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RocknRollaAyatollah posted:Wizards only keeps D&D around because they want to keep the copyright fresh. It does nothing for them other than get them video and computer game royalties and the profits from selling more novels about Drizzt Do'urden. Do they still write books about that guy? Does anyone under the age of 40 even read them?
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Mar 3, 2015 04:51
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Serf posted:So while talking with a friend about 13th Age, we got on the subject of D&D-alikes and they mentioned one I've never heard of: Fantasycraft. They described it as "D&D but with more cool stuff and fighter-types get nice things", which is always a neat idea in my mind. I was wondering you folks thought it would be worth picking up even if only to pick apart for its ideas. It is a good game, but very rules heavy. Only for people who really like crunch. FMguru posted:I think Hasbro regards D&D as a potentially valuable nerd nostalgia brand, in much the same way that a largely-forgotten series of 1980s robot toys turned out to be the keystones of a multi-billion dollar movie franchise 25 years later. Keeping it around and in-print in a nerd nostalgia format (5e, plus those reprints of earlier corebooks and classic adventures) is probably the smart move. Absolutely. D&D is a great brand as far as brand equity is concerned despite how much of a money pit TRPGs are. I wouldn't be surprised if WotC's strategy is "put just enough money into D&D to keep it alive so we can sell the merchandise that actually makes money." Also, I know absolute poo poo about magic, but the whole "premise" is that there are multiple planes of existences fighting, right? How bad of an idea would it be for WotC's to a limited print run where some iconic D&D characters are made into cards? Not that I think they should do it, it's just a thought I had and, since I know jack poo poo about Magic, I don't know how bad of an idea it is and am now curious.
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Mar 3, 2015 22:41
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I know this is late for DW talk that was going on three or so pages ago, but I don't think it's that bad of a game. I feel, unless I'm misinterpreting your earlier arguments, that it set out to be what it set out to be: a old school renaissance game based on Basic D&D using Pbta rules. In that regard, I think it turned out just fine and met the goals of what they said they were going to do. The fact it wasn't something more isn't really a strike against the game, in my opinion, since it never advertised itself as anything more: it's just a game with "modern rules and an old school style." Don't get me wrong, it's absolutely fine that you don't like that game and I'm not trying to say you're wrong for not liking it, but I don't think applying expectations that it never said it had and holding it against the game for not reaching them is a little unfair. It's perfectly fine to not find the subject matter that interesting, but, to those who do, it seems to work out well enough.
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Mar 4, 2015 04:50
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Captain Foo posted:DW is a fine game, but for those wanting Fantasy Apocalypse World it doesn't really meet expectations - which is fine but there's other hacking that still needs doing. Also, as pbta has matured, some of the weaknesses of DW have been made a bit more clear Which is, like I said, is fine if that's what you were expecting, but I don't think it ever set out to be Fantasy Apocalpyse World: IIRC, it always advertised it self as a new way to play Basic D&D. Also, don't get me wrong, I know it has issues, but mostly the ones I know are issues I've noticed with the game itself like the Druid having a bit too much power. What issues came up as "pbta matured?"
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Mar 4, 2015 13:15
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Flavivirus posted:Well, there are two parts: first, all PBtA systems define their genre through the moves they have available, and as it turns out DW's moves define quite a limited genre of dungeon-crawling. In response to the first, and I hope this doesn't come off the wrong way, that sounds somewhat intentional. The Basic D&D was very limited in scope and practically assumed you were only going to and from the Dungeon. The later releases in the set expanded on this, but, to my knowledge, I think DW was only attempting to be Basic. In response to the second, yeah, that's pretty bad. As someone who has taken a crack at hacking PBta and making their own system, you want to be wary of even going to a +3 to early on, +4 is something that should be utterly impossible.
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Mar 4, 2015 14:37
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Evil Mastermind posted:In related news, and online buddy has invited me to his PF game. dwarf74 posted:I did that a while back and went on with an open mind. It's not an experience I'll repeat, though. It's funny you guys mention this as I am doing something similar right now. Difference being that I know the guy IRL. I suppose another difference is that he's a new GM who is a player in my 13th Age game so I worry less about him being a fuddy duddy about rules. Also, his allowed class rules let me use the Warder from Path of War which is a surprisingly good martial class. (I'm playing martial because he needed a tank)
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Mar 9, 2015 20:46
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dwarf74 posted:I made a goblin cavalier, 7th level. Or, that is, asked some goons to do so after being totally lost making one on my own. The Warder is based on the Book of Nine Swords so it gets a series of maneuvers and stances. The schools it has access to reinforces its role as a tank. Some of the ways it does that are pretty fun. For example, Warning Roar lets me, when an ally within X ft is attacked, make a diplomacy roll vs the attack roll. On a success, the attack is negated. I have another one which allows me to make all attacks by allies do more damage against one target. I also gain a series of marks which greatly encourage people to fight me through the use of a -4 penalty and they can be applied as a free action whenever, even off my turn, I hit an enemy. Essentially, Dreamscarred Press snuck in a 4e Fighter and Warlord into Pathfinder and made it pretty good.
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Mar 10, 2015 05:10
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From experience, don't try making or playing in games with randos on roll20. I did that when the site started off and it never turned out well. From creepers, to unreliable people, to just generally unpleasant experiences. Overall, I'd avoid it.
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Mar 10, 2015 08:33
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I've been playing a lot of Dragon Ball Z Xenoverse. It's pretty rad...and that's something I don't say lightly...since that's something I haven't said since I was 11. A thought popped into my head during play: has anyone done that kind of shonen action well in a tabletop space? I know there was an awful offical license game, but I can't think of much else.
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Mar 10, 2015 15:24
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bunnielab posted:Awesome, no idea why I didn't think to look at normal wiki. I found some D&D centric wiki but it was pretty crappy. Liking old games or traditional fantasy -- as long as that doesn't include racist or sexist elements--, doesn't make you a lovely grog. Racists, sexists, homophobes,transphobes and other assholes who wish that the entire hobby is made of only white men are lovely grogs. Not the ones, however, who act on their feelings through aggressive means such as harrashment. Those people deserve a worse name. So, if all you are is a person who likes things old school -- as long as that doesn't include toxic social ideas -- you're fine.
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Mar 10, 2015 16:42
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bunnielab posted:How did I forget about Kobolds!?!? In all honesty, there are a lot of games that do the NotD&D thing well. Some of which -- like DW and 13th age, which were previously mentioned -- can be viewed and played for free. What I am about is neither an exhaustive list, all good, free, nor are all the games ones I endorse, but this list is a rather good list of NotD&D games in-case you play the ones we've suggested and honestly feel that they're not for you. Here is the list. I hope that isn't intimidating. In all honesty, considering your preferences, I suggest Dungeon World. I just thought the list might be helpful. Blockhouse posted:http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product/111059/Shonen-Final-Burst I've seen this game before and it might have been recommended for a similar question I may have asked (had Deja Vu asking it). Is it any good? Its deck system seemed a bit cumbersome.
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Mar 10, 2015 21:45
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Megaman's Jockstrap posted:Hey what was the fantasy game from the 1980s/90s that had the critical hit tables, pages and pages of them, based on where and what kind of attack hit the player? Like a table for getting hit in the limb by an electrical attack, or the torso with a slicing attack? I remember half of the head shots being "you're dead" but getting progressively more gruesome and horrible. I can't remember and it's eating at me. Rolemaster?
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Mar 10, 2015 22:15
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Alien Rope Burn posted:Yes, Rolemaster. As someone who has never played rolemaster, care to explain?
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Mar 10, 2015 22:30
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Evil Mastermind posted:Honestly the fact that it's a Monte Cook game is the main thing that's preventing me from buying The Strange, even though it's a game that is completely and utterly in my thematic wheelhouse. That's probably a good decision. The Strange runs on the same system as Numenera which isn't anything to write home to momma about.
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Mar 10, 2015 23:26
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The whole "rule for everything mentality" came from Advanced D&D, didn't it? I read a bit of Designer and Dragons and I believe it claimed Gygax made Advanced to unify the game across tables by codifying more circumstances with rules. Of course, I can be misremembering.
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Mar 11, 2015 08:48
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Plague of Hats posted:It came from a lot of places in the late 70's and early 80's. That's a little unfair, though, because back then everyone was throwing just whatever into a book, and thought "Use whatever you want, it's all optional." Except people are dumb about that kind of stuff, and the players of the 80's grew up to write the completionist-style RPGs of the 90's where the trend really reached its nadir. Well , she didn't imply it was only Gygax. She referenced Rolemaster's creator and other such sources, but she said that's the moment it really came to D&D. I didn't think about it that way, but, yeah, all the optional rules probably did lead to 90s design.
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Mar 11, 2015 09:17
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Plague of Hats posted:Are you talking about Shannon Applecline? He's a "he" as far as I know. Seems you're right. I just assumed Shannon was a girl's name.
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Mar 11, 2015 11:23
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Simian_Prime posted:It is. It's a shame. Got a link to their response on rpg.net? Just curious.
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Mar 13, 2015 07:07
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ProfessorCirno posted:Have there been situations where this hobby has interacted with the real world outside it's bubble and didn't come off as a poor joke? I still feel I must be the only person in the world who actually enjoyed Assassin's Creed 3. Also, what were kobolds before the whole "dragon servant" things?
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Mar 14, 2015 21:32
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). In this case Monte Cook Games just went full Peter Pan. It's one step away from transcribing "What Made the Red Man Red?"
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I was at my local Barnes and Nobles yesterday and discovered they had a pretty well-stocked rpg section. Decided to pick up Doctor Who Adventures in Time and Space Limited Edition Playbook. I must say that I love their initiative system: First, people who want to use diplomacy go, then people who want to run away go, then people who want to tinker with tech or such go, and, finally, people who want to attack go. It really fits the series well. Also, I like they acknowledge the issue of everyone wanting to be the Doctor and having two pretty clever solutions: either switch off per adventure or per regeneration.
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Mar 16, 2015 13:50
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So far, my main complaints with DW:AITAS is that monsters are made like player characters it seems (I haven't read it all so it might not be the case, but I've seen enemy stat blocks. PC chargen seems fairly simple so it isn't a deal breaker), the game uses a good/bad trait system where bad traits get back CP (Which, while I haven't examined it further-ly, probably means there is a trick to maximize your positives with as little bad as possible), and someone who was making the pre-made adventures didn't realize the Dream Lord is literally a figment of the 11th Doctor's imagination that is only a threat if the group is trapped in a drug induced, shared dream and not a physical entity. Outside of that, everything seems fine and, all in all, it looks like a good, lite system to play Doctor Who.
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Mar 16, 2015 14:32
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Dagon posted:9 sets of 3d6 (or whatever), rolled in order and arranged in a grid with columns of Str, Dex, and Con, rows of Int, Wis, and Cha. Choose a number for a stat from its column or row, but each number can only be used once (IE the 18 you got at the intersection of Str and Int can only be one or the other). Everytime I hear a new trick to rolling ability scores, it makes me wonder why the person doing it is rolling at all. Honestly, this dagon method feels like someone wants point buy, but can't bring him or her self to let go of rolling.
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Mar 17, 2015 16:25
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Lynx Winters posted:I love the Choose Your Power picture at the top of this page so much. Bird is a little broken. They should nerf it. It's unfair to Wizard, Gun, and Alien Invasion players.
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Mar 17, 2015 20:40
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Fyxt isn't funny anymore. It just makes me sad inside.
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Mar 18, 2015 00:26
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potatocubed posted:I had a go at hacking Fate for Planescape a while back. Not that I think WotC would care, but I don't think including the OGL does anything here: the hack deals with intellectually properties that are not made public by the OGL. (It's on page 2 if anyone is wondering why I'm saying this.)
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Mar 18, 2015 13:25
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potatocubed posted:Oh, the OGL is a holdover from the first version of Fatescape I wrote, which used the Spirit of the Century rules, which as I recall required that OGL. You're right about it doing nothing now, since Planescape isn't Open and Fate Core uses a different system (I think). Oops. Fate Core is Creative Commons now, I think.
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Mar 18, 2015 16:05
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Serf posted:I can't speculate on their motivations, but maybe it's because they tried to revitalize the game with 4E, and then eventually caved to the requests of the old guard and now no longer want to be seen as repeating 4E in any way, shape or form? I mean I came into the hobby with 4E and I dunno how it was for the launch of 3E but it seemed huge when 4E came out. Between the PA podcast and the pretty prominent displays it got in my local comic shop and places like Waldenbooks/Barnes and Noble it felt like they were pushing D&D hard. You could go to a bookstore/gaming store and pick up any of the books and those nice starter sets at any time. If I got a wild hair up my rear end and wanted to buy 5E there's like one copy at the comic shop and none at the other bookstore in town. It feels like they're not even trying anymore, and maybe part of that is they're no longer looking to pick up new players and know that the portion of their fanbase they're appealing to will pick the game up regardless of any marketing? Yealling at customs for buying your product is bad business. A good way to NOT get repeat customers.
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Mar 20, 2015 03:17
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Mormon Star Wars posted:Yeah, if you yell at customs enough they'll just seize your product and maybe arrest you. Never yell at customs. What? I just meant it's a good way to get people to not come back. Repeat business is vital to the long term success of a business. Edit: Also, for reference, he is yelling at customers for buying an edition he dislikes. Covok fucked around with this message at 04:51 on Mar 20, 2015 |
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Mar 20, 2015 04:46
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MadScientistWorking posted:You spelled customer wrong... Now I feel dumb. Really dumb.
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Mar 20, 2015 04:53
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Evil Mastermind posted:It's okay, Covok. I still like you. Aw, thank you. I still like you, too.
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Mar 20, 2015 05:25
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My club is planing on two things that I'm wondering if anyone can help me with. 1) They want to run Tomb of Horrors like a tournament. I know that D&D tournaments were a thing in the past. Does anyone know how that works? 2) They want to make a list of Free RPGs to share with members. I know of a few -- D20, PF, FATE, Eclipse Phase, Risus, 13th Age, etc. --, but does anyone know of a good, comprehensive list of Free RPGs? Serf posted:People used to tell me they didn't go to that comic shop because the atmosphere was really lovely and I never knew what they meant until I started buying 4E stuff there. Like every time I'd buy a book he'd try and sell me on Pathfinder of 3.5 instead, roll his eyes when I insisted, and even get his regular customers in on it. After my group had basically all the 4E stuff we wanted, I stopped going there for like 2 years even for comics and Magic cards. The owner now has other people running the store, and they're much more laid-back so I've started going again. Well, it's good you got past Groggy McNeckbeard storeclerk and had fun. The hobby needs more people who are willing to try new things and not be obnoxious and awful.
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Mar 20, 2015 17:36
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Megaman's Jockstrap posted:I do! You play as normal, add up all GP and XP at the end (including the GP value of any found magical items), subtract the XP of any character who died, and that's your score. Thanks for the advice. Considering that the event itself is not super well publicized -- the festival it is a part of is --, there are few people in the club who even play D&D, and the guys who do don't want to play out a sense of fairness: we should be good. Probably not. It depends. It is what it is at this point, they are gung-ho on it. Probably because most of the e-board has never run/played D&D before and, those who have, have never done an edition before or after 3rd. Edit: Why subtract the XP of people who died? Doesn't that punish you for making it far in then dying? Lord Frisk posted:A list of free RPGs? UnCO3 posted:Comprehensive list, no, but you can generally find a bunch of free RPGs or freely available WIPs on people's websites or blogs. John Harper, for example, has released a bunch of stuff for free on his site. There's also Graham Walmsley (really only Cthulhu Dark, though), John Walton's blog, some stuff you can find on evilhat's website (at least an alpha doc of their unreleased game Schizonauts). Then there are the Game Chef sites, 24hr rpg design competition and 1km1kt, but the quality and playability is a lot more variable because anyone can enter the competitions and anyone can put stuff up on 1km1kt. Galaga Galaxian posted:Almost all of John Harper's RPGs on his website are free. Except the Greek Heroes one. UnCO3 posted:You may also enjoy Violence and Freebase. Thanks everyone. I will use these to get a good document going. You were a big help. Covok fucked around with this message at 19:22 on Mar 20, 2015 |
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Mar 20, 2015 19:19
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How does the list look so far? Any big ones I'm missing? I know I didn't get all of them, but there are a lot! As for Tomb of Horrors, they seem pretty set in having it be the Tomb of Horrors. Probably because of name power. I agree that is pretty B.S. and I will talk to them about it, but, for now, I'm going to act as if we're staying the course. I think you, though, for bringing up this alternative. Also, what edition is best for either of those adventures? Edit: Also, can I legally link Marvel FAESRIP? Covok fucked around with this message at 21:46 on Mar 20, 2015 |
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Mar 20, 2015 21:43
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Megaman's Jockstrap posted:The adventures are both made for original Advanced Dungeons and Dragons by E. Gary Gygax, so that's what you have to run them in. Got ya. So, either way, they expect me to learn that in a week. Heard that's one hell of a nightmare. Why did I agree to this?
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Mar 20, 2015 21:47
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Megaman's Jockstrap posted:Because somebody in your club got the idea in their head from somewhere that old school Dungeons and Dragoning is a cool fun experience that you're going to have a blast with. And I hope you do! Good luck. Considering the original proposer of the idea is the guy who super antagonistically GMs Dungeon World because he views it as old school, yeah, you got the nail on the head. Hope it turns out well, too.
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Mar 20, 2015 21:57
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Echophonic posted:I've always wanted to check those out, but I've never been able to find the PDFs anywhere. I immediately found the Colonial Marines one using my rabad alien fan powers.
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Mar 23, 2015 04:49
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Rockopolis posted:http://www.burningwheel.com/wiki/index.php?title=Downloads#Burning_Sands:_Jihad What do you mean by "too suicidal" exactly?
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Mar 23, 2015 05:17
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Captain Foo posted:vidmaster ran a forums game of it years ago Got the link to the game? I wonder how an ironic FATAL game would play out especially considering our forum culture.
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Mar 23, 2015 15:21
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Splicer posted:To my recollection they worked out that the easiest way to kill people was by exceeding their AC, so they rolled up a party of orcs due to their improved natural weapons. I really, really hope improved natural weapons refer to their claws, fists, or other such things. Also, Rat Queens is an awesome comic.
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Mar 23, 2015 18:13
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Splicer posted:No. No...No...gently caress...No...God drat it...That's just hosed up, man.
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Mar 23, 2015 20:25
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