Gina

Zombie apocalypse! While this game is derived from AMC's 'The Walking Dead', it is well written enough to cover for any zombie apocalypse scenario from Romero to 28 Years Later. The mechanics for Havens - your home base - and the folks you need to take care of there are finely tuned to create characters that survive, not just because they're tough, but because of the human element around them. This is game that fosters teamwork and cooperation! The Horde rules make zombies easy prey on their own, but lethal in groups, and the Stress mechanic really drives home the desperation and fear of the setting beautifully.

Free League don't miss, and Mutant Year Zero is a beautifully put together piece of work that really starts to come into its own when you can engage in a campaign view and integrate the follow-on content from Genlab Alpha, Elysium and Mechatron. It integrates some old school ideas with map exploration and random event tables, but can also be customised to create a more targetted narrative at the GMs discretion. I'm being super strict with a 4* review - it should really be 5, but Mutant Year Zero has a few 'teething problems' as the birthplace of the Year Zero Engine (most of which are resolved in more recent releases and updates!)

Free League make exceptional games. From the well know IP's of Alien to their own settings, they bring a deligtfully Nordic touch that encourages character driven roleplay. Vaesen is not a hack-and-slash monster hunt, it's a thoughtful, spiritual investigation into the supernatural, viwed through a 19th century lens of burgeoning industrialisation and the quiet death of folklore that makes every adventure tense, dramatic and a little sad. If you're looking for a game that puts character decisions front-and-centre and challenges assumptions, this is a great place to start!

I'm a big fan of the 2d20 system by Modiphius and a big fan of Dune, so I was very excited for this game - so much so that I ran my first game of it on release day! The system is flexible enough to allow for a meta-narrative level of play, letting you play not only as characters, but also as a Noble House, giving you a strategic play level on a galactic stage while your characters deal with issues on a personal level. The game perfectly captures the feel and the style of the Dune universe and offers a fast, adaptable game with a huge level of player agency through the Momentum system. I've been happy to run several games of Dune, both on StartPlaying and off, and it lends itself well to a multi-story arc, just as easily as a one-shot.

Terra is an amazing GM who combines the best of all worlds - knowledgeable, proficient with the virtual tabletop and a great storyteller. Terra sets a fine pace to games, while still being able to support and encourage beginners and old-hands alike - and has mastered the art of finding out what the players want and then giving it to them - but only if we work for it! Much like a real-world questgiver, Terra took a small band of strangers and forged them into a party with style and grace - it's easy to see why she's one of the top GMs on SPG!