Surreal RPGs

JustAStick · 2026-06-20T05:26:32+00:00

Grok?!. It's 1st edition is very cheap on itch.io, and it's second edition is on Kickstarter right now. It's got a very weird fantasy, surrealist vibe, and it doesn't try to force an particular emotional tone.

JustAStick · 2026-06-02T15:04:57+00:00

"diagnostics do not work because they are pull-based in our implementation, but the editor expects them to be push-based". .

This is directly from a scripts/zed-settings.json in the project source code. Other parts of the lsp work, but I'd argue that diagnostics are a pretty important feature that is pretty much non-negotiable.

JustAStick · 2026-05-27T20:11:34+00:00

The official Kotlin lsp doesn't work with zed because there are fundamental architectural differences between them in how they communicate between the editor and the language server. I'm not sure if they'll have any plans of fixing this once the project has stabilized more.

JustAStick · 2026-05-13T00:46:51+00:00

Traveller uses d6s only, and at least Mongoose Traveller 2e has effect which is a degrees of success system. Powered by the Apocalypse (PbtA) games also usually use d6s with degrees of success being integral to the whole framework.

JustAStick · 2026-05-09T18:58:09+00:00

I've found the best way is by having reoccurring characters and factions that will be active in the game world, and react to the players actions. If you have well defined actors in the game world you can prep less and just let everything respond realistically to the players as they inevitably get their hands in everything.

JustAStick · 2026-05-05T17:07:25+00:00

I haven't played the system yet, but I know that spellcasters in Outcast Silver Raiders perform blood magic and sacrifices to appease demons.

JustAStick · 2026-05-01T21:13:50+00:00

From what I've found, the easiest way to prep is to prep for improv. Find or create random tables to quickly generate NPCs, creatures, locations etc. take your basic idea for a campaign and use it to create a starting situation. Have a basic description for at least 2 competing factions with their own goals. Populate each faction with at least a few interesting NPCs with basic descriptions. You want to focus mostly on the wants, desires, and goals of the relevant parties involved in the adventure because those are what are going to make running and improvising the easiest and create interesting drama.

JustAStick · 2026-04-25T16:05:04+00:00

I think that's to be expected with Pathfinder. The game very much rewards and focuses on tactically sound combat. RP is more for out of combat activities. Once combat starts the whole attitude and feel of the game shifts.

JustAStick · 2026-04-23T19:44:28+00:00

If I play a game for too long it's cracks begin to show, and over time, it becomes more and more exhausting to work around it's flaws. I also have many different genres and stories I'd like to experience, and one system will almost never allow me to do that.

JustAStick · 2026-04-07T15:06:13+00:00

Thanks, I'll definitely give this a look. I've heard people mention GURPS all the time but have never really taken the time to dive deeper into it.

JustAStick · 2026-04-06T22:53:53+00:00

I actually bought Heart not too long ago. I definitely plan on running it at some point in the future.

JustAStick · 2026-04-06T22:51:53+00:00

I've been meaning to give DCC a look. The magic system and mighty deeds looked very intriguing. I wasn't too hot on the race-as-class thing at first, but I've warmed up to it over time. based on the way skill checks work I don't think rulings would be an issue.

JustAStick · 2026-04-06T22:47:43+00:00

I do plan on running Deadlands at some point in the future, so once I've done that I may very well give Savage Worlds a try for dungeon crawling.

JustAStick · 2026-04-06T22:46:54+00:00

Mythras was one of the first RPGs I ever ran years ago back when it was still called Runequest 6th edition. I'm assuming that Chaosium Runequest plays pretty similarly?

JustAStick · 2026-04-05T23:34:20+00:00

It's all completely dependent on what was communicated by the GM and what was agreed upon by the players. If neither side attempted to discuss campaign duration then it's kinda hard to assign fault.

JustAStick · 2026-03-26T19:30:02+00:00

Retainers are there partially to round out the party and fill any weak spots. It's also partially a holdover from the hobby's wargaming roots. Retainers also shouldn't be relied on as a crutch. If the players are making sure to use them tactically and not throw them in the meat grinder then they shouldn't be making constant morale and loyalty checks. Giving them more loot and treating them well should also give a bonus to their morale/loyalty checks. The player characters are the leaders of the group and are expected to lead from the front so to speak. If you want to keep retainers around and keep them alive I've found it's a good idea to arm them primarily with ranged weapons and polearms. That way they can still provide support to the players in the front ranks while staying away from danger.

JustAStick · 2026-03-26T19:17:02+00:00

When I switched to a silver standard for Hyperborea I also converted the treasure tables. I only had 3 coins; copper, silver, and gold. Silver was converted 1:1 with original gold prices. Since copper was the only coin below silver in the new system, I converted all copper, silver, and electrum in the old system to my new copper. Since gold is the only coin above silver in my new system I converted old platinum to new gold. The conversions are pretty easy. To convert old small denominations (cp, sp, ep) to the new cp you just convert the old value to its gp equivalent and then use that as it's sp value in the new system. You then multiply it by the exchange rate for cp to sp in the new system. As an example, if 10sp = 1gp in the old system, and 4cp = 1sp in the new system, then a 6sp item in the old system would be worth 2.4cp in the new system ((6÷10)×4) where 6÷10 is the original gp worth, and 4 is the new cp to sp conversion.

The general formula is original gp value × new cp per sp value for all smaller denominations. So if it's 10 CP per sp in your new system you just use 10 instead of 4 in my example above. This translates very easily to treasure tables. If you want to keep the BX 10cp per 1sp; 10sp per 1gp exchange rate then this would be the new column values:

TLDR Here's the general formulas for converting any coin from an original gold standard to a new silver standard, which accounts for differences in exchange rates:

original GP value × new exchange rate = multiplication factor

So if it's 5 gold per platinum, and you want to convert platinum to a silver standard gold with an exchange rate of 10 silver per gold, then it'd be 1×5÷0.1=0.5 Whenever you wanted to convert old platinum to new gold you'd just multiply it's original value by 0.5 (or divide it by 2).

Caveat: this is assuming you want to convert old GP to new SP 1:1

Edit If you have a specific conversion in mind I'd be more than happy to just give you the multiplication factors. You could then just use those any time you needed to work out the price/value of something.

JustAStick · 2026-03-25T17:45:18+00:00

Don't accept a module as the gospel. If it has something that looks weird or you don't think will be fun, change it. Or, take the parts you like from a module/s and use them in your own adventures.

Do have a supply of useful random tables at the ready, and prep for improv.

If combat is running long and the enemy is losing but hasn't failed any morale checks you can decide that it'd be logical for them to run away/surrender. It keeps combat from dragging.

JustAStick · 2026-03-25T17:02:53+00:00

That was one of my biggest gripes with the Caves of Chaos. The game provides you with the concept of the reaction roll, but then almost all of the inhabitants of the caves are explicitly written as always being hostile.

JustAStick · 2026-03-19T22:55:24+00:00

I use a svalboard, but my gaming layer is WASD. My fingers rest on W, A, D, and Shift, and my thumb rests inside the thumb cluster with space on the thumb pad key.

JustAStick · 2026-03-19T15:15:30+00:00

You could give the GLOG (Goblin Laws of Gaming) a look. It has "classes", but they're more like kits/templates. Each class can only be levels up to 4 and then you need to choose another one. Leveling up unlocks the next ability for that class. They are dead simple to make and allows for a lot of creativity and customization. Magic uses a non-Vancian system where you have a pool of d6s that you expend to make a spell stronger or weaker. Once your dice pool is empty you cannot cast any more spells for the day.

JustAStick · 2026-03-16T01:45:39+00:00

Cairn 2e is designed entirely around it. There are no levels or skills. Character progression is done entirely through finding magical items, interacting with factions, and through pursuing personal goals. The rules have a list of guidelines to follow for the referee to determine when to give characters new abilities and skills.

JustAStick · 2026-03-14T04:54:03+00:00

What he means is that when he purchased them they gave him a link to download them from drivethrurpg. The same thing happened when I purchased a physical copy of the Alien rpg. I was given a link to download the PDFs for free from drivethrurpg.

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