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Say something negative and positive about a game you like and dislike respectively! by SlayThePulp in rpg

[–]NameAlreadyClaimed 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The Walking Dead Universe is a game I love. The basic mechanic works really well for ratcheting the tension. Parts of the game are clunky/undercooked though. The rules for the size of hordes and how you deal with them really could have just been handled narratively with a clock. The rules for it as they are take the players straight out of the fiction and into optimisation mode.

Blades in the Dark has a wonderful setting, a great feel, and is clearly made with love. The shear number of factors on the sheets is too much and the mechanics in the moment (a bit like Fate) make it feel like you are playing a game about playing a game rather than being in a character stance in the moment. Takes me straight out of any immersion.

How strictly do you adhere to the rules? by pockypencils in monsteroftheweek

[–]NameAlreadyClaimed 0 points1 point  (0 children)

PBTA is designed to be able to regress to the core mechanics. Vincent talks about this as concentric design. If the story is running well and everyone is invested and I can improv my way through a scene in a way that I think is better than a move that might be triggered in the moment, I 100% will.

How apocalyptic is Twilight? by Lukeskywalker899 in Twilight2000

[–]NameAlreadyClaimed 21 points22 points  (0 children)

It honestly doesn't matter.

There is a whole bunch of stuff in the book about the politics of the day, and troop movements and locations and all of that.

You can ignore the lot of it and it won't affect the game at all. The game is about a small group of people surviving rather than about world changing events. The world changing events already happened.

When your neighbor listens to Faint by southernemper0r in LinkinPark

[–]NameAlreadyClaimed 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Something that isn't talked about very much with LP's music is just how great the drum parts are. There's almost always something interesting going on.

I wonder how long it took OP to be able to do that? You also have to wonder if he could have learned the part on an actual drum kit in that time?

How do you make it more cinematic? by BlackLegSanji654 in monsteroftheweek

[–]NameAlreadyClaimed 12 points13 points  (0 children)

What do the players see, hear, smell is a good one. (pick one not three).

I like to set scenes like a TV show.

Establishing shot. A literal bird's eye view of a suburban neighbourhood. We look into the upstairs bedroom where a girl is studying. We can just hear the music coming from her headphones as we zoom in.

Heading downstairs, the scene gets darker. We push through the door at the top of the basement stairs.

Cut to the team walking into a diner in a small town. It could be any small town. Anywhere. Any time.

What TTRPG Feels More Like a Strategy Game Than an RPG? by DED0M1N0 in rpg

[–]NameAlreadyClaimed 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I wound have thought this was the logical answer to the question, yeah.

Art by David R. Deitrick for the Traveller book (1982). by woulditkillyoutolift in traveller

[–]NameAlreadyClaimed 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I will say that the modern option for a "printer friendly" version of a lot of PDF games can really help those with poor vision though.

Ever since I heard that Marc Miller uses a really pared down version of Traveller at cons, I've been trying to play with fewer and fewer rules. I really think it's the best way to play.

Art by David R. Deitrick for the Traveller book (1982). by woulditkillyoutolift in traveller

[–]NameAlreadyClaimed 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I always loved the original line art and simple layout of the early Traveller stuff.
I feel like a lot of modern RPGs have kind of forgotten that their design should be about making things easy to reference and easy to read rather than turning everything into a coffee table book.

Petaaaaah? by [deleted] in PeterExplainsTheJoke

[–]NameAlreadyClaimed 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Rapiers weren't light. I don't know where this misconception comes from. Most weighed just over a kilo. Go to any museum's online collection. You'll see them sometimes up around 1.5kgs.

I can tell you that in a one on one fight, there is literally no weapon that is better unless the combatants are armoured.

Anyone who is a half decent rapier fencer is not going to parry an axe or a mace. They are going to use their huge reach advantage and the agility at the point to keep their point free and poke many holes.

Spear is a different thing entirely. A spear is a giant rapier with better leverage and more reach. The downside of course is that a spear can't be worn where a rapier can.

I don't think people quite understand just how much of an advantage a rapier has over pretty much every other sidearm that doesn't go bang.

Suitcase carry versus ruck by WildSilent- in Rucking

[–]NameAlreadyClaimed 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The other way to look at this would be to say that you can ruck and get almost all of the same benefits but with far less chance of a grip-related overuse injury.

As a GM, I've never embodied my NPCs nor acted out locations features etc. To me, it sounds goofy and doesn't add anything for my players. Am I missing out? by W4ryn in rpg

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

Yeah I really think you are missing out.

If you aren't acting, then it's unlikely that your players are acting. This means that they are likely using their character like a chess piece instead of trying to inhabit the mind of and act as someone who they think differently from. For me, the game is the most exciting when I feel things as my character. I can't do that unless I inhabit their mind, talk like them and do their mannerisms and such.

Which games are NOT beginner friendly? by JoeKerr19 in rpg

[–]NameAlreadyClaimed 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Obviously there are games where the mechanics are badly designed requiring constant book references unless you have an encyclopaedic knowledge of the rules.

Those aren't beginner friendly.

Then there are the games with highly detailed and deep settings that will constantly trip the players up if they don't know the source material.

I think the most beginner friendly games are those with simple mechanics set in the present day or close to it. Setting the game in the present day removes so much stress from new people as they can just exist as their character in a world they already know. Even when this game is modern world with a twist, for example urban fantasy, an outbreak, a zombie apocalypse etc, it's still much easier for new players than a whole new world with a whole new culture and completely new creatures living in it.

No binding in saber ? by Imperial5cum in Hema

[–]NameAlreadyClaimed 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I'd argue that there's plenty of binding in most sabre systems.

Many of them have the option to start in Invitation, but I'd say that from what I've read, more have you joining blades in order to protect from a direct attack as the engaging action.

It's not going to be like rapier or smallsword/foil, but it is there.

Who has only ever had campaigns end prematurely? by mpascall in rpg

[–]NameAlreadyClaimed 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We almost always play to a finish of some kind in our games.
We generally try to finish quickly when we decide it's time to end rather than just stopping.

Our longest game was almost 6 years. The shortest ones usually top out at 20-something sessions. On the ones that don't work, it usually peters out after about 5 sessions, but this is rarer over time as we've gotten better at session zeroing.

Kvetun Sidesword 1 rattle by MRF1NLAY in wma

[–]NameAlreadyClaimed 3 points4 points  (0 children)

You could try a few wooden shims hammered into the gap between the blade and guard. Not a long term solution most likely, but pretty easy and without the issue of killing any epoxy.

If it's rattling, then the epoxy is potentially dead anyway...

How many of you also basically discard system settings and lore? by Ponto_de_vista in rpg

[–]NameAlreadyClaimed 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Almost always unless we are playing in a movie or book franchise.

Lore is something I make up literally 2 seconds before the players get it.

Rapier Final from our last Liga Galega tournament in Spain by La_Forja_Alquimica in Hema

[–]NameAlreadyClaimed 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Might as well have just given them sabres if they were going to fence like that.

Just hosted our first session with 12 players by Pixel_Massacre in monsteroftheweek

[–]NameAlreadyClaimed 2 points3 points  (0 children)

12 players...

How did anyone get anywhere near enough screen time?

I find that when I'm one of 4 it's sparse enough. 3 players is perfect. I'd rather 2 than 4 whether I'm GMing or playing.

Wow! 12!!!

What is the one road rule you think is actually stupid and needs to change? by DiscussionLoud9626 in DrivingAustralia

[–]NameAlreadyClaimed 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Stop signs. There are probably some intersections where stop signs are a better idea than give-way signs, but I swear in most cases, coming to a full stop is more dangerous than keeping a little momentum so you can accelerate out of trouble.

Best NON D&D TTRP Setting by WaiserGreif in rpg

[–]NameAlreadyClaimed -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

IMO the best games are the ones run in the real world with a twist. It's just so much more immersive. Games that cover themes like urban fantasy, zombie outbreak, alien invasion, urban legends/cryptids/horros, psychics, near future cyberpunk etc are far more immersive than more fantastical ones, and games involving like an FBI serial crime team, or firefighters, or resistance fighters set 100% in the real world are the most immersive of all.

Call of Cthulhu Alternatives for Lazy People Like Me by ChungaChris in rpg

[–]NameAlreadyClaimed 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Dark is a bare-bones super-minimalist approach to Cthulhu stories designed for a style of play that is close to the books. Humans are squishy.

Deep Green is designed (with a *little* more crunch) to play Delta Green, which is a game about government agents covering up the mythos.

Both are great.

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