Tabletop RPG Catch All

KrazyTacoFO wrote:
MilkmanDanimal wrote:

My Chessex Pound O' Dice showed up from Amazon today. Dumped them on the table, and the kids are utterly fascinated by them. It's time for the nerding to begin.

Dude, get out of my head! I just ordered those last night and they should be arriving tomorrow. :shock:

It's a surprisingly cool assortment of dice; I was expecting a bunch of just single-color "boring" dice, but most of them are two-toned, flecked with metallics bits, or in other ways kind of cool. Pretty neato.

Anybody have any opinions on the new Gamma World? Specifically, an opinion on whether or not it's worth $20? Our local book liquidator has a bunch of copies of it and I thought I might pick it up in case of emergency RPG need someday in the future. They also have one of the expansions, Legion of Gold (or something similar) for $15. Any and all experience is welcome. If we were to play, I'd probably be running it, and probably for a group that is mostly not core role-players.

necroyeti wrote:

Anybody have any opinions on the new Gamma World? Specifically, an opinion on whether or not it's worth $20?

We played through an adventure over the course of 3 sessions, if I'm remembering that correctly. It is fun, but a bit shallow. It's basically 4e Encounters and lacks interesting role playing interaction if that's what you're looking for. If you want I can ship you my copy which has everything you need, and the first expansion. Just PM if you're interested.

Man, I wonder what happened to my old boxed set of Gamma World. I bet it's with a collection of stuff I left with my parents that has gone missing, the collection, not my parents.

Gamma World was awesome! It was so terribly bad mechanics-wise, but some much fun. The books were distinctly amusing to read. {Maybe being twelve helped.}

Benticore wrote:

Anybody got any idea how one might run a Shadowrun Campaign? The new Kickstarter has my once-fallow group itching to get some Futuristic Super Soldier vs the evil Corporation fun on but I'm not sure if I should get a new version, an old version or jury rig some other system (looking at you, Savage Worlds) to do it. Thoughts?

My brother used to run great Shadowrun games at cons around Michigan. Organizers would call him and offer him a full pass in return for him running a few games of Shadowrun. I can only speak as an observer from his 2nd / 3rd edition games, but he had a few tricks:

Try to set up situations where different types of players can shine at the same time. The mage has to take care of any NPC the characters are contractually obligated not to kill, the power gamer has a lot of things to shoot, the role player gets to interface with any other NPCs, and the rigger/decker/hacker has a reason to bring out his toys. These can be important steps along the way to finishing the mission, or they can even be ongoing concerns.

In this, the different styles of players and characters can work as a team on a common goal.

Most starting characters are assumed to be new to Shadowrunning - even if they were formerly mercenaries or law enforcement or tree-hugging elfin shamans who worship the blue whale spirit. They are now starting on the bottom rung of life as a criminal. It makes sense for them to start by taking petty missions in order to build their names. They can also meet in bars, no matter how cliche it is.

Finally: Sixty or more years have passed. Your local dive bar doesn't play Benny Goodman and Louis Armstrong on constant rotation. The local dive in your game will not play any popular or unpopular musical artist you can name in 2012. That's kind of a pet peeve of mine.

mumford wrote:
necroyeti wrote:

Anybody have any opinions on the new Gamma World? Specifically, an opinion on whether or not it's worth $20?

We played through an adventure over the course of 3 sessions, if I'm remembering that correctly. It is fun, but a bit shallow. It's basically 4e Encounters and lacks interesting role playing interaction if that's what you're looking for. If you want I can ship you my copy which has everything you need, and the first expansion. Just PM if you're interested.

Thanks for the offer. I ended up picking it up since it was just $20 anyway. I reckon shipping up here would have cost you more than that. =)

I've felt a little burned out on 4e, but I'm coming around to the idea that this is because of one of the people I was playing with, not the game itself. The idea of running a Borderlands-style post-apocalyptic adventure for some of my friends who have only dipped their toe in tabletop RPGs has some appeal, and makes me want to open my heart to the system again. I think it's a good system for people like that (who aren't scared of complicated systems in things like video games, but just don't have much experience on the tabletop) because it gives them a pretty significant framework to work within while getting started. What I've read about the semi-random character generation sounds appealing too, as the players don't have to worry about making a PC that "fits" in with the others.

Still interested in any opinions about Legion of Gold. My reading of reviews makes it seem like it's mostly an adventure, with a thin section of new character options. Based on that, I'm thinking pass for now.

While I've yet to run an adventure that calls for a chase scene, this post on Kobold Quarterly seems like an excellent way to do it:

http://www.koboldquarterly.com/k/fro...

Rather than drawing out a map (or using a series of skill challenges as laid out in a Dragon magazine article), you create a "map" on the fly using a bunch o' d6's and a deck of playing cards.

Trachalio wrote:

http://www.koboldquarterly.com/k/fro...

Rather than drawing out a map (or using a series of skill challenges as laid out in a Dragon magazine article), you create a "map" on the fly using a bunch o' d6's and a deck of playing cards.

That's interesting to me. I'll try to bookmark that where it can be found again if needed. Dice and cards just seem to add a good flavor.

I ran a quick D&D 3.0 game for my kids, 4 and 7, this weekend. They are demanding more tonight. We use one of Paizo's folding dry-erase battlemats. I also cobbled some paper miniatures together using HeroMachine and Gimp.

My almost-ten-year-old son has been expressing interest in D&D last week, and we did a quick game the other night. My 7 1/2 year old daughter watched, and wanted to try it herself. Her first roll?

Natural 20.

IMAGE(http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s149/MilkmanDanimal/internet-high-five.jpg)

I apparently rolled a 1 on my Internet Posting skill check.

Discovered RPG Stackexchange via Obsidian Portal's Hast podcast the other day. I guess it's kinda like Reddit for RPG stuff (I've never used reddit)? People post questions and links, and other users answer or comment.

Already posted this in the Kickstarter thread, but I figured I'd post here as well. Pinnacle Entertainment has started a kickstarter for a new Deadlands spin of setting set in New Orleans in 1935. Think "The Big Sleep" with zombies. Hard boiled undead private detectives. Black magic wielding mobsters. Guns, Voodoo and jazz all mixed together. More info, including here:

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/...

So my weekly IRL group met tonight. The PCs are playing spies in a heavily supernatural fantasy world (Exalted), and they've run across an uprising of the demon lords. Their overarching goal for the last couple months is establish solid proof. The bad guys have been doing very well, and while I've been careful not to cheat(I'm the GM), they have managed to quite successfully shut down every attempt to get ironclad evidence.

Tonight was supposed to be different. Tonight they went after a group of demon/spirit hybrids. This would explicitly prove that spirits had been mating with demons, a big no-no, because their demonic offspring weren't bound to hell like most demons, but could come and go at will. This was also supposed to be impossible. But the PCs found out, and they went out to catch one alive so they could bring it back to heaven and reveal to their bosses. It was the equivalent of a fingerprint covered smoking gun.

They make back alley deals and persuaded hostile forces. They spied and intrigued their way through plans and schemes. They seduced and bribed a tracking goddess who thought they were nuts to help and be a witness. They went against shark hybrid things in the water, outnumbered 3:1, had a great fight, and finally by the skin of their teeth managed to get one into the boat, secured, and tied it down. It really was some excellent role playing. They'd fought it down to one HL remaining, after accidentally exploding the last one, and it was so close to death they didn't dare knock it out lest by accident it die too. But they got it.

It was then I remembered the one charm every single spirit by definition must have: dematerialize. After hours of hard work and really great gaming, the damn thing turned back to a spirit and wafted away. Their entire effort became a fruitless fish story about the one that got away. Even the witness was useless because after having slept with one PC, she was considered a biased witness. There was shouting, frustration, and the single best in-character 'I hate this world' rant I've heard.

We went over a bunch of ways to prevent this in the future. But still, after hours, hours of plotting, great roleplaying, and good ideas, they're no closer to their goal than they were before.

I laughed until my sides hurt and gave out double usual xp. It's a good group. It was taken as just bad luck. But man, that was great.

Nice. Tough to find a good group down here in Fredericksburg. So a few of us have turned to VTTs and taking our game online. I just finished teaching my son the beginnings of Pathfinder and Ulairi is going to GM Rogue Trader. I am going to GM Dark Heresy with a Roll20 group. Has come along quite nicely.

So looking forward to card/deck handling in Roll20. So many of the game I play these days use dominoes, custom cards, stones, or chips that creating them as a customized deck is the easiest way to go.
--
TAZ

Really like roll20. Nice community. Decided to GM a WH40K Dark Heresy game. Works great so far.

I am posting pictures from my new copy of HackMaster Player's Handbook. It eats all other RPGs for breakfast:

IMAGE(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-f155XBqBbuA/UAsghrtsbSI/AAAAAAAABqE/r0LY-KfAkf4/s1388/DSC_0007.JPG)
IMAGE(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-yr3F6cyKLA0/UAsgk0H4LxI/AAAAAAAABqU/_Xtt6q-Cy0g/s1388/DSC_0015.JPG)
IMAGE(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-fhettgP_oFA/UAsglqmhHdI/AAAAAAAABqk/zqYKEp-4p-4/s1388/DSC_0019.JPG)
IMAGE(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-0-6FphY1OaE/UAsgk-ZaXEI/AAAAAAAABqY/cLwYld-36Vg/s1388/DSC_0025.JPG)
IMAGE(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-ySlaRury0bA/UAsgh4vVCSI/AAAAAAAABqM/cevt5YZ9n6E/s1388/DSC_0005.JPG)

I'm willing to run a game for 4 other people online and anyone who plays in the game, I'm willing to purchase them a copy of the Player's Handbook.

Ulairi wrote:

Hackmaster

Care to give a bit more information? How do you want to run this, what kind of story, etc?

Miashara wrote:
Ulairi wrote:

Hackmaster

Care to give a bit more information? How do you want to run this, what kind of story, etc?

How do I run it? It's a game of epic fantasy. If you imagine 1E/2E and then the 3E/4E split, it graphs off the 1E/2E so there is a lot less powercreep. It HackMaster the players become heroes through the journey and do not start that way. They are really nothing more than just regular people who decide for whatever reason to become adventurers. I like that. I don't like the idea that players should automatically be superheroes at level 1 and only get more powerful. Fighting a Dragon at level should mean rolling up new PCs. Now for the system: it makes sense. It's logical and designed by engineers. Gone are abstract systems like "rounds", it uses a count up up system. Players can act on every second and their actions take up a certain number of seconds. This is nice because with 3E/4E the rounds take so long,once you act it's time to go grab a beer and wait. Armor doesn't increase your AC, it makes you easier to hit and soaks up damage. Shields are very important (like they were in real life) and archery works much more like archery would actually work. Archers are not Legolas from Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings.

Game worlds that would work perfectly with HackMaster: A Game of Thrones, Wheel of Time, any epic fantasy. I'd run it using the online tools and it works pretty well (I sat in on a game)

I take it this isn't the HackMaster game from Dork Tower or Knights of the Dinner Table, is it?

AnimeJ wrote:

I take it this isn't the HackMaster game from Dork Tower or Knights of the Dinner Table, is it?

It's from Knights of the Dinner Table, but it isn't a parody game like the prior edition was. This is a serious RPG and it is really fantastic. I'll be running it at Gencon so if anyone wants to stop by I'll show it off.

Ulairi wrote:
AnimeJ wrote:

I take it this isn't the HackMaster game from Dork Tower or Knights of the Dinner Table, is it?

It's from Knights of the Dinner Table, but it isn't a parody game like the prior edition was. This is a serious RPG and it is really fantastic. I'll be running it at Gencon so if anyone wants to stop by I'll show it off.

Are you coming to PenCon in Oct? You totally should so we can convince you to run some sessions there.

Tigerbill wrote:
Ulairi wrote:
AnimeJ wrote:

I take it this isn't the HackMaster game from Dork Tower or Knights of the Dinner Table, is it?

It's from Knights of the Dinner Table, but it isn't a parody game like the prior edition was. This is a serious RPG and it is really fantastic. I'll be running it at Gencon so if anyone wants to stop by I'll show it off.

Are you coming to PenCon in Oct? You totally should so we can convince you to run some sessions there.

I am coming and I will run demos.

WooHoo!

My RPG group is playing a Japanese RPG that player AndyK is working on translating. It's called Ryuutama.

Having just made it to this big town after traveling through a somewhat arduous forest, we have a fine meal and decide what to do next. I was perusing the list of facilities and such that are available in a city, and one item caught my eye.

"Guys, we should totally visit a fortune teller!" There was much agreement, except from our healer, who happens to be our only magic wielder. The character seemed to take offense at the thought of visiting a fake practitioner. But he was overruled.

We get into the fortune teller's den and sit for our fortune. The GM decides to use one of his tarot card decks (specifically, the Rider-Waite tarot deck). None of this was mechanically binding, so why not?

First card:
DEATH

There's much gasping and eye-widening. After a second, the fortune teller says, "But wait! It's not literal death. It means change." Whew.

Second card:
Nine of Swords

Hmm, it's not a cheerful picture. He tells us it means loss. "But sometimes loss can be for good?" We squirm uncomfortably.

Third card:
THE TOWER

Oh dear. The GM/fortune teller struggles to come up with a positive spin on this one. He does not entirely succeed. The player next to me says, "You better not turn over the Hanged Man next."

Fourth card:
THE HANGED MAN

"You guys are f*cked," the fortune teller says. Reading over.

We all get the status effect of "shock" which means all of our mental attributes are stepped down 1 die size. Actually, since our priest was the skeptic, he doesn't get that status effect, but he does get his own effect that gives him -1 INT die because of his giddy reaction.

Quintin_Stone wrote:

Awesome story
:lol:

I love unpredictable moments that emerge from play like this.

Makes me want to post some of my own stories, too.

Q-Stone - So what happened then?

Side question - a friend bought me the Core Rules for Pathfinder, which I have begun reading. Do I need additional resources (books) to get a basic adventure off of the ground or am I good to go for a simple quest with my son and a friend. Also keep in mind that I haven't played D&D in decades and have never GM'd.

Quintin_Stone wrote:

We all get the status effect of "shock" which means all of our mental attributes are stepped down 1 die size. Actually, since our priest was the skeptic, he doesn't get that status effect, but he does get his own effect that gives him -1 INT die because of his giddy reaction.

Hah! I am the GM for that game.

Ready for the sausage to be made?

I stacked the deck.

I shuffled the cards idly in front of everyone as I described the fortune teller's place. But I had already palmed those four cards, in order, and then stacked them on top of the deck while only shuffling the middle/bottom. I was actually aiming to somewhat recreate the memorable Tarot Reading scene from Curse of Monkey Island (but I didn't have 5 Death cards): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTQDp...

I tried to give it away a little: Basically the fortune teller was huge, loud, friendly and hairy like Penn Jilette.

And then I saddled you all with status effects! It was such a railroaded dick move, but since there weren't any battles/fights happening in the city, I wanted to see what happened with some serious status effects. But that was only because everyone's characters reacted so awesome and horribly. Three characters got "Shock", the skeptic became "High" with giddyness.

Maybe at the beginning of the next session: Revisit the fortune teller, give him a piece of your mind!

Nevin73 wrote:

Q-Stone - So what happened then?

It was almost at the end of the session. The characters went despondently back to the inn, got some good sleep, and when we rolled our Condition checks, the three of us with "Shock" got rolls high enough to remove the status check.

Doctor Skeptic, on the other hand, did not roll well enough to remove his.