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Congas 101

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A conversation game, or "conga" for short,  is a game you play by having a conversation. Most people call them "table-top role-playing games" or "TTRPGs," but "congas" is more fun to say. In 2024, the most popular congas tend to follow a cycle of conversation that looks roughly like this: First, the Game Master (GM) describes your character's situation. Second, you describe what action you want your character to take. Third, the GM decides and describes what happens next. Repeat. Modern congas tend to fall into one of three broad categories: crunchy, gritty, and sticky. Crunchy congas  focus on tactical combat. They're "crunchy" because they tend to involve "number crunching," i.e., doing math. Examples include Lancer , Fabula Ultima , and modern editions of Dungeons & Dragons . You might enjoy crunchy congas if... You enjoy a good tactical challenge in-game and the "lonely fun" of building out your chara
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What I'm thinking, part 2

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VI. So the hidden context behind the last post is that I just had a weird and overwhelming creative experience. I've been watching a lot of Joel Haver on YouTube and, for a week or two, I felt really inspired to make a movie. My obsessive thought patterns, which for a few years now have not shut up about RPGs, shifted to movie-making instead. I paid for some video lessons on how to film with an iPhone, I bought a phone tripod, I bought some cheap lavalier mics, I started filming something with my friend and... Something in my stomach turned. I absolutely hated being on camera. I quickly stopped filming, went into a weird depressive funk for a day or two and almost right away I was back to thinking about RPGs. I'm still not really sure what it means. I still have to talk to my therapist about it! But I feel like, for a brief moment, I was ready to open up to something new... And then the rug was pulled out from under me. VII. The game starts and ends with a problem. There is no
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Trying to unpack what I’m thinking

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I. Ruins & Rogues v2024_2   has a bug. Not something I'm just unhappy with, but something that straight up doesn't work as I intended it. I had in my head that monsters would be knocked out when they are reduced to exactly 0 Guard and 1 Health, but rules-as-written that is not what happens. I probably would have realized this was broken had I not been in such a rush to upload something that would fix v2024's broken combat. And I probably would have realized the combat was broken in v2024 had I done more playtesting before release. The problem is that I constantly feel pressure to keep updating the game because I have some twisted idea that, if I don't update it, people will think I'm a worse designer than I actually am. I know better now! The game has to reflect the very best of my design ability at all times! I'm not going to do that anymore. The game is not me. I need to let the damn thing go, at least long enough that when I come back to it I can see it w
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Welcome to congas.blog!

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My name is Tim and I design conversation games (or "congas"), which are more cumbersomely known as table-top role-playing games (TTRPGs). I am probably best known for Ruins & Rogues and for moderating the NSR Cauldron community on Discord. Why "congas.blog"? It was a dumb joke at first. "TTRPGs is a bad name. We should call them congas." But then I kept thinking about it, and it kept making me laugh, and I started to think, "Is this just stupid enough to stick?" "Congas" is a silly word. Everyone knows a conga is a drum. People will think you're joking if you say a conga is a game you play by having a conversation. I think that's why I like it. The term "role-playing game" was coined to lend an air of respectability to the young hobby. But personally, I think I could use a term to remind me not to take these games too seriously. Why not keep using your old blog? I think I'm at something of a transition point i
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