Hey folks, we had our 3rd meet for the current campaign last night all went really well. Last time our Rogue upset everyone he met, stole everything that wasn't and was nailed down, including the nails. Then managed to get killed by an NPC that we were helping, it was amazing.

Now I wanted to get a little more creative with my character and since level 3 for Paladin is the oath level I went with Vengeance and wrote an Oath. I posted it in my last thread but will post again if anyone is interested.

Now I also wanted to have a go at making a dice bag, the first one is reversible but was too long so I made a few smaller ones. Then had the thought of making each of the guys a small bag with their names on them, each has a name longer than my leg so that failed before it started. I ended up with the initial of their first names, the Rogue wouldn't give up the name or initial so I did something different for his. The guys all loved the gifts especially the Rogue (now a Monk) these are the bags I made next thing I try will be a multi compartment job. All was done by hand because I couldn't get the sewing machine to work ...

Video game's approach to storytelling usually comprise of mixing gameplay mechanics (gunplay, health system, enemy AI...) and storytelling elements (cutscenes, dialogue trees, environment details...). There are also special systems designed to work both as gameplay challenge as well as narrative carriers (quick time events, the nemesis system in Shadow of War...)

However, there's also a third approach, where traditional gameplay elements when put into appropriate context within the game gain additional narrative significance (the way Thomas was Alone's basic platforming mechanics are personified via narration, or Undertale's combat system being integral to how the story develops...)

Have you ever noticed if a gameplay element also doubled as a storytelling device in the games you played before? If so, what was it and what did it "tell" you?

I've been curious about making a switch for ergonomics and just lack of space on my desk.

• Do you recommend it for gaming? Any guidance on genres that do or don't work? I mostly play real time and turn based strategy games or point-and-click style games such as Diablo on my computer. I don't generally go in for twitchy FPSes, but I'd like the option.

• Opinions on index vs. thumb?

• How long was the adjustment period to get used to it?

• Any recommendations on good ones to buy?

• Are there any advantages I'm not thinking of besides just being better for my wrist?

• Disadvantages besides, potentially, being less precise than a mouse?

• Are there any tradeoffs with going wireless?

Shovel Knight is essentially an NES game that got released in 2014, as its design and artwork are deliberately reminiscent of games for that system. It's a definitive example of an answer to the question, but I'm also interested in games that weren't necessarily intended to be throwbacks but can be interpreted as such by nature of their execution.

What are other examples of games that feel like they could have been released for, say, the Dreamcast, PSOne, SNES, or any of the other consoles of yesteryear? Furthermore, what are the defining traits they possess that make them fit in on that system?

I personally usually heavily mod my games, due to finding the process of modding itself fun, along with me preferring to spend a LONG time at one run through.

As an example, I'd give minecraft where I usually play so-called expert packs, which are basically taking a lot of mods and making them depend on each other for progression.

Has anybody had much experience playing DnD or other tabletops with children? I've been toying with the idea of making a fairly straightforward and simplified RPG using Story Cubes and GURPS that kids can get involved with easily and have fun playing. I'm specifically aiming to play with my daughter (8) and my niece (5) on a big family holiday in August, though I see no real reason that this couldn't work with adults as well.
Essentially, the conceit would go along the lines of each player rolling a limited number of story dice to help with character creation and such. I'd ask the players a few simple questions about their powers (for example, are you more of a wizard or more of a warrior?) to get some basic stats stats together (STR, DEX, INT, CON), and then use story dice myself to quickly improvise a short one-shot session.

Does anyone have experience playing with kids, and if so - any pointers? Am I being too ambitious about children's ability to imagine stuff in this way? If so, are there any good systems out there that are good for young people to pick up and get stuck into roleplaying with?

I made this an "event" over on reddit, and I figured I'd also mention it here.

The Steam summer sale is alleged to start on June 23rd, and I figured it would be nice if people could go into it with current information on Proton compatibility for games so we can better know what to buy and avoid. As such, it would be great if we could all submit a bunch of ProtonDB reports this coming week.

I plan to go through my library and test high-leverage games: either ones that lack reports or games whose reports are quite old. Let me know if you're wanting to join in the "fun!"

I've never really been that into video games. When I was young, I played a lot of RPGs on the SNES and PS1. Within the last couple of years, I dipped my toes back in the water and tried a few out. I tried Skyrim on a friend's recommendation, but it was just a little too involved and open-world for me. I got Cities:Skylines, which I love because I love city builder sims, but that game just does not run well on any of my underpowered computers. And I loved Ori and the Blind Forest, a beautiful platformer, and I'd play it again right now if it wasn't Windows-only.

Here are my requirements. First, it needs to run well on a low-powered machine without making the fan go insane. I've got a MacBook Air 2012 and a ThinkPad x250 (Linux). Neither of these are the ideal gaming experience, I know, but I'm not looking for amazing graphics or bleeding edge technology or something super immersive. Pixel graphics are fine with me. It reminds me of my youth, anyway. I played both Skylines and Ori on my Intel NUC 4th Gen and while it worked, they both really taxed that little machine. I was able to finish Ori, but once a city reaches a certain size in Skylines, it gets unplayable.

I'm not looking for stress. I like RPGs and sims. But it doesn't have to be really hard or frustrating. I don't want to feel chased in a game. I prefer to feel that I'm driving the action and I can go at my pace. I want to feel like if I look away for a moment, I'm not going to lose everything. I'm a casual. I also don't mind if there's no defined ending of a game. For me, I'm more looking for a diversion and a slow build over some kind of constant progression/achievement type scenario.

If it has full controller support, that would be ideal. I've got a Steam controller, and I prefer using a controller to play a game. I've never liked using the keyboard to play. I'm not totally against it, but I guess I just never got into computer gaming. I pretty much always played on consoles in the past.

Linux or macOS only, please. I did have Windows installed once so that I could play games, but I'm not bothering with that anymore. I don't want to have to boot into another operating system just to play a game. I want to be able to hop in and out of a game while using my daily driver computer.

So in my research, I've looked into Terraria and Stardew Valley. These might be what I'm looking for. But I really don't know. Do either of these scratch my itch? Is there another game that I would enjoy based on what I've told you? Thanks in advance for any advice you can offer.

EDIT: Thank you everybody for your awesome suggestions. I'm still happy to hear more, as I plan to add the ones that really interest me to my wishlist and revisit later. I ended up getting Hollow Knight yesterday and I spent the whole day playing it. It's very engrossing, and it's the perfect game for me. It's so much like Ori, and that game blew me away. Chilled out, go at your own pace, exploring dungeons, challenging but not impossible (though the first Hornet fight was pretty tough for me). The game runs fine on my ThinkPad x250 (i5-5300U) in Pop!_OS Linux, apart from the initial movie scene stuttering--I just had to skip past it, unfortunately. It's such an awesome game, and I'm glad to see they've already announced a sequel. If you know of any other games that are like Ori and Hollow Knight, let me know.

howdy all, been a few weeks since I posted about our last meet for the first campaign we ran.
So one of the other players has stepped up as the DM so our first DM could actually play since it was his idea to get us altogether in the first place, the new game is running on milestone leveling and so far feels like it will move a bit faster. Our first meet we only just survived the night, all of us having to use the death save rolls at least once each, the new DM made a comment of "If I thought you lot would roll so horridly I would have toned it down way more" but hey it made things more fun and we had to work as a damn team.

Last night we had our 2nd meet and our first PC death. It was the rogue that tried to steal everything nailed down including the nails, he tried to pick pocket the NPC that was with us and rolled a damn 1 the NPC rolled a nat 20 and it just went from there, this was also after dealing with the big bad of the evening so spell slots had been spent and half the party kinda said he had it coming. He is brand new to RPG games so went all out with the role playing side and doing what he wants, personally I thought it was amazing he also has taken some pride in being the first to go down.

Anyone else have something fun or cool to share about their campaign?

12 Minutes
Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition
Age of Wonder - Plantetfall
Age of Wonders: Planetfall
Animal Crossing New Horizons (Gameplay))
Apex Legends Season 2
Arizona Sunshine - The Damned DLC
Ary and The Secret of Seasons
Astral Chain
Baldur's Gate III
Battlefield V
Battletoads
Battlewake
Beat Saber: Imagine Dragons Music Pack
Black Desert
Blair Witch
Bleeding Edge
Borderlands 2: Commander Lilith & the Fight for Sanctuary Official Trailer
Borderlands 3
BRAWLHALLA Adventure Time
Cadence of Hyrule
Carrion
CastleStorm II
Chivalry 2
Circuit Superstars
Code Vein
Collection of Mana
Commander Keen (Gameplay)))
Conan Chop Chop
Contra Anniversary Collection
Contra: Rogue Corps
Control
Corpse Killer: 25th Anniversary Edition
Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled Grand Prix
CrisTales
CrossfireX
Cyberpunk 2077
Daemon X Machina (Gameplay)))
Deathloop
Disgaea 4 Complete+
DOOM Eternal (Multiplayer)))
Dragon Ball Z Kakarot (Gameplay video)))
Dragon Quest Builders 2
Dying Light 2
El Hijo
Elden Ring
Elder Scrolls Online Elsweyr
Empire of Sin
Empire of Sin
Enter the Gungeon: House of the Gundead
Evil Genius 2 - World Domination
Fall Guys
Fall Guys
Fallout 76 Nuclear Winter (Battle Royale Mode)
Fallout 76 Wastelanders Expansion
FIFA 20
Final Fantasy VII Remake
Final Fantasy VIII Remaster
Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers
Fire Emblem: Three Houses
For Honor: Shadows of The Hitokiri
Forza Horizon 4: Lego Speed Champions
Gears 5 (Escape trailer)))
Genesis Noir
Ghost Recon Breakpoint (Gameplay)))
Ghostwire Tokyo
Gods & Monsters
Greedfall
Griftlands
Halo: Infinite
Just Dance 2020
Kingdom Hearts III ReMind DLC
Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Sequel
Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga
Lost Oasis
Lost Words: Beyond the Page
Luigi's Mansion 3 (Gameplay)))
Madden NFL 20
Mario & Sonic at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games
Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order
Marvel's Avengers
Microsoft Flight Simulator
Midnight Ghosthunt
Minecraft Dungeons
Mosaic
My Friend Pedro
Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch Remastered
No More Heroes III
ONINAKI
Ori and the Will O' The Wisps
Outriders
Panzer Dragoon Remake
Per Aspera
Persona 5 Royal
Phantasy Star Online 2
Planet Zoo
Pokemon Sword & Shield (Gameplay)))
Psychonauts 2
Rad
RAGE 2
Rainbow Six Quarantine
Remnant: From the Ashes
Roller Champions
Romancing Saga 3 & SaGa SCARLET GRACE: AMBITIONS
Samurai Shodown Rimururu
Shenmue III
SMITE Olorun
Sniper Elite: VR
Songs Of Conquest
Spiritfarer
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order
Starmancer
State of Decay Heartland
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate - Dragon Quest
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Banjo-Kazooie
Tales Of Arise
Telling Lies
Terraria: Journey's End
The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Tactics
The Last Remnant Remastered
The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III
The Legend of Wright
The Lord of the Rings: Adventure Card Game
The Messenger: Picnic Panic
The Outer Worlds
The Sims 4
The Surge 2
The Walking Dead: Onslaught
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Complete Edition
The World of Dragon Quest Builders 2
Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege – Clutch Royale
Tom Clancy’s The Division 2: Year 1
Tom Clancy's Elite Squad
Torchlight II
Trials of Mana
Trials Rising Season 2
Unexplored 2
Valfaris
Vampire the Masquerade Bloodlines 2
Vermintide 2: Versus
Warframe: Empyrea
Wasteland 3
Watch Dogs 3: Legion (Gameplay)))
Way to the Woods
Wolfenstein: Cyberpilot
Wolfenstein: Youngblood
Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair
Zelda: Link's Awakening
Zombie Army 4: Dead War