Happy Friday, adventurer!

There's a little white lie in this email, but I'll explain it later.

First of all, thank you so much for the congratulations!

It's great to feel so supported by your community.

So today I wanted to bring you a gem that few people know about.

But (and here's the little white lie) I haven't played that game myself.

Saul has.

He had to use it as therapy to cope with my disappearance while I was playing Baldur's Gate III.

The thing is, it seems to have worked great for him because it's an incredible game.

Warding the paths

Some of you may have already guessed it from the title.

If so, let us know! We want to hear from more people who have played it.

The name of the game is Roadwarden.

In this dark fantasy game, a powerful merchant guild has sent you to explore the far reaches of a remote peninsula and spread its influence.

However, the peninsula is full of secrets, as are its inhabitants. How will you change the peninsula? Will you remain loyal to the merchant guild? And above all... can you really change anything?

If you're interested in the game, there's a fairly extensive demo available for free on Steam.

So come on, why are you still reading this?!

Well, if I still haven't convinced you, let me tell you about something I fell in love with, and that you can use in your role-playing games.

Excellence in role-playing

This game really feels like a true role-playing game.

Not because there are 200 pieces of armor and weapons that give you +1 to your stats.

There's none of that here.

What there is, is the possibility to role-play your character.

To truly feel like another inhabitant of the world. With your own ambitions. And to see how they clash with those of the people around you.

Explaining how it all works would be too long for the newsletter.

But I can focus on one specific mechanic:

Every night, you can put your character to bed.

As they go to sleep, they reflect a little on the day, and then...

Then they reflect on their past life in the city.

At that moment, the game asks you, for example, “Where did you used to spend your days when you lived in the city?”

And you are presented with a wide variety of answers.

As a player, you don't know that about the character. And that's intentional.

The game wants you to put yourself in their shoes. Did you prefer to stroll through the hustle and bustle of the port or the calm of the suburbs?

These decisions have no mechanical weight in the game. You don't get a +1 to alcohol resistance for saying you spent your days in the tavern.

They make you ask yourself, “Who am I in this world?”

They make you act.

Making players shine

In the Strahd campaign we are playing, Saul became a monk in a communal order.

(RIP, Modsa)

When he arrived at a traveling camp, he decided to listen to the storyteller, who then invited him to tell his story in front of all the children.

Saul hadn't prepared anything.

He could have declined the invitation.

And yet...

On the spot, he improvised a story about his people and the things in the camp that reminded him of it. The sense of community, the children being raised by the whole group and not just by their parents, etc...

It's not that he had a clear understanding of his character's lore. He discovered that as he spoke, asking himself questions he hadn't asked before.

This little story had no repercussions and will not be used to make a twist in the game.

It was a way to give Saul a special moment and get to know his character better.

And it's a moment he remembers fondly.

It's very similar to what Roadwarden does. Give characters the opportunity to express themselves and tell a story about their life.

They will most likely surprise even their player.

Videogames and TTRPGs

As I told you last week, I'll be at the BCN Game Fest.

It takes place this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Although Friday is only for industry professionals.

As I mentioned last week, I'm doing something special.

Video game-inspired dice sets!

For this one, I was inspired by the winding roads of the peninsula and its dense vegetation.

Would you like to see what the dice set for your favorite video game looks like?

Bountiful quests and successful rolls!

🦉 Irene the Wizard

🦃 Saul the Bard

P.S: What video game have you played where you felt like you were really playing a character?