The illusionist successfully distracted a bunch of crime family thugs with a, and I quote, "k-pop mariachi band," they made nice with a neutral third party, and the rest of the party was able to chase down and end a serial killer's reign of terror.
So guys, I realise there's a list of RPGs in the first post but that list isn't really broken up by categories or anything.
I'm looking for an RPG system that can be adapted to or is already built around a sci-fi setting but without magic.
What I'm looking to do is keep the underlying crunchy guts but reflavour or reskin stuff to a custom world/universe.
The more I can keep the less of a headache it will be, do you fellows know of such a system?
So guys, I realise there's a list of RPGs in the first post but that list isn't really broken up by categories or anything.
I'm looking for an RPG system that can be adapted to or is already built around a sci-fi setting but without magic.
What I'm looking to do is keep the underlying crunchy guts but reflavour or reskin stuff to a custom world/universe.
The more I can keep the less of a headache it will be, do you fellows know of such a system?
What do you want out of the RPG system? Do you want something that is crunchy and combat-focused? Something that's narrative-driven and fiction-first? Something in-between? Also, define "magic," because, like, it's easy enough to run Edge of the Empire without any characters having access to the Force.
It's needs enough mechanics to be entertaining but perhaps limited without people requiring spreadsheets to run the game.
5e is a pretty good system for the most part, I've flown over starfinder and thought that was ok, too!
Defining magic is difficult; ultimately I'm wanting tech based solutions and depending on the depth of the magic system being employed, translating all the spells into tech is difficult or time consuming. Take the d&d spell "Wish", for example. How the heck am I supposed to translate that into a gadget someone can carry around with them?
Not to say that it isn't possible but, again, time consuming!
My experiences with RPG systems is rather limited; I can't really say whether or not the system employed in 5e works out well for combat and encounter generation. I know there are d10 and d100 systems out there.
tip.. tip.. TALLY.. HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
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admanbunionize your workplaceSeattle, WARegistered Userregular
I'm going to recommend Stars Without Number not because I think it's the perfect system, but because you can go download the free PDF version (which contains everything except some bonus content) and find out for yourself. It definitely in the vein of 5E though while it has no magic or "force" equivalent it does have psychic powers. That said, the psychics could be easily dropped from the system without effecting "balance" or anything.
I'm going to recommend Stars Without Number not because I think it's the perfect system, but because you can go download the free PDF version (which contains everything except some bonus content) and find out for yourself. It definitely in the vein of 5E though while it has no magic or "force" equivalent it does have psychic powers. That said, the psychics could be easily dropped from the system without effecting "balance" or anything.
I just stumbled upon that system!
What irks me is the lack of an encounter creation and that combat seems to be really, really lethal.
tip.. tip.. TALLY.. HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
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webguy20I spend too much time on the InternetRegistered Userregular
If your table likes that d20 flavor then Starfinder is a pretty good bet, just read up on the tweaks people have made to how the spaceships work.
Edge of the Empire for less combat more story focused gameplay with some solid mechanics behind it, and space ships.
Genesys:Android for cyperpunk Sci fi (underlying mechanics are next to the same as edge of the empire)
I think there are a few blades in the dark style games that go sci-fi too, can't remember what they're called though.
I'm going to recommend Stars Without Number not because I think it's the perfect system, but because you can go download the free PDF version (which contains everything except some bonus content) and find out for yourself. It definitely in the vein of 5E though while it has no magic or "force" equivalent it does have psychic powers. That said, the psychics could be easily dropped from the system without effecting "balance" or anything.
I just stumbled upon that system!
What irks me is the lack of an encounter creation and that combat seems to be really, really lethal.
Yeah. Stars is a system where combat really only happens when the characters planned for it carefully and arranged things to their advantage, or when everything went suddenly and terribly wrong.
another thing i'd like to get away from is classes.. I'd rather players choose from level dependent feats, kinda like you do in fallout 2.
starfinder also has magic, unsure of how easy it is to cut that out.
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admanbunionize your workplaceSeattle, WARegistered Userregular
Without magic I think you'll have a real rough time balancing encounters in Starfinder. It's very much designed Pathfinder-style combat in mind.
You miiight look at Scum and Villainy. It does have classes, but they're very loose frameworks that mainly define how your character earns XP, and you can pick skills and abilities from any class as you develop. There's a magic system (basically the Force) but it's a lot less crunchy than Starfinder if you wanted to redefine it as a super-tech system, and a lot less baked into the mechanics of the game if you wanted to pull it out entirely.
It's still technically in development, but Beam Saber is a sci-fi setting game where all player characters have mechs (or other large vehicles). It is a "Forged in the Dark" game like Scum and Villainy, meaning it's based off the Blades in the Dark ruleset, so it's fiction-first narrative-based roleplaying. Players and enemies don't have hit points or roll damage dice - instead all conflict and damage is resolved through the usage of clocks/timers and description. It's simultaneously more dangerous and less dangerous than D&D. Every injury a character takes has mechanical drawbacks, but at the same time, players have more freedom to resist the consequences.
It's still technically in development, but Beam Saber is a sci-fi setting game where all player characters have mechs (or other large vehicles). It is a "Forged in the Dark" game like Scum and Villainy, meaning it's based off the Blades in the Dark ruleset, so it's fiction-first narrative-based roleplaying. Players and enemies don't have hit points or roll damage dice - instead all conflict and damage is resolved through the usage of clocks/timers and description. It's simultaneously more dangerous and less dangerous than D&D. Every injury a character takes has mechanical drawbacks, but at the same time, players have more freedom to resist the consequences.
Yea I've found blades combat should be something that is premeditated if you want a good outcome, but its VERY exciting when its not, regardless of outcome.
Starfinder plays much better than it reads, but gods and magic are baked in. I guess you could just say everything is nanites?
The EoTE and such Star Wars books are great to play but if you wanted SW you wouldn't be asking. You might try the Android sourcebook for Genesys.
SWN is one of my all time faves, but it is an OSR game. Taking an even fight in SWN means a 50/50 chance of getting TPK'd (instead of 1% in 5e or PF). Players quickly learn... not to do that. Lots of great roleplaying, as well of thinking out of the box, happens because of this. Players are often much better at skills than combat, which is the reverse of the norm; realistically, in any CRPG, you're much more likely to die climbing a rope or trying to sneak past something than you are getting into a firefight. OSR games turn that on its head. Space (ship) combat is much more pulpy and tons of fun.
Fragged Empire is something that came out years ago... I remember it being pretty popular on /tg/ for a while but petered out. Apparently they have a second edition now? I can't remember if it has space magic.
I found a sci-fi conversion for 5e called fifth age and I think I'm just gonna use that and take 5e, cut out the bits I can't use and reorganise the rest.
Maybe shadowrun would be another place to look for mechanical inspiration, I can try fit the setting around it.
This is, of course, if I can ever find players willing to put up with a non mainstream ruleset. pipedreams!
It's still technically in development, but Beam Saber is a sci-fi setting game where all player characters have mechs (or other large vehicles). It is a "Forged in the Dark" game like Scum and Villainy, meaning it's based off the Blades in the Dark ruleset, so it's fiction-first narrative-based roleplaying. Players and enemies don't have hit points or roll damage dice - instead all conflict and damage is resolved through the usage of clocks/timers and description. It's simultaneously more dangerous and less dangerous than D&D. Every injury a character takes has mechanical drawbacks, but at the same time, players have more freedom to resist the consequences.
Yea I've found blades combat should be something that is premeditated if you want a good outcome, but its VERY exciting when its not, regardless of outcome.
Yes that's something that I guess we should stress (pun not intended). Forged in the Dark games are very much about players failing forward and pushing themselves against incredible odds to complete difficult tasks. The tone of the game is quite different than D&D and its baked right into the mechanics.
The 2d20 Star Trek game is pretty good. It definitely lends itself toward Star Trek style action, more than something combat heavy and pulpy. Good ship combat rules.
Hmmm, alright, expect an opening post today. Whoever signs up, I'll roll your Pilot and Vehicle. If it goes well, maybe it will become more than a one-shot but I figure keep expectations low at least at first.
KadokenGiving Ends to my Friends and it Feels StupendousRegistered Userregular
edited June 2020
Feeling like I’m getting GM burnout again. Except for Reynold’s wonderful Nostalgia World game and one other less wonderful game by my old group, I host most of my stuff and have been feeling unimaginative. Also the other irregular game has the problem player and it’s not the DnD campaign I really love from last year that I got super invested in. It’s a different one where the dude keeps acting like he’s an anime protagonist and we’re just followers. Again.
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KadokenGiving Ends to my Friends and it Feels StupendousRegistered Userregular
edited June 2020
Like I love the performance aspects of these games and my favorite times I have are getting to act stuff out instead of having sessions of mechanically rolling dice. The dude just pulls me out of that happy space by at once demanding he be the center of attention and also not paying enough attention or being clear.
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KadokenGiving Ends to my Friends and it Feels StupendousRegistered Userregular
edited June 2020
Oh, also, on our second session of Insurgency, my players were really inventive in how to blow up two bridges to trap an army on an islet. The army was going after the newly freed region and they were airdropped basically tnt crystals. They were not going to be enough to blow the supports of this stone bridge. So, the good necromancer/mage of the group used the spell Stone to Earth to first make a hole and weaken the bridge legs to put the blasting crystals in. They figured out how to economically use what their spymaster gave to them. They also literally sweat and bled for this mission because when the necromancer was out of energy, the druid gave a big chunk of her own to keep him going. When they ran out, he started to bleed himself to use his health points to power his magic.
While this is happening, roving groups of guards armed with compact bows and flying terrifying angel anima were patrolling. I really got to use the Fortune and Calamity die here as they all rolled bad dice. Over the session, I flipped the calamities by upping the danger and increasing risk of their discovery. Guard taking a leak, angel seeing the bare edges of an earth path they magically made to go under the stone bridge, and other groups investigating while all of them had to hide for their lives. They got really lucky but also chose a good time to enact their sabotage.
Upon the second and last bridge’s destruction, the necromancer was surely dead in the water with no energy and into the negatives for health. We actually saw a rule that using FP past one’s total took away health, and at this point he should have passed out into a fast-moving river. Which he did. The thief quickly used a grappling hook to get him out but he still had the chance to drown in the river if he failed either the roll that let him be conscious or the role that stopped him from dying. They just barely got him out by the skin of their teeth and trapped a giant chunk of the tyrantine army. They were awarded with big bonuses. A new accurate rifle for the fox thief, a future favor for the necromancer, and magical ring that I didn’t realize actually costed something like$66,000 because I forgot the magical point cost to actual cost ratio.
Next up, they’re harrying the remains of that army by infiltrating a keep held by a judge that has supplies for them. There are three key figures. A cleric of the god of life that is a full fanatical supporter of the theocratic state, a lower paladin that is mainly supportive but can possibly be persuaded to the rebellion’s side, and the judge who is down the middle and unsure if cutting folks limbs off before crucifying them for being dissenters is the way to go.
(Also, the limbs are cut off because it would be too easy to magically heal the crucified and take them off. Regenerate limb is a harder spell to learn, you see.)
It’s going to later turn out that the theocracy came into power because of the inspiration of the successful fantasy communist revolution. They really admired their spirit and the theocracy did depose a rotten racist empire beforehand. It’s just that they’re as bad and... less discriminatory about putting the god of law’s will into action to prevent an empire like the last from rising up again.
The fantasy communists the spies work for also want them to direct rebels to kill off any traditionalist empire revival rebels left. Along with rebel groups looking for... extremely questionable powers for help like devils.
Feeling like I’m getting GM burnout again. Except for Reynold’s wonderful Nostalgia World game and one other less wonderful game by my old group, I host most of my stuff and have been feeling unimaginative. Also the other irregular game has the problem player and it’s not the DnD campaign I really love from last year that I got super invested in. It’s a different one where the dude keeps acting like he’s an anime protagonist and we’re just followers. Again.
If it helps, I slide back and forth between incredibly excited/motivated to GM, and then having absolutely no desire to be 'on' and run a game. I think this happens to all of us. I know Doc had started a bunch of games he was super hyped for a while back, then life stepped in and stole his motivation for a while.
And the way the world is right now, I'm not surprised when anyone says they're not in the mood to run or play a game. Especially if there's any little roadbump keeping it from being totally smooth and enjoyable.
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VanguardBut now the dream is over. And the insect is awake.Registered User, __BANNED USERSregular
My hexcrawl megadungeon DCC game is shaping up to be one of those of games you just remember forever.
To celebrate I bought some weird gamescience dice and inked them while on conference calls today.
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KadokenGiving Ends to my Friends and it Feels StupendousRegistered Userregular
edited June 2020
Third session, entirely talking. They enter a small fort made from an old assassin's hideout (because the map on roll20 I'm using is an assassin hideout I taped a new name over). They have to use the fort to harry the remains of the army that escaped from their trap from last session. The most obvious idea being to destroy the supplies the army is coming for in order to resupply because they have to travel around a mountain to meet another force instead of going over the river quickly. However, I set up three important characters. A ruling Judge that is feeling ambivalent about the whole theocracy thing and that's before he hears about the crucifixions. A lower paladin of the god of law whose more supportive and thinks that the nation is making missteps but they're coming from a noble place. Finally, a cleric of the god of life who is fanatical to the theocracy and pushed the party's druid off the cliff after she lied about telling her the place she occupied in the eyes of the gods. The druid survived. One thing about building one's own lore is that it let met know the cleric list for the god of life does not contain the 'shape plants' spell so the cleric knew immediately she was a magic-user she hated. She attempted to cover up her attempted murder and the other players convinced the lower paladin that they were telling the truth. He believed them and led her to the court room to the judge. He used a truthsayer miracle to make sure they told the truth. He rolled poorly against the cleric and she got to lie. He did it again on the druid and he got the truth. The cleric got sent to the dungeons and the party had an in with the judge. Also the druid genuinely wanted to know about the theology of the biggest religion in the setting and he was happy to help her. He gave them a rundown and the party members dropped the things they had seen the theocracy do. He was down in the dumps by the fifth day and asked them what he should do since he did not believe in supporting them any more. They convinced him to turn against them and not let them in the fort. He agreed but he needed the paladin to be on their side. They talked to him and after an argument convinced him as well.
They'll harry the army enough to allow the rebels to take the gate to the nation, letting supplies and mercenaries in. That will keep the north occupied. The necromancer of the group searched the cleric's room and found a letter talking about a Great Siphon that would remove the powers of any mages in the nation. So they'll have to look at that.
Their handler will also be very interested in that. He grew in a magocratic society which is also the home of the largest magic colleges in the world. They are cutthroat and extremely hierarchical. He changed his name and then joined the fantasy communists even after succeeding in that society because he was disgusted by them. He wants a way to rid the world of that nation and remove the possibility of magic-users ruling over common folk either secretly or explicitly by destroying a nation that teaches the supremacy of the magical over the mundane. Related to this, one of the reasons why industrialization and gunpowder weapons are going to become popular is that it allows states to not have to rely on clerics or mages for manufacturing, construction, and warfare. At least not in totality since even those line regiments are supported by mages and other powered individuals. Cannons don't have to worship the god of war to work, basically.
The question for the players is "do you want to give the fantasy communists, many agitating for a worldwide revolution, the means to not only neutralize that nation but all mages they can point the thing at"?
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KadokenGiving Ends to my Friends and it Feels StupendousRegistered Userregular
edited June 2020
Had a nice set up session of how they wanted things to proceed. We decided on a number of key things.
Campaign Going Forward
1. City Hub but with Excursions.
2. Combat is a failed state/last resort.
3. Err to smaller number of Elites in a fail state. BUT Context may require mobs. (One hit "kills" for mooks).
4. Design adventures with stealth as the 2nd line option.
5. Have friendly/regular NPCs.
6. At least 2 sessions of investigation and bonding.
7. Get things asked for by the beginning of next session with differences in difficulty in the way to gain requisitioned items.
8. Call in other agents for a price including work.
9. Montage attempts for repeated actions that cover five of said repeated actions (like getting past guard checkpoint in a city with many of them).
10. More chances for conversions of NPCs by conversation.
11. Bosses are optional and/or have alternate paths to beat them that are not combat-based.
12. Focus on main mission of the siphon and have faction stuff as side stuff. Helping rebel groups is okay. Try to represent individuals within the groups.
Also, the troublesome player may be getting kicked out of a Dnd campaign if everyone agrees he's been consistently unpleasant so that will be nice.
Along with this, they got big power boosts once I realized they could have disadvantages in GURPS that allow them to go beyond their normal bonus limit if they were campaign-based instead of being character-based. Which is good because they're heading to the capital of the theocracy and will be messing with a whole slew of dangerous things.
Also, I get to introduce their Enemy disadvantage: counter-agents being sent by another nation to direct the revolution to their liking and get rid of the PCs' patron nation's influence. I had already planned for them to be in but I realized by the rules I could help empower the players and have them in. I am excited to use the chi-using pugilist with a heart of gold that they will hopefully love and then be sad when he has to try to kill them to follow his orders because he's a good lad that gets the job done. Even if they're the job.
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VanguardBut now the dream is over. And the insect is awake.Registered User, __BANNED USERSregular
bought a pile of books
The Dark of Hot Springs Island Fungi of the Far Realms Witchburner
lots of OSR goodies, am particularly excited about the mushroom book since it's just 200 watercolors and descriptions of fantastic mushrooms
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KadokenGiving Ends to my Friends and it Feels StupendousRegistered Userregular
Ended a great campaign last night with Reynolds and his Nostalgia World campaign. I seriously could envision all of it being put on stream like Unexpectables. Everyone did a wonderful job.
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NipsHe/HimLuxuriating in existential crisis.Registered Userregular
Just a friendly reminder that the itch.io Bundle for Racial Justice and Equality has just under 9 hours remaining in its campaign, and now has over 1700 items in it helping to support the cause.
I bring this up here, specifically, because both Blades In The Dark and Lancer are both in there, among untold other things. I think Lancer got added recently? I don't remember it being in there earlier.
Regardless, those two and a host of other useful RPG things are hiding in that bundle, and it's absolutely worth supporting if you can.
Just a friendly reminder that the itch.io Bundle for Racial Justice and Equality has just under 9 hours remaining in its campaign, and now has over 1700 items in it helping to support the cause.
I bring this up here, specifically, because both Blades In The Dark and Lancer are both in there, among untold other things. I think Lancer got added recently? I don't remember it being in there earlier.
Regardless, those two and a host of other useful RPG things are hiding in that bundle, and it's absolutely worth supporting if you can.
Lancer was pretty early. Not sure about at the start but I think by the end of the first day at least.
Still a huge amount of stuff in there and it is so ridiculously worth the price even if the money wasn't going to a great cause.
KadokenGiving Ends to my Friends and it Feels StupendousRegistered Userregular
edited June 2020
I had a short first session of a new act of the spy campaign I’m doing where the party got settled into the enemy capital as they look for the great magic nullifying weapon I mentioned before. Good cute stuff in interacting with the tavern owner and gathering info in the market place and bars. Planning my stuff to have them investigate on their own where they travel from quest signpost to signpost has been really helpful as it allows them much more freedom to go at things at their pace with their own agency. One thing I did was writing and showing them a rundown of places of interest like a tavern that is rumored to be owned by an information broker or the local temple where one cleric is actively speaking out against the cruel regime so they have places they know they can visit and why it might be useful go there in a quick read. They got really interested in something called a Square of Judgement the people were talking about. Turns out it was essentially a systematic harsh Catholic-like pre-Irish Confession-deal where an entire district comes out in sack cloth confesses their sins to paladins dedicated to the god of law that mete out punishments to make sure the citizens of their legalistic theocracy are pure. One character was disturbed by how fine everyone made it sound.
Inspired by a player character not quite having a place of origin as a leather duster six-shooter outfitted wolfkind swamp hillbilly, I made a new continent in my Riddle of Flame setting with colonies that would suit my want to not only do Southern Gothic/Swamp horror but also New England Gothic horror along with possible Deadlands-style western supernatural horror stuff. The continent is right now unnamed but the colonized land is known as Gothica and it is haunted, cursed, and monster filled as fuck. Later in the history of the frontier they will eventually find the original inhabitants of that land and those inhabitants will tell them they didn’t settle in that region because it was prone to disaster (like I hear natives around New Orleans told the original French settlers). Although at least the original settlers weren’t quite picky since they were fleeing from a mass invasion of their lands by sun-worshipping sea people who believed the land people stole the loving light of the sun from them because their charlatan prophets told them so.
I named a sea the Murder Ballad Blue because it was the sea by which orcish raiders travelled to regularly pillage the ports of the land that is very magic music based down to their chiefs wearing suits of a strange stone that amplifies and focuses magic summoned by choirs. They loathe the orcish pirates so much that some of their offensive musical magic are actually choral murder ballads that produce destructive storms upon raider ships and they banned the use of steel because of the steel weapons that had killed so many of their kinsmen by these raiders.
I made an entire nation built off of everyone wearing identity concealing robes and masks in order to insure peace among disparate groups that were colonizing a place that could not sustain conflict between different species when they started out. They have masks like the mud spirit from Spirited Away and they have no idea what species their ruling king is who may be an immortal shapeshifter opportunistically keeping their power by enforcing useful conformity to the status quo and using the Aztec Vampire-like hordes on their borders to strengthen their legitimacy.
The Asian inspired continent I have went through major changes including the introduction of a great cursed realm that usually keeps to itself but may be hell on earth inspired by the Taoist hell of Diyu and then another realm that covers near a fifth of the continent in a great crescent that does not keep to itself very well because it is ruled by Asian folklore monsters like Jiangshi and Oni that wish to subjugate the living.
My world is slowly coming together in a cohesive whole and once the foundation is down I can really dig into making adventure hooks for all these places although I have some scattered throughout my blog posts along with the lore having stuff I think would be interesting to explore like taking part in war, spycraft, dungeon delving in a great dangerous forest that turns out to be an abandoned Elven theme park, monster hunting in the undead house arrest nation for those creatures of the night that don’t comply with the deal that realm has, and so on.
In other setting development stuff, I have a habit of making music references the names of characters, adventures, and places in my homebrew stuff. I have been not doing that at all in my Riddle of Flame setting, which has surprised me since I didn’t quite set out to specifically not do that.
I very accidentally made a music reference. So I have a gnollish civilization in RoF called Wakunan became wealthy off of trade by serving as the middleman between two continents. In finally fleshing them out and giving them a rundown I had to name their new army that replaced the old regime’s levy system. I went with the New Wakunansi Army. I then realized the acronym was NWA.
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KadokenGiving Ends to my Friends and it Feels StupendousRegistered Userregular
edited June 2020
Any of y'all good at laws or want to get into nitty gritty?
I made a sample of laws for a couple of nations in my world. In order they are for nations that are: Fantasy Dragonkin Commies, Fantasy Gnollish Socialists, Fantasy Britain, Fantasy Theocracy that is Bad, and Fantasy Theocracy that is a lot less bad. https://riddleofflame.blogspot.com/2020/03/the-laws-of-nations.html
I thought of the most obvious stuff that would pertain to adventurers going to these places along with flavor stuff. Murder, Theft, Charm Spells, Slavery, etc.
Anything big I'm missing or need to go into more or less detail about?
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Now it's mind ghost time woo
I'm looking for an RPG system that can be adapted to or is already built around a sci-fi setting but without magic.
What I'm looking to do is keep the underlying crunchy guts but reflavour or reskin stuff to a custom world/universe.
The more I can keep the less of a headache it will be, do you fellows know of such a system?
What do you want out of the RPG system? Do you want something that is crunchy and combat-focused? Something that's narrative-driven and fiction-first? Something in-between? Also, define "magic," because, like, it's easy enough to run Edge of the Empire without any characters having access to the Force.
Rock Band DLC | GW:OttW - arrcd | WLD - Thortar
5e is a pretty good system for the most part, I've flown over starfinder and thought that was ok, too!
Defining magic is difficult; ultimately I'm wanting tech based solutions and depending on the depth of the magic system being employed, translating all the spells into tech is difficult or time consuming. Take the d&d spell "Wish", for example. How the heck am I supposed to translate that into a gadget someone can carry around with them?
Not to say that it isn't possible but, again, time consuming!
My experiences with RPG systems is rather limited; I can't really say whether or not the system employed in 5e works out well for combat and encounter generation. I know there are d10 and d100 systems out there.
I just stumbled upon that system!
What irks me is the lack of an encounter creation and that combat seems to be really, really lethal.
Edge of the Empire for less combat more story focused gameplay with some solid mechanics behind it, and space ships.
Genesys:Android for cyperpunk Sci fi (underlying mechanics are next to the same as edge of the empire)
I think there are a few blades in the dark style games that go sci-fi too, can't remember what they're called though.
Origin ID: Discgolfer27
Untappd ID: Discgolfer1981
Yeah. Stars is a system where combat really only happens when the characters planned for it carefully and arranged things to their advantage, or when everything went suddenly and terribly wrong.
starfinder also has magic, unsure of how easy it is to cut that out.
You miiight look at Scum and Villainy. It does have classes, but they're very loose frameworks that mainly define how your character earns XP, and you can pick skills and abilities from any class as you develop. There's a magic system (basically the Force) but it's a lot less crunchy than Starfinder if you wanted to redefine it as a super-tech system, and a lot less baked into the mechanics of the game if you wanted to pull it out entirely.
Rock Band DLC | GW:OttW - arrcd | WLD - Thortar
Yea I've found blades combat should be something that is premeditated if you want a good outcome, but its VERY exciting when its not, regardless of outcome.
Origin ID: Discgolfer27
Untappd ID: Discgolfer1981
Starfinder plays much better than it reads, but gods and magic are baked in. I guess you could just say everything is nanites?
The EoTE and such Star Wars books are great to play but if you wanted SW you wouldn't be asking. You might try the Android sourcebook for Genesys.
SWN is one of my all time faves, but it is an OSR game. Taking an even fight in SWN means a 50/50 chance of getting TPK'd (instead of 1% in 5e or PF). Players quickly learn... not to do that. Lots of great roleplaying, as well of thinking out of the box, happens because of this. Players are often much better at skills than combat, which is the reverse of the norm; realistically, in any CRPG, you're much more likely to die climbing a rope or trying to sneak past something than you are getting into a firefight. OSR games turn that on its head. Space (ship) combat is much more pulpy and tons of fun.
Fragged Empire is something that came out years ago... I remember it being pretty popular on /tg/ for a while but petered out. Apparently they have a second edition now? I can't remember if it has space magic.
Maybe shadowrun would be another place to look for mechanical inspiration, I can try fit the setting around it.
This is, of course, if I can ever find players willing to put up with a non mainstream ruleset. pipedreams!
Yes that's something that I guess we should stress (pun not intended). Forged in the Dark games are very much about players failing forward and pushing themselves against incredible odds to complete difficult tasks. The tone of the game is quite different than D&D and its baked right into the mechanics.
Rock Band DLC | GW:OttW - arrcd | WLD - Thortar
https://bladesinthedark.com/basics
It's a good rulebook.
Ditto!
Post is up: https://forums.penny-arcade.com/discussion/236286/knights-flying-crown-a-randomly-generated-beamsaber-mission/p1?new=1
While this is happening, roving groups of guards armed with compact bows and flying terrifying angel anima were patrolling. I really got to use the Fortune and Calamity die here as they all rolled bad dice. Over the session, I flipped the calamities by upping the danger and increasing risk of their discovery. Guard taking a leak, angel seeing the bare edges of an earth path they magically made to go under the stone bridge, and other groups investigating while all of them had to hide for their lives. They got really lucky but also chose a good time to enact their sabotage.
Upon the second and last bridge’s destruction, the necromancer was surely dead in the water with no energy and into the negatives for health. We actually saw a rule that using FP past one’s total took away health, and at this point he should have passed out into a fast-moving river. Which he did. The thief quickly used a grappling hook to get him out but he still had the chance to drown in the river if he failed either the roll that let him be conscious or the role that stopped him from dying. They just barely got him out by the skin of their teeth and trapped a giant chunk of the tyrantine army. They were awarded with big bonuses. A new accurate rifle for the fox thief, a future favor for the necromancer, and magical ring that I didn’t realize actually costed something like$66,000 because I forgot the magical point cost to actual cost ratio.
Next up, they’re harrying the remains of that army by infiltrating a keep held by a judge that has supplies for them. There are three key figures. A cleric of the god of life that is a full fanatical supporter of the theocratic state, a lower paladin that is mainly supportive but can possibly be persuaded to the rebellion’s side, and the judge who is down the middle and unsure if cutting folks limbs off before crucifying them for being dissenters is the way to go.
(Also, the limbs are cut off because it would be too easy to magically heal the crucified and take them off. Regenerate limb is a harder spell to learn, you see.)
It’s going to later turn out that the theocracy came into power because of the inspiration of the successful fantasy communist revolution. They really admired their spirit and the theocracy did depose a rotten racist empire beforehand. It’s just that they’re as bad and... less discriminatory about putting the god of law’s will into action to prevent an empire like the last from rising up again.
The fantasy communists the spies work for also want them to direct rebels to kill off any traditionalist empire revival rebels left. Along with rebel groups looking for... extremely questionable powers for help like devils.
If it helps, I slide back and forth between incredibly excited/motivated to GM, and then having absolutely no desire to be 'on' and run a game. I think this happens to all of us. I know Doc had started a bunch of games he was super hyped for a while back, then life stepped in and stole his motivation for a while.
And the way the world is right now, I'm not surprised when anyone says they're not in the mood to run or play a game. Especially if there's any little roadbump keeping it from being totally smooth and enjoyable.
To celebrate I bought some weird gamescience dice and inked them while on conference calls today.
They'll harry the army enough to allow the rebels to take the gate to the nation, letting supplies and mercenaries in. That will keep the north occupied. The necromancer of the group searched the cleric's room and found a letter talking about a Great Siphon that would remove the powers of any mages in the nation. So they'll have to look at that.
Their handler will also be very interested in that. He grew in a magocratic society which is also the home of the largest magic colleges in the world. They are cutthroat and extremely hierarchical. He changed his name and then joined the fantasy communists even after succeeding in that society because he was disgusted by them. He wants a way to rid the world of that nation and remove the possibility of magic-users ruling over common folk either secretly or explicitly by destroying a nation that teaches the supremacy of the magical over the mundane. Related to this, one of the reasons why industrialization and gunpowder weapons are going to become popular is that it allows states to not have to rely on clerics or mages for manufacturing, construction, and warfare. At least not in totality since even those line regiments are supported by mages and other powered individuals. Cannons don't have to worship the god of war to work, basically.
The question for the players is "do you want to give the fantasy communists, many agitating for a worldwide revolution, the means to not only neutralize that nation but all mages they can point the thing at"?
1. City Hub but with Excursions.
2. Combat is a failed state/last resort.
3. Err to smaller number of Elites in a fail state. BUT Context may require mobs. (One hit "kills" for mooks).
4. Design adventures with stealth as the 2nd line option.
5. Have friendly/regular NPCs.
6. At least 2 sessions of investigation and bonding.
7. Get things asked for by the beginning of next session with differences in difficulty in the way to gain requisitioned items.
8. Call in other agents for a price including work.
9. Montage attempts for repeated actions that cover five of said repeated actions (like getting past guard checkpoint in a city with many of them).
10. More chances for conversions of NPCs by conversation.
11. Bosses are optional and/or have alternate paths to beat them that are not combat-based.
12. Focus on main mission of the siphon and have faction stuff as side stuff. Helping rebel groups is okay. Try to represent individuals within the groups.
Along with this, they got big power boosts once I realized they could have disadvantages in GURPS that allow them to go beyond their normal bonus limit if they were campaign-based instead of being character-based. Which is good because they're heading to the capital of the theocracy and will be messing with a whole slew of dangerous things.
Also, I get to introduce their Enemy disadvantage: counter-agents being sent by another nation to direct the revolution to their liking and get rid of the PCs' patron nation's influence. I had already planned for them to be in but I realized by the rules I could help empower the players and have them in. I am excited to use the chi-using pugilist with a heart of gold that they will hopefully love and then be sad when he has to try to kill them to follow his orders because he's a good lad that gets the job done. Even if they're the job.
The Dark of Hot Springs Island
Fungi of the Far Realms
Witchburner
lots of OSR goodies, am particularly excited about the mushroom book since it's just 200 watercolors and descriptions of fantastic mushrooms
I bring this up here, specifically, because both Blades In The Dark and Lancer are both in there, among untold other things. I think Lancer got added recently? I don't remember it being in there earlier.
Regardless, those two and a host of other useful RPG things are hiding in that bundle, and it's absolutely worth supporting if you can.
Lancer was pretty early. Not sure about at the start but I think by the end of the first day at least.
Still a huge amount of stuff in there and it is so ridiculously worth the price even if the money wasn't going to a great cause.
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This is neat!
although I was too slow to copy the code at the bottom left and now it is gone, disappeared into the ether..
It should be in your PMs
Inspired by a player character not quite having a place of origin as a leather duster six-shooter outfitted wolfkind swamp hillbilly, I made a new continent in my Riddle of Flame setting with colonies that would suit my want to not only do Southern Gothic/Swamp horror but also New England Gothic horror along with possible Deadlands-style western supernatural horror stuff. The continent is right now unnamed but the colonized land is known as Gothica and it is haunted, cursed, and monster filled as fuck. Later in the history of the frontier they will eventually find the original inhabitants of that land and those inhabitants will tell them they didn’t settle in that region because it was prone to disaster (like I hear natives around New Orleans told the original French settlers). Although at least the original settlers weren’t quite picky since they were fleeing from a mass invasion of their lands by sun-worshipping sea people who believed the land people stole the loving light of the sun from them because their charlatan prophets told them so.
I named a sea the Murder Ballad Blue because it was the sea by which orcish raiders travelled to regularly pillage the ports of the land that is very magic music based down to their chiefs wearing suits of a strange stone that amplifies and focuses magic summoned by choirs. They loathe the orcish pirates so much that some of their offensive musical magic are actually choral murder ballads that produce destructive storms upon raider ships and they banned the use of steel because of the steel weapons that had killed so many of their kinsmen by these raiders.
I made an entire nation built off of everyone wearing identity concealing robes and masks in order to insure peace among disparate groups that were colonizing a place that could not sustain conflict between different species when they started out. They have masks like the mud spirit from Spirited Away and they have no idea what species their ruling king is who may be an immortal shapeshifter opportunistically keeping their power by enforcing useful conformity to the status quo and using the Aztec Vampire-like hordes on their borders to strengthen their legitimacy.
The Asian inspired continent I have went through major changes including the introduction of a great cursed realm that usually keeps to itself but may be hell on earth inspired by the Taoist hell of Diyu and then another realm that covers near a fifth of the continent in a great crescent that does not keep to itself very well because it is ruled by Asian folklore monsters like Jiangshi and Oni that wish to subjugate the living.
My world is slowly coming together in a cohesive whole and once the foundation is down I can really dig into making adventure hooks for all these places although I have some scattered throughout my blog posts along with the lore having stuff I think would be interesting to explore like taking part in war, spycraft, dungeon delving in a great dangerous forest that turns out to be an abandoned Elven theme park, monster hunting in the undead house arrest nation for those creatures of the night that don’t comply with the deal that realm has, and so on.
In other setting development stuff, I have a habit of making music references the names of characters, adventures, and places in my homebrew stuff. I have been not doing that at all in my Riddle of Flame setting, which has surprised me since I didn’t quite set out to specifically not do that.
I very accidentally made a music reference. So I have a gnollish civilization in RoF called Wakunan became wealthy off of trade by serving as the middleman between two continents. In finally fleshing them out and giving them a rundown I had to name their new army that replaced the old regime’s levy system. I went with the New Wakunansi Army. I then realized the acronym was NWA.
I made a sample of laws for a couple of nations in my world. In order they are for nations that are: Fantasy Dragonkin Commies, Fantasy Gnollish Socialists, Fantasy Britain, Fantasy Theocracy that is Bad, and Fantasy Theocracy that is a lot less bad.
https://riddleofflame.blogspot.com/2020/03/the-laws-of-nations.html
I thought of the most obvious stuff that would pertain to adventurers going to these places along with flavor stuff. Murder, Theft, Charm Spells, Slavery, etc.
Anything big I'm missing or need to go into more or less detail about?