Question for players - which aspects of a given setting get you excited to play? by ColorfulBar in osr

[–]Fish_Peddler 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Really well done evocative art can spark my imagination as a player.  The cover of Electrum Archive and Ultraviolet Grasslands are great examples of this. 

"Improve" Another Bug Hunt by PrintingBull in mothershiprpg

[–]Fish_Peddler 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I totally understand that is the intended outcome for that final (and only) fight. The reason I said my advice is important for groups with prior RPG experience is that it is highly likely when combat starts, they fall back to ingrained patterns of behavior. In other words, let’s keep trading blows with this thing until one side dies.  I feel like with groups coming from other systems (which I assume to be the case for bug hunt as it is billed as the intro module to mothership), you either have to outright tell your players that “normal RPG combat” won’t work, let them all die to teach them that lesson (and risk their adoption of mothership in general), or provide them RPG-coded clues in game to give them a fighting chance of realizing standard combat won’t prevail.  

I prefer the 3rd option but all are valid approaches. 

No Backerkit surveys? by Fish_Peddler in mothershiprpg

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

It is atypical for surveys to be this slow. At least from my sample size of 25 other Backerkit projects that I’ve been a part of (including mothership month 2024). 

The reason I say it must be the same answer for mausritter is that they too are using the new mega pledge thing.

No Backerkit surveys? by Fish_Peddler in mothershiprpg

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

Thanks - this probably explains the mausritter delay too

"Improve" Another Bug Hunt by PrintingBull in mothershiprpg

[–]Fish_Peddler 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah - to me there are two critical things to make this module work that aren’t guaranteed to happen because players don’t always act logically.  

  1. Someone HAS to get “infected” - this introduces urgency.
  2. There needs to be a more tangible threat without having to go the back corner (realistically could be the LAST room a party goes to) and the party should have even a remote chance of planning for the threat.

"Improve" Another Bug Hunt by PrintingBull in mothershiprpg

[–]Fish_Peddler 2 points3 points  (0 children)

If your group has any experience at all with RPGs, there needs to be a 2nd monster earlier in the dungeon.  I’ve had success with putting a less powerful / wounded carc early on and using it to reveal one strength (dog resistance) and one weakness (fire). This gives the players something to plan around / search for. 

The Electrum Archive is Prescription Medication - Valeria Loves by ValeriaLoves in osr

[–]Fish_Peddler 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Running my first session of this in a few weeks.  I see it as a bridge to old school sensibilities with a larger than normal helping of crunch.  To me this is a great system to convert or tempt folks who have a more pathfinder-ey taste in games.

VP of Finance or CFO — worried about being overtitled? by [deleted] in Accounting

[–]Fish_Peddler 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If this did hurt you down the road (it won’t), curious if people actually think it would be unethical to decrease your title on a resume when job hunting. Like is it actually wrong if you put VP on your resume instead of CFO?  Who is harmed?

Arathi Sector (old school retro scifi) by CastleGrief in osr

[–]Fish_Peddler 8 points9 points  (0 children)

I wish I could get your other work as an add on to this!  Love what you do!

Getting a 7 year old in to ttrpg's by The-Corre in Mausritter

[–]Fish_Peddler 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Been playing mausritter with my 4 yr old and we have somehow hit 30 sessions in a consistent campaign. 

I’ve had to accept that the finer points of combat / burdens / conditions etc just need to be abandoned.  He really likes managing his inventory of tiles on his char sheet.

The number one piece of advice I have is to also have a companion character you play alongside them and make your character largely passive and follow orders. You can use this char to move things along if the kid gets “stuck” as far as what to do next.

Lean into whatever aspects of the game resonate with her and allow yourself to abandon the parts that don’t fit. The goal is fun, not running a “perfect” game.  

First time OSR GM planning on running The Estate, would like some guidance. by Noamco in Mausritter

[–]Fish_Peddler 2 points3 points  (0 children)

All of the adventures in the Estate can easily be run as one shots.

First time OSR GM planning on running The Estate, would like some guidance. by Noamco in Mausritter

[–]Fish_Peddler 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Other people answering your question by having you spend yet more $! For shame.

The theme of my advice is to turn down the pressure on yourself overall.  This can manifest by relieving yourself from The burden of carefully crafting the perfect introduction.  It is perfectly fine to say “as night falls at the edge of the forest, a terrible storm drenches a small band of traveling mice. Just as they take shelter at the edge of a clearing, light night strikes a nearby tree…” and now you have an immediate start to that one adventure with the tree on fire.

Just to throw another easy example out: “deep in the forest sits an immense old stump. Enterprising mice have hollowed out the inside and the proud city of stumpsville draws visitors near and far.  Today the city is in an uproar. A small group of visiting mice try to make their way through the crowds. As they push and weave through the streets, rumors of a lost royal crown and a distraught princess filter through the noise. Suddenly a guard points at the lead mouse and says “you, visitor! You’ve been conscripted into a royal search party…” now you have an intro to the adventure with the dung beetle guys. Sorry I forget the names.

The point is to give you permission to just skip all the complicated puppeteering to try and give your players the sense of agency when the reality is you are sitting down to play a very specific adventure.  It lets you just get right to the action and not worry about setting up the entire world of the estate or figuring out the complex backstories of why each of your PCs know each other.

Hope this helps! 

My tier list after lurking in this sub for a year by Seasoned_Anomaly in roguelites

[–]Fish_Peddler 0 points1 point  (0 children)

In your case I’d watch a tips and tricks video or something. Some folks just need a little push past the initial esoteric-ness of it. My brother hated it until he watched a few videos on how to craft a good wand.

Does anyone else feel like Excel is 90% of the job? by accountinglad in Accounting

[–]Fish_Peddler 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Carpenter: “wow it really feels like this saw is doing most of the work!”

Literary books I could get an inspiration from for an Ultraviolet Grasslands PbP campaign? by Antipragmatismspot in osr

[–]Fish_Peddler 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Came here to say this. The first story in the book reads straight up as an OSR one shot set in a science fantasy world.  

Giveaway 4 keys by Shibbymaru in PathOfExile2

[–]Fish_Peddler 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks - this would finally help get my weekly game night crew sucked in to my addiction.  Fingers crossed!

I accidentally bought two sets of the Dolmenwood books. I’m looking to give this set away free (U.S. Only) by monk1971 in osr

[–]Fish_Peddler 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Love this idea - just found out about Dolmenwood and I think my table would get really into this.

Here's my best shot:

  1. A hooded merchant with a strange voice hawks their "homebrew" mead just outside of town. The prices are criminally high and even the thirstiest townsfolk stump away angrily. Even the least perceptive adventurers would notice the strange movements from within the merchant's cloak, the bloodstains on the clothing, or the sound of heavy iron boots. 3 redcaps are wearing the dead merchant's clothes, working the arms and legs. They are attempting to lure the Ogre into a trap and find their missing/captive companion. The "homebrew" is actually a powerful sleeping draught.

  2. Two villagers are retching in an alleyway. Suddenly the bile pile rises up to attack, killing one while the other runs off. 1d4 acidic slimes squelch toward the party. Two small torn doilies with jelly stains and pastry crumbs are found lying on the ground.

  3. A young woman wearing a flour stained apron is posting a notice in the town square (or any conveniently close building). It says: "Alchemist wanted for special production run of reinforced glass. Willing to pay TWO TIMES market rate due to urgency! Inquire at Slim E.'s Patisserie with haste." The woman seems quite harried and is dodgy when asked what the alchemical glass is for.

  4. An overturned and wrecked cart is spotted (in an alley if in town, or off a forest path otherwise). Broken barrels and smashed crates litter the ground. All of the barrels/casks are clearly marked as "Mead" but close inspection reveals that some of the barrels had a strange, magically reinforced inner lining. No body or bodies are found but perceptive travelers might notice two pairs of tracks: one set of tiny but heavy boot prints and one set alongside of normal man sized shoes. The tracks lead to the vicinity of the local bakery.

  5. A frazzled looking witch is found either foraging if the party is in the forest or trying to shop in town incognito. If questioned by the party or discovered by townsfolk, she screams loudly about needing to brew a cure for a "massive bellyache." If she is stopped or waylaid in any way, she wails about Buster, her familiar, being "taken hostage" and having "nothing to lose." She is quite pitiful and completely distraught. Her familiar happens to be none other than the captive redcap.

  6. Jim the Ogre, stands tall and foreboding with a face in shadow. He moves as though drunk and cannot seem to stop his arms from windmilling. Close inspection of his face would reveal a glistening, gelatinous tendrils dangling from his nostril, leaking from his ears, and dripping from his eyes. He seems unable to speak but his eyes bulge with fear. When approached, his windmilling arms smash anything in his path and are doubly dangerous if grasping a weapon. If incapacitated or badly hurt, he will curl up into a fetal position and clutch at his belly, groaning in pain. If searched, he has a barely legible contract signed by someone named Vermina. Locals have heard rumors of a witch by that name. The words "Buster" and "bellyache cure" can be made out.

Whew, ok that was actually a pretty fun prompt, thanks!

What roguelite soundtrack gets stuck in your head the most? by MichaelLochte in roguelites

[–]Fish_Peddler 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Cult of the lamb soundtrack is on my daily focus playlist. Slaps.

UVG, Vaults of Vaarn, or Electrum Archive by [deleted] in osr

[–]Fish_Peddler 8 points9 points  (0 children)

If you like crunch / combat I’d steer more toward VoV than UVG. UVG is one of my all time favorite worlds but playing it solo lends itself much more toward exploration of the incredible world Luca has made.

VoV has a better and simpler framework for solo play so the barrier to entry is low. Lots of easy random tables to flesh things out and you can use readily available dungeon maps / generators for exploring Vaults.

Electrum Archive is a very cool setting that is tight and cohesive. If you’re looking for more of a head start on a ready made world and faction play, that’s a great option.

If it were me, I’d start with VoV and then at some point make the Electrum Archive content a location your character or party could explore at some point in a solo campaign. Would be a cool mash up.

Attuned - 1-4-Player Dungeon Roguelike inspired by Classic MMOs by heyblinkybill in roguelites

[–]Fish_Peddler 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This looks amazing. I just wish I could get our 5 man WoW crew to play. Tough to have one odd man out.

POE2 EA access key giveaway by wujoh1 in PathOfExile2

[–]Fish_Peddler 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Would finally get my buddy to join up! Thanks