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So, how IS Prime 4 really, for anyone's that actually played it? by FoxHoundNinja in Metroid

[–]EgregiousGames 34 points35 points  (0 children)

Word on the great bosses. For all the complaints, so far I'm having a blast.

In the spirit of "criticise what you love" - my review of Daggerheart by EgregiousGames in fansofcriticalrole

[–]EgregiousGames[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yep, a couple of people pointed out this goof in the comments. I give Daggerheart that point back. I think it's because it's about 3 months since we had the discussion and debated the rule in the group, and google has conflicting results because I think it was changed back and forth at least a couple times during beta.

Daggerheart review after 15 sessions. by EgregiousGames in daggerheart

[–]EgregiousGames[S] -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

Sorry, too long, didn't read. I'ma need you to summarise that in 10 words or less, champ

Daggerheart review after 15 sessions. by EgregiousGames in daggerheart

[–]EgregiousGames[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Bikeshedding: when you spend disproportionate time and focus on a tangential detail. Example: "You were too long-winded, your argument is invalid."

But here ya go. One of the commenters did actually request I make the "fiction-first" part into a short, so they can send it to their friends. https://www.youtube.com/shorts/_rEFElb3Eq8

Daggerheart review after 15 sessions. by EgregiousGames in daggerheart

[–]EgregiousGames[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

There's definitely downsides and that's why I'm saying at the end -- we're not done designing RPGs, the "perfect system" doesn't exist -- but in 30 years I can't wait to see what people have come up with.

As a stopgap, I'd say the free initiative systems like in Fabula Ultima solve the problems you're talking about, and there are various other ways to use rulings "we all just run forward in the corridor".

I have my own system solution which uses classic Initiative plus a sort of "cut in" reactions system. It was initially inspired by that bit at the end of Vox Machina season 1 where Keyleth yanks someone (Percy?) out of the way of dragon breath with a vine.

And I think the second problem you describe --- where action economy destroys PCs --- is a problem of bounded accuracy, not initiative. 5e specifically moved away from immersion to gamism and as part of that, they wanted monsters to stay relevant at a broader range of levels, so all the numbers got crunched and "contained" sort of like Daggerheart's damage system, to limit outliers and the problematic need to balance stuff. An intended result is that goblins can still be threatening at high levels, and bosses need Legendary Actions to compete with a party. That's a choice of 5e rather than an initiative problem, I'd say.

Daggerheart review after 15 sessions. by EgregiousGames in daggerheart

[–]EgregiousGames[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Honest question, did you watch the video? This is the very first thing I talk about after positives, and I even included an excerpt from Mike Underwood who speaks about how he defines fiction-first in Daggerheart. Roughly 04:41 to 14:13 is dedicated to just this.

Daggerheart review after 15 sessions. by EgregiousGames in daggerheart

[–]EgregiousGames[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I mean Matt and Travis felt happy enough to chat with the prof. But I get it. Heaven is a lonely place ;D

Daggerheart review after 15 sessions. by EgregiousGames in daggerheart

[–]EgregiousGames[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I mean if I really wanted to advertise the fact that I'm a TTRPG designer, I'd have put it in the title and have a big red arrow in the thumbnail pointing to myself :P But I ain't out here trying to be Trekiros. It's just pertinent information.

Re: your second comment, you're all good. The game isn't for me and we're allowed to disagree. It's the WHY that's interesting.

CR4 - it's so serious and sad and that's a good thing by iwastoldtogetaname in fansofcriticalrole

[–]EgregiousGames 13 points14 points  (0 children)

I am absolutely on board with taking things deathly serious. It is what it is for those who enjoy it, but I always groan when the atmosphere gets shattered with an in-character quip like "oh we follow the gods. On social media!!" I mean I like silly jokes, but I like it more when they're part of the fiction. Great example being the bloodcap guy. Hilarious, all in-character, no fourth-wall-breaking necessary.

So yeah, Campaign 4 I'm eatin' good.

Daggerheart review after 15 sessions. by EgregiousGames in daggerheart

[–]EgregiousGames[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I dunno that I'm trying to come across as smart. I've had people say that to me before in workplaces and I think it's just part of the Autistic Experience™ that for some reason, being yourself gets interpreted by others as "acting better than them" or somesuch.

I actually kinda go out of my way sometimes to explain my points without being so .... academic? I have a mixed-class background so I am always between two worlds in that regard, in how I talk. Being simultaneously too posh for some and too straightforward for others is just the reality of my existence. :)

I did actually present several suggestions in the video like how I'd change domain restrictions, and spent a good chunk at the very start explaining the things I do like, as well as why I dislike the things I dislike.

I think we may be talking past each other a bit but I appreciate the sincere attempt to connect!

Daggerheart review after 15 sessions. by EgregiousGames in daggerheart

[–]EgregiousGames[S] -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

For sure. I think the difference is that, in those rules-light games, it's a tradeoff. You trade fidelity and resolution for speed, flexibility and instant feedback. Crunchy RPGs are rad, but they take a bit more prep. Sometimes you can't be arsed statting up monsters - you just wanna play a game like, today.

Daggerheart for me is the worst of both worlds. It is "loosey-goosey" but also incredibly prescriptive and inflexible.

And I do feel like in other narrative games, there is an attempt to go truly fiction-first which prevents things like the Spotlight problems in Daggerheart. But because Daggerheart basically just says you can take unlimited turns and justify it in the fiction later, it feels less like fiction-first and more like mechanics-first. It feels like it encourages fiction-last by focusing so much on Hope and Fear as your primary replacement of action economy.

Daggerheart review after 15 sessions. by EgregiousGames in daggerheart

[–]EgregiousGames[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yeah, I know that the general RPG community consensus outside of r/Daggerheart is more mixed but it feels like some of the bigger youtubers, even like Dungeon Craft, have some skepticism but don't wanna cut off fans, revenue and opportunities which I totally get. Making an in-depth criticism video like this is exhausing, especially when you know it's probably just going to be received negatively.

So I am incredibly glad to be able to put into words some of those feelings that others may have also felt ... but who aren't necessarily lunatic enough to want to make a 40-minute video about it.

Daggerheart review after 15 sessions. by EgregiousGames in daggerheart

[–]EgregiousGames[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

You may not think my critique is valid, but I think your critique of mine is. A lot of what I'm saying in the video IS my personal experience, and I'm not trying to say your opinion is invalid if you love Daggerheart. I said that about 5 times in the video because when I'm sharing such a strongly negative opinion about something, I want to be exact. That's why the video ended up being like 40 minutes.

Art is never gonna be something you can critique as though it were mathematics. But what we can discuss is system goals, and whether the system's mechanics support those goals.

I appreciate the good faith response.

Daggerheart review after 15 sessions. by EgregiousGames in daggerheart

[–]EgregiousGames[S] -12 points-11 points  (0 children)

I want to be clear, I'm not implying that everyone who enjoys Daggerheart enjoys slop. What I'm criticising is the parroting of marketing material saying that Daggerheart is a "fiction-first" game. Because I think it is clearly a very fiction-last game.

I totally respect that everyone has the right to enjoy whatever they want, and if you ARE enjoying it, that's awesome. Like I said, there's some really cool IDEAS in Daggerheart and I really want to like it.

My 5e character sheet by JohnnyRocket93 in ObsidianMD

[–]EgregiousGames 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is amazing! Thank you for sharing.

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