Omega “Critbard” Jones rose to prominence in the tabletop roleplaying game actual-play space in the lockdown-era and has been BUSY ever since. His appearances across games being streamed online are too numerous to count, but currently include Shadows Over Baldur’s Gate, Forging Fates, and Doom Scroll.
I was stoked to get a chance to meet Jones at Dragon Con 2025 this year, and hear him open up about his experience as a black and queer creator in the TTRPG space, some fascinating mechanics he pulls into D&D from other tabletop systems, and Dragon Con itself!
Diversity in the TTRPG Space
Making it in the tabletop roleplaying game actual-play space is difficult enough on its own without adding the vitriol that diverse creators have to deal with online. Omega Jones reflected on the ups and downs of his journey with me, and shared a particularly beautiful moment of joy that had just occurred at Dragon Con that I found really special.
“Be who you needed back then.” – Quote from a t-shirt I have from East Coast Tags.
My greatest hope in helping to highlight such an awesome creator in a space I love so much is that other black and/or queer creators find themselves inspired by Jones and the success he’s achieved. Thank you for being you!
Cross-Polinating TTRPG Mechanics
If you couldn’t already tell, I am a huge TTRPG nerd, and I wanted to pick the brain of someone who I knew to be familiar with a huge array of TTRPGs. I asked Jones what mechanics he pulls from other systems to use in D&D or just implement in any game he’s playing.
We started by talking about the Powered by the Apocalypse framework and how “you can roll [2d6] and depending on how high you roll, […] you can use holds to ask questions,” a mechanic he sometimes brings into his D&D games because a similar mechanic is not really as straightforward in base D&D 5e. We then found we both shared an excitement for Daggerheart and what it’s bringing to the space, and he said “I’m looking at bringing Hope and Fear from Daggerheart into other systems too.”
In talking about other TTRPGs, he also mentioned some of his favorite systems at the moment, which included Daggerheart, Delta Green, Fabula Ultima, and Draw Steel.
Fourth Year at Dragon Con for Jones
We wrapped up our conversation by talking about Dragon Con itself, with this actually being the fourth year attending for both of us. He had been kept quite busy with panels and live-play shows up until that point, in addition to meeting friends and people that support him in the space, and he said Dragon Con is a “reminder of why you do what you do.”
We also reflected on Jones’ favorite memory of Dragon Cons past, and he said it had to be the Kobold Press live show. He said it was a moment for the community to get what we want to see: “high-powered fantasy with established roleplayers in the space!”
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A big THANK YOU to Omega “Critbard” Jones for taking time out of his exciting and busy Dragon Con 2025 weekend to chat with me! And an additional Thank You for all that you do to bring love and life and everything unique to you into the TTRPG space 🙂
