This is the list of the games, adventures, and products I officially think are worth your time and money.

Roleplaying Games

Star Trek Adventures Second Edition – Narrative game for telling stories in the Star Trek universe. Great if you particularly want to tell a story with the Star Trek IP, or something really similar. My review of this game was a finalist for the Review Category of the 2024 Bloggies.

Fall of Magic – Of all of the games I’ve played and owned, this is by far the most magical. Play it once a year, in a thoughtful space with friends you haven’t seen since before the empire fell. It is a meditative, magical experience. Buy the Scroll Edition, it is worth it, even if you only play it once.

Microscope – A brilliant game where you build the history of a setting. I’ve built multiple campaign settings in this.

Cairn 2e – It’s free, it’s good. Pick it up! The character options are super evocative, and it has some really incredible tools to generate adventures.

Shadowdark – A modern instantiation of Old School Dungeon Crawling. Quick, efficient, and concisely written. Worth your time, worth your money. Might be too deadly for 5E players’ tastes. Read my review on it here.

Ironsworn – A solo roleplaying game that asks you if you’re willing to make sacrifices and vows to survive in the Ironlands.

Xcrawl Classics – It just works, man.

Adventures

Lurkers – A Lower Decks mission for Star Trek Adventures 1E. Nails an amazing tone switch between Starfleet in disguise at Trekkie Convention, and a serious interrogation of the Prime Directive. My review here.

Lorn Song of the Bachelor – Concise. Poetic. Compelling. Political. Perfect.

Hideous Daylight – Brad Kerr knows how to write funny, weird, and usable. He is one of the best adventure writers working right now. I really like the tone and setting of this adventure. You could probably take this to your table this evening and run it straight out of the book.

Red Hand of Doom – I love this adventure. Some day I’ll finish it. Dramatic, short(ish), and unabashedly straightforward. Kill the bad guy. Save the day.

B2 Keep on the Borderlands* – I ran a year long campaign, levels 1-5, based on this adventure. If it kept me busy for a year, it will probably keep you busy too. Requires a lot of legwork, and it’s not without its weaknesses: its design is outdated, and it hasn’t aged well. A gem in the rough that has a special place in my heart. *Recommended with an asterisk, since there’s a lot of work to do. Review here.

Sunless Citadel – A rock solid dungeon that works in any game.

Deep Carbon Observatory – In the running for my favorite adventure. It’s a close fight with Lurkers. Has the best monster you’ll ever run, and the best villain party you’ll ever run. Buy it for those and the dungeon. God. The dungeon. So spooky. There’s a PWYW version for free as well! So absolutely worth it.

Dead Planet – God this adventure is so spooky. Read it.

The Haunting of Ypsilon-14 – A brilliant gem that taught me things about layout that I did not know possible.

Kidnap the Archpriest – This is mostly here for the author’s pitch on adapting it to a cyberpunk setting: “Are you a bad enough dude to kidnap the Technopope and avoid his Ultrabishops, Metapriests, and LaserGuards?

Supplements

FLEE MORTALS! – This book saved my campaign. The best 5e monster book.

The Monster Overhaul – This book will probably save my inevitable Shadowdark campaign.

Blog Posts I’ve Liked

Gygax’s Fortress – All Dead Generations

Overloading the Random Encounter Table – Prismatic Wasteland

Rules are a Cage (and I’m a Puppygirl) – Possum Creek

Group Downtime Activities: Remembering the Dead – Mazirian’s Garden

Let’s Make a Forest – New School Revolution

the infrastructure of magical convenience – in lowercase

(Don’t) Incentivise Ethical Behavior – Zedeck Siew’s Writing Hours