And we also have really big angry crickets called Weta (the scientific name of one roughly translates to "Devil Cricket").
And you thought Australia was scary. I am not moving to a dangerous place, I am leaving one
My one and only regret is that I am very spider heavy for the rest of the "insect" module in Dark Prophecy. I should have absolutely statted up and used some giant weta ala King Kong.
Mr_Rose83 Blue Ridge Protects the HolyRegistered Userregular
edited January 2011
Is anyone else as annoyed as I am that the Compendium is no longer reliable? Example: Hero's armour is listed in HotFK/Adventurer's Vault as an "any" type armour enchantment and hasn't received any errata since either book was published, that I can find. What's it listed as in the Compendium? Chain only. o_O
And the on-line CB is apparently using the flawed Compendium data for its item restrictions too.
What the hell happened to Wizards in August? Because that is apparently when everything went to shit.
Since people are talking about items, how do you handle selling them? I'm letting my players sell back at 100% right now, really for no other reason than to get them to buy stuff they can use.
Also, I pick out the bulk of their magical items that they don't buy. I agree most of them are situational, but it's generally not hard to form encounters/monster actions that play off the
Unless they forget they have them. Then they fall to the bottom of a pit.
So, viewing it through your simulationist lens, why the fuck is a guy with a sword just as powerful as somebody capable of wielding magic? Oh, clearly starting out, swordguy should be more capable but once the magic guy really gets the hang of things.....
Yeah, fuck no. At some points you need to step back and ask "Does this make the game fun/good/exciting/what I and players want?"
The only reason you think you should control the character options we label magic items is because you've conceptualized them as physical items. There really isn't any reason for that. So long as we slot certain abilities only into this one, uncontrollable, upgrade path then we're going to have people fighting it.
You're right, we should acknowledge that this is a game but even so, I think you can take it too far the other way. I'd say that WotC conceptualised them as physical items, not me. If we go so far towards things as just looking at them purely as mechanics, for me all the fun of imagining starts to bleed away and all I have left is numbers. Different people enjoy different aspects of the game. I like the numbers ticking away in the background, making things work (because 4E represents for me the perfect game, it just *works*, it's hard to make a bad character mechanically and as a DM I don't have to play with maths beyond 'do these monsters equal or come close to certain XP budget? yes/no?' and 'have I given out x amount of treasure?') whilst I try to create an exciting, believable playground for the players to lose themselves in.
I wouldn't begrudge a player for liking to play around with the numbers, but magic items are one thing that, as a DM, I feel should be something I have control of; they're part of the playground. I've yet to find a player who didn't understand that and if one did appear at my table, I'd deal with it at the time and maybe compromise with a wish-list or something. (Incedently, my group unanimously voted against using wish-lists).
Backing away from my own clearly gamist lens the thing that is clearly missing from the magic items is the magic. They are 90% mechanical upgrades that let you do some fucking addition. I know basic math is always a source of wonderment to me and my friends.
At this point I'd almost want to axe magic "items" in general, replace the majority of those mechanical bits with just handwaving math and let the magic items that exist be magical. Which the rare items kinda sorta do but they do it in what is becoming the trademark Wizards fashion*.
* Late, inept and lacking in effort.
I absolutely agree with this. Magic items, by being something required mechanically, have become bland and not special or magical at all. Rare items could be the solution but, as you say, WotC have made no effort at all on that count.
I like the magic items like Eternal Chalk and the Nail of Sealing, I think a big problem is the majority of "magical" items are just +1 weapons and armor with no other effect (or a stupid effect). They should really be considered high quality mundane items, but then it's just arguing semantics.
Another thing is it seems like most of the interesting effects are on neck slot items. Having a Lucky Charm effect on a dagger would be cool, cloak of the walking wounded effect on armor/belt, etc.
Maybe have gems that can be set into a hilt to give abilities like "duelist's" or "challenge seeking", but then not everyone likes materia type systems and it would be another thing to compare to WoW. My favorite items in Baldur's Gate/Neverwinter were always things like Ring of Regeneration, Ring of Free Action, there's no lower level magic rings that I've seen, not even a plain old +1 AC Ring of Protection. Maybe recreate these for 4th (gain regeneration: 1, treat immobilized as slowed, etc).
If you're using the Common/Uncommon/Rare thing it is 20%/50%/100%.
By selling at 100% you'll let them turn outdated lower level items into more higher level stuff than they "should".
I wasn't aware there was an official stance. At least so far as I can tell they're also behind the curve as far as items go so I've been trying to emphasize they can buy whatever they want with the gold they accumulate. Though now that they're arriving somewhere new I'll probably put in 50% on all items til they endear themselves to the new location.
Also, for the possible Dark Sun game I might get going with my friends. One of them hasn't played 4e and is unfamiliar with Dark Sun. So I let him dick around with my CB. He made a female Mul named Mulette. I was forced to revoke his CB privileges.
When I was about 13 I had this giant magnifying glass my dad gave me they used to see the compass on the bow of his ship. The thing was about 8" in diameter, 2" thick, and sort of like a cup. So you could set it on the ground and trap shit inside of it with the lens hitting a fixed location.
Anyway, I found a wasp chilling on the driveway one day and sprayed it with some soap out of a spray bottle (this prevents them from flying) and then got the magnifying glass. I lit that shit up and started smelling a delicious steak cooking. Turns out: burning wasps smell like steak!
Then I found $5.
Pinfeldorf on
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AegeriTiny wee bacteriumsPlateau of LengRegistered Userregular
Also clicking on test campaign 1 tab gets an internal server error.
I noticed that sometimes clicking on the token doesn't seem to grab it. Looks neat so far though.
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Mr_Rose83 Blue Ridge Protects the HolyRegistered Userregular
edited January 2011
Looking good; the pan/zoom seemed to work fine for me, maybe it's a transient issue?
Speaking of, would it be possible to focus the zoom on the cursor, or maybe the currently selected token? At the moment the zoom origin always seems to be the map origin.
My god, they have no shame at all. They even call them "Booster Packs", and that "Players can crack open boosters of cards just prior to participating in a game session, or come to their game with pre-built decks."
Edit: Can we just pretend that the good Essentials stuff all came out in one book prior to Dark Sun and that the Dark Sun books were the last D&D books to be published?
I predict these cards will not sell well, and will prove to be a waste of money. My hypercognitive powers also tell me that any group that wanted this sort of thing in their games already did it themselves, and the cards are under the control of the DM, as they should be.
In all seriousness, I actually like the idea of fortune cards, but I prefer them as occasional DM awards for good roleplaying or heroic acts or something of that nature. Giving players a deck of Daily Item Powers to use every encounter just really misses the point.
I predict these cards will not sell well, and will prove to be a waste of money. My hypercognitive powers also tell me that any group that wanted this sort of thing in their games already did it themselves, and the cards are under the control of the DM, as they should be.
In all seriousness, I actually like the idea of fortune cards, but I prefer them as occasional DM awards for good roleplaying or heroic acts or something of that nature. Giving players a deck of Daily Item Powers to use every encounter just really misses the point.
yea. this. speaking of which I need to stop being lazy and actually finish my intended implementation and support of that. possibly tomorrow.
tastydonuts on
“I used to draw, hard to admit that I used to draw...”
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AegeriTiny wee bacteriumsPlateau of LengRegistered Userregular
edited January 2011
I have no interest in using fortune cards. I approve of them in Gamma World though, but Gamma World just suits them really well and there aren't a lot of variables in gamma world without the cards (it frankly, is nowhere as complex as 4E so the cards add a lot). All fortune cards is add more stuff to a game that already has shitloads of stuff. I see no need for them and won't be buying them or allowing their use in my games.
I hope Dms are like "keep that away from my table" so that people don't feel like they should buy into this crap. Can we get some solidarity?
I would not allow these at my table. Particularly because the only person that would spend enough money on these to make a "deck" would then stack that "deck" with all the best powers so that at any given time they always had a nice bonus on their best attack with very little "fortune" involved.
I just don't get these things. It's like, "Tired of killing all those pesky monsters to get their treasure? Tired of hoping your DM gives you the item dailies that you wanted? Well now, for just $3.99 a pack, you can buy your own!" I mean damn, if they want to make a D&D card game, just make it already and stop dicking around with the RPG.
I have no interest in using fortune cards. I approve of them in Gamma World though, but Gamma World just suits them really well and there aren't a lot of variables in gamma world without the cards (it frankly, is nowhere as complex as 4E so the cards add a lot). All fortune cards is add more stuff to a game that already has shitloads of stuff. I see no need for them and won't be buying them or allowing their use in my games.
pretty much this, I'm glad my players will never know they exist.
Posts
He was in New Zealand, and is now I believe in Australia?
That or an evil lair on a volcanic island.
Edit: Also; fictional.
They tried to bury us. They didn't know that we were seeds. 2018 Midterms. Get your shit together.
Nintendo Network ID: AzraelRose
DropBox invite link - get 500MB extra free.
New Zealand is the elemental chaos, which would appropriately make Invercargill the abyss.
That even sounds like a place in the Abyss.
I hear the Hellkiwi Nightstalker is a pretty common nuisance there.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9T1vfsHYiKY
And we also have really big angry crickets called Weta (the scientific name of one roughly translates to "Devil Cricket").
And you thought Australia was scary. I am not moving to a dangerous place, I am leaving one
My one and only regret is that I am very spider heavy for the rest of the "insect" module in Dark Prophecy. I should have absolutely statted up and used some giant weta ala King Kong.
And the on-line CB is apparently using the flawed Compendium data for its item restrictions too.
What the hell happened to Wizards in August? Because that is apparently when everything went to shit.
Nintendo Network ID: AzraelRose
DropBox invite link - get 500MB extra free.
Also, I pick out the bulk of their magical items that they don't buy. I agree most of them are situational, but it's generally not hard to form encounters/monster actions that play off the
Unless they forget they have them. Then they fall to the bottom of a pit.
If you're using the Common/Uncommon/Rare thing it is 20%/50%/100%.
By selling at 100% you'll let them turn outdated lower level items into more higher level stuff than they "should".
I like the magic items like Eternal Chalk and the Nail of Sealing, I think a big problem is the majority of "magical" items are just +1 weapons and armor with no other effect (or a stupid effect). They should really be considered high quality mundane items, but then it's just arguing semantics.
Another thing is it seems like most of the interesting effects are on neck slot items. Having a Lucky Charm effect on a dagger would be cool, cloak of the walking wounded effect on armor/belt, etc.
Maybe have gems that can be set into a hilt to give abilities like "duelist's" or "challenge seeking", but then not everyone likes materia type systems and it would be another thing to compare to WoW. My favorite items in Baldur's Gate/Neverwinter were always things like Ring of Regeneration, Ring of Free Action, there's no lower level magic rings that I've seen, not even a plain old +1 AC Ring of Protection. Maybe recreate these for 4th (gain regeneration: 1, treat immobilized as slowed, etc).
I wasn't aware there was an official stance. At least so far as I can tell they're also behind the curve as far as items go so I've been trying to emphasize they can buy whatever they want with the gold they accumulate. Though now that they're arriving somewhere new I'll probably put in 50% on all items til they endear themselves to the new location.
Please tell me that's a child's hand.
Or, what was my first response: WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT KILL IT WITH FIRE!
A quick googling says yes. It even has a giant cricket logo. Terrifying.
deep-fried and served with pest plants steamed beyond recognition
this could be the most amazing theme restaurant ever
Anyway, I found a wasp chilling on the driveway one day and sprayed it with some soap out of a spray bottle (this prevents them from flying) and then got the magnifying glass. I lit that shit up and started smelling a delicious steak cooking. Turns out: burning wasps smell like steak!
Then I found $5.
just like WoW
What do you mean, you want both?
And you want it to work in internet explorer?
Fine then. Have your draggy-droppyness.
(As you may have noticed, I've gotten distracted by technologically hard shiny things. I tend to do that)
Also, the test campaign: http://onlinetabletop.appspot.com/campaign/1/encounter/1 should be editable by anybody, so feel free to go there and have a play (doesn't allow adding and removing of combatants though).
Edit: It appears to be broken if you zoom and pan the graph. Umm... don't try that bit.
Play with me on Steam
I noticed that sometimes clicking on the token doesn't seem to grab it. Looks neat so far though.
Speaking of, would it be possible to focus the zoom on the cursor, or maybe the currently selected token? At the moment the zoom origin always seems to be the map origin.
Nintendo Network ID: AzraelRose
DropBox invite link - get 500MB extra free.
Edit: Can we just pretend that the good Essentials stuff all came out in one book prior to Dark Sun and that the Dark Sun books were the last D&D books to be published?
Inquisitor77: Rius, you are Sisyphus and melee Wizard is your boulder
Tube: This must be what it felt like to be an Iraqi when Saddam was killed
Bookish Stickers - Mrs. Rius' Etsy shop with bumper stickers and vinyl decals.
so glad I quit LFR last year, my friends who still play are gonna shit themselves
In all seriousness, I actually like the idea of fortune cards, but I prefer them as occasional DM awards for good roleplaying or heroic acts or something of that nature. Giving players a deck of Daily Item Powers to use every encounter just really misses the point.
yea. this. speaking of which I need to stop being lazy and actually finish my intended implementation and support of that. possibly tomorrow.
Thoughts of a Part-Time Hobbyist - A Wargaming and RPG Blog
I would not allow these at my table. Particularly because the only person that would spend enough money on these to make a "deck" would then stack that "deck" with all the best powers so that at any given time they always had a nice bonus on their best attack with very little "fortune" involved.
I just don't get these things. It's like, "Tired of killing all those pesky monsters to get their treasure? Tired of hoping your DM gives you the item dailies that you wanted? Well now, for just $3.99 a pack, you can buy your own!" I mean damn, if they want to make a D&D card game, just make it already and stop dicking around with the RPG.
pretty much this, I'm glad my players will never know they exist.