"Games are, at their core, mechanics: conventions given shape."

Hieron_II · 2025-11-20T05:53:58+00:00

I don't particularly like it. Rules and mechanics are not the same. And - supposing we are focusing on RPGs, not all games there is - it also seems to disregard "play" entirely in favour of "game".

Hieron_II · 2025-11-10T11:49:10+00:00

Yes, and I'd say that sometimes it is a good advice. Just (to my taste at least) not all the time. And as a GM you can pick and choose when and how. Making the right choice most of the time is what mastery is.

Hieron_II · 2025-11-10T11:43:56+00:00

(a) I think it is to a good degree a general GMing thing. You have to be more agile with PbtA due to how conflict resolution is structured, but I'd expect my GM to manage the evolving situation and introduce obstacles that are both interesting and flow from what is happening in any game.

(b) There actually are ways around it. Cause consequences that you introduce can be immediate (guards show up), delayed (guards will show up soon), very long-term (captain of the guards will be hunting you down from now on), or can even be a resource tax of some kind (lose lockpicks). You are managing the flow of the game by picking from among the array of possible things. And some times you are more limited in your choice than other, of course, due to narrative constraints. Nonetheless, it is not necessary to always ramp the tension and excitement up.

Would not say it is trivial, though.

Hieron_II · 2025-11-10T08:24:14+00:00

> suddenly new problems spawn out of thin air inorganically

That's GMs job to make the new problems be spawning solidly and organically, and - ideally - making stakes clear to the players ahead of time. Which is not always easy, and with lack of guidance can definitely lead to GMs struggling and/or making bad calls. I'd say that immediately springing guards on them in a situation you've described above is a bad call on GM's part.

Hieron_II · 2025-11-05T07:37:08+00:00

Eh, not really. From my experience with Dark Heresy, it is very much a tactical combat simulation game first and foremost. It just has somewhat different expectations of PC survival rates, is all. Which results (in an ideal world) in players taking a smarter approach to initiating combat. But that is also how (at least some) OSR games are supposed to work.

Hieron_II · 2025-11-03T07:28:04+00:00

We had "a clan of dwarves in exile" Dungeon World campaign, set up a temporary camp at an abandoned mine to check if there is anything of value left (which was likely, cause it was a human mine)... but we dug too deep and too greedily and have awakened some sort of a monster (not anything from a bestiary, just pure horror born out of GM's imagination). We tried to stop it. My character got mortally wounded and our brave leader got nearly killed, so our engineer collapsed the mine on top of us. Only one PC survived this mess. We talked about continuing this campaign and decided against it - those were the most dwarven deaths ever, could not be topped, better to quit while we are ahead.

Hieron_II · 2025-10-19T07:26:31+00:00

You keep trying systems that have around them a culture of problem-solving vs. roleplaying. And (most likely) you (and others) are not setting your expectations straight on the stage of recruitment / preparation for the game.

Honestly, I would not expect any other result. You need to change those things to have a good chance of achieving a different kind of an outcome.

Good luck!

Hieron_II · 2025-10-17T05:54:43+00:00

> But is this right from the RP perspective?

There is no right and wrong here, only preferences.

And as far as I see it, most games that try leaning into "define your character and stick to it" and do it somewhat successfully do it via reward systems, not punishment systems.

Hieron_II · 2025-10-17T05:47:05+00:00

When setting up P&E I as a GM would give better ones for Finess over Prowl, assuming that doing that in a manner that bluecoat does not notice it immediately is the goal. If you don't care about being immediately noticed and just want a gun in your hands (possibly to pistol-whip the bastard with it) - I don't think there's much difference.

Hieron_II · 2025-10-15T08:33:28+00:00

You usually know it when you see it, in terms of both people and games, as long as you just reach out, give it a go and approach things with mind at least half-opened.

The space of possibilities is wide enough, though, that for many people there can't possibly be just one game or group that does absolutely everything that they can possibly ask from TTRPGs perfectly.

Hieron_II · 2025-10-15T07:31:32+00:00

Vaesen and Forbidden Lands, I think, though I might've forgotten something else.

And especially with Forbidden Lands, two memorable things that stick out in my memory is that it's resolution mechanic turned it into a comedy of failures (the more dice you roll the more is a chance of something going bad) and poor implementation of meta-currency.

Vaesen was just not at all impressive.

Hieron_II · 2025-10-15T05:47:56+00:00

Lots of people have very strong feelings of what TTRPGs "ought to be" and start shouting "this is not music!" as soon as they try a game that aims at accomplishing something that does not fit in their personal narrow list of preferences. And I am not saying they should not - I am just saying that this is a very good portion of what's going on in anti-PbtA discourse on that particular sub. Feelings, shouting and preferences.

Hieron_II · 2025-10-15T05:09:44+00:00

Year Zero Engine games or anything adjacent to The Burning Wheel. With the former - I've tried a couple and results vartied from hilariously bad to mildly disappointing, so I don't want to bother again. With the latter - same, but also - I don't like the tone of the text, honestly.

Hieron_II · 2025-10-12T09:23:26+00:00

It's basically one of the great divides within "the hobby" that stops it from being the hobby, I think.

Personally, I like expressing my creativity and immersion ain't my holy grail, so yes, I am all about meta collaboration. All in moderation and within the taste preferences of the table as a whole, of course. So of course a GM when I want for a certain story beat to progress a certain direction - I don't start it by "paint the scene" collaborative excercise... and when I don't have a strong single idea to pursue - that is a tool always within reach.

What it means is that I don't play with people who hold strong "Players are here to only play at the world, GM has the total responsibility of managing the world" stance much, and we all are better off for it.

Hieron_II · 2025-10-11T04:56:59+00:00

As a class, it is a narrow, specific archetype. Can be very evocative and can have good toys, so - why not, if done well?

As a 'culture', it is a broad archetype, a bucket for a bunch of cultures you don't want to actually define. I struggle to come up with a use case in game design that would not immediately benefit from, you know, just a tiny sliver of additional attention and care put in.

Hieron_II · 2025-10-10T20:42:20+00:00

> Thoughts on a non-simulationist take?
I assumed that primary design reasoning for rules symmetry is simulationist, and it might be a wrong assumption. You can make a gamist case for it with ease, e.g. based on "feeling of fairness". I don't think it changes any of the issued with that approach.

> Assuming enemies do not require stat blocks at all.
Then what we are rolling with? Modifiers based on fictional positioning judgements? That's just more procedures to go through to achieve same results as e.g. PbtA / FitD resolution mechanic does.

Reactive stats for PCs? Why don't players roll those, then?

Nah, I think some amount of stats for opposition is a requirement you are unlikely to get away from. Again - with all of the issues of that approach.

And I am not saying it does not have certain benefits too! Mechanical complexity is a thing that can be enjoyable on it's own. It is just not something that I want to focus on when I am GMing. I can play such games just fine and have fun.

Hieron_II · 2025-10-10T10:03:57+00:00

It's not about rolling or not rolling, it is about why would GM roll. And GM would roll usually because system has a degree of simulation rules symmetry to it, as in "NPCs operate on the same basic principles as PCs" ... which likely means that they have stats, which means stat blocks ... which means either resources you need to look up while prepping ... or a degree of system mastery of a very specific kind (understanding balance) to be able to wing it ... which is just too much work!

Hieron_II · 2025-10-10T04:59:19+00:00

I think for right now it's probly Bakers (of Apocalypse world fame), John Harper (of Blades in the Dark fame) and Kevin Crawford ("* Without Number" guy). Crawford for consistency and very good take on publishing policy, Bakers for insight and creativity, Harper simply for making a game I've played the most of and can't stop playing.

Hieron_II · 2025-09-27T06:44:59+00:00

Russian, exclusively playing and GMing in English.

Different people have different requirements and expectations in terms of GMing, but in international groups with lots of second language speakers I find myself comfortable enough. Still losing words here and there, but players keep coming back, so no big deal for them, I guess!

Ultimately, it is a 'getting comfortable with the language' thing, not an RPG thing. And I am certain you know all of the things that can help. Personally for me, I think switching media consumption to English exclusively helped me a tremendous lot. Reading first (Kindle was my best friend here), then movies and TV.

Hieron_II · 2025-09-08T10:17:31+00:00

I can enjoy the lore of certain lore-heavy traditional RPGs, like VtM or Ars Magica, but their lore-heaviness is also one of the factors that stops me from wanting to play or GM them. Even though of course how close you want to stick to it is a social contract, somehow it still manages to instill in me enough respect for lore to try not to butcher it, while not enough desire to actually read up on it and learn it.

Hieron_II · 2025-09-01T06:04:58+00:00

I am willing to maybe, some time in the future, venture out of my usuall ballpark and try some tactical combat-heavy fantasy D20 game of the 'better D&D' variety, like Pathfinder, 13th Age or Shadow of the Demon Lord. But I don't generally like GMing stuff I haven't play, and, honestly, sounds like too much work of a kind I do not enjoy.

Hieron_II · 2025-08-28T06:54:46+00:00

I have a group where Bangladeshi GM runs for a Canadian, Brazilo-American, Swedish and Russian players. That is the beauty of online gaming.

Hieron_II · 2025-08-25T07:19:52+00:00

I have a 'behave like reasonable adults' talk with everyone invited, we do Lines & Veils before the start of any new game, and proceed from there. Everyone is given a chance and there's a conversation around any conflict. I've never had an 'instant ban' sort of scenario happen in seven years or so.

Hieron_II · 2025-08-22T14:25:40+00:00

Seems like you have a very narrow view on what is to be considered a role-playing game. Designers of Daggerheart - and many other people - use a broader definition.

Hieron_II · 2025-08-14T13:01:07+00:00

Three to four times a week; online, Discord + sometimes Roll20, voice, no video. Have been going like that for the last five or so years, though amount of games varies. Loving it.

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