-driven nature of Saga, but it never took off (with my group or anywhere else, RIP).
Chris Neal (@wolfyseyes, blog): Armored Core 6. That’s pretty much it, honestly. Big robot game makes me happy.
I’m a semi-neophyte to the TTRPG scene and to GMing in general, so D&D 5E is going to have a place in my heart as a result, but the Skycrawl system I’ve been using in my campaign has been absolutely my favorite. I do want to dig in to other systems as well, such as Mage: The Awakening, Ironsworn, Pathfinder/Starfinder, and Lancer. Especially Lancer. I refer you to the game I’m playing this weekend.
Eliot Lefebvre (@Eliot_Lefebvre, blog): Some Final Fantasy XIV as per usual and then a smattering of stuff in single-player games. Finally started Baldur’s Gate 3 for real, as a matter of fact. I invite people to speculate about my race and class combination.
Honestly I have both long been the kind of weird nerd who will buy and read RPG books I have no intention of ever playing or trying out, and I don’t ever like narrowing my list down to one favorite. (Which is very funny when you consider that I wrote the bonus question and thus knew I was giving myself this one.) D&D 5e is a lot of fun for a dungeon-crawling experience, I have a longstanding love affair with Lancer, I have shelves full of White Wolf books and love Exalted far more than it loves me. But I think at the end of the day I will say that my favorite is whatever makes weird Pathfinder stans (which is to say “any Pathfinder stan”) develop an eye twitch, including reminding them that their game system is basically just WoW Classic for tabletop editions. I may just enjoy needling some people.
Sam Kash (@thesamkash): Same story for me from the past couple of weeks: Harry Potter Magic Awakened and Chained Echoes. HPMA had a decent update with the new season and adding quidditch to the game. It’s a weird game mode but there’s a lot to do around it so it’s all good. I can’t believe I’m still playing Chained Echoes either. I was one lost fight away from hanging it up. There’s a boss that’s all one shot kills and you basically just rely on RNG to beat her. I recounted “this is the last time and I quit”. Then I beat her so I kept on.
Bonus: The best system is probably Open Legend. For me it’s been the best between rolling lots of dice for fun effects and being largely story driven gaming where you don’t have to get too down onto the rules and specifics. Unfortunately I think the company behind it has abandoned it but all the info is out there so players can still give it a shot.
Tyler Edwards (blog): Probably some combination of Overwatch 2 and Dragon Age: Inquisition once again.
Bonus question: Putting aside systems I’ve designed myself, I’m inclined to say 2D20. I’ve only played a few sessions, but it felts like it does a good job of being a little more streamlined than 5E without compromising depth. Plus I can punch Nazi Cthulhu cultists.
Every Saturday, join the Massively OP community and staff for What Are You Playing, our roundup of what MMORPGs and other games we’re hoping to play this weekend (with a bonus question or two for our amusement). Tell us what you’re up to! Go off-topic! And don’t forget to have fun!
