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https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/396291 Free League released The One Ring's solo module ("Strider Mode") to the public after it was Kickstarter-exclusive for a few weeks. Gonna dig into it later this week I think, kinda hype.
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May 31, 2022 16:08
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ZombieLenin posted:I did not read through all 15 pages of this thread, but has anyone mentioned Tunnels & Trolls yet? I think I've heard of it before, but never really knew that it had solo play. It's a shame that the bundle that they did last year is expired and they say they don't plan to do another one. But maybe I'll pick up a couple of the solo books and give it a try. Thanks for pointing it out!
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May 31, 2022 20:00
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https://twitter.com/shawntomkin/status/1531709931782430721?s=21&t=7wLFZlHpFJlPxwSSLdVgJw Really nice sheet
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May 31, 2022 20:27
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ZombieLenin posted:I did not read through all 15 pages of this thread, but has anyone mentioned Tunnels & Trolls yet? I'll check it out, but the older T&T stuff was very basic and done in a sort of like-- School Kid hears about D&D and makes a game based on what they think the game is like. It was not actually mechanically interesting to me and without a lot of substance. The few solo modules from the early era I've played were also not really above the sort of content you'd produce using very basic random tables. I'd rank the entire experience, for me, under even Lone Wolf gamebooks. If it's all just straight reprints I would at least be interested in which solo modules you feel in specific stood out to you.
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May 31, 2022 22:54
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Bottom Liner posted:https://twitter.com/shawntomkin/status/1531709931782430721?s=21&t=7wLFZlHpFJlPxwSSLdVgJw Got drat that’s nice. And they’re giving away ironsworn for free? Oh, that reminds me. I finally started my Starforged game. I’ve been toying with the idea of putting it online to read, or even do videos. It’s entirely possible I’ll do neither, but would be people actually be interested in listening to it? Reading it? Fake edit: I guess I could market it a little - The Exiled Blade Years ago, Agent J’ann Degas and his mentor took down the crime lord, Yaun San Min - head of the Ascendancy of the Ashen Talons, stopping her bloody campaign to take control of the local sector. San Min’s successor and betrayer forced J’ann into self-exile in the Outland sectors in exchange for immunity from Ascendancy retribution against his family. His mentor’s ship, Acaria, arrives in the Outlands unpiloted with a chilling message. His former mentor is dead and Yaun San Min seemingly cheated death. Worse still, San Min is on the trail of ancient technology that would give her the power to rule not only the Terminus sectors, but the entire Forge as well. Now J’ann must return from his exile in order to protect his family and somehow put a stop to San Min’s mad quest for the ultimate power.
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Jun 1, 2022 00:33
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Doctor Zero posted:Got drat that’s nice. And they’re giving away ironsworn for free? 
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Jun 1, 2022 00:44
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What do people use for recording their solo games? I've been playing Ironsworn/Starforged and using a couple of websites/apps someone developed for it called Iron Journal/Stargazer. However they're a bit awkward to swap between desktop and mobile and I just ran into an error that may have just killed off hours of work, assuming I can even get Stargazer working again, so I'm kinda looking for an alternative. Anyone got a good mobile (iOS) friendly means of playing a game on multiple devices that is hopefully a bit more advanced than a google spreadsheet/document and a dice rolling app?
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Jun 1, 2022 07:48
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Doctor Zero posted:And they’re giving away ironsworn for free? Always has been. Delve supplement was free at some point as well. Hell, with the reference downloads on the site, a lot of Starforged is free as well. \/ ah yep, that was it Bottom Liner fucked around with this message at 08:29 on Jun 1, 2022 |
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Jun 1, 2022 07:51
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If you got that big Racial Equality bundle a couple years ago, Delve was in it.
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Jun 1, 2022 08:06
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Galaga Galaxian posted:What do people use for recording their solo games? I've been playing Ironsworn/Starforged and using a couple of websites/apps someone developed for it called Iron Journal/Stargazer. However they're a bit awkward to swap between desktop and mobile and I just ran into an error that may have just killed off hours of work, assuming I can even get Stargazer working again, so I'm kinda looking for an alternative. I try not to use any electronic devices, they are too distracting. To me solo roleplay is like a meditation, and it's best to use physical dice and a notebook. The tactile sensation of rolling the dice is part of the experiance, as well as creating a physical notebook. It's a lot easier to doodle in a notebook.
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Jun 1, 2022 08:51
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Galaga Galaxian posted:What do people use for recording their solo games? I've been playing Ironsworn/Starforged and using a couple of websites/apps someone developed for it called Iron Journal/Stargazer. However they're a bit awkward to swap between desktop and mobile and I just ran into an error that may have just killed off hours of work, assuming I can even get Stargazer working again, so I'm kinda looking for an alternative. It really depends on the game and my mood. 5 parsecs I'd like to play with actual miniatures on a table some day, but for now I use roll20 and I've used both it, TTS and Discord (w/ a dicebot) to teach people how to play Ironsworn and now Starforged as well. Discord has been "okay" for recording play sessions, but it's not something I'd rely on and I don't really do any actual solo solo gaming using any of this. For that I either just use a google doc or a physical journal to keep track of the game, and for dice I usually use physical dice, but I've used both an old dice rolling app on my phone and web-based ones on occasion. I used to have a phone app ages ago that I could keep and access documents across devices, but I don't really use my phone like that any more. For the journals themselves I've got a small stack of moleskines in various stages of fullness that I used to use and they were okay, but now I have a maleden journal notebook that I have little folder pockets and tabs and that way I can keep the games separate and allocate pages as necessary or remove ones for games that don't really go anywhere or I'm otherwise not happy with.
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Jun 1, 2022 09:44
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Rutibex posted:I try not to use any electronic devices, they are too distracting. To me solo roleplay is like a meditation, and it's best to use physical dice and a notebook. The tactile sensation of rolling the dice is part of the experiance, as well as creating a physical notebook. It's a lot easier to doodle in a notebook. Except I have the bad habit of typing up a "final" version which slows everything down considerably, but I like feeling like I'm working in a novel too much to stop. doctorfrog fucked around with this message at 21:17 on Jun 1, 2022 |
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Jun 1, 2022 21:08
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doctorfrog posted:Dice and a notebook. The physicality of the objects and being away from a screen are part of why I play a solo RPG. Maybe try dictating the final version? You can go back and transcribe it later (or let a computer do it) if you want, but it might let you feel that you’ve captured it and feel better to move on. Maybe?
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Jun 1, 2022 21:36
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Not a bad idea, now I can roleplay a podcaster. But seriously, getting comfortable with playing a pretend story for the first time as a grown man took a little doing, I guess reading it out loud couldn't trigger the ol' cringe too badly.
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Jun 2, 2022 07:48
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Potsticker posted:I'll check it out, but the older T&T stuff was very basic and done in a sort of like-- School Kid hears about D&D and makes a game based on what they think the game is like. It was not actually mechanically interesting to me and without a lot of substance. The few solo modules from the early era I've played were also not really above the sort of content you'd produce using very basic random tables. I'd rank the entire experience, for me, under even Lone Wolf gamebooks. If it's all just straight reprints I would at least be interested in which solo modules you feel in specific stood out to you. Yes, you are correct. The game was originally written and designed from about 1972 to 1974, and was originally published in 1975. Meaning, it is about as mechanically interesting as the original Dungeons and Dragons, which beat Tunnels & Trolls to publication by a year. From what I recall Deluxe Tunnels & Trolls, which was kickstarted and published in 2015, is a bit more modern than the original, but still largely based on the original game mechanics. Depending on your take on these old school games, their mechanics, and the sheer lethality of these early rpg systems--where character death and players having to re-roll characters constantly was a 'feature'--Tunnels & Trolls might not be the game for you. I only brought it up in the context of this thread because the game itself was originally designed as a solo pen and paper RPG experience, and there are an incredible amount of solo adventure modules that were published for Tunnels & Trolls, most of which can still be found on the internet, or purchased from DriveThruRpg. So in a thread about solo pen and paper rpgs Tunnels & Trolls seemed like it deserved a mention. ZombieLenin fucked around with this message at 18:27 on Jun 2, 2022 |
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Jun 2, 2022 18:23
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I've been wanting to solo OSE. What's the best way to do that? Slap on the Scarlet Heroes "overlay" and just go to town using my Oracles of choice?
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Jun 2, 2022 20:31
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Devorum posted:I've been wanting to solo OSE. What's the best way to do that? Slap on the Scarlet Heroes "overlay" and just go to town using my Oracles of choice? I like to bring in the 1e AD&D dungeon masters guide. There are so many weird charts in there which can be repurposed for a solo scenario. Especially the wilderness exploration system.
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Jun 2, 2022 20:57
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Jun 3, 2022 04:49
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Devorum posted:I've been wanting to solo OSE. What's the best way to do that? Slap on the Scarlet Heroes "overlay" and just go to town using my Oracles of choice? This is what I do with any edition of D&D I want to solo. Works well.
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Jun 3, 2022 06:22
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What's the thread policy on dumping play reports in here? I'm gonna gives some The One Ring: Strider Mode and typing it up as a little play-along seems like it'd be fun.
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Jun 4, 2022 17:09
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Jun 4, 2022 17:16
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Drone posted:What's the thread policy on dumping play reports in here? I'm gonna gives some The One Ring: Strider Mode and typing it up as a little play-along seems like it'd be fun. tell us everything about it immediately
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Jun 4, 2022 17:29
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Neato. I'm getting pulled into a weekly game of actual tabletop stuff in a few minutes, but thankfully I already typed up an intro post that has absolutely zero gameplay in it (but character generation is part of gameplay right!) So I decided to give the new Strider Mode rules for The One Ring 2nd Edition a try, since they were finally released to non-Kickstarter backers. I have no experience with the system itself yet, or even with The One Ring 1st Edition, so I’m coming at this pretty much totally blind (I am a pretty big fan of the setting, though). Character creation rules for Strider Mode are pretty simple and generally the character generation process is about 95% identical to what’s in the core rulebook. The only major differences are that your character starts with more previous experience (i.e. Strider Mode characters are tougher and have seen more poo poo), as well as some general guidance about how to handle Fellowship scores when adventuring solo. Anyway, I start by coming up with a character concept that seems to fit the motive of a solo adventurer in the lands of Middle Earth. The Strider Mode text hints at some callings that make more sense for a solo adventurer. Not wanting to go for the most straightforward option (a Dunedain Warden, as hinted at by the name of this ruleset), a concept starts to form around a Treasure Hunter. A Hobbit, Elf, or Dwarf doesn’t appeal to me for this first playthrough – I have a hard time seeing a Hobbit or a Dwarf as a solo adventurer, and an Elf doesn’t feel right for a Treasure Hunter. A Beorning could work, but I want my adventure to take place in the default setting of 2nd Edition, Eriador (the lands west of the Misty Mountains), and Beornings don’t fit as well there. So I’m left with a choice between a Man of Bree, a Dunedain Ranger, or a Daleling. I previously ruled out a Dunedain Ranger, and a Daleling seems like he’d be a bit too far from home as well, so I settle on a Man of Bree. I run through a few random name generators until I find something I like well enough and tweak it a bit, and so Jasper Thrushwood the Treasure Hunter from Bree is born. I fill in my character sheet with the template provided by my culture, including my blessing (“Bree-Blood”, which raises my Fellowship Rating +1). Fellowship Rating is still mechanically important when playing solo, as it impacts your character’s ability to regain Hope while resting – our Fellowship Rating is artificially high in order to simulate the mechanical benefit of having a group of people traveling with us. In narrative terms, this means that our character is just as at home by himself as he is with a group. When resting, his feeling of belonging to a Fellowship is replaced by his feeling of connection to his safe haven, in this case the village of Bree. I run through the rest of character creation as indicated in the core rules, as well as giving Jasper a few more previous experience points per the Strider Mode rules. For his features, I choose Inquisitive and Rustic – the former because his motivation for treasure hunting is just as much out of curiosity about the past as it is for finding fat loot, and the latter because I envision him to be a somewhat rough-and-tumble working class type. These two features together give me ideas that Jasper was quite the bar rat at the Prancing Pony in his youth, and in between nights of drunken stupor he was intrigued by tales of treasure and legends from the long-lost Kingdom of Arnor. Additionally, I give him the Burglary feature due to his Treasure Hunter calling, and a special feature called Strider (which comes from the solo rules and makes all of his skill rolls count as Inspired). After that, I choose some gear and his starting rewards/virtues (a one-handed axe and a bow, a cunningly-made leather corslet, your normal traveling gear, a hunting knife, a lantern to find his way in the dark, and an old horse). As a last step before calculating all of my derived attributes, I choose a Patron. This is our main quest-giver at this stage of our journey in Middle Earth. Unfortunately 2nd Edition only has 7 Patrons currently that I’m aware of (6 in the core book and 1 in the Lorekeeper’s Screen), so we don’t have a ton to go on. However, since I had this concept that Jasper’s thirst for adventure was ignited by tall tales told over beer at the Prancing Pony, I chose Bilbo Baggins as my Patron. Bilbo probably comes into Bree every so often on very important business of his own, and I find it highly unlikely that a well-to-do hobbit wouldn’t pop into the Pony any chance he could for a pint and some gossip. And so Jasper Thrushwood’s creation is complete. The last few weeks, he has gambled and drank his way through his hometown of Bree in between jobs, and he’s down to the last few coins in his purse. As he stumbles up the short hill towards the Prancing Pony, his eyes light up as he sees a small wagon and two squat ponies hitched out in front of the inn. These aren’t just any ponies, for he recognizes them as belonging to a very unusual hobbit of his acquaintance: Bilbo Baggins is in town. Maybe the wise little ex-burglar has a lead on an opportunity that Jasper can tap into to refill that empty coin purse… 
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Jun 4, 2022 18:06
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Super into people posting play reports into the thread. A lot of blogs turn their experiences into writing prompts and I've got massive respect for that because I know it's hard work, but sometimes I just want to see numbers and meta decisions.
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Jun 5, 2022 02:29
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Thanks for the write up! I haven't really heard much talk about The One Ring so I am loving this look at your process and choices.
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Jun 5, 2022 02:34
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I want to chime in and say I really dig write ups in the thread, too. It's not a crazy fast moving thread and I especially enjoy reading how people interpret prompts to help inspire me and also mechanics are cool to see acted out, especially for a system I may not have played. The One Ring write up is great, have had that on my radar for a bit.
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Jun 5, 2022 02:54
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That's very cool, Drone. I don't have the new One Ring but I really like the way the old one was constructed.
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Jun 5, 2022 03:20
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HopperUK posted:I don't have the new One Ring but I really like the way the old one was constructed.
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Jun 5, 2022 06:56
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Adding a +1 to 'thanks for the writeup, Drone'. I'd been curious about the Strider rules since I saw they were out but have no clue when I'm going to have time to play it myself and dig your character concept so looking forward to where it goes from here.
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Jun 5, 2022 07:21
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Great to see the solo One Ring game played. My friends and I have an epic 2-year One Ring campaign that started at the beginning of COVID and is bearing down on a conclusion, so it's very cool to see the system used in a different context. I'm looking forward to seeing more posts. The enthusiasm for solo play writeups has me planning to share some of the sessions I've done with ALONe, which is the solo system I've played the most, and which I mentioned upthread. I've mostly played the 2016 beta, so I'm working with slightly outdated rules since the 2020 beta came out, but the broad mechanics are in place. Unfortunately, the game I've been playing is in an esoteric homebrew sandalpunk setting I developed, and which I will need to lay out in order for it to make sense. I personally think it's an excellent setting if you have any interest in Classical Mediterranean history, but it always feels masturbatory to post homebrew stuff. One of the best parts of ALONe is the way it helps you build novel characters that go in different directions than I would go if just making stuff up on my own, so my first post will be my character generation. In the interest of not just dumping walls of text, I'll make a couple posts with the setting, the char gen, and the first Beat. If people think it's cool I've got 2 more completed Beats, and another one I haven't gotten back to in over a year that I might get back to playing to share with the thread. Setting: The world is dangerous, but stable...mostly. The Gracchan land reforms have liberated Rome, and have been implemented more aggressively than could have ever been imagined. The Republic lives as a violently anti-authoritarian collective of free farmers and artisans, and perfect equality is the birthright of every Roman citizen – a right enforced through the blood of would-be kings. Following the destruction of Carthage, the Phoenician peoples have taken to the Sea wholesale – all that remains on land are a handful of massive trading ports in Valencia, Tripoli, Byblos, and Gibraltar, while the overwhelming majority of Phoenicians live their whole lives at sea, forming ad-hoc Flotilla Markets where they engage in the trade that keeps the whole Mediterranean alive, overseen by the huge logistics bureaucracy on the fortress island of Cyprus. Archimedean natural philosophy has transformed the Greek-speaking territories of Sicily, Greece, and Anatolia into a technological wonderland of bronze automata, freeing the Greeks from all labor, and allowing them to pursue the noble arts of philosophy, drama, and politics – internal power struggles simmer beneath the surface as the great cities of Athens, Sparta, Sardis, and Syracuse (among others) struggle for dominance in the Hellesphere. The Ptolemids of Egypt have fused Greek philosophy with Egyptian funerary science to finally unmake death itself. The land of the Nile, breadbasket of the world, is ruled by an ever growing coterie of lich-like Pharoahs, while the common farmers toil growing grain to feed the wretched hunger of the Dead Kings. Egyptian influence has spread to Lebanon and Yemen, where a rebellion led by a many-great grand daughter of Bilquis of Sheba seeks to throw off the Corpse Yolk. In Iberia, the Basque have successfully domesticated the whale, and their ranches dot the Bay of Biscay and the North Sea, while their great sea-chariots ply the Atlantic, pulled by teams of tooth-whale coursers. The most intrepid of these travelers report strange lands across the sea, but most of the Mediterranean simply desires a wheel or two of the famously rich whale cheese. The Iron Confederation dominates Western and Central Europe, where Celtic smiths and miners have built sprawling factory cities deep underground, churning out steel and ironworks to sell around the world. Whole forests have been felled to feed the smelters' fires, and conflict over access to coal is constant with their erstwhile Britonic cousins, who have eschewed the relentless industry of the mainland in favor of simple lives in harmony with nature (and, of course, Druidic magics). The nomads of the Eurasian Steppe have been unified into a Grand Horde, and established a mobile capital city, built on a massive platform pulled by 10,000 horses. The city slowly crawls across a 10 mile wide track, perfectly flat, that has been carved across the Steppe from Hungary to Sibera, flattening whole mountains in its path. As the Horde migrates along the Khan's Road it raids, pillages, and subjugates nearby peoples, sucking up their wealth before trundling on to new pastures.  Legend: Red: Roman Republic Purple: Phoenician ports Blue: Hellesphere Green: Basque territory Yellow: The Iron Confederation Pink: Britonic Celts Brown: The Khan's Road In the next post I'll do the game setup/character generation.
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Jun 5, 2022 09:46
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This is the exact transcript I have of my chargen session. Character generation involves drawing GMA cards and checking the tag symbols (random groups of 3 symbols of 10 possible on each card) against charts of possible interpretations for various stages/aspects of life, such as Family, Coming-of-Age, Lover, Rival, etc. I find it works really, really well to create compelling characters. Bolded items in parentheses are how I notate drawing cards, usually with the question, then a colon, then the answer. B, E, and G are Bad, Even, or Good odds, respectively, and you check the answer on the results section of the card. Bolded phrases in the prose are Descriptors, which are narrative and mechanical in the game. The italics are the prompts from the tag symbol charts. Game setup: I decided to play my sandalpunk setting that no one else cares about. Unable to decide what civilization to play in, I drew the scatter die and it pointed me east. That could mean either Phoenecian or Basque, and so I asked if I was Phoenician (E:Y), so Phoenician it is! The Phoenicians are a people at sea – following the destruction of Carthage in the 3rd Punic War, the Phoenician peoples maintain a handful of trading ports – Valencia, Tripoli, Byblos, and Gibraltar – but most spend their whole lives at sea, fishing, trading, and forming massive Flotilla Markets where all the commerce that sustains the Mediterranean takes place, overseen by the huge logistics bureaucracy on the fortress island of Cyprus. Let's generate up some back story. Name: Balthazar Felix, the latter being an epithet my family got from some Romans reflecting on our wealth. Family: Wand, Tower, Crown My family did something special or important for me, were famous or important in a way that affected our relationship, and we have ideological differences/they do with the rest of the family. My parents were important members of the Phoenician bureaucratic elite, and as such were very busy/not involved in my upbringing, though they did hire me a Basque tutor and buy me a small pilot whale chariot – the Phoenician version of having a fancy imported sports car. Let's see...was the ideological conflict between my parents and I? (E:N). Okay, so it looks like my parents had a conflict with the rest of the Phoenician elite about the conduct of our affairs – probably they were interested in expanding beyond the Mediterranean, and were facing pushback from conservatives. Childhood: Tower, Crown, Moon I was fostered/adopted, lived in luxury, and had memories of strange things that my family won't explain. My family wanted to put me somewhere safe as the conflict within Phoenician elite began to explode into open internecine conflict. I was fostered by a prominent Basque ranching family, friends of my parents, and enjoyed the luxuries of the Bay of Biscay, only occasionally troubled by dreams in which I remembered overhearing my parents' low whispers, seated around a table with other grim-faced bureaucrats, as well as some figures who stayed in shadows. Youth: Wand, Heart, Target I uncovered a family secret, gained friends/family, and set a clear goal for myself, even if it conflicted with my family's wishes. I made a friend of Valente, one of the abeltzain (ranch hands) with whom I would race pilot whale chariots, and who accompanies me in future adventures. On a visit to Valencia to see my parents, I learned that they were in the midst of a silent war to gain control of Cyrpus (and thus, the Phoenician people), and had allied with Kemal, the slimy viceroy of the Dead Kings of Egypt, amid promises of finding new granaries for the Pharoahs, and of digging a canal from the Great Sea to the Red Sea, opening up untold new trade routes. My time among the freedom-loving Basque had instilled a horror of the lich-like Egyptian Dynasts, and I vowed to unmake this alliance and save my people. Coming of Age: Heart, Sword, Shield I gained a true love/arch nemesis, was involved in a major conflict, and saved someone's life. I begin making contacts within the Phoenician bureaucrats-in-exile, and also the Egyptian rebels in my quest to build a coalition to defeat the alliance of my parents' faction and Kemal/Egypt. I think I gain a true love by saving her life...let's see what she's like by drawing tag symbols: Heart, Sword, Shield...that means: "Your relationship has recently become more serious in some way, or you have broached the subject; they have a more aggressive personality than you, and either did or will probably initiate the relationship; and they are highly protective of themselves, emotionally speaking, and are or were unlikely to ever make a move before you." Complicated stuff! This is definitely Simone, 30 times great grand-daughter of Bilquis of Sheba – warrior, princess, rebel – who reached out to me as an ally against the Dead. We had met in brief several times as part of building the Coalition of the Free Peoples of the Desert and the Sea (also known as the Sand-Wave Compact, or Pact). After a year or so of low-level guerilla operations, a meeting was arranged of the major players in the Pact at Byblos, right under the nose of the Alliance of Trade and Wealth (the Alliance), planning a big offensive. Agents of the Alliance stormed the meeting, looking to capture or kill Simone. In a chaotic night we barely evaded the agents of the Dead by darting down the alleys of the ancient city, arriving at my whale chariot with barely enough time to escape the harbor and make it to the open sea. With the Pact meeting in shambles and several friendly ships scuttled, Simone grudingly gave me directions to Katovouno, a desperately secret redoubt of the long-suffereing Egyptian rebels, located several dozen feet beneath the waves inside a seamount off the coast of Crete. We arrived at the location after a long and exhausting trip. Simone fetched up the diving bells, I anchored my chariot and unhitched Luzio, my pilot whale, and sunk beneath the waves, tethered together with Simone as she fought back tears of frustration.
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Jun 5, 2022 09:57
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Gameplay takes the form of Beats, which are scenes/groups of scenes that seek to resolve a question. I forgot to ask the question in my first beat, since I hadn't really played before. Asking Qualified questions, noted as QE:Y, and...) or (QB:N, but...) uses elements of the card to extend or complicate the yes/no answer. RE indicates a Random Event, which is when the difficulty rating on the card is lower than the Tension on the scene (which rises as you ask questions and draw the yes/no answer). Random events are mixes of verbs, nouns, and adjectives you draw for and interpret. Beat 1 As Simone and I descend into Katovouno we reach a lock and wait for the water to drain before stepping inside. Is everything calm/normal inside? (E:N) Hmm...(Sensory cue: "swirls of dust"). The place seems abandoned – how many people should be here? (d100:63) Several dozen at least, and the place is eerily silent. Simone looks anxious as we walk through. Are there signs of disorder, like a struggle or last-minute evacuation? (E:Y)+(several cues about fire). Deeper in there is the smell of smoke and burnt hair. Simone is now visibly distressed as we make toward the living and meeting quarters. Several rooms have their doors blown in , and scorch marks are everywhere. We search the rooms, is anyone alive? (E:Y)+(Rune: Tiwaz, leadership)+(Belongings: weapons). It's (name) Melaina, the (Scatter die: northeast) Lydian base commander. She's breathing, but in bad shape when Simone rushes to her. Are we able to revive/stabilize her? Positives: Simone is a warrior (+1). We should be able to scavenge supplies (+1), and also a narrative bonus (+1). (Difficulty:6). She's pretty hurt. So, 3 vs. 6 = bad odds. Qualified answer. (QB:N, but...). No, we can't save her, but she wakes briefly to tell us that...(Tag: Tower, Skull, Target)...it was a strike team sent by the Lich Kings of the Nile to neutralize the rebel base. The came quickly, killed several people, others fled, and some were captured. Melania couldn't be taken alive and couldn't be killed, so they left her for dead after taking the archives. It was less than a day ago. We could still catch them. I decide I'm going to try and find them. Will Simone come with? (E:Y) (RE:Sneak Wreckage) She agrees, but before we can leave, a rearguard attacks us, hiding in the wreckage of the base. How many are there? (D4:2) Just two, an even fight. (Sensory: "an unexplainable shiver"). Great, it's the elite Dead Mamuluks. This will suck. Simone draws her twin poinards, I pull the short spear off my back. How are they behaving? (Element:Water) They're defensive and mobile, drawing us apart. How does this fight go? (Tag: Wand, Tower, Skull) They're not used to my Basque fighting style, and Simone is on home turf. It's bloody though. How do we do? Positives: I'm a rebel (+1), Simone a warror princess (+1), the narrative elements established by the tag symbols (+2). 4 total. These guys are average, 5. It's even odds. Do we win? (QE:Y, but...) We do, but (Sensory: "shuddering beneath you") as we dart around the base, damaging equipment, the supports begin to collapse. We block the Dead inside as the roofs crumble, and barely make it to the lock before it all comes down. We ride the diving bell back up in a grim silence. *** I actually got my heart rate up drawing the final "do we win the fight" card, it was quite exciting. At the end of a Beat you often take Downtime, but this one didn't have a good resolution, so I just went straight into the next Beat, which had some better structure. I'll happily post more tomorrow if people are interested, it's just late and I've gotta crash.
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Jun 5, 2022 10:08
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Xlorp posted:<smeagol-like typing detected> what you got in your pocket there chum? just asking haha no reason wouldn't it be funny if we all just said what was in our pockets right now? ive got a knife hahaha now you e: Kenning, that is extremely cool, even if I'm puzzled how it's going to tie in to be about rings
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Jun 5, 2022 12:04
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The One Ring: Strider Mode Playsession 1 More The One Ring: Strider Mode, this time with actual gameplay! Our last little mini-scene had our hero Jasper Thrushwood stumbling towards the Prancing Pony, a well-known tavern in the human town of Bree just east of the Shire (and his hometown). Jasper had noticed that the cart and ponies of Bilbo Baggins were leashed up outside the inn, a portent that Jasper might just be able to get a rumor of some work from the adventurous hobbit. Entering the inn, Jasper’s eyes scan the place, looking for the short hobbit-master. They find him in due time, as Bilbo is sitting at a half-empty table, puffing on his pipe and scratching idly at a book in front of him. Seeing his chance for an in, Jasper makes a quick detour to fetch two mugs of ale (using some of the last of his coin) from Barliman Butterbur behind the bar before plopping himself down at the bench opposite the curious Bilbo. Jasper slides the complimentary mug of ale in Bilbo’s direction, to which the curious halfling arches an eyebrow and then cheerfully toasts our hero. After some pleasant chitchat, Jasper is able to ascertain a bit more of Bilbo’s current business in Bree: ”Mechanics” posted:I make the first roll here on the Lore table. Bilbo tells Jasper that his visit to Bree is not entirely under pleasant circumstances. A local bookshop owner had borrowed a detailed map of the lands north of Bree, and wrote that he was so enamored with the work that he wanted to purchase it outright from the hobbit. Bilbo eagerly ventured to Bree to extract payment, but in the meantime the bookshop owner had accidentally destroyed the map after carelessly spilling a goblet of wine over it. Bilbo gets a gleam in his eye. “You look to be of an adventurous bent, Mister Thrushwood. What say you help me compose a new map? Head up north a ways – say, 100 miles – and plot out the beginnings of a new map of the North Downs. Bring your notes back to me, and I’ll cut you in on a slice of the profits when we sell the good bookkeeper a replacement.” He takes a gulp of his beer. “Is it a deal?” Jasper, of course, agrees. Bilbo nods approvingly and arranges to meet us back at the Prancing Pony in about a month: more than enough time for us to go there and back again. ”Mechanics” posted:First, since I have accepted a mission from a patron, I award myself +1 Adventure Point. Adventure Points and Skill Points are the system's way of tracking experience. In default TOR, you're usually awarded a specific number of these per game session, and can then spend them in the Fellowship Phase after an adventure is concluded. In Strider Mode, you have the choice of doing it that way (if you tend to have longer sessions), or there is a milestone system that can be used. This awards a slower trickle of AP/SP for reaching milestones as opposed to tracking playtime. Jasper sets out from Bree, eager to have some work that gets him out and about. And the thought of coming so close to the infamous ruins of Fornost intrigues him greatly. With a bit of luck, not only will Jasper be able to get a decent survey of the road leading up to the great and ruined Arnorian city, but he might even get a chance to find some artifacts that could fetch some coin. Jasper’s mood is light as he sets out that first day, thoughts of wealth and fame dancing in his mind. By the third day, however, a creeping and unexplainable darkness seems to have settled into the back of Jasper’s mind. Despite the unusually beautiful weather for this time of year, Jasper finds himself being worn down more and more as he makes his way closer to his destination. Stopping every so often to take some notes on the landscape and update his map-in-progress, he finds his mind wandering more often than not. Visions of a blackened sky over collapsed buildings of white stone flash in his mind, and on more than one occasion he feels as if his pack is getting physically harder to carry as he trudges north. Some sense of unease is beginning to set in, and his journey to Fornost is only half over… ------------ This session took about 90 minutes, but it was mostly flipping through and acquainting myself with rules. Had a lot of fun though and I'm looking forward to the next one. There's a lot that hasn't come up yet -- mainly combat, but also Eye Awareness (which tracks the forces of Evil and how they perceive me) and Revelation episodes. Hopefully at least combat will happen next session. Updated the character sheet too since I hosed up something very important in the first version (calculated the TN's wrong). 
Drone fucked around with this message at 15:44 on Jun 5, 2022 |
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Jun 5, 2022 13:51
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This is aces, thank you:)
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Jun 5, 2022 15:17
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If play reports are fine in general then here's the part of my blog where I post solo RPG play-throughs. I just started it a couple days ago, writing up some play-throughs I posted on twitter in 2019/2020, but I'm almost to the end of those and next is gonna be some new stuff. Things on there so far:
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Jun 5, 2022 19:01
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Enjoying the actual play reports. Kenning I love the setting, in particular the whale chariots of the Basque and the moving city of the Great Horde. Drone thanks for the breakdown of the Strider solo mechanics in TOR. I'm very curious about the hex travel rules actually because I'm reading Five Leagues from the Borderlands, the Fantasy Skirmish Solo/Coop Wargame by Ivan Sorensen, and they have hex exploration rules as well, so I'm interested in comparing systems. UnCO3, thanks for the blog link. Now I have more to read during my lunch hour. I appreciate that solo actual plays are welcomed, but what about world building? I ask because I've found a great book (pdf really) with random tables that does a great job of building a region up from terrain features and then feeds that information into the geopolitics of the region. It is Renegade Crowns for Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 2nd Edition, but the rules inside can be abstracted to any fantasy setting. I read a guy's blog who converted all the WFR details into GURPS. Not that converting anything into GURPS is much of a stretch though. Anyway I'm partially the way through creating my region with random tables and the rulers of said region. I was wondering if others would care to read the results. It is $15 on DriveThru and I've really found it useful. https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/64291/Warhammer-Fantasy-Roleplay-2nd-Edition-Renegade-Crowns
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Jun 8, 2022 20:14
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Helical Nightmares posted:Enjoying the actual play reports. I would very much like to read the results yeah! I got hold of Renegade Crowns and yeah it's a really fun worldbuilding tool. I enjoy messing with that one Game of Thrones RPG - Song of Ice and Fire RPG maybe? There were two with confusing names. But one of them has a really fun robust 'house builder' that can easily be adapted.
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Jun 8, 2022 22:17
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Been looking at FlexD6 recently and while some of the design shows holes (Options include both Alert: gain advantage on all initiative rolls & Quick Draw: gain advantage on initiative rolls when wielding a firearm) the core mechanics seem like something that can work. I especially like how there's a table to break down exact percentages for a roll in which you get at least 1 success. The solo adventures for it remind me a bit of Pocket Dungeon-- mostly due to presentation, but without actually drawing out rooms and the tactical squares element of combat. Not super exciting but as someone who likes to hack at systems and harvest their tasty meats I think there's definitely something usable here.
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Jun 8, 2022 23:00
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It's a board game rather than RPG, but Under Falling Skies is excellent. I've not touched the campaign yet and it's very relatable. (And you can replay the campaign, or use the campaign components is standalone games.
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Jun 9, 2022 00:58
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