The Other Side of the Table

This Sunday, one of my friends is GMing a game of tremulus for a whopping seven (7!) people. I am fully confident my friend will deliver the goods on Sunday, and we'll all have a great time. However, I also feel his pain; seven can be a daunting number, especially when you're playing a horror game like tremulus. All other things being equal, though, I love having this problem. There are thousands of gamers across the world who wish they had this problem, of having too many gamers at their table. I look forward to being a part of the problem!

This Sunday will also be my return to the player side of the table. I literally cannot remember the last time I just played in an RPG. Though I typically prefer GMing, I'm really looking forward to this. I do believe that having some player experience will not only be fun in its own right, but will give me valuable insight on how to be a better GM, overall.

I'm also really stoked to be playing tremulus again. As I have written before, tremulus is my all-around favorite "Powered by the Apocalypse" game. My opinion appears to be in the minority; most people heap their praises onto Dungeon World, with a little splash over to Monster of the Week, Monsterhearts, and Apocalypse World.  In fact, I've seen some pretty negative criticism of tremulus across the Interwebs. As you may expect, these opinions are wrong. Read that previous blog post if you want to get into it more, but the bottom line is, tremulus is a worthy and potent addition to the PbtA games. It plays very differently than its brother and sister games. That, plus the fact that all PbtA games play a little differently than any other conventional RPG, makes tremulus a bit of an odd duck. But it's an awesome game, make no mistake about it. And, judging by its four Ennie nominations, I am not the only one who believes so.

Speaking of people on the internet being wrong, hating on D&D is starting to get really old. From the people mentioned in its acknowledgments, to the quality of the cardboard on the starter box, to its use of examples in a throwaway graph on gender, literally every piece of what little of D&D's fifth edition has been released so far has been picked apart and bitched about by someone somewhere on the internet. Heavy wears the crown, indeed. Listen...you like Dungeon World? Okay. Fine. It's a great game. I like it, too. You like FATE? Okay, cool. I do, too. But you don't have to put down one game to put up another. I know, I know, because Internet. Because that's what we do. Because D&D is the champ, and everyone wants to take on the champ. I get it. But, please, Internet, buck the trend. Be classy. Don't hate on The Other Game. Stick your chest out, hold your head high, and represent Your Game for all the greatness that it is. That is how you affect hearts and minds. Leave the mud-slinging for the politicians. We're better than that.