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[Roleplaying Games] Schrodinger's NPC

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Posts

  • DelduwathDelduwath Registered User regular
    admanb wrote: »
    It seems pretty obvious that Arneson got fucked (and that Gygax was an asshole) but I'm also real hesitant to discount the work that Gygax did to make D&D.
    That's a good summary of my general feelings.

  • admanbadmanb unionize your workplace Seattle, WARegistered User regular
    but it's also easy for me because like @Ardent I am long past the phase of thinking of Gygax as a Patron Saint. His approach to designing and playing RPGs is somewhere between "not my style" and "actively abhorrent to me."

  • ArdentArdent Down UpsideRegistered User regular
    I give Gygax and Arneson the credit they're due: they essentially created the paradigm we're still working out of. But I'm not sure either of them would recognize the kinds of games we're playing as derivative of their own work without people constantly invoking the legacy of D&D. A lot of modern games are functionally guided improv, rather than fundamentally a war game where improv is allowed, for exmaple. Their shared framework is dice randomization for arbitration.

    ...however D&D 4e is a hell of a game, even if it's a direct callback to the wargaming roots.

    Steam ID | Origin ID: ArdentX | Uplay ID: theardent | Battle.net: Ardent#11476
  • AegeriAegeri Tiny wee bacteriums Plateau of LengRegistered User regular
    I was on the Adventure League facebook page and someone was thanking Gygax for creating DnD and how inspirational it was etc etc. I pointed out that Arneson also created DnD and got some very confused responses initially.

    It kind of saddened me.

    The Roleplayer's Guild: My blog for roleplaying games, advice and adventuring.
  • KadokenKadoken Giving Ends to my Friends and it Feels Stupendous Registered User regular
    I’m really excited to run this optional side mission in my vigilante campaign. It’s concerns a James Bond-esque evil Pharmaceuticals company, a snowy mountain resort, illegal death games with roided up venemous gene-spliced dinosaurs in a hidden complex, and its big rewards of new weapons, gear, drugs, money, and a favor owed by a rival company.

    Optional because it has an ingame price tag on it and it actually isn’t concerned with fighting the shadowy big bad while also being more difficult than what they’ve been doing but the rewards are huge and would help them a lot going forward.

  • KadokenKadoken Giving Ends to my Friends and it Feels Stupendous Registered User regular
    In DH I return tomorrow as the freshly, well without a better term for it, Darth Vader'd Sir Lansrick Chaucer. Having his face destroyed by his now-dead rival, he has been transformed with biological enhancements and bionics by sketch-ass techpriests. His social ability has decreased, his body is now hardened, his strength increased, and his face now a dead metal mask with crimson bionic eyes. Before the sanguine friendly knight, now the hardened jaded murder machine with a power sword to match. All because of his pride and short-sightedness over his foe.

    What will his family say as he still plans to make his love's dream come true and bring her and their children out from their backwater feudal world to the stars?

    Will it go Raiden and everything is actually aight between them or will it go way, way worse.

  • Dex DynamoDex Dynamo Registered User regular
    edited August 2019
    Ardent wrote: »
    ...however D&D 4e is a hell of a game, even if it's a direct callback to the wargaming roots.

    I'd go so far as to say that's why it's a hell of a game, and the (IMO) strongest edition of D&D. It has the clearest vision of what it wants to do/be of any edition of D&D, and is built from the ground up to do that thing.

    Dex Dynamo on
  • KadokenKadoken Giving Ends to my Friends and it Feels Stupendous Registered User regular
    edited September 2019
    I have turned my DnD party into Dark Heresy antagonists for the vigilante campaign. The conversion from cleric to Chaos cult leader leads the rest which are assorted followers or mercenaries. While the players' main foe is a secular shadowy kingpin type, he's going to call these guys late in the campaign when he gets desperate from the players messing up his plans. I don't want to turn this adventure's unique spin into what would be usual fare for Dark Heresy (which they will be getting back to in the winter), but I like the idea of these guys as symbols of broader antagonists to maybe be brought up later.

    If we keep on doing this campaign, I think the next will be actually based around Dark Eldar messing about with the homebrew planet and that includes a slew of xenos mercenaries including lacrymoles (shapeshifters), sslyths, mandrakes, and the like to really give them a different experience from mainly fighting up gangs, security forces, agent types, and a taste of these heretics in this adventure. Also, they'd still be without an organization as strong as the Inquisition backing them so unlike their main campaign they'd find themselves to be underdogs again.

    Kadoken on
  • italianranmaitalianranma Registered User regular
    I’m almost finished reading the Dark Eldar Omnibus, so let me know if you have any questions or would like suggestions. The Haemonculi covens make excellent antagonistic organizations for the PCs to interact with. Dark Eldar society in general is great for many groups because everyone is so suspicious and ready to double-cross each other: turning on your benefactors is not only tolerated, it’s expected!

    飛べねぇ豚はただの豚だ。
  • VanguardVanguard But now the dream is over. And the insect is awake.Registered User, __BANNED USERS regular
    anyone here play the new warhammer fantasy rpg or conan? interested in grabbing a system with a kind of built in setting and both of these fit what my group is about

  • Rhesus PositiveRhesus Positive GNU Terry Pratchett Registered User regular
    Kadoken wrote: »
    I have turned my DnD party into Dark Heresy antagonists for the vigilante campaign.

    Ooo, I like that idea

    Shame I'm way too petty to ever be able to use it

    "The Dread Queen of the Dungeon approaches. She has a load of bullshit magical items, almost as if she kept going on derailing side quests in her youth to get them at the expense of everybody else. She ignores the most tactically appropriate option, possibly distracted by the glowing rectangle in her left hand, and casts the only cantrip that she can remember the mechanics of."

    (Slight exaggeration for effect)

    [Muffled sounds of gorilla violence]
  • KadokenKadoken Giving Ends to my Friends and it Feels Stupendous Registered User regular
    edited September 2019
    Fun conversions for the DnD party to DH antagonists

    Bard to Slaaneshi performancer adherent: Tasha's Hideous Laughter is the Dominate power with the command being "Laugh" to stun them for a round. Dissonant Whispers is now the Terrify power making them roll on the shock table. Cutting Words is a less direct translation and is now Psychic Shriek which instead of a disadvantage can concuss targets to be stunned.

    Also if we had items of protection in DnD, these folks are now getting refractor fields to serve a similar purpose.

    The tortle barbarian is now a turtle beastman with talents in frenzying, talents making him better at frenzying, talents that make the reckless attack equivalent all-out attack more dangerous, and his old-ones-communicating lantern is now a lantern that reaches into the primordial voices of the warp to make him frenzy really quick. Also, he still has his shell and the large HP pool has been translated to more wounds and the True Grit talent which lowers critical damage by his toughness bonus added to soak for a minimum of 1 damage effectively giving him his toughness bonus's soak-1 to keep him in the fight. Along with the Never Die talent letting him ignore critical effects.

    The tiefling paladin's smite is now Fiery Form adding psychic rating damage and flame to his attacks plus a psychic blast. Maybe if I want to translate his tiefling heritage he could be a failed daemonculaba experiment (some horrid Berserk-style shit in 40k) or he's just really mutated and that's where the red skin and horns comes from.

    Cleric's getting Daemonology powers. Don't really have a spiritual weapon equivalent. Endurance (the healing power) he's getting. Ah, divination powers making his allies better would be a good replacement to guidance, and a divination power that makes others worse would be good for bane. Holy shit the Divination tree is amazing that is only overshadowed by the flashier abilities of other trees like sith lightning and inferno creation.

    My monk conversion is the least fancy and in fact while everyone else got evil and intimidating portraits and the like her avatar is actually the exact same. She's just really good with her shock staff and dodging, but her equivalent to the Way of the Sun Soul and using a flurry for four radiant bolt attacks is the sunburst ability that lets her let loose multiple flaming psychic projectiles.

    Kadoken on
  • Rhesus PositiveRhesus Positive GNU Terry Pratchett Registered User regular
    Do the antagonists have weaknesses that match up with plot-based weaknesses that the players' characters had in D&D, or is that too meta?

    [Muffled sounds of gorilla violence]
  • KadokenKadoken Giving Ends to my Friends and it Feels Stupendous Registered User regular
    edited September 2019
    Do the antagonists have weaknesses that match up with plot-based weaknesses that the players' characters had in D&D, or is that too meta?

    Kind of! Not sure if perfectly plot based but definitely based on the way the players played and built their characters.

    Gnoll Monk in DnD was born a runt so this hyena beastman has lower below average strength. Getting her into a grapple or other opposed strength tests is the best way to fight her.

    Tortle Turtle beast man’s armor is high but he’s going to be giving up most of his evasions in using the DH equivalent of Reckless Attack along with having low willpower due to the lantern sapping his mind. In DnD, he literally can’t remember anything past the last two most recent weeks. Might try to make that a thing where he might attack the mooks accompanying the host if he can’t remember why they’re there. Which he actually did do in DnD but with mario stomping dragon cultists out of nowhere at behest of the lantern (the GM suggested it).

    The mutated not-paladin will be overly confident, brash, and probably rush into an ambush as he did in DnD underestimating his foes. Also probably piss off most of the vigilantes so they’ll target him first just like he did with the wraith in DnD.

    The Bard turned Slaaneshi performancer will not be subtle at all with her attempts to trick them into something and will probably be rolling at penalties.

    I have nothing to really say of the converted cleric’s weaknesses because he was actually pretty great both in how he played and in how his character was well rounded mechanically.

    Kadoken on
  • webguy20webguy20 I spend too much time on the Internet Registered User regular
    Just read some reviews of 10 candles and it seems really fun. Have any folks here played it before? How did it go?

    Steam ID: Webguy20
    Origin ID: Discgolfer27
    Untappd ID: Discgolfer1981
  • KadokenKadoken Giving Ends to my Friends and it Feels Stupendous Registered User regular
    edited September 2019
    That “problem player” who played that Tiefling has been acting very well in my DH vigilante campaign. Probably because I’m a lot stricter in what annoying chicanery I allow while also being more open in encouraging him to roleplay when he wants to. Versus the DnD GM who is used to arguing with this guy as they’ve been bickering friends since childhood, I basically shut down and deny that ability to argue about dumb stuff while being very open to whatever options they try if they accept the consequences.

    I had a very good session 0 explaining the ground rules: do not make each other uncomfortable, do not even think of trying PVP even as a joke unless both of you have a good reason and are equally going to enjoy it, and if you broach into something that repulses me you will be kicked without ability to argue. Remember I am also trying to have fun here and you should cooperate with the GM and each other. Also please be like at least slightly above Rorschachs in terms of tone and morality and do not derail the campaign to where we’re doing something completely different from the general structure. Do not try to do something dickish that would force you to be apart from the party because I am not interested in rolling solo sessions and thus won’t. I am very open in what I allow and will change stuff on the fly to be better for the players and me so we should all be having a good time.

    The dude actually complimented me on how I structure the adventure and how ready I am to improvise when they do something I don’t expect.

    I made their 9-5 jobs in Roll20 along with a regular hangout bar and a black market pawnshop. I had a lot of fun with that. They regularly go to that tiny hole-in-the-wall bar staffed by felinids as one of the vigilantes is a felinid that likes the place because he feels like he is among fellow freaks rather than being singled out in other places in this bigoted as fuck Imperium. The place has a 0 tolerance cat pun policy and the pure human bouncer has thrown someone out the door like DJ Jazzy Jeff in the Fresh Prince and was close to doing the same to a player character. Perfect place to introduce new characters to for foreshadow their future roles including a fellow masked vigilante in her normal clothes and a secret sanctioned psyker who’s looking for the heretic group.

    Here’s actually a couple pictures of those. Spoilered for big
    z649ypvn56a7.jpeg86gn2amu0nji.jpegutaz75kbshtv.jpeg

    Kadoken on
  • Mostlyjoe13Mostlyjoe13 Evil, Evil, Jump for joy! Registered User regular
    *read reviews of Shadowrun 6E. Catalyst continues to have shit tier editorial control or quality checks.*

    Siiiigh. I guess I can go dig up 3E again and go from there if I ever want to Shadowrun. Or try to hack Genesys for it.

    PSN ID - Mostlyjoe Steam ID -TheNotoriusRNG
  • webguy20webguy20 I spend too much time on the Internet Registered User regular
    *read reviews of Shadowrun 6E. Catalyst continues to have shit tier editorial control or quality checks.*

    Siiiigh. I guess I can go dig up 3E again and go from there if I ever want to Shadowrun. Or try to hack Genesys for it.

    You should be able to combine Android and Terinoth expansions to get something somewhat Shadowrun like.

    Steam ID: Webguy20
    Origin ID: Discgolfer27
    Untappd ID: Discgolfer1981
  • Mostlyjoe13Mostlyjoe13 Evil, Evil, Jump for joy! Registered User regular
    webguy20 wrote: »
    *read reviews of Shadowrun 6E. Catalyst continues to have shit tier editorial control or quality checks.*

    Siiiigh. I guess I can go dig up 3E again and go from there if I ever want to Shadowrun. Or try to hack Genesys for it.

    You should be able to combine Android and Terinoth expansions to get something somewhat Shadowrun like.

    I know, but I enjoyed "one stop shop" of corebooks. If I'm going to do that effort I might just cook up my own setting.

    PSN ID - Mostlyjoe Steam ID -TheNotoriusRNG
  • RchanenRchanen Registered User regular
    edited September 2019
    *read reviews of Shadowrun 6E. Catalyst continues to have shit tier editorial control or quality checks.*

    Siiiigh. I guess I can go dig up 3E again and go from there if I ever want to Shadowrun. Or try to hack Genesys for it.

    Are we talking Mechanics as annoying as 5th Editions "We'll throw buckets of dice at you. Then we'll gate the number of successes you can get."

    I love the setting. Absolutely love it. But can't stand the mechanics . 4th Edition was bad but I could play it. 5th I didn't even want to play.

    Edited: For my crap spelling

    Rchanen on
  • Super NamicchiSuper Namicchi Orange County, CARegistered User regular
    shadowrun is one of my favorite settings to play in video game form

    to this day haven't played the tabletop versions for all of these reasons and more

  • ArdentArdent Down UpsideRegistered User regular
    We're all basically looking for a good cyberfantasypunk game. It still doesn't exist.

    Steam ID | Origin ID: ArdentX | Uplay ID: theardent | Battle.net: Ardent#11476
  • Mostlyjoe13Mostlyjoe13 Evil, Evil, Jump for joy! Registered User regular
    Ardent wrote: »
    We're all basically looking for a good cyberfantasypunk game. It still doesn't exist.

    In essence it DID exist in earlier editions of Shadowrun but back then FASA glut of books on gear, etc kinda broke the balance of earlier books in the game. But these days? It's a sad mess. I'd kill for something like a Blades take on it.

    PSN ID - Mostlyjoe Steam ID -TheNotoriusRNG
  • AegeriAegeri Tiny wee bacteriums Plateau of LengRegistered User regular
    There is the Cyberpunk tabletop version coming out, which even has a red box equivalent. I'm hoping it goes well.

    The Roleplayer's Guild: My blog for roleplaying games, advice and adventuring.
  • JoshmviiJoshmvii Registered User regular
    webguy20 wrote: »
    Just read some reviews of 10 candles and it seems really fun. Have any folks here played it before? How did it go?

    Ten Candles is a great atmospheric horror game, that requires a lot of buy-in from all the players to make work. It's not too different from Dread, but there's a little more pre-determined bad ending to Ten Candles, so like I said, you need buy in from everybody to tell a horror story where you know everybody's going to die. Check out the Just One More Fix podcast's actual play of it for a good example of it in play.

    As for Cyberpunk, I personally think Forged in the Dark is a perfect chassis for it, and I also happen to think Blades is an absolute marvel of game design, so I'm waiting for John Harper to finish Null Vector, which is a cyberpunk FitD game that was one of the original kickstarter stretch goals.

    There is already at least one cyberpunkish FitD out now, called Hack the Planet, though it's more climate change cyberpunk than Shadowrun style I think. I also believe there are two more Shadowrun-esque FitD games in development right now, one called Karma in the Dark, one of them maybe called Runners in the Shadow?

  • Super NamicchiSuper Namicchi Orange County, CARegistered User regular
    looks like the off day game is switching from Dresden Accelerated to Exalted 3

    i'm excited; i've really enjoyed DFA, but boy that game really loses its luster after like, 5-6 sessions. i think i really prefer meatier versions of fate for any amount of longterm play

    hoping in our session 0 on Thursday we end up doing Dragonbloods, but honestly i'd be fine with Solars too... we have some mostly-D&D (5) oriented folks joining in, so i'm really interested to see how they engage with the cronch of Exalted 3

  • Super NamicchiSuper Namicchi Orange County, CARegistered User regular
    Ardent wrote: »
    We're all basically looking for a good cyberfantasypunk game. It still doesn't exist.

    the search for cyber dorado

  • PMAversPMAvers Registered User regular
    2019 is saved. Our long-standing nightmare is over.

    The Chuck Tingleverse RPG is finally out.

    persona4celestia.jpg
    COME FORTH, AMATERASU! - Switch Friend Code SW-5465-2458-5696 - Twitch
  • Super NamicchiSuper Namicchi Orange County, CARegistered User regular
    long may he reign

    remember when that poor april fool's prank happened about the She-Ra RPG? this reminded me of that, except this is awesome

  • ArdentArdent Down UpsideRegistered User regular
    Sporting events at the Billings Community Center are ending in angry outbursts, and in the woods nearby, sightings of The Manifested Concept Of Rage are becoming more and more frequent. Could the two be related?
    An entrepreneur moves to Montana and opens up a petting zoo for creatures of The Void. They claims the cages are secure, but when a big storm rolls into Billings some of the creatures escape. Was this their plan all along?
    Your reverse twin shows up with a mysterious box, looking for a place to stay.
    Strange noises are heard from the basement of the Billings Library at night.
    These adventures and more await you in The Tingleverse: The Official Chuck Tingle Role-Playing Game, which thrusts you directly into the middle of your very own Chuck Tingle story. This rulebook contains everything a group of buckaroos will need, including four playable types (bigfoot, dinosaur, human, and unicorn), five trots (bad boy, charmer, sneak, true buckaroo, and wizard), several unique ways, as well as hundreds of cool moves that are specially crafted for each unique play style.
    Within these 270+ pages you will also find various magical items and a menagerie of monsters, ranging from pesky Void crabs to this villainous Ted Cobbler himself.
    The only question left is: what are you waiting for?
    The adventure begins now!
    Still a national treasure.

    Steam ID | Origin ID: ArdentX | Uplay ID: theardent | Battle.net: Ardent#11476
  • WACriminalWACriminal Dying Is Easy, Young Man Living Is HarderRegistered User regular
    PMAvers wrote: »
    2019 is saved. Our long-standing nightmare is over.

    The Chuck Tingleverse RPG is finally out.

    Pounded In The Butt By My Crit Fails

  • Rhesus PositiveRhesus Positive GNU Terry Pratchett Registered User regular
    Or successes :winky:

    [Muffled sounds of gorilla violence]
  • DenadaDenada Registered User regular
    What is Chuck Tingle? Is it like a YouTube thing or something?

  • admanbadmanb unionize your workplace Seattle, WARegistered User regular
    Denada wrote: »
    What is Chuck Tingle? Is it like a YouTube thing or something?

    He writes erotica.

    But that's kind of simplifying it.

  • see317see317 Registered User regular
    Nobody can be told what Chuck Tingle is. You have to experience Chuck Tingle for yourself.

  • Mostlyjoe13Mostlyjoe13 Evil, Evil, Jump for joy! Registered User regular
    admanb wrote: »
    Denada wrote: »
    What is Chuck Tingle? Is it like a YouTube thing or something?

    He writes erotica.

    But that's kind of simplifying it.

    Chuck Tingle writes Erotica the way VCR Repair manuals explain the quantum wave function of the color of love.

    PSN ID - Mostlyjoe Steam ID -TheNotoriusRNG
  • ToxTox I kill threads he/himRegistered User regular
    edited September 2019
    Denada wrote: »
    What is Chuck Tingle? Is it like a YouTube thing or something?
    The Wiki wrote:
    Dr. Chuck Tingle is a pseudonymous author of gay niche erotica. ... Tingle began his career by writing dinosaur erotica and expanded to stories based on unicorns, Bigfoot, and various anthropomorphized objects and even concepts

    The Bibliography is ... well, it's pretty self-explanatory.

    Tox on
    Twitter! | Dilige, et quod vis fac
  • DevoutlyApatheticDevoutlyApathetic Registered User regular
    Tox wrote: »
    Denada wrote: »
    What is Chuck Tingle? Is it like a YouTube thing or something?
    The Wiki wrote:
    Dr. Chuck Tingle is a pseudonymous author of gay niche erotica. ... Tingle began his career by writing dinosaur erotica and expanded to stories based on unicorns, Bigfoot, and various anthropomorphized objects and even concepts

    The Bibliography is ... well, it's pretty self-explanatory.

    He's recently expanded to stories of all stripes. Also you forgot "Hugo nominated" in his credentials.

    The story to understand why Tingle is cool is the Hugo story. A few years back a splinter of gamergate decided to fuck up the Hugo awards. The voting pool is actually kinda small and the nominating pool is even smaller. So they organized and put all their trash up. The first year a lot of awards were just not given out. The second year they struck back by nominating joke candidates to undermine the Hugos more. One of whom was Chuck Tingle.

    Mr Tingle was keeping himself anonymous then and didn't appear in public. So he asked somebody else to accept for him if he won this prize that the gamergaters were trying to destroy by giving it to him. So who does he ask to go in his place?

    Zoe Quinn.

    *chef kiss*

    Nod. Get treat. PSN: Quippish
  • Super NamicchiSuper Namicchi Orange County, CARegistered User regular
    oh my god

    i had never heard this but dear lort that is fucking incredible

  • ArdentArdent Down UpsideRegistered User regular
    Tingle is actually a TWO-TIME Hugo nominated author.

    One of these days he's going to win one.

    Steam ID | Origin ID: ArdentX | Uplay ID: theardent | Battle.net: Ardent#11476
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