Welcome back to the weekly Tabletop Games thread! This thread is where we can talk about all kinds of RPGs, card games, board games, etc. Whether you gather around a physical table in the real world, or use a virtual space to play with friends who may live far away from you, this is where you can discuss your favorites, ask for and/or receive recommendations, recap your recent adventures, or even find some people to play games with!

Discussion Prompt: In the recently released Forgotten Realms sourcebooks, WotC has added a new system to D&D 5.5e called Circle Magic. The basic idea is that multiple spellcasters can joint together in a circle to cast a supercharged version of a spell. Circle Magic can be used on any spell with a casting time of 1 action or longer, and can do things like greatly increase the range or area of effect of a spell, remove the need for concentration, negate the need for costly components, or keep specific creatures safe from the spell’s effects. Some spells also have unique mechanics when cast in a Circle.

While player characters can certainly take advantage of Circle Magic, to me it reads like it’s more likely to be used by the GM. It can provide a unique goal to a combat encounter, where the heroes have to battle past the cultists’ minions and disrupt the Circle. Or it can provide a plot hook to build a whole campaign around, where the heroes hear rumors of a cult planning to form a Circle in order to cause some catastrophic magical effect and must find some way to prevent it. Really, it’s the same kind of things that DMs have been making up for years, now codified into the game mechanics.

What do you think of Circle Magic in 5.5e? More generally, should game systems/rules always be the same for PCs and the monsters/NPCs?

If you would like to suggest a prompt or contribute a write-up or discussion topic of your own, let me know in the comments!