TG Chat/Cooking Thread 2016

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Traditional Games > TG Chat/Cooking Thread 2016

potatocubed: Jul 26, 2012; *rathian noises*

Alien Rope Burn posted:

I wonder - does any of the money from this go back to Chaosium? They're given a thanks in the credits, but they were having a rocky financial time, and now I'm curious if this is licensed through them and they get a cut, or what.

Most Cthulhu monsters are out of copyright, and the Pathfinder system is open, so unless Petersen is feeling charitable... I doubt it.

# ? Mar 10, 2016 22:43

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ? Jun 7, 2024 06:01

unseenlibrarian: Jun 4, 2012; There's only one thing in the mountains that leaves a track like this. The creature of legend that roams the Timberline. My people named him Sasquatch. You call him... Bigfoot.

Petersen's actually back with Chaosium and has been for a while, so there may be some sort of deal going down.

# ? Mar 10, 2016 22:46

DalaranJ: Apr 15, 2008; Yosuke will now die for you.

gradenko_2000 posted:

Thank you both! The alt thing and just counting out the squares by hand worked.

If you are using a generator like Donjon then thefakenews' method is probably preferable because you'd actually have to do the number of squares calculation by hand. If you are using something like Dave's mapper that randomizes geomorphs than you can count on each geomorph being 120*120 ft (hopefully, I've seen some screwed up ones) and multiply by your height and width in tiles.

# ? Mar 11, 2016 00:54

Otherkinsey Scale: Jul 17, 2012; Just a little bit of sunshine!

I forget--if I wanted to talk about a possible *World Hack, would that be this thread, the DW thread or the Apocalypse World thread?

Because I've been obsessed with the game Sunless Sea lately, and the idea of Sunless World just jumped in my head after seeing someone else talk about hypothetical tabletop design (based more on 7th Sea I think? But still). And now it seems so obvious ("When you dissect a zee-beast roll +Pages", etc.) that I bet someone's already done it.

# ? Mar 11, 2016 08:45

Helical Nightmares: Apr 30, 2009

That's a great idea.

post in both threads.

# ? Mar 11, 2016 09:03

drrockso20: May 6, 2013; Has Not Actually Done Cocaine

so what are some random campaign ideas that have popped into your head lately, for me I've got one brewing after finding this video series today;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mw_HKzo9Ync
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qV0I-iA5lJU

and then remembering this old set of very well done ads;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5Mf2mp6fms
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9zvIJyF4M8

so now I'm tinkering with a very heavily horror tinged Modern Fantasy setting, main thing is figuring out a system to use(Call of Cthulhu, and anything FATE related are automatically disqualified for consideration), and to find the right tone for it(kinda want it to be fairly heroic in terms of the characters' abilities to fight back and effect things, but also reflecting the quite grim and horrific set of events going on)

so anyone got anything interesting they want to share as well?

# ? Mar 11, 2016 10:10

KirbyJ: Oct 30, 2012

What's the thread I should use to get fresh eyes on a superhero campaign setting I'm working on for a game, get some help worldbuilding and advice on how to transition it from the action horror setting it's first presented as to the supers setting it's supposed to become?

Trying to figure out where best to put my :words:

# ? Mar 11, 2016 12:28

That Old Tree: Jun 24, 2012; nah

KirbyJ posted:

What's the thread I should use to get fresh eyes on a superhero campaign setting I'm working on for a game, get some help worldbuilding and advice on how to transition it from the action horror setting it's first presented as to the supers setting it's supposed to become?

Trying to figure out where best to put my

There's a Game Writing Workshop thread where you might get a bite or two.

# ? Mar 11, 2016 12:35

KirbyJ: Oct 30, 2012

I worded that badly, what I'm working on is for home use, not commercial. Thanks though.

# ? Mar 11, 2016 12:49

Doodmons: Jan 17, 2009

drrockso20 posted:

so what are some random campaign ideas that have popped into your head lately, for me I've got one brewing after finding this video series today;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mw_HKzo9Ync
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qV0I-iA5lJU

and then remembering this old set of very well done ads;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5Mf2mp6fms
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9zvIJyF4M8

so now I'm tinkering with a very heavily horror tinged Modern Fantasy setting, main thing is figuring out a system to use(Call of Cthulhu, and anything FATE related are automatically disqualified for consideration), and to find the right tone for it(kinda want it to be fairly heroic in terms of the characters' abilities to fight back and effect things, but also reflecting the quite grim and horrific set of events going on)

so anyone got anything interesting they want to share as well?

I'll always recommend Silent Legions or Unknown Armies for modern horror. Chronicles of Darkness and Night's Black Agents are also good for modern horror, and they fit the bill of "fairly heroic" a lot more than SL and UA. NBA famously has the "prep" stat, which represents how well prepared you are, and you can make rolls to have already planned for what just happened, and to have brought along the exact thing you need for this situation. If you buy enough Driving, you get a special ability called GTA which lets you make a spend to just have a car, right now, no questions asked. NBA has mechanics for stress and insanity, and there are more detailed versions of the same in Trails of Cthulhu (the Call of Cthulhu game using the same system as NBA). The Esoterrorists is also another GUMSHOE modern horror game with an extremely cool premise: Monsters and magic aren't real, but could be. A group called the Esoterrorists stage fake monster attacks and magical incidents, trying to cause enough mass hysteria and make enough people believe that monsters could exist that the universe will shift and monsters will exist. The PCs are part of a conspiracy called the Ordo Veritatis who want to stop this from happening. Their number one most important job, probably more important than actually catching the bad guys, is making sure nobody finds out that anything bad went down - otherwise the Esoterrorists win. It's all about coverups and misinformation. The Ordo are notable amongst occult conspiracies in RPGs for actually not being dodgy at all, and for being really helpful - they're not riddled with traitors, they have no hidden agenda, they have hospitals and psych wards where injured or insane PCs can recuperate, there's a generous retirement package and PCs are well-compensated and most importantly, they actually maintain a crack assault team of ex-special forces guys so if the player party do a load of investigation and find out that it's something they can't handle, you can legit just call in the cavalry and evacuate, job well done.

# ? Mar 11, 2016 13:26

Plutonis: Mar 25, 2011

http://humanresources.paradoxplaza.com/

# ? Mar 11, 2016 17:22

Evil Mastermind: Apr 28, 2008

Carrasco posted:

I forget--if I wanted to talk about a possible *World Hack, would that be this thread, the DW thread or the Apocalypse World thread?

Because I've been obsessed with the game Sunless Sea lately, and the idea of Sunless World just jumped in my head after seeing someone else talk about hypothetical tabletop design (based more on 7th Sea I think? But still). And now it seems so obvious ("When you dissect a zee-beast roll +Pages", etc.) that I bet someone's already done it.

There is also a general PBTA thread.

# ? Mar 11, 2016 17:27

LuiCypher: Apr 24, 2010; Today I'm... amped up!

unseenlibrarian posted:

Petersen's actually back with Chaosium and has been for a while, so there may be some sort of deal going down.

They brought him back in to clean house after that fiasco with CoC 7th Edition, didn't they? One of my good friends Kickstarted it and he keeps me aware of all the boondoggles, but apparently they blew all of their cash on Horror on the Orient Express and had nothing left to produce 7th Edition with. They have the rulebook in .pdf format, but that's about it.

# ? Mar 11, 2016 18:28

Alien Rope Burn: Dec 5, 2004; _{I wanna be a saikyo HERO!}

LuiCypher posted:

They brought him back in to clean house after that fiasco with CoC 7th Edition, didn't they?

Yeah, Chaosium had four shareholders. Stafford and Petersen were able to oust Krank (the guy who was running those Kickstarters) with their shares once they became the principal shareholders with the passing of Willis. They took over the kickstarter situation with the intention of trying to do right by backers as much as they could, but the money situation was at dire straits at the time. Dunno now much things like 7th Edition's PDF release (and preorders), The Gods War, and the recent Runequest kickstarter have helped, but they at least seem to be able to keep on moving forward. Chaosium basically merged with Moon Design Productions, who became the new management team.

# ? Mar 11, 2016 18:42

Helical Nightmares: Apr 30, 2009

Re: XCOM

Somebody was looking for an XCOM RPG so I uploaded one fan made XCOM pdf I found floating around /tg/

http://docdro.id/jOf58zN

Above is X-Com: Tactical by Paul Pounds and Evan Leybourn 6/2/04.

I know there is another well done comprehensive fan made XCOM /tg/ out there. A Savage Worlds conversion? I can't find it now however.

# ? Mar 11, 2016 21:15

Helical Nightmares: Apr 30, 2009

drrockso20 posted:

Good stuff on Modern Horror

I'm going to provisionally recommend the Netflix show Residue. Not because of the plot or the characters (really not that good). Purely because of the cinematography and mood (legitimately disturbing and off the charts in terms of quality).

First episode has a visually creepy possibly sex club where everyone wears masks. Second episode is full of ominous empty spaces.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8oFUjKxK3CI

--------

Smugglers ship large antiquities murals by first cutting them into pieces.

Some of the murals depict seals and beings associated with protection.

Clearly nothing could go wrong.

http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-35755273

quote:

Museum of Lost Objects: The Genie of Nimrud

Three thousand years ago, a genie graced the walls of an Assyrian palace. Then, probably about 20 years ago, it disappeared, only to re-emerge in London. Since 2002 it's been languishing in police vaults at Scotland Yard, because of difficulties determining the legal owner.

The genie is a powerfully built man, with wings sprouting from his back. About 2m high, it is carved in relief on a stone panel, holding a pine cone, and facing a pattern that represents the tree of life. The genie symbolised both protection and fertility - its role was to safeguard and replenish the ancient kingdom of Assyria.

It was a design particularly popular with the Assyrian king, Ashurnasirpal II, who came to the throne in 883 BC, and made Nimrud his new capital.

"Ashurnasirpal and his artists were really the first to decorate many of the rooms in the public spaces within the palace," says archaeologist Augusta McMahon, lecturer at the University of Cambridge.

"One of the key symbols that appeared over and over was this genie or protective spirit. Because in the minds of the ancient Assyrians it's an enormously powerful motif, it can't hurt to have a further fertility symbol somewhere in the room."

Protective genies came in all sorts of shapes and sizes. The photograph above is very similar but not identical to the one now in the hands of British police. Others had the bodies of men but the heads of ferocious-looking birds and a feathered hairstyle, still others were a combination of man and fish.

Our particular genie had copious amounts of curly hair and a long beard. "The really big crazy-looking hair and the massive beard were part of making him really stand out," says McMahon, who also draws attention to the "little fringed outfit that shows off these incredibly muscular legs".

The impact of all the genies side by side in the palace would have been to convey the strength and virility of the Assyrian empire.

Across the belly of the genie was a smattering of cuneiform in the now extinct language, Akkadian. The text is what's known as Ashurnasirpal's "standard inscription". It lays out in minute detail his many kingly accomplishments - from treading on the necks of foes to being "king of the universe" - and was carved on many of the reliefs and sculptures that filled the halls of his palace at Nimrud.

"It's my favourite ancient archaeological site," says Mark Altaweel, an Iraqi-American archaeologist whose ancestors come from Mosul - not far from Nimrud.

"You did see the reliefs in place, you can see the rooms. Even the ancient floors were sort of wobbly, and in some ways that gave it the ancient feel. You got a sense of what a palace was like when you walked in there."

Sometimes, however, even protective spirits need protecting. At some point since Nimrud's excavation, this genie relief was moved into a storage room from where it disappeared. It's believed to have been taken in the 1990s during the chaos of the first Gulf war, but no-one knows for sure.

The genie's whereabouts were completely unknown for about 10 years. Eventually in 2002, just before the second Gulf war, it turned up in London - one of the world's largest antiquities markets.

Scotland Yard's Art and Antiques Unit went to collect the genie, but it's unclear who legally owns it, so for the last 14 years it has been locked up in a secure storage unit belonging to London's Metropolitan Police.

"The problem is that the burden of proof on objects, when they are looted, is on the authorities to show that it really was removed illegally," says Altaweel.

This can be a challenge.

----
Find out more

*The Museum of Lost Objects traces the stories of 10 antiquities or ancient sites that have been destroyed or looted in Iraq and Syria

*Listen to the episode about the Genie of Nimrud on Radio 4 from 12:00 GMT on Wednesday 9 March or get the Museum of Lost Objects podcast

*Also in this series: The Tell of Qarqur, The Winged Bull of Nineveh, The Temple of Bel, The Lion of al-Lat, Aleppo's minaret and Mar Elian's monastery.
----

Looters sometimes lie about an object's country of origin, and move it through a variety of transit points. It may change hands many times and some of the sellers may insist on remaining anonymous.

"So the genie is basically in a kind of limbo state," says Altaweel.

Even though it appears to be part of a documented collection that was in Nimrud for 3,000 years, at present it seems unlikely to ever return to Iraq.

At some point in its journey, the genie was badly damaged. His head, wings, and upper body are still visible, but gone are his legs and much of Ashurnasirpal's cuneiform inscription. These may have been hacked away when the genie was first taken, or disposed of en route to London - it's not clear. But it is still highly valuable.

"We hear that just the head was going for �3.5m (almost $5m) in 2003 prices," says Altaweel.

"So imagine the value it would get today, and there are people who are willing to pay those prices. There has always been an interest in Nimrud."

Altaweel was in Nimrud just weeks after the US invasion of Iraq in 2003 and saw for himself fresh signs of looting.

"The site guard told me there was a gunfight that happened, with some bullets hitting the reliefs," he says. Some of the panels depicting genies and other figures had been cut out - the head would be missing, with the body and legs still in place.

The awful irony is that the looting of the genie now at Scotland Yard may have saved it from complete destruction. After seizing Mosul in 2014, the so-called Islamic State group began destroying sites in and around the city - including, the following year, Nimrud.

This has prompted debates about the thorny issue of repatriation. Some have argued that it might have been better if more of the Middle East's archaeological riches had been taken from the region during the era of European imperialism. To them, the iconoclasm of the would-be caliphate seemed to justify, in retrospect, the cavalier way in which Western archaeologists and collectors relieved the Middle East of its cultural heritage in the 19th and early 20th Centuries.

And yet for many people outside the West, it remains a source of grievance that so much of their past sits in the halls and basements of museums in Paris and Berlin, London and New York. Westerners can more easily enjoy the cultural history of Iraq than Iraqis themselves.

But while looters have plundered Iraqi museums and still threaten historical sites, the looted objects do not always end up being smuggled abroad.

Mark Altaweel was at the museum in Sulaymaniyah in Iraqi Kurdistan five years ago, when he got chatting to an American Kurdish man. Only after the man had left did Altaweel realise that a transaction had just taken place.

The visitor had offered to sell a series of cuneiform tablets and other objects and the museum at the time had a no-questions-asked policy, so it bought them.

"At first glance you think that's a horrible policy," says Altaweel. "But it did actually prevent them from leaving Iraq proper."

The visitor's haul included something amazing - a chapter of the Gilgamesh epic, the original blockbuster adventure, with monster battles, the search for immortality, divine kings, and even a whole section on how the wrathful gods flooded the Earth (a scenario that would appear again in the later biblical tale of Noah). Gilgamesh is humanity's earliest story. It marks that moment when gods and humans stepped out of the murky unknown and into the sharp relief of narrative.

"As soon as they saw that there's a text that talks about the Gilgamesh story, their immediate reaction was to buy this thing," says Altaweel. "They understood that this was extremely rare."

One of the key scenes in the Gilgamesh epic is the momentous encounter between the hero Gilgamesh and the monster Humbaba, described as a hideous ogre - his "roar is a flood, his mouth is death and his breath is fire!"

This beast of the wild can generally be found roaming the beautiful Cedar Forest. His primary aim is to terrify men and it's up to the brave, demi-god Gilgamesh and his sidekick Enkidu to vanquish Humbaba and rid the forest of his ugly tyranny. But what's remarkable about the Gilgamesh tablet recovered at the Sulaymaniyah museum is that it shows Humbaba in a different light.

"Where Ḫumbaba came and went there was a track, the paths were in good order and the way was well trodden," the tablet reads.

"Through all the forest a bird began to sing: A wood pigeon was moaning, a turtle dove calling in answer. Monkey mothers sing aloud, a youngster monkey shrieks: like a band of musicians and drummers daily they bash out a rhythm in the presence of Ḫumbaba."

In this version of the story, Humbaba is beloved of the gods and a kind of king in the palace of the forest. Monkeys are his heralds, birds his courtiers, and his entire throne room breathes with the heady aroma of cedar resin.

Gilgamesh and Enkidu, meanwhile, are aggressors, ecological thieves. They come to Humbaba's forest to take its timber back to their treeless homeland in Mesopotamia. In this newly discovered tablet of the epic, we find - remarkably - a sense that the heroes of the tale were in the wrong.

"Enkidu opened his mouth to speak, saying to Gilgamesh: 'My friend, we have reduced the forest to a wasteland. In your might you slew the guardian, what was this wrath of yours that you went trampling the forest?'"

This sense of remorse is particularly strong in the Sulaymaniyah tablet, but traces of it also exist in other versions of the Gilgamesh epic. In so many other ancient tales, the Anglo-Saxon Beowulf for example, we find a black-and-white world, a clear binary of good and evil. In

Gilgamesh there is plenty of grey. The hero is faced with the moral consequences of his actions. There is so much destruction in the achievement of his greatness.

Intentionally and unintentionally, modern-day combatants in Iraq and Syria are destroying precious records of antiquity, and more objects like the genie and cuneiform tablets will inevitably slip on to the black market. So, it's worth celebrating the rare recoveries of these artefacts.

"It's a good and bad thing. It's bad that it was looted, it's bad that it had to be purchased. But it's good because at least it stays in the country of Iraq," says Altaweel.

"It's one of these things where Western scholars actually have to come to Iraq to see this and study this tablet. So it's good that at least something of significance stays in the country. Iraqis need to see these things too, ultimately these countries need stability, and stability equals economy, equals tourism, equals the objects being back there."

War makes exiles out of people and cultural artefacts alike. It is a small victory, but a victory nonetheless, when an antiquity like the tablet of Gilgamesh can endure and remain in Iraq.

Ashurnasirpal's genie, however, seems destined to stay far from its old home. Once it guarded the palace of its king. Now it is guarded by
British police, in an obscure basement in a foreign country.

The Museum of Lost Objects traces the stories of 10 antiquities or ancient sites that have been destroyed or looted in Iraq and Syria.

-------

Doodmons posted:

Everything

I agree with everything here.

# ? Mar 11, 2016 21:29

Plutonis: Mar 25, 2011

Assyrian demons haunting american troops/artifact looters and ISIS is actually a fairly cool concept and I dunno why no one ran with it

# ? Mar 11, 2016 21:31

Helical Nightmares: Apr 30, 2009

TheLovablePlutonis posted:

Assyrian demons haunting american troops/artifact looters and ISIS is actually a fairly cool concept and I dunno why no one ran with it

Funny you should mention!

Adam Scott Glancy ran a game...

quote:

A group of useful idiots from the West have journeyed to war-torn Iraq in search of power and fame as soldiers of ISIS. Barely speaking the local language, they are used as pawns and propaganda tools. Their latest mission seems like a cakewalk � search an old man�s mansion for possible hidden antiquities and artifacts. The man is unarmed, assisted by a few servants, one of whom is an informant for ISIS. Ancient artifacts can be sold on the black market or smashed on video for propaganda, both valuable to the terrorist organization. Little do they realize that some artifacts are not meant to be sold or broken.

This game was recorded at Gen Con 2015 in an open gaming room, so there will be background noise. Sorry!

http://actualplay.roleplayingpublicradio.com/2015/08/systems/call-of-cthulhu/call-of-cthulhu-iconoclasts/

Players were given ISIS follower premades :laugh:

Edit: vvvv It's a really good episode ( :neckbeard:

though all of RPPR episodes are right guys :neckbeard:

) And our discussions about Assyrian demons really doesn't spoil anything. Download! Download now!

Helical Nightmares fucked around with this message at 22:06 on Mar 11, 2016

# ? Mar 11, 2016 21:57

Plutonis: Mar 25, 2011

Hahahha I'd play a game where I can be a british ISIS dweeb in a heartbeat

# ? Mar 11, 2016 22:03

Helical Nightmares: Apr 30, 2009

drrockso20 posted:

so anyone got anything interesting they want to share as well?

More advice

clockworkjoe posted:

If you want Cthulhu stuff, you should dig through the Fairfield Project, the Delta Green Mailing List wiki http://fairfieldproject.wikidot.com/

TONS of freely usable scenarios and other material for your game. Some of it is statted out, some of it is not.

Random scenario that I found and looks interesting: http://fairfieldproject.wikidot.com/radio-silence

If you want a more curated list, look at the Shotgun Scenarios: http://fairfieldproject.wikidot.com/shotgun-scenarios

It's a yearly contest of short (under 1500 words) scenarios. I've entered a few times.

The Shotgun Scenarios are full of fantastic gems.

# ? Mar 11, 2016 22:12

Plutonis: Mar 25, 2011

Delta Green but with the protagonists from Four Lions

# ? Mar 11, 2016 22:13

inklesspen: Oct 17, 2007; Here I am coming, with the good news of me, and you hate it. You can think only of the bell and how much I have it, and you are never the goose. I will run around with my bell as much as I want and you will make despair.; Buglord

Don't engage with Plutonis.

# ? Mar 11, 2016 22:25

Shrecknet: Jan 2, 2005

Helical Nightmares posted:

Re: XCOM

Somebody was looking for an XCOM RPG so I uploaded one fan made XCOM pdf I found floating around /tg/

http://docdro.id/jOf58zN

Above is X-Com: Tactical by Paul Pounds and Evan Leybourn 6/2/04.

I know there is another well done comprehensive fan made XCOM /tg/ out there. A Savage Worlds conversion? I can't find it now however.

this was me, tyvm

# ? Mar 11, 2016 22:27

Helical Nightmares: Apr 30, 2009

TheLovablePlutonis posted:

Delta Green but with the protagonists from Four Lions

Pretty much. Also this should have been the tag line for the podcast and the Four Lions protags should be statted for DG premades in general.

Everblight posted:

this was me, tyvm

Awesome! You rock!

# ? Mar 11, 2016 22:27

fool of sound: Oct 10, 2012

inklesspen posted:

Don't engage with Plutonis.

# ? Mar 11, 2016 22:32

LuiCypher: Apr 24, 2010; Today I'm... amped up!

inklesspen posted:

Don't engage with Plutonis.

Alien Rope Burn posted:

Yeah, Chaosium had four shareholders. Stafford and Petersen were able to oust Krank (the guy who was running those Kickstarters) with their shares once they became the principal shareholders with the passing of Willis. They took over the kickstarter situation with the intention of trying to do right by backers as much as they could, but the money situation was at dire straits at the time. Dunno now much things like 7th Edition's PDF release (and preorders), The Gods War, and the recent Runequest kickstarter have helped, but they at least seem to be able to keep on moving forward. Chaosium basically merged with Moon Design Productions, who became the new management team.

I'm glad to see something trying to come out of it. I hear they are shipping soon, so I will be more than happy to (hopefully) purchase a 7th Edition rulebook from them at GenCon this year!

# ? Mar 11, 2016 23:58

Plutonis: Mar 25, 2011

I think people here should just chill and act like adults IMO. I'm an adult, the big guy on the room, I'm wearing my slippers and my nightrobe and smoking from a pipe while I read Plato's Republic, and I don't approve of this kind of bullhockey so the kids should stop with it and get in line or else there's a beltin'.

# ? Mar 12, 2016 16:39

gradenko_2000: Oct 5, 2010; HELL SERPENT; Lipstick Apathy

TheLovablePlutonis posted:

I think people here should just chill and act like adults IMO. I'm an adult, the big guy on the room, I'm wearing my slippers and my nightrobe and smoking from a pipe while I read Plato's Republic, and I don't approve of this kind of bullhockey so the kids should stop with it and get in line or else there's a beltin'.

So are you saying you're Currently Smoking: something?

# ? Mar 12, 2016 17:19

Plutonis: Mar 25, 2011

It's a bubble pipe.

# ? Mar 12, 2016 17:36

fool of sound: Oct 10, 2012

TheLovablePlutonis posted:

It's a bubble pipe.

Good choice.

# ? Mar 12, 2016 18:38

Arivia: Mar 17, 2011

drrockso20 posted:

Which is a huge mistake on WOTC side of things(I've never understood how the Realms have any popularity at all, it's completely bland, and so bloated with ultra powerful NPCS that it just seems like a pain in the rear end to have any meaningful adventures, especially if you're starting from a low level)

Not really, both Greyhawk and Mystara have a lot that's unique to them, while I can't think of anything unique to the main region of the Realms, it's the single most white bread fantasy setting I can think of that's not a parody or satire(and even those tend to stand out more)

There are far more things in the Realms than whoever your "ultra powerful NPCs" are can handle, and there are even more things they're not interested in at all. Khelben "Blackstaff" Arunsun gave his life to build one city and save another, that's how hard many things in Faerun are. Adventurers are very needed, very necessary, and have uncountable ways to make their mark on the Realms.

Greyhawk is too loosely detailed to have any distinguishing characteristics (except for the heavy emphasis on law versus chaos, I suppose.) Mystara I have no idea about. Three things that distinguish the Realms (no matter what part of Faerun you're in): 1) an emphasis on the individual lives and stories of each and every character, and creating enjoyable play through paying attention to that innkeeper or that soldier; 2) the active and interested participation of deities through their own actions and those of their churches (NOT the avatars seen during the Time of Troubles, but through dreams, miracles, et cetera); 3) and the interlocking and conflicting secrets and societies that strive against each other across the Realms, affecting many parts of life (trade, leadership, magic, et cetera.)

I talked about number 1 in a bit more detail here if you want to see.

paradoxGentleman posted:

Is Forgotten Realms the one with dozens of gods?

Yes. It's important to note that only a subset of them are involved in any one campaign likely; many deities are regional (including the entire Mulhorandi pantheon), and different deities are emphasized depending upon what the campaign's about. It's easy to pare down a list of deities most players would be interested in for a given campaign, and the others are easily explained if someone's interested.

fool_of_sound posted:

Forgotten Realms has interesting areas. Unfortunately, virtually all DnD media takes place in or near the Sword Coast, which has absolutely no memorable features.

Nah, there's plenty of interesting stuff on the Sword Coast. For one thing, the vast majority of it (from the Spine of the World to Amn) is broadly comparable to 4e's default points of light setting, with city-states protecting smaller towns and huge wildernesses filled with dangers between them. Much of Faerun is like that, really.

If the movie is beginning in the Yawning Portal, that's a pretty cool place. A giant tavern built over the entrance to a huge dungeon, full of either brash young adventurers looking to prove themselves or the wizened placing bets on who will make it back out. Waterdeep and Undermountain have more than enough big hooks to hang a movie on, let alone a campaign. The Dragonshield, the Walking Statues, scaladar, Skullport, the Skulls themselves - it would work pretty well.

# ? Mar 12, 2016 20:54

Zephirum: Jan 7, 2011; Lipstick Apathy

Eberron would have been cool

# ? Mar 12, 2016 22:38

Error 404: Jul 17, 2009; MAGE CURES PLOT

Zephirum posted:

Eberron is always cool

ftfy

# ? Mar 12, 2016 22:42

gradenko_2000: Oct 5, 2010; HELL SERPENT; Lipstick Apathy

I found this thing that generates names-for-levels for any given word you can throw at it: http://jimkang.com/namedlevels/

You can go standard:

Branch out in subtypes:

Try sci-fi

Or esoteric:

# ? Mar 13, 2016 02:15

Wrestlepig: Feb 25, 2011; my mum says im cool; Toilet Rascal

Goons TABLE I.
Level Title
10-Sided Dice for Accumulated Hit Points
Experience Level
Experience Points
1 1 Bodyguard 1 � 2,000
2 2 Clumsy Person 2,001 � 4,750
3 3 Cask Wine 4,751 � 11,500
4 4 Loonie 11,501 � 27,500
5 5 Thug 27,501 � 38,000
6 6 Box Wine 38,001 � 53,000
7 7 Bikers 53,001 � 75,000
8 8 Bikers (8th level) 75,001 � 127,000
9 9 Goon 127,001 � 216,000
10 9+3 Superior Goon 216,001 � 305,000
11 9+6 Superior Goon of Snakes 305,001 � 394,000
12 9+9 Superior Goon of Crows 394,001 � 483,000
13 9+12 Superior Goon of Ravens 483,001 � 572,000
14 9+15 Superior Goon of Ravens (14th level) 572,001 � 661,000
15 9+18 Arch Goon of Ravens 661,001 � 750,000
16 9+21 Renowned Goon of Ravens 750,001 � 839,000
17 9+24 Renowned Goon of Ravens (17th level) 839,001 � 928,000
18 9+27 Renowned Goon of Ravens (18th level) 928,001 � 1,017,000
Goons gain 3 h.p. per level after the 9th.

# ? Mar 13, 2016 02:22

Helical Nightmares: Apr 30, 2009

Can't wait to reach Box Wine so I can specialize in two handed printers.

# ? Mar 13, 2016 02:27

Elfgames: Sep 11, 2011; Fun Shoe

gonna go down to tacobell and order a Jedi Supreme.

# ? Mar 13, 2016 02:34

Countblanc: Apr 20, 2005; _{Help a hero out!}

grand dad

# ? Mar 13, 2016 02:34

Slimnoid: Sep 6, 2012; Does that mean I don't get the job?

Countblanc posted:

grand dad

GRAND DAD?!

# ? Mar 13, 2016 02:38

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ? Jun 7, 2024 06:01

Golden Bee: Dec 24, 2009; I came here to chew bubblegum and quote 'They Live', and I'm... at an impasse.

Goths TABLE I.
Level Title
3-Sided Dice for Accumulated Hit Points
Experience Level
Experience Points
1 2 Barbarian 1 � 1,750
2 3 Footjob 1,751 � 3,250
3 4 Wimp 3,251 � 6,250
4 5 Disagreeable Person 6,251 � 12,000
5 6 Unpleasant Person 12,001 � 24,000
6 7 Shoegaze 24,001 � 48,000
7 8 Pornstar 48,001 � 96,000
8 9 Pornstar (8th level) 96,001 � 220,000
9 10 Goth 220,001 � 507,000
10 10+1 Arch Goth 507,001 � 794,000
11 10+2 Immortal Goth 794,001 � 1,081,000
12 10+3 The Great Goth 1,081,001 � 1,368,000
13 10+4 The Great Goth (13th level) 1,368,001 � 1,655,000
14 10+5 The Great Goth (14th level) 1,655,001 � 1,942,000
15 10+6 The Great Goth (15th level) 1,942,001 � 2,229,000
16 10+7 The Great Goth (16th level) 2,229,001 � 2,516,000
Goths gain 1 h.p. per level after the 9th.

# ? Mar 13, 2016 06:02

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Traditional Games > TG Chat/Cooking Thread 2016

«‹›120 »