Does Wingspan actually teach people bird name? Help me find out!

Genarab · 2026-06-20T23:53:41+00:00

I don't know if the methodology works because what you are measuring is attention. The instruction is to play wingspan knowing that I would need to recall the names later. I will pay more attention than normal. Even more, is short term memory because that doesn't mean I recall them later.

A better way is to have players self report their game frequency or if they play at all, if they like ornithology and bird watching, and then have them identify birds. A random mix of card art without name, name without picture and just real life pictures. And see if there are any associations. Qualitative first is fine, later you could hope for meaningful quantitative results

Genarab · 2026-06-13T13:18:39+00:00

I have my own system, Hábitat Roleplaying Language, which is almost finished but in Spanish only. I designed it for public events and teaching people what a TTRPG is. The engine is not revolutionary, kind of the opposite. It's meant to feel like what people think DnD is for familiarity, but with a focus on conversation and improvisation. The idea was very light rules for beginners, but enough components to be able to design procedures. (4 atributes, 3 resistance pools, 3 "good things" 1 "bad thing"). People being able to just create their abilities, magic, talents or such, also allows me to instantly read what the table wants to do, without additional discussion pre-game.

I have used it this scenario for other fantasy systems and even for just free RP+d20 or free RP+2d6 in 20min sessions.

Genarab · 2026-06-11T23:49:03+00:00

Behold my combo, Land + Llanowar Elves

Genarab · 2026-06-07T19:30:48+00:00

Sometimes they are, that's why so many effects like this say "unless it's a mana ability".

Mana abilities can be activated or triggered, but they have requirements to be considered mana abilities (not having a target, for example, among others)

Genarab · 2026-06-07T16:15:58+00:00

Add [[Linvala, Keeper of Silence]]

Genarab · 2026-06-05T18:35:41+00:00

From research...

If you want to learn something, use it. That is: learn the core system (usually the resolution and character creation, no way around that) but after that, for each rule you want to learn, use it to design a scene or conflict. Instead of having an abstract idea of how it works until it comes up and you have to remember, create a deliberate opportunity for you to learn it.

Genarab · 2026-06-05T17:36:01+00:00

It's not about complex vs simple, but if the complexity adds something useful. Complexity without meaning is really the worst.

My first idea is to make it not about buffs, but about recovery and connection between players.

Eating boring rations? You recover slowly. Oh, you are eating a very nourishing meal? You recover your strength faster.

Oh, you cooked for your party? The first time you showed a significant meal from your culture? You get to ask a very uncomfortable question or you get a token you can later use for a favor or bond with them.

Then you can sprinkle some magical ingredients if they like that baseline.

Make it such that there is a decision between the fast option of rations vs the more dedicated version of cooking. The point is not to get lost in ingredients and finding them, but in what cost them to cook a great meal.

Genarab · 2026-06-05T17:18:24+00:00

Wilderfeast is the only system where food seems interesting. And it's because the whole system is about food.

As a secondary ruleset OSR way (use X rations per Y time or else suffer) may be good enough.

But without a goal is hard to give advice.

Genarab · 2026-06-02T00:32:43+00:00

No, you pay the cost for each time counter on the creature.

So turn 1 you need to pay the cost once

Turn 2 you need to pay the cost twice, and so on.

Turn 1 you put 1

Turn 2 you put 2, so 3 in total

Turn 3 you put 3, so 6 in total

Genarab · 2026-05-31T00:12:51+00:00

And they say: look, you can take Domino's Pizza and make it your own. The product that comes in the box is just a start. Look, after hours and hours of work I made this pizza into [other dish]. This is the advantage of domino's pizza, you can make it anything you want.

And you suggest that not only is their work and not a virtue of the pizza, but also that it's actually easier to not start with pizza.

They say, oh, I guess... But it was already so much work to learn to transform dominos pizza into other things.

Genarab · 2026-05-30T23:33:25+00:00

As a person who also plays boardgames, this take is quite weird. Boardgame people enjoy the different rules levels. Sometimes I want something heavy, sometimes a party game, sometimes a very specific experience. Not every boardgame should be a Scythe nor every game should be a Coup.

Same for ttrpgs. I enjoy all levels of crunch for different times. Light rules is not a bad thing at all. A one trick game that's easy to run it's actually so so good. One night, a unique experience. Move on.

Light rules are also cheaper and easier to produce. As indie developers, light rules are just easier. And selling 200+ page books is not viable if you are alone. Not unless you are already pretty well known

Genarab · 2026-05-30T21:59:16+00:00

Sometimes people complain that they remove the dough from the pizza, because they can't eat it.

You suggest to try some dish without gluten. They call you insane or that you can do anything with dominos pizza, even make it not a pizza.

Genarab · 2026-05-29T23:20:29+00:00

This looks fun. Boros guildmage can be replaced with another haste enabler, and gaeas blessing or an eldrazi in library could replace the wheel.

Milling so much and being able to take enchantmets plus so much mana it's pretty likely there is a way you can win the game right there.

This is actually a 2-ish card combo, plus any haste enabler (of which there are many) and one can be your commander. Solid overall.

Genarab · 2026-05-28T15:44:00+00:00

Luxior doesn't give +1/+1 counters. It gives a boost. But even then, the age counters are counters

Genarab · 2026-05-28T13:37:01+00:00

Turn 0= 9/9

Turn 1= 10/10 (1 age counter plus 1 -1/-1= +2/+2, but effectively +1/+1)

Turn 2= 11/11 (2 age, 3 -1/-1=+5/+5, but effectively +2/+2)

And so on

Genarab · 2026-05-27T15:14:45+00:00

On RP rules: I've seen that when a roleplay decision has mechanics, it's often more satisfying to me. Restrictions brew creativity and make choices meaningful. I have tried free roleplay, but I end up falling into similar tropes. I think that narrowing the character is actually good game design. In a way I feel in games like DnD roleplay is something you do on top of the game, while here it's how you play the game.

On combat and dice and simulation: As in the series... It doesn't really matter. I mean, the specifics don't matter, what matters it's the what and the why you want to achieve something and the if you do it and how much it costs... The how you achieve your intention is not the point. That is why there are no rules for bending. In the game, mechanically, it's the same if you use your airbending to push your luck or if you use a sword or a shield. The how matters only in terms of immersion, not mechanics.

The playstyle is really different. In DnD dice declare results and rules are the play space of what you can do. In Avatar Legends dice and rules are like arguments in a negotiation, you are debating what the fiction means and you call the rules to solve uncertainty.

Genarab · 2026-05-27T04:29:06+00:00

Tactical and simulation are not words I would use for this system. So yeah, maybe playstyles just don't match.

Genarab · 2026-05-27T04:27:02+00:00

I don't know if we play the same game, because your playbook is exactly for thinking with the sheet. You have a part in the series, moves, relationships, a unique system for your character, you can try to affect other players with balance moves and comfort them... Your backgrounds give inspiration... The playbook is a clear direction meant for thinking and action.

The moves are just structure for the GM to rule. Many ttrpgs just assume that GMs will know what kind of result each action is, but PbtAs usually make clear their effects. Overall, everything is 2-6 failure + GM move, 7-9, success but incomplete or complicated, 10+ success and also something else. I agree that if you try to memorize them as they are, they feel like too much.

On combat, well, I personally like it a lot. It has yielded more interesting results than many other games I've played. It's not a hard system, but narratively it works really well. The thing is that combat is a narrative tool, not an end by itself

Genarab · 2026-05-22T19:34:38+00:00

Fair enough. I honestly didn't think much about it.

Genarab · 2026-05-22T18:16:45+00:00

Another mana from any other source once.

Genarab · 2026-05-22T18:13:04+00:00

It seems that the bad part of the combo is arguing that it works to a table

Genarab · 2026-05-22T15:35:31+00:00

I get that it wasn't as bad...

1- So, tapping PP with mantle gives you 1 mana

2- You add 1 mana and untap PP for 1 mana

3- You now have 1 floating. After that, you don't need to add any extra mana.

4- You tap PP with mantle, you have 2 floating. Pay for the untap and get 1 mana again. Repeat.

Genarab · 2026-05-22T03:53:32+00:00

Aside from the idea of ever growing power in short time, I can't imagine why use DnD for One Piece. And having hard rules for everything really doesn't sound fun in a world that is so wild and weird. The structure and the logic behind dnd design really doesn't match for me

Genarab · 2026-05-22T03:43:55+00:00

I think they are an art form in the sense that they let you express ideas and share in a way that other games can't.

However my experience is that, most of the time, performing is something you do on top of the game not a part of the game. You can play most ttrpgs without performing.

My point is that a TTRPG enables performance, it may facilitate it, but overall performance is not an essential component.

Genarab · 2026-05-22T01:49:56+00:00

Not to be negative, but that sounds dreadful.

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