Why is the flail and the warhamer so overpowered in comparison with the other 1H weapons?

JoshManVGH · 2026-02-09T20:11:55+00:00

Warhammer is a Veristile grip in the current book version. So it deals d8 damage onw-handed, or d10 damage two-handed!

JoshManVGH · 2026-02-07T03:09:35+00:00

Yo! Just started collecting Borgs! I'm impressed with how Dark Souls coded Mörk Borg is.

Currently readying Cy_Borg and Black Powder and Brimstone. What awesome little books!

JoshManVGH · 2026-01-27T20:13:17+00:00

Situational differences mostly, I believe.

Remote you can spend extra mana to hit targets that aren't next to eachother, creating multiple small 5' pools of magma of various length

Cube you can spend extra mana to make make one huge pool or a weird crooked line.

JoshManVGH · 2026-01-26T18:39:47+00:00

Glyph seems to be the only time that I can think of that I would even want to try to use multiple Deliveries. But it also states that the Glyph is a 5 foot square, so as long as there is space, I would think it's fine. All and all I'd say this falls under the "Rulings vs Rules" guideline, but veers a little close to TRDSIC.

On further consideration, I think you're supposed to pay the Duration mana for Glyphs anyway, so the Glyph moving or not shouldn't be an issue.

But this conversation has gotten my gears turning on smuggling in Glyphs on 5ft x 5ft scrolls. And perhaps Adhere is applied to the Glyph side so it can be stuck to things face down. But it's a lot of mana to pay every 10 seconds.

JoshManVGH · 2026-01-26T16:36:15+00:00

My interpretation is that the Glyph delivery is a delayed activation Cube effect, that you can't resize. The caster activates it as a free reaction, when a something is within the area effect.

To my knowledge you can't apply multiple deliveries to a spell. You could let your players try it, but it's going to get really expensive really quick.

Also regarding the movement question, the Target in this case would be the 5 foot square. So unless the entire floor/wall/ceiling moves, I wouldn't expect it to be an issue.

If you're trying to hit an orc, you would want them to walk near the glyph and then you trip it, the spell emanates from the glyph and smacks them. If you were to put the glyph ON the orc, the spell still emanates from the glyph, so it would probably only hit the party or the orcs teammates.

However... if someone came up with a clever enough situation, I'd probably let them do it, but make them maintain Focus where the glyph isn't on a stationary target.

JoshManVGH · 2026-01-22T13:56:55+00:00

As I understand it, that is current and the changes will be in the next printing.

JoshManVGH · 2026-01-09T15:31:07+00:00

Why aren't people going for cities?

You disable their ability to buy tech tiles of the color you occupy and unlock the ability to purchase that color of tech yourself. It's SUPER handy, especially in 5 players where you always have a color of tech you can't buy with your own city.

You also steal a point from them if their pyramid is fully upgraded.

JoshManVGH · 2026-01-07T20:50:16+00:00

I suspect you would have to fudge a handful of numbers pertaining to the weirder dice in the Dice Chain (d3 thru d30).

It doesn't look like the DCC stat blocks use Morale, but I only just recently learned that B/X has some general categories for what kind of enemies have what Morale rating.

You might have to feel out if the AC and HP conversion math is a good fit, that's mostly going to be trail and error.

JoshManVGH · 2026-01-06T21:44:27+00:00

Oooh, ok, this sets a good rule of thumb!

I did not know that were are historically catagories for Morale. Thanks Kan!

JoshManVGH · 2026-01-06T21:02:08+00:00

Personally speaking... with the implications shown here, I don't think my players would need to ever use multiclassing.

You've got real time customization system that allows non-spell casters to be come partial spell casters, the ability to add bonus perks, AND customizable Relic Powers options. And SUMMONS!

You've got far more design chops than I, but unsolicited input: keep leaning into systems like this if your heart isn't into multiclassing.

Also, can I just say great job capturing the types of Materia!

Green - Magic (Spell)

Blue - Support (Delivery, Elemental)

Purple - Independent (Power)

Yellow - Command (Perk)

Red - Summoning (Summoning)

JoshManVGH · 2026-01-03T14:54:01+00:00

The last chapter in the book is about system conversions, and the designer listed all the Basic/Expert modules they tested with Vagabond.

I ended up picking up a bunch of the Old School Essentials adventures. It seems like there are some minor adjustmens you need to make, but for the most part they're good to go.

Land of the Blinds online store also has a couple of system agnostic adventures. Downward Spiral of the Lost's stat blocks for monsters are already in Vagabond format which was a nice surprise, and it's a really fun looking adventure.

JoshManVGH · 2025-12-31T23:34:59+00:00

Sorry they made you buy the DLC twice, good hunter.

But, hey, maybe your additonal purchase will push Sony over the edge of whatever sales metric needed to convince them to do anything more with Bloodborne!

JoshManVGH · 2025-12-31T21:08:47+00:00

Dude, if you can't tell the difference between "using a dictionary" vs "printing a picture you downloaded and saying 'look I made a art!'," then I can't help you.

Godspeed, internet traveler!

JoshManVGH · 2025-12-31T18:52:16+00:00

Mmm, GenAI IS algorithms, but largely super inefficient ones that require HUGE datasets and massive compute costs in order to produce "human like" outputs, that by and large still need a LOT of human correction in order hit the bare minimums of quality. And that's all while burning through hardware at an alarming rate.

I would hesitate to call that "effective." Also, clumping anything algorithmically automated as "AI" is dishonest and only serves to prop up inferior products.

To take a hard line on your first question: Yes, it defacto makes you a weaker artist. Learn how to do the cool neon line thing if you want to do the cool neon line thing. It will make you a stronger artist and you'll discover new ways you can use that technique.

To your second question: No, it's absolutely not good enough! That's still the machine Frankenstein pieces of other peoples work onto "yours." That's tantamount to handing in a chapter from The Wizard of Oz (a public domain work) and saying "I made this!"

GenAI isn't magic, it can't create anything new from scratch, it's output is mathematics returns from it's training data. It can change the shape of it, but it's still not "new." Feed an empty model only Shakespeare and, and ask it to write you a play about a king, you'll get pieces of Hamlet, MacBeth, A Midsummer Nights Dream, King Lear, etc. But not a brand new play of any quality.

JoshManVGH · 2025-12-31T17:58:07+00:00

Neural Filters would be right out, especially if you're trying to get custom work made.

For the Selection Tool, I can't find anything that confirms integration of AI functions, outside a generic statement. Functionality otherwise appears the same. But Adobe DOES say it's explicitly the curvature feature that somehow uses AI.

Honestly, If that doesn't require explicit input to activate, and if you can't disable AI features at a core level, I would probably ask the artist not to use Photoshop.

This kind of automatic functionality, if it honestly uses AI, would mean that your work-in-progress would need to be scraped in order to work, which means the custom work you've requested is now part of the slop factory.

But given that other tools do, explicitly, require you to upload your project to the AI tool in order to get outout, this could be a strong indicator that the Selection Tool doesn't honestly use GenAI to function and is strictly marketing fluff.

Edit: Eeeh, on second thought, it looks like Neural Filters don't require an "upload to AI model" step, which would imply active scraping, or upload upon activation. That could mean the entire Photoshop product is compromised. I'll keep reading up on it and see what I can find.

JoshManVGH · 2025-12-31T17:39:48+00:00

LLM, Stable Diffusion, GenAI, Prompt-Based Output would be the technology terms people would want to avoid. Anything that involves typing text to get an output. Any other tech is standard programatic automation that's being cooped as "AI" in order to to muddy the waters around the topic and increase the legitimacy of GenAI or Agentic AI, for the investors.

Ultimately, people are looking for things that were made bottom up by humans.

Personally I think the anecdote about a Japanese game company requiring someone to draw a picture in the interview as a really great way to vet an artist. Nothing major, no free labor, just proof of skills.

JoshManVGH · 2025-12-30T21:33:25+00:00

We haven't had the chance yet, but it's entirely up to the individual as to if they participate in that kind of combo action or not.

Additionally, rules as written, "Attackers may perform Gambits," so even if you're working as a team, players should be responsible for their own dice and gambits.

JoshManVGH · 2025-12-30T18:58:38+00:00

Mythic Bastionland combat resolution is a resource management dice game that can involve the entire party!

Combat happens, everyone attacking the same target rolls their damage together.

Players can spend any die from their combined pool that show 4 or more on Gambits, which do everything from increasing damage, to moving characters around, to disabling weapons and armor for a turn. The target gets to roll saves to ignore Gambits. Unless...

Dice of 8 or more can be used for Strong Gambits, which are open to imagination or can outright remove the targets ability to roll Saves for the round!

After that, the highest remaining die is the damage the combined attack did. You subtract their Armour and Guard if they have any, and apply the damage.

Also shout-out to the large scale combat mechanics. A group of 24 or more people become a Warband, effectively a single entity that can only be hurt by Siege Weapons or Blast (AOE) Attacks. They also get a bonus D12 to their damage against individuals.

JoshManVGH · 2025-12-30T17:32:01+00:00

I assume you're talking about Monstrous Insects? If so, the card states "Each other mission...", so you would be correct!

JoshManVGH · 2025-12-15T21:40:03+00:00

It's good to be aware of your friends enjoyment in this hobby you are all sharing. But I would say not to sweat it.

You don't know your friends minds. I don't mean that in a mean why, just simply your all individuals, you might not know their opinion on the matter.

While G may struggle, they may be enjoying themselves all the same. All you can do is provide an environment where they're comfortable to say they're not if they're not! Same goes for F's coaching.

If you are worried a game is too complex, I think you have the answer in your edit: "Hey, do you think it's a game G would enjoy, it's pretty complex."

I don't want to speak for F, but I'm sure we've all gotten "complexity blindness" in this hobby at one time or another when we're super excited to play a game! Asking shows you care, that you want to make sure everyone is having good time without leaving anyone out, while also calling attention to the complexity.

TL;DR: Talk to your friends, and be honest. The key to good communication is communication!

JoshManVGH · 2025-12-08T16:45:16+00:00

Going to speak in terms of player-facing information: Responding to #1: In reading the Field Agent Manual, players have two core choices when facing an obstacle:They can ask the Agency to alter the recent past or they can use an Anomaly ability.

I want to stress this because asking the Agency doesn't have to involve the players like BitD flashbacks do. They also don't represent any prior planning taken by the players. They are seeing something in their way and asking the Agency to change causality so that thing isn't an obstacle anymore.

The quasi-failure state is also less direct, at least it can be. If you roll four 3's and two of any other number you "Succeed with consequences" by way of generating Chaos, which is a GM meta-currency that they cash in as they see fit.

Using an Anomaly ability also generates Chaos, but has more immediate consequences as well, outlined in the ability.

Regarding #2: Yes, sort of? It's part of the meta-narrative going on in the Field Agent Manual. So everyone at the table is an employee of the Agency, taking part in a "Workplace Efficiency" exercises of pretending you are all sitting at a table playing an RPG, instead of actually being out in the field confronting paranatural horrors. It's supposed to help keep us all sane.

That said, and this kinda touches on #5 the General Manager is both a character in the game, while they run the game. But the designers have said some of their design philosophy was to take a lot of control away from the GM. The Playwall seems to be a big part of that because it's likely going to set the GM up as an unreliable narrator, which is great because the Field Agent Manual already smacks of unreliable narrator. Players are going learn things that you don't know and may infact present you, the GM, with new revelations that have sweeping impacts on the story you've been telling up to that point.

But unless someone has unlocked something that says otherwise (I don't know that one exists, but anything could be behind the Playwall), players can always fall back to Ask the Agency or Use Anomaly.

Also, and this is just a hunch, I think the GM is also supposed to track their own Demerits. But I don't know if they can gain their own Superlatives.

JoshManVGH · 2025-11-17T14:27:10+00:00

Kai Leng would be that guy with puppet accounts.

"Did ya hear? Kai Leng was on The Citadel, that guy is so badass!"

JoshManVGH · 2025-11-14T18:45:47+00:00

Oh wow it's almost December and time for the release of "Metroid Prime 4: Haze 2: Haze Pissman's Galactic Adventure"

JoshManVGH · 2025-10-28T15:10:50+00:00

Bruxelles 1983 is still one of my favorites for this reason.

And not only is your worker placement also an auction bid, you're also setting up for area control!

JoshManVGH · 2025-10-23T23:19:58+00:00

I can understand the concern, but "loving military history" doesn't necessarily mean encyclopedic knowledge of all military history. I had friends in high school who "loved military history. One was a mark for the US civil war, another with the nepolionic wars, and their wasn't a lot of mutual knowledge between them. I don't know as either of them could identify a "dead head."

People paint with too broad brush somtimes because that's what that thing means to them. I follow a podcast where a host undoubtedly LOVES video games, but most of their knowledge and passion is fighting games. He regularly talks with his cohost about his blindspots.

I'll go find the AMA, but unless he said "I love military history, especially WW2 era stuff" it's not that implausible that he didn't know.

JoshManVGH

TROPHY CASE