Journey Adventure Quest - DnD Board Game to Inspire Campaigns

Transcribed content from our recent YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3N4UZQypmuo&ab_channel=EternityTTRPG

Transcription

What if you combined the card drafting of a deckbuilder, the equipment-sets of a loot quest, and the hidden personal goals of a role-playing adventure—wrapped up in a compact competitive board game? That’s “Journey Adventure Quest” – or JAQ, for short.

This is a game my wife and I picked up at GenCon, and I’ve really enjoyed. In our first playthrough at the convention, it felt like there was a lot to wrap my head around. But we just played the game again for the first time since GenCon, and it made perfect sense – after a thorough read through the rulebook.

In today’s video, I’ll break down what I like about Journey Adventure Quest, whether you as a D&D fan may like it, and some basic info on how the game is played in case you want to pick it up.

JAQ is a competitive (or semi-cooperative / even solo) tabletop/ card game about fantasy heroes growing in power, fighting monsters, building gear and spell combinations, and completing quests.

I’ll get into the game in more detail shortly, but for the bulk of this video I actually want to just share what I like best about the game – which are some very specific things.

Whenever you get a new piece of equipment for your hero, you can “stack” it on gear of the same type. The way that you do this is to actually leave the card top and left side uncovered, which actually empowers your equipment.

This style of gameplay reminds me a lot of early gaming experiences I had with D&D and other RPGs where you finally get your first +1 Longsword. Sort of, before the days of World of Warcraft style play, where you’re just getting the newer, badder glowing sword that adds 1,000 more DPS than you had before.

I like that in Journey Adventure Quest, every upgrade adds to the stats of the equipment you had before, and also gives you a unique name.

This style of equipment upgrade works for all the gear you’d normally have in a D&D campaign, or other RPG – chest armor, helmet, gloves, belt, weapon, and even your spells!

And there’s no limit to how much you can “stack” on one equipment piece. We’ve had some games where one of us had like 8 weapons on top of each other, and was just the most insane gear you could imagine.

This stacking and naming effect makes the equipment begin to feel legendary, and incredibly powerful, even though you’ve had the basis for it from the very beginning of the game.

This “feel” of equipment upgrading actually isn’t all that important to the gameplay at all, to be honest haha. You’d probably think from me going on about it that it is, but to me the feel is valuable enough for why I like it so much, and it’s a great idea for even your next D&D campaign – emulating something like this.

Similar to stacking equipment, you actually do the same thing with monsters. Basically, to defeat it you need both strength, and knowledge for how to bring it down. Your goal (in my cases) is to gather enough strength and knowledge through your gear to overcome the monster.

But, when the monster levels up, you do the same thing with stacking the cards so they still show the top and left-hand side.

The final thing I want to point out that I really like about the game is that your character actually can’t “die.” Instead of taking “damage” that get removed from your total HP – like you’d see in most games or RPGs – you instead take 1 “blood” marker for each damage you’ve taken. At the end of the game, all of your “blood” markers reduce your overall score, so you can still basically “lose” the game (kind of) from taking too much damage.

But it’s really fun – and pretty funny also – that the game has these awesome equipment and monster mechanics, but you actually have no risk of character death. For a low-key, fantasy-adventure, fun/ party kind of game, I really like the low stakes nature of the game.

In one game, I think my wife had like 18-blood on her character – which is a ton, by the way. She basically had 0 armor all game, didn’t even try to reduce the damage she was taking – and ended up still winning because she completed all of her character’s quests, in other ways. Super fun.

So, here’s roughly how the game is played, overall.

Heroes get an initial hand of 7 cards to draft equipment, spells, or other items. Equipment has a cost to it (either in coins, or blood), and you basically just choose what you want for your character.

After every two rounds of drafting cards for your hero to power them up, you face monsters. Everyone who can defeat the monster – by overcoming their knowledge and HP – gets rewards, like you can see here.

And then, each monster also comes with specific loot drops, which only one player may acquire, based on specific requirements for each loot card.

After a monster is defeated, players returning to drafting more equipment and cards to boost their heroes. There are three total “rounds” of fighting monsters.

While all of this is happening, there are personal secret adventures: each hero has some hidden goals that often require high-level spells, powerful equipment of a certain type, or certain “colors” that go into their equipment – these are known as guilds. I think of them basically just as being elemental types.

Finally, there are quests, which are basically adventures that everyone’s on, to either compete for end-game prizing, or to at least hit certain thresholds where bonuses are given.

At game end, the hero with the most points – which you get from a combination of equipment / monster fights / secret adventure completions/ quest/comparisons and) – actually wins the game.

To summarize it, the game utilizes a very fun drafting mechanic for gear where you’re building combos, guild-sets, spells and equipment that synergize.

You have progressive escalation of your very cool equipment, and monsters you battle.

Players have hidden goals that add a roleplay-like flavor, and gives each player a sort of personal story they’re pursuing.

And then you have multiple paths to victory: through direct confrontation/quests, through your hero’s power, through completing your secret adventures, and more.

All of this a adds replayability, strategic variation, and a sense that you’re sort of roleplaying a character through this board, card game.

Many D&D fans enjoy storytelling, character growth, equipment/spells, quests, sometimes hidden motivations, and fighting monster.

I would say that journey adventure quest delivers on all of these.

What JAQ might not deliver (for D&D fans) would be: Narrative depth, Roleplay flexibility, and stuff like Dungeon exploration and world building.

So, it isn’t a replacement, obviously, but if you like D&D and want a light version of a D&D-feeling game, I think you’d have a lot of fun playing JAQ for an hour or two on some afternoon you have free.

So there you have Journey Adventure Quest — a game that blends drafting, hero building, secret goals, and monster combat into something strategic, replayable – and most importantly, fun.

For many D&D fans, especially those who love loot, spells, and character growth, this is worth a look. If you’ve played the game (or get a chance to), let me know your impressions. Thanks for watching—don’t forget to like, subscribe, and hit that bell so you see when we cover more hybrid adventure/ strategy games amidst our journey into D&D!

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The New Final Fantasy TTRPG Is Here — And It’s Incredible

By Jacob Tegtman • December 12, 2025

Transcribed content from our recent YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GBbHsUFBR8 Transcription Visit the Final Fantasy Tabletop Roleplaying Legend Edition Website . Final Fantasy fans… it’s finally happening. A brand-new tabletop RPG built specifically to capture the tactical, job-swapping, limit-breaking chaos we love from the Final Fantasy series. But… for those of you who are familiar with Final Fantasy d20, and other predecessors to this Legend Edition, why make a whole new system when Final Fantasy Tabletop RPGs have already existed in the past? And what makes the Final Fantasy Legend Edition so special? Today, we’re diving in to the game that aims to become the definitive way to play in Ivalice—or any Final Fantasy world—at your table. Oh, and did I mention that this is a professionally-designed game book and PDF assets for every conceivable part of your game – and it’s all 100% free? That’s right, free. This is a passion project brought to you by Mildra the Monk and his amazing team that they’ve been working on for years. It’s absolutely incredible what they’ve put together, and you can get it for your table today – at no cost. Hey everyone, welcome back to ETTRPG—your home for tabletop news, deep dives, and world-building inspiration. If you love Final Fantasy, Tactics-style combat, or job systems with way too many builds to ever be able to properly enjoy it all, today’s video is for you. So, Final Fantasy TRPG: Legend Edition is a spiritual successor to the long-running Returners’ Final Fantasy RPG and its offshoots like Final Fantasy 4e and Omega Fantasy. But this isn’t just a rehash—this is a completely modernized, research-driven rebuild of the whole system. The devs, among them Mildra the Monk, who has been a big supporter of us at Eternity TTRPG for years, spent three years dissecting the games, the lore, the combat, and all the unique systems that Final Fantasy fans love. The result? An intermediate-complexity tabletop RPG laser-focused on recreating the true Final Fantasy experience – at the table—without any confusing crunch, or decade-old legacy rules. Ok, as I mentioned, there are other Final Fantasy tabletop systems already. But here’s what it boils down to for why it was worth it for Mildra and his team to create this new system. Number one: Simplicity None of the previous games fully capture the mythos of Final Fantasy while still giving players complete setting freedom . Where earlier systems often tied you to a specific world, tone, or era, Legend Edition was built around a single core design principle, which is: “Mythos over setting.” This means the rules capture the soul of Final Fantasy—Summons, Jobs, elemental affinities, cinematic abilities—but they don’t lock you to Ivalice, Gaia, Spira, or any one timeline. Using this game system, you can: Recreate your favorite Final Fantasy world. Mash up multiple games. Or build your own world entirely from scratch. This is FF energy, but not FF rails , that makes it such a big deal. So, moving on, What Makes Legend Edition Stand Out? The first piece is: Ridiculously Modular Character Building. In the future, I plan to do more videos on Final Fantasy Legend Edition. But let’s content ourselves today by summarizing – at least for this section – that there’s 50+ Jobs drawn from across the franchise. Included are fan favorites and long-time classics such as Dragoon, Black Mage, Thief, Time Mage, Gunbreaker, and dozens more. Using these 50+ Jobs, you do in fact have over 25,000 job combinations available to you, as a player. And these aren't “same-y” class splashes. The track-based advancement system makes each mix feel meaningful, distinct, and highly customizable. Oh—and there are 14 playable races taken from the Final Fantasy universe , each with their own unique ability. This is one of the most flexible JRPG-inspired character engines out there. The second big item that makes the Legend Edition Stand Out is Streamlined, Row-Based Combat, like your favorite Final Fantasy games from back in the day. Legend Edition offers an easy-to-learn row-based combat system that keeps the spirit of classic Final Fantasy battles while speeding everything up. You still get things like: Elemental affinities, Status effects, Skills with cinematic alt uses, And powerful Limit break moments. But, the math is way smoother than you’d expect. You won’t need a calculator, like if you took Final Fantasy I directly to your table. Next up is that the book provide you with Mythos-Driven Campaign Systems. Final Fantasy stories, across all games even back to the originals, are political. Big factions, world tension, and meaningful alliances are core to the franchise. Legend Edition builds this directly into play with: A Reputation & Affiliation system . You also have what’s called “The Holdings system” to build your very own base. The game comes with expanded NPC creation rules, and a robust Skill Game system for non-combat set pieces. This is the stuff that makes your campaign feel like a Final Fantasy game, not just another “game like D&D,” but with a “Final Fantasy” sticker slapped on their for flavor. As if all of the core game’s features are not enough, The Expansion Books Are pretty Wild. The Ultimania Expansion adds: 28 new races , 4 new jobs , 300+ sample items , Airship & Mecha creation systems , plus More Skill Games and Affiliations. Meanwhile, the Enemy Intel Field Guide brings you 200 full NPC stat blocks , a Fully detailed bestiary, and Drop-in encounter prep tools. Basically, everything you need as a Dungeon Master to prep your game with maximum Final Fantasy feel, and minimal effort. Additionally, if you want to run FF Tactics, FFIX, FFX, or even a fully original world—these books give you all the toys for each of those specific settings. Wrapping it all up, Legend Edition emulates the cinematic spirit of Final Fantasy with its Big narrative beats, Cutscene-worthy skill moments, Dramatic faction politics, Summons that feel truly mythic, and Job classes that are meaningful extensions of character identity. If you’ve ever said “I wish Final Fantasy had a premier tabletop version,” this is the game you need to try out at your table, next. So, if you’ve made it this far, I think you and I both know it’s time for you to download your free copy of Final Fantasy Legends Edition. I’ve got that link in the video description below. But I want to hear from you: what do you think? Does Legend Edition finally deliver that top-quality Final Fantasy tabletop experience we’ve all been waiting for? And if so, what will be the first Job class you’ll try out? Let me know in the comments. Hit like, subscribe, and share this video with your party. Let’s get Mildra and his team the recognition on this masterpiece that they truly deserve. Until next time—may your crits be big, and your summons be even bigger.

Undead figures in a city at night, with one playing a stringed instrument under a large, crescent moon.

Relicborn — The Blue-Boned Swashbuckling Undead of Crooked Moon

By Jacob Tegtman • December 6, 2025

Transcribed content from our recent YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwDiy7u-wUo Transcription In Kalero, the canyon walls sing. Not literally — but if you listen closely, as the desert wind slips through the stone crypts and carved tombs, you’ll hear something. A rhythm. A pulse. A beat. And when the Crooked Moon dips behind the cliffs, figures begin to emerge — their bones glowing with blue light, their skulls crowned with curls or braids, their steps half-dance, half-swagger. These are the Relicborn — the living memories of Kalero. Dressed in vibrant fabrics, lacquered patterns, and sometimes… a flashy swashbuckler’s cape or rapier at their side. Today on Eternity TTRPG, we’re diving into one of the most joyful, most soulful, and most stylish ancestries in all of Druskenvald. Crooked Moon continues to be one of my favorite adventure supplements of all time, and you can pick it up on D&D Beyond. Whether you’re a player wanting a character with flair, you’re a DM craving new cultural flavor for your campaign, or you’re just a lore-nerd who loves stylish undead — this one’s for you. The Relicborn are a species native to Kalero, a province lined with towering canyon walls carved into catacombs and mausoleums. But despite being born from tombs, they are anything but gloomy. These are living skeletons , decorated with any number of colors, hand-painted motifs, and glowing patterns. Their bones are encased in a translucent magical substance that gives them full humanoid shape. And if your Relicborn wants big curly swashbuckler hair? Yes. They can actually grow it from their skulls. Where they come from is unique: they’re formed in the crypts of Kalero, rising from ancestral memory and celebratory magic rather than necromancy. Theirs is not a culture of undeath — it’s a culture of joy , reflection , and honoring the past through celebration. Every Relicborn is essentially a walking festival — a living memory kept alive through music, dance, and stories. Relicborn society is built on a delicate balance: the energy of a vibrant celebration and the quiet reflection of ancestral remembrance. Imagine communities built along canyons, with lantern-lit walkways leading into ancient tomb-shrines. Families gather at night to play music, tell stories, and dance under blue and purple moonlight — while their ancestors' spirits look on. Their festivals can last days. Their moments of silence last just as long. They thrive in community — in the stories of who came before, and who they themselves will become. Relicborn live roughly 250 years , and when their time ends… they simply collapse gracefully into a pile of bones, returning to the crypts that first birthed them. All of the fun roleplaying stuff aside, let’s break down how their mechanics reflect their culture, starting with the most signature ability: Dance of Death As a bonus action, you make a DC 15 Charisma Performance or Instrument check. If you succeed, your next attack roll this turn has advantage . If you succeed by 5 or more? You roll one of your Hit Dice (without spending it!) and gain temporary hit points . This is perfect for swashbucklers, bards, rogues — anyone who wants to flavor combat like a deadly dance. Next, they have: Eternal Party Relicborn don’t sleep. Instead, they complete a long rest in four hours so long as they spend it in revelry — music, storytelling, gentle dancing, or shared celebrations. Imagine your party taking a rest and your Relicborn swashbuckler quietly jamming with a bone flute while keeping watch. This one’s pretty good: Moment of Remembrance When a creature you see within 30 feet fails a d20 test, you can use your reaction to add 1d4 to their roll. Once you turn a failure into a success, you can’t use it again until a rest. Relicborn are bursting with character potential. They have Incredible aesthetics. From glowing bones to swashbuckler outfits — you can lean into a Day-of-the-Dead style undead, a pirate, a festival style, or something Gothic. If you were to play a Relicborn… What would your glowing bones look like when you’re afraid, happy, or angry? And when your long life ends — what do you hope those you care about remember about you? Drop your ideas in the comments. And if you enjoyed this deep dive into the Relicborn, hit like, subscribe, ring the bell, and join me next time as we explore another Crooked Moon ancestry. Until then — Keep the music playing. Keep the celebrations bright. And may every memory lead you to your next dance.

Dark illustration of a crooked, spooky house under a full moon. Title

Fateweaving in The Crooked Moon — Personalizing Story

By Jacob Tegtman • December 2, 2025

Transcribed content from our recent YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kl3c6djcgbo Transcription Imagine your character in a folk-horror saga — not just another adventurer, but someone with a personal fate, a hidden thread that drags them deeper into shadows and tragedy… or redemption. That’s exactly what Fateweaving brings to Druskenvald in The Crooked Moon. The Crooked Moon isn’t just another D&D book. It’s a 600-plus-page folk-horror campaign that plops players into a sun-starved realm of nightmares, rituals, and haunted rails. Welcome back to Eternity TTRPG, your home for deep-dive D&D news breakdowns, world-building insights, and tools to level up your tabletop storytelling. Whether you’re a forever-DM, a lore-monster, or someone who appreciates a well-crafted adventure, we tackle the big ideas behind the games you love. And today, as with many videos I’ve created over the past several months, The Crooked Moon gives us plenty to sink our teeth into. What sets Crooked Moon’s System apart from the standard “roll dice, then fight monsters” is the optional system called Fateweaving — a way to bind each character’s past, motivations, and desires directly into the core of the campaign. Fateweaving gives each character a Thread of Fate — one of 13 possible personal arcs. At character creation (or early on), each player picks a Thread that defines a personal goal: lost memories, cursed lineage, spiritual duty, monstrous ambition — you name it. Then, throughout the campaign’s story, the GM weaves in six Narrative Touchpoints specific to that Thread. These form a full character arc , culminating in a personal climax and catharsis that runs parallel to the main story – they’re something much greater than just “side quests.” The first touchpoint, Incitement , ties a character’s personal quest to the campaign’s opening (often aboard the spectral Ghostlight Express or within the Crooked House). As the story progresses, the character meets allies or NPCs connected to their fate, uncovers secrets, faces a personal trial, then pushes through to their own climax — all while the main horror unfolds. In the end, during the epilogue, each character receives Catharsis — the emotional and narrative payoff for their arc. This means every player is actively living their own horror-tale inside the larger one of your full campaign. You might ask: why bother with all this Fate Weaving stuff? It does add potential complexity to your campaign, after all. So why not just run a normal campaign? It’s because Fateweaving transforms The Crooked Moon – or, any campaign you’re running –into a deeply personal story, for the players. It gives each character agency and meaning — their choices and their backstories matter. It increases emotional engagement for players : horror, hope, tragedy — when stakes are personal, every failure and every success resonates. It helps GMs balance player spotlight : with distinct Threads, you can weave in scenes tailored to each player without derailing the main plot. For players who love roleplay and character development — this is the sweet spot. Let’s pick an example Fateweaving Thread — say the Thread of Deliverance – and run through it really quick, just to give you an idea for how this works. The character begins lost, ejected from the spectral train, given only a broken compass. (this is the “Incitement” step) Later, at a trading post, a shady merchant hints he knows of strange artifacts. (this then, is the “Connection” step) On a creepy riverboat, the character recovers the first piece of a broken family heirloom. (with the “Discovery” step) In a haunted cemetery sanctuary, they wrestle the second piece from a statue’s grasp. (the “Confrontation” step) After the final boss — the Crooked Queen — they reclaim the last piece, reforge the heirloom, and choose either to become a ferryman of souls… or walk away free. (culminating in the “Climax + Catharsis” step) Suddenly, your campaign isn’t just “we stopped the big bad.” It’s the players’ story. Their redemption. Their choices. And in this case – even their soul. If you want to try out Crooked Moon’s Fateweaving system, here’s some very easy ways to get started: L et your players pick Threads early in the campaign – or, if you’re already running one, let them pick at your next session – then collaborate to weave their backstories into the world you’re running. Keep the Touchpoints flexible: treat them as narrative prompts — adapt to what your players do rather than forcing them. Be generous with spotlight time: Fateweaving only works if each character actually plays their arc, and gets to express their character through each important moment. Use Touchpoint rewards to drive engagement: use boons, stat bonuses, and narrative closure — they reinforce the importance of the arc. Don’t be afraid to deviate: mix endings, merge threads, or create custom ones — Crooked Moon’s Fateweaving system is meant as building blocks for you, not a cage you have to live in. If you run your next horror campaign in Druskenvald — or any other world where Crooked Moon’s spooky setting fits — consider using Fateweaving. It’s not just good for story… it’s the kind of DM fuel that turns players into protagonists, and campaigns into personal sagas . That’s it for today! If you enjoyed this breakdown, don’t forget to hit like, subscribe, and ring the bell for more RPG-craft content. And hey — maybe share in the comments which Threads of Fate you’d gravitate toward first. Thanks for watching.

Journey Adventure Quest - DnD Board Game to Inspire Campaigns

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