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Whybird posted:If you can't think of something, ask your players. "Okay, you succeed but it's created a new problem -- what's gone wrong?" is a perfectly acceptable question to be asking players on a regular basis. And if your players are having trouble coming up with stuff, everyone has an off night, make something explode that either helps/hurts the goal depending on mitigating failure/problematic success. Explosions are always fun and should be appropriate more often then not if no one has any better ideas.
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Feb 10, 2015 22:28
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karmicknight posted:And if your players are having trouble coming up with stuff, everyone has an off night, make something explode that either helps/hurts the goal depending on mitigating failure/problematic success. Explosions are always fun and should be appropriate more often then not if no one has any better ideas. You could probably make a list of 'horribly leading questions' to pick from. From our game: "What just burst out of the ground?" "Which bit of information is completely wrong?" "Who did you just piss off (and why)?" "Where does that land instead", etc. On the betrayal thing: "Hey, guys, before we start the campaign, lets talk about party conflict for a second: do y'all like the idea of backstabbing, or do you all want to fudge why you're working together all the time, or what?" e: In defence of the idea done well, I will never forget the moment where I (IC and OC) realised just as the door slammed that the literal, red-skin-and-horns devil, had talked the entire party into locking themselves into the BBEG's dungeon without their weapons. He waved the key in front of us in exchange for our souls, and instantly became the most hated NPC ever. Amazingly played on that players' part, I have no idea how we failed to see it coming. petrol blue fucked around with this message at 03:02 on Feb 11, 2015 |
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Feb 11, 2015 02:54
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I was just about to bring up the game Petrol mentioned. I think the reason the PvP conflict in that game worked was that the players were united in supporting the rebellion against the big bad. They all had other interests and other plans about what the big bad ought to be replaced by but they generally were all on the same side -- the moment they turned on the rest of the party they would become an NPC.
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Feb 11, 2015 08:56
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If a giant crab had a city on it, would it be cooler if it was built straight on top of it or connected in a hermit-crab style shell?
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Feb 11, 2015 09:21
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chaos rhames posted:If a giant crab had a city on it, would it be cooler if it was built straight on top of it or connected in a hermit-crab style shell?
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Feb 11, 2015 10:00
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It would have neither after the giant city built on top of a seagull swoops down and eats it.
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Feb 11, 2015 10:22
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That's good advice. I think the hermit shell is going to be a ripped up underwater volcano, waiting to be awoken again by powerful magic. Could just be a bigger crab's shell but "big loving crab" probably wouldn't have the same impact in the second time.Babe Magnet posted:It would have neither after the giant city built on top of a seagull swoops down and eats it. I can't do this myself because the players will probably try it. Wrestlepig fucked around with this message at 10:29 on Feb 11, 2015 |
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Feb 11, 2015 10:24
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chaos rhames posted:If a giant crab had a city on it, would it be cooler if it was built straight on top of it or connected in a hermit-crab style shell? Morrowind's done it: Ald'Ruhn
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Feb 12, 2015 01:52
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Fun Fact: during the events of the Oblivion Crisis (as told in one of the novels), the Redoran straight up necromanced that crab back to life in a last-ditch effort to keep the city from being overrun. Ancient Giant Zombie Crab Town
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Feb 12, 2015 04:14
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After more than a year of playing I finally managed to integrate all my players' self-chosen individual quests with a metaplot, and all it took was ripping off Illuminatus! and The Invisibles like I'm getting paid to do it.
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Feb 12, 2015 15:19
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I noticed Cyberpunk 2020 (the RPG that the excellent Netrunner card game is based on) is on sale at Drive ThruRPG, what's people's opinions on it? Is it really complex like D&D 3.5? Does it have brain diving (or at least something that could be easily adapted?).
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Feb 13, 2015 23:32
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I don't remember Netrunner being based on Cyberpunk 2020.
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Feb 14, 2015 09:17
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Well, I should say, based on the universe. (At least according to wikipedia).
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Feb 14, 2015 09:39
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I have not played in over 3 weeks and I don't see real-life letting up soon, so I'm thinking PbP might be the next best thing. Any tips on running such things specifically? I should probably also get to reading on-going PbPs to get a feel for how they start off.
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Feb 18, 2015 17:27
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I'm planning to run a short, probably loosely-connected D&D 3.5 campaign (more like a series of one-session adventures, maybe), but I don't have a ton of prep time. I figured I would try running a module, but I'm not sure what's good. Does anyone have any recommendations in that regard? As far as my players' tastes go, I think they'd like something with some variety. Battles with interesting gimmicks, fun NPC intrigue, etc.
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Feb 19, 2015 22:41
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gradenko_2000 posted:I have not played in over 3 weeks and I don't see real-life letting up soon, so I'm thinking PbP might be the next best thing. Any tips on running such things specifically? I should probably also get to reading on-going PbPs to get a feel for how they start off. Speaking of PbP, I've been curious for a while: are there any systems that are especially good at PbP? I always figured the PbtA games would be, but I've read some discussion about how they lose a lot without the immediacy of in-person play, which makes sense.
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Feb 19, 2015 22:50
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I hear Fate is pretty good PbP as a GM simply because it gives you enough time to track all of the Aspects in play (and Compels) turn to turn, but I admittedly haven't tried it PbP.
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Feb 20, 2015 00:01
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I've done Fate PbP as a player, it was a lot of fun and had practically no problems outside of what every PbP has (mostly "is this guy not posting because he wants to move on or because he hasn't checked the thread yet").
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Feb 20, 2015 08:35
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gradenko_2000 posted:I have not played in over 3 weeks and I don't see real-life letting up soon, Every time I read a post like this I feel so bad because I've never had weekly games or anything like that: I've always had quarterly games at best and now that me and my friends are spread around the world it's two or three times a year at best. There is the benefit that it's an Event game each time, but it does mean I feel like I'm missing out on the best opportunities for experiences.
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Feb 20, 2015 23:56
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Having recently escaped from a mountaintop archive overrun with chimeras and self-casting spell books, our heroes have finally returned to a fringe bastion of civilization where an "Anything goes" gladiatorial tournament is about to be held. Said tournament is being hosted by a local warlord, the prize for victory being one of the legendary lost scrolls which teach forbidden black magic. Needless to say, there are some shifty characters who'd like to get their hands on it, one of whom has managed to strong-arm the party into entering the fray with his backing. "Something feels off about this. There's gotta be a catch." "Yeah, if this warlord guy's got the clout and connections he seems to, there's no way he'd let something like one of the lost scrolls fall into the hands of someone who could usurp his influence." ...Oh, uh, yeah, probably. I guess I could always spin it as him laying a trap for his competitors, making an offer simultaneously too good to be true while too tempting to reject, but I'm always wary of any kind of "I know you know I know you know" line of thinking since it tends to encourage plans within plans spiraling beyond the realm of believably when there's too much that could go wrong. Plan B at best. The warlord himself isn't an idiot, but the scroll has already been confirmed as legit. Presuming he has no use for it, what reason could he have for granting it to potential adversaries verses, say, tearing it up into pieces or burying it in an anonymous grave?
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Feb 22, 2015 01:55
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Bad Seafood posted:
It's haunted/cursed/he put a "I spy on you" spell on it. It's connected to a horrible prophecy. A demon told him to do it. He got drunk and made a promise, and is not a liar. He thinks the black magic will lead to the downfall of whoever uses it.
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Feb 22, 2015 02:05
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Achmed Jones posted:He got drunk and made a promise, and is not a liar. I like this one, or something else that implies a code of honor.
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Feb 22, 2015 02:07
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shitty poker hand fucked around with this message at 19:56 on Apr 11, 2023 |
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Feb 22, 2015 02:08
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Playing SixthWorld tonight, and my players just betrayed the Yakuza because the Mafia was bidding higher. How do I drive home that betraying people is not always the best idea even in Shadowrun, without being a soul sucking monster? They're all kind of new to RPG's and have stated they want to be able to make mistakes, I don't want to go all scorched earth on them because I don't think that would be fun. What's a good way in game to show they maybe should have kept the original contract because most of their contacts were yakuza? (SixthWorld is Shadowrun ApocalypseWorld edition.)
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Feb 22, 2015 02:15
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Turtlicious posted:Playing SixthWorld tonight, and my players just betrayed the Yakuza because the Mafia was bidding higher. How do I drive home that betraying people is not always the best idea even in Shadowrun, without being a soul sucking monster? They're all kind of new to RPG's and have stated they want to be able to make mistakes, I don't want to go all scorched earth on them because I don't think that would be fun. What's a good way in game to show they maybe should have kept the original contract because most of their contacts were yakuza? Make it hard for them to get jobs, in general, due to breach of contract and lead them into a storyline about saving their professional reputation through a daring high risk job! Alternatively, are there any Yakuza guys they were buddies with? Could also have their buddies cold shouldering them and strongly suggesting they make amends.
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Feb 22, 2015 02:23
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Turtlicious posted:Playing SixthWorld tonight, and my players just betrayed the Yakuza because the Mafia was bidding higher. How do I drive home that betraying people is not always the best idea even in Shadowrun, without being a soul sucking monster? They're all kind of new to RPG's and have stated they want to be able to make mistakes, I don't want to go all scorched earth on them because I don't think that would be fun. What's a good way in game to show they maybe should have kept the original contract because most of their contacts were yakuza? Wait for a hard move. Sweep in with yakuza complications accordingly. The mafia has heard of the betrayal and now doesn't trust them either. Yakuza "forgives" them for the "regrettable mistake" if the turn on the mafia and also forfeit pay. assassins that could be hired from either side! throw all three at them.
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Feb 22, 2015 02:24
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Turtlicious posted:Playing SixthWorld tonight, and my players just betrayed the Yakuza because the Mafia was bidding higher. How do I drive home that betraying people is not always the best idea even in Shadowrun, without being a soul sucking monster? They're all kind of new to RPG's and have stated they want to be able to make mistakes, I don't want to go all scorched earth on them because I don't think that would be fun. What's a good way in game to show they maybe should have kept the original contract because most of their contacts were yakuza? If they get any of their gear from these contacts, they start finding that they're getting sub-standard equipment--you've got something else you can use for moves whenever they have a 6-. If they want back into their suppliers' good graces they're going to have to do some tough work for reduced pay. Also, how are you finding Sixth World? I've been wanting to play/run SR again but I don't want to deal with SR mechanics anymore.
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Feb 22, 2015 02:29
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I think I'm definitely going to do the cold shoulder thing, offer the amends option, but I don't want to take away their mafia link because they're just not ready for that level of assholery. Also resources were promised for turning on the Yakuza.
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Feb 22, 2015 02:30
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Turtlicious posted:I think I'm definitely going to do the cold shoulder thing, offer the amends option, but I don't want to take away their mafia link because they're just not ready for that level of assholery. Also resources were promised for turning on the Yakuza. And nothing else. These people already showed their loyalty can be easily swayed, after all, trusting them would be foolish. EDIT: They PCs will probably find people unwilling to give them money up front from now on, too. They've turned on an employer once, after all.
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Feb 22, 2015 06:23
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Bad Seafood posted:Having recently escaped from a mountaintop archive overrun with chimeras and self-casting spell books, our heroes have finally returned to a fringe bastion of civilization where an "Anything goes" gladiatorial tournament is about to be held. Said tournament is being hosted by a local warlord, the prize for victory being one of the legendary lost scrolls which teach forbidden black magic. Needless to say, there are some shifty characters who'd like to get their hands on it, one of whom has managed to strong-arm the party into entering the fray with his backing. The tournament is a recruiting drive. The warlord doesn't want the black magic for himself -- he's not good enough at magic to control it if it starts trying to take him over. But employing the person who holds the scroll? He likes the sound of that. So he's holding a tournament to pick out a person who is (a) an amoral mercenary (b) disposable (c) good enough at magic that they can use the scroll. The scroll is actually handed over to the victor at a ceremony a few days after the tournament; over that time the winners are waited on hand-and-foot at his lavish palace while he tries to persuade them to work for him.
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Feb 22, 2015 12:37
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The Warlord is a secret agent - their mission is to root out the eeeeevil necromancer, and they're hoping to bait her out with the croll. The necromancer will hire the PCs as puppets/fall guys, and the the Warlord will hire the PCs (or maybe some other gladiators) to flush the necromancer out. or The magic spell is a nuke: it'll wipe out the city it's cast in, but take the caster with it. The Warlord is hoping to find someone dumb enough to cast it. or It's a legit scroll of Godkilling, it can't be destroyed, only 'taken from you' or 'cast'. It works fine, except the Gods are not going to be happy with leaving it just floating around. I'm a big fan of the whole "Give the PCs a nuke, see what they do with it" plot. Even better if all the evil cults who'd been sponsering the other gladiators see that they have the nuke.
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Feb 22, 2015 21:36
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Some quality advice here. Think I know where I'll take this guy now. Thanks fellas.
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Feb 26, 2015 10:55
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Running a well, pretty unknown game based on a french serie of books (think The Three Musketters, but with dragons in human form swaying humans of influence and plot their return to power. The players are agents of the Cardinal of Richelieu or his successor Mazarin and have adventures. It's a pretty pulpy, and the rules definitely encourage that), and I have a bit of a dilemna: I'm integrating a new player, and he has a pretty detailed backstory that I like. Problem is, his current job is being a guard for Monsieur, Louis the XII's brother. Thing is, the scenario I wrote is a such: Richelieu was murdered. The PC were fired. Their officer kept on looking for whoddunit (the official version is that he died of sickness), and was attacked in the streets when he found something. The new PC's character is an old friend of his and found him bleeding out. He helped the officer, hid him somewhere, and contacted the PCs. Problem is, Monsieur was part of the plot to kill Richelieu (RL Monsieur hated him and plotted against him several times), and will later in the scenario try to kill the PCs as well, before cutting a deal with them: "You can't take me down, I'm a crown prince. However, I can give you my former co-conspirators's names, do as you see fit", which is again how Monsieur stayed of of trouble after plotting against his brother and Richelieu many, many times. What do I do with the fact one of the PCs works for him? I could ask him to revise his backstory, swap a thing or two and have his employ be earlier in his life, but I like the idea of him working for Monsieur. Whatever happens, at the end, Monsieur is strongarmed into lending the PC to the group. However, before that, what do I do? The PC could be acting on his own, he's a pretty honourable man, and his master isn't letting him on of his projects, or he could be an actual agent and would be tasked of keeping track of the party's whereabouts. I'm kind of hesitant. What do you guys think about that?
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Feb 26, 2015 19:26
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I screwed up and let my PCs have too much money. Star Wars: Edge of the Empire game, most of the PCs are running around with about a grand in their pockets, with docking fees being around 50-100 credits every time they touch down. They found some Alderaanian wine and (since Alderaan doesn't exist anymore) it is quite rare. Using their contacts, they located a Corellian wine connissuer and sold all three cases for 27,000 credits. How do I bleed them dry of this money? Or should I? I'm hoping one of them flips to the cybernetics page in the core book and blows it all on upgrades.
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Feb 26, 2015 19:30
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Do some of them have a debt of sort as an obligation? The connaisseur could be an acquaintance of whoever they owe money who would then pressure them for cash because they now the PC have some? Maybe some of the money is fake and the guy a crook? Maybe one of their allies comes with an exciting new plan to makeit big this time, honest, and lo and behold it actually works, leaving the players as shareholders of a flying casino (that could get held up or become the haunting grounds of a group of cardsharks), profitable smuggling ring (until the Empire sends out the hounds), and so forth. Turns the cash into adventure hooks.
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Feb 26, 2015 19:41
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Iceclaw posted:Do some of them have a debt of sort as an obligation? The connaisseur could be an acquaintance of whoever they owe money who would then pressure them for cash because they now the PC have some? Maybe some of the money is fake and the guy a crook? Maybe one of their allies comes with an exciting new plan to makeit big this time, honest, and lo and behold it actually works, leaving the players as shareholders of a flying casino (that could get held up or become the haunting grounds of a group of cardsharks), profitable smuggling ring (until the Empire sends out the hounds), and so forth. Turns the cash into adventure hooks. Wine turns out to be a fake, and now the (cartoonishly wealthy) buyer has put the PCs on his incredibly dangerous shitlist?
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Feb 26, 2015 19:48
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Everblight posted:How do I bleed them dry of this money? Or should I? I'm hoping one of them flips to the cybernetics page in the core book and blows it all on upgrades. Depends if it's going to break the game: if at all possible, I'd make it a plot point ("Ok, your last couple of jobs paid off big. So what are you going to do with the cash? If you just carry it around, someone's going to notice."). If it's going to break the game mechanically (them buying too many upgrades), I'd talk to them OC, admit you screwed up, and see what you can work out together that feels fair. A great cash-sink would be to get them into making a base: they run into someone selling a hollowed-out asteroid that'd be a great hidden base, and it's got a bay for maybe an old z-95,and the auto-defences could do with upgrading, and... E: what I'm getting at is that I reckon it'd be bad/unfair/unfun to just have it taken away from them after they 'earned' it, so try to avoid that.
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Feb 26, 2015 20:23
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I doubt it would break the game, even a Z-95 (the worst snubfighter in the game) is like 40k, so it isn't an earth-shattering amount of money. The wine was real, but I like the idea of the wine collector forcing them to go to Dathomir for Rancor milk to make cheese that pairs with it, or other hilariously over-dangerous things because money means nothing to the idle rich.
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Feb 26, 2015 20:31
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Everblight posted:I screwed up and let my PCs have too much money. Star Wars: Edge of the Empire game, most of the PCs are running around with about a grand in their pockets, with docking fees being around 50-100 credits every time they touch down. They found some Alderaanian wine and (since Alderaan doesn't exist anymore) it is quite rare. Using their contacts, they located a Corellian wine connissuer and sold all three cases for 27,000 credits. Next time they buy something like that, they get boarded and it gets confiscated. They can recover the stuff (it's mean not to let them), but some's already been sold and the person behind it got away. Or their buyer just got ripped off, and if the PCs want to get paid, they have to solve that problem. And that problem then involves something more expensive than they can afford, and so they need to go into debt, which they can totally pay off right away once they finish that mission, but then the guy who ran off with the money has since invested it all in the space Twi'lek version of Justin Bieber, so the party won't get money until the tour finishes. Unfortunately, Space Bieber is actually an escaped slave, so the tour is an expensive and creative series of attacks on the concert venue . . . you get the idea. Each step should promise a lot of money, deliver some (and occasionally all), but usually have them scraping by as they pingpong to higher and higher-ranked creditors.
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Feb 26, 2015 20:34
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Everblight posted:I doubt it would break the game, even a Z-95 (the worst snubfighter in the game) is like 40k, so it isn't an earth-shattering amount of money. Is the female Rancor relatively docile, or will this involve BATTLE MILKING(tm)? That sounds like a really good, really hosed up combat puzzle.
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Feb 26, 2015 20:35
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