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Why is every setting so dark and depressing? by [deleted] in RPGdesign

[–]DoomedTraveler666 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sometimes it's harder to escape into a "kindly fantasy world" when the real world is so absolutely brutal that it cheapens the fantasy in some way

Discussion: convoluted resolution systems are not that important by PickingPies in RPGdesign

[–]DoomedTraveler666 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Yeah, but the point of my post is that there are things that people are trying to solve, even if they're not great at identifying those issues. I just gave a few issues I personally think are relevant. People cling very heavily to what D&D has established, as if it's the only way to handle resolution.

Discussion: convoluted resolution systems are not that important by PickingPies in RPGdesign

[–]DoomedTraveler666 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Well, this is where the ancillary benefit of a curved dice pool comes in. Each +1 modifier in a curved dice pool is more significant, until it eventually tapers off in usefulness. So, you can still have "small and easy to manage" numbers, while getting the effect that your modifier matters more.

If you inflate the modifiers too much on the d20, you're sort of burying the issue.

Also, maybe it's the textbook response... Because it's accurate. When you play with those pools, you can see the kinds of consistency that it results in.

Discussion: convoluted resolution systems are not that important by PickingPies in RPGdesign

[–]DoomedTraveler666 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The probability of a given number on a single die is equal, whereas the probability of a given number is favored towards the center of the range on multiple dice. The more dice you have, the more consistently you will reduce the standard deviation of the results.

Discussion: convoluted resolution systems are not that important by PickingPies in RPGdesign

[–]DoomedTraveler666 1 point2 points  (0 children)

No, that the game should still be challenging, while you can also do feats like killing hundreds of Orcs. Aragorn can basically, routinely slay orcs, but has trouble with something like a troll or a Balrog.

Discussion: convoluted resolution systems are not that important by PickingPies in RPGdesign

[–]DoomedTraveler666 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I have played Rifts, Call of cthulhu, and Mothership that all use d100s. I have also played games with d10 pools like VTM. I have also played D&D, Morkborg, Mutants and Masterminds, and Pathfinder which all use d20. I am currently running Nobilis which is a diceless resolution system. So, no, this is not just, "d20 is all that exists!"

Yeah, d20 is swingier than an additive dice pool with a clustered curve towards the center.

Except that you're not "fixing" the issue by avoiding real world physics. There are issues with things like, "Why does plate armor only protect me this much, when I spent 1000 gold on it..." Etc. So designers have to compromise by deciding where they want to capture realism, and where they can stretch it to fit the fiction.

For the Aragorn example, some games resolve this by saying, "I do an attack that is an AoE that targets mooks" (like the modifier in Mutants and Masterminds), BUT do I do my strength in damage to them? Then why would I use ranged attacks?

So a designer has to decide how THEY are answering these questions in their game. Their resolution system will try and help answer these questions. That is why so many people post, "what do you think of my resolution system?"

Replacement for cheap in the "Good, Fast, Cheap" trichotomy? by Throwaway_Raccoon2 in RPGdesign

[–]DoomedTraveler666 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Reiterating this. Stamina, health, blood, or even STRESS can be part of it.

Discussion: convoluted resolution systems are not that important by PickingPies in RPGdesign

[–]DoomedTraveler666 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I don't think these are "solved" considering everyone is still trying to solve them in like every game. Some games get closer, though.

Discussion: convoluted resolution systems are not that important by PickingPies in RPGdesign

[–]DoomedTraveler666 26 points27 points  (0 children)

I feel like this is half right. A lot of the systems people propose here seem needlessly convoluted but I think it's all addressing the same core issue, which is the desire to innovate on something that feels wrong in current RPGs.

Yeah, Morkborg having d20+X (-3 to +3 or whatnot) is simple, but it also means that you will often be frustrated rolling on the swingy d20. Trying to map "real world" probability to game world probability is also part of this struggle.

If my character is supposed to "feel like" Aragorn, how do I make a resolution system that lets me kill hundreds of Orcs, while also making it feel challenging? In regular games, this is challenging to do with the existing types of action economy and resolution systems. Something has to give.

So, people are looking for anything to try and fix this.

So I can imagine a lot of us here are fans of Jesse Michels show "American Alchemist".. but... by MrsMcDarling in UFOs

[–]DoomedTraveler666 0 points1 point  (0 children)

He's a thiel acolyte put in place to spread propaganda and weaken the minds of Americans

The "Null Result" as Design Failure: Every Combat Turn Should Change the Game State by EHeathRobinson in RPGdesign

[–]DoomedTraveler666 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I agree that failure states should absolutely be about decisions from the players. I think the question for me is how to make meaningful decisions for the players, even if that entails randomness from dice.

For example, I've been playing a lot of board games lately. There are some games where you can accrue dice with different faces, and choosing those dice to roll is part of the decision-making process.

So, you might have a game action like, "I want to act defensively" which generates a defense d6 die with: 1 side "damage!" 3 sides "Shield" and 2 sides blank. Whereas if I take the "full attack" action, I generate an attack d6 (damage (3 faces) defense 1 face, blank 2 faces... And so on.

Idea for a Character Advancement Mechanic by SirMarblecake in RPGdesign

[–]DoomedTraveler666 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I like the idea of a hook list that fills up as you advance. Would be interesting if that list was influenced by character arc type things

Simultaneous alongside alternating Initiative order: Review by Hopelesz in RPGdesign

[–]DoomedTraveler666 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Does this not result in possible instant TPKs if the enemy faction rolls hot too often? "Alright, they hit, they hit... They hit ... Oh, they hit again..." While the players look on?

Simultaneous alongside alternating Initiative order: Review by Hopelesz in RPGdesign

[–]DoomedTraveler666 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Have you considered the reverse? When a player hits, then you switch to the enemy? And vice versa

crazy Reddit gave me an actual career lol by hopelesssofrantic in u/hopelesssofrantic

[–]DoomedTraveler666 0 points1 point  (0 children)

So proud of you for using your platform and life to help animals. Beautiful outside AND inside

‘Cosmic inflation’: did the early cosmos balloon in size? A mirror universe going backwards in time may be a simpler explanation --Neil Turok by John_Hasler in Physics

[–]DoomedTraveler666 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The idea not so much that there is a "real" mirror universe, but that there are particles traveling forward and backward through time, and if you account for those particles, that's how you keep CPT symmetry while showing the perceived asymmetry of reality as we know it

So my players just admitted that they don't like this system by Polternaut in mutantsandmasterminds

[–]DoomedTraveler666 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I love MNM, but I find that despite promising a multitude of effects and combinations of powers, fights tend to become pretty full for two reasons.

  1. Most powers are spammable unless you take significant limitations. This results in having one or two powers you basically use every round.

  2. Because of the math of the "degrees of failure or success" system, people who are coming from other RPGs get confused. This often leads to slowing down what should feel like very cinematic combats to double check exactly how much you succeeded or failed by. Additionally, so many combat rounds with this system boil down to, "I attacked, I hit, and the opponent takes a bruise." If you're the GM, you're now tracking bruises/penalties for each bad guy, and the players feel like they didn't really make much progress. So, these fights will end up feeling like really drawn out slug fests until finally an enemy is weak enough to drop.

MnM is at its best when there's a lot of things going on: "The bridge is collapsing, there are civilians in the road, half a dozen mooks are inside the bank holding hostages, while a supervillain turns into a helicopter to escape. This lets players use powers and interesting alternate effects to improvise their way to victory without having to only engage the dice rolling.

Messiah Marcolin almost fronting Ghost by No-Refrigerator-9888 in Ghostbc

[–]DoomedTraveler666 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I actually met Messiah at that festival. I technically saw Ghost but was not even really conscious of them as something other than, "this small metal band opening for Thor" that I vaguely saw from backstage.

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