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Lemon Curdistan posted:You really shouldn't have to code an Excel macro in order to assemble the best possible result off a pool of d10s. I'll be honest, this all sounds like people bemoaning the complex calculus involved in trying to catch a thrown ball.
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# ? Mar 2, 2016 20:21 |
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# ? Jun 6, 2024 12:31 |
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dwarf74 posted:I'll be honest, this all sounds like people bemoaning the complex calculus involved in trying to catch a thrown ball. Just wait till you read my excel sheet and I prove to you how hard they actually is!!!!!!
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# ? Mar 2, 2016 20:35 |
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Xelkelvos posted:Presumably Wick has a table showing the odds on how many raises are possible. I may presume too much though. I wouldn't underestimate how little Wick seems to care about math.
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# ? Mar 2, 2016 20:38 |
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It's not the issue of trying to resolve it. It's the issue of, before rolling the dice, knowing about how good a chance you have of succeeding. I'll buy that it doesn't take too long to resolve once you get the hang of it. It's the fact that it's purposely designed to obfuscate the odds. Sure, given time, a lot of players will figure it out. But given that's the case, why go through the rigmarole of obfuscating it? I don't see anything gained in terms of fun. It doesn't remove optimization from the game, since people will figure out the odds, it just hurts the people who are less able to calculate the odds because of the obfuscation. It does nothing to fix the problem it sets out to solve, and, arguably, only makes it worse (since it ultimately hurts optimizers less than it hurts non-optimizers).
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# ? Mar 2, 2016 20:56 |
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Has anyone actually said it's to obfuscate the odds or is that just a goon theory that has taken on a life of its own?
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# ? Mar 2, 2016 21:00 |
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dwarf74 posted:Has anyone actually said it's to obfuscate the odds or is that just a goon theory that has taken on a life of its own? Is there another official explanation of what purpose it serves to resolve tasks using that system?
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# ? Mar 2, 2016 21:02 |
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gnome7 posted:How does this guy make 77k in the first 24 hours when his games are so bad? The best way to make lots of money in RPGs in 2016 is to have been making money in RPGs in the 90s (better yet, the 80's). What we have to look forward to is that if we work hard for 20 years we might one day be able to make a living rehashing our old designs while being the out-of-touch dinosaurs the young designers look down on. That's the cynical view, at least. Maybe we'll luck out and find an audience* who actually likes new designs like board gaming has. We're still in that phase where everyone just plays monopoly variants and roll-and-move games because that's what they've always played. Maybe someone will write a Catan for RPGs or something. Until then, it is perfectly normal to feel some amount of professional jealousy, and it's fine as long as you're not an rear end about it. If you are calling Monte Cook a hack to his face, you have gone too far. *yeah, there is already an audience, but it's not that big. I decided to try quantify this to add some content to this post. Looking at Luke Crane, Vincent Baker, John Harper, and even evil hat's latest kickstarters, they can get ~2000-4000 backers. When that number is over 10,000, we'll be at a point where it's honestly profitable in the sense that one can live off of it beyond just a sideline. Popular board game kickstarters like Max Temkin's latest and Jamey Stegmaier's Scythe have had 35000 and 18000, respectively. I'm intentionally leaving out the ridiculous poo poo like exploding kittens and its 200,000+ backer insanity - that is obviously unrealistic.
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# ? Mar 2, 2016 21:34 |
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Liquid Communism posted:Oh, hey, look. A video from the devs pointing out that building raises is a thing that literally takes a couple seconds, because it is first grade math. I'd assume the assistant dev of all people should be able to figure out those sets quickly. Now let's see a y'alls of players of varying experience levels do the same thing and see if it does or does not interrupt the flow of the game. There's also playing online which can make it tricky to make sets without a physical aid. I'm still backing the game fwiw, but it's basically for the setting pdfs at this point since I'd really only get a physical book if the system was relatively sound. Actually, I'm curious if the math would change all that much if one just summed all of the dice and divided by 10 to get the total number of raises. There's likely more than a few rolls where this gives a better result than the dice would allow, but would the difference be significant enough to upset the balance of the game? If not, then it might be a much simpler way to run a game (at least over Roll20)
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# ? Mar 2, 2016 21:54 |
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Kai Tave posted:Is there another official explanation of what purpose it serves to resolve tasks using that system? Xelkelvos posted:Actually, I'm curious if the math would change all that much if one just summed all of the dice and divided by 10 to get the total number of raises. There's likely more than a few rolls where this gives a better result than the dice would allow, but would the difference be significant enough to upset the balance of the game? If not, then it might be a much simpler way to run a game (at least over Roll20)
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# ? Mar 2, 2016 22:02 |
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Liquid Communism posted:Oh, hey, look. A video from the devs pointing out that building raises is a thing that literally takes a couple seconds, because it is first grade math. That's not the problem with this system. The real issue is being able to answer questions like: "If the GM says I need 3 raises to safely jump to a chandelier in the middle of this sword-fight, and I can throw seven dice at the problem, do I have a good (> 70%), ok ( 30 ~ 70%), or bad ( < 30%) chance of success?" "How many Dread Points will a GMgain in a typical session with low level characters? " "Is there a difference in the number of Dread Points a GMgets when playing with mostly generalist PCs and when playing with hyper-focused PCs?" "Does the system incentivize hyper-focused PCs or generalists? Are there diminishing returns to your stats? " Whatever extra complexity you add to a game better be worth it. For example, Mage Knight deck-based action resolution is worth it because it allows for fun decisions based on hand management and card-counting. This doesn't seem to be better than "roll X dice and get a raise for every Y you roll over the DC, and the GM gains 1dX - 1 dread points".
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# ? Mar 2, 2016 22:04 |
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The issue as I see it, at least here in the states, is that the idea of the tabletop RPG has the long-running campaign as it's platonic ideal. This is, of course, exemplified by the level-based and rags to riches design of "old-school" games. This means games are played for long periods of time, which causes many people to become deeply invested in them. It also discourages risk-taking, since they seem like long-term investments - whether or not people actually run that long, that's the perception. Add in a gamemaster role that requires intense dedication to a single system or setting for months or years, and you end up with a lot of people likely to reject experimentation without significant enticements or reassurances.
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# ? Mar 2, 2016 22:05 |
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dwarf74 posted:Probably that it's simpler and faster (yes, really) than this one: That's not really an answer to my question though. I could come up with a million hypothetical systems that this one would be more elegant in comparison to. My question is what the intended benefit of the system they chose is. Is there an official statement to that effect? Do they discuss why they went with this system in a video or update? Or is this yet another example of someone simply going "hey wouldn't it be cool if" without any further consideration beyond that?
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# ? Mar 2, 2016 22:49 |
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Kai Tave posted:That's not really an answer to my question though. I could come up with a million hypothetical systems that this one would be more elegant in comparison to. My question is what the intended benefit of the system they chose is. Is there an official statement to that effect? Do they discuss why they went with this system in a video or update? Or is this yet another example of someone simply going "hey wouldn't it be cool if" without any further consideration beyond that? "Utilizing our unique resolution system" gets used all the time in RPG Kickstarters even when it isn't unique, so maybe this is some next level "making it actually unique" bullshit
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# ? Mar 2, 2016 22:58 |
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homullus posted:"Utilizing our unique resolution system" gets used all the time in RPG Kickstarters even when it isn't unique, so maybe this is some next level "making it actually unique" bullshit A lot of RPGs like to tout their unique resolution system as a way to stand out, and a lot of the time those unique systems have issues that make it clear that the designers were so enamored of their unique system that they made the decision to shoehorn it into their game for no better reason than "it's unique, therefore it must be cool." Framewerk or whatever the CthulhuTech system is called is plenty unique with its weird little poker dice mechanics. It's also a system where you can simultaneously critically succeed and critically fail, and that's not some clever intended result, it's just the system loving up. The Cypher system treats your stats as resource pools AND as your hit points, that's pretty unique. Too bad the Cypher system stinks. So the first thing I always wonder when I see someone deciding to be clever with their hot new RPG's mechanics is okay, what about this is better for the game you're making than some bog-standard stat+skill roll vs TN thing? And a lot of the time there's no real answer, it's just "hey isn't this cool?" Unless Wick has actually elaborated on this elsewhere, that's my assumption here as well.
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# ? Mar 2, 2016 23:49 |
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A resolution system should, once players understand it, allow them to grasp the probabilities of the world. This system is really complex to think about so you have to play mother-may-I with the DM, which takes you from narrative stance ("If I'm gonna take on Rocky's Fantastic (+6) boxing, I'm gonna need a Crooked Referee, an Adoring Crowd and another fate point") to "OK, so I have eight dice of boxing, and I need five successes, can I do that? Will getting to 10 dice be better than even? Do I need twelve? Where's the slide rule?"
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# ? Mar 3, 2016 01:59 |
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An example of this very thing in action is the Cortex system. There's nothing about the Cortex system that's overwhelmingly difficult to understand how to do it, it takes a few minutes to wrap your head around but compared to plenty of other systems it's easy as pie. It's also incredibly opaque on both sides of the GM screen. Is it better to break a d12 into two d10s? How about d10s down into d8s? Is there any greater value in using your fate point equivalents to add extra dice to your pool or to add up additional dice together post-roll? What's an appropriate challenge for a group of characters with values X, Y, and Z in their respective areas of expertise? I mean, you can always just say "hey who cares about all this dumb nerd poo poo, just wing it and roll dice and have fun," but if that's your ultimate solution to an opaque system then why are you even bothering with it in the first place?
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# ? Mar 3, 2016 02:25 |
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Most people are balking at the Lazy Gamer ship price, but this is more in line with a piece of furniture than it is a boxed game (which already costs a bunch to ship to Can in the first place, honestly).homullus posted:So that's kind of interesting, actually. I somewhat wish it were magnetic, though, as that could address a lot of the sliding problems with a little modification to the components of one's favorite games. It does look as though it would make a mess of games for which you sleeved the cards. No doubt, you would need to place enough strips that would retain enough strength through a solid piece of wood (without sectioning up the veneer too much), but that's a decent idea. Glue magnets on every game component! I am for that.
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# ? Mar 3, 2016 07:27 |
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Kai Tave posted:I mean, you can always just say "hey who cares about all this dumb nerd poo poo, just wing it and roll dice and have fun," but if that's your ultimate solution to an opaque system then why are you even bothering with it in the first place? "It makes everyone else have to play like I do" Though cortex at least kind of justifies it by trying to make it a dice pool of all the stuff that's relevant (plus the best move is usually to save your point and buy up extra dice for total or effect post-roll).
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# ? Mar 3, 2016 13:17 |
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SaviourX posted:Most people are balking at the Lazy Gamer ship price, but this is more in line with a piece of furniture than it is a boxed game (which already costs a bunch to ship to Can in the first place, honestly).
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# ? Mar 3, 2016 16:36 |
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Hauki posted:I'm more balking at the fact I can buy a functionally identical solid wood lazy susan for like $50 or possibly much less at a garage sale or off craigslist. Do they make lazy susans that size though?
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# ? Mar 3, 2016 16:38 |
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A friend of mine started a kickstarter this week for his new game, Lil' Cthulhu: Lil' Cthulhu is the fun-for-all ages "press your luck-ish" card game that has an adjustable ruleset, allowing players to make the game as difficult or as easy as you want. Here's a gigantic image of how to play: Basically, the idea is that you can turn it from brutally rogue-like into "baby's first card game" with a few quick changes. Here's a quick explanation of the adjustable rules: Here's the kickstarter link. Thanks for making this thread as a place to share these!
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# ? Mar 3, 2016 17:17 |
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jivjov posted:Do they make lazy susans that size though? I've seen them go as big as 22". But as I said earlier: Slimnoid posted:This is kind of a neat idea, but you could build something comparable with a turn table and a trip to Home Depot for a lot less. I could legit make this for about $20-30 worth of material, and most of that would be from the lazy susan if I couldn't find one cheap.
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# ? Mar 3, 2016 17:24 |
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jivjov posted:Do they make lazy susans that size though? Yes. I've seen them at least 36" diameter.
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# ? Mar 3, 2016 18:15 |
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Chinese restaurant supply stores should have lazy susans of various sizes in stock. Even for the "Goliath", just get a regular sized one and put the support board in top to make up the size
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# ? Mar 3, 2016 19:18 |
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It is kind of amusing how people here, and on ks and fbook all turn into super craftsmen when a pricey craft item shows up. Yes, by all means, spend $30 and have at it; no one is forcing you, and your project might even look as good: http://www.ikea.com/ca/en/catalog/products/70314342/
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# ? Mar 4, 2016 00:43 |
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AMP: Year Three is up on kickstarter. AMP is a superhero setting that treats supers as more of scifi thing than a caped crusader affair. The game and setting is pretty cool and this new book expands on the ability of Saps, ordinary people, to be on equal footing to AMPs, adds a corruption mechanic in for AMPs, and establishes how the conflict between Saps and AMPs turns to open war. I've had a chance to sit down with the series creator, Eloy Lasanta, and talk about AMP: Year Three. If you want to check out the base system, AMP: Year One will PWYW for as long as the kickstarter is live.
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# ? Mar 4, 2016 04:55 |
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I don't know if I'd say it's more "sci fi", it's more "Heroes: The TV Show: The RPG". It's about the idea that people with powers are just starting to appear and how it's affecting the world as they become more well-known. I've been wanting to do an F&F of it but Torg is sucking up all my writing ability right now. I also like Year Two because it pretty much starts going all Fall of the Mutants with the government-sponsored meta-hunting teams with metahumans on said teams. Also Eloy is a good person who's doing a great job turning out quality content at a really steady pace.
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# ? Mar 4, 2016 05:01 |
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Evil Mastermind posted:I don't know if I'd say it's more "sci fi", it's more "Heroes: The TV Show: The RPG". It's about the idea that people with powers are just starting to appear and how it's affecting the world as they become more well-known. I've been wanting to do an F&F of it but Torg is sucking up all my writing ability right now. Eloy really loves doing what he does, and has handled all of his Kickstarters with real class.
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# ? Mar 4, 2016 05:39 |
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Dwarven Forge's Castles: 3-D Modular Terrain for Gamers with far deeper pockets than I have is now up and funded in the first hour As per normal, they aren't kidding around
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# ? Mar 6, 2016 17:59 |
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Despite my total disinterest in OSR stuff, Godbound seems to be Actually Good. And mostly freely text-complete. It's 'OSR' in the sense that it has DnD stats, descending AC, saves, there's HP and HD (but the implementation of these is very different), and there's Fort/Ref/Will saves (but they have different names). Other than that it's pretty much totally it's own thing - the OSR stats are more like a 'compatibility layer' so you can steal a DnD dungeon or monster and shove it into Godbound. Basically if you're the kind of person who thought that Exalted's setting and ideas sounded cool, and then you actually looked at the rules and how it plays and went "uhhhhh..." then Godbound is worth looking at.
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# ? Mar 6, 2016 22:47 |
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https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1409961192/judges-guild-deluxe-collectors-edition/description Goodman Games, the guys behind Dungeon Crawl Classics, is doing a KS for a reprint of some classic Judges Guild adventure modules and other published material. Judges Guild was one of the first third-party material for Original Dungeons & Dragons, dating back to 1976. Nothing in it for me though since they're not offering PDFs.
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# ? Mar 7, 2016 04:25 |
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It's been a while since the last heartbreaker kickstarter, hasn't it?
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# ? Mar 7, 2016 05:27 |
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A free app based heartbreaker on Kickstarter. He doesn't stand a chance.
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# ? Mar 7, 2016 05:31 |
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bewilderment posted:Despite my total disinterest in OSR stuff, Godbound seems to be Actually Good. And mostly freely text-complete. It's not Exalted without having to use powerpoint and a projector to explain the flowcharts to new players
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# ? Mar 7, 2016 05:33 |
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He's budgeting almost as much to sponsor youtubers and deviantart contests as he is for developing the app. This isn't even really a heartbreaker; there's no sign he's actually done anything besides commission some cover art.
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# ? Mar 7, 2016 05:39 |
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So this Mythical Might guy is releasing an app...except he doesn't actually have a coder yet.quote:8,750$ Coding I'm guessing he must be more of an ideas guy. There's also no description anywhere, not on the Kickstarter, nor on the Tumblr page, Facebook page, Twitter account, or subreddit which he's created to help advertise this thing, of exactly what this app does or how it's supposed to work, or why an application-based RPG needs $3,500 for a line of miniatures (to be produced through Shapeways, once they find a sculptor).
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# ? Mar 7, 2016 05:49 |
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bewilderment posted:Despite my total disinterest in OSR stuff, Godbound seems to be Actually Good. And mostly freely text-complete. I still have a bit of an issue of when they mean to use straight damage vs. checking the damage table in the text. I may have just not read the distinction close enough though. Also, any system that uses a d20 resolution system tends to trigger the D&D alarms in my head that means to stay away. That being said, looking at the resolution system and how the god abilities are allocated really does solve a number of quality of life issues that Exalted had as well as paring down some of the more superfluous and tedious abilities and streamlining everything
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# ? Mar 7, 2016 06:30 |
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Kai Tave posted:So this Mythical Might guy is releasing an app...except he doesn't actually have a coder yet. quote:I have only played pathfinder and d&d 2nd edition because that is all I was/am able to afford.
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# ? Mar 7, 2016 06:33 |
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Man, that's not even low-hanging fruit. That's fruit that someone picks and hand-delivers to your doorstep, then walks inside and peels it for you while you feel kind of uncomfortable because who is this dude and why is he in your kitchen?
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# ? Mar 7, 2016 06:42 |
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# ? Jun 6, 2024 12:31 |
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If you offer more than $80 on upwork they send you a PDF on what outsourcing means
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# ? Mar 7, 2016 07:11 |