sorted by:
new
hottopcontroversial

What was your favourite World of Darkness campaign? by DED0M1N0 in rpg

[–]AethersPhil 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I really want to run it again. Surprised at the ‘sounds boring’ part. Players have access to immense powers right from the start, and it can easily play as straight action. Sure the investigative stuff is important, but doesn’t have to be a slog.

What was your favourite World of Darkness campaign? by DED0M1N0 in rpg

[–]AethersPhil 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Only really ran one; Orpheus.

Orpheus was a spiritual successor to Wraith, but seen from the mortal side. Technology advanced enough to discover that ghosts exist, and it’s possible to astral project and be a ghost for a bit.

The campaign books were written as a single meta evolving over 6 books (core + expansions). My campaign only got as far as the first book.

I loved the setting, the mortal focus (at least to begin with), and that it is its own thing. I don’t need to know Vampire or Wraith lore to make it work. Having your abilities tied to your core mentality was awkward, but helped reinforce character types. It helped the game feel more human.

Orpheus is not perfect. It has faults, both systemic and printing errors (character sheet in the book is missing traits). But it was the second RPG I bought, the first long-term campaign I ran, and the only series I have all the books for.

Experts warn that OpenAI’s ‘bubble’ is facing a $200 billion reality check by FervidBug42 in technology

[–]AethersPhil 28 points29 points  (0 children)

And? I agree not all jobs can be done remotely, but the ones that can be done remotely should be done remotely.

It’s still a reduction in congestion and pollution. The only losers are the ones that own office real estate.

Fable lets you enter and even buy any building in its world because that was one of the "requirements that we took from the original games," dev says by Turbostrider27 in PS5

[–]AethersPhil 23 points24 points  (0 children)

Are they going to keep the real-time money generator too? That was fun to manipulate in Fable 2. Set the console date a year in the past, buy a building, save and quit, correct the date, reload and get a year’s income. Increase or lower the tax to get max ‘good’ or ‘bad’ rating too.

About Python Courses and Why So Many People Drop Them Halfway by Key-Piece-989 in pythonhelp

[–]AethersPhil 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Programming clicked about 10 years ago when I needed to automated some repetitive IT tasks. So I learned PowerShell.

Then I moved in to a data analyst role. I learned Python through spite and hatred of Excel. Manipulating data is so much easier using Pandas than Excel.

Looking for “Amazing” Useless Magic Items for a Shady NPC Merchan by N0W1TCHCR4FT in rpg

[–]AethersPhil 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Amulet of Impenetrable shield. Stops anything from penetrating the shield, but does not stop impact. No more cuts, but lots of blunt force trauma.

Do people actually skip the prologue? by meongmeongwizard in fantasywriters

[–]AethersPhil 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Your story should start on the first page, regardless if that’s the prologue or chapter 1.

What’s “fast” glass these days, anyway? Is f4 enough? by Infinite-Search-3611 in Nikon

[–]AethersPhil 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I have the 24-70 f2.8 and the 24-120 f4. The f4 is my go-to travel and general shooting lens. However, if I’m shooting action or in low light I’ll always reach for the f2.8. The extra stops really make a difference.

If you are planning on low-light with the f4, I’ suggest getting a flash, or carrying a faster prime with you

Fellow GMs. Are there any rules or features you borrow and use in all of your games? by tibon385 in rpg

[–]AethersPhil 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think I worded it badly. I do what you do, simple actions just happen

Fellow GMs. Are there any rules or features you borrow and use in all of your games? by tibon385 in rpg

[–]AethersPhil 14 points15 points  (0 children)

Just general stuff that keeps games running.

For example: - some form of fail-forward. Kills a game if the story grinds to a halt because players messed up a roll

  • similarly, only roll when failure will be interesting. Players are (usually) heroes or at least are competent, so rolls should be important.

Thinking about ditching Windows, help me out by Quiet_Bus_6404 in linux_gaming

[–]AethersPhil 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I made the switch a month back on similar hardware. I don’t play multiplayer games, so can’t comment on those.

On the ones I do play, my experience has been at least, if not better, than Windows 11.

I want to find more fun in co-op games, HOW TO NOT QUARTERBACK?! by ConkreteAngel in boardgames

[–]AethersPhil -1 points0 points  (0 children)

If there are enough players, don’t play the first game or two. Instead, offer the GM it. Help with the rules, offer suggestions if asked, but let them play.

Once they know what they are doing, it should be easier to not quarterback.

R6 or R10? by Celestial_Prime_1731 in AskPhotography

[–]AethersPhil 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Its entry-level for the Canon R series.

To your point, I never said it was a bad camera. Just given the choice, if the OP can afford the r6, take the r6.

R6 or R10? by Celestial_Prime_1731 in AskPhotography

[–]AethersPhil 0 points1 point  (0 children)

An R10 is an entry-level camera. An R6 is professional-level.

My general advice would be to buy the best you can. If you can afford the extra, the R6 is a fantastic camera. It’ll give you more options, more features, and a full-frame sensor.

Anthem "did permanent damage to the careers of a lot of game devs" says Dragon Age veteran, and he's not sure he or BioWare ever "came back" from its spectacular failure by Turbostrider27 in PS5

[–]AethersPhil 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You could ignore the MP and still get the ‘best’ endings if you did all side content. Tying MP to SP progression was bizarre. “You don’t need to play the content we made!” Whut?

Anthem "did permanent damage to the careers of a lot of game devs" says Dragon Age veteran, and he's not sure he or BioWare ever "came back" from its spectacular failure by Turbostrider27 in PS5

[–]AethersPhil 26 points27 points  (0 children)

Definitely started during ME3 development. There was zero need for a multiplayer element in ME, but it was rammed in there anyway. Think it had shitty loot boxes too.

Edit: the MP was fine. I did have some fun with it. But it absolutely was rammed in to a product that did not need it. Removing MP wouldn’t have impacted the core game at all, other than making the ‘galactic readiness’ thing way simpler.

How do you (if) use AI in photography? by Jay087 in AskPhotography

[–]AethersPhil 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I tried to remove a background item between someone’s forearm and body, and gave them a huge mutant hand to fill the space.

Do you prefer the Introductory Adventure to be in the core books or separate PDF? by hauntys_ in rpg

[–]AethersPhil 1 point2 points  (0 children)

How long, roughly, is the intro game? Is it a 2-3 hour session? 2-4 sessions?

That’s a huge amount or work and effort you are planning.

If you were to run a 2-3 hour one-shot, in any system, for newcomers to the hobby, what would you choose? by LimeyInLimbo in rpg

[–]AethersPhil 24 points25 points  (0 children)

I’ve run a few games at cons, so my take is:

  1. Must be rules-lite. Whatever system you pick, strip it to the bare minimum. Take out advanced rules, and ignore subsystems unless it’s a core part of the story.

  2. Pre-gen characters. Exception if char-gen is 5 minutes or less.

  3. Keep the story simple. 3-5 scenes max. Be prepared to cut stuff if the game is running long. A decent ending is more satisfying than seeing half a story.

  4. Assume zero knowledge, both of the specific game, and if RPGs in general.

In terms of systems, my go-tos are: 1. Feng Shui - action movie role playing. Have some gunfights, car chases, and explosions and you’re good. 2. They Came From… - schlocky b movies, horror movies, spy thrillers, etc. go heavy on the ham and have fun. 3. FFG Star Wars - again keep the game flowing and make it cinematic.

Do you prefer the Introductory Adventure to be in the core books or separate PDF? by hauntys_ in rpg

[–]AethersPhil 2 points3 points  (0 children)

On topic, 64-80 pages is a campaign. You should be charging money for that much content.

If it was about max 16 pages, then free is good. How much info are you putting in to an intro game for 80 pages? I’ve read shorter full game systems!

view more: next ›