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Plutonis posted:Also you can always play DND without supporting the Wizard of the Coast corporation thanks to the magic of something i call "internet piracy". Or the wonderful world of OSR gaming*, something like OSE would probably be a good fit for what he's looking for *well so long as you avoid the CHUDS
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Jul 12, 2021 00:06
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potatocubed posted:While I concede that the chat thread is a good place to casually chat about streams and/or podcasts, I would contend that a) it's not a good place to try and litigate exactly how awful the Critical Role cast are*, b) if you want to talk about podcasts and streams more generally we have a thread for that, and c) if you really have to argue about this I'd much rather you took it to an all-new Critical Role Deathmatch thread which I can delete without reading at some later date. Hey! Two threads: Non-AP RPG Podcasts That said, also keep the CR chat outta there, thanks.
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Jul 12, 2021 00:19
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Fun challenge, can y'all help me weaponize Pokémon? I'm running a League of Extraordinary Gentlemen campaign that takes place in 1999 & one of the players is Ash Ketchum. He's involved in a Pokémon cult (it's a composite of 90's cults like the Branch Davidians and Aum Shinrikyo. Like them, they have a plot to bring dozens of Koffings and Wheezings onto the NYC subway system and have them gas everyone all at once). Anyhow, the PC's now have to rescue and maybe deprogram him. So, I'm looking for some creative and effective uses of Pokémon in a real-world situation. In my head, I have Digletts making ground traps, Machokes as heavy hitters and so on. If you could make a small Pokémon army (about 25), what would it be made up of? How would you organize it? What would your primary attacks or defenses be like? Which Pokémon types would you combine to make an effective single attack? Keep in mind, these Pokémon must from before 1999. Nothing from newer games.
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Jul 12, 2021 13:48
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Mr_Schmoo posted:Fun challenge, can y'all help me weaponize Pokémon? I suspect you'd be better off posting this somewhere in a dedicated Pokemon thread/community instead of a TTRPG chat thread. I think this idea sounds very cool, but I don't actually know that much about specific Pokemen and I suspect this will be the case for majority of posters here.
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Jul 12, 2021 13:55
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Mr_Schmoo posted:Fun challenge, can y'all help me weaponize Pokémon? Splicer fucked around with this message at 17:09 on Jul 12, 2021 |
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Jul 12, 2021 14:25
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Mr_Schmoo posted:Fun challenge, can y'all help me weaponize Pokémon? How dark do you want? You can go really dark, use the pokedex entries Hypno and Drowzee kidnap people[1] and the cult tries to turn these kidnapped people into a Kadabra[2] so they can get an Alakazam that able to outhink super computers[3]. Kadabra's can wreck machines, and clocks don't even work around them and maybe they have a few on hand to keep out the feds[2]. Not everyone makes it to a Kadabra though, which is where the ghost pokemon come in. You've got Ghastly's which can kill an elephant in less than 3 seconds [4] Haunter which licks you once, and then you're marked for death for the rest of your life [5] And Gengar's, which goes back to the "Ghost Pokemon are dead people [6]" bit. Now you have to take care of these things to make sure they don't all turn into ghost pokemon if you catch my drift. You'd have some paras on the staff with some Chancee[7], because the parasitic mushrooms on Paras back is a medicine[8] in the pokemon world, and Chancee is a nurse. Since we have a green room for Paras to suck trees down and create medicine, we need something to protect them, Victreebel is good for that, because they have a honeylike scent that attracts even humans and those who smell it never return [9] So we take your initial premise "Ash is in an evil cult, making a small pokemon army," and we expound it into "Ash's Cult is trying to create a super being by preying on those around him with pokemon." And we have all of the infrastructure right there with only 9 pokemon. Mix and match for flavor. Pokedex Entries: [1] Drowzee can be spotted near recreational facilities, intending to eat the pleasant dreams of children who enjoyed themselves there that day. [1] The arcing movement and glitter of the pendulum in a Hypno's hand lull the foe into deep hypnosis. While searching for prey, it polishes the pendulum. [2] A theory exists that Kadabra was a young boy who couldn't control his psychic powers and ended up transformed into this Pokémon. [2] Kadabra's presence infests televisions and monitors with creepy shadows that bring bad luck. [2] Many odd things happen if Kadabra is close by. For example, it makes clocks run backwards. [3]Alakazam's brain cells multiply continually until it dies. As a result, it remembers everything. [3] Alakazam's brain can outperform a super-computer. Its intelligence quotient is said to be 5,000. [3]Alakazam's brain continually grows, making its head far too heavy to support with its neck. This Pokémon holds its head up using its psychokinetic power instead. [3]Alakazam's brain continually grows, infinitely multiplying brain cells. This amazing brain gives this Pokémon an astoundingly high IQ of 5,000. It has a thorough memory of everything that has occurred in the world [4]Ghastly exists as a thin gas. It can topple an Indian elephant by enveloping the prey in two seconds. [5] By licking, Haunter saps the victim's life. It causes shaking that won't stop until the victim's demise. [5] It's dangerous to go outside alone on nights when you're feeling sad. Haunter will catch you, and you won't be able to go back home. [6] Gengar apparently wishes for a traveling companion. Since it was once human itself, it tries to create one by taking the lives of other humans. [6] Even your home isn't safe. Gengar will lurk in whatever dark corner of a room it can find and wait for its chance to catch its prey. [7] A gentle and kind-hearted Pokémon that shares its nutritious eggs if it sees an injured Pokémon. [8] It scatters toxic spores from its mushroom cap. Once harvested, these spores can be steeped and boiled down to prepare herbal medicines. [8] Paras has parasitic mushrooms growing on its back called tochukaso. They grow large by drawing nutrients from this Bug Pokémon host. They are highly valued as a medicine for extending life. [9] [Victreebel are] Said to live in huge colonies deep in jungles, although no one has ever returned from there. [9] [Victreebel] Acid that has dissolved many prey becomes sweeter, making it even more effective at attracting prey.
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Jul 12, 2021 14:29
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hyphz posted:Activities of all kinds being portrayed as fantasy versions of what they really are is a modern plague. How dare you malign The Mighty Ducks this way
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Jul 12, 2021 15:12
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Mr_Schmoo posted:Fun challenge, can y'all help me weaponize Pokémon? Parasect/it's evolution line is pretty weird even in fluff since it's literally a big that winds up increasingly mind controlled by a fungus that turns it into a zombie (and people value/eat the mushroom too) Self destruct is creepy as a move and is a trademark of voltorb, which also in universe is easily mistaken as balls, including pokeballs. Magikarp are pretty much just regular fish that if forced to fight long enough and survivd turn into giant angry dragons Porygon could work as a computer virus/spy able to freely travel between any electronic device Not as scary as it would be in a modern internet of things, but still a good twist for betrayal or things going wrong, especially since Porygon's signature move conversion lets it mimic other things and take on their properties.
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Jul 12, 2021 17:03
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Jul 12, 2021 17:07
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Gotta stick with G1 sadly so no room for ghost balloons or psychic ice cream.
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Jul 12, 2021 17:36
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Coolness Averted posted:Gotta stick with G1 sadly so no room for ghost balloons or psychic ice cream. G2 should be fine, that was 1999.
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Jul 12, 2021 17:45
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Boba Pearl posted:How dark do you want? Dark is encouraged. So far, the other players have been messing with the character (sort of, it's mostly in Ash's head, but there are legit grievances), and he was lead towards this cult. Imagine you had a ton of Pokémon at your compound and the ATF is raiding it. How would you fight back with what you had captured? However, I should mention who the PC's are that will be walking into this. We have Buffy Summers (movie Buffy), Mildred Hubble, the Doom Guy (with full weapons), "Globe" from "Super Powereds", and the son of a 1940's super hero who is basically a weaker version of Spectre from DC. Regarding Magikarp, the cult has already used all they have and are threatening a town with them (Innsmouth, now a tourist trap). They are nearly at the point of evolving and if damaged slightly by cultists slightly will evolve and just cause havoc. Thanks for the advice so far. All I had was Voltorb & Magneton working as a railgun & firing Geodudes
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Jul 12, 2021 19:35
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Looking at your cast you're going to just want to shoot them to bits, looking at you Doom Guy. I feel you can get good traction from Magnetmite and Magneton. Not only can they shock, but they are made of metal, which can resist pretty much anything thrown against them kinetically. Heat my get to them. You could use them like you would Magneto, dragging metal objects into and around people. Ghost pokémon would be real trouble, but probably has dangerous to their side as to the opposing one. Otherwise I figure do some cool combos like a water pokémon who bathes everything in pressurized water, to only then zap them with an electric one, or super heat the water into scalding steam with a fire one. Ice Pokémon could freeze flung water into razor sharp ice shards, and you can use the grass pokémon to set up camouflaged traps in a jungle setting. As for all the amazing stuff mentioned in the Pokédex, I like to subscribe to the idea that it's user-generated content by overly enthusiastic 12 year olds who want their choice monster to be awesome.
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Jul 12, 2021 22:16
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100YrsofAttitude posted:So, I've been looking at some stuff. Cyberpunk and tech futures seem ok. I like the idea of sailing, primarily on the ocean, then sky, then space in that order. I flipped through some D&D 5e stuff last night and only saw information for Fighter, Rogues, Wizards, and Clerics. In terms of character diversity 5e is far the most efficient D&D ever created. Not the most diversity but the best balance of high diversity for low required system mastery. What you've been looking at is the starter box, which is smaller even than the SRD The PHB contains, I think 11 classes (fighter, cleric, rogue, wizard, barbarian, monk, paladin, Ranger, warlock, druid, sorcerer) and there's one more official one (artificer). And basically only two player facing supplements total; Xanathar's Guide to Everything and Tasha's Cauldron of Everything Each class however has a strong subclass that they pick somewhere between level 1 and level 3. For a monk, for example, the PHB contains the Way of the Open Hand (martial artist), the Way of Shadow (ninja), and the Way of Four Elements (Avatar inspired and one of the two actually bad subclasses in the PHB). The mechanics can be very different and lead to different feeling characters; the fighter's three are the Champion (simple static bonuses), the Battlemaster (which gets a pool of dice that refresh on a short rest and can be used for predefined tricks, and the Eldritch Knight, who gets half-caster progression as a wizard. The PHB Ranger is the only class I'd consider an actual dud - and to fix it they gave it alternate class features in Tasha's Cauldron of Everything. Including reworking the Beast master subclass so having a companion felt more like having an assistant and less like having to do an escort mission. There are also a number of other classes with pet options or subclasses; from memory at least warlocks, druids, and artificers have them although I think the Ranger (ith Tasha’s rework) will suit you best.
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Jul 12, 2021 22:57
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From what I've read of 5e, Monk is definitely the way I'd want to go and I'm torn between Open Hand and Shadow, to the point I'm creating a familial dynasty involving them and possibly a ranger.
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Jul 12, 2021 23:04
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100YrsofAttitude posted:From what I've read of 5e, Monk is definitely the way I'd want to go and I'm torn between Open Hand and Shadow, to the point I'm creating a familial dynasty involving them and possibly a ranger. Is the ranger a fellow PC, or an NPC in your backstory? Open and Hand and shadow rate quite good as far as monk subclasses go. They both have a mixture between utility and offensive options, although the Way of Shadow has some more options rather than things given out by default. Depending on your race and that of the party, choosing Darkvision as one of your Shadow Arts is either a no-brainer option or something you can do without. Pass Without Trace and Silence are great for sneaking around. While Darkness may seem like a great option for stealth, it manifests as a spherical dome of inky blackness so sentries and monsters are gonna know that something is up even if they can't see inside. Silence is great in shutting down most spellcasters, as most spells have a Verbal Component to use. For races, it really depends on if your Dungeon master allows feats. If they do, then playing a Variant Human is one of the best options. Otherwise, wood elves, half-elves for da skillz, and kenku make for good options (Acrobatics and Stealth are good bonus skills for the kenku). If feats are open to you and you're playing a Variant Human, I'd recommend Crusher (Tasha's Cauldron of Everything, unarmed attacks are bludgeoning by default so you can push bad guys around), Sentinel (Player's Handbook, good for keeping enemies in your zone of Silence), Lucky (Player's Handbook, good for just about anyone), and Observant (Player's Handbook, great if you plan on being a party scout) are some good options. Edit: For Backgrounds, Urchin is great for a rogue-like Monk, as is Criminal. Otherwise, Sailor is pretty good in the bonus skills it provides. Libertad! fucked around with this message at 23:28 on Jul 12, 2021 |
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Jul 12, 2021 23:24
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100YrsofAttitude posted:From what I've read of 5e, Monk is definitely the way I'd want to go and I'm torn between Open Hand and Shadow, to the point I'm creating a familial dynasty involving them and possibly a ranger.
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Jul 12, 2021 23:26
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100YrsofAttitude posted:From what I've read of 5e, Monk is definitely the way I'd want to go and I'm torn between Open Hand and Shadow, to the point I'm creating a familial dynasty involving them and possibly a ranger. It depends what you want. The open hand gets riders when they use ki for flurry of blows to make more attacks, the shadow has ways to spend their ki on stealth and dark vision for out of combat power and they get to shadow teleport. Outside the PHB the ones I'd point out are the Way of the Drunken Master which is exactly what it sounds like and bounces through the middle of a combat, and the Way of the Astral Self which is part of the writers of Tasha’s throwing up their hands about psionics in D&D and that no one had clear visions as to what psionics even were and spreading them round various classes with a subclass each for monk, fighter, bard, rogue, and sorcerer; in the monk's case it's a telekinetic who hits you with their mind.
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Jul 12, 2021 23:35
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That's another thing to add, but as 100 Years of Attitude is a new player I'm unsure what sourcebooks their potential gaming group will have access to. It's good to recommend additional books, but anything beyond the Player's Handbook is going to be up in the air. That's why I recommended the core options for now barring one feat. Edit: I used this sourcebook for Monk builds and recommendations. RPGBot is useful for new gamers and character optimizers alike for such purposes. https://rpgbot.net/dnd5/characters/classes/monk/
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Jul 12, 2021 23:40
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Splicer posted:You sound like a man who might enjoy Feng Shui 2 Maybe. I haven't been able to find a sample of it, but I don't need something overly complicated. For example I checked out 13th Age and it looks neat, but the monk combat had a whole thing with an opening attack, mid attacks, and finishing move, to give it a sort of flow to their combat, and while that's all very cool, it's way too much for me to process at this moment anyway. Libertad! posted:Is the ranger a fellow PC, or an NPC in your backstory? Not to belabor it, but the idea was a female wood-elf from a Shadow Arts monastery who is guided/"escorted" by a male human ranger towards an open-hand monastery where she is to serve a diplomatic role to strengthen ties between the two monasteries. Adventures and love blossoms etc, to a half-elf who grows up in the Open-hand monastery, which would be my main character, who eventually leaves on his own pilgrimage to better understand himself, his role between the two disciplines and his loving but often absent ranger father... so probably a NPC, depending on where in this whole thing I start off with. I thought it could be neat to play from different perspectives at any rate. neonchameleon posted:It depends what you want. The open hand gets riders when they use ki for flurry of blows to make more attacks, the shadow has ways to spend their ki on stealth and dark vision for out of combat power and they get to shadow teleport. Oh man I love the idea behind that style. What I liked about Shadow was the Opportunist thing they pick up eventually, but it all seemed pretty cool.
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Jul 13, 2021 13:03
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hyphz posted:Even if APs like CR didn’t edit or pre-discuss sessions, and CR didn’t have a freaking Creative Director, there’d still be the difference of the players having much more energy because instead of their way of unwinding after work, it is their work. Their Creative Director doesn't script the campaign, Marisha is the Creative Director and she's in charge of the aesthetic of the sets, as well as developing and concepting their promos and the other content on their channels like Game Ranch, Mame Drop, and the new Exandria Unlimited. Idk how anyone who watches the show can think it's pre-scripted, with all the time they spend spinning their wheels instead of making decisions. There was also a fun tidbit Matt shared in their Campaign 2 wrap up where he expected the party to get involved in the politics of their starting nation a lot more and spent a few weeks talking with Matt Colville about him guest starring as a part of the government and the party just went off to a rival nation instead and Colville never had the chance to play that character. Boba Pearl is just so completely out of pocket that it's not worth replying to. E: Didn't see the Mod post before I posted but oh well. Epi Lepi fucked around with this message at 16:37 on Jul 13, 2021 |
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Jul 13, 2021 16:34
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It's been 12 hours so you're probably good. I think a lot of the problem is that a lot of fans have developed a parasocial relationship with the cast. When their behavior is called out, there's an unhealthy tendency to defend them as my friends rather than strangers who produce content I enjoy. For their detractors, it's frustrating to watch CR's bad actions glossed over. There's no shortage of online fans willing to aggressively dismiss some very valid concerns, and turn any occurrence of dissent into a prohibited clusterfuck topic.
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Jul 13, 2021 17:14
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moths posted:It's been 12 hours so you're probably good. This is kind of drifting into a wider discussion of online interactions, but it's interesting to talk about. There are certain big online creators who cultivate and feed an impression they're close and personally attached to their fans, and after a certain point I think that does become untenable. When hundreds of thousands of online strangers see you as being their personal friend, really weird, uncomfortable poo poo starts. You can see a lot of that in the trajectory of the McElroys, and then how a lot of it disintegrated after a few flat actual play seasons: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Y-t1PI-erM
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Jul 13, 2021 17:27
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moths posted:It's been 12 hours so you're probably good. From a CR fans point of view, its kind of frustrating when its detractors make claims that seem to be absolutely wild conspiricies or make what seem to be pretty bad faith arguements 
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Jul 13, 2021 17:28
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This is why I maintain a constant position that my listeners are just potential creeps that need to stay the hell away from me.
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Jul 13, 2021 17:28
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hyphz posted:Activities of all kinds being portrayed as fantasy versions of what they really are is a modern plague. people shouldn't publicly be funny or charismatic while doing my hobbies
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Jul 13, 2021 17:48
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Pocky In My Pocket posted:From a CR fans point of view, its kind of frustrating when its detractors make claims that seem to be absolutely wild conspiricies or make what seem to be pretty bad faith arguements This is a good illustration of what I mean. I'd ask you to ask yourself "Why do I care?" Like if someone told me my favorite band or director was involved in some q-anon tier satanic cannibal pedophilia conspiracy, I'm not going to go to bat for their honor in the same way we saw over the last two pages. I don't think many people would. It seems to be a result of the more intimate relationship between AP personalities and their fans. That's the product, and it's being monetized in a way we've never really seen before. E: I supose we've seen influencers before, and this is essentially that with dice. But it's still a very new phenomenon. moths fucked around with this message at 17:53 on Jul 13, 2021 |
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Jul 13, 2021 17:50
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moths posted:This is a good illustration of what I mean. I'd ask you to ask yourself "Why do I care?" I mean, there's a difference between people thinking there are factual issues in some serious allegation someone levels at something, and people getting defensive and mad when you point out that like... it's a bad idea to do a cross-promotion with Wendy's. Like you can have legitimate issues with Hillary Clinton without thinking she actually drinks the blood of children and is a member of a global satanic deep state and point out that's wrong.
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Jul 13, 2021 17:55
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moths posted:This is a good illustration of what I mean. I'd ask you to ask yourself "Why do I care?" What? People defend famous people whos stuff they like all the time - because people feel like the creators they like reflect themselves. It absolutely predates influencer culture. E: ^^ yeah. People are welcome to not like CR or its cast. And the concerns about the wendys thing were valid imo, but thats different from some stuff that got posted Pocky In My Pocket fucked around with this message at 18:01 on Jul 13, 2021 |
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Jul 13, 2021 17:58
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Splicer posted:You sound like a man who might enjoy Feng Shui 2 "What's it about?" "Every movie we've seen in the past year. All at once." "Even Kung Fu Cannibals?" "Especially Kung Fu Cannibals."
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Jul 13, 2021 18:05
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I have an unrelated to CR question: If you all wanted to run a game where the players were tourists at Jurassic Park/World when The poo poo Goes Down, and you didn't want to do it in PbtA, what system would you use?
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Jul 13, 2021 18:37
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Pocky In My Pocket posted:What? People defend famous people whos stuff they like all the time - because people feel like the creators they like reflect themselves. It absolutely predates influencer culture. They do, and that's always been a hallmark of creators or personalities that the fans feel a connection to. But what's specifically new here is how that much of that felt connection is actually the product itself. So with influencers like CR or the McElroys you have a much more significant percentage of fans (or at least a higher visibility of them) willing to go nuclear over a slight, whether real or percieved.
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Jul 13, 2021 18:41
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BRP d100, probably something lighter in the vein of Delta Green's mechanics, where you can just loving die to a dinosaur, be good at a few things with a fun chance for failure and also maybe unload a shotgun into a pack of velociraptors if things go your way, and then just quickly make a new character.
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Jul 13, 2021 18:43
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Epi Lepi posted:I have an unrelated to CR question: e: Solid advice from Hostile V if survival horror
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Jul 13, 2021 18:44
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Epi Lepi posted:I have an unrelated to CR question: Honestly depending on the tone you're going for, maybe Slasher Flick, using like, a T-Rex as the slasher and lesser predators as minions.
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Jul 13, 2021 18:47
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Epi Lepi posted:If you all wanted to run a game where the players were tourists at Jurassic Park/World when The poo poo Goes Down, and you didn't want to do it in PbtA, what system would you use?
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Jul 13, 2021 18:47
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The Alien RPG might do you if you want crunchy
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Jul 13, 2021 18:50
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Epi Lepi posted:I have an unrelated to CR question: Boy, have I got a game for yo- quote:and you didn't want to do it in PbtA, what system would you use? Ah. If it was a one-shot I'd probably use something super rules-light like Freeform Universal.
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Jul 13, 2021 18:51
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Splicer posted:The Alien RPG might do you if you want crunchy Wait, what? This is one of my favorite movies! I don't want to be on the wrong end of an Alien but that's so cool.
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Jul 13, 2021 18:52
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I would absolutely say Dread would be perfect if you're leaning horror but that's very reliant on being physically in one place with a Jenga set and that's not really an option for most people these days.
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Jul 13, 2021 18:54
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