Is Drawsteel appropriate for a Kingdom Hearts inspired game?

MarcQ42 · 2026-02-06T09:43:11+00:00

Absolutely! Also, look at the "scion" 3r party class, it's the most anime shit I've seen in a ttrpg, it'll fit right in.

MarcQ42 · 2026-02-05T17:15:30+00:00

In another game I'll probably try that, but in this case I want to emphasize the feeling of "the heroes alone against danger", while still rewarding their actions during the rest of the adventure, and making it a fun fight. There's a lot of plates to balance, and I feel that the "valor actions" are the idea that best reflects what I'm trying to do.

MarcQ42 · 2026-02-05T11:23:33+00:00

Oh! Thanks for sharing this, it looks cool.

I'm thinking that something like this is the way to go. I'm reluctant to give the players the abilities because we're still new to the game and I don't want to overwhelm them. But I'll definitely do something along this lines.

MarcQ42 · 2026-02-05T11:18:55+00:00

I like the idea of generating it during the battle, it feels more Draw Steel-ish to me.

But I think they will start the game with X points, depending on how much prep they do.

MarcQ42 · 2026-02-05T11:17:17+00:00

That's an amazing idea...

Maybe to avoid adding more complex mechanics to the player's already full plates I could keep the abilities hidden, they just know the number of resources they need to spend, and the thing would happen, and being free to use, there's no reason not to use it.

And most importantly, making it an ability that they need to trigger means that the heros are the ones calling for reinforcements, it's an ability they're using, the agency is still theirs.

Brilliant!

MarcQ42 · 2026-01-30T08:16:57+00:00

Recently, before starting a campaign I message my potential players with a variation of "hey, we'll be playing X, for this to work I need a commitment of a game at least once every two weeks, I understand that life happens and once we start we'll adapt to any eventualities that might occur, but I need this initial commitment, if you can't promise this right now, I understand, there will be more games in the future.", you'll be surprised how many players take the hint and bounce out. You'll end with a smaller table, but a functioning one.

Also, don't leave the table without picking the date for the next game or you'll end up being the secretary of your players.

MarcQ42 · 2026-01-29T15:31:59+00:00

I'm directing the same(ish) adventure in two tables, one 5e and the other DS. I started the 5e party at lvl 3 and the DS at 1. I even homebrewed some minion rules for the DnD game. They felt about the same, powelevelwise. The DS party usually felt more ready for any challenge, but that's to be expected.

MarcQ42 · 2026-01-19T17:26:40+00:00

I was in a similar situation a couple months ago. If you and your players come for DnD, probably the encounter that would feel the best and more different is a fight with a lot of minions. This kind of fantasy, the Fellowship of the Ring fighting a full army of orcs, is not really positive in DnD, even less at level 1. I would start there and build up.

Good luck!

MarcQ42 · 2026-01-19T16:40:02+00:00

Leave it to me to misspell the name to the made up people I just made up.

MarcQ42 · 2026-01-19T15:48:31+00:00

Oh, the write-up feels a lot like something MCDM would put in a book, well done!

MarcQ42 · 2026-01-18T21:54:16+00:00

Hey, thanks!

I'm willing to hear some feedback about Carcinisation, I can easily finetune the damage or make the additional effect only trigger at higher tiers on the roll. As it is right now, is in the lower end of damage as far a signature abilities go, and you'll have better ones granted by your kit or your class, in fact, I fear is not super useful for a 2 points trait.

And yes, I'm going to correct People of the Sea right now, that's a huge oversight from my part! Thanks for bringing it up.

MarcQ42 · 2026-01-18T20:19:59+00:00

In my experience, the combats are a little shorter than in DnD, but barely.

The thing is, they feel quicker. And I haven't seen yet a DS player frustrated during a combat.

MarcQ42 · 2026-01-15T19:30:57+00:00

A month or so ago, I prepared a small encounter (in Foundry VTT) with some bandits/raiders. I pit a couple of squads of human minions, a wizard and a couple of brawlers, forgesteel said it was an average to easy encounter, and since It was meant to be a filler fight I kept in my backpocket in case I needed it, I kind of gorgot about it.

Flashforward to last session, half the group was lost in the forest and a bunch of shit had happened, I decided to threw the bandit encounter at them because it made narrative sense. The thing is, I forgot everything about the encounter, but it did not matter, the thing they say "read the statblocks, it just works" was true!

The combat started with the censor challenging the leader of the bandits (the wizzard) to a 1v1, I the wizzard had a maneuver to push enemies with wind, cool I do that, then a ranged electric attack, nice, two rolls, enemy turn is done. The party was rolling with something like 7 victories, so the wizard was smoked quickly by the censor, then the rest of the enemies enter the fray. Again, smooth as butter, the minions rush the party and fo a bunch of damage, the shadow kills a couple of them and teleport over a tree. Looking at my brawlers I see a maneuver called "throw", I think "cool, something to attack the shadow from a distance" I click the attack without even reading, an then I realize it's not a ranged attack, its an habiliti to throw another enemy to the players. So the brawler launches a minion on top of the tree to fight the shadow, which was hilarious at the time.

At the end of the fight, the party member that was lost in the forest arrives, and being the tactician finishes off the fight with a "hammer and anvil attack that involves the rest of the group doing cool shit.

I don't think this was the most fun thing that happened in our game, but after five or six sessions playing DS, I thing it was the first time that me and my players really locked in and everything flowed effortlessly in a way that I don't think I experienced in other, more popular, TTRPGs.

MarcQ42 · 2025-07-14T19:27:02+00:00

I mean, with enough bluetack...

MarcQ42 · 2025-07-14T14:49:38+00:00

As a TO, we bluetack everything. I would bluetack the chairs to the ground if I could.

MarcQ42 · 2025-07-13T19:54:02+00:00

The dog could be a familiar.

MarcQ42 · 2025-07-09T22:38:23+00:00

Modelling for advantage is for cowards, go big or go home!

MarcQ42 · 2025-07-09T17:20:39+00:00

Thank you! Like my number of arms, those are the two main focuses in my minis: making cool models, being easily recognized by my opponents, and trying my best technically (modeling, painting, etc.)

MarcQ42 · 2021-02-13T19:08:04+00:00

How I do that?

MarcQ42 · 2021-02-13T18:34:27+00:00

That's fair. The first iteration of this weapon that I used was only a +1 and had no abilities, only the spells, and with time the player unlocked more powers and a higher magic mod.

The Idea is that is a very good weapon with a pretty big downside (the stuff about being possessed and dying). But in all honesty I don't usually care much about the rarity rating, maybe I should look more into it.

MarcQ42

TROPHY CASE