2026 Game plan

I ran 49 games in 2025. That’s more or less the plan for 2026, as well. We don’t play every week, but then there are weeks with up to three games, and there are already nine games scheduled just for January. Other months are not going to be like that, though.

I’ll take any excuse to show off my weird Zocchi dice set.

Locked plans

Masks of Nyarlathotep: we’re nearing the halfway point of the campaign. As long as it stays fun, we’ll continue. I am already itching to run Delta Green, and I’m not going to until this is wrapped. I don’t expect we’ll be quite finished in 2026.

Alien: I am very excited to get to get to play all the just released content! I’ll be running the new Hope’s Last Day and Rapture Protocol cinematic adventures. The new Evolved edition rulebook’s sandbox mechanics are so nice I’m considering a longer scifi campaign in that world, too. Or maybe it should be run with Stars Without Number… there’s a Becky Chambers type spaceship crew game I need to run one day… I understand that seems at odds with Alien’s themes, maybe this one needs to stew a bit longer…

Blade Runner: there are two new expansions coming out. Replicant Rebellion shifts the perspective to the fugitive replicants, and there’s another boxed cinematic adventure (“Case File 03”) in the The Immortal Game arc in development. Maybe it drops in 26, too? At least Replicant Rebellion will be played in 26.

Daggerheart: we’re still playing Witherwild, and I’m not sure I want to stop at four sessions of that. I’d like to see how the game feels after a couple of levels, and whether I can keep the player character focus over time.

The Mountain Witch: we’re playing with two new players, one of them brand new to roleplaying. We’ve scaled that mountain quite a few times, but every time with a new group. I am still excited about the game, even after so many years of newer “story games” rewriting the rules of participatory storytelling.

LEGO Dungeons & Dragons: even though I’m kinda done with D&D for the time being, playing the adventure that came with the big box of plastic does sound exciting, if only for getting to play with the set, using all the neat details and its environmental storytelling for maximum effect. Again playing with some new people!

Games I’d like to play

No way all of these will make it, but I’m positive some will.

Vampire: we’ve played a lot of Vampire over the decades, going all the way to the first edition. My pitch: I want to play a love story across centuries. We’ve never done that in Vampire, or other games, for that matter, but it seems like the sort of thing Vampire should be good for.

Tšernobyl, rakastettuni: freeform romance among outcasts who can’t leave the Chernobyl area due to being too irradiated, but they can have a life there, perhaps together. This is by the same author as Bad Sex.

Deathmatch Island: this has an interesting meta game/legacy element to it, where you’re supposed to play the game multiple times, and use player knowledge to get to the outcome you want. It’s basically Battle Royale (2000) the game, in a story game format I’m not positive will work for us, but I’m interested to find out.

DIE: some of my best times in RPGs have been with DIE. I’d like some more of those! The dream is the grand campaign variant, covering the twenty-sided game world, but I also have multiple shorter scenarios to bring to the table.

Wildsea: this sounds very nice, sailing on a sea of tree tops, with the ship being one of the characters. I think it could fill that Wayfarers need I have to drink tea and contemplate found family.

Slugblaster: this game does a lot of things I’m into, its story beat system being a mechanic I really want to try live. I do not like Forged in the Dark games at all, they just don’t work for me, but this game’s version makes sense to me! The whole setup of counter culture teenagers Going Through Stuff is exactly our group’s jam. I’ve listened to a truly excellent actual play of this game by My First Dungeon, and can’t wait to bring it to my table.

A whole lot of mecha: Heavy Gear, Lancer, Mek Borg. Realistically, I expect to continue 3D printing Lancer mechs, preparing slowly for the big game to commence one day, and maybe get to bring Mek Borg to the table this year. Both Heavy Gear and Lancer would be longer games.

Yazeba’s Bed And Breakfast: I want to play this so bad, but I want the physical edition which is currently out of print. They are working on a new print run. Maybe in 26?

The One Ring: unlikely to get to this, really, but one day I need to bring the Moria campaign to the table and have a serious nerd out over dwarves who dig too deep, and every spring I feel the need to return to Middle-Earth.

Wargaming: Trench Crusade, MAC Attack, Five Parsecs From Home (solo). I like to play with my miniatures sometimes, and build terrain for them to fight on.

Playtesting

I am working on a number of roleplaying games with friends. It’s great! Why haven’t I done this before? Four have advanced to a point where they need playtesting to continue development. All of these are working titles subject to change.

Deitit (Dating): consent and physical intimacy in a romance reality TV setting. We’re through two versions, and feel we’re onto something.

Noidat (Witches): I am interested in exploring rituals and making the magic circle of a roleplaying game table more visible. Basically you’re LARPing a coven of witches, doing rituals (magic) for real. First test during the Christmas break.

Hautuumaa (Graveyard): we played The Skeletons and really liked it, and I felt we could take it further. We’re trying a version without any fantasy elements or violence, and more than doubling the meditation time. Excited to see what happens (I expect it’s crying). First tests during the Christmas break.

Car Game: we’re making a game where you express yourself (only) through racing cars and crashing. We’re through multiple iterations by now. This is the most what you’d call traditional RPG out of these, and most design heavy. We’re getting close to needing group testing.


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