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Welcome to Loot & Lattes
There are numerous places to purchase games. There are fewer places where the space invites play, the community invites belonging, and connection happens naturally among like-minded folks. Loot & Lattes was created because we believe games deserve more than folding chairs, poor lighting, and hurried conversations. They deserve space. Care. Time. And people who are genuinely pleased to see you. These aren’t abstract ideas. They’re observations shaped by years of watching table
Tsukiya
Jan 234 min read
Urban Fantasy TTRPG Systems: A Mechanical Overview
Comparative Reference by System This document presents a mechanical overview of prominent urban fantasy tabletop role-playing games . Each system is described using the same criteria: Mechanical identity Player quality-of-life considerations GM quality-of-life considerations Typical use cases The intent is reference and comparison, not recommendation. World of Darkness Dice-pool system centered on supernatural identity, personal horror, and social tension. Includes multiple g
Tsukiya
3 days ago2 min read
Mecha TTRPG Systems: A Mechanical Overview
Comparative Reference by System This document presents a mechanical overview of prominent mecha tabletop role-playing games . Each system is described using the same criteria: Mechanical identity Player quality-of-life considerations GM quality-of-life considerations Typical use cases The intent is reference and comparison, not recommendation. Lancer Tactical, grid-based mecha combat system paired with lighter narrative play outside the cockpit. Mechs are built using modular
Tsukiya
3 days ago2 min read
Post-Apocalyptic TTRPG Systems: A Mechanical Overview
Comparative Reference by System This document presents a mechanical overview of prominent post-apocalyptic tabletop role-playing games . Each system is described using the same criteria: Mechanical identity Player quality-of-life considerations GM quality-of-life considerations Typical use cases The intent is reference and comparison, not evaluation. Gamma World Post-apocalyptic science fantasy with mutation-forward character design. Rules vary by edition but generally emphas
Tsukiya
3 days ago2 min read
Cyberpunk TTRPG Systems: A Mechanical Overview
This document presents a mechanical overview of prominent cyberpunk tabletop role-playing games . Each system is described using the same criteria: Mechanical identity Player quality-of-life considerations GM quality-of-life considerations Typical use cases No evaluative language or rankings are applied. Cyberpunk 2020 Skill-based system using a stat + skill + d10 resolution model. Emphasizes lethality, equipment detail, and social consequence. Player QoL Extensive skill list
Tsukiya
3 days ago2 min read
A Mechanical Tour of Dungeons & Dragons Editions
From Expert Sets to the 2024 Rules Refresh Dungeons & Dragons has evolved by changing priorities , not by replacing ideas. D&D Timeline from roleplay-geek.blogspot.com Each edition is a response to how tables played—and what they needed next. Also note that releases were not specifically in edition order in the beginning of times. I'm talking to you D&D BECMI! This article walks edition by edition , clearly labeled, focusing on: Mechanical intent Player quality-of-life (QoL)
Tsukiya
3 days ago3 min read
Why Play Feels Different — Depending on Where You Are
Table play isn’t a single experience. It changes shape depending on scale. At major events, pacing tightens early. Decisions are made with long arcs in mind — not just the current round, but the entire event. Players tend to avoid lines that introduce unnecessary variance. Experimental choices thin out quickly, replaced by patterns that are known to hold up across multiple rounds. Losses are absorbed differently here as well. A single misstep can feel cumulative, not because
Loot and Lattes
4 days ago2 min read
Champion Choice as a Kind of Identity
Champion selection is often treated as a strategic decision, but at the table it behaves more like a personal one. Players tend to return to the same champions even when alternatives are available. Not because those champions are objectively stronger, but because they feel legible. The lines make sense. The rhythm matches how the player thinks. Some champions invite patience. Others reward decisiveness. Over time, players stop choosing based on matchup spread and start choosi
Loot and Lattes
4 days ago1 min read
Why Local Tabletop Games Still Matter
Local Grand Archive play carries a different kind of information. When games happen at shared tables, decisions are visible as they’re made. Not just the cards, but the pauses between them. Players see how long choices take, when someone hesitates, and how lines are reconsidered in real time. That visibility adds context that doesn’t come from results alone. Learning also spreads sideways. Players pick up patterns by watching nearby matches, even when they aren’t directly inv
Loot and Lattes
4 days ago1 min read
Familiarity Beats Power More Often Than Expected
Watching repeated games makes one thing clear: comfort closes matches. Players piloting familiar decks navigate complexity with less friction. Decisions happen faster. Errors are caught earlier. Recovery lines are easier to see because they’ve been walked before. By contrast, technically stronger decks often introduce hesitation. Players double-check interactions, reread cards, or miss timing windows simply because the deck hasn’t settled into muscle memory yet. This gap show
Loot and Lattes
4 days ago1 min read
Beginner Tables Shape More Than People Realize
Beginner tables are often treated as transitional spaces. In reality, they influence the entire environment. The pace at beginner tables is slower, but the conversations are richer. Players talk through turns. Decisions are verbalized. Assumptions are surfaced instead of hidden. That transparency doesn’t stay contained — it leaks outward. More experienced players overhear questions they stopped asking long ago. Sometimes those questions expose habits that went unexamined. Som
Loot and Lattes
4 days ago1 min read
What Grand Archive Looks Like Right Now
Grand Archive doesn’t feel static. Even when card pools don’t change, the way people approach the game does. Right now, play patterns are being shaped less by hard tier lists and more by repetition. The same champions show up across different tables, but how they’re piloted varies widely. Some players lean into efficiency and tight sequencing. Others play looser, prioritizing adaptability over optimization. Both approaches coexist without one clearly overpowering the other. A
Loot and Lattes
4 days ago2 min read
Why Some Decks Feel Stronger Than They Are
Perception travels faster than results. Certain decks develop reputations early, often after a few visible wins. Those wins circulate through conversations, not data. By the time the deck appears again, it arrives with expectation attached. That expectation does some of the work. Opponents play more cautiously. Lines are second-guessed. Small setbacks feel heavier because they’re interpreted as confirmation rather than variance. What often gets overlooked is how narrow those
Loot and Lattes
4 days ago1 min read
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