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Tales From the Shelf; deep dives into the games we've run. @talesshelfpod.bsky.social · 12/10/2026

All right, V5 Episode 3 - the Kindred Society chapter. You know where to - Look for Tales From the Shelf on the Apple Podcasts listings and Podbean.

Upper text: Tales from the shelf.
Lower text: Vampire the Masquerade.

The image is a bloody red, a wall with graffiti. On the left is a mini of a black woman with black hair, in gold shorts, white trainers and a red hoodie.

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Tales From the Shelf; deep dives into the games we've run. @talesshelfpod.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Hah, what did I say in the last episode? (No insider info here, I could just see it coming) www.paradoxinteractive.com/games/world-...

paradoxinteractive.com

Thank you Renegade Game Studios. - Paradox Interactive

World of Darkness

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Tales From the Shelf; deep dives into the games we've run. @talesshelfpod.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Can't believe we forgot to mention the VtM album Music from the Succubus Club among the merch. That got me into the Cruxshadows.

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Tales From the Shelf; deep dives into the games we've run. @talesshelfpod.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

We get into the book in all its bisexual lighting. And we ask - is this a book of its time, compared to the goth-punk of the 90s? How does it lay out its stall? And who really did the Twin Towers bombing in 2011?

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Tales From the Shelf; deep dives into the games we've run. @talesshelfpod.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

So I have a question (this is based on talking to my Thursday night group about what we're doing) - how do you structure your campaigns? I've never run a long game, after a while I find that I need a creative break - and running a one-shot in a very different genre is as good as a rest for me.

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Tales From the Shelf; deep dives into the games we've run. @talesshelfpod.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

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Tales From the Shelf; deep dives into the games we've run. @talesshelfpod.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

But is that 'normal'? Michael certain thinks not, that poeple just want to play the same thing for a long time. I couldn't imagine it, often the side game gives me ideas that go into the next season of a game (like, 'this one will be more empire building'). And frankly, I'm a promiscuous GM.

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Tales From the Shelf; deep dives into the games we've run. @talesshelfpod.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

4. The Witcher. Kind of a cheat, as the RPG is not good and doesn't replicate the sourse material too well, but the source material is very Humanist with a capital H. There's probably others, please add in replies but I'm off to go pick up my B5 wargame book now.

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Tales From the Shelf; deep dives into the games we've run. @talesshelfpod.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

3. Night Witches. You and your comrades kill nazis as an all-woman Russian air wing.

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Tales From the Shelf; deep dives into the games we've run. @talesshelfpod.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

2. Vampire the Masquerade. Look, 1e was literally a game about being young and angry that the dead men's shoes are still filled by the old, unmoveable corrupt establishment fuckers in a way eerily prescient about the US Senate and V5 is too. It literally has a 'fuck fascists' piece.

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Tales From the Shelf; deep dives into the games we've run. @talesshelfpod.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

1. Fading Suns. A game about dragging humanity out of the Dark Ages and achieving self-awareness. Being psychic and evil can literally devastate planets, while Sathra brings you into being one with the universe.

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Tales From the Shelf; deep dives into the games we've run. @talesshelfpod.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Because, while Mulligan seems nice, DnD has a bad history and is the godsdamn shitty company. So let's go. (Note: rpgs are FULL of missing stairs, I'm talking about humanist games here.)

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Tales From the Shelf; deep dives into the games we've run. @talesshelfpod.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Eh, I'm already Mythras/RQ/BRP curious anyway, I've read some of the books and they are on my TBR list, so shouldn't be too bad. Thanks, I'll have to have a rummage through those! I have this idea for a year 401 game where the crew pick up after the Oblivion Crisis and try to rebuild Skyrim.

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Jason at Myth-forged @jason-mythforged.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

It also has an existing TES conversion (its the third entry on the page): www.mythras.net#/Pages/Homeb...

mythras.net

Mythras.net

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Tales From the Shelf; deep dives into the games we've run. @talesshelfpod.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Oh, we talked about this kind of thing in the interstitial! Kill the player. I'm joking of course, but this behaviour isn't going to work and, like most problems, involves open talk about why this isn't OK. And, failing an understanding, yeeting the player.

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Tales From the Shelf; deep dives into the games we've run. @talesshelfpod.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Huh, thanks. I think I might look at the D100 version; I do already like percentile systems. My thing for Conan was that I think it would model close combat well (and has weapon reach, for Morrowind spear enjoyers 😅). Magic, it does not. But both Conan and ES share that modern weird fantasy vibe.

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Tales From the Shelf; deep dives into the games we've run. @talesshelfpod.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

So I'm going to ask everyone who reads this: how was Vampire foundational to you? What about it spoke to you? Do you still listen to the bands quoted throughout the book? Do you own Songs From Succubus Club (forgot to mention that!)? (Yes I do own the album, I want to make Michael listen to it.)

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Tales From the Shelf; deep dives into the games we've run. @talesshelfpod.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

V5 is a foundational game for me. It helped get me into goth stuff (behind the Crow, a movie that made me realise how cool leather trenchcoats are), but also because it was the first game I read that unapologetically said 'fuck it, we are doing art, this hobby is an art form'.

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Tales From the Shelf; deep dives into the games we've run. @talesshelfpod.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Alright, let's Go! Vampire the Masquerade V5 podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t... It is really annoying that the generic cover image applies from the link and not the V5 specific one that I worked so hard on

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Tales From the Shelf; deep dives into the games we've run. @talesshelfpod.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

I...basically know nothing of OSR/DnD stuff, lol. I had wondered about riffing on the 2D20 Conan system, but I have no time for that kind of work.

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Tales From the Shelf; deep dives into the games we've run. @talesshelfpod.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Mark here, been playing Skyrim and wondered - what's a good system for ES games? The Unofficial one is too rules heavy for me. Bonus points for saying 'Runequest' lol.

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Tales From the Shelf; deep dives into the games we've run. @talesshelfpod.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Listened to the first two episodes and had a great time. Love how it's straight into the action and doesn't let up.

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Tales From the Shelf; deep dives into the games we've run. @talesshelfpod.bsky.social · 08/08/2026

Hmm, maybe I should have recorded a quick Witcher AP to show the rules/system off. I am displaying the same ability to be on the ball by...running Vampire the Requiem while we do the V5 book. 😐

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Wyrd Science Magazine @wyrdscience.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

we are always happy to support & help out other folks trying to get print media projects off the ground, & with that in mind we're now stocking the ace UK zine Secret Passages on our store alongside US import Glaive wyrd.science/collections/... If you're launching or thinking about...

the covers of the first three issues of Secret Passages, an A5 UK zine covering tabletop games and focusing on the ones we grew up on

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Wyrd Science Magazine @wyrdscience.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

Can’t believe we’re doing ‘which Americans did actual play first’ discourse again. How many times does Simon need to fall into a fucking hole before Treguard of Dunshelm finally gets his flowers, eh?

youtu.be

Funniest Knightmare death ever!

YouTube video by Andy Bill

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Tales From the Shelf; deep dives into the games we've run. @talesshelfpod.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

Our next book is Vampire the Masquerade, V5. An interesting choice seeing as the V6 playtest document has just been released. (Michael has already read through it and Has Thoughts.)

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Tales From the Shelf; deep dives into the games we've run. @talesshelfpod.bsky.social · 02/08/2026

It looks like the a track from FATE games. As does the Quickening, or whatever it is. I dunno, I'm getting weird 'cozy' vibe from the mechanics. But not sure I can say why. It is also so weird to see the VtR dice mechanics back. V5 felt influenced by VtR but still VtM. Where's this going?

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Tales From the Shelf; deep dives into the games we've run. @talesshelfpod.bsky.social · 02/08/2026

Ok, so; I've only seen the cheat sheet, I don't have the online gaming account (also super busy; the OH went for surgery and needs a lot of support) and reading isn't playing. That said, reverting to VtR's mechanic is weird? Adding a humanity track that's...what, about balance than degeneration?

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Modiphius @modiphius.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

🖖Star Trek Blog!🖖 And it's a celebration! Jim Johnson reflects on the 10 glorious years we have had with one of our favourite franchises. 🔗: buff.ly/W0IQs66 #blog #startrekadventures #TTRPG

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Tales From the Shelf; deep dives into the games we've run. @talesshelfpod.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

Busy editing right now, but you bet I'll be coming back to this.

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Tales From the Shelf; deep dives into the games we've run. @talesshelfpod.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

I know V5 riffed off/iterated on/borrowed liberally from Vampire the Requiem, but straight-up taking VtR's 'roll a bunch of D10s, you need an 8, 9 or 10 for a success' seems *a bit much*.

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Tales From the Shelf; deep dives into the games we've run. @talesshelfpod.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

As for V6....eh. Reading CoD, I could see where the writers thought VtM needed to change and... I don't get that from V6 yet?

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Tales From the Shelf; deep dives into the games we've run. @talesshelfpod.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

This week Michael and I record the first part of our #V5 #vtm deep dive in time for V6 details to start coming out, so that's great timing on our part and obviously we planned this, don't ask how. It'll be interesting to see what we see as needing change vs what the devs went with.

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Tales From the Shelf; deep dives into the games we've run. @talesshelfpod.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

Look forward to people finding out that yes you can bang Armand in this game, but it's the original boy version and not the adult Banderas. (Or worse, that's why they're here for it.)

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Tales From the Shelf; deep dives into the games we've run. @talesshelfpod.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

I feel bad for WitchCraft, regarded from the start as a poor man's World of Darkness. Soon that title will be taken by the Anne Rice rpg!

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Tales From the Shelf; deep dives into the games we've run. @talesshelfpod.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

But we already have an Anne Rice vampire and other monsters game. It's still a big deal in rpgs! Back when talking about the Witcher, I said that I wanted to know what a new game, aha, 'brought to the table'. We already have a ton of games for this. renegadegamestudios.com/blog/renegad...

renegadegamestudios.com

Renegade Game Studios and AMC Global Media Announce Anne Rice's Immortal Universe Roleplaying Game

Renegade Game Studios and AMC Global Media Announce Anne Rice's Immortal Universe Roleplaying Game Renegade is partnering with AMC to produce TTRPG titles for hit television series includin...

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Tales From the Shelf; deep dives into the games we've run. @talesshelfpod.bsky.social · 28/06/2026

Did a lot of editing yesterday as we finish the adventure in the #Witcher core book and talk about how it illustrates/magnifies problems we have with the book as whole. Also, might have to call the episode 'The troll is s*** at his job'.

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Wyrd Science Magazine @wyrdscience.bsky.social · 27/06/2026

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Tales From the Shelf; deep dives into the games we've run. @talesshelfpod.bsky.social · 24/06/2026

Question for #VtM #Vampirethemasquerade #Vamily people - what was it with Vampire merch? I had the velvet dice pouch and stylish dice, tie pins and even VtM writing paper... but what was with the action figures, chess sets, etc? It just seems...excessive.

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Wyrd Science Magazine @wyrdscience.bsky.social · 24/06/2026

"I question who needs it?" I just fundamentally feel like this is a thread that absolutely nobody involved in the world of "all you need are pencils, paper, dice and imagination for years of fun" should ever tug on still, it is hard to think of too many other sectors where the barrier between

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Tales From the Shelf; deep dives into the games we've run. @talesshelfpod.bsky.social · 24/06/2026

Yikes. My timeline for Vampire (with relevant bits of WW history) is heading for two pages. As a disappointing YouTuber would say, it's a lot to unpack.

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