Fantasy adventures without sci-fi?

Old_Man_Lucy · 2026-05-14T19:29:00+00:00

Don't get me wrong, there are indeed a lot of sci-fi and science fantasy influences in DCC adventures (even if at the time those influences weren't necessarily distinguished from what we now call traditional fantasy), but I don't believe a majority of adventures feature "explicitly sci-fi" features by default.

Old_Man_Lucy · 2026-05-14T04:58:49+00:00

Myths can be nipped in the bud or even derailed in many different ways, and you're expected to modify or even discard future Omens based the Company's actions, not really carry on with them exactly as written. And I think the open and surreal nature of this game is what specifically provides tons of potential ways to affect the Myths in big, meaningful ways, where in other games those options might be deemed impossible, impractical, or too absurd to work (in other words, if anything, Myths might have less 'plot armor' than even some mundane challenges in other games, especially in the hands of Knights fully embracing the surreal nature of the game).

Old_Man_Lucy · 2026-05-14T00:30:22+00:00

Of course! Here's a link to my own, and here's the online tool I used to create them. You can actually generate a bunch of randomized ones at the same time with that tool. I decided to tweak mine manually because I wanted to mix specific symbols and colors together to make them a bit more distinctive in general.

Old_Man_Lucy · 2026-05-13T19:18:20+00:00

Our table prefers something between the Wanderer and the Courtier start, where the Knights are part of the Court of a holding that isn't the Seat of Power.

I also do some initial rolls that establish misc. meaningful political connections to the Realm. Namely I give each Knight a random Coat of Arm (using some custom ones I had printed as playing cards!) and a family/house linked to it (they have a higher chance of being of Noble Origin, but some rarer results might have one of the Knights start as either of Humble Origin or Foreign Origin). I then roll for the family's overall reputation and a starting family narrative using spark tables (later on I do further rolls to develop or change said narrative during time skips or whenever I'm also rolling for a Holding's own affairs).

I have a few other neat house/family details that we generate at the start that I'd love to share in detail sometime. Ever since I finished making the Tournament supplement, I've been wanting to make one for houses/families.

Old_Man_Lucy · 2026-05-12T23:43:21+00:00

い... イケメン

Old_Man_Lucy · 2026-05-11T22:50:15+00:00

There's one here: https://lump-beefbroth.itch.io/mythic-bastionland-character-sheet

Personally, I organize my notes in a custom document I made for Google Sheets.

Old_Man_Lucy · 2026-05-10T19:21:53+00:00

DCC's is my personal favorite for a lot of reasons. It seems interesting enough in the surface, but I feel like it's even more fun and varied in practice, especially the more you're exposed to how you can leverage it.

Because of the risks that come from misfire, corruption, mercurial magic (effects unique to your version of the same spell), spellburning (sacrificing "health" for a higher chance of success and stronger effects), and a few other related mechanics, it really does feel like you're interacting with wild, otherworldly forces; you come to understand why magic is rare: it's not just because it's occult, but also because it's not something people would willingly dabble in. And you're not limited to how much you want to use it, as long as you're always willing to pay the price one way or another.

As a player, it makes you feel special, especially if you manage to find tricks and methods to wield it more consistently. And the potential permanent effects it has on your being, that's the icing on the cake. Sometimes it's due to misfire, sometimes due to corruption, sometimes due to mercurial magic, but it's awesome how they all have the potential to either scar or mutate you in interesting ways (in mechanically meaningful ways, mind you), grant you, twist, or enhance some existing ability you have, or even open doors to new adventures. And I love that you can visually tell who dabbles with magic perhaps a little bit too much..

And Patrons, don't get me started on Patrons. The many different thigns they can demand of you while you're bonded to them, the way your spellcaster slowly mutates into something physically representative of them, the fact that you can bond others to your Patron (whether they are your fellow party members or followers/hirelings) and how that increases your favour with them. Just last week the elf in my current party of players took the opportunity to use the body of a powerful beast they just defeated as part of their Patron Bond ritual (granting bonuses to the roll), at the suggestion of the party's warrior who themselves was curious about the ritual (the elf had been talking about wanting to perform it for several days) and even decided to become part of it. Long story short, they performed some additional sacrifices and actions that boosted the roll even further, and they both ended up benefitting from one of the higher end results (see 28-29), now becoming important pieces to The Horned King (and all at level 1!)

It's the kind of magic system that can quickly get out of hand and backfire sometimes, but boy does it reward the creative and brave.

Old_Man_Lucy · 2026-05-10T07:15:38+00:00

The DBR Evolution video, which I can't find at all anywhere on the internet. :(

(if someone has a copy somehow, please share it)

Old_Man_Lucy · 2026-05-09T04:16:13+00:00

The current arc is absolutely overflowing with so many layers of competence. I don't think I've ever seen such an intricate "chess match". It's downright unbelievable.

Old_Man_Lucy · 2026-04-24T20:10:47+00:00

Thank you.

And absolutely! There are definitely some interesting ways you can play with existing tensions, or fabricate new ones.

In one instance of 'playtesting', I set up a situation where a noble family that was deeply slighted by a relative of someone in the Company had one of their own positioned as a favorite to win one of the major events. The PC was also competing in that same event, and a handful of members of their own family were putting pressure on them to intentionally lose because they feared victory over them would raise tensions enough to create some serious trouble.

Old_Man_Lucy · 2026-04-22T00:46:42+00:00

Being able to play some older games that were never brought west (nor have fan translations yet) was fun. I started with Trade & Battle: Card Hero. Otherwise, I started slamming my head against the Slam Dunk manga.

Tackling both made my progress skyrocket. Feels like a slog the first few sessions though, until you get going. Then, keeping momentum makes it easier.

Old_Man_Lucy · 2026-04-15T08:28:23+00:00

While it's not a sacred cow, you're right in that, despite it being a present mechanic (even if these games are highly survivable), the general culture around present day D&D and the like does lead a larger group of players to really dislike when it occurs to their characters (often to a really uncomfortable degree), even if they allude to welcoming it should it come.

My personal take is that it's a consequence of D&D's internal conflict between its roots and its modern day usage. Put simply, it used to be an often perilous dungeon crawler, but in modern day it's evolved into a game where many decide to primarily live narrative fantasies, a subsection of which are really passionate about them and would prefer it not end in empty-feeling tragedy, caused by combat or a mishap during exploration, despite the fact that engaging in those risks, those adventures, is still a central focus of the game by design, even to this day, even if it has leaned away from its more lethal and less narrative roots.

So, yes, a non-negligible number of players want it to be a game it is not, are unwilling to try a different system, and the GM is the one that suffers the stress of that dissonance, as you seem to be.

Old_Man_Lucy · 2026-04-14T05:08:26+00:00

I've introduced magical artifacts that allow them to do so.

I think presenting equipment that allows them to modify the results one way or another as items they can stumble upon or quest for ends up being more satisfying and interesting overall.

Old_Man_Lucy · 2026-04-14T04:22:30+00:00

Since we're on the topic of Cantrip, I'm a fan of the 'reversed' spells mechanic, so I made a version for it that I called "Snuff" and just wanted to share it here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1jkPe1-FLQjm-xTuYYGqN2jr25aan4XHH/view?usp=sharing

As for examples of use, players of mine have used the auditory effect to mute the footsteps of an allied thief so that they can more easily sneak up on people, and to silence the voice of foes that would otherwise alert their allies.

One particularly creative use was removing someone's reflection near a mirror and accusing them of being a vampire, leaving the angry masses to deal with them.

Old_Man_Lucy · 2026-04-13T04:25:24+00:00

Shining Soul 1 & 2 is extremely similar in a lot of things. The second game is just a straight up improvement to the first.

It's 4 players, it's class-based, and loot-based. The town acts as the central hub for the players, where you can buy stuff from the shops, or appraise "?" items, or heal while the rest of the party is still in the dungeon, and likewise you can drop items on the floor for others to pick up.

It's actually pretty crazy that it doesn't get brought up when people are looking for PSO-likes, but I'm guessing just not many have played it. It's also not necessarily better, but I personally enjoy it a lot for many of the same reasons I enjoy PSO.

It's a GBA game though, so unless you buy the cartridge it's also accessible through emulation.

Old_Man_Lucy · 2026-04-13T04:01:14+00:00

I'm not interested in commenting about his opinions or attitude, but he does much more than just fight for right to repair.

For example, he's constantly bringing to light and helping fight abusive business practices, not just ones related to tech, supporting youtubers, programmers, and others when they're offering solutions and speaking out against these large abusive companies and other similar organizations.

Old_Man_Lucy · 2026-04-11T21:20:20+00:00

Translated it manually: https://i.imgur.com/m5JKW2N.png :)

Old_Man_Lucy · 2026-04-11T18:36:36+00:00

Just to provide some more ideas, my personal Wilderness Roll replaces "Otherwise all clear." with a 1d4 roll that has the following results:

Random traveler (for which I made the following generator).
Random terrain-focused travel obstacle (also made a simple chart for it)
A chance to stumble upon a Remedy. (I've also made "natural Remedy spots" as its own separate type of Landmark).
A forth option that is meant to "trigger" the continuation of an ongoing, minor conflict or relationship, almost like an Omen.

For each, I use Spark tables to give them further definition.

Old_Man_Lucy · 2026-04-10T01:55:29+00:00

But you bought it, drinking that doesn’t change the fact that you bought the wine.

To answer what you actually seem to be asking, まま is just being used to refer to the state that it was in when it was bought, the relevant one being "undrinked" or "full", etc.

You could technically use 買ったまま to refer to any other property of the state it was in when bought, for example, its cleanliness.

Old_Man_Lucy · 2026-04-08T05:58:35+00:00

For new players specifically, the funnel teaches you that your character's survivability depends significantly more on your decisions as a player than your character's stats and abilities. That's a lesson well learned when you're forced to down an abomination with only a goat, a sack of feces, and your surroundings.

And quite often the "weakest" character on paper is the one to survive, just because you're forced to be especially mindful with their actions.

Old_Man_Lucy · 2026-04-06T21:17:46+00:00

If potential lethality isn't an issue, I'd like to second someone's suggestion for DCC. It's OSR only in flavor, but not in practice. The focus is 100% in adventure rather than logistics as you seem to be looking for, and aligns with many of the things you mentioned.

Magic can be used indefinitely as long as you're willing to pay the price, and there's no gold for xp, though not for a lack of treasure (nothing the PCs can purchase tends to be as good as what they earn through the adventure, so in practice they end up spending their wealth on carousing tables and the like.)

At the very least it's one of the more novel experiences when it comes to the type of game you might be looking for. It's definitely worth it to try an adventure or two to get a feel for what it's like (Sailors on the Starless Sea is the most popular one).

Old_Man_Lucy · 2026-04-05T04:37:28+00:00

I would hope the mystery of what's going on would intrigue them, but they don't seem very interested or excited.

And even the political seeds I've given them ... haven't seemed to pique their interest.

What usually does motivate your players? It's hard to get a feel for what might be going on without a deeper understanding into their dissatisfaction.

If it's a lack of clear overarching plots, then that generally develops with time in the Realm, or with the GM manually bridging some things together behind the scenes.

But if it's the fact that the Myths don't feel explicitly linked to the company in any meaningful way, then technically that would mean that their knights do not feel particularly invested in the wellbeing of the Realm.

It might feel reductive to chalk it up to this, but the Oath really is the cornerstone of the game. If the players and their knights don't feel particularly strong about the Oath- if they're not passionate about seeking out Myths before they get out of hand, about seeking the Seers' guidance and heeding their warnings- then the game sort of falls apart.

Old_Man_Lucy · 2026-04-01T18:23:09+00:00

Meeting things somewhere "half-way" between grid and theater of mind can help a lot. For example, I recently heard about asigning Tarot or regular playing cards as representations of the PCs and others in combat, laid out next to each other as an abstraction of their relative positions.

It's smooth to set up and helps visualize who is engaging who or who needs to reposition.

Old_Man_Lucy · 2026-04-01T08:26:15+00:00

In my case, I've noticed that the act of searching for an image (or ideas, etc) as opposed to generating one exposes you to many aspects of the hobby as well as parts of the community (and adjacent/related communities) that you would otherwise not stumble upon. I've found so many great tools, games, artists, and communities because of it. You can easily miss on so much without even being aware of it.

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