MLGG: Pop Culture News, Reviews & Interviews

Lockdown may have taken many in-person pastimes away, but necessity – as they say – is the mother of invention. The fact that tabletop gamers couldn’t gather in person didn’t stop us – we simply found ways around it; in fairness, virtual tabletops weren’t a new invention that caught on during the pandemic, but they certainly proved their usefulness and continue to be a popular option for players who enjoy gaming together, but can’t meet up for whatever reason.

Most virtual tabletop apps are relatively basic in visual terms, though of course incredibly useful in facilitating play between multiple players at different geographical locations.

Currently seeking funds on Kickstarter, virtual tabletop and world building software RPG Stories is a little different, as it provides not just the roleplaying framework for gaming with, but also the tools to build 3D worlds, aiding roleplayers in visualising and navigating through their adventures.

You might think that this would perhaps limit the scope or genre of what can be played using the software, but – impressively – the app is as fully featured as any other VTT, as well as coming packaged with more than a thousand 3D models to use in putting together 3D worlds to represent locations, props and characters in any adventure you create. Along with medieval and/or fantasy worlds, it also supports modern horror and sci-fi settings too.

The product itself is near-complete, but with stretch goals reached, developers Brave Alice hope to also add customisable options and character sheets, extra auto modes in the World-Builder (along with thousands more models), rulesets and a battle system. Many features are already available for GMs, but they’re also looking to add further features for players too, including handouts, player journals and back stories too.

Intriguingly, the graphics engine used in RPG Stories will be used (should a stretch goal be reached) to power new comedy panel show Dorks n Orks – which, as creator Gary Colman tells me to imagine, is like “Dungeon & Dragons but funny. Like Game of Thrones. But with less nudity. And budget.”

I genuinely can’t wait to see what they’re able to put together for Dorks n Orks, which sounds incredibly promising – and points to the versatility and usefulness of RPG Stories as a tool for telling a wide variety of stories, almost regardless of tone or subject matter.

You can check out and back RPG Stories at this link. Though fully funded, stretch goals aren’t yet guaranteed – so if this is a product that you’re interested in, do give them your support if you can!

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