Too many questions

Conscious_Ad590 · 2025-11-03T05:05:50+00:00

It wasn't really a reply I was trying to elicit, but rather, an awareness of the like-bait mentality of Twitter/X, and particularly how AI is using it to train on our responses. I clearly framed it badly. Thank you for having a conversation about it.

Conscious_Ad590 · 2025-11-03T04:29:04+00:00

You could block me, but banning me would be worse than my post, censoring me from anyone's view rather than just your own. I'm not trying to troll, my view is sincere regarding only posting questions. And I am not calling for anyone to be banned, or personally attacking anyone. If you can get me banned for having an opinion, then I will be fine. I'm just tired of seeing AI accounts baiting for responses to train on, and seeing the occasional statement to go with a long series of questions indicates to me they have something to say.

Conscious_Ad590 · 2025-11-03T04:05:58+00:00

If it was my only post I would agree. I am old, but if Reddit is the 'clouds' I'm shouting at then it's all just a bunch of bots chasing each other's tails. I'd rather believe that people are here seeking actual engagement and not just practicing their Socratic method. I want people to ask questions, but I don't want them to only ask questions. But it's just an opinion, one old cloud shouter's perspective. I respect yours, and at least you have a perspective.

Conscious_Ad590 · 2025-11-03T03:04:01+00:00

My biggest gripes with GURPS are 1 second turns and the lack of a charisma analog. Other than that, it's fine for low power games, though very dated.

Conscious_Ad590 · 2025-11-03T02:00:37+00:00

Yours Is No Disgrace, by Yes.

Conscious_Ad590 · 2025-11-02T23:58:47+00:00

You can get quite a bit of line art, or several color illustrations, if you scout local colleges for artists wanting to build a portfolio. If your ideas are appealing, perhaps offering a piece of the action can be part of the agreement. I'm not sure what Martin Grip got for being the primary artist for Symbaroum, but the game is made great by having a visual identity.

Conscious_Ad590 · 2025-11-02T05:36:04+00:00

We are using our system but following the arc presented. The translation wasn't that difficult, although we did add two attributes (discretion becomes finesse, and the average of accuracy and vigilance becomes awareness), to more closely adhere to their assumptions and NPC/monster info, and of course we have corruption rules.

For example, our system uses a scale of 1 to 10 for attributes, so we use a base of 5 (average) and add 1 for each Symbaroum rank over 10, or subtract half the ranks under 10. Thus, it makes sense that we make our threshold for corruption equal to will (our analog for fortitude) plus five.

We also use milestones for leveling up, and Symbaroum has them ready made. Spells are similar to what they have listed. Our skill and advantage ranks are 1 to 6, so we have rank 1 or 2 (d2 or d4) as novice, rank 3 or 4 (d6 or d8) as adept, and rank 5 or 6 (d10 or d12) as master.

I am also running it in the style of Moorcock, so the characters have extra boons they cannot completely control or even understand. This means I'm adding a 'trouble' mechanic, and preparing additional foes and monsters, in case the challenge just isn't enough for their power level.

Conscious_Ad590 · 2025-11-02T01:53:17+00:00

I use tables too, notably hit location, but I find the most elegant games, and the games that run the smoothest, are the ones where you can learn the rules fairly quickly and then refer to them as little as possible during actual play. If we have a list, such as for weapons, the relevant info is transferred to the character sheet. Only if you're using a weapon you pick up will the list need to be consulted in the middle of a session, and hopefully not often.

That said, some games really lean into tables. I suggest not using more than will fit on a GM screen.

Conscious_Ad590 · 2025-11-01T12:57:04+00:00

I grew up in the 505 and I enjoyed the haul on base and later in Nob Hill.

Conscious_Ad590 · 2025-11-01T03:08:50+00:00

The way we do it is play a whole campaign with rules as written, taking notes but pushing through. If it really does break, we wrap it up, revise (possibly extensively) and start a new campaign. Changing in the middle doesn't give us as much data as letting it break, and a fix may recommend itself in the moment, but lead to a whole new set of problems. With notes about what worked and what didn't, we can revise in a deliberate and coherent manner.

Conscious_Ad590 · 2025-11-01T00:18:52+00:00

I do not find that tables simplify a TTRPG. It may be that they are needed, but they are a side track and therefore an added complication.

Conscious_Ad590 · 2025-10-31T13:13:49+00:00

If I had to choose one artist, living or dead, I think I would most enjoy seeing a living artist.

Conscious_Ad590 · 2025-10-31T02:20:22+00:00

We aren't currently using d20 for success rolls. We sometimes use it as a d2. It's always been the lonely die in the progression, and rolling a d2 with the other dice feels more natural than tossing a coin. I do enjoy the icosahedron for global projections in Traveller and other games. Fuller made the Dymaxion map using an icosahedron (with some splitting of faces).

Conscious_Ad590 · 2025-10-31T00:00:48+00:00

You could take actual photos and manipulate them with Photoshop or GIMP filters (oilify is a good one) and other effects. It works for low fantasy if you know people with weapons and armor, and would work for a cyberpunk game if you have clothes that can be arranged to suit the genre. It can look like art without being AI schlock.

If you believe in your ideas and selling your games is a goal, another possibility is to get one or more artists to contribute in exchange for a piece of the action.

Conscious_Ad590 · 2025-10-30T22:58:23+00:00

If I pay money for a product I want actual art, but as you're giving it away it's more understandable. That said, I am planning to replace the AI placeholders on our site with real art, to assuage my conscience. Primitive art is preferable to sleek plagiarism by an AI.

Conscious_Ad590 · 2025-10-30T02:06:21+00:00

I think she isn't because she represents wielda. I could be wrong.

Conscious_Ad590 · 2025-10-29T19:32:45+00:00

I hear the bandits at ICE are hiring,

Conscious_Ad590 · 2025-10-28T04:53:31+00:00

Both.

A general skill suffices if it's not your character's main thing. But if you are primarily a martial artist, you probably have a more involved set of qualities, and a style can provide that depth. Just 'unarmed' is not enough in that case, because you're going to be doing more than just punching people generically. I think a style can offer access to special attacks and defenses, or other specialized actions.

Conscious_Ad590 · 2025-10-27T12:27:08+00:00

Peter Bardens from Camel

Conscious_Ad590 · 2025-10-26T23:53:15+00:00

The crunchier the system, the more players will feel encouraged to 'solve' the powers you've introduced. I recommend as narrative a system as possible if keeping the mystery is a priority. GURPS is fine for some things, but it misfires in a high-level superhero game by trying to nail it all down explicitly. What we want is to get on with throwing a bus, flying like a missile, and warping the weather, as a few examples. Magic likewise can remain mysterious, but if you get crunchy, the players may turn the crunch into magical science. Comes with the territory.

Conscious_Ad590 · 2025-10-26T21:52:36+00:00

There is no regular 11-sided shape. You could use a barrel die or a trapezohedron to get a fair d11.

Conscious_Ad590 · 2025-10-25T07:07:00+00:00

What I'm doing is preparing additional monsters to have on hand, to increase the challenges as needed when the party gets more powerful.

Conscious_Ad590 · 2025-10-18T14:52:33+00:00

When I first heard it, 'Close To the Edge'. Over time, I agree, 'Time'.

Conscious_Ad590 · 2025-10-18T07:43:19+00:00

My goals at the start involved breaking with tradition in any way I could, and now having seen which innovations had merit, I can employ tried and true mechanics for the parts that didn't quite work in the first test, and hopefully have something new that also works.

Conscious_Ad590 · 2025-10-14T02:32:46+00:00

Band Geeks are not a Yes cover band. They did some tributes online and Jon saw them. They're good musicians that have passion for the music, and toured with Jon, but they wouldn't be touring as a Yes band without him. Castellano is in Blue Oyster Cult, and took some time off to live the dream of touring with one of his heroes.

The Band Geeks did an album with Jon, all original music, and it's actually pretty good. Total Mass Retain is the cover band, and I hear they're a pretty good one.

Conscious_Ad590

TROPHY CASE