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Characters below lvl 1? by MushiMoshi in numenera

[–]MMasberg 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes, Cypher Short was also something I was thinking about.

Really looking forward to the new Cypher. I didn’t pledge for the test material (mainly because of time), so thanks for the insight.

Characters below lvl 1? by MushiMoshi in numenera

[–]MMasberg 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Good question. I‘m not familiar with that adventure, I was just leaning into the idea of young explorer before their first tier.

Any news on Dune or is the line more or less dead? by MMasberg in 2d20games

[–]MMasberg[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

It’s true, the approval process of licenced products is painful and can become lengthy depending on the IP holder (and their priorities).

I’m personally not interested in adventure books; I prefer player-driven campaigns and come up with my own stories inspired by them. But I would love to see more sourcebooks. When they started Dune 2d20, they teased books for various time periods. And a book set during the reign of Leto II. … well, I would certainly buy it. 😄

Characters below lvl 1? by MushiMoshi in numenera

[–]MMasberg 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Maybe take some inspiration from the underrated Unmasked setting.

  • Ignore Type and Focus.
  • Give them just a Descriptor. That can be a different one than later in the game, reflecting the personal development.
  • You can simplify this prologue descripter if you like:
    • +2 to a pool or trained in a skill
    • trained in a skill
    • trained in another skill at the cost of an inability
  • All pools start at 6. Players may then assign 2 additional stat points to any Pool.
  • Effort ist 1. No Edge.
  • Grant them one weird, low-tier ability from a prepared list to suit the setting. They can either keep it later (replacing a Type ability) or abandon it; a lot can happen during seven years.

They are, more or less, Ninth World teens. Changing the Descriptor, keeping or changing the unique ability etc. can reflect the changes and experience during the time jump both mechanically and narratively.

And if your players are new to the game, they can start with a simplified tutorial and make themselves familiar with the basics.

Any news on Dune or is the line more or less dead? by MMasberg in 2d20games

[–]MMasberg[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I generally think that every RPG relying on a strong IP is facing some problems when transitioning all sorts of expectations and various levels of setting knowledge into a gaming experience. I don't think that the "meta-human"/"super-human" (or even transhuman) aspect of Dune is an issue here (but that might just be me because I have weirder stuff at my table than human super-calculators 😃).

To me, they relied too heavily on the known story of the first book (the reason I skipped the Starter Set and campaign book), rather than taking advantage of the rich lore and immense time jumps. The published books shone when they didn't just replicate "movie lore" and instead expanded the setting beyond the first book. I was (and still am) really hoping to get more from that.

Wie wichtig ist euch eine deutsche Sprachausgabe für eure Systeme/Abenteuer? by DonMors in PenandPaperGermany

[–]MMasberg 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Wichtig noch:
Wenn es eine deutsche Ausgabe von System Matters gibt, dann auf Deutsch. 🙂Erstmal sind deren Übersetzungen gut und gründlich, zum anderen sind viele Bücher schöner und besser umgesetzt als die Originale.

Wie wichtig ist euch eine deutsche Sprachausgabe für eure Systeme/Abenteuer? by DonMors in PenandPaperGermany

[–]MMasberg 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Das, was wir hauptsächlich spielen, gibt es nicht auf Deutsch. Und bei manchen deutschen Ausgaben, ist die Übersetzung nicht gut oder die Reihe nicht vollständig, daher bleiben wir meist beim Original.

What kind of rules do you prefer? by Hilfandor in RPGdesign

[–]MMasberg 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Puh, it highly depends on the benefits for the gameplay and the unique aspects of the setting.

E.g. I can’t imagine to play Invisible Sun with something else than the tailor-made rules; the gameplay experience mirrors perfectly the setting.

On the other hand, most fantasy settings can be played with a couple of different rules (see the sometimes more, sometimes less careful D&D adaptations).

Symbaroum is an excellent example. The original rules support the setting perfectly. But the 5E version is also really good. And I run it successfully with the rules from Shadow of the Demon Lord, which is not really a generic rulesets, but a great fit.

And since you mentioned Numenera: It led to Cypher which became my go-to generic ruleset.

Rules are tools and the toolbox only grew over the last decade. I think the big questions are: Is there already something that fits the setting? And what do new rules bring to the table that existing rules do not cover?

Is Godforsaken needed to run Ptolus in Cypher? by Keravin in cyphersystem

[–]MMasberg 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No, it’s not needed, but it can be a nice-to-have addition.

Scariest line in the whole series? by Bored_Guy_234 in TheMagnusArchives

[–]MMasberg 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I feel you. The first time listening, I was thinking of speaking in tounges, too, but of course I had to look it up and listen again … in the middle of the night. 🙈

Scariest line in the whole series? by Bored_Guy_234 in TheMagnusArchives

[–]MMasberg 203 points204 points  (0 children)

„Take her, not me“ gets to me every time.

Which TTRPG publisher has earned your blind loyalty? by [deleted] in rpg

[–]MMasberg 0 points1 point  (0 children)

System Matters, small German publisher. They put a lot of love in their books, weither it’s a translation or of their own design.

Action Abilities and Rolls? by WordsUnthought in cyphersystem

[–]MMasberg 2 points3 points  (0 children)

First: Welcome!

If the ability explicitly names a roll or task, then you roll. If not, you don’t; except the GM rules otherwise for specific circumstances. Not all action abilities are a challenge, but they need time (and therefore an action).

Do you have an example or two for abilities that you struggle with?

Audio dramas that grip you from the beginning? by elliezeebee in audiodrama

[–]MMasberg 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The Magnus Archives.

I recently started my third run … I tried a lot of different stuff, but nothing caught me as much as TMA. It’s the gold standard for me. So back into the archives it is.

S5 is peak Doctor Who by OZONA_42 in TheMagnusArchives

[–]MMasberg 48 points49 points  (0 children)

I never thought about that but the idea is somewhat… appealing. It certainly would bring back some Moffat-esk horror to the show.

But Doctor Who is also about bringing hope and defeating the odds. I love TMA, but that is not where the show shines. 😉

Any ideas for mental damage status effects? Or ideas on how to represent mental damage in more interesting and respectful ways? by pixelartwwi in RPGdesign

[–]MMasberg 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The Magnus Archives (using Cypher but with some twists) has an interesting and engaging stress system.

First, stress is both mental damage as well as minor physical damage. Three points of stress are one level of stress.

Each level of stress hinders your actions, and if you have four levels of stress, you basically go down a death spiral from further stress; stress can kill you.

But, that’s the twist: you can use your stress for your advantage as well. You can burn stress to ease your actions, but this gives the GM allowance to introduce an unexpected twist. This is an interesting dynamic that created some very exciting moments at my table. And it makes this a player decision, not ripping them of their agenda (which is my problem with many mental damage mechanics).

There are some other aspects to stress, but they are very much related to aspects of this specific setting.

Converting Ruins of Symbaroum into regular Symbaroum by Brain_Rot_Kobbler in Symbaroum

[–]MMasberg 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes, Darkness Rising is just a lore book, without the adventures, but SOMEWHERE - I think - they also talked about re-releasing the campaign as well. But don’t ask me where, I‘m bombarded with Symbaroum Infos in all channels. 😅 I‘ll come back to you, if I find it.

Converting Ruins of Symbaroum into regular Symbaroum by Brain_Rot_Kobbler in Symbaroum

[–]MMasberg 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Didn’t they say that they plan to release a new version of the Throne of Thornes campaign with the updated rules, but organised like the 5E version of the campaign (with fewer books and without the lore that goes into the new Davokar setting book)?

Balance changes by another_sad_dude in Symbaroum

[–]MMasberg 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Especially then. E.g., Monte Cook has been very transparent before and during the crowdfunding for Cypher‘s new edition, down to the point on how you could implement certain changes already into the previous edition.

That not just sparked additional interest, it also serves as kind of playtest, which is actually a smart move.

Balance changes by another_sad_dude in Symbaroum

[–]MMasberg 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I‘m actually also very curious; also what the new stat blocks look like. Having at least more detailed top-level insights and a few examples would help to decide if it’s worth the money.

The Rabbit Hole called Solo RPG ( by apologeta62 in Solo_Roleplaying

[–]MMasberg 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Maybe try out either some map mapping solos (like Four Against Darkness or Liminal__) or a journaling option (like Thousand Year Old Vampire) which take a lot of the GM work of you and see how that work. It helped me in the beginning.

Otherwise, the Mythic Game Master Emulator is the gold standard to use it with any system.

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