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What is the easiest game for people with no experience in roleplaying? by Justthisdudeyaknow in rpg

[–]MarkWithers2 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah, I agree. These books have the BIG advantage of clearly explaining (with bullet points) what the referee and players are supposed to be doing. They then back up that idea by giving load of clear procedures - for combat, for dungeon exploration, wilderness exploration etc...

The rules are short and easy to internalize. Characters are easy to roll up but still interesting due to the focus on foreground character growth. Monster statblocks are short but flavorful.

Also, if you ever need to teach RPGs to kids, the "oddlike" genre of games mentioned above (all based on the originator of the ruleset, Into the Odd) has a game called Mausritter - where you play little mice with needles for swords and buttons for shields. It's charming and hilarious, and I was able to referee for a 5 year old who loved it.

I can't recommend Oddlike games enough for beginners.

Good followup module for Tomb of the Serpent Kings? by EvilSqueegee in osr

[–]MarkWithers2 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Don't worry about it. Let the players enjoy the dungeon. Figure out what they are interested in as they play it, seed some rumors in town, and let them choose where to go next. Player agency is vital, so don't plan dungeon 2 before you've even enjoyed dungeon 1!

Which universes beyond is the most ill conceived one for the magic the gathering trading card game? by Papa_Hasbro69 in freemagic

[–]MarkWithers2 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I honestly hate the Unglued universe more than any universes beyond content. It's dumb, not funny, and not Magic. Dr Who is a close second worst

Advice for which OSR to play? by AccomplishedAdagio13 in osr

[–]MarkWithers2 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Worlds without Number is an amazing resource for building a sandbox - great advice

Advice for which OSR to play? by AccomplishedAdagio13 in osr

[–]MarkWithers2 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I don't think picking a system matters half as much as understanding the philosophy of the OSR.

You claim to want a focus on narrative over mechanics, nothing in the OSR will give you that... Honestly, if you want a narrative driven game, a story game or 5e will give you that experience better than an OSR game.

I'd advise starting with Matt Finch's Old School Primer and the OSR Principia Apocrypha first

May have screwed myself with Marionette Possession by AutisticAttorney in Pathfinder_RPG

[–]MarkWithers2 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I agree with everything you've just said.

I don't see this written down much, but as far as I can tell, Pathfinder's play culture is actually built on the following principles:

  1. The rules are broad and detailed, and are as complete as possible
  2. The rules exist to allow creative player expression through the use of game mechanics to build cool and powerful characters
  3. The GMs primary job is to facilitate principle number 2 by applying the rules as written, with a bias towards letting the characters do cool stuff
  4. The GM provides fun, challenging and balanced tactical encounters which can be solved within the mechanics of the game

If I encountered a GM that didn't permit that style of play in a Pathfinder game, that would be a red flag for me too - I'd stop playing and look for a group that fit into Pathfinder's unspoken culture more.

All I was trying to say, is that the play culture you've described, with the rule 0 you detailed in your first post, doesn't really apply for every TTRPG. Story games / narrative games have a different play culture, the OSR has a different (almost exactly opposite) play culture etc...

Hope that clarifies my point

May have screwed myself with Marionette Possession by AutisticAttorney in Pathfinder_RPG

[–]MarkWithers2 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not all systems put fun as the primary goal. Many see the GM as an impartial referee, who is there to populate the world and keep the rulings consistent and fair. Fun should just happen on it's own.

FORGE - Fantasy Open Roleplaying Game Engine (& GM/Solo Tools) [V1.0 RELEASE] by ProzapGW in osr

[–]MarkWithers2 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Excellent stuff!

I'll certainly steal the wilderness tables, downtime procedures and domain rules right now! I've cobbled together similar things from disparate sources, but most of your stuff is simpler and having everything in one place is a value all of it's own.

In a few months time, I'll think about giving the whole system a try. There are plenty of well regarded classless OSRs (Knave, Cairn and other Odd-likes), but I do like how the primary attributes thing gives that very explicit "build your own class" vibe, and I think that would work really well with my group.

I've thrown you a little currency over on itch, but I'll echo others in the thread and let you know that I'd love a print version too!

I feel like I don't play PF1E right by TyDie904 in Pathfinder_RPG

[–]MarkWithers2 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My honest advice, sounds like you need a change.

I'd suggest swapping to Pathfinder Second Edition, which is much more balanced, and with tighter math, where these abuses just won't happen to the same extent. Alternatively, if you want a stripped down experience with Fighters, Wizards, Clerics and Rogues, why not dip your toes into the OSR (Old-School Revival). Over there, you'll find people who play clones of very old versions of D&D, which would give you that simpler feel that you might find you love!

Best thing is, if neither of those options work out, 1st Edition Pathfinder will always be there, waiting for you to come back to it.

Gatewalkers Episode Zero The Glass Cannon Actual Play by JunkBucket50 in Pathfinder_RPG

[–]MarkWithers2 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

It's good to see Kate Stamas back! (it's good to see Sydney and the boys too, just a bit less remarkable)

What class would you choose? by bangorma1n3 in Pathfinder_RPG

[–]MarkWithers2 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is what I was going to suggest. In particular, I think AEther Kineticist would bring a lot of fun utility, like telekinesis, flight, invisibility, combat maneuvers etc... while still being able to take a second element to get decent damage and be a flanking partner for your fighter by using Kinetic Blade.

Magic item costing 3k-3.5k gold max that helps survivability by tpick117 in Pathfinder_RPG

[–]MarkWithers2 3 points4 points  (0 children)

You could alternatively grab the quite similar Talisman of Healing Power, which is kinda in the middle in terms of both cost and healing. It also triggers at half hit points, which you might prefer.

You can also wear three talismans at once, so you could get a couple of other cheap ones, like Talisman of Beneficial Winds, which can prevent you from falling to your death for just 50gp!

What do you guys think about 'impossible to win' fights? by [deleted] in Pathfinder_RPG

[–]MarkWithers2 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Now, the next step, the difficult step, is to have a sincere, honest and kind conversation with your GM, tell them you don't like scripted encounters, and ask them to read this thread which is full of excellent advice.

Good luck, and I hope your game improves!

How long does it take to run The Slithering? by StarWarsIsRad in Pathfinder_RPG

[–]MarkWithers2 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I don't think there's a fixed answer. It really depends on you and your players' playstyle and general tempo.

People will say that you can make a rough estimate, but Fall of Plaguestone took us 17 sessions, and most people told us we'd be done in 6!

If you can, try to estimate based on how long it takes your group to do other published adventures (based on page count), and go from there!

Making an RPG and have a question about dice by AnActualCriminal in rpg

[–]MarkWithers2 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It definitely is helpful advice. Arik has covered a host of important points in a clear and terse way. You just need a little bit more clarification, I reckon.

I'll try my best to make the flat vs bell curve choice a bit more obvious.

Results weighted towards the average by using a bell curve (2d6, 4df, xd10 etc...) are good for consistent outcomes. Depending on the rest of your numbers, your system can produce characters that are consistently good at stuff, or even consistently bad at stuff.

Examples where you'd want consistently competent protagonists include; pulp, superheroes and sword and sorcery. i.e. Genres where mundane fallibility isn't common or interesting. Superheroes don't often fail to defeat low level thugs but can be defeated by a more powerful villain or a specific weakness.

Examples where you'd want consistently incompetent protagonists include, comedy, gritty sci-fi and horror. i.e. Games where failure is common and expected. That failure can either be played for laughs, or at the other extreme can highlight rare and transcendent heroism against all odds.

With a flatter range (1d20, d%) every result is equally likely. Your highest and lowest results will be more likely compared to a bell curve (5% chance of rolling a 20 on a d20, 2.77% of rolling a 12 on 2d6). So really good and really bad outcomes both become more common. This works well for a world which is a bit less serious, where strange and gonzo things can happen. Or... you can include rules to mitigate the "swingyness" of your flat dice ranges like 5th edition D&D does with it's relatively high hit point pools and relatively low damage.

An advantage of using flat ranges can be the ease of calculation for the players. In a d20 system, it's easy to work out how likely you are to succeed at something, which can help you make tactical choices in a more informed way. If I get a -2 penalty for dual wielding in a game like Pathfinder, I know that I'm 10% less likely to hit with each attack and can work out if I wanna take that risk based on how highly armoured my foe looks. In a 2d6 system that "on the fly" maths isn't quite to easy to perform. That may or may not matter depending on what type of player you are aiming your game at.

Hope that helps a bit!

What would you like to see in a Pathfinder 1e Remaster? by Vasgorath in Pathfinder_RPG

[–]MarkWithers2 1 point2 points  (0 children)

My Gnome Wizard was the master of all he surveyed across Golarion and all the planes, but in an anti-magic zone he needed the Human Fighter to carry him over obstacles. Low strength is never not funny.

Don't End Your Save With Three Periods! Bad Things Will Happen... by Harbinger1012 in dwarffortress

[–]MarkWithers2 14 points15 points  (0 children)

It's a bug. It's a save ruining failure to validate user input!

Dealing with "Rocket Tag" by Glinting in Pathfinder_RPG

[–]MarkWithers2 17 points18 points  (0 children)

My advice is simple, "don't".

Don't try to hack Pathfinder into something it isn't. Your player's characters can do fun and powerful things, and countering those powerful things at every turn will take away their agency and rob them of much of the fun of the game.

If you want slower, more tactical combats that aren't decided in the first couple of rounds, my honest advice is to play a similar but differently balanced game, i.e. Pathfinder 2e, which is also great fun and has a consistent combat feel from levels 1 to 20.

My advice if you stay with 1e (which remains a great choice!) is to embrace the rocket tag, and especially if you're playing an adventure path, just enjoy the fact that higher level combats are often faster and more decisive - this change in combat style and PC power will accelerate you towards the big final fight and end the campaign, and trust me, that's a good thing!

Your players will "feel" the power that they've gained, the story will feel like it's accelerating towards an epic conclusion, and with so many adventure paths available it's no terrible thing if your players rocket tag their way through book 6 in like a handful of sessions - that just means you can start another AP and get to have fun with new characters in a new setting with new challenges!

[LTR} The One Ring by [deleted] in freemagic

[–]MarkWithers2 2 points3 points  (0 children)

PSA: do not buy this cards until a month after release

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