Lets Talk Pen & Paper RPGs (All systems welcome!)

This forum is specifically for discussing non-Mafia games
(board, card, video, we're not picky)
.
Playing
such games should happen in the Mish Mash forum, of course.
User avatar
GreyICE
GreyICE
Fifty Shades
User avatar
User avatar
GreyICE
Fifty Shades
Fifty Shades
Posts: 15455
Joined: December 15, 2010

Post Post #9 (isolation #0) » Fri Oct 24, 2014 8:11 am

Post by GreyICE »

I dunno, 13th Age just feels better to me. It feels like it did what 5E wanted to do, but just... better. More options in terms of class difficulty, more clearly defined strengths and weaknesses, less baggage, more coolness.

I'm not predisposed to like the new edition, but seriously.
Show
That which is done out of love always takes place beyond good and evil


Official Visigoth

Read Mother Jones
User avatar
GreyICE
GreyICE
Fifty Shades
User avatar
User avatar
GreyICE
Fifty Shades
Fifty Shades
Posts: 15455
Joined: December 15, 2010

Post Post #13 (isolation #1) » Sat Oct 25, 2014 3:14 pm

Post by GreyICE »

Well, I'll leave system mechanics to the 13th Age SRD, but I'll talk about the feel.

The feel of the system is incredibly open ended. It's built from the ground up to support exactly the sort of D&D adventures that are remembered nostalgically. Due to the icon mechanic, DMs have an incredible toolbox to allow the players to set a direction without a lot of the drawbacks of collaborative worlds (lack of surprise, etc.). They've created this amazing world - the sort of world where giant behemoths migrate along a set path, and entire cities of traders an nomads set up on their back (yes, the behemoths are THAT big). The clouds being made of water vapor? Hah! They're quite solid, and giants live on them. Sometimes they slam into mountains and break apart.

And the players are meant to wander through it. They have a "one unique thing" mechanic, their backgrounds, and their icon relationships, meaning no matter what they choose to do, plot will essentially always be finding them, and you always have hooks and themes for them that feel personal to their characters.

The mechanics of the classes themselves are equally powerful and flexible. Most classes work by picking a number of perks at creation that slowly increase (very slowly). So a ranger might pick up "Two weapon fighting" and "Animal companion" and be Drizzt, or pick up "Archery", "Lethal Hunter", and "Tracker" and now you're a loner who stalks people for miles and then snipes them with your bow.

Another great thing is the difficulty scaling. There's a LOT of times when you get someone who wants to play D&D to be part of the game, and someone else wants to play it for the mechanics and do all this stuff with their sheet. And for the most part, in the history of D&D, the less is happening on your sheet, the less effective you are. 13th Age throws that all out the window, by giving you an extra dice of damage every level. So the Barbarian might have Rage, Whirlwind attack, and Cleave as literally the only things they can do - but by god are they excellent at being a living mass of steel sweeping everyone before them.

Do you like luck and biting your nails? Play a sorcerer, who gets perks on their spells if the dice are odd (and take half elves, who can tip the odds on that one occasionally). Do you like the very formulaic "I know what I can do, and I hate luck" style? Wizards hate luck too.

Bards can be everything from blademasters who chant while leading people into battle to singers at the back. My favorite Bard was a Half-Orc who played War Drums lined with the skin of his enemies, was enormously charismatic, and typically lead by standing in front, bashing someone's face in, then yelling battle cries while beating the drums. Quite inspiring.
Show
That which is done out of love always takes place beyond good and evil


Official Visigoth

Read Mother Jones
User avatar
GreyICE
GreyICE
Fifty Shades
User avatar
User avatar
GreyICE
Fifty Shades
Fifty Shades
Posts: 15455
Joined: December 15, 2010

Post Post #16 (isolation #2) » Sun Oct 26, 2014 3:31 am

Post by GreyICE »

I consider all D20 games D&D basically, as well as Dungeon World.

It's not like I said D&D sucks, or started an edition war, or stated my opinion on Pathfinder. I just said I didn't think 5E met its goal of moving the system forward, while 13th Age felt like an actual evolution of D&D.

There's certainly not anything dramatically wrong with 5E, and even systems with huge gaping flaws (like Exalted) people have had huge amounts of fun playing. Play what you enjoy.
Show
That which is done out of love always takes place beyond good and evil


Official Visigoth

Read Mother Jones
User avatar
GreyICE
GreyICE
Fifty Shades
User avatar
User avatar
GreyICE
Fifty Shades
Fifty Shades
Posts: 15455
Joined: December 15, 2010

Post Post #19 (isolation #3) » Sun Oct 26, 2014 7:27 am

Post by GreyICE »

I'd recommend 5E for first time DMs. It doesn't seem broken off the bat, they removed the 3E/PF obsession with developing rules for how to sneeze properly, it fixed the fucking mess of a skill system that has characterized D&D since... it added a skill system, the monster manual is well written and easy to use (basically 4E's ease of use without 4E's format) and overall it's just friendlier than other systems that rely on more DM experience.
Show
That which is done out of love always takes place beyond good and evil


Official Visigoth

Read Mother Jones
User avatar
GreyICE
GreyICE
Fifty Shades
User avatar
User avatar
GreyICE
Fifty Shades
Fifty Shades
Posts: 15455
Joined: December 15, 2010

Post Post #20 (isolation #4) » Sun Oct 26, 2014 7:35 am

Post by GreyICE »

Oh if you can, pick up the 4E DMG2. It has some fantastic advice for GMs, and ignoring the system specific stuff is easy.
Show
That which is done out of love always takes place beyond good and evil


Official Visigoth

Read Mother Jones
User avatar
GreyICE
GreyICE
Fifty Shades
User avatar
User avatar
GreyICE
Fifty Shades
Fifty Shades
Posts: 15455
Joined: December 15, 2010

Post Post #22 (isolation #5) » Tue Oct 28, 2014 5:18 am

Post by GreyICE »

I'll need to write out a long explanation with pictures really.

It's not too hard, but they like their iconography, so I need screenshots.
Show
That which is done out of love always takes place beyond good and evil


Official Visigoth

Read Mother Jones
User avatar
GreyICE
GreyICE
Fifty Shades
User avatar
User avatar
GreyICE
Fifty Shades
Fifty Shades
Posts: 15455
Joined: December 15, 2010

Post Post #24 (isolation #6) » Tue Oct 28, 2014 7:07 am

Post by GreyICE »

Well Roll 20 lets you upload images, that's what I want to do a tutorial on. Once you have the image uploaded, everything goes great, you just have to put it in the map layer, and scale it properly to your tokens.
Show
That which is done out of love always takes place beyond good and evil


Official Visigoth

Read Mother Jones
User avatar
GreyICE
GreyICE
Fifty Shades
User avatar
User avatar
GreyICE
Fifty Shades
Fifty Shades
Posts: 15455
Joined: December 15, 2010

Post Post #611 (isolation #7) » Sat Jul 02, 2016 5:19 am

Post by GreyICE »

Just show them this clip:



They'll never want to stand there and hit things with swords again.
Show
That which is done out of love always takes place beyond good and evil


Official Visigoth

Read Mother Jones
User avatar
GreyICE
GreyICE
Fifty Shades
User avatar
User avatar
GreyICE
Fifty Shades
Fifty Shades
Posts: 15455
Joined: December 15, 2010

Post Post #619 (isolation #8) » Wed Jul 13, 2016 11:44 am

Post by GreyICE »

I do!

Remember, as much fun as it is to kill them like their lives are meaningless it's nothing like the feeling you get when you watch them all kill each other for pointless reasons. Then execute the survivors for getting blue paint on themselves because it turns out the commie cell they blew up with the listening device they were supposed to plant (remember, all gadgets have yields) was stockpiling blue paint.
Show
That which is done out of love always takes place beyond good and evil


Official Visigoth

Read Mother Jones
User avatar
GreyICE
GreyICE
Fifty Shades
User avatar
User avatar
GreyICE
Fifty Shades
Fifty Shades
Posts: 15455
Joined: December 15, 2010

Post Post #621 (isolation #9) » Wed Jul 13, 2016 11:53 am

Post by GreyICE »

But be nice to them since they're new. Tell them that you'll give them a special gadget that will help with the mission.

Make sure to describe everything, the blinking lights, the console, the red warning label, the green label and green button it takes to activate.

Kill them if they read the green text and press the green button like it tells them to, that's above their clearance level.

This helps weed out slow learners.
Show
That which is done out of love always takes place beyond good and evil


Official Visigoth

Read Mother Jones
User avatar
GreyICE
GreyICE
Fifty Shades
User avatar
User avatar
GreyICE
Fifty Shades
Fifty Shades
Posts: 15455
Joined: December 15, 2010

Post Post #623 (isolation #10) » Wed Jul 13, 2016 12:15 pm

Post by GreyICE »

You overlike the cans of red paint. It's a hack~ The players should feel clever for finding it and using it.

Then of course Friend Computer will tell them that due to abuse by commie mutant traitors paint has been restricted to people of Green clearance and above. Also that their next task is to go repaint all the hallways that the commie mutant traitors painted over.
Show
That which is done out of love always takes place beyond good and evil


Official Visigoth

Read Mother Jones
User avatar
GreyICE
GreyICE
Fifty Shades
User avatar
User avatar
GreyICE
Fifty Shades
Fifty Shades
Posts: 15455
Joined: December 15, 2010

Post Post #624 (isolation #11) » Wed Jul 13, 2016 12:20 pm

Post by GreyICE »

But seriously, if you do get new players, don't give them the manual. Before the game tell them that there's a potential for a few players to be mutants or members of a secret society (but they could all be loyal troubleshooters). Make cards for the mutants and secret societies, shuffle them up, hand them out. Tell them they'll get a 5 minute session with the GM to discuss their secret objectives and powers if they have any, or you'll just discuss Pokémon Go or something if they don't have any.

Needless to say all new players will be mutant secret society traitors. Press your lips together. Ask them if they're up to the challenge, tell them if they really need to you can redeal but you'd prefer it to be luck based. Make them feel special for their secret betrayal mission, and clever when they're carrying it out.

Everyone's a mutant and a member of a secret society of course. But the longer they don't realize that the funnier it is. Oh remember they draw a new mutation every clone. See how many clones deep they have to get to figure it out.
Show
That which is done out of love always takes place beyond good and evil


Official Visigoth

Read Mother Jones
User avatar
GreyICE
GreyICE
Fifty Shades
User avatar
User avatar
GreyICE
Fifty Shades
Fifty Shades
Posts: 15455
Joined: December 15, 2010

Post Post #626 (isolation #12) » Wed Jul 13, 2016 12:26 pm

Post by GreyICE »

I should run a few 1 shots with the kickstarter stuff they've dribbled out.

I mean the manual is classified anyway, not like you peons get access to it.
Show
That which is done out of love always takes place beyond good and evil


Official Visigoth

Read Mother Jones
User avatar
GreyICE
GreyICE
Fifty Shades
User avatar
User avatar
GreyICE
Fifty Shades
Fifty Shades
Posts: 15455
Joined: December 15, 2010

Post Post #630 (isolation #13) » Wed Jul 13, 2016 1:29 pm

Post by GreyICE »

As far as I know that's always been the rules. Or at least how we played it. Mutations are due to defects in the cloning process, after all.
Show
That which is done out of love always takes place beyond good and evil


Official Visigoth

Read Mother Jones
User avatar
GreyICE
GreyICE
Fifty Shades
User avatar
User avatar
GreyICE
Fifty Shades
Fifty Shades
Posts: 15455
Joined: December 15, 2010

Post Post #671 (isolation #14) » Wed Aug 31, 2016 4:43 am

Post by GreyICE »

In post 651, hasdgfas wrote:
In post 650, Oman wrote:
In post 649, Claus wrote:The moment that the pet gets stats and the players use it to fight, it is no long a pet, is another character. Just keep that in mind.
I do not see a problem except that you think it's unfair to narrative-kill a character?
Players tend to expect their characters to survive unless they choose for the character to die. If a character is narrative-killed and it hasn't been discussed with the player beforehand, there's a very decent chance they'll be angry, and also a good chance they may quit.
What is this carebear nonsense? Characters die when they die.
Show
That which is done out of love always takes place beyond good and evil


Official Visigoth

Read Mother Jones
User avatar
GreyICE
GreyICE
Fifty Shades
User avatar
User avatar
GreyICE
Fifty Shades
Fifty Shades
Posts: 15455
Joined: December 15, 2010

Post Post #818 (isolation #15) » Tue Jul 23, 2019 11:27 am

Post by GreyICE »

Very fond of the new Vampire 5E update. It's a great update to the classic system. Blood works much more organically, they've cut down on the number of rolls, and combat is now freed of the D&D detrius that used to drag it down. Just a great system overall.

Anyone else here playing it?
Show
That which is done out of love always takes place beyond good and evil


Official Visigoth

Read Mother Jones
User avatar
GreyICE
GreyICE
Fifty Shades
User avatar
User avatar
GreyICE
Fifty Shades
Fifty Shades
Posts: 15455
Joined: December 15, 2010

Post Post #820 (isolation #16) » Tue Jul 23, 2019 3:28 pm

Post by GreyICE »

Um, in what universe? D&D is a combat-centric system focused on high magic settings with adventures, epic weapons, evil villains, etc.. Vampire is focused on the modern day, and is an exploration of horror, psychological degredation, politics, and a corrupt system built around lies and deception, which inevitably pulls you in and forces you to make compromises after compromise, until you begin compromising your values yourself, in pursuit of power.

If anything the thing I usually here is that D&D is the game for children. Which is a bit reductionist, but it's hard to argue anything other than that the themes of D&D are usually simpler, less subtle, and more "children's cartoon values". More roll-playing than role-playing, if you will. I certainly wouldn't call vampire "kid-gloved" given that it's one of the games I most often need a content warning for. It wouldn't be out of the scope of a typical game for a parent to kill their child in a fit of rage (with the parent as one of the PCs), or for someone forced to watch their best friend of a decade die, or turn them into a vampire and watch them slowly turn against you over the decades (because no relationship is going to survive an eternity with plotting, scheming monsters).
Show
That which is done out of love always takes place beyond good and evil


Official Visigoth

Read Mother Jones
Post Reply

Return to “The Arcade”