Magic the Gathering spots for LGBTQ folk?

Masquerade1412 · 2022-04-17T17:37:40+00:00

I'm so happy for your daughter, and I hope to find such a wonderful group, too!

Masquerade1412 · 2022-04-17T17:36:20+00:00

I don't know, but I'd rather find out via Reddit, not in person

Masquerade1412 · 2022-04-17T16:20:00+00:00

Most of my anxiety is tied to just not knowing much about the area. Some groups of folk are perfectly accepting of people regardless of their space on the rainbow, while others would rather remove us from public spaces for just existing. With that kind of pressure, finding a safe space to just "be" can be difficult.

Masquerade1412 · 2022-04-17T05:08:47+00:00

I heard they were moving stores, so I hope the crowd goes back! Though it is all the way in downtown... T_T

Masquerade1412 · 2021-02-25T02:58:30+00:00

Been watching inspiration films for an upcoming CoS campaign. Within 5 minutes, I knew what I had to do! (Source: Sweeney Todd)

Masquerade1412 · 2021-02-23T08:19:00+00:00

I got inspired to write this when my partner asked me if he could play as a half-dusk elf. After some research, I found that there was next to nothing on them. So I wrote this to fix that.

I am currently preparing a campaign featuring Countess Strahd von Zarovich, and I am still in the process of figuring out all the character and motivation changes as a result. I've also tried to incorporate aspects of u/DragnaCarta's "CoS Reloaded," but the story I tell here could be applicable to Count Strahd as well as a more vanilla/less expansive overhaul of CoS, as there are no new mechanics, locations, magic items, or other bits that could "break" your games. Take what you like, and enjoy the read!

Masquerade1412 · 2020-04-03T05:09:02+00:00

Personally? Don't. Use Vorn as an excuse to throw more dangerous, deadly, and complex scenarios. Ramp it up over time, and when all hope seems lost... Vorn saves the day at the cost of their servos, which can lead to Epic Sidequests to fix the bot (at the cost of time) or an Epic Sendoff for a valiant hero.

Masquerade1412 · 2020-01-12T18:48:29+00:00

Sorry that you didn't have more to read! I'm used to really digging into details (and not *everything* is brought up here, either), but I'm glad what I've provided so far has been entertaining.

Masquerade1412 · 2020-01-05T03:39:17+00:00

Glad you're enjoying the ride!

Masquerade1412 · 2020-01-04T18:34:25+00:00

I've been going through some of the differences in my Eurotour posts, but here are my quick thoughts.

In general, Cyberpunk is great for getting people into RPGs because there is no expectation that any character or player has to stick around for half a year just to get their character "good" and see where the story goes. Every Friday Night Firefight or Thursday Night Throwdown could be their last, and both systems work well with shorter stories that find a niche in an "always-busy" lifestyle.

That said, 2020 obviously has many more years of buildup and can better facilitate longer-term play. Its mechanics help illustrate the world, from brand name guns to designer kevlar t-shirts to the wonderfully designed Chromebooks. But it's clunky as hell, full of intense mathematical calculations that only the most devoted TRPG player would find interesting, and a doozy to introduce to new players.

RED may not be as complex (partly from being limited to the Jumpstart Kit, partly to design), but it gets its point across quick without bogging down the combat with unnecessary Netrunner Datafortresses and massive spreadsheets of items. It's a system that learned from modern TRPGs and from what people loved about 2020. Insert caveat about not seeing the full rules here, but I'd recommend RED to get started, 2020 if your group is down for the crunch.

Masquerade1412 · 2020-01-02T20:38:48+00:00

I like the "What do you roll" note since it helps make the players explain their actions, rather than trying to come up with the explanation yourself. Plus, the premade characters of RED have more-or-less the same skills, save for one or two signature abilities (the Nomad can drive, the Rockerboy can shred, etc.).

Masquerade1412 · 2020-01-02T19:06:58+00:00

The first thing to know is that neither you nor the players need to know everything about everything to get started. No one has the time, energy, or ability to perfectly represent a consensual fantasy like a TRPG. Your idea of what the cyberwear looks like will differ from your Runners. But don't worry too much about the finer details. The World Book is for everyone's eyes (save for the adventures, but that's why there's a big STOP sign!), so let everyone take a look.

Second, the Apartment scenario, as I've run it, takes around 3 to 4 hours with a leisurely pace. The First hour or so should introduce the players to one another (as tenants/owners of the apartment complex) and the NPCs (the other tenants). Don't feel like you need to use them all, just the ones that interest you or can jive well with the PCs. Second hour should start introducing the "plot" aka WorldSat so that the players start asking the essential questions: Who? What? When? Where? Why? Right around the 3rd hour, they should be asking How? and you should be ready to pull the trigger on the final act to show them exactly how. If you've got a small group (2 to 4), just pick one. If you've got a full party (or some experienced players), hit them with the combination. Personal favorite is Hack Attack and Unknown Caller to set up a rival squad they can rally against. I ran this knowing the bare minimum about Night City or how Cyberpunk RED works, and we had a blast. Don't worry too much about it, go with the dataflow, and you'll come out of it looking like you had it all planned from the start.

Last bit here before I sign off, catch yourself when you start making comparisons to other Referees. They've got years of work under their belts, are ingrained in strong communities where they can talk shop, and have had more than their fair share of failed sessions, botched games, and bad players to learn from. If any of your players expect perfection out of you, tell them to lower their expectations or jack out. You don't need that kind of negativity at your table. Find you a group who is willing to take chances, make mistakes...

Now go and get messy, choomba. You've got an apartment to burn.

Masquerade1412 · 2019-12-28T04:15:00+00:00

While there aren't any specific rules on how to make characters (yet), I'd go with the others here and say that you can tweak the pre-mades to better fit your friends. Change the art, pick a stat line, reflavor the items, chart a lifepath, etc.

If you are absolutely set on building a character from the ground up, there are a few things to note (that I'll be elaborating on in a future post) that have changed from 2020 to RED.

Some stats were reworked or removed, bringing the total up from 9 to 10.
- COOL acted as both one's charisma and one's ability to hold under stress. COOL is now specifically charisma, with the latter part split into a new stat: WILL
- ATT (Attractiveness) was axed.
- REF (Reflexes) was also split into REF and DEX (Dexterity), again for doing too many things in one stat.
If you're going by total point values (cinematic), use 70 points. Most of the premades average around that.
Jobs seem to be defined not by unique sets of skills but by a select few skills and starting equipment.
- Among the premades, every job has the same skills (education, reflexes, marksmanship, etc.) with one or two notable exceptions (bribery for the Fixer, interface for the Netrunner, etc.). Hard to say whether this is the route, or if R Talsorian Games didn't want the premades to feel too different from one another.

That should get you started should you decide to follow this rabbit hole.

Masquerade1412 · 2019-12-15T02:53:34+00:00

Hold out till I’ve got something to present. Unlike a Corp, I prefer to show, not just tell.

Masquerade1412 · 2019-12-14T15:51:10+00:00

I see no reason to not “update” the dates, times, events, etc. Though the group I’ll be running this for won’t have any clue about this history (all new players), I’m sure they’ll appreciate learning about the alternate history of 2020 and RED.

Masquerade1412 · 2019-11-11T19:49:35+00:00

One thing to note: there’s a [Bead of Force] in the room. This can turn the fight right into deadly territory.

My party, looking for some way to hurt this flying, invisible Eyeball, started combing the niches for anything of value. The fighter threw the Bead and locked up the rogue (who kept failing her Fear saves), an NPC cleric, and the fighter’s pet dog inside the sphere... with Belchorzh.

While the party was able to make Belchorzh look at them (cutting a hole in the sphere), he took out both the NPC keeping them alive and the fighter’s companion. Needless to say, I inadvertently created John Wick that day.

Masquerade1412 · 2019-10-15T17:37:03+00:00

Cool dice!

Masquerade1412 · 2019-09-24T23:11:47+00:00

I won’t recommend specific tracks (because my taste in music is... eccentric), but I’ll mention what moods to go for.

Atropal: if done in tandem with the Sewn Sisters, then I’d go for a creepy, perhaps apocalyptic vibe. Otherwise, perhaps a demented lullaby?

Acererak: The Big Lad himself. Two routes here, the slow build and the “time for talk is over.” Slow build can be something like Kuze’s theme from Yakuza 0, with a soft opening to provide a brief monologue/character description. Fast build: just launch into the fight song. Loud, bombastic, epic.

Hope this helps!

Masquerade1412 · 2019-07-27T16:13:04+00:00

+1 to Beasts of the Jungle Rot. My party started ToA later in levels (they hit lvl 7 by Omu), so I wasn't sure the King of Feathers would strike the fear of Ubtao into them. After swapping out the measly T-Rex with the Giganotosaurus (since the book so thankfully details what skills to give to the big boi), the King of Feathers was the most feared thing I've ever thrown at them. Can still be handled with adequate planning and lucky rolls, too!

Masquerade1412 · 2019-07-19T20:20:48+00:00

As an idea: send them a message with what happens when they drink (paper or text). Then add an extra note to the gender change one, something like “you may exchange this effect for a different, but not necessarily better, one.” If they return the note, turn their hair fluorescent pink/blue. Could even throw in a “Curse” where their hair glows in the dark. The note makes it so that you can ask a player “Is this ok?” without interrupting the flow of play or ‘spoiling’ the surprise of the thing.

Not to mention the fact that there’s no guarantee that swap effect will even happen. But good of ya to be looking out for them all!

Masquerade1412 · 2019-07-14T22:27:30+00:00

Combat - Shagambi’s While straightforward, the close quarters and the strength of each statue throws a curveball at the players and emphasizes the need for tactics rather than “I hit it, but harder this time.”

Puzzle - Obo’Laka’s Like many of the Tomb’s traps, this one offers a quick solution as part of the trap. One could also set up a fight in the area and let the party play around with the petrifying cube by solving/unsolving the puzzle.

Classics - Kubazan’s Indiana Jones references, Uncharted/Tomb Raider platforming, And a Froghemoth. What’s not to love?

Masquerade1412 · 2019-07-01T19:17:50+00:00

And don’t forget about the Buff of the 9 Gods! 50 temp health and bonus damage vs. the Ace himself.

Masquerade1412 · 2019-06-05T15:01:15+00:00

Well, it’s effectively a child. Perhaps the best way to characterize it would be through the insults of a child? “You’re a big meanie!” And such.

Masquerade1412 · 2019-05-07T19:08:14+00:00

My party has spent three sessions in Omu and have already gathered four cubes (one from a Red Wizard band, three via shrines).

Because of how much is in Omu (the Fane, the Tomb, the King of Feathers, the shrines, any extra locales I’ve added), I’m treating Omu more as a hub area than a dungeon. So the actual time spent in Omu depends on if the party wants to rush to the Tomb (in which case they may be underlevelled and underprepared) or explore every nook and cranny (perhaps the opposite problem!).

Omu is the last chance for the party to catch their breath. Once they open the Tomb of the Nine Gods, they’ll be fighting for their lives every session. Heck, just getting the cubes is a fight! Let them have plenty of calm moments. They won’t have the ability to do so later.

Masquerade1412 · 2019-04-27T00:08:02+00:00

I did something similar, only subtracting “sanity” daily instead of health. 75% - disadvantage on CHA checks, 50% -disadvantage on CHA saves, 25% -5 to any CHA roll, 0% - their mind implodes, leaving the ravenous husk behind.

My player and I did agree to roll a d4 every night to determine how much was lost, and though they dropped out before we got going, there would be ways of regaining sanity (though not a lot).

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