GM of M&M "And Justice For All."
GM of Dresden Files Low Life
GM of Star Wars Sagas Into the Unknown
GM of Star Wars Sagas Lost Hope- Concluded
GM of Star Wars Sagas the Dark Times- Concluded.
GM of Star Wars Sagas Jabba's Palace- Concluded due to injury.
Bart Allen/ The Flash in M&M Metropolis- Concluded.
Koyi Disturbances in the Force- Concluded.
Jessup Owlbeard Forge of the Dawn Titan- Withdrawn due to injury.
Sal Mander In the Shadow of Zeus- Concluded.
Zevoto in Out in the Black- Withdrawn due to injury.
GM of Wyvern Watch
Berru Secune in Rise of the Jedi
Because Star Wars is much more mature than fantasy. :P
Edit: "When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me and exchanged them for lightsabers."
SilverBonesThe Ruined KingNorth Bay AreaRegistered Userregular
I think you guys have just not had a decent enough, dark, fantasy setting. Tell you what, i would even be happy to run a survival-horror Pathfinder game for you guys if it would at least open your minds to the possibility
[ B E A R ] I used to be a King;
now I drag my Throne
A general response to D&D requests:
Hi, I'm Greg. I'm far more open to playing anything and being a real go with the flow sort of guy than the other three nerds.
I am so fucking sick of D&D I don't ever want to run a game of 3.5 ever again. I think that 4th edition was a small step in the right direction, and the grognards drowned it in the oral excrement of their complaints. D&D, in my opinion is a poor way to tell a story, and a decent way to pass time. The good times I've had with my IRL D&D group always occurred out of the story of the game, and I honestly believe that we could have been having a better time with another system if only they were willing to try.
The Four Nerds came together because we all enjoy being a part of a good story. That's what gets our proverbial rocks off. If you and your group has another goal, another path to Fun™, and D&D is the path to that, then by all means do it and enjoy doing it. But the four of us don't tread that path, nor do we ever plan to.
I can't speak for the other three, but I myself would be willing to try 5th edition when it comes out, but I'm not willing to speculate on it without having played it.
Haven't gotten to a D&D episode because there isn't such a thing.
We've put away the toys of our childhood and moved onto more mature ways of playing make-believe.
this message brought to you by white wolf publishing
for serious nerds who want to pretend to be vampires
ok
all kidding aside greg makes a good point that i sympathize with
d&d is kind of "habitual" as a game because it's the one that most people play (i'd rather play DCA/M&M3)
i think it's why i see very much eye to eye with greg, arc, salt, destro, shinyo, and saks and why we often end up gaming together on this board
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SilverBonesThe Ruined KingNorth Bay AreaRegistered Userregular
I still think this would be a good point for discussion, in fact. As a talking point, what do you define to be a mature game? How do you make sure that all your players are aware of difficult topics involved? (Such as suicide, abuse, horror, etc.)
[ B E A R ] I used to be a King;
now I drag my Throne
I make sure all my players are aware of the mature topics my games contain ... By dressing up as the reddest of rednecks and greeting every player that darkens my door with the phrase, "Uh gut a purdy moufh!"
Not sure why my games don't last very long.
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SilverBonesThe Ruined KingNorth Bay AreaRegistered Userregular
As long as you aren't making vampires sparkle, I'm in.
[ B E A R ] I used to be a King;
now I drag my Throne
... I apologize for that. Apparently even I have limits that I won't stoop to. Who knew
As for the discussion of what makes a 'mature' game. That's one of the better ways to incit nerd rage that I can think of offhand.
My definition of a 'mature' game is one that is mature. Any game system can produce such a creature, it's up to the GM and the players to make it so.
The game systems I play most are the ones where I like the world setting and the mechanics. Thus: Star Wars, Deadlands, and DC Adventures/M&M3 are the systems I will play/run at he drop of a hat.
I love the premise of Rogue Trader 40k, but I'm not so enthused of all the GRIMDARKness of the universe. So if I ever get a chance to run that system, there will be no joy in whoville, I guarantee. but it probably wouldn't go as far into the GRIMDARK void as some 40k enthusits might prefer.
Do I make a sense?
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SilverBonesThe Ruined KingNorth Bay AreaRegistered Userregular
Absolutely. With games like 40K, you are bound to a very set, very strict dogma of oppression, industry and death. There is not much room for creative maneuverability for the GM unless he really goes outside the box and then you run the risk of upsetting Fluff Lawyers.
With games like Star Wars or Pathfinder though, you can really have more creative freedom (by introducing a new land / planet / dimension / whatever) and so you can set the rules to your land. The problem occurs when you want to say... run a Ravenloft conversion for Pathfinder or have your Star Wars game set in a slave planet. Your players may have a pre-existing idea of how the game should be, and have a hard time adapting to a darker or more mature setting.
Of course some games (like WoD) are both free form and dark, so it attracts that type of game more freely, but for games like BESM or Champions, then GMs typically have a much harder time reigning in the feel of the game, at least in personal experience.
[ B E A R ] I used to be a King;
now I drag my Throne
GrogMy sword is only steelin a useful shape.Registered Userregular
I once tried to run a Rogue Trader game with some friends who'd never gotten into 40K, whereas I'd grown up with the stuff. It made me realise how odd and restrictive a setting it is for an rpg.
chris has the right of things; we're all pretty sick of fantasy and a lot of other games have settings we love to pieces
exalted, deadlands, star wars, DC comics, dresden files, all of them share one thing and that is a strong, exciting setting
there are plenty of great fantasy/DnD settings out there (dark sun, eberron, forgotten realms, pathfinder, greyhawk) but we've all done it so many times before
shoe's also got it right in that regard. i don't disparage dnd or the people who enjoy it because that's exactly how i became a gamer myself and i remember that first campaign very fondly (my first PC was a bard/hexblade. so bad but so good), but we all have a much harder collective nerd boner for those other nerdly settings that DnD just doesn't compete
now, that being said, i'm primarily speaking for myself (despite frequent uses of 'we'), but i think i know my other nerds well enough having associated with them for at least 3 years to say that they feel similarly but perhaps for different reasons
I will say one thing more on this topic, I'm much more of a sci-fi nerd then a fantasy nerd these days.
In my reading tastes as well as my rpg tastes it seems. So there's that. I just enjoy sci-fi and its sub-genres more then straight fantasy. I do love me some urban fantasy though.
Speaking of books and urban fantasy, Simon R. Green is a writer I think people should check out. His Nightside series is a very interesting read and an excellent mash-up of urban fantasy and a noir detective story. His other running series, Secret Histories is a mash of spy thriller and urban fantasy. Also good.
And of course, I can't mention urban fantasy without throwing a shout-out to the man, Jim Butcher. Seriously, if you like urban fantasy and you haven't read the Dresdin Files, you should. Like today. Do it.
I respect the opinions of all of the nerds, although it does sadden me that I'll never be able to enjoy a nice game of Dungeons and Dragons with any of them.
GM of M&M "And Justice For All."
GM of Dresden Files Low Life
GM of Star Wars Sagas Into the Unknown
GM of Star Wars Sagas Lost Hope- Concluded
GM of Star Wars Sagas the Dark Times- Concluded.
GM of Star Wars Sagas Jabba's Palace- Concluded due to injury.
Bart Allen/ The Flash in M&M Metropolis- Concluded.
Koyi Disturbances in the Force- Concluded.
Jessup Owlbeard Forge of the Dawn Titan- Withdrawn due to injury.
Sal Mander In the Shadow of Zeus- Concluded.
Zevoto in Out in the Black- Withdrawn due to injury.
GM of Wyvern Watch
Berru Secune in Rise of the Jedi
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SilverBonesThe Ruined KingNorth Bay AreaRegistered Userregular
^ Seconded.
[ B E A R ] I used to be a King;
now I drag my Throne
I respect the opinions of all of the nerds, although it does sadden me that I'll never be able to enjoy a nice game of Dungeons and Dragons with any of them.
I could be persuaded to play under the right conditions, but not to run. I also suffer from the problem of having played so much D&D that I can't NOT min/max my character. It's like making a cake every day until you're perfect at it and then trying to intentionally make it like you did the first time. You just...CAN'T.
Well, there's min/maxing and then there's 'optimizing'
Many times they are used synonymously but in my book they are very different.
Just for the record. Stuff like This is min/maxing.
not making a barbarian with half his skills in square dance caller? That's just not being silly and giving a damn about your characters abilities.
aka 'optimizing'
Can you guys tell I have issues with words and word usage?
yeah sorry about the sound degradation! skype is a fickle bitch :P
dresden files uses the FATE system which uses special d6s actually; there are three different faces, two of each on each die, that are +, - and blank
these basically determine your outcome plus whatever relevant skill + aspect invocations (so when we say a plus plus neutral minus you basically rolled a total of +1)
The fate system uses what's called Fudge Dice. Basically 4 dice that have a +1, a -1, and a flat 0 side. Phil found an online webpage that rolls through intertube magic.
The book also points out that you can use any plain 6-sided die. With a 1-2 being a -1, 3-4 being 0, and 5-6 being a +1
Posts
[ B E A R ]
I used to be a King;
now I drag my Throne
GM of Gamma World - In the Shadow of Zeus - [INFO THREAD] - [OOC]
Player of Gaan Ir'Molo in Star Wars: Out in the Black
Dresden Files RPG- Dumb Luck
Playing Phillip Hess in Motor City Blues
GM of Dresden Files Low Life
GM of Star Wars Sagas Into the Unknown
GM of Star Wars Sagas Lost Hope- Concluded
GM of Star Wars Sagas the Dark Times- Concluded.
GM of Star Wars Sagas Jabba's Palace- Concluded due to injury.
Bart Allen/ The Flash in M&M Metropolis- Concluded.
Koyi Disturbances in the Force- Concluded.
Jessup Owlbeard Forge of the Dawn Titan- Withdrawn due to injury.
Sal Mander In the Shadow of Zeus- Concluded.
Zevoto in Out in the Black- Withdrawn due to injury.
GM of Wyvern Watch
Berru Secune in Rise of the Jedi
We've put away the toys of our childhood and moved onto more mature ways of playing make-believe.
Edit: "When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me and exchanged them for lightsabers."
Zithra Melitch in Star Wars: An Empire's End
Jellica in In the Shadow of Zeus
[ B E A R ]
I used to be a King;
now I drag my Throne
GM of Gamma World - In the Shadow of Zeus - [INFO THREAD] - [OOC]
Player of Gaan Ir'Molo in Star Wars: Out in the Black
to make a less snarky response, none of us like fantasy and we've played it to absolute death
i won't say what it is, and if you know please keep it quiet
i'll just leave this here
This is fair.
But you are still the dark side.
Zithra Melitch in Star Wars: An Empire's End
Jellica in In the Shadow of Zeus
Hi, I'm Greg. I'm far more open to playing anything and being a real go with the flow sort of guy than the other three nerds.
I am so fucking sick of D&D I don't ever want to run a game of 3.5 ever again. I think that 4th edition was a small step in the right direction, and the grognards drowned it in the oral excrement of their complaints. D&D, in my opinion is a poor way to tell a story, and a decent way to pass time. The good times I've had with my IRL D&D group always occurred out of the story of the game, and I honestly believe that we could have been having a better time with another system if only they were willing to try.
The Four Nerds came together because we all enjoy being a part of a good story. That's what gets our proverbial rocks off. If you and your group has another goal, another path to Fun™, and D&D is the path to that, then by all means do it and enjoy doing it. But the four of us don't tread that path, nor do we ever plan to.
I can't speak for the other three, but I myself would be willing to try 5th edition when it comes out, but I'm not willing to speculate on it without having played it.
Ok, I didn't see this post before I made mine. I promise I'm Neutral Good.
this message brought to you by white wolf publishing
for serious nerds who want to pretend to be vampires
ok
all kidding aside greg makes a good point that i sympathize with
d&d is kind of "habitual" as a game because it's the one that most people play (i'd rather play DCA/M&M3)
i think it's why i see very much eye to eye with greg, arc, salt, destro, shinyo, and saks and why we often end up gaming together on this board
[ B E A R ]
I used to be a King;
now I drag my Throne
GM of Gamma World - In the Shadow of Zeus - [INFO THREAD] - [OOC]
Player of Gaan Ir'Molo in Star Wars: Out in the Black
Not sure why my games don't last very long.
[ B E A R ]
I used to be a King;
now I drag my Throne
GM of Gamma World - In the Shadow of Zeus - [INFO THREAD] - [OOC]
Player of Gaan Ir'Molo in Star Wars: Out in the Black
... I apologize for that. Apparently even I have limits that I won't stoop to. Who knew
As for the discussion of what makes a 'mature' game. That's one of the better ways to incit nerd rage that I can think of offhand.
My definition of a 'mature' game is one that is mature. Any game system can produce such a creature, it's up to the GM and the players to make it so.
The game systems I play most are the ones where I like the world setting and the mechanics. Thus: Star Wars, Deadlands, and DC Adventures/M&M3 are the systems I will play/run at he drop of a hat.
I love the premise of Rogue Trader 40k, but I'm not so enthused of all the GRIMDARKness of the universe. So if I ever get a chance to run that system, there will be no joy in whoville, I guarantee. but it probably wouldn't go as far into the GRIMDARK void as some 40k enthusits might prefer.
Do I make a sense?
With games like Star Wars or Pathfinder though, you can really have more creative freedom (by introducing a new land / planet / dimension / whatever) and so you can set the rules to your land. The problem occurs when you want to say... run a Ravenloft conversion for Pathfinder or have your Star Wars game set in a slave planet. Your players may have a pre-existing idea of how the game should be, and have a hard time adapting to a darker or more mature setting.
Of course some games (like WoD) are both free form and dark, so it attracts that type of game more freely, but for games like BESM or Champions, then GMs typically have a much harder time reigning in the feel of the game, at least in personal experience.
[ B E A R ]
I used to be a King;
now I drag my Throne
GM of Gamma World - In the Shadow of Zeus - [INFO THREAD] - [OOC]
Player of Gaan Ir'Molo in Star Wars: Out in the Black
exalted, deadlands, star wars, DC comics, dresden files, all of them share one thing and that is a strong, exciting setting
there are plenty of great fantasy/DnD settings out there (dark sun, eberron, forgotten realms, pathfinder, greyhawk) but we've all done it so many times before
shoe's also got it right in that regard. i don't disparage dnd or the people who enjoy it because that's exactly how i became a gamer myself and i remember that first campaign very fondly (my first PC was a bard/hexblade. so bad but so good), but we all have a much harder collective nerd boner for those other nerdly settings that DnD just doesn't compete
now, that being said, i'm primarily speaking for myself (despite frequent uses of 'we'), but i think i know my other nerds well enough having associated with them for at least 3 years to say that they feel similarly but perhaps for different reasons
I will say one thing more on this topic, I'm much more of a sci-fi nerd then a fantasy nerd these days.
In my reading tastes as well as my rpg tastes it seems. So there's that. I just enjoy sci-fi and its sub-genres more then straight fantasy. I do love me some urban fantasy though.
Speaking of books and urban fantasy, Simon R. Green is a writer I think people should check out. His Nightside series is a very interesting read and an excellent mash-up of urban fantasy and a noir detective story. His other running series, Secret Histories is a mash of spy thriller and urban fantasy. Also good.
And of course, I can't mention urban fantasy without throwing a shout-out to the man, Jim Butcher. Seriously, if you like urban fantasy and you haven't read the Dresdin Files, you should. Like today. Do it.
Dresden Files RPG- Dumb Luck
Playing Phillip Hess in Motor City Blues
GM of Dresden Files Low Life
GM of Star Wars Sagas Into the Unknown
GM of Star Wars Sagas Lost Hope- Concluded
GM of Star Wars Sagas the Dark Times- Concluded.
GM of Star Wars Sagas Jabba's Palace- Concluded due to injury.
Bart Allen/ The Flash in M&M Metropolis- Concluded.
Koyi Disturbances in the Force- Concluded.
Jessup Owlbeard Forge of the Dawn Titan- Withdrawn due to injury.
Sal Mander In the Shadow of Zeus- Concluded.
Zevoto in Out in the Black- Withdrawn due to injury.
GM of Wyvern Watch
Berru Secune in Rise of the Jedi
[ B E A R ]
I used to be a King;
now I drag my Throne
GM of Gamma World - In the Shadow of Zeus - [INFO THREAD] - [OOC]
Player of Gaan Ir'Molo in Star Wars: Out in the Black
Pay me 25% more and I'll pretend to enjoy it.
I could be persuaded to play under the right conditions, but not to run. I also suffer from the problem of having played so much D&D that I can't NOT min/max my character. It's like making a cake every day until you're perfect at it and then trying to intentionally make it like you did the first time. You just...CAN'T.
Many times they are used synonymously but in my book they are very different.
Just for the record. Stuff like This is min/maxing.
not making a barbarian with half his skills in square dance caller? That's just not being silly and giving a damn about your characters abilities.
aka 'optimizing'
Can you guys tell I have issues with words and word usage?
Zithra Melitch in Star Wars: An Empire's End
Jellica in In the Shadow of Zeus
:P
So now all four of the current Four Nerds are represented in this thread. I guess that's something?
is there anything you guys want to know about the game we didn't cover?
Then there will be feedback... such feedback that you wouldn't believe.
[ B E A R ]
I used to be a King;
now I drag my Throne
GM of Gamma World - In the Shadow of Zeus - [INFO THREAD] - [OOC]
Player of Gaan Ir'Molo in Star Wars: Out in the Black
Zithra Melitch in Star Wars: An Empire's End
Jellica in In the Shadow of Zeus
[ B E A R ]
I used to be a King;
now I drag my Throne
GM of Gamma World - In the Shadow of Zeus - [INFO THREAD] - [OOC]
Player of Gaan Ir'Molo in Star Wars: Out in the Black
It started slow but got very good. I couldn't hear (was it Greg?) the closing exposition because of sound choppiness ;/ Something about
That's awesome if you guys got a mention. The system was mostly inscrutable from the listen (are you rolling d3?) but seemed cool.
Excited for next week!
e~ Dani is totally street; her lid is worn sideways only.
dresden files uses the FATE system which uses special d6s actually; there are three different faces, two of each on each die, that are +, - and blank
these basically determine your outcome plus whatever relevant skill + aspect invocations (so when we say a plus plus neutral minus you basically rolled a total of +1)
The book also points out that you can use any plain 6-sided die. With a 1-2 being a -1, 3-4 being 0, and 5-6 being a +1