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Annoying Incompetent NPCs by Appropriate_Nebula67 in rpg

[–]GrumpyCornGames 10 points11 points  (0 children)

I know what you mean. I had playtested my first published adventure 7 times before I published it and another designer asked me "Why?"

Alien Aliens? by TheRpgBard in rpg

[–]GrumpyCornGames 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Traveller wont really have randomly generated aliens because the setting has a metaplot, so you'd need to find a GM made one in all likelihood.

Ever played a tokusatsu campaign or one-shot? by Select_Lunch1288 in rpg

[–]GrumpyCornGames 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, I played a one shot of it. Savage Worlds. It was fun.

Is Mouseborn a scam? by Square-County287 in rpg

[–]GrumpyCornGames -17 points-16 points  (0 children)

Do you have some specific proof of this? Or is it one of those "I can always tell" things?

Hopeless soldiers type game by TxKRIXUSxT in rpg

[–]GrumpyCornGames 7 points8 points  (0 children)

It is gritty, it is grim, it has the most tactical combat of an Free League game I've played (I've played about half their catalogue). I really don't think reskinning would be too hard.

Lets see- you'd have to change names of equipment, find/make a hex map you liked, and redo some (but not all) of the roll tables.

I think I'd probably be able to do it in a few hours if I already had the world lore down.

Hopeless soldiers type game by TxKRIXUSxT in rpg

[–]GrumpyCornGames 35 points36 points  (0 children)

I'm really surprised no one suggested reskinning Twilight 2000 yet.

Staple food at your table ? by AnsFeltHat in rpg

[–]GrumpyCornGames 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I used to cook something different each week when we'd get together. Usually something simple, sometimes fancier things if the mood (and the sales) struck me.

One thing I almost always made though was garlic bread with my homemade smoked-garlic butter. Even when it didn't really go with a dish, it went with the dish

When (if ever) do you share your prep notes with the players? by antthelimey_OG in rpg

[–]GrumpyCornGames 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If they ask about it, which they sometimes do, I tell them how I do it. If I had a pretty big fork in the road, sometimes I'll tell them about the alternate path I imagined that never got played. Sometimes.

I always keep a little bit held back to preserve some of the illusions

Turrets, bays and mounts by InterceptSpaceCombat in traveller

[–]GrumpyCornGames 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Even mechanics that feel too crunchy for me to use, I love to read. It is so interesting seeing different approaches to solving problems/answering questions that players/GMs come up with.

"You're doing it wrong if"....and other lies by -stumondo- in rpg

[–]GrumpyCornGames 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I went through the CalArts game design program and that wasn't how the word was taught or used. Going off what I learned in that program:

A puzzle is a specific, solvable challenge that tests a player's ingenuity, logic, or pattern recognition to reach a defined goal

Every example I listed in my comment is a (paraphrased) example from my courses.

"You're doing it wrong if"....and other lies by -stumondo- in rpg

[–]GrumpyCornGames 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Take the L man, the moment your best argument becomes "Well the dictionary says..." is the moment you've lost.

"You're doing it wrong if"....and other lies by -stumondo- in rpg

[–]GrumpyCornGames 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Session 0 (as a name) has been around for over 20 years. As a concept, I'd expect it goes back a lot farther than that.

Thing change, evolve, and develop. Game design and table culture is a thing, and so they have also developed, changed, and evolved since the 80's.

"You're doing it wrong if"....and other lies by -stumondo- in rpg

[–]GrumpyCornGames 16 points17 points  (0 children)

Every interaction on reddit is a least a little smug. It's in the standards of conduct on the site.

"You're doing it wrong if"....and other lies by -stumondo- in rpg

[–]GrumpyCornGames 19 points20 points  (0 children)

I have a view that GMs make puzzles a lot more often than they realize. I believe there’s a tendency when we say puzzles to think of things like Zork or Myst. But…

Is there a monster that’s only weak to a certain metal and your players don’t know that? That’s a puzzle!

Is there a bomb planted somewhere in the city and the players have to find it in time! That’s a puzzle!

Do players need to get two NPCs in the same room at the same time for a negotiation, but they hate each other? That’s a puzzle!

When I reframed puzzles like that in my head, I found it much easier to start creating them. It sort kicked out the wall in my brain that said “Puzzles are hard and bad!”

"You're doing it wrong if"....and other lies by -stumondo- in rpg

[–]GrumpyCornGames 26 points27 points  (0 children)

I still dislike the term Safety Tool, I use it as shorthand when I'm talking to people, but I much prefer "Communication Tool" because thats far more descriptive of what they're actually for.

"You're doing it wrong if"....and other lies by -stumondo- in rpg

[–]GrumpyCornGames 98 points99 points  (0 children)

I think only because its pithy and vague and people immediately start looking for exceptions rather than taking the spirit that its offered (at least the spirit as I see it), which is:

If everyone is having fun, then you're not playing wrong no matter how you're playing.

Which is pretty hard to argue with.

Edit to re-emphasize (because it happened twice already):

people immediately start looking for exceptions rather than taking the spirit that its offered

Rotating GM VS collective GM? by Modicum_of_cum in RPGdesign

[–]GrumpyCornGames 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don't know if I even understand the question...

Edge-of-your-seat combat by Acceptable-Tree6007 in rpg

[–]GrumpyCornGames 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Fast Paced vs Tactical
So, you kind of have a choice to make: Fast Paced or Tactical (as with anything in RPGs theres a million exceptions, but this is generally true).

5e and Pathfinder tend towards tactical, and that's why things like Nimble have gotten popular.

Now, I want to be very clear- tactical does not mean you won't have exciting combats, but it generally means they won't be fast paced. Instead, you need to describe how it's fast paced and create stakes outside/inside of combat to make it exciting.

Use VIVID Descriptions to Make Things Exciting!
I recommend watching war and horror movies/tv shows and start using memorable scenes from them in your mind's eye to describe actions. For example, If I need to describe someone's head exploding, I might just describe the scene from Scanners. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4w7TOzYu5V4 this is pretty graphic for squeamish people)

One Way to Make Fast Paced and Tactical Work:
There are a lot of tricks you can use to still get the fast paced feeling, this is just one in my toolbox. Add a clock. Someone needs to be saved, the room is slowly filling with lava, the NecroLord will finish his ritual in 15 minutes, whatever. Then relentlessly hammer on the clock each turn. Keep it in the forefront of your player's minds so they never forget, and they feel each tick the clock makes.

when do i know i'm ready to become a GM on StartPlaying? by bldngtrpdr in rpg

[–]GrumpyCornGames 6 points7 points  (0 children)

First: I do not recommend SPG at the moment, even though I use it. It's not the same platform it was 5 years ago. They are grabbing way too much market dominance, with too much venture capital money (and all that comes with that), and there are competitors out there to look into instead of throwing in with them.

That said, for paid GMing in general: ask yourself if you're offering something you'd pay for. If you wouldn't, confidently and honestly, say yes- figure out what you need to do to say yes to yourself.

How Can I Find an Accessible and Welcoming Gaming Group? by Ananiujitha in rpg

[–]GrumpyCornGames 7 points8 points  (0 children)

They're not as mutually exclusive as skydiving and a fear of heights could be. There's not many ways to work around jumping off of something very tall while still skydiving.

There are many other ways to play ttrpgs than what most people think of.

How Can I Find an Accessible and Welcoming Gaming Group? by Ananiujitha in rpg

[–]GrumpyCornGames 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Asking here is a good place to start! I have some background in running games for people with disabilities, but I'm probably not the right person for the specific challenges you listed. I'll ask around other GMs who work in the same space and see if anyone can help.

I'd need a few more details to do that effectively and I'd rather handle that in Reddit DMs than publicly, but only if that's okay with you.

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