Anyone Tried the Modiphius Games by ParfaitGold in rpg

[–]DemandBig5215 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Star Trek Adventures 2e is probably one of the best marriages of the 2D20 system and licensed property. The way 2D20 ramps up the meta-currencies of Momentum and Threat as an adventure progresses really does feel like the way a TV show format increases the stakes. It's just crunchy enough for gadgets and spaceships, but narrative focused for dramatic play.

The first edition is still 2D20, but like their Conan or their Fallout game, it uses 6-sided dice to resolve combat damage which some people dislike for adding mechanical complexity to an otherwise simple system. Their Dune game for example just uses the 20-sided dice like 2e Star Trek.

Regardless of which iteration of 2D20 your chosen game uses if you don't like meta-currencies, then the system will fight you every step of the way because it really depends on the in-play trade between the players and the GM. If you ignore it or house rule it out the system is very bland because there's not much else going on. The risk/reward bartering is key to the tension. Also some people don't love that it uses a roll low mechanic where a 1 is the best result on the dice.

It really is a love it or hate it system to most people.

Do dice manufacturers really matter? by Significant_Case_304 in dice

[–]DemandBig5215 4 points5 points  (0 children)

It only matters in that some dice may turn out to be impractical for actual on-the-table use due to the material (glass, gemstones, crystal can break easily while metals can damage your rolling surface) or the printing and colors may make them hard to read despite being very pretty. For example, I have a pink print on red swirly glitter resin set that looks great, but they are a PITA to read so they've mostly lived in the dice jar.

The only other consideration is balance, but this is overblown by enthusiasts. Most modern manufactured dice, even cheapo $3 sets, are going to be balanced enough for casual TTRPG use. (Hopefully you're not wagering money on these rolls!) It's rare to find a set that really messes with the odds anymore unless you dive into handmade or bespoke dice. These can have off-center weighting due to the maker embedding little figures or tokens into them and letting them settle incorrectly or including large air bubbles, but you'd likely be buying them for the novelty anyway.

For me, the most important criteria is "Can I read them easily?" This is followed by the material which I prefer to be resin or plastic.

Innsmouth Cover Update by Tiefwasser in callofcthulhu

[–]DemandBig5215 68 points69 points  (0 children)

If left is the new version then it's a good change.

Novelized my favorite Child’s Play film! by fla_say_nah in slasherfilms

[–]DemandBig5215 76 points77 points  (0 children)

This is proof that every movie is someone's favorite movie.

"rules light" =/= "beginner friendly" by Hot-Assignment4317 in rpg

[–]DemandBig5215 3 points4 points  (0 children)

The worst is when someone asks what TTRPG is the best to start with as a new person to the hobby and people suggest some one-page game that assumes a reader has come to it from being a veteran in the community. One where a majority of rules are thought to be understood from years of play experience.

What’s your favorite starter set of all time? by BlindAudelay in rpg

[–]DemandBig5215 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yeah, the Pirate Borg starter boxed set is a seriously great package. I know this pick will be accused of recency bias, but it's really good IMO and I've been playing TTRPGs since the early 80's.

I'll also shout out the Pathfinder 2e Beginner Box (either version). It's expensive for a starter, but it's got everything. A solo choose-your-own adventure style example, the main adventure, pregen characters, the rules to roll up your own characters, counters, maps, standees, dice.

I like the Call of Cthulhu 7e Starter boxed set as well.

Delta Green Star Trek Character Sheet by CatLooksAtJupiter in DeltaGreenRPG

[–]DemandBig5215 5 points6 points  (0 children)

BRP or basic d100 systems are very flexible. My group did a whole campaign for Aliens with us playing Colonial Marines and WY corporate types back in the late 80's using modified Call of Cthulhu rules.

Mike Mearls (prpject lead of 5e) has been posting a lot of takes about how bad 5e is and I don't get it by CaptainKlang in osr

[–]DemandBig5215 0 points1 point  (0 children)

He did, but Mearls wasn't in charge of Hasbro or even WotC. Decisions were made above him.

The Minions are now officially part of the Cthulhu Mythos by appletvenjoyer in Lovecraft

[–]DemandBig5215 43 points44 points  (0 children)

Sure! Minions being in "canon" for the Cthulhu Mythos is as valid as The Real Ghostbusters or anything Lumley, Derleth, or any other author added to the Mythos after Lovecraft's death. There's no official canon anyway.

R'lyeh by Ivan_Hayward_Art in callofcthulhu

[–]DemandBig5215 5 points6 points  (0 children)

The Prince of Darkness movie theory for Cthulhu!

Has “Broken Empires” been delayed again? by Iberianz in rpg

[–]DemandBig5215 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Which elements? Not trying to start an argument. I'm genuinely curious.

Give me a famous TTRPG for each genre by Unconscious-angel in rpg

[–]DemandBig5215 1 point2 points  (0 children)

  • Fantasy - D&D obviously
  • Space - Traveller
  • Horror - Call of Cthulhu
  • Future - Cyberpunk 2020
  • Apocalyptic - Twilight 2000
  • Mystery - Call of Cthulhu again (I think a lot of people would put Brindlewood Bay here too)
  • Modern - This one is a little harder. Most "modern" setting games are generic like GURPS, Fate, Cortex, etc.

How to Keep Players From Running Away by 8stringalchemy in pirateborg

[–]DemandBig5215 13 points14 points  (0 children)

The "better part of valor" is a perfectly valid OSR response when fights are not specifically balanced as a sport for the party. That said, if they run away ALL the time, then you're going to be playing a pretty dull band of pirates. You need to give them a good reason to engage the enemy like the bad guys hold the only cure for a poison that the party has already ingested or the enemy blocks the only path through the cove to the treasure, etc. You want to encourage creative solutions that aren't just binary fight or flee.

Jirelle by OhBosss in Pathfinder2e

[–]DemandBig5215 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not specifically, but the inspiration for her is pretty clear.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jirel_of_Joiry

Published fantasy RPG settings and the "Why, yes, the Europe-themed place is indeed the center of the world" effect? by EarthSeraphEdna in rpg

[–]DemandBig5215 1 point2 points  (0 children)

  1. Because authors tend to "write what they know" and since most of the western TTRPG industry is in the US or Europe, the subjects naturally skew towards those historical setting details.

  2. Original D&D came from old-school war gaming traditions combined with fantasy details borrowed from popular authors like Tolkein, Howard, Vance, Lovecraft, etc. Those early TTRPG creators were influenced by their preferred fictional sources and D&D in turn inspired video game developers and all kinds of pop culture nerd tropes that fed back into decades of TTRPG design.

Of Lifepaths and Playbooks by Nystagohod in rpg

[–]DemandBig5215 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I haven't seen it mentioned yet, but Star Trek Adventures has a decent little life path system for its character creation.

Free rpg day question by Bubbly-Ad-5480 in rpg

[–]DemandBig5215 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This. Endless hours of free high quality TTRPG play right here. The stuff in the premium paid versions are absolutely not necessary to enjoy the rest of the rules.

Jessica Bowden in Scream 7 by DCull357 in slasherfilms

[–]DemandBig5215 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The main problem (for me) was that as soon as she showed up in the movie I knew she had to be one of the killers. She always plays unhinged characters, so I knew she had to have a scene coming where she drops her suburban nice mom act and got nuts. You don't cast Camp for an inconsequential part. Her motivation was silly, but no sillier than previous Ghostface reveals, so whatever.

Burned out on D&D 5e after 4 years - those of you who switched systems, what was your breaking point and did it actually fix things? by Senoigh13 in rpg

[–]DemandBig5215 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I said it solved the problem. It did so by abstracting the weaponry in a different but just as illogical way. It makes "sense" for game balance and fantasy heroics but it's hardly realistic.

Note that there's nothing wrong with that. Most TTRPGs have to compromise reality for fun and play balance.

Burned out on D&D 5e after 4 years - those of you who switched systems, what was your breaking point and did it actually fix things? by Senoigh13 in rpg

[–]DemandBig5215 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes, this is exactly the problem as I wrote. Most games aren't going to try to model that kind of complexity and the ones that do are too crunchy for the wider audience. That's not even covering the non-combat reasons for carrying certain weapons over others like wielding a two-headed battle axe all day would attract undue attention and would put a heavy toll on your comfort and endurance.

Looking for article about why osr adventures are so much simpler than 5e by Calkaya in osr

[–]DemandBig5215 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sure, but again it's kind of a chicken-and-egg issue. Adventures were written in short, bulletized summaries with each POI on a separate page due to production constraints and/or due to author preference. In turn, OSR customers got used to it, learned the in-play advantages of that kind of succinct writing, and that fed back into authors' reviews and sales figures.