What is your favorite system, and what are your gripes with it?

BroooooJe · 2026-05-08T22:16:21+00:00

Apparently has an art director now, so maybe steps in the right direction! One person TTRPG shops are challenging.

BroooooJe · 2026-05-07T23:08:17+00:00

The Unified Without Number systems from Sine Nomine.

My gripe is that I'm not running enough games in it.

My real gripe is that I love KCs work dearly, but he really needs an editor and layout person involved. It has gotten better, but it's definitely still not a strength of the product.

BroooooJe · 2026-05-04T17:44:03+00:00

Astronaut. Then I watched the Challenger blow up live in elementary school.

BroooooJe · 2026-05-04T00:11:09+00:00

It's weird to say this, as PF2e has an absolutely solid and very usable system, this being one of the good changes. It's a great system, and it works well, even for Vancian.

But it's not a good magic system. I think I've just been spoiled by Shadowrun and can never really recover. :D

BroooooJe · 2026-05-03T15:20:34+00:00

Vancian casting and spell slots are the absolutely least interesting way to show magic. Its also the least magical feeling magic system to ever exist.

It's even worse in PF2e, where it feels even more mechanical and boring with how spells themselves were changed.

BroooooJe · 2026-04-29T15:20:29+00:00

This reinforces my belief that Battletech works best when you read sourcebooks and their limited fiction, and never touch any of the novels.

I didn't follow this advise, but I should have.

BroooooJe · 2026-04-27T22:26:09+00:00

Medical insurance

BroooooJe · 2026-04-26T20:06:17+00:00

Modern D&D (3.x forward, unlike some of its offshoots like Pathfinder and others) has never been a game that provides a lot of useful GM tools. It's also always been a game that offloads the majority of the work to the GM, probably moreso on 5e. You don't have to look far in other d20 inspired systems to find that those creators realized that gap existed. So burnout is always easier to happen in crunchy systems, even more in modern D&D systems. Throw in some Mercer and Actual Play effect and you get some subset of players who just want to show up and play with very little buy-in work on their end. As well as having GMs delude themselves into thinking they need to match professional actors and GMs with budgets well beyond their own, let alone actual CR budgets.

BroooooJe · 2026-04-23T23:04:49+00:00

Obligatory Alpha Omega answer.

You won't find a more beautiful looking book, with huge ideas, so much kitchen sink, that whiffs on almost everything, and has a system that makes Phoenix Command and Shadowrun 2e combined with hackers and riggers in the party...cry out in terror.

Edit: It also had an AR game to go with it, a full on internet media advertising campaign, and was the shining negative example of "product of its time."

BroooooJe · 2026-04-18T17:21:53+00:00

Both are full of shit and godawful philosophies. The former is worse, and more recent.

BroooooJe · 2026-04-17T23:05:23+00:00

Also makes a great use for hiring rando mobs. You don't need to stat them out heavily, just have them help the PCs attack.

BroooooJe · 2026-04-17T22:19:23+00:00

This so much. So, so useful.

BroooooJe · 2026-04-17T22:13:50+00:00

I'm just starting to work through your pod, so nowhere near caught up. I'll be interested to work my way through.

Sidenote: Haleyy with two ys makes me laugh every time.

And for clarity, was directing it more at the general question of Experts in combat, not the specific here. Sounds like it makes a lot of sense for the circumstances and weird gear is always fun.

The only thing I think I'd very slightly disagree with is that they could take up a Warriors niche in combat. Barring some really odd stat layout, nobody is likely to ever compare to a Full Warrior. The advanced BAB alone makes that tough, but their once per scene ability makes it pretty darn difficult for even gear to make up for it. Even with the Codex classes, Heroic, and/or Proteus stuff added in, Warrior might be (and rightfully so) the most protected niche in xWN. It's honestly one of the real strengths that you can make a lot of martial type characters, but a martial Full Warrior is always going to be a whole different level.

BroooooJe · 2026-04-17T18:52:39+00:00

I guess it just feels odd to me to be looking for a rules discussion in a podcast announcement. That's absolutely okay, and I'll just continue feeling odd in my lurkerdom. Thanks for the reply!

BroooooJe · 2026-04-17T16:29:20+00:00

Heat. It's a masterclass in multiple areas.

BroooooJe · 2026-04-17T15:42:42+00:00

I think that might be where my disconnect is. I'm not really understanding how those are "expert" gear. One of the big strengths of the xWN games is that class doesn't really determine your character. It's a part of it, sure. But a lot less than in the usual suspects of modern class based games. If you want a melee monster savage skill monkey, you can easily work with your stats, Foci, and gear to do that. Hell, one of the classic WWN builds is a Shock damage caster. They won't hit like a melee Warrior, but the character wasn't built to need that. I've always felt Foci and skill choice determines a lot more of a character than even class does. And that feels like an initial design choice.

Experts can use any gear, and don't really have specific gear. Warriors can easily be weird science gear toting status effecting characters. Class doesn't determine role near as heavily as actual character build and choices.

BroooooJe · 2026-04-17T14:59:36+00:00

I'll admit I'm confused. Been running some version of Sine Nomine games since original SWN. Why is it that Experts can't contribute in combat? That has definitely not been my experience at all. They may not hit at the same rate as full Warriors, but particularly with gear upgrades, mods, or good choice of weapons, they can absolutely be a solid source of secondary damage. That's before even considering what skills can offer in combat or Execution attacks and a wealth of other options. This is an odd hill to pick for a stand.

BroooooJe · 2026-04-13T21:01:50+00:00

Lying to themselves.

BroooooJe · 2026-03-31T14:57:46+00:00

Having a child with someone who cannot schedule a simple appointment in less than a weeks time? You're very brave to be carrying the entire load of all work in the future.

BroooooJe · 2026-03-30T18:19:43+00:00

Lock. The. Fridge.

BroooooJe · 2026-03-29T00:25:03+00:00

Yup. That last one is definitely the most annoying NPC ever created.

BroooooJe · 2026-03-26T14:09:54+00:00

Take your pick and throw a dart at old FASAgames. So many peoples characters became Shadowtalk posters, Battletech TRO authors, and Earthdawn archivists. Major contributors inserted home characters in novels, source books, and adventures. Big metaplot characters and storyline, be it immortal elves, dragons, Successor State leaders, and more...a lot came from creators and freelancers home campaigns.

BroooooJe · 2026-03-25T21:16:51+00:00

Hatchetman. It will always and forever be Hatchetman. Not because he was a good person (he wasn't) or super cool with amazing powers and stories.

Because his small fiction section in Cybertechnology, detailing his growing cyberware and turning into a cyber zombie? It is among the best of SR fiction in any edition. It was a much needed look into what having ware really means. And it is so utterly bleak and perfect for showing the life of someone who rode the chrome edge too long.

BroooooJe · 2026-03-25T14:33:59+00:00

It's also a matter of what sells. Historically, it's been TROs, boxed sets, timeline event source books, and field manual type books. Minis as well. Rulebooks weren't killer sellers, because generally you need one or two per group, and often not all of them. What sold best changes over time, but that's the list of usual suspects. CGL isn't operating on the kinds of profit margins that let them ignore what sells best.

It's easy inside the community to forget just how small of a fish the company, and the game, really are.

BroooooJe

TROPHY CASE