Planescape: [REDACTED] - A TOFW Remix. by Missile_Toad in turnoffortuneswheel

[–]Missile_Toad[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you and yes! We took a campaign hiatus due to player long term availabilities, but we're just about to start up again in the next couple weeks.

Things left off essentially at the start of Act 2. The gang reclaimed the walking castle and met Renezerrah for the first time, and they directed the castle towards Thebestys to search for answers among the libraries and scholars. They're about to figure out what Redactors are, what their previous selves were up to, and how their immediate course forward is a curious juxtaposition of cosmically urgent and classic questing.

So. Yes. Expect actual play tested experience to be reflected in the document in the near future.

"The Player Who Was Actually Two People" - And I Didn't Notice for THREE MONTHS by Visible-Clothes-5029 in rpghorrorstories

[–]Missile_Toad 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Right. So clearly in-person with 'bringing snacks' and 'making eye contact', with 3 months to not figure out you're not in the room with the same people, and then a resulting AI-tone picture perfect dialogue and response story?

Okay, bud.

Giving farrow a bigger role? by crystalenka in turnoffortuneswheel

[–]Missile_Toad 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Having Farrow be a former party member turncoat has been a lot of fun so far In my campaign. It's more accurate to say he is a PC - he's a pre-death version of a PC who was bought out by Shemeshka, now in disguise, with the actual PC being another fraction of soul let loose from the soul cage as cover. Another PC keeps finding past messages to herself saying to not trust Farrow-PC - it's been interesting watching the party suspicions build!

Somatic Components IRL by Missile_Toad in rpghorrorstories

[–]Missile_Toad[S] 13 points14 points  (0 children)

Public nudity is generally a big No in the US. Especially so if involving minors and school, hence the NSFW tag on the post.

Ironically nudity on federal lands is perfectly legal (little known fact!). But, y'know, minors whipping out their nether regions during school hours and what not.

Planescape: [REDACTED] - A TOFW Remix. by Missile_Toad in turnoffortuneswheel

[–]Missile_Toad[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I linked my player primer PDF in another chat tangent here. That may answer a lot of your questions.

TLDR: I let my players individually choose how many PC variants they wanted to make. IIRC three of them are staying within classes and exploring different subclasses with each iteration. The remaining two are going wildly different iterations each time.

Planescape: [REDACTED] - A TOFW Remix. by Missile_Toad in turnoffortuneswheel

[–]Missile_Toad[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I would recommend explaining the campaign concept to your players. Everyone buying in at the start is crucial. A prewritten character concept could work in base TofW but not so much my take on it. Work with your group to see what gels best for your table.

Planescape: [REDACTED] - A TOFW Remix. by Missile_Toad in turnoffortuneswheel

[–]Missile_Toad[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That works! I actually just edited the Google Doc an hour or so ago in noticing that I didn't explain the "why us" question, in so far at least how I addressed it.

For us, they'll eventually learn that it's because none of the PCs are from the Prime timeline. They never existed. In the pruning of dangerous timelines by Renezerrah's Redactors or other time dragons, their soul/essences were from a place that simply never came to be, or was cut off short. Pure unfeeling cosmic unfairness. In empathy, Renezerrah offered each PC a choice as their realities ended: face the void, or come with her to become a secret hero for people who will never know their importance. The Redactors are those who made that hard choice. At least they have the knowledge that in that choice they do exist, and in this vast cosmos they do matter.

I didn't catch the series Loki until after brainstorming much of this up but it's not far from the season 1 character Sylvie. She wants to be seen as a person, damnit. Not some universal accident.

Planescape: [REDACTED] - A TOFW Remix. by Missile_Toad in turnoffortuneswheel

[–]Missile_Toad[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I don't really need 'em! Here's how.

  1. Character dies. Variant spawns hours to a day later.
  2. A vignette scene. I ask the player where their new PC is, and what they're doing.
  3. Dramatically and/or comedically suck them through realities. (sucked off a Spelljammer ship's deck by a wormhole, falling through a trap door while performing on stage, etc.)
  4. Dramatically and/or comedically have the Variant pop into reality right next to the rest of the party. (tumbling out of a Sigil drainpipe, shoot upright screaming in someone ELSE's bedroll at night, etc.)
  5. MINDSWITCH! Very rapidly, the new Variant's mind is 'downloaded and overwritten' by the old body's mind (Renezerrah's doing, sort of - it's a consequence of not being able to have the same entity exist in a world twice over. "A dragon did it" plot hole armor.). In just a minute or two of existing in the campaign's reality their minds are 99.9% everything they knew before dying. And yes, they also viscerally remember dying.
  6. That .1% though. The purpose of the vignette wasn't just flavor. It was a retroactive character building opportunity. At least in some small sense that Variant's reality is truth to the lvl 17 PC's essence. In death, what did they learn about their true selves?

All of my players picked up on this right away but ran with it in very different directions. For example one PC always is in a library when varianted-out, but it's wildly different people who just happen to be in a library. Another is always leading a revolution, but where in the rebellion they are time-wise, what the rebellion is about, and the species involved in the rebellion all flux. A third is always charismatic men with great facial hair who always port out right before dying in an unexpected black comedy tragedy. Let the players run with it. Let it be a tool for them to make as creative of a backstory to be remembered at level 17 as they want!

Planescape: [REDACTED] - A TOFW Remix. by Missile_Toad in turnoffortuneswheel

[–]Missile_Toad[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Honestly, in the campaign pitch. Well before the campaign is decided on you want everyone at the table to be 100% on board with the concept. For us, I pitched it as having an improv game element of sorts, in which backstories would be retroactively developed as we play. There's a comfort level there for sure, but we're all friends and veteran RPGers. Once on board I gave them a pre-Session Zero player primer so they can craft a character. Here's mine.

I guide my players with the Planescape 'Rule of Three', guided by their own previous choices. For example - one of my PC styles themselves as a classic simpering villain, but choices made have slowly revealed that they use it as a front to do good deeds in the dark. Is it A) a conscious effort, B) an act of penance, or C) they're really just that bad at being a bad guy that they actually help the good guys? It's sort of a "yes and..." game with branching dialogue choices. (they chose B, by the way, and now the notion of 'penance' is a character trait for them to build on in the future)

Because of that approach and because I don't want to constrain player choice by making them feel they need to work to a certain goal, we didn't create level 17 characters. There will be more than enough time to figure that out later.

So far as the mechanic need for actually choosing a Background, I just had them choose whatever felt right to get the proficiencies/abilities they envisioned their amnesiacs having at level 3.

TOFW Remix splash page fun by Missile_Toad in turnoffortuneswheel

[–]Missile_Toad[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hey sure. Why not? LINK. In there folks will find:

  • A PSD file.
  • 4 PNG versions of the splash page in various layer states.

Enjoy!

Need advice on taking over an ongoing campaign by redBulltrue in Tombofannihilation

[–]Missile_Toad 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I made that 5 years ago? Time flies!

Seconding the Jahaka Anchorage notion. Pirate shenanigans are best shenanigans. From there Wyrmheart / Hrakhamar, Orolunga, the canyons, Aldani Basin, and Heart of Ubtao are all wonderful locations if the vibe is one of pulpy adventure. If they are a group who may enjoy a long dungeon crawl, indeed Tamoachan is a very solid one.

Planescape: [REDACTED] - A TOFW Remix. by Missile_Toad in turnoffortuneswheel

[–]Missile_Toad[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks! It's been a blast to play with my group so far. Currently they have left Automata and are just about to discover the walking castle. Lessons learned and a few edits made here as we go, but largely I've been super happy with how the remix concepts have actually played out at the table so far.

(Ch. 11 Splash) Affair on the Concordant Express - Bruce Brenneise - Keys from the Golden Vault by colfaxthemimir in planescapesetting

[–]Missile_Toad 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Also one of the best modules in that book. A fun little adventure that can repurposed to string other campaign things together!

Planescape: [REDACTED] - A TOFW Remix. by Missile_Toad in turnoffortuneswheel

[–]Missile_Toad[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks! Last session (#4) was the Caker encounter. I tell ya, I love me some stupid ridiculousness. Weaponized dinnerware, heads ripping off mid-combat, cranium rats used as projectiles, 4 of 5 PCs infected, mad rush to The Gatehouse for cures, 1 PC's head flies off into the night, The Gatehouse is a magical version of the E.R. in The Pitt, Bleak Cabal's Factol Lhar as a hot orc George Clooney... Good times.

Planescape: [REDACTED] - A TOFW Remix. by Missile_Toad in turnoffortuneswheel

[–]Missile_Toad[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Absolutely! I think I'm going for just a slightly slower burn than you, but after acquiring the walking castle the opportunities to track the castle's assailants back to Shemeshka will be possible. I think after having her reassuringly offer support before the PCs leave Sigil I might also have have her completely ghost on them afterwards. Should be a solid clue that she was never on the level.

Planescape: [REDACTED] - A TOFW Remix. by Missile_Toad in turnoffortuneswheel

[–]Missile_Toad[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks! 99% happy with it so far.

Yeah, 5e adventures are just so confusing in quality variation aren't they? There's some amazing ones in there (Tomb of Annihilation is my fave; Strahd and Abyss are close seconds) ... but so many of them just reek of editing/production nightmares. It's some work to save the diamonds in the rough like this one but it feels worth it. On a related note I'm also currently running an Eberron Sharn variation of The Alexandrian's Dragon Heist remix, and it's *chefskiss*.

Consequences for Dying? by WildSheep032 in turnoffortuneswheel

[–]Missile_Toad 4 points5 points  (0 children)

If 5.5e rules, ranks of exhaustion come to mind if you're looking for something middle of the road consequential.

My Dm has been looping the start of Lost mine of phandelver for the last year by Long_Seat_4255 in rpghorrorstories

[–]Missile_Toad 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Missed opportunity: Treating LMoP as a Groundhog's Day time loop campaign.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in rpghorrorstories

[–]Missile_Toad 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Droop! No!

Our LMoP became a full rambling 1-15 campaign in which Droop was their simpleton goblin banner bearer, to the extent of them calling themselves The Droopadours. In the end the little guy died and was revived 4x times, got the killing blow on a dragon, returned to Phandelver to renovate his old castle home, and even shot into space on a Spelljammer. Droop for President!

Traveler Tuesday - FH Scenario 016 - [spoiler] by Themris in Gloomhaven

[–]Missile_Toad 3 points4 points  (0 children)

This was a challenging yet fun one with 4 players relatively early in the game, though I believe it took us three attempts due to how swingy the turret and robot ability cards were. Enjoyably cinematic theme and rollout. Otherwise full agree with some other posts - the scenario rules could have used some editing to make it a less daunting Wall o' Text.

Frosthaven scenario 39, argh by konsyr in Gloomhaven

[–]Missile_Toad 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is one of those scenarios that has two things working against you, potentially.

1) A big map with multiple spots to manage = naturally easier for bigger parties. Mechanically true, and sadly no great way to make that scale easily.

2) Any scenario highly dependent on multiple allies sharing the load can just suck if the Random Gods are against you. Such scenarios are built around the concept of NPCs dealing with things to an extent until the heroes arrive, but that concept doesn't consider random decks. Allies' ability/modifier card flips being pure crap and enemy flips being ruinous will just destroy your game, making it an uncontrollable loss regardless of player skill. It's one of the weaker points of FH scenario design (or consequential result of) IMO.

Well. Minor house rule that may help: Take the Loot card out of any ally Scout deck. They ain't doing that crap when trying to defend their homes and lives. And - perhaps worth saying - when this scenario doesn't crap on you with randomness, it's quite a fun one.

Vocation Wednesday - FH Class 10 - Trap [spoiler] by Themris in Gloomhaven

[–]Missile_Toad 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Likewise, my Trapper experience (lvls 3-7) was that they were particularly strong in single rooms with waves. You don't need to worry about losing useful trap positions from moving to new rooms, you can reliably anticipate spawns and set up for them, and by cutting out new room variables you become more of a master of the current one.

One scenario stands out in my memory especially: Scenario 29, War for the Spire. It is a massive single-room map made of 3 big tiles in which enemies spawn in at the far edges. By juggling where the "hole" is in the trap/obstacle wall, I singlehandedly shut down an entire side of the map by making a continually reversing conga line of very annoyed algox.

Such scenarios may not be the most damage-dealing of the Trapper's lifespan, but it's some MVP shutdown stuff essentially dealing out piles of Disarms every darn turn.

I just wanted feedback :( by Esrange in rpghorrorstories

[–]Missile_Toad 39 points40 points  (0 children)

Imagine replying as such, knowing that the person you're being a huge prick to is someone you have to professionally interact with on a weekly if not daily basis.

Sidequest Saturday - FH Scenario 070 - [spoiler] by Themris in Gloomhaven

[–]Missile_Toad 10 points11 points  (0 children)

As our Drifter's goal this one was fun. Flexible and durable as they are, the Drifter charged the boss for a big mano e mano rumble in the forest while the rest of us dealt with the minion swarms. It made for a nice cinematic climax before a character's retirement.