Roleplaying Games

Dungeons and Dragons is the most popular tabletop role-playing game, but it isn’t the only one.

I run other games too, in-person and online. I’ll talk about some of the games I’ve run professionally below - and if you don’t see the game you want here, let’s talk!

Other games I run

My RPG collection is a little nuts! But I’ve got some favourite systems, in addition to Dungeons and Dragons. Here are some of the systems I’ve run professionally.

You can check my games page to see if I’m running any right now. Or you can email me at forevergmnz@gmail.com to talk about something you’d like to play.

Find a game

  • The new high-fantasy roleplaying game from Critical Role is one of my favourite games to play right now!

    It’s full of collaborative storytelling, where players help build the world. It’s easy to pick up, and the Hope/Fear mechanic makes the game very different from D&D yet also quite familiar.

    Players roll 2 d12s for most rolls - one die is a Fear die, and the other is a Hope die. If the Hope die is the highest, players get points to fuel their abilities. If the Fear die is highest, the GM gets points to power monster abilities and make bad things happen!

  • Cy_Borg is a dark, cyberpunk RPG that’s super easy to learn. Characters take only a couple of moments to create and there aren’t many rules. The GM doesn’t even get to roll dice though the players do!

    Because characters are quite fragile Cy_Borg encourages roleplaying and solving problems with brains not brawn.

  • The same system behind Cy_Borg runs a whole heap of other games. Another one is Pirate Borg. Play as a crew of pirates.

    It’s a scurvy good time.

  • The Paragon System is quite a different approach to roleplaying games. In many games, like D&D players tell the GM what they want to do and the GM tells them what dice to roll for what ability.

    In Paragon games players instead narrate what they are doing and what they want to roll and then justify what happens in the game after the roll is made.

    My two favourite versions are both Kiwi designed from Wellington’s own brilliant designer Tim Denee. Deathmatch Island is a spoof of games shows and reality TV and combines Survivor and the Hunger Games for a fun, lethal time at the table. I talk about it here on my Substack.

    If you are a fan of Wes Anderson, especially The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, then Odyssey Aquatica will be for you! You can watch me run the game here.

  • Riverbank is Beatrix Potter meets Downton Abbey. Everyone plays as anthropomorphic animals living in a genteel Edwardian England.

    This isn’t a game about combat, it’s about low-stakes, cosy hijinks all finished in time for a good cup of tea.

  • This rules lite and super dangerous sci-fi RPG imagines you are Average Joes caught in deep space with unspeakable horrors.

    Expect to die in terrible ways in a game that can be super-stressful, super fun or an amazing mix of both.