Dungeons and Dragons

[GreyICE]

umm so Pathfinder

I find a lot of the stuff about D&D really overwhelming and annoying to have to remember, is Pathfinder simplified? Like I get the BASICS behind D&D and I can always go thumb through the rulebook to find what to do in certain situations or how certain stats affect other stats but that's a pain in the ass

I wanna simplified system

No pathfinder has more fiddly bits than D&D 3.X.

Basically if you dislike 3.X you'll dislike pathfinder.

Do not listen to Sudo, GURPS is the king of fiddly bits. If you dislike fiddly bits, I'd go with FATE or Savage Worlds, they're both very light and flexible systems that receive great reviews.

[GreyICE]

Really?

Because FATE is really like one of the easier systems ever designed.

It makes me scared and terrified of how they presented it.

[GreyICE]

I'm going to be running a Pokemon: Tabletop Adventures game for some of my friends starting around next week or so. Anyone have any general GMing tips(since I doubt anyone could give me specifics for the system)?

1) Have at least 5 random plotlines for them to head off on sitting around prepared. If they wander off course, try and hook them to one of the pregenned hooks, or tailor a hook for them. Sometimes things don't flow smoothly, so have things prepared for when rails come loose.

2) Assuming the system is not combat light, so have at least 2 good combat encounters prepped. The enemies can be vague, but have a good piece of filler to whip out if the initiate combat for some random reason.

3) Have a list (or at least brainstorm) a few key details that you can graft onto NPCs. Take notes. The Mayor of Randomville is not memorable. The Mayor who always nervously takes off his hat and picks at the brim when asking for favors is memorable (and if you can't generate a character out of that one sentence description, you're not ready to DM).

4) Say yes first. Say no, but... second. Say no as infrequently as possible. If your players have an idea, it should either work, or materially help them out. This is the biggest way to prevent the feeling of being railroaded. Even the most asinine idea can be transformed into something useful ("Lets go ask the Dragon if he will give us the MacGuffin!" "The Dragon looks at you sorrowfully. 'Indeed,' he says, 'I might give that MacGuffin to you, if I possessed it. Sadly it, and all my treasure, have been stolen by a mere mortal, who has grievously wounded me. Fortunately, I can magically locate my horde, and if you would be so kind as to track it down, you can have said MacGuffin.")

Seriously, don't flat "no" players often, or they'll get discouraged.


Hmmm, other tips

5) Try and figure out what they like. Try and give it to them at least once a session. This can be combat, feeling like a badass, material advancement, forming deep connections, getting a good belly laugh, just putzing around and doing whatever, figure out what your players like to do, and let them do it.

[GreyICE]

Playing off Grey's number four. When a player says they are doing something, they think that something will work. Most of the time this is just fine. The player says they use the ford to get across the river, the throw the pokeball at the weakened pokemon to try and catch it. No sometimes you have secret knowledge that their plan is going to fail, but sometimes there will be no secret knowledge and you'll just be scratching your head going "What?" It's pretty hard to keep track of all the different rules and flavor of the roleplaying game, which means plenty of times during the campaign. When a player takes an action that seems horrible, stop for a second and say that you don't get it like "I'm confused, you don't have a very good athletics check, how are you going to jump the fifty foot chasm?" or "Err, you want to demand the king make you a duke as part of the negotiations, you know that's the noble rank right below the king, there's only like five others in the kingdom?" Most of the time you are going to get "Oh, I thought you said it was a fifteen foot chasm." and "Oh, well I want to ask for the minor rank of nobility."

Well this is part of it, but part of it is that you should never just turn down an opportunity to make something happen. For example, suppose there's some great mystery (Someone is stealing Pokemon or something). One of the characters has a brilliant idea! They'll go ask a pair of members from Team Rocket if they know anything!

Now if it's a serious mystery, Team Rocket is useless. They're fucking memetically useless. I don't know much about Pokemon, but even I know how fucking useless Team Rocket is.

Okay, so the first instinct is to "No Sir" them. Deny that instinct.

Instead Team Rocket knows EXACTLY where to go! Of course! And it'll be easy! They're Team Rocket, OBVIOUSLY they know whose responsible.

Three battles later, including one curb stomp battle where our heroes and Team Rocket were forced to flee from hilariously overpowered forces, they manage to learn that not only was Team Rocket wrong about who was stealing Pokemon, they are incompetent and useless. BUT when they were running away they ran into the Pokemon thieves, who were being chased by some overpowered forces. The two overpowered curb stomp baddies ran into each other and started fighting, while you got to have a dramatic moment with the Pokemon thieves.

In other words, despite being totally useless and wrong about everything, their side trip with Team Rocket actually helped them out a bit.

Stuff like that is what makes a campaign. So don't No Sir them when they do something, unless it's really exceptionally very fucking stupid.

[GreyICE]

Meh, not a fan. 4E is 90% of the way to being a perfect system, and Next seems to be starting with the goal of 'don't be 4E... but retain all the stuff that made 4E cool... but also have the stuff that made 3E cool... and throw in some 2E components... hell we won't even bother to call it a unified system, we'll tout different 'rules modules' as one of our features our goal is that impossible...'

Stupid.

[GreyICE]

So who wants to start a 4E game on Roll20 tabletop?

Because I could be down for running one.

[GreyICE]

Yes? Depends on timings and stuff...


I haven't played D&D face to face for about two years

I was part of a two-year campaign which only had three players, and we didn't even finish it

3.5 4lyf, although I am willing to try 4E again...

Good, because I wouldn't touch the concept of DMing 3.5E with a barge pole

Heh, lemme see where I am after Labor day.

[GreyICE]

DMing 3.5e is easy.

If you like ripping your hair out, randomly killing your party, and having most encounters suck like a hoover vacuum.

I've DMed both editions, don't try and sell me on the idea that 3.5E is easy to DM.

[GreyICE]

I'd probably do Sunday afternoons or evenings (most likely afternoon).

I'd be running with the following variant rules:

1) classes that have 3 skills get a 4th free
2) all players may use skills out of combat according to the following rules:
- if the use is obvious for free (fire to ignite something)
- if the use is non-obvious (thunder wave to propel a boat) then roll an appropriate skill to see if you figure out how to do so.
3) portions may include a fatigue system.