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ProfessorCirno posted:Yeah, as others have said, this is less a problem with how you roll your dice, more a problem with it being a binary pass/fail result. If the world class safe cracker whiffs his roll, the safe is still opening, but there's just one more alarm those miserable bastards set where even the safe cracker hadn't thought to look. The problem I've always had with twist rolls is that it puts the GM in the spotlight to come up with a twist that a) is in scope of the attempted task, b) doesn't negate the success; and c) doesn't negate any previously observed facts for the players. It's easy to say "there's just one more alarm those miserable bastards set.." in isolation, but then the player with the expert hacker who rolled 4 successes in a row to deactivate the alarm systems throws his dice across the table. (Dear lord, heist scenarios are a bastard to run.) I often feel the underlying problem is the overloading of dice rolls to deliver both a tactical gaming experience and narrative pseudo-tension (ie, you know they're going to open the safe but a skilled filmmaker or author can make it tense anyway).
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Oct 1, 2018 14:24
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hyphz posted:The problem I've always had with twist rolls is that it puts the GM in the spotlight to come up with a twist that a) is in scope of the attempted task, b) doesn't negate the success; and c) doesn't negate any previously observed facts for the players. It's easy to say "there's just one more alarm those miserable bastards set.." in isolation, but then the player with the expert hacker who rolled 4 successes in a row to deactivate the alarm systems throws his dice across the table. (Dear lord, heist scenarios are a bastard to run.)
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Oct 1, 2018 14:39
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I was reading the rules to the old Avalon Hill Dune boardgame and had a thought that I wish an RPG could use something like the dueling system in that game. Here was my thought at coming up with one: each player has a per-encounter pool of whatever, power. Say they start at level 1 with 5 power. Each monster, meanwhile, has a pool of dice the GM can spend. Say a goblin has a pool of 2d4 for the entire encounter. In combat, the GM spends how every many of those dice he wants to come up with a number in secret. The player writes down secretly how many power they'll spend on that round, then both player and GM reveal their number. Highest wins. I was thinking also that everyone would have a lower base attack number they could always even if their pool is empty. So a fighter is always going to beat a single goblin in melee if they're both out of power. My first thought was a per-encounter pool for both the GM and the players but I thought it would suck to track the power of ten goblins. But in hindsight it's not any worse than tracking their HP. Obviously details and exact numbers would need to be tweaked but thoughts? Imagined fucked around with this message at 19:24 on Oct 1, 2018 |
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Oct 1, 2018 19:03
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Imagined posted:Obviously details and exact numbers would need to be tweaked but thoughts? 1. Reveal of secrets on behalf of both player and GM is a lot of overhead. 2. Both players and GM need to do a lot of risk-evaluation, but it's of the kind that doesn't do anything other than being a mathematical optimization problem. (Which, when solved, probably becomes a game of never having any choice because the optimal choice is the only viable choice.)
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Oct 1, 2018 19:25
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From the creators of Orc Stabr comes Americana. Back this poo poo.
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Oct 1, 2018 19:25
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But you might know by sound if the GM rolled two dice, but you don't know if the GM rolled a 2 or an 8, at least in the dice variant. So how does that become a solved problem. Then again I might be combining the worst of luck based games with the worst of resource based games.
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Oct 1, 2018 19:30
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I've hosed around with testing out mini-game with wages rules like that and they have always sucked. They're obnoxious and slow to play, and don't really add much. If you want a dice-based resource pool like that, make the players have the pool, while GM controlled stuff is a set number imo. The players still have to balance how many dice to put into a particular task, but it doesn't require the obnoxious secret keeping.
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Oct 1, 2018 19:37
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That Old Tree posted:From the creators of Orc Stabr comes Americana. Back this poo poo. Okay at first I was a little iffy on this one, but upon seeing that one of the stretch goals is to do a Power Rangers style expansion, well I'm sold now
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Oct 1, 2018 19:42
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Imagined posted:But you might know by sound if the GM rolled two dice, but you don't know if the GM rolled a 2 or an 8, at least in the dice variant. So how does that become a solved problem. The long answer involves statistics and game theory, the short answer is that even if you don't know what the GM rolled, there's ways to bet/bid that maximize your earnings. And in a simple system, those ways are going to be pretty easy to determine.
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Oct 2, 2018 01:28
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Gonna spend some time in NYC around the start of November, any particularly mind-blowing game shops there? Going as part of my art degree, so got the museums and culture stuff covered.
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Oct 2, 2018 09:46
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Imagined posted:I was reading the rules to the old Avalon Hill Dune boardgame and had a thought that I wish an RPG could use something like the dueling system in that game. Splicer fucked around with this message at 13:23 on Oct 2, 2018 |
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Oct 2, 2018 13:21
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Cassa posted:Gonna spend some time in NYC around the start of November, any particularly mind-blowing game shops there? Going as part of my art degree, so got the museums and culture stuff covered. We’re actually pretty poor for gaming stores cause floor-space is so expensive. But there are a couple. Compleat Strategist in midtown has a ton of stuff but is very cramped. There’s also a bordgaming/bar place near me in Harlem. There’s also stuff in Brooklyn I know less well. Drop me a pm or check the LAN thread.
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Oct 2, 2018 13:52
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Cassa posted:Gonna spend some time in NYC around the start of November, any particularly mind-blowing game shops there? Going as part of my art degree, so got the museums and culture stuff covered. Compleat Strategist in Manhattan. It's like one of those shops in Harry Potter.
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Oct 2, 2018 15:43
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Is there any WW1/WW2 low fantasy setting TRPG out there? Playing Valky 4 and the setting is so good it's making me wonder.
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Oct 2, 2018 17:14
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is there anything that does landing on alien planet building settlement kind of poo poo really well? I almost feel like reskinning mutant: year zero might work but if there something good already out there.
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Oct 2, 2018 17:15
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Doorknob Slobber posted:is there anything that does landing on alien planet building settlement kind of poo poo really well? I almost feel like reskinning mutant: year zero might work but if there something good already out there. Worldfall is explicitly about this; it's based on my own Legacy: Life Among the Ruins , so it covers multiple generations of colony life while focusing on the political system you develop and the impact you have on the alien ecosystem.
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Oct 2, 2018 18:50
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Flavivirus posted:Worldfall is explicitly about this; it's based on my own Legacy: Life Among the Ruins , so it covers multiple generations of colony life while focusing on the political system you develop and the impact you have on the alien ecosystem. Will I need both your book and that one to play?
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Oct 2, 2018 19:19
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Plutonis posted:Is there any WW1/WW2 low fantasy setting TRPG out there? Playing Valky 4 and the setting is so good it's making me wonder. The in-development game Flying Circus is sort of like this in a WWI sense though it's focused primarily on pilots and aerial combat.
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Oct 2, 2018 20:11
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Plutonis posted:Is there any WW1/WW2 low fantasy setting TRPG out there? Playing Valky 4 and the setting is so good it's making me wonder. There's Weird War 1 and Weird War 2 for Savage Worlds but those are more oriented towards Horror.
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Oct 2, 2018 20:40
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Doorknob Slobber posted:Will I need both your book and that one to play? Yeah, it draws heavily on the Legacy corebook. You maybe could play it with just the handout file but you'd be missing GM advice, examples of play, extra Wonders to build and that kind of thing.
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Oct 2, 2018 21:07
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Flavivirus posted:Worldfall is explicitly about this; it's based on my own Legacy: Life Among the Ruins , so it covers multiple generations of colony life while focusing on the political system you develop and the impact you have on the alien ecosystem. Wait, you wrote Legacy 2? My group is just about to start that, that's cool if it's written by a goon.
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Oct 2, 2018 21:27
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After a proofing process spanning across untold eons, the great campaign The Glass-Maker's Dragon, for Chuubo's Marvelous Wish-Granting Engine, is finally available in print. I can say with absolutely no exaggeration that it is the greatest campaign book ever written by the most brilliant of all authors, and that the producer was pretty okay also. If you aren't sure whether you want to rush to purchase this, maybe you could take a look at the Bundle of Holding that features Chuubo and the glorious second editon of Nobilis, currently a little under a week left? Not to use high-pressure sales tactics or anything, but Jenna is indicating that this bundle sale is doing more for her financial situation than any other book release or Kickstarter ever, so this isn't just a great time to buy it, but also to tell all your friends and also random strangers!
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Oct 2, 2018 21:48
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Rand Brittain posted:After a proofing process spanning across untold eons, the great campaign The Glass-Maker's Dragon, for Chuubo's Marvelous Wish-Granting Engine, is finally available in print. I can say with absolutely no exaggeration that it is the greatest campaign book ever written by the most brilliant of all authors, and that the producer was pretty okay also. Just bought this and Fortitude in print for myself as belated birthday presents. Last year's birthday present was Chuubo's core, so this is great timing.
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Oct 2, 2018 22:22
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Antivehicular posted:Just bought this and Fortitude in print for myself as belated birthday presents. Last year's birthday present was Chuubo's core, so this is great timing. Oh, well, that's why it took a year to proof, then. We were waiting just for you.
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Oct 2, 2018 22:27
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Rand Brittain posted:Oh, well, that's why it took a year to proof, then. This is the most Jenna-Moran-ish possible reply to my post and I thank you for making it
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Oct 2, 2018 22:29
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Spiteski posted:Wait, you wrote Legacy 2? Yup, that's me! Not only written by a goon, but the first draft of 1e was written for this forum's design contest way back in September 2013.
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Oct 2, 2018 22:35
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Rand Brittain posted:After a proofing process spanning across untold eons, the great campaign The Glass-Maker's Dragon, for Chuubo's Marvelous Wish-Granting Engine, is finally available in print. I can say with absolutely no exaggeration that it is the greatest campaign book ever written by the most brilliant of all authors, and that the producer was pretty okay also. I already own everything in the bundle. So I bought it for my brother instead.
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Oct 2, 2018 22:35
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Rand Brittain posted:After a proofing process spanning across untold eons, the great campaign The Glass-Maker's Dragon, for Chuubo's Marvelous Wish-Granting Engine, is finally available in print. I can say with absolutely no exaggeration that it is the greatest campaign book ever written by the most brilliant of all authors, and that the producer was pretty okay also.
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Oct 2, 2018 23:00
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Flavivirus posted:Yup, that's me! Not only written by a goon, but the first draft of 1e was written for this forum's design contest way back in September 2013. That's very cool! I managed to pick up what seems like a Kickstarter bundle on a local RPG page in unused condition as an impulse buy. Has a slipcase, leather-ette cover and half a dozen setting books in another slipcase. Since you're the creator, any tips on running it? The group have only ever played one PbtA game session before, and that was Dungeon World
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Oct 2, 2018 23:27
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Ettin, fix the thread title.
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Oct 2, 2018 23:34
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Jeffrey of YOSPOS posted:I dunno anything about the author but that campaign sounded cool enough to buy, whether I run it or not, so I hope you're right!!! The author has been described by people other than Rand Brittain as the closest thing tabletop RPG design has to a genius in the classic, non-hyperbolic sense of the word. Most of what she's written is utterly unlike anything else out there, to the point where some of it approaches being outsider art, except instead of just being bizarre and naive it's incredible. And yes, Glass-Maker's Dragon is quite possibly the greatest campaign book ever written, although The Dracula Dossier gives it a run for its money purely on accessibility grounds. That bundle also has Nobilis 2E in it, and that's worth more than the price of admission all by itself. It's also worth pointing out that when Rand says it's doing things for her financial situation, that's not just about making the author more comfortable. Jenna has been repeatedly hosed over by the people she's worked for in ways that far, far exceed the normal horror stories associated with RPG freelancing, so you can feel good about supporting an author who could use a hand up.
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Oct 2, 2018 23:46
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Spiteski posted:That's very cool! I managed to pick up what seems like a Kickstarter bundle on a local RPG page in unused condition as an impulse buy. Has a slipcase, leather-ette cover and half a dozen setting books in another slipcase. Huh, cool! That's a neat set of books, I hope you like them. For running it... there's quite a few moving parts, so keep your scope limited starting out. Have a simple and direct threat defining your first Age of play, treat Family moves as downtime actions between character-level adventures, and don't sweat things like Wonders and Factions. In later ages you can drop those in, point PCs against each other, weave family and character actions together, that kind of thing. Also, pay attention to gear tags - making gear matter is an important part of the Surplus economy, and keeping track of the tags in play ensures that the basic moves get triggered properly.
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Oct 3, 2018 00:03
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Since someone brought up Spellbound Kingdoms, I picked it up and it seems really cool. Did the Kickstarted expansion book ever actually come out? I'm really interested in the "make your own fighting style" rules, since so much of the system hinges on the fighting styles.
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Oct 3, 2018 01:22
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grassy gnoll posted:Ettin, fix the thread title. Has any RPG used the French Republican calendar in their setting?
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Oct 3, 2018 01:31
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Bedlamdan posted:There's Weird War 1 and Weird War 2 for Savage Worlds but those are more oriented towards Horror. As any WW1 game should be. Wraith: The Great War is also set in WW1, but you're playing as the actual war dead during a civil war among the dead spanning WW1. Also Wraith is one of those games that seems really cool in concept and to read, but is hell to get playing, since by the base rules either A. Every player is playing both their character and another player's character's death-drive, or a second GM to play and manage that aspect for the players. It could be all ran and controlled by a single GM to avoid some chaos, but that also sort of turns the shadow into a plot device for the GM that can rob players of agency. Increasingly I'm thinking if I ever ran a game of wraith again, because the politics and theme of its underworld were really neat I'd just Have every character play a ferryman and have them help generate a pasiphae. Or otherwise crib the general theme of "Yeah you spawned an actual evil twin essence as determined to undo everything you want to do. What's that mean?" rather than having regular shadows. Then just run them as a full NPCs. Or hell alternate sessions and have the players run their own pasiphae in different parts of the underworld. and yeah I totally just used spoiler tags for a game that's been dead for almost 20 years, just in case someone plays it again and never read the GM chapters/learned some of the bigger secrets of one of the big mystery factions of plot device NPCs from the most niche oWoD bookline.
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Oct 3, 2018 01:39
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Oh and double posting but was Nobilis 2nd edition better than 3rd? So worth actually checking out? Or just something that makes for a cool bonus when buying this bundle of holding for Chuubo's? I'm totally buying the bundle either way, just because Jenna worked on some of my favorite RPGs growing up, and was usually the one contributing some of the best and most unique aspects to settings and cosmology.
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Oct 3, 2018 01:52
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Flavivirus posted:Yeah, it draws heavily on the Legacy corebook. You maybe could play it with just the handout file but you'd be missing GM advice, examples of play, extra Wonders to build and that kind of thing. thanks I'll buy them both.
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Oct 3, 2018 01:56
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Zarick posted:Since someone brought up Spellbound Kingdoms, I picked it up and it seems really cool. Did the Kickstarted expansion book ever actually come out? I'm really interested in the "make your own fighting style" rules, since so much of the system hinges on the fighting styles. No it's behind and flaky and I'm sad because I loving love Spellbound Kingdoms. He popped up with an update earlier this year but nothing since.
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Oct 3, 2018 02:00
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Coolness Averted posted:Oh and double posting but was Nobilis 2nd edition better than 3rd? So worth actually checking out? Or just something that makes for a cool bonus when buying this bundle of holding for Chuubo's? Third Edition is better mechanically but Second Edition is the most beautiful book this industry has ever produced.
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Oct 3, 2018 02:01
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I want to like Savage Worlds. All the poker metaphors and terminology made sense and fit the setting in Deadlands, but I really hate talking about aces and wild cards and jokers in a game like Weird War Rome.
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Oct 3, 2018 02:05
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