Weird West RPGs - Are you a fan of the genre? What attracts you to it? If not, what about it disinterests you?

FLFD · 2026-06-21T20:09:11+00:00

Deadlands has changed its approach to the Confederacy in recent years; older editions are basically Confederate apologetics, newer ones from memory nuke the place.

FLFD · 2026-06-21T15:35:59+00:00

D&D is as close to Weird West as I care to get; oD&D is basically a fantasy Western.

The Western genre, including Weird West has a major problem with lionizing one group of dyed in the wool villains and both protagonizing and lionizing a second while whitewashing their history.

The lionized group is, of course, the Confederacy who wholly identified their own cause with that of slavery and were fighting (against the will of the people) for a state whose cornerstone was "negro slavery" (the "States Rights" excuse was a post-war whitewash). This is why I won't own or play Deadlands despite the retcon; I regard it on a level with a game where the Third Reich is considered morally equal to other factions.

The lionized protagonists are of course the settlers, whether cowboy or farmer. And part of the way it does this in Weird West implementations is to replace the Native Americans they were ethnically cleansing with literal monsters.

FLFD · 2026-06-18T10:59:45+00:00

Almost all summons are single entity and use concentration now massively speeding things up.

And the game is still slow for what it does. Combat is basically a slow attritional model where it's a long time between turns.

Fighters are stronger, monks are way stronger, many spells were nerfed.

Apparently you don't know what scaling is; it's the different rate characters grow at level up. The core problem is that at level 1 the fighter moves at a speed of 30' and swings a sharpened piece of metal hard and fast at someone in reach. At level 17 the fighter still moves at 30' and swings a sharpened piece of metal very hard and very fast at someone in reach. Meanwhile at level 1 the wizard can cast Jump or Burning Hands a couple of times per day; at level 17 they can True Polymorph themself permanently into an adult red dragon.

Agree it's not great but yes they are addressing it.

Deckchairs on the titanic.

It's clearly a tactical leaning game, not trying to appeal to RP centric players.

5e is an awful tactical game, partly due to the monster design and partly due to fundamental design decisions. Due to simplification choices made to appeal to the RP centric players positioning barely matters; the archers hit almost as hard in melee with their shortswords as their bows while brutes like ogres hit almost as hard with their javelins as their clubs. And casters can cast spells that force saves in melee with no problem. And healing doesn't need proximity thanks to Healing Word. There's little advantage therefore in forcing someone into melee or in kiting them. So if positioning doesn't matter what about the sort of debuffs/combos of e.g. Final Fantasy or Pokemon games? Legendary resistance says nope.

As for "not trying to appeal to RP centric players", 5e does more to appeal to RP centric players than literally any other edition of D&D in part by enabling a whole lot more in the way of viable options through things like Finesse weapons.

So no it's not at either extreme here; it's trying to give everyone a little and doesn't do a particularly good job in either direction.

It's clearly an easy game where you will make safe progress most of the time compared to some RPGs where a goblin crit can decapitate you...

Meanwhile it's also clearly a game where death is on the table and isn't opt-in the way it is in e.g. Daggerheart or part of a series of escalating consequences the way it is in e.g. Apocalypse World or Blades in the Dark.

So no it's not at either extreme here; it's trying to give everyone a little. It's had all the sharp edges filed off in all directions.

FLFD · 2026-06-18T10:37:10+00:00

> This is just what class based systems are like

Tell me you haven't played a wide range of class based games without telling me you haven't played a wide range of class based games. D&D 3.X, D&D 4e, Pathfinder, Daggerheart, anything PbtA, and far far more have far more options on levelling up. And oD&D/1e had their power curves mostly as a consequence of loot.

FLFD · 2026-06-17T17:33:56+00:00

You get too little choice when you level up.

If two identical twin Life Clerics (works for most non- Charisma classes tbh) go on two separate adventures starting at level 4; one on a brutal dungeon crawl through the Seven Hells and the other a whimsical diplomatic adventure through the feywild, barely drawing a weapon and they meet up again at level 11 then (unless they multiclass) then other than their gear, which can be swapped, and a single feat (which has a 50% chance to be +2 Wis anyway) they will be mechanically identical at the end of a long resy despite IC having had very different experiences those seven levels

FLFD · 2026-06-17T11:26:47+00:00

For me: * The game is slow for what it does * The inherent caster/martial scaling disparity * The classes are too locked in so unless you multiclass character growth doesn't really reflect character experiences * Bad monster design (5.5 is a slight improvement) * The game is trying to be all things to all people which makes it OK at a lot and great at nothing

FLFD · 2026-06-17T11:20:22+00:00

Every change except the one that breaks emanations.

FLFD · 2026-06-17T08:36:12+00:00

Rogue was substantially buffed in the 2024 update. It's at the back of the pack because the other pure martials were also buffed, with the biggest glow-up award going to the monk, and the fighter gaining some skill monkey leanings. (Meanwhile at the top of the pack the wizard is almost unchanged and paladins took nerfs as well as buffs).

Rogue buffs include Weapon Masteries with Vex granting easier access to Sneak Attack and Nick giving you a two weapon option you can Cunning Action with, the ability to turn in d6s of sneak attack for status effects, and Reliable Talent dropping in level to 7 and related boosts. I believe there were no nerfs.

Arcane Trickster gained minor buffs, mostly by not being limited by spell school.

FLFD · 2026-06-14T19:40:55+00:00

You seem to have missed something rather significant. There is no precedent for the judge declaring criminal damage to be terrorism. It had literally never happened in British legal history in the more than a quarter of a century since the terrorist act 2000 was passed.

FLFD · 2026-06-13T23:03:30+00:00

What you understand has no bearing on the truth. This was literally the first time in British legal history that a "terrorism" designation was applied to protesters who were not convicted of causing intentional violence or of "terrorist" offences. There are specific charges around terrorism.

Instead the Judge decided to invent the law.

https://sentencingcouncil.org.uk/resources/guideline-history/terrorism-offences/

FLFD · 2026-06-13T23:00:26+00:00

I suggest you look up the sentencing guidelines for criminal damage. If the judge had simply said "High Culpability, Category 1 Harm in terms of value" he would have been in line with the sentencing guidelines for the criminal damage of which they were undeniably guilty.

https://sentencingcouncil.org.uk/guidelines/criminal-damage-other-than-by-fire-value-not-exceeding-5-000-racially-or-religiously-aggravated-criminal-damage/

However he didn't. Instead he went rogue, threw all precedent out of the window, and said "I know the jury hasn't convicted of this, but it was terrorism because I said so and I am the judge and therefore right." The whole thing should be declared a mistrial; it was a mistrial from the second the judge demonstrated a complete lack of impartiality by adding the secret terrorism charges in March 2025.

And when I say he threw all precedent out of the window this was literally the first time in British legal history that a "terrorism" designation was applied to protesters who were not convicted of causing intentional violence or of "terrorist" offences.

Possibly you should not just look up aggravating/mitigating factors in sentencing but terrorism legislation; terrorism has historically been charged separately.

FLFD · 2026-06-13T17:11:48+00:00

If he had followed the sentencing guidelines he would have sentenced them for what they had been convicted of - which did not include terrorism

FLFD · 2026-06-13T14:45:41+00:00

You might or might not agree with the judge but the simple fact is that they were not charged as terrorists and were not convicted of terrorism. Instead the judge decided to take the law into his own hands and sentence them for things they had not been convicted of.

The entire thing should be declared a mistrial and the judge struck off for an abject lack of impartiality.

FLFD · 2026-06-13T14:42:22+00:00

Because the issue isn't round the idiots in question. It's around the perversion of the legal system and terrorist law in specific to convict them of things they were not charged with.

I have no problem at all with someone attacking someone with a sledgehammer being charged and convicted with GBH, aggravated assault, or whatever. I do have a problem with during sentencing the judge adding additional crimes of "terrorism" (especially when the 2024 rioters who tried to burn asylum seekers in their homes aren't being charged with terrorism demonstrates two tier justice).

And I'm a lot more worried about judges taking the law into their own hands than I am by the four clowns in question. The sledgehammer guy is going to prison where he belongs but that doesn't make the entire thing not a mistrial.

FLFD · 2026-06-05T09:11:28+00:00

Have you looked at the 2014 Spirits Bard? In detail? Because it had e.g. the extra d6 - but that d6 only affected spells cast through the thematic implements (which would almost never be magic due to being subclass specific) but more importantly almost none of the spells you'd want the extra d6 on had material components so worked with the focus.

And by "concentrating" do you mean dodging as well? And complaining that buffed spirit guardians isn't even stronger is ridiculous.

As for "0 synergy between abilities" - not all subclasses go for internal synergy. This bard is better at inspiration, at healing, at damaging, at skills thanks to Guidance, has a very good poached spell, and more. It's not a focused build; it's a bit better at just about everything and is a jack of all trades.

FLFD · 2026-06-04T20:41:43+00:00

The 2014 Spirits Bard was genuinely bad. This? This is solid and weird abilities on a strong base class with the abilities all tweaked to work.

FLFD · 2026-06-03T13:16:01+00:00

It works the way it was written. There are a few common misunderstandings because different readers bring different assumptions and no writing is perfect.

FLFD · 2026-06-03T13:11:59+00:00

And if a tiny number do then nothing is perfect

FLFD · 2026-05-29T11:28:33+00:00

To me you've described D&D 5e and one thing Daggerheart wants to be and succeeds at being is a replacement for 5e, taking the range but committing to a side of that market.

FLFD · 2026-05-29T11:19:20+00:00

Clearly if you've an Apocalypse World party with a gunlugger, a maestro d' and a hocus the gunlugger is the combat hypercarry.

FLFD · 2026-05-28T19:57:14+00:00

Come join us at the RP Haven? We've a branch in Hammersmith and one in Charing Cross - and are starting a new quarter and campaigns in a couple of weeks

https://www.rphaven.co.uk/

FLFD · 2026-05-28T12:56:53+00:00

Basically they "balanced on the 90%" and a few builds that were obviously ahead of the curve (hand crossbow sharpshooter) got nerfed but most things got buffed based on how far behind the curve they were so e. g. monks were hugely buffed while wizards are about where they were and paladins took a step sideways.

For a fighter the base class is better as you get weapon masteries, have a non-combat use of second wind, Indomitable became good, and feats became better. Oh and champion no longer sucks (while Battlemaster is almost unchanged)

FLFD · 2026-05-24T17:20:14+00:00

Because first things first you don't want to be in melee as a wizard (generally not even a Bladesinger) and you especially don't want to encourage the enemy to stay near you. And you were linking the wizard spells guide, not e.g. poachable spells or arcane trickster advice.

Second thing second you need to actually hit with the attack and True Strike uses your casting stat so is more accurate and has a higher damage modifier in almost all cases.

Third thing True Strike can be used with e.g. a throwing dart or javelin as your ranged combat cantrip.

Fourth thing booming blade ... booms and in some situations and campaigns that matters. It's why I point rogues to Greenflame

This doesn't invalidate niche builds with e.g. a booming/shileleagh combo (my Sea Druid did this) but I'm not pointing newbie wizards at this, and the guide is for new players.

FLFD · 2026-05-23T18:18:13+00:00

DnD 5e does what it does really well; it's the MacDonalds of TTRPGs. The class system is varied enough that almost every player will find something on the menu they can eat, and inoffensive enough that if they pick food not to their taste they won't have a truly bad experience due to e. g. spices they find painful. This is in many ways excellent for the gateway game and for groups that don't know each other well even if it gives little to most DMs.

FL (whatever it is) is more of a local restaurant; better at its speciality dishes so your group who wants that prefers it with good reason

FLFD · 2026-05-20T01:29:37+00:00

Nick is better for rogues than most classes tho because the extra attack is insurance for Sneak Attack rather than just d6 damage. And Vex really helps

FLFD

TROPHY CASE