What was the RPG Pipeline

The RPG Pipeline was a posting board to keep track of upcoming tabletop rpgs from 2015 to 2021 (this Blogger version began in 2019). It covered new English language ttrpgs and ttrpgs going into crowdfunding.

Saturday 26 February 2022

No further updates to The RPG Pipeline

 I've stopped updating the RPG Pipeline. I ran it first as a Google Plus community (where I just shared new ttrpgs that appeared on my feed) before moving it over to Blogger in 2019. As part of the move, I looked to become a lot more comprehensive in tracking new ttrpgs; here are the details for anyone who would find it useful:

The Blogger Pipeline was built on 3 RSS feeds:

  • DriveThruRPG.com Newest Items https://www.drivethrurpg.com/rss.php
  • itchio new physical games https://itch.io/physical-games/newest.xml
  • Tabletop Games (latest) :: Kicktraq https://www.kicktraq.com/categories/games/tabletop%20games/latest.rss


Due to the sheer number of entries, I further filtered the DriveThru and Kicktraq feeds (I used Google Sheets for this, but there are other options) in order to find the standalone ttrpgs.

DriveThru

  • Filtered for 
  • rpg|role|roleplaying|story|ttrpg|gmless|writing|journal|core|RPG|Role|Roleplaying|Story|TTRPG|GM|Writing|Journal|Core
  • Then filtered out
  • BUNDLE|supplement|module|stock|map|miniatures|add-on|issue|Supplement|Module|Stock|STOCK|Map|Miniatures|Supplement|Module|Stock|Map|Add-on|Issue

Kicktraq 

  • Filtered for 
  • rpg|role|roleplaying|story|ttrpg|gm|writing|journal|RPG|Role|Roleplaying|Story|TTRPG|GM|Writing|Journal

I then manually reviewed all of the filtered results before posting them. Again, I used formulae in Google Sheets to format and enrich the posts (for example adding the Kicktraq funding chart).

itch.io

The itch.io feed unfortunately did not contain sufficient detail, if anything at all, to work out the nature of the listing so I manually reviewed the entire feed in an RSS reader (my choice was inoreader), reviewed or previewed the actual page and then posted those that met my criteria.

Others

The above three sources produced a lot of listings but there were of course a number of games that weren't released using any of these options (D&D, For the Queen, the Wendy's ttrpg, and that Carly Rae Jepsen L&F hack that went viral on Twitter). For these, I had to rely on hearing about them through my regular social media feeds (or in FtQ's case, through the hacks that were made from it which did then come out through DTR and itch) and then manually constructing a post.

Again, my socials were a check on all of the filters on the RSS feeds - if I heard talk about a new ttrpg or crowdfunding I could check whether I had listed it and - if not - see how I'd missed it (almost always due to the listings not including any of the key words).


Tuesday 1 February 2022

Scene Thieves / $6.00

Scene Thieves
Publisher: Possible Worlds Games

Scene Thieves is a theatrical roleplaying game where players collaboratively “write” a play while simultaneously choreographing an elaborate heist in the background. 

During the game’s pre-show, players create a band of thieves who use theatrical performances as cover for their crimes. Players also establish broad strokes for the game’s show before writing down a variety of props on notecards. Then, it’s showtime. In Act I, everyone draws prop cards from a pot and incorporates them into the progression of both the play and the heist. At Intermission, players take note of whether the evening is trending towards comedy or tragedy. In Act II, they have a final chance to reverse their fates before the end of the game.

To play Scene Thieves, you’ll need:

  • Two or more players
  • A coin
  • Writing utensils
  • A six-sided die (optional)
  • A stack of notecards (3” x 5” recommended)
  • A pot for collecting and mixing cards, like a hat or a bowl

Scene Thieves is 25 pages long, and modifications are included for online play. 

Scene Thieves is illustrated by Pol Clarissou, a filthy little creature who beguiles the unwary eye with mystifying devices such as “Art,” “Videogames,” and other such tricks. You may gaze upon his wretched designs at polclarissou.itch.io or polclarissou.com, and find him on Twitter as @polclarissou.

Scene ThievesPrice: $6.00

Dating.sim / $6.00

Dating.sim
Publisher: Possible Worlds Games

Dating.sim is a light-hearted romance roleplaying game inspired by the TV show The Dating Game as well as the “dating simulator” video game genre. Dating simulators are narrative-heavy games where players can date one of multiple eligible characters via choose-your-own-adventure-style conversations. Make the right choices and a character might like you more, make the wrong choices and they might like you less. Dating.sim recreates this structure through competitive roleplaying, with players improvising multiple-choice options for one player to select over the course of a date.

In round one of Dating.sim, everyone roleplays different characters and one player (called the Lead) selects a date from a host of suitors (called Dates). In round two, the winning character accompanies the Lead on a date, and all remaining players roleplay the Lead together. The Date player awards points for creativity and behavior, and the player with the most points at the game’s end gets to help finish the story!

To play Dating.sim, you’ll need:

  • Three or more players
  • Writing utensils
  • A stack of notecards (3” x 5” recommended)
  • A timer (approximately 30 minutes)
  • A six-sided die (optional)

Dating.sim is 22 pages long, and modifications are included for online play. 

Dating.sim is illustrated by Sam “Skullboy” Mameli, a freelance fantasy artist whose work can be found at betterlegends.com, patreon.com/better_legends, and on Instagram as @better_legends.

Dating.simPrice: $6.00

V.I.Pocalypse: An Empathy-Building RPG ^

V.I.Pocalypse: An Empathy-Building RPG
Click here to view V.I.Pocalypse: An Empathy-Building RPG
Visually Impaired Apocalypse: an empathy-building exercise/RPG that hopes to demonstrate some of the challenges to being blind. $600 goal