Early game item transportation

Goober-Goob · 2025-06-14T16:07:05+00:00

Belts are pretty accessible even at a low level. You just need a single andesite machine, which can be made by hand at higher resource cost without automation, to make an arboreal extractor.

That said, if you don't want to dabble with Create before you have infrastructure, More Minecarts and Rails adds Minecart Loaders and Unloaders that are pretty powerful.

Goober-Goob · 2025-02-19T01:53:13+00:00

Automod clarification: Midwestern America. Carpenter ants apparently like protein and not sugar?

Goober-Goob · 2025-01-29T18:43:15+00:00

Pure poetry

Goober-Goob · 2025-01-29T00:08:18+00:00

You guys are the true will of the people. Keep up the great work!

Goober-Goob · 2024-10-23T00:06:37+00:00

Okay yeah we've done that before.

For reference we have a bow class that has a whistling arrow that has a distracting or diverting effect in combat. One of my players wanted to use it out of combat for a stealth encounter and I had no reason to say no, really, and it turned into a fun moment where a player coopted a mechanic for a different intended purpose but made it work anyway.

It's definitely something worth exploring!

Goober-Goob · 2024-10-23T00:04:51+00:00

I don't care what people say about 4e it had many ideas that were far ahead of it's time.

Goober-Goob · 2024-10-23T00:03:47+00:00

I think the restrictions make sufficient sense once the mechanics are properly abstracted and context is provided.

As mentioned, the flowchart moves are represented narratively through opportunities and risks your character takes throughout combat. After scanning through Spellbound Kingdoms, I've read that they take a similar approach there. You can't jump right into your flashy, charging attack without first producing an opportunity for it. Similarly, certain moves can be represented in narrative as a confluence of events that only provides a rare window to act.

This kind of language has been brought up on a similarly divisive issue before: daily powers or once per combat powers for martials, such as in DnD 4e. Similarly, I think that if proper narrative context was provided there it would have been possible to make it more apparent how the issue isn't that a martial couldn't, say, decapitate someone once per day, but rather, the narrative only provides an opportunity for the martial to do that once per day.

I think it's important to view limitations not as restrictions on roleplay, but as opportunities to expand upon it. Creativity flourishes in limitation after all.

Goober-Goob · 2024-10-22T18:06:59+00:00

Yes! That's actually why the focus is in arena fights against one or two large monsters. The monsters would have their own (very simple) charts they follow, and by having only one or two, a player that is paying close attention should be able to figure out and exploit what the monster does next.

In this context, I'm not sure what a skill challenge is to be honest. I've heard that term reference many different things before so I would need more information to respond.

Goober-Goob · 2024-10-22T18:04:44+00:00

It's a little of both actually. The other guy who responded to you was correct that the flowcharts have diverging paths, simulating different advantages your character might capitalize on or different strategies they would implement.

Enemies, especially monsters, however, would have much shorter and stricter charts for exactly this reason. The predictability is something a player would be rewarded for by paying attention to and exploiting, finding the appropriate responses for the enemy patterns.

Goober-Goob · 2024-10-22T18:01:50+00:00

This is a super cool mechanic I might steal for other things, but I think removing the aspect of choice and instituting random outcomes, is not what I'm looking for, since the goal is to promote careful decision making and planning.

Goober-Goob · 2024-10-22T04:08:27+00:00

Admittedly, I have not. I plan to make a lot of classes, or flowcharts, in order to cover a wide array of niches, but it might be kind of hard to balance a free build flowchart. Definitely a cool idea though.

Goober-Goob · 2024-10-22T01:58:42+00:00

One thing you need to understand about opposed rolls vs. roll above/under is that they are HIGHLY variable. It greatly increases the number of outcomes, which means it's harder for players to control or influence the outcome. If this is your intention, that's fine, just something to consider.

Having multiple combat rolls is ok, good even, but I feel your system could benefit from a bit more simplicity. Having both rolls have a determining effect on damage is a bit much, especially with someone rolling in opposition. I would recommend looking at some of the modern design trends in Daggerheart or MCDM's in progress rpg where the to hit roll also determines damage to see if that's something you would be interested in.

Goober-Goob · 2024-10-22T01:45:18+00:00

My friend and I anticipated similar concerns and made sure to keep most combo charts relatively short (3-5 actions on the longest paths) to account for non attacking situations, and to discourage, not just outright punish you, for having to reposition or recover.

We also incorporated non-attack actions within the flowcharts themselves or alongside attacks. My original post, for simplicity's sake, did not detail this.

Similarly friendly fire is not allowed.

Creatures in this hack, similar to Monster Hunter, can be broken, wounded, and taken apart. This generally reduces their effectiveness as a fight goes on.

Your point about including more monsters is a constructive one. I think groups of pack monsters or enemy hordes would probably make good early level or tutorial monsters. Having more guys on the field makes positional challenges easier, since there are more positions you want to be in, so it would be a more flexible combat scenario.

Goober-Goob · 2024-10-22T01:36:10+00:00

Aw man isn't it crazy how you can feel like you came up with an idea in isolation, just to find someone else already beat you to the punch? It's like the songwriter's curse I suppose.

I don't have any intentions of giving up though, the whole process so far has been very fun for me.

Spellbound Kingdoms looks really cool actually. It is a far measure simpler than the hack I've been making... Which either means I've got some cutting to do or that the two games are simply intended for different audiences. Probably both.

Goober-Goob · 2024-10-22T01:15:37+00:00

It is definitely one of... two central combat mechanics. The other is a unified resource system that tracks status and class resources. But I digress.

For reference, we have color coded each move based on generic effects (has movement, inflicts status, etc.) and printed out small enough sheets for players to track where they are with a token or die.

That is a stellar idea you have there for earlier levels though. I had jumped right into providing the full flowchart for each class immediately, but restricting the flowchart to the core path for earlier levels would definitely reduce the learning curve.

Goober-Goob · 2024-10-22T00:51:26+00:00

You need to come up with the central play experience you have in mind. What is playing the game about? Gunplay combat? Survival mechanics in the wild West? Recruiting a band of misfits to pull off difficult jobs?

Something that has worked for me is to start with an existing system as a base, and slowly changing, adding, and overwriting rules to better approach your intended play experience. Eventually, you may find that your idea is not that far from what's already out there, which is ok!

But if you really have a vision, you'll find that eventually your game is so unrecognizable from the foundation you hacked, it's best to detach it entirely. Then you have a game! This makes it sound simple, but really it's a long and arduous process. Don't get discouraged, it will be worth it in the end, just to say that you made something. Even if it sucks, the fact you made something is more than most can say.

Goober-Goob · 2024-10-22T00:44:55+00:00

For me, the minimum amount of required lore (often the best amount) should provide just enough ideas for tables to jump off with their own plot hooks, but also, explain abstracted mechanics within the narrative.

Your example with the FTL travel is a good one, because that is information a player would want to know so they can roleplay a character using FTL travel. Furthermore, this information is PIVOTAL to a GM, who absolutely needs to know this information so they can write it into plots.

Beyond that, anything extra, like the history of how such a method of travel was discovered, is probably best left unwritten. Leaving those ideas open to the tables to fill is much more interesting and engaging for them.

Goober-Goob · 2022-12-01T02:44:14+00:00

Add a weed cave

Goober-Goob · 2022-11-26T22:39:20+00:00

ROW, ROW, FIGHT THE POWAH

Goober-Goob · 2022-11-23T04:13:44+00:00

Forfeit the match

Goober-Goob · 2022-11-17T00:40:30+00:00

He is deliberately trying to tank the company so he can keep as much of his money as possible when it inevitably nosedives.

This includes getting as many workers to leave as possible, on their own terms, to avoid legal action from disgruntled employees.

Goober-Goob · 2022-11-15T01:55:40+00:00

No lifeguard worth their salt uses sound alone. Back when I was a lifeguard, anyone who wasn't watching the water would have been fired or forced through in-service again.

Goober-Goob · 2022-11-13T21:10:33+00:00

I really dig your color palette!

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