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FirstAidKite posted:Gotta wonder which would be more interesting Now I’m bitter again that the sequel to Conspiracy X where the Saurian fleets arrived was cancelled.
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Mar 15, 2022 19:05
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FirstAidKite posted:3. Just Men in Black and/or X-COM. This is the best way to play oWoD Technocracy characters btw, you get to play off the tension of heroically saving the world while also working for an oppressive conspiracy
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Mar 16, 2022 00:11
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So wait the Technocracy is just Delta Green? Finally someone puts it in terms I can understand.
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Mar 16, 2022 03:35
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FirstAidKite posted:Gotta wonder which would be more interesting Onyx Path has a Kickstarter up for a TALES FROM THE series and one is Sword and Sorcery Conan style stuff, but the other is Secret Agent stuff that specifically states it has rules for pulpy X-Files style sci-fi.
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Mar 16, 2022 03:47
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Only tangentially WoD-related, but Rose Bailey's creator-owned Cavaliers of Mars, published by Onyx Path, is currently 90% off on everything. It's not a huge line--the corebook, a couple of adventures, a mini-supplement on one of the major cities, and play aids like a GM screen and ability cards--but you can snag it all for less than  .If you like Dying Earth, Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser, and Barsoom with about 50% more weird fiction and 100% less Confederate apologia, you should check it out. (Also, do note that Esoterica of Mars is just City of Towered Tombs and Witch Queen of the Shadowed Citadel merged into a single product, so don't bother buying all three.) https://www.drivethrurpg.com/browse/pub/4261/Onyx-Path-Publishing/subcategory/8329_31332/Cavaliers-of-Mars GimpInBlack fucked around with this message at 12:50 on Mar 16, 2022 |
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Mar 16, 2022 12:45
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Tulip posted:I don't know quite what your DnD group is like but tbh I think being a good GM is less about experience/system mastery than it is about attitude and grace. Which is not unteachable. I recommend this always - read the MC chapter from Apocalypse World. Very little of that chapter is system specific, instead it's advice for how to facilitate an RPG group in general, and gives good tricks for overcoming roadblocks that GMs frequently encounter. "Disclaim decision-making" is bluntly the most powerful and useful tool I've ever gotten as a GM, learning to get comfortable with that tool has been by far and away the biggest difference between me being a shameful GM and an OK one. Also do your best to embrace the "Yes, and" system. Since this is the world of darkness, I also use "Yes, but" where if the players ask to do something, allow them but also something else occurs. This is how my werewolf players were able to create a gatornado when staging an assault on mad science lab, and how my mage players got a wizard van with extradimensional living area, but also a taste for blood. Sometime you just have to give them a hard no, but often you can think up a fun consequence and tell them, "Sure you can do that, but there's a good chance the big bad's minions are going to notice and you'll be found out."
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Mar 16, 2022 12:51
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Hey, it is kind of a longshot, but anyone remember a bunch of early 00's shitposts about The First City in Masquerade? I remember it was hosted on its own site along some other stuff that was often linked amongst WoD oriented forums.
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Mar 17, 2022 16:28
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I bought the Vampire Rivals game, hoping it might recapture some of the VtES magic.
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Mar 17, 2022 21:00
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Fuzz posted:Onyx Path has a Kickstarter up for a TALES FROM THE series and one is Sword and Sorcery Conan style stuff, but the other is Secret Agent stuff that specifically states it has rules for pulpy X-Files style sci-fi. From what I've heard of it, Deviant sounds like it might actually work great for that.
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Mar 18, 2022 12:17
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The Second Inquisition book pdf is available for folks who pre-ordered the book. I skimmed through it the other day and it's pretty good, a lot of info, although the bit that made me laugh out loud was that Russia is one of the few countries with a full chapter dedicated to their hunters (along with US, UK and Brazil) which considering recent events makes me think the Kindred of Russia are probably not in too much trouble.
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Mar 18, 2022 15:05
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Ghost Leviathan posted:From what I've heard of it, Deviant sounds like it might actually work great for that. Deviant is perfect for the ANTAGONISTS of that type of game, sure.
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Mar 18, 2022 16:30
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joylessdivision posted:The Second Inquisition book pdf is available for folks who pre-ordered the book. I was surprised at how much I ended up liking the book, reframing SI as more an event, as opposed to an organization works a helluva lot better than how it was originally presented.
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Mar 20, 2022 02:04
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DantetheK9 posted:I was surprised at how much I ended up liking the book, reframing SI as more an event, as opposed to an organization works a helluva lot better than how it was originally presented. Yeah, Ericsson's original Thing made it feel like a bunch of intelligence communities marching in lockstep which is hilarious if you know the first thing about intelligence communities. Is there stuff in there about how they step on each other's toes? Heck, even if or especially if they're from the same country?
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Mar 20, 2022 14:51
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Dawgstar posted:Yeah, Ericsson's original Thing made it feel like a bunch of intelligence communities marching in lockstep which is hilarious if you know the first thing about intelligence communities. Is there stuff in there about how they step on each other's toes? Heck, even if or especially if they're from the same country? I want to say yes, but I haven't gone over the book super deeply yet. It does a good job of giving the storyteller a wide selection of types of hunters and a bit on each and how they work etc along with stats.
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Mar 20, 2022 15:20
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DantetheK9 posted:I was surprised at how much I ended up liking the book, reframing SI as more an event, as opposed to an organization works a helluva lot better than how it was originally presented. Yeah, the first impression I had for the Second Inquisition just broke through my disbelief. People who go on moral crusades within law enforcement in the real world usually commit suicide with a shot to the back of the head. A worldwide moral crusade from intelligence agencies against people with centuries of accumulated wealth and influence, plus ample access to the world's most addictive drug that has the perk of immortality and causes absolute loyalty to the dealer, just seemed way more absurd than anything in the WoD since 1e. If they are reframing it as a consequence of surveillance states and technology, that's much more palatable.
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Mar 20, 2022 15:57
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Maybe it was just me and my inherent ability to No Prize things, but I always felt like the Second Inquisition being a general term for "specific forces within the intelligence community discover the vampires" was actually the intended goal as presented in the corebook, it's just that it's one of many setting changes the book has to present as the new Status Quo and that they expected a book expanding on the SI coming out in about six months to a year after the corebook's publication, as opposed to four.
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Mar 20, 2022 18:02
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I am potentially in a Mage 20 game. I'm new to it. Game would allow Traditions and Hollow Ones. I read up on the gist of the world and stuff but is there a better source to get a feel for the traditions than the White Wolf wiki? And something that will give me a feel for what it's like to play? Like if a typical Vampire experience is "okay pissants. You're new here. I'm the Prince. Go do some poo poo for me," what is the typical Mage experience?
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Mar 21, 2022 04:22
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Free Cog posted:Maybe it was just me and my inherent ability to No Prize things, but I always felt like the Second Inquisition being a general term for "specific forces within the intelligence community discover the vampires" was actually the intended goal as presented in the corebook, it's just that it's one of many setting changes the book has to present as the new Status Quo and that they expected a book expanding on the SI coming out in about six months to a year after the corebook's publication, as opposed to four. Honestly I had the same impression at the time. Small clusters of operatives that could possibly wreck your poo poo if you got too loud.
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Mar 21, 2022 05:38
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Nehru the Damaja posted:I am potentially in a Mage 20 game. I'm new to it. Game would allow Traditions and Hollow Ones. I read up on the gist of the world and stuff but is there a better source to get a feel for the traditions than the White Wolf wiki? And something that will give me a feel for what it's like to play? Like if a typical Vampire experience is "okay pissants. You're new here. I'm the Prince. Go do some poo poo for me," what is the typical Mage experience? "Okay pissants. You're new here. I'm the head of this Chantry. Go do some poo poo for me."
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Mar 21, 2022 07:06
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Dawgstar posted:Yeah, Ericsson's original Thing made it feel like a bunch of intelligence communities marching in lockstep which is hilarious if you know the first thing about intelligence communities. Is there stuff in there about how they step on each other's toes? Heck, even if or especially if they're from the same country? How about a hilarious joke, ala London Spy? 'It's hysterical. An Englishman, a Chinaman, a Frenchman, an American, a Russian, an Israeli and a Saudi walk into a bar... and they all agree.'
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Mar 21, 2022 13:07
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I had an idea for a Dissonance Society ecstatic whose art focus is like Dada and Situationism and like using the absurdity of present life as a cover for mind magic. Would the mechanics support that? Anything I can do with the starting spheres of Time and Mind?
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Mar 23, 2022 00:33
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I think your concept sounds fine and can't see any obvious place where it'd run into mechanical issues. In terms of Spheres, Mind is usually a safe bet. Some tables can be very hard on Time, and by M20 rules I believe you'll need Life to do some things which might intuitively seem like pure Time effects (like reading someone else's past or future, or using Time to slow or speed up others).
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Mar 23, 2022 16:12
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V5 question: how many famulus can a vampire have? Animalism 1 at creation lets you start with one for "free" but can you make/purchase with Retainer dots more? My Ravnos already has a coyote as a buddy, I'm just curious if I can also get a swarm of spiders down the road with the amalgam power or if he'll need to eat said buddy before he does that.
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Mar 24, 2022 07:06
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citybeatnik posted:V5 question: how many famulus can a vampire have? Animalism 1 at creation lets you start with one for "free" but can you make/purchase with Retainer dots more? You can keep adding more with retainer dots, yep.
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Mar 24, 2022 07:58
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Fuzz posted:You can keep adding more with retainer dots, yep. Excellent. New goal for my PC: Subsume The Spirit into a swarm of spiders that share his Fortitude abilities with that one amalgam power Either that or acting out that bit where Spiderman scared a group of thugs by claiming he was using his Spidey powers to call forth his eight-legged minions.
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Mar 24, 2022 13:50
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New oMage/Wraith crossover character just dropped
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Apr 3, 2022 16:31
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I finally received the V5 dice I ordered at least 6 months ago (was it during Gencon?) and forgot about. They're sitting on a GM's screen I ordered around the same time, but received a month ago. They are pretty nice, a total of 13 dice + 5 hunger dice.   First roll...6 successes, and a messy crit! Each pair with those extra symbols combines to give 4 successes, and if one is also a hunger die that makes it messy.
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Apr 5, 2022 01:29
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ritorix posted:I finally received the V5 dice I ordered at least 6 months ago (was it during Gencon?) and forgot about. They're sitting on a GM's screen I ordered around the same time, but received a month ago. Are those the new ones from Renegade? The colors look a lot richer on those vs the Modipheus ones I've got.
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Apr 5, 2022 01:41
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joylessdivision posted:Are those the new ones from Renegade? The colors look a lot richer on those vs the Modipheus ones I've got. Yeah they must be a new run, they have a Renegade symbol on the back along with a 2021 copyright.
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Apr 5, 2022 02:01
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ritorix posted:Yeah they must be a new run, they have a Renegade symbol on the back along with a 2021 copyright. Ah okay. I remember watching one of the Renegade con videos or something and they showed off the new dice. They look way way nicer than the ones I have, quality wise the Modipheus dice look and feel a bit cheap and the colors aren't as nice. At least that means the Hunter dice I ordered from Renegade will be nice.
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Apr 5, 2022 03:33
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Loomer posted:New oMage/Wraith crossover character just dropped Welp i just ordered the hardcover set of those comics.
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Apr 5, 2022 12:05
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I dunno how many of you also play JRPGs but we're talking vampirism and Humanity elsewhere and it made me think of these two quotes from Final Fantasy XII Gerun: Undying, we Occuria light the path for wayward sons of Man. Eternal, we are hist'ry's stewards, to set the course and keep it true. vs. Venat: What claim does Gerun have on history's reins... seated on throne immortal, rent from time? The Ancients, Kindred who have lived for thousands of years, seem to have lost all perspective. Vampires are static, sterile beings, imprisoned in flesh and minds when they were Embraced and unable to progress even as everything else in the world changes around hem. I don't know if other immortal beings in WoD have this problem, though.
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Apr 6, 2022 23:28
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NikkolasKing posted:I dunno how many of you also play JRPGs but we're talking vampirism and Humanity elsewhere and it made me think of these two quotes from Final Fantasy XII Other immortal beings generally don't start out as humans, they were always something different, I think is the point. Humans can't change and adapt after a certain point, it's why we're supposed to die.
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Apr 6, 2022 23:42
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NikkolasKing posted:Vampires are static, sterile beings, imprisoned in flesh and minds when they were Embraced and unable to progress even as everything else in the world changes around hem. This is just an excuse vampires tell themselves and each other.
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Apr 7, 2022 00:02
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Ferrinus posted:This is just an excuse vampires tell themselves and each other. This actually seems to be a big split between Requiem 1e and CoD from what I've seen. CoD is a great system but I keep running into people who want it to be happy and nice superheroes who need a little bit of blood to do their thing (but it's always possible and easy to acquire this without hurting anyone emotionally or physically so there's no inherent evil to being a vampire). AFAIK CoD does away with all the text about unlife being static. It kind of bugs me! I know even in Requiem 1e it was debatable, but there was definitely a theme of emotional/character growth that happens after death being inexorably tied to the beast growing into a better or worse predator. worm girl fucked around with this message at 05:14 on Apr 7, 2022 |
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Apr 7, 2022 05:10
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Yeah everything I've read in oWoD is about the sterility of being a vampire. It makes sense, this is post-Rice Vampire and Rice's Vampires are all about the existential horror of being a timeless entity through the ages. I remember one of the Toreador clanbooks discusses how, even though creative, artistic mortals are the ones they choose to Embrace, all of that is lost upon becoming a vampire. A Vampire might even choose some rando standing right next to Picasso because the vampire has lost their ability to really understand art or beauty. "Superheroes with fangs" seems like it's rather missing the point. I like my quote earlier about being "rent from time." That's how vampires feel to me.
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Apr 7, 2022 05:26
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Kavak posted:So wait the Technocracy is just Delta Green? Finally someone puts it in terms I can understand. Eh. Uh. Well. Yes I'd say. Or more specifically you could run a Technocracy game just like a Delta Green one with all the "eliminate the vector"(the Mythos) and bureaucratic paranoia that a Delta Green game can have. Ultimately I think in a Technocracy game Technocrats are happier than Delta Green agents ever will be. After all, Technocrats are Mages and can drink their own Kool-Aide in terms of convincing themselves they are doing an action for the Great Good or for the protection of Consensus Reality. Granted Delta Green agents are fighting against the dying of the light, but at the end of the day they know humanity is ultimately doomed. Also I think Technocrat games can have more interesting internecine warfare (or just mild conflict) among the Conventions while Delta Green initially has the Cowboys and the Program at odds. In addition Technocrats could work with Traditions Mages (say vs the Nephandi) but Delta Green agents are told specifically to contain the outbreak of the Mythos and will very rarely team up with Mythos forces to tackle a bigger threat. I can't think of an adventure like that off hand actually. Edit: Just did I think Roleplaying Public Radio had an episode where players could team up with Yithians against another alien force Nehru the Damaja posted:I am potentially in a Mage 20 game. I'm new to it. Game would allow Traditions and Hollow Ones. I read up on the gist of the world and stuff but is there a better source to get a feel for the traditions than the White Wolf wiki? And something that will give me a feel for what it's like to play? Like if a typical Vampire experience is "okay pissants. You're new here. I'm the Prince. Go do some poo poo for me," what is the typical Mage experience? I don't think there is a typical Mage experience. Expect anything?
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Apr 7, 2022 06:14
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worm girl posted:This actually seems to be a big split between Requiem 1e and CoD from what I've seen. CoD is a great system but I keep running into people who want it to be happy and nice superheroes who need a little bit of blood to do their thing (but it's always possible and easy to acquire this without hurting anyone emotionally or physically so there's no inherent evil to being a vampire). AFAIK CoD does away with all the text about unlife being static. It kind of bugs me! NikkolasKing posted:Yeah everything I've read in oWoD is about the sterility of being a vampire. It makes sense, this is post-Rice Vampire and Rice's Vampires are all about the existential horror of being a timeless entity through the ages. CoD had to do away with the text about vampires being fundamentally static (and instead, iirc, talking about how vampires will tend to evolve and adapt to their current social context through basically blood osmosis) because it's never been true or believable, and I'm talking about both oWoD and nWoD here. Even setting aside such basic game mechanics as "spending experience points", the whole reason you had supremely evil ancients basically unrecognizable as the people they once were was precisely because vampires grew and changed, just pretty much never into anything good. Whenever you try to think hard about the actual details of mental or emotional stasis as intrinsic metaphysical qualities rather than tendencies and broad themes, and try to work out how they would play out in a story including characters who, like, learn things, it never really works out in a sensible or consistent way. Ferrinus fucked around with this message at 11:35 on Apr 7, 2022 |
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Apr 7, 2022 07:50
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Not to mention it's hard to square with amnesia being a fundamental characteristic of older vampires, in the nWoD's case. The two are almost mutually exclusive.
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Apr 7, 2022 09:08
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Ferrinus posted:This is just an excuse vampires tell themselves and each other. That is good. Vampires are not capable of being static and lifeless for the reasons you mentioned (it being an obvious absurdity with both the premise of the fiction and the core mechanics of the game) but it still being a story in the fiction reveals an actual truth about vampires: they are creatures of deception and especially self-deception. There is a desire among humans, that unsurprisingly continues into vampirism, to be a consistent, logical being, to embody some degree of truth, but only mathematical concepts get that luxury. We live in the world and the world is change, and vampires have let the fact that they don't age normally trick themselves into thinking they're exempt from the rules. The other game about being a walking corpse, Promethean, is the most optimistic because it most nakedly embraces change. If you want an RPG that deals with creatures who are fundamentally static, dwarfs in Glorantha are a trip: they are immortal, but only so long as they never change. For most, this means that they permanently work a single station on an assembly line for all eternity. If they stop doing their job, even if they just develop sufficiently heterodox thoughts, they start to age and die. The fact that there are heresies you can believe in (and preach) without aging and dying is very vexing to them.
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Apr 7, 2022 12:22
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