RPGaDay 2025: Week 1 Recap and Commentary

As I've done for previous years, I'll be compiling each week's responses for RPGaDay in a post on this blog. Each post also features additional commentary that wouldn't fit in the character limits common to social media. That commentary is in italics. What is the RPGaDay challenge? See this post. Want to get my responses fresh on the day? Look to the dedicated RPG.net forum thread, Mastodon, and Bluesky.

All of this year's prompts in the form of a bookshelf.

Day 1: Patron

The hooded figure in the tavern? Mr. Johnson in the cyberpunk bar? The shadowy organization? The mysterious contact? Have them be upfront, supportive, and entirely trustworthy. Throws players for a loop after decades of getting stabbed in the back by the obviously evil corporate interstellar overlord vampire.

The sudden, but inevitable betrayal was a worn out trope before the turn of the millennium. There is a grain of truth to it - the petty, selfish, and greedy are rarely good managers or leaders. The majority of villains should be too shortsighted and self-centered to realize that good talent is both hard to find and can find work elsewhere. However, having an employer - even one with an MBA or "evil" in their title - who values the ability to get things done and rewards consistent results could be a welcome change of pace. Or it could throw the players off balance. Either is good.


Day 2: Prompt

Murder hornets? Yesterday's news. Radioactive wasps? That's where it's at (link to a Popular Science article about a hornet's nest found in a former nuclear weapons site).

Folks who follow my socials know I shared a link about this last week, but it's good enough for a repeat.

Radioactive wasps are a versatile prompt. Superhero origin - radioactive bug bites are an established source of superpowers. Kaiju origin - radiation is an established source of giant monsters. Weird element in a modern campaign - radiation is an established source of weirdness in both fiction and reality. An enterprising GM might be able to work it into a fantasy campaign with a little work.


Day 3: Tavern

Strict "no adventurers" taverns are local watering holes, have exclusive clientele, or don't want to pay the insurance premiums.

Taverns catering to the adventurer market feature quest boards, private meeting areas, and back rooms selling specialty gear.

"Travelers" taverns will serve adventurers, but prefer traders and pilgrims as they are less likely to wreck the joint.

Most adventures will find themselves in a tavern at some point. However, not all taverns serve the adventurer demographic. Low level adventurers tend to be frugal - there's not much money to be made there. Adventurers who survive to reach high levels tend to set up their own hangouts, even if the game doesn't overtly support domain management. The middle levels are where money can be made. They spend freely on rich food, strong drink, and a certain quality of entertainment while waiting for the next adventure hook to present itself. Unfortunately, they also bring trouble in various forms - the attentions of dark powers, political upheavals, assassins, and former romantic partners. Sometimes all at once. Sometimes all in the form of the same person. Sometimes that person is a party member. Also, the watch is rarely up to the challenge of breaking up a brawl involving adventurers outside of genre-aware locations. All in all, it might not be worth the money. So it does make sense that some places will look to other markets.