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I have a set of mechanics in mind already, but I'm still working on a theme. Let me noodle it for a day or two, and then I'll make a formal announcement.
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Jul 27, 2012 00:21
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On the brighter side of things, I'm officially in it to win it. Introducing: ThU/D: Deathrow LIVE!  (apologies to Regis) In the grim darkness of the far future... Wait, that's a different game. In this dystopian future, the slobbering, overweight masses have grown tired of reality TV shows like Survivor and the Amazing Race. Noting both this fact and the overcrowding in America's prisons, one brilliant TV exec had a great idea: LET'S MAKE DEATH ROW INMATES FIGHT FOR THEIR FREEDOM IN A REALITY TV SHOW WITH BODILY HARM AT EVERY TURN! Audiences don't care when criminals are hurt. And criminals will do anything for their chance at freedom. They’re criminals, for goodness’ sake. Add in The Worst Announcer – literally, The Worst Announcer – and you've got a goldmine. The resulting success made American Idol's ratings look like G4's. So take on the role of a doomed inmate and try to fight your own way to freedom on Deathrow LIVE! As for the ThU/D part of the name, well, I'll leave that as a mystery for the days to come. Muahahaha.
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Jul 27, 2012 23:59
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MadRhetoric posted:More Songs About Counterculture: Ad-hoc hipster game with diminishing returns; stuff stops working as well because it's "too mainstream" but effects that are defined by people using them get more smaller effects. It'd be a good way to do lolNasu magic, if you're into that sort of thing. This sounds hilarious and I would play the hell out of it. Count me in as a playtester if you do it.
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Jul 28, 2012 00:12
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Capfalcon posted:For example, Sporticus of Lazy Town might have the traits Health Nut (because of his obsession with getting people to eat healthier), In Great Shape (because, well, he is),and Mysterious Past (representing his unknown relationship to the previous hero of Lazytown known only as #9 and screw you RBH for making me learn this). So far, this is my favorite use of Sporticus.
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Aug 2, 2012 23:14
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I most humbly (and cheekily) submit ThU/D: Deathrow LIVE! It's a game of criminals! Of reality television! And of annoying announcers! It's a game where you can enjoy situations just like this! gnome7 posted:"Now for the cooking contest! I hope they notice the pepper's been replaced with gunpowder before they put that in the oven, Jim!"
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Aug 4, 2012 00:55
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What's that? Is it the only game that went to 11 in the first round? Did someone just break the scoring rubric? Oh wait. It's only ThU/D: Deathrow LIVE! It's hard to follow mediocrity *ahem, Jurassic Central Park* but something has to do it. What better than the highest-rated TV show of the future, pitting convicts head-to-head in reality TV competitions? Clearly, Deathrow LIVE! is the true frontrunner of this competition. Rulebook Heavily posted:I advise everyone to check this document out if you haven't already. And now, it's time to check out the ThU/D Core Rulebook. I have structured my first submission as a universal guide to the ThU/D system: a “Core Rulebook,” if you will. My ultimate goal is to create an easily adaptable system, one which can accommodate multiple settings and modules. The attached document begins with an introduction to the ThU/D system, written in the inimitable style of 90’s bad-rear end game designers, crossed with the “Play Like You’ve Got a Pair” ‘tude of Warmachine. The submission then progresses to an overview of the ThU/D system, before launching into a break down of individual systems. Lastly, we offer tips to play, GM, and design modules for ThU/D system games. This document does not contain any information related to the Deathrow LIVE! setting. The setting module will follow in my Aug. 17 submission, with adventure documents in the Aug. 24 module. I understand this may be a disappointment to all you wannabe convicts, but again, I hope to create a universal system with ThU/D and this seemed to be the best way to go about it. Oh! Also. In the future, drawing is for retards. Yet poetry has made a comeback as the preferred artwork style! (It's my gameworld, don't gently caress with me!) Behold, a hipster poem about the power wielded by each thumb in the ThU/D system, written with fountain pen, in small-batch ink, on a Moleskine, in a Starbucks!  
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Aug 10, 2012 20:02
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Thoughts on other games! The Mage-Lords of Arymavon, by PublicOpinion: I really like your mechanic. It's kind of like reverse Hearts, followed by War, if that makes sense. It sounds like a blast. The only mechanical thing I'm not in love with is the rock-paper-scissors to break ties. Maybe use cards somehow? Force them to play another spell? I also genuinely appreciate the humor in your example cards, especially the bit about pulling the apprentice from the hat and the footnote about Rumpelstiltskin. Justice is Blind, by blastron: For some reason I found the Resolve system difficult to understand. Maybe add some examples? Actually, examples would be appreciated throughout the document. I feel like I'd end up playing wrong, even though I'd have fun. I like Knox's Ten. I feel like they'll really guide cases in the direction you want them to go. Otherwise, the game sounds fun! Keep at it. Traceuse, by Gau: Short, but sweet. Whenever I see your game I'm left wanting more. That's a good thing, I think. I would love to see an example of gameplay, though. I'm a sucker for examples. Lil' Eldritch Horrors, by thantos: Easy to read, interesting mechanic. One suggestion: I'd argue for restructuring the document a bit. The bit about how you draw cards equal to your Ante seems buried, and it's a really key point. I don't quite get what Major Arcana or Veil Tokens are, though. Also, an example! The Last Days of the Meek, by Druggeddwarf: I like it! Lots of examples, and I'm a sucker for high school drama. My only suggestion is to perhaps consider merging the Courage and the Fear meters. They seem pretty strongly linked, as is. And you're not nearly smug enough. Jurassic Central Park, by Ulta: In short, a work of brilliance. My vegetarian GIRLFRIEND even wants to play. My only question: Did you actually scarf wings and celery to create an accurate success table? edit: It's been brought to my attention I missed a few entries! I'll post my thoughts on those in a bit.
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Aug 10, 2012 21:00
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Emperor Mittens, by Kwyndig: I love the back story. It's to the point, yet enthralling. The system seems fun. A little bit of a boardgame crossed with an RPG, and I love boardgames. I haven't played it, but Economics and Technology seem a less powerful route than just putting points into Management and Strategy. I'd bet I'm missing some other way to get energy tokens that's in the final game, though. One concern: I wouldn't lead off with the Glossary. I get that there's a lot of terminology to explain, but it doesn't grab my attention immediately. Maybe when you do final formatting, put terms into inline boxes as they come up, with a Glossary at the end? Nothing Amazing Happens Here, by MadRhetoric: Very well written and fairly easy to grok. I like the structure of play, and I like the SMF vs. RDH play option. You might want to explain what a MacGuffin is for people unfamiliar with the term. You don't talk much about your setting, but I don't know what your plans are for Module 2. You might want to weave in examples from your setting to give the rulebook a little more flair, but I like the comedy already incorporated. As I've established, I like examples. That's Hollywood, by Slor The Destroyer: Cool system. I'm glad you're not actually in it to win it, because the colored stones bit is interesting, if a little difficult to understand. I get where you're going with the Intervals bit, but that seems like it might be clumsy in gameplay. I feel like I'd need to keep notes to keep track of what Interval I'm at with everyone. I think you could better explain and structure your rules, because it seems like you bounce around a bit. And I'd love to see a full gameplay example, starting from square 1, so I can see if the system works the way I see it working, because it is rather complicated. Dis?unity, by UberJew: Ugh! You stopped too soon! I really like what you have so far. The Alternate Character Creation I'm so-so on, but I suppose it's a good way to get total newbs started. My biggest concern is that I want more! Otherwise I think you're on a great path. The setting is interesting, and I can kind of see where you're going with gameplay. I want to read how the gameplay works, though! Amp2Amp, by Red_Mage: Huh. Really? I'll admit I didn't read yours, because you formatted it like a rear end in a top hat. Good trolling, though? And to think, I liked the concept of using Guitar Hero as a resolution method, too. Arcana, by willing to settle: I know nothing about tarot, but you've made it interesting. Kudos. I love your examples! The True Name bit is super interesting. I really can't wait to see more. One thought: If you make a custom Tarot deck for the game (on roll20, or real cards) think about putting the key words associated with each card on that card. It'd make it easier for Tarot newbs like me to play without looking at a rulebook every five seconds. Also, this line should be in the guide to every RPG, ever. Arcana posted:I strongly suggest something that causes the maximum amount of smugness on one end, and the highest possible degree of resentment on the other. Arenaball, by sc4rs: I love how you structured the rulebook as the sport's rulebook. Smart move. And the links... Seriously, you've put a ton of work into this, and it's apparent. The core mechanics sound solid. If I had any complaints, it might be that the game doesn't seem very RPG-y. And there could be a bit of downtime while you're waiting for other players to do Contested Draws... what about having everything go simultaneously, reflecting the hectic playfield? More thoughts to come!
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Aug 10, 2012 23:41
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Rulebook Heavily posted:-Review at least ten modules from your competitors, giving your personal opinion on them. Guess who already (accidentally) completed a bonus objective  I'm working on the rest of the reviews right now, just because I have time to kill. Stay tuned, competitors!
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Aug 11, 2012 01:37
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And now, it's time for more thoughts! Intersector, by Flaky Biscuit: I actually understand how your game works now! Kind of. I'm still not sure exactly why I'm using Praxes. And what's the clock? I think I'm missing the overarching structure, but I'm sure that's coming in the next module. I like that you have SIX! entirely different resolution mechanisms, all of which seem interesting and logical. Some seem more interesting than others, though. And your rulebook is impeccably laid out. Dungeon Master, by gnome7: I still very much like the premise of this. Your game seemed pretty fully formed in the outline stage. As before, I like the mechanic. My main concern is that it could take a long time between rounds to get everyone's decks set up again, but I think that's kind of unavoidable, From a formatting standpoint, I'd consider adding more whitespace. The pages look really wordy, which makes the system seem dense, even though it's easy to grasp if you take the time to read it. World Serpent, by Radioactive Bears: Considering your computer mishap, I'm impressed. I like your little side notes. The concept of faces seems unique. And your character building information is great, with the lists of Powers and Temperments. Yeah, it could use some editing, and I'd like to see more. But I like what you've got. The Rookies, by Radioactive Bears: This one is less fully formed, but I can tell you know where it's going. I like the On The Field/Off the Field structure. Splitting into quarters makes sense. I don't quite understand how The Plays work, but I like the ones you have listed. As you said in IRC, you know this needs some work, but I think you're on the right track and I'm still in love with the concept. Disarmament, by Glasgerion: You've put together a clean, simple system, which looks like it's set up to create competition and hilarity. It looks like the kind of game I like to play. I'd argue that you might be better off reformatting the document slightly, so the order of play is closer to the beginning. I think the gameplay makes more sense once you read that bit. Perhaps just put in an "overview" page? Other notes: I like the excerpt you start out with, and I love the setting. I'm glad that California has become its own nation, at long last. The politeness doctrine is hilarious. And I love your examples. gently caress YOU ERICK WUJCIK, by Lemon Curdistan: The basic concept of spoiled space-princes bitching at each other is hilarous. And you know I'm a sucker for voting mechanisms. The eldest-to-youngest mechanism is clever, since older siblings are clearly more important. Being grounded is also amusing. My biggest concern is the lack of structure. I think you be better off with some sort of mechanism to get the stories started. Say, a deck of Apples to Apples (Cards Against Humanity) cards that the King draws his three words from? More reviews to come! My brain needs a break.
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Aug 11, 2012 01:53
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Psychodrive, by TK-31: The negotiating system sounds interesting! The bolded definition of Power is great - it cuts right to the chase. I really like how you give people an idea of what characters with highs and lows in each score would look, and what Traits translate in to. Actually, I like all of your examples. I'd consider opening with How to Play The Game, rather than long lists of character info, though. It seems like I'd want to know how these character bits work before I read them all. Actually, as I keep reading, it seems like I keep learning more and more rules -- and there are a lot of rules. I'd kind of like to get a simplified overview of everything at the beginning, because I get a bit overwhelmed. One last point: You could use a bit of editing -- there are several misspellings and odd word choices. Retrocausality, by Ettin: Now this is an intro I can get behind. Ettin posted:If you are not willing to learn, you will not be able to optimize your experience in the tabletop milieu to its full potential. I like the attitude of your whole module. It makes it fun to read. Calling bios "deals?" A  . I love your tip on designing interesting skills, too. And the Jack Horne reference is amusing.The task resolution system is easy to learn, yet powerful. I love what you did with Jokers. The Timeline system, again, is easy to use but looks like it will lead to interesting gameplay. Really, I can't find anything I don't like. Maybe the Large/Small/Self machine bit? It seems unnecessary, but it's not like it has to be cut. Also, maybe you should mention Paradox a little earlier? It seems thrown in, but for good reason. Cockney rhyming slang? This is one of my absolute favorites. I'm off to work, but the last three reviews -- Due Process, Ministry of Heaven, and Stock Sharks -- will be coming as soon as I get done.
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Aug 11, 2012 03:19
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Before I launch into these final three modules, I just want to thank those who thanked me. I hadn't expected it. I was just excited and looking for something to do while I waited to have some Work assigned, but it's good to know my thoughts have been appreciated. Now, before things get too mushy... Due Process, by FM: It's complete poo poo. Just kidding! Clearly, it's not fully formed. You're sick, I get that. But when you have sentences like this... FM posted:The Jury, however, is not merely a malleable mass of easily swayed individuals who will react equally to all stimuli! ... it can't be all bad. I like what you do have. It's in a light, easy-to-read tone. You have good tips on how to play the Judge. I like how you're constructing juries, and I like that their traits are secret. And I especially like the flip system (and not just because I suggested the first [worse] version of it in IRC). Take this week's theme, determination, to heart and power through. You've got a great start, here. Ministry of Heaven, by Comrade Gorbash: I really like your theme.  as a mechanic amuses me. And I love your sample characters - they really follow through on the promise of the premise.Under problem creation, I wonder if it's a bit too free form. I feel like I might get lost while playing. Just speaking from my own workplace experience, I feel like you should have each player create an obstacle for another player by blaming them for something they should have done. I.E. Manager says "Toilets are flushing the wrong way, why is that, John?" Then John says, "It's because Martha reversed the earth's spin!" Then Martha says, "That's because Mike installed Windows 8 and it's not compatible with our Earth Spin program!" It adds a touch more structure. My only other request is for a few examples. I have to ask: why let other people at the table pick your strengths? It's just an interesting wrinkle, and I'd like to hear your reasoning. Stock Sharks, by Auralsaurus Flex: Question, are the Stock Sharks actual sharks? Because that would be awesome. I like your coin-flipping mechanism. I'm not sure why you use coins of different size instead of just flipping the same coin three times, though, but it's rather thematic to be playing a game about money with a stack of money. It makes a lot of sense to use different size coins in the blind bets, though. The general concept of a high-stakes stock trading RPG is cool, but I guess I don't really understand how it all fits together yet (i.e., when do I use these different kinds of flips, how do I get money). I'm looking forward to your next module to see how it works, though! And that about wraps things up. Best of luck to everyone!
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Aug 11, 2012 05:44
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UberJew posted:102 degrees out and the AC is not fully dealing with it. ThU/D: Deathrow LIVE! Blog of Aug. 11: I feel this. It's 104 in my neck of the woods. I'm using today as a planning day. I've got a pretty comprehensive outline together for my next module, which will be the setting module. The Deathrow LIVE! setting is, essentially, the goofiest reality TV show you can find, with the most stereotypical challenges you can imagine. But the challenges all have some twist which can seriously injure our competitors -- death row inmates, who get set free if they win. It's an odd setting, to be sure, and I want to be sure I convey the appropriate level of zaniness through the module. I'm debating starting off with am "unauthorized documentary" of sorts. Tell the story of the thing, with quotes from major players worked in. Setting the tone is really the most important part of this module, I think, so I'm really going to try to nail the documentary. Also on tap for this module: Lists of Character Backgrounds, Abilities, and Descriptors (Thinking about structuring this as the "Hall of Fame"), Lists of sample Locations and Challenges for Deathrow LIVE! (Perhaps an "on-set" puff piece?), an example playthrough (Themed as the Season X DVD?), and the rules unique to the Deathrow LIVE! module (which I'll likely just play straight). Oh dear, this sounds like a bit of work when I type it all out like this.
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Aug 12, 2012 01:42
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Oh no! My iron determination has faltered. I completely forgot to post on Sunday, after a day spent in the most mind-numbing of locales: the baby clothes section of every store in the shopping mall. I have no idea how MY GIRLFRIEND convinced me to come baby shower shopping with her. Regardless! I have things to say about ThU/D MadRhetoric posted:ThU/D: The smug 90's ad blurb has swag on at least a hundred thousand, and the underlying mechanic is simple and clever. I see notes of Primetime Adventures in the character generation method, which is cool. A lot of the chapters repeat the same information over and over; once you get right down to it, the whole game could be banged out in six pages. From Getting Started to Structure of Play is in fact six pages. The HP and Experience systems are kind of incongruous for the kind of play this game engenders. All in all, I dig it. Thanks for the in-depth review, MadRhetoric! I've never played Primetime Adventures, but I'm going to look through it. I admit that there's some repetition between chapters. My goal really was to make an "Okay, here's the entire game, all at once" intro, and then break out the sub-systems in more depth later. I wanted people to be able to get up and running quickly, but be able to go back and reference sections without having to page through the long overview. I'm not sure I 100% achieved that, but that was the goal. More importantly: The HP and Experience systems! This isn't the first time I've heard questions about it, so I figure I should explain why I decided to include them. I'm not sure if you played any MMOs in the late 90s/early 2000s, but there was this semi-famous thing in the scene called the Bartle test. It theorized that RPGs can be broken down into four aspects: Killing, Achieving, Exploring, and Socializing, and that each player plays an RPG for one of those four reasons. I tried to incorporate all four into ThU/D Socializing comes easy - players are sitting around a table talking, and ThU/D is based on the voting mechanic which is an inherently social mechanism. Exploring comes through the Location cards. Each adventure will take players to new places, through the Location cards. And they'll face unique challenges in those locations each time, as Challenge cards aren't directly tied to Locations. For instance, one time a group could play basketball on a zero-gravity deck - a stern task - while the next time they might be asked to cook a five star meal in that same place - as their ingredients float away. The system lets players see something new every time. Achievers want points, levels, concrete measures that show they are succeeding in the game. They're the subset of gamer who needs feedback that, yes, they are playing well, and they are earning something for their good play. It's this group that I'm trying to satisfy with the experience point system. By rewarding them for their deeds, Achievers are encouraged to play harder and tell better stories, just by the shiny allure of a point or two. I think the experience/level up system I've included makes the game more engaging for this group, even if it is pretty simple. I must admit I'm a bit of an achiever myself, so I don't feel like an RPG is really much of a game without some sort of character advancement system. "Killers" don't necessarily need to commit explicit murder. But they do need competition, and the thrill of the hunt. In a game without combat, Killers are difficult to satisfy. So I've tried to do that by adding an inherent risk to the challenges that players do face -- your character can take damage. If you're wrong more often than you're right, you're dead. I hope this ridk encourages Killers to be more passionate in their storytelling. I think this is the group I please the least, but I hope the challenges + damage = something they'll find exciting. Ulta posted:THU/D - This is so good it hurts to admit it. I want to write a THU/D module right now. Constant feedback on the vote is a really great mechanic. Loose but not too loose character rules, elimination of characters, but not players. Also the writing is clever and I found myself chuckling out loud. A+. I want to play this game. This is so glowing it's making me blush, Ulta. I'm glad you enjoyed the core rulebook! I'm especially glad that the module writing section came across so well; I really do hope to inspire people to become involved in creating new content.
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Aug 13, 2012 20:53
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Wait, today's Thursday? I thought it was Wednesday. poo poo. I have two pages written. 
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Aug 16, 2012 19:30
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We all have our bad weeks. Fortunately for us here at ThU/D Deathrow LIVE!, our bad weeks are better than most peoples' good ones. Take a gander at the Deathrow LIVE! Setting Module for the ThU/D Roleplaying Game System right here. It's not perfect, I admit. I didn't have time to get it formatted like the Core Rulebook. And I've delayed two sections which I had planned for this release. I think I have good reason to do so, though; if I finished those two sections today, all I'd have to do for the third deadline is to format the document into playing card format. I'm largely happy with the text I will be turning in. Especially so considering I wrote 21 pages of it today. If that's not , I don't know what is.I remain committed to formatting this document and finalizing the two blank sections of the Setting Module before the Aug. 24 deadline, which is when I will turn in all adventure documents: Location Cards, Challenge Cards, and sample Character sheets. In closing, I wish my competitors luck in all things. It seems like this was a rough, rough week for many of us.
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Aug 17, 2012 08:19
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Though I am exuberant following ThU/D's second consecutive 11, I'm dreading the Aug. 17 scores. I'm hoping to eke out a bonus because there is quite a bit of content there, but I didn't have time to get it formatted properly. On the Good News side of the equation, I've got my playtest scheduled for next week! I don't know which other game we're going to try yet, though. Should we try to put together a list of whose games everyone is planning on playtesting? I'd hate to see someone's game go without a play.
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Aug 23, 2012 17:32
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Okay. Here’s a list of the games still in the competition as of the Aug. 17 deadline, alphabetized by creator!
sc4rs has already playtested Jurassic Central Park, so I’ve noted that and tentatively struckthrough JCP’s listing. If you’re planning on playtesting another game, sc4rs, then I’ll unstrikethrough it. Or if that playtest doesn't count (seeing as the game isn't technically complete) we can change it. Whatever. Otherwise, my thought here is that everyone else should just go ahead and pick whatever game sounds interesting to them. Don’t pick a game someone else has picked, and we’ll go from there! Some games may drop out on Aug. 24 (oh god tomorrow?), so we’ll have to finalize the list after that. But this should, maybe, help planning?
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Aug 23, 2012 18:09
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Maybe it would be easiest if people just mention which game they're thinking about playtesting when they post their final submission? On that note, I'm making reasonable progress on Deathrow LIVE!'s final pieces. I might even go to sleep before 2 a.m.!
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Aug 24, 2012 03:03
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MadRhetoric posted:Pretty sure nobody gives a gently caress and I have no chance of winning or getting my game playtested, but hey. It's a game, and it's done. gently caress it. Bawww, I care, MadRhetoric. Bro hug for getting it done. On that note, I'm excited to say that ThU/D Deathrow LIVE! is content complete as of RIGHT NOW! I'm up a little later than expected, but it happens. I'm going to give my document one last read through tomorrow morning before posting, but I'm incredibly excited to be done. Congrats to everyone else who has made it this far! e: Jesus, 17,541 words here between my three modules.
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Aug 24, 2012 09:23
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It's time for the season finale of... This final week's module consists of Challenge Cards and Location Cards for the Deathrow LIVE! setting. There are 56 cards in total -- 28 of each -- making a full, regular playing card deck. I've also updated my week two submission, the Deathrow LIVE! Setting Module. The changed document is now properly formatted, contains sections on character building and sample characters and locations and challenges, and adds a new mechanic - the Point Vote - which I deemed necessary in drafting Challenges. Several typos were corrected as well. Note: I consider the two new sections in the Setting Module part of my week three submission. For reference, the ThU/D Core Rulebook has been mildly updated as well, with just a few typos created. Please use these links to reference the game's documents moving forward, as these are all the most current (and FINAL!) versions. Lastly, I'm sorry to report that due to car troubles, I was unable to make my weekly game night this week. But due to my Iron Determination (And in search of pity points) I decided to play a game of solitaire, wearing my custom knit (and purchased from SA-Mart!) green Castle Crashers beanie.  But wait! Perhaps I won't be playing alone? It looks like my kitten, Nacho, has taken an interest in the game!  Nacho kind of got in the way of me finishing solitare, but we had a good time playing a game of "Nacho knocks the cards off the table and alakath picks them up."  And so concludes my entry. I'll be playtesting on Wednesday or Thursday of next week, but I honestly can't decide on which competitor's game to playtest. I'll make a post later today with that info! e: posted wrong picture link originally
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Aug 24, 2012 21:30
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Now that we're all wrapped up, here's a list of the finalists. Who's playtesting what? • alakath's ThU/D: Deathrow Live! • Comrade Gorbash's Ministry of Heaven • Druggeddwarf's The Last Days of the Meek • Ettin's Retrocausality • Flaky Biscuit’s Intersector • Glasgerion's Disarmament • gnome7's Dungeon Manager: A King's Reward • Kwyndig's Emperor Mittens • Lemon Curdistan's gently caress You Erick Wujcik • MadRhetoric's Nothing Amazing Happens Here (すごいことなくない) • Red_Mage’s Amp 2 Amp • sc4rs’ Arenaball • UberJew’s Dis?unity • Ulta’s Jurassic Central Park
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Aug 25, 2012 02:02
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I'm leaning toward running Dis?Unity, but I'm going to make sure it sounds interesting to my playgroup before I 100% commit.
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Aug 25, 2012 05:41
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I've got a real-life playtest organized for Dis?unity and ThU/D: Deathrow LIVE! this Wednesday. Assuming something doesn't explode, you'll be getting videos of both games in action, plus player feedback!
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Aug 27, 2012 22:14
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I just wrapped up my evening of real-life playtesting! The good news is that we ran Dis?Unity, and everyone had a really good time. I'm going to work on writing up my personal thoughts, and I'll get those and the videos posted as soon as I can. The bad news is that we barely got to run any ThU/D: Deathrow LIVE! as our test of Dis?Unity ran long, and the store owner wanted to go home. The game literally lasted for about 20 minutes. Even worse, that followed an approximate 3 minute explanation of the rules, and none of the players had taken the time to look at the rules in advance. I'm going to post what I have of feedback and gameplay for ThU/D: Deathrow LIVE!, but it was so rushed I don't feel like it's very representative of what the game could be. Thus, I make a desperate plea: if anyone has the time to run ThU/D before the deadline, I'll be forever in your gratitude. I'll even buy you a forums upgrade! I just feel really lovely that we ran out of time, and I feel like ThU/D didn't get a fair shake.
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Aug 30, 2012 06:06
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sc4rs posted:No need for a forums upgrade. Thank you! You're the bestest, sc4rs.
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Aug 30, 2012 18:16
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sc4rs posted:So a few of us ran ThU/D Deathrow Live! and some Retrocausality this afternoon. Logs are up there in Ulta's post. Thanks so much for this! It looks like you all had a good time, and the game definitely went smoother than my (abbreviated) playtest. I agree with pretty much all of your criticisms. Certainly, four players might be too few without some change to the voting structure. A sideways vote is probably warranted. And the incentive for not always voting Thumbs Up is supposed to be that the game is a little bit competitive, pushing players to tell better stories and to level up more than your opponents to win, but I think it might not be a strong enough incentive in practice. Despite these issues, I'm really glad that you seemed to enjoy the game. I had a blast just reading the transcript.
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Aug 30, 2012 22:35
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Here's the report for the in-person test I ran of Deathrow LIVE! As I previously mentioned, this playtest was extremely rushed. No one really knew the rules outside of a 2 minute overview, and we were just trying to get something recorded because the shop was about to close. The actual game went okay, for a two round rush-through. People seemed to have fun, but no one really knew what they were doing. I think that may have made people a little overly hesitant, because they weren't sure of how to play. Our characters included three of the pre-constructeds (firebug James Jett, crazy former military man Lt. Arn Maarkson, and stabby thief "Slick" Rick McDick), as well as a cat burglar (who was actually a cat) and an insane pirate who thought his pond was the sea. Here's the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p1bt7euJe_8 And here are thoughts: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTgLfEzkpp0 Again, I don't know how much you can take from this playtest. But from watching, here are my thoughts (note: I wrote these prior to sc4rs' playtest, but waited for my video uploads to finish before posting): Good:
Bad:
I think that's about it. People had fun, but it was just so rushed there's not much to be gained. Everyone wants to play again, though, so I'm still enthusiastic. The post for Dis?unity is forthcoming, as soon as the last video finishes uploading
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Aug 31, 2012 19:13
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Here's my  trip report for Dis?Unity!We played an as-reccomended four-player game at The Arcane Lab in Merced, Calif. We used the suggested list of challenges, and designed our own characters without using the card-based alternate generation system. I was Hieronymus Bush, a religious fundamentalist representing American interests and the treasury. We had a mafioso representing labor and defense, a bomb smuggler who was obsessed with death as the Soviets and agriculture, and an octopus-loving pirate representing the military and foreign affairs. Our story was a ridiculous, wide-ranging affair, obsessed with sausages, sea lettuce, and octopus-shaped submarines. In one word, it was a blast. We would most definitely play again, though we had a few issues with the resolution mechanic which you can read on about. You can watch our gameplay here: Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owiib6OBSqs Part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QpHG-F_rc8 (Sorry if the volume is a little low. If you turn it up a bit, you should be able to understand us. Let me know if you had any other issues; I had to transcode it to get YouTube to recognize it.) And here's a little video of the other players talking about the game: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akYlxvsszx4 I didn't tape myself talking about Dis?Unity, because I wanted to type up my thoughts. Sorry for the length! The Good:
The Bad:
Thanks to UberJew for coming up with a game that was a ton of fun to play! We really did enjoy our time with Dis?Unity, and I think with some tweaks to the resolution mechanic it could be outstanding.
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Aug 31, 2012 21:39
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Here's an updated list of how playtests are going. Struckthrough games have been playtested, with feedback posted. • Druggeddwarf's The Last Days of the Meek • Flaky Biscuit’s Intersector • Glasgerion's Disarmament • Kwyndig's Emperor Mittens • Lemon Curdistan's gently caress You Erick Wujcik • Red_Mage’s Amp 2 Amp • sc4rs’ Arenaball Looks like we've gotten through 7 (6 if you don't count Jurassic Central Park) out of 14, which isn't bad!
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Aug 31, 2012 23:47
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MadRhetoric posted:Since I'm not elfgaming, I could try running Last Days, Disarmament, or FYEW today.
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Sep 1, 2012 00:05
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Ettin posted:You guys need to step up! What's left to playtest? It's the same list as last time you posted, though I updated the list to reflect if these game designers had playtested anything based on posts in this thread. • Amp 2 Amp (has not playtested any other games) • Arenaball (playtested ThU/D, Jurassic Central Park) • Disarmament (has not playtested any other games) • gently caress You Erick Wujcik ("DQed", hasn't playtested other games) • Intersector (playtested Dungeon Manager, Emperor Mittens, and ThU/D) • Last Days of the Meek (No playtests, but has tried several times to do FYEW) Arenaball, Disarmament, and Amp 2 Amp are going to be really difficult to do online. It looks like Arenaball and Intersector should be our priorities, though, based on their creators' contributions to playtesting I'll be in IRC tonight (around 5 p.m. PST, 12 midnight GMT) to help out with whatever playtest people want to do.
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Sep 5, 2012 19:00
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Ulta posted:Deathrow Live - I'd like to see more reason to downvote someone. Thanks for the feedback, Ulta! I keep thinking about the part I've quoted, because I've heard it from several people. It's actually a rather difficult problem to solve, because you're (likely) going to have more upvotes than downvotes just because of social norms; you're playing with friends, and you don't want to rag on your friends too much. So far, this is the best solution I've come up: The GM character will now always vote, partially addressing the problem of four players being too few. If you, as a player, vote the same as the GM does, you get an experience point. So basically, as long as the GM is being objective, it encourages all the other players to be objective in their voting. That said, I'm not sure it's the right solution in the least; it could just encourage votes to be more one-sided, which is not what I want. I'm just curious, for the people who've played it, what do you think would be a good incentive to downvote?
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Sep 7, 2012 20:48
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Oh god. I'm super nervous. We're now LESS THAN A DAY away from the conclusion to this epic contest. I just want to congratulate everyone who completed an entry. I'm super impressed with everything that was put out, and pretty much any contestant could end up winning this thing. Get psyched people. It's almost over.
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Sep 14, 2012 02:20
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I'm incredibly honored to have finished second. Thank you to Rulebook for running the contest, to everyone who playtested, and to anyone who even read this thread. My congratulations go out to Ettin, whose Retrocausality was clearly the class of the field in my own estimation of this contest. Going into voting, I was just hoping to finish second behind Ettin. I can't compete with cockney rhyming slang. And props to Ulta, as well, for coming up with a hilarious RPG and a great mechanic I thought was going to win hands-down at the start of this contest. Whenever I eat a hot wing, I will think of you and dinosaurs. And to UberJew, I'll say that my friends are still bugging me about playing Dis?Unity again, so you're definitely doing something right. Keep at it! I could keep going, but I'll end my post with this: Thanks again for reading all this, and I immensely appreciate everyone who took part in this contest.
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Sep 14, 2012 21:41
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Man, that is The Best Prize. I feel really badly for finishing second now 
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Sep 17, 2012 22:12
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Great work, Ettin. One thing - I updated my Module 2 later on in the comp and you linked the first (bad) version. Any chance you could change the link to point to the good version at http://www.makingthegame.com/DeathrowLIVESettingFinal.pdf ? Thanks!
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Sep 24, 2012 20:26
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LongDarkNight posted:Would either author have an objection? Wow, that would be an absolute honor. Seriously man, if you want to run some Deathrow LIVE!, go for it. Post some pictures and feedback, though! And a note on Deathrow LIVE!'s future: Right now, I'm fooling around with a few aspects of the game, trying to balance out some of the issues people had. I'm contemplating attending a local convention to run version 0.2 of Deathrow LIVE and getting some feedback. The future's still uncertain after that, but maybe I'll run into a publisher at the con? Who knows?
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Sep 24, 2012 23:54
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