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There is a campaign expansion for Fria Ligan's Mutant Year Zero out now! https://frialigan.se/en/store/?product_id=4259739140233  quote:Mutant: Year Zero – The Gray Death
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Oct 29, 2019 23:00
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It's funny that the cover art for that bears so much resemblance (thematically speaking) to the cover art for the proposed reprint of High Colonies:
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Oct 29, 2019 23:22
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Yeah that's too close to be coincidence.
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Oct 29, 2019 23:35
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Enh, just start playing Won't Get Fooled Again at 7:44 minutes in and it's a scene from any police procedural.
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Oct 30, 2019 00:55
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As some quick happy news, I'm starting a new Savage Worlds: Adventure Edition game tonight with my regular group. I may have mentioned it's a sequel to the D&D 4e Zeitgeist campaign I wrapped up ... well, it was a year-ish ago? Maybe 18 months? That one was amazing - it was a ton of fun, and the ending was ripe for a sequel game. We've been spending the time since in lower-involvement games - a brief-ish Godbound game that was ... pretty good, I guess? And a Dungeon Crawl Classics campaign that ran exactly how I wanted it to run. This is a foray into a new system for all of us, and hopefully a step back into more character-focused play. Tonight is Session Zero, which will be group character-building plus a quick little vidya-game-style game mechanics tutorial "RHC Team-Building Retreat." The adventure as a whole starts next week. 
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Oct 30, 2019 14:46
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The GUMSHOE thread seems to have dropped off the map, unless I'm just oblivious, so I'm just gonna post here that Night's Black Agents: Solo Ops is really freaking good. It jettisons the at-best blandly-functional system for GUMSHOE General Abilities (which, IMO, did not stand up to the high-octane thriller action NBA tried to force it into) in favor of a system that looks to combine the best parts of Powered by the Apocalypse and Forged in the Dark games. It also streamlines a lot of the weirder fiddly bits of NBA, like the tactical usage of Investigative Abilities and the Vampyramid. It's so good I stopped working on my own Blades in the Dark hack for Night's Black Agents, and now I kind of want to figure out how to tweak Solo Ops for group play rather than one-on-one.
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Oct 30, 2019 15:46
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Do you mind going a bit into detail about how they’ve modified the vampyramid? That was always a personal favorite bit of NBA so I’m interested in how it’s been improved.
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Oct 30, 2019 16:30
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Discussion in this thread, a couple of reviews and a $20-off ding-and-dent copy from Noble Knight all led me to grab a copy of Fragged Empire. I'm enjoying reading it. I have to say the most difficult thing about the game so far is the font. Yowch. It's just a bit too slender to read comfortably -- I had to get out a magnifying glass to see if it was X'lon or X'ion -- and there's a weird kerning issue with "yo" in the book that doesn't show in the base font that's really jumping out at me every time I see it.
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Oct 30, 2019 17:10
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Mr. Maltose posted:Do you mind going a bit into detail about how they’ve modified the vampyramid? That was always a personal favorite bit of NBA so I’m interested in how it’s been improved. So, in brief, it now uses essentially the same mechanical skeleton as Heat. When you take actions that draw vampiric attention (which could be active things you do like killing Renfields or disrupting their operations, or passive things like being fed on or falling asleep in a graveyard and dreaming about vampires), you gain Shadow. Whenever you Take Time (basically, something like what Blades in the Dark would call a downtime action--laying low till nightfall, spending all day combing through traffic analysis, whatever), you face a Blowback scene. Blowback can come from either Heat or Shadow, depending on what the GM thinks would be most interesting, and the severity of the Blowback depends on how high your score is. Sometimes the Blowback is a surprise, other times based on the outcome of a previous scene you might get a kind of Sword of Damocles hanging over your head, and if you don't get rid of that problem before you Take Time that's what happens. Now, the really cool part is this: it's really hard to actually reduce your Shadow score. You pretty much have to kill the local head vampire in charge (or otherwise thoroughly roll up the conspiracy's local node, if true vampires are rare in your version) or flee to a new city. This is where vampire Blocks come in. As long as you can protect yourself with known, proven vampire countermeasures when you Take Time, you can treat your Shadow score as (sometimes significantly) lower. So if, for example, you have Shadow 5 and you really need to spend a few hours researching obscure Romanian folk religion, you're looking at blowback on the order of "the head vamp personally comes out hunting you, specifically." But if garlic and running water are vampire blockers in your setting, and you can hole up in a safehouse on Ile-St-Louis with garlic ropes nailed to every doorjamb and window sash, you'd treat your Shadow as 2, which means you're looking at some spooky dreams or maybe a rat spying on you.
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Oct 30, 2019 18:08
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Pelgrane's blog has had some blog entries on mixing parts of stock GUMSHOE (Trail, Night's Black Agents, etc), "QuickShock" GUMSHOE (Yellow King), and One2One GUMSHOE (Cthulhu Confidential, Solo Ops). https://site.pelgranepress.com/index.php/see-page-xx-trail-confidential/ talks about porting PCs back and forth between Trail of Cthulhu and Cthulhu Confidential, for when an investigator wants to go off by themselves for a while and https://site.pelgranepress.com/index.php/see-p-xx-adding-pushes-to-your-gumshoe-game/ explains how to add the "Push" mechanic from One2One and QuickShock into regular GUMSHOE play. Also https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3704941 is the GUMSHOE thread but it is locked for archives. inklesspen fucked around with this message at 19:52 on Oct 30, 2019 |
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Oct 30, 2019 19:44
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Thanks to the goons of Something Awful for giving me a jumping-off point to actually make a thing (that is still incomplete but one day will be finalized). https://twitter.com/Hostile_V/status/1189692672811970564 https://twitter.com/Hostile_V/status/1189693050102132740
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Oct 31, 2019 01:00
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The corebook for Mutant Year Zero is currently free for one day on drivethru rpg. https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/139453/MUTANT-Year-Zero--Roleplaying-At-The-End-Of-Days Enjoy!
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Oct 31, 2019 03:21
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Helical Nightmares posted:The corebook for Mutant Year Zero is currently free for one day on drivethru rpg. Thanks!
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Nov 1, 2019 01:50
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Who's been checking out the games being developed on itch.io? A lot of the indie scene has migrated there, and it's blossomed into a whole thing that I don't fully have a grasp on yet. You've got old pros like Meg and Vincent Baker (and also that that page, their son Elliot who is starting to do really interesting work with Haunted) there, but there's a whole new wave of designers who seem to be really coming into their own on the platform via its game jams. Jay Dragon is the one whose work I'm familiar with, because Sleepaway is loving brilliant and Kid Impossible is quietly beautiful, but there's a ton of new names out there whose work I haven't been able to check out yet. Anyone been following this scene?
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Nov 1, 2019 08:20
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Kestral posted:Who's been checking out the games being developed on itch.io? A lot of the indie scene has migrated there, and it's blossomed into a whole thing that I don't fully have a grasp on yet. You've got old pros like Meg and Vincent Baker (and also that that page, their son Elliot who is starting to do really interesting work with Haunted) there, but there's a whole new wave of designers who seem to be really coming into their own on the platform via its game jams. Jay Dragon is the one whose work I'm familiar with, because Sleepaway is loving brilliant and Kid Impossible is quietly beautiful, but there's a ton of new names out there whose work I haven't been able to check out yet. Anyone been following this scene? I've been paying a lot of attention to it, yeah! Partially because DriveThruRPG is incredibly awful as a publisher (both in terms of revenue share and ease of use), and partially because the culture of itch publishers and customers is a lot more egalitarian and creative for me. The jams are a great way of experimenting with design, you can actually make significant revenue from pay-what-you-want, and there are a lot better tools for things like customising your game page's appearance, publishing updates and devlogs, and interacting with your community. Creators I'd recommend beyond the two pages you picked out would be:
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Nov 1, 2019 13:24
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Helical Nightmares posted:The corebook for Mutant Year Zero is currently free for one day on drivethru rpg. e: poo poo, I can't believe I missed this 
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Nov 1, 2019 16:39
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Is there a good way to get a deck of cards printed? I would love to play Spindlewheel but other than Gamecrafter it doesn't seem to be in print.
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Nov 1, 2019 22:28
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https://twitter.com/BenMullin/status/1190444585752903680
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Nov 2, 2019 04:16
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I mean, frankly, those would be better hands.
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Nov 2, 2019 05:34
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How many medieval fantasy role-playing games that lack magic in their system and setting? It can't be many. It must be fewer that are good.
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Nov 2, 2019 07:19
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Covok posted:How many medieval fantasy role-playing games that lack magic in their system and setting? It can't be many. It must be fewer that are good. Probably because it's really hard to make such a setting not end up kinda dull, at least in a Tabletop RPG context
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Nov 2, 2019 08:16
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Kestral posted:Who's been checking out the games being developed on itch.io? A lot of the indie scene has migrated there, and it's blossomed into a whole thing that I don't fully have a grasp on yet. You've got old pros like Meg and Vincent Baker (and also that that page, their son Elliot who is starting to do really interesting work with Haunted) there, but there's a whole new wave of designers who seem to be really coming into their own on the platform via its game jams. Jay Dragon is the one whose work I'm familiar with, because Sleepaway is loving brilliant and Kid Impossible is quietly beautiful, but there's a ton of new names out there whose work I haven't been able to check out yet. Anyone been following this scene? I'm really enjoying reading random cheap/free itch games. Can't say I've played any of them yet. Some of the ones that stood out to me: Passenger by Secret Hearth - a one-page game about parasites trying to ride a human body to escape the planet. Huge potential for gross-out comedy in a very small word count. Agents of ODD by Jason T - an Into the Odd hack for Hellboy/SCP Foundation style games. Great d100 table of backgrounds. Still in development. Ah, Dang, Mothman Won't Move Out by Ettin - aside from the amusing premise, this has one of the most simple and elegant "success with a cost" mechanics I've seen. And this isn't a game as such, but the Troika backgrounds that people created for Troikajam are off the hook. I love how Troika is this slightly odd, charming OSR game that's currently being colonised by avant-garde storygame maniacs.
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Nov 2, 2019 14:51
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Where can one find Troikajam?
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Nov 2, 2019 16:11
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Covok posted:How many medieval fantasy role-playing games that lack magic in their system and setting? It can't be many. It must be fewer that are good. Mouse Guard has no explicit magic, but still manages to have fantastic adventures because nearly every other creature is huge and deadly in comparison. If you're being very strict, the treatment of medicine and a few things like that aren't particularly far off from potions.
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Nov 2, 2019 22:19
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Covok posted:How many medieval fantasy role-playing games that lack magic in their system and setting? It can't be many. It must be fewer that are good. I haven't read them, but I recall that a few Game of Thrones/Song of Ice & Fire tabletop RPGs were more or less magic-free. On the PC's sides at the very least. Adventures in Middle-Earth 5e is a close case or qualifies depending on your standards, with the closest 'magical' options being elf arrows which can put people to sleep but nothing in the vein of blasting lightning bolts from your fingertips or summoning a swarm of animals.
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Nov 2, 2019 23:14
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Libertad! posted:I haven't read them, but I recall that a few Game of Thrones/Song of Ice & Fire tabletop RPGs were more or less magic-free. On the PC's sides at the very least. I thought the same thing, but then I remembered it also has rules for greensight and a few other magical things, like wights and whitewalkers. It's not much, but it's not completely lacking in magic.
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Nov 2, 2019 23:29
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Joe Slowboat posted:Where can one find Troikajam? Sorry, should have said 'Troika Background Jam': https://itch.io/jam/troika-backgrounds-jam Some highlights include 'Golem-Piloting Tarsier', 'A Surprisingly Large Crab With An Equally Large Knife' and 'DALE'.
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Nov 3, 2019 03:38
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Going to give a shoutout to the Emotional Mecha Game Jam as well, I haven’t played every game from it (holy poo poo there’s 170+) but every one I have has been outstanding.
Mr. Maltose fucked around with this message at 03:46 on Nov 3, 2019 |
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Nov 3, 2019 03:40
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This is kind of crazy. Basically, I've been on a bit of a Transformers kick because I've been trying to get into Transformers comics but never did. Then I found out they rebooted and now I feel like I can both a) get into the new continuity as its only 13 issues in and b) start to buy the hardcover omnibus in order as they are in intended reading order and everything. That lead me to this youtube channel and this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLFZcUllzXk This is kind of crazy. The short of it is that they attempted to explain some toy recolors ten years ago and it lead to a series of short stories and a novel liberally described as "Transformers meets the Hunger Games." I personally find it morbidly fascinating in the "this was officially licensed" sense. Anyhow, it seemed cool and I couldn't think where else to share it. It did make me think of maybe running a game in the setting, but I'm overbooked. Also, I couldn't find a system. It's too dark for Cartoon Action Hour. Well, maybe. Some 80s cartoons were pretty dark like Spiral Zone, but not this dark.
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Nov 3, 2019 04:50
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Sailor Viy posted:Sorry, should have said 'Troika Background Jam': https://itch.io/jam/troika-backgrounds-jam Hey, I created DALE! Thanks for the love.
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Nov 3, 2019 06:26
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Covok posted:This is kind of crazy. Basically, I've been on a bit of a Transformers kick because I've been trying to get into Transformers comics but never did. Then I found out they rebooted and now I feel like I can both a) get into the new continuity as its only 13 issues in and b) start to buy the hardcover omnibus in order as they are in intended reading order and everything. That lead me to this youtube channel and this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLFZcUllzXk Transformers as a franchise has gone in a lot of very interesting directions over it's 35 year history, personally I'm especially fond of the madness that is Tom Scioli's Transformers vs G.I. Joe;     or his more recent comic for Go-Bots(surprisingly the first comic that franchise has ever had not counting some cameos in Transformers comics);   as for system, well that's a tougher question, especially on how to handle Alt-Modes(which is probably one area where Beast Wars has an advantage over most of the rest of the franchise as it's easier to emulate animal style alt-modes than it is vehicle ones)
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Nov 3, 2019 06:40
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Ironically, Beast Wars Uprising does not have them use Beast Modes till the end. The whole Beast Mode thing was originally a new idea made to handle the unique conditions of prehistoric Earth. Without that, they didn't need Beast Modes until BW Megatron invented it to end the Energon dependency of the Maximals and Predacons.
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Nov 3, 2019 07:28
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Covok posted:How many medieval fantasy role-playing games that lack magic in their system and setting? It can't be many. It must be fewer that are good. Pendragon is based in the Arthurian Cycle, but the core system has no player-facing magical systems, so it can easily be run as a dynastic medieval RPG. The Uther and Anarchy periods of the official campaign have no magic at all outside of a couple encounters with Merlin. That said, it's a game built for an extremely narrow experience, so I don't know what you would do with it without directly engaging with Arthurian myth. Zeerust fucked around with this message at 14:51 on Nov 3, 2019 |
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Nov 3, 2019 13:25
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There's a game Paladins based on Pendragon but for the knights of Charlemagne. I backed it on KS but I haven't read it yet. Maybe also no magic?
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Nov 3, 2019 13:52
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drrockso20 posted:as for system, well that's a tougher question, especially on how to handle Alt-Modes(which is probably one area where Beast Wars has an advantage over most of the rest of the franchise as it's easier to emulate animal style alt-modes than it is vehicle ones) FFG did a d20 minigame where you played Transformers, but I don't remember off the top of my head how they handled alt-modes.
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Nov 3, 2019 15:08
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Evil Mastermind posted:You could do the Gamma World/Danger Patrol route, where you make your character out of two different classes: one for what you do and one for your alt-mode. That was actually exactly what I was thinking might be a good idea, hacking Gamma World 7e for such a purpose
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Nov 3, 2019 16:22
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potatocubed posted:There's a game Paladins based on Pendragon but for the knights of Charlemagne. I backed it on KS but I haven't read it yet. Maybe also no magic? Paladin has the same level of magic as Pendragon, in that it exists and the knights may encounter a sorcerer, be healed by a divine cleric, stumble on a magic artifact, or enter a magical realm (fae-type, not fetish-type), but it is not part of their day-to-day lives. quote:Magic in the Carolingian world is not a thing for You could easily keep supernatural stuff vague or remove it, like Zeerust suggested for Pendragon, and not really change much in the tone of knightly questing or adventures, but it is there by default.
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Nov 3, 2019 17:13
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The Halloween sale on my found-footage weird horror game/tool The Cromlech Archives ends in a little under 24 hours! It's 50% off, for $1. I've also recently submitted 2 games to jams on itch.io : SONAR GHOSTS - a rough draft playtest version, at least Submitted to Gentle Ghost Jam, which has ended This is a map-game about ghostly mystery and tragedy in which you play a team of mediums, parapsychologists, and others on a cramped submarine, exploring the site of a hitherto-unexplained 19th-century wreck, chasing down ghosts using your ectosonar, listening to their fragmented voices, and spotting natural and strange features of the seabed. When you put together the pieces of the mystery you can journey to the centre of the wreck and act it out in seance to give the spirits closure and lay them to rest. This is an ongoing project! TR0PHY TAKER Submitted to Business Card Jam, which has just opened This is a very short game (inevitably, since it fits on the front and back of a business card) where you take on the role of an alien hunter-killer like the Predator, and where the act of taking or swapping business cards becomes the act of murder for sport. The other part of the game is altering and arranging your collection of trophies (i.e. business cards) to reflect how your hunter-killer slays humans and their pride and taste in trophies of their victims.
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Nov 3, 2019 18:22
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One of the things that is really compelling for players in Pendragon, in my experience, is that the characters are usually working together, but at the end of every session, you have glory, which acts as an objective score for who is the best at being a knight. It's a very good, simple mechanic that gets people taking risks and getting into the spirit of things
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Nov 3, 2019 18:45
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Pendragron - it's good.
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Nov 3, 2019 19:14
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