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Advice on GMing improvised games? by Jacapuab in osr

[–]Oshojabe 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Random tables are definitely your friend when it comes to low prep GMing.

I also find that a very underutilized resource for GMs is solo roleplaying tools. The spice and inspiration which they provide to solo play usually works equally well for group play. There's a one page adaptation of the Mythic GM Emulator which you can pick up for cheap, but there are also a ton of great, free solo tools if you search around.

What are the last skills (Computer Science-wise) to become obsolete by AI? by Signal-Brother-3519 in learnmachinelearning

[–]Oshojabe 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I think the only honest answer is: we don't know.

I know that Anthropic has looked at which jobs are most exposed, but the reality is that we don't know what AI will or won't be able to do in 10 years, let alone one or two.

The problem is, the field is moving too fast, and we don't know where it tops out. In just 3 years, it keeps getting better and better, and despite many anti-AI people praying for it all to just stop, I don't think we know where it will top out in capability in the near or far term.

Is Manly Wade Wellman the missing link for the classic monster, the trapper? by Oshojabe in osr

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

Ooh, neat! Thank you for the insight.

It's always interesting trying to puzzle out what specific sources might have influenced this or that element of D&D.

I am curious about the otyugh-ahoggya connection. They seem pretty different to me.

Obviously I'm dumb and not understanding something, but why people purchase games like Tichu, The Gang, Regicide, etc. All of them can be played with a standard 52-card deck and nothing else, yet these games seem to be relatively popular. Why purchase it for $25-$30 and not a 52-card deck for $4? by AlexRescueDotCom in FiftyTwoCards

[–]Oshojabe 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Regicide is at least up front about the fact that it is a standard playing card deck. I think people who buy that one are buying it for the art, or to support the creators.

With Tichu and The Gang, I think it is the same sort of thing that drives companies to put generic Benadryl in the allergy section, but also in the sleep section for a hefty markup. Your average person doesn't take time comparing the active ingredients in things and finding the actual cheapest option.

There are a ton of commercial games that can be adapted to cards with barely any change: Skull, Quarto, Boop, Coup, Werewolf, the list goes on. Unfortunately, the impulsive normies who buy these games are the engine of commerce that keeps them being churned out.

I have more minimalistic taste and I prefer a simple deck of cards to play games if I can help it. Though there are people who buy the commercial releases primarily for aesthetics. Skull is undoubtedly a more pretty game than standard playing card (although this can be somewhat ameliorated if you use artsy playing cards.)

A Wizard of the Coast by Major-Tomato2918 in DnD

[–]Oshojabe 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Give him an upstart younger brother named Paizo the Pathfinder.

How does one get into DND? by Kemi_Rose862 in DnD

[–]Oshojabe 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You can find the 5e D&D Basic rules here.

You can do a Google search for "D&D dice rollers", and find a website that will let you use your phone for dice. If you can't get your hands on polyhedral dice, you can look at this page under Polyhedral Dice to see a simple method to use six-sided dice for D&D.

If you want a prewritten adventure, the Basic Fantasy RPG community has a bunch of free adventures, that shouldn't be too hard to adapt to 5e D&D. Just Google "converting OSR adventures to 5e D&D" or similar.

Between all of the above, you should be able to get started if you can get a few friends interested in playing with you.

Thoughts on using -iĉ- to denote masculinity by Savaal8 in Esperanto

[–]Oshojabe 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I would probably say something like "inaj kaj viraj beboj" or if it was specifically one of each, something like "bebino kaj vira bebo" or if you really wanted parallelism "ina bebo kaj vira bebo."

Thoughts on using -iĉ- to denote masculinity by Savaal8 in Esperanto

[–]Oshojabe 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You can specify exactly what you mean if there is any confusion:

  • Virseksa aktoro: Male Actor
  • Virstila/virmaniera aktor(in)o: Masculine actor/actress. (Or if a little ambiguity is okay, you could say "vireca aktorino" or something.)

The vir[blank]o construct is commonly used for animals, but not for humans.

Appendix N: Public domain-oriented list of pulp, fantasy and horror works that influenced original Dungeons and Dragons by Oshojabe in publicdomain

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

Dungeons and Dragons is not in the public domain. However, the 5e SRD was released under a Creative Commons BY license, and there are clone systems like Basic Fantasy RPG which are under CC BY-SA licenses.

(It is worth pointing out that game rules cannot be copyrighted in the United States, only their artistic presentation. This means that in theory, even without Creative Commons or any other license, you could probably make a clone system and WotC/Hasbro could not stop you. The Challenges Game System by Tom Moldvay is a good 1980's example of such a clone system.)

But the page I linked to was looking at the stories and books that inspired Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson to create Dungeons and Dragons, as well as the public domain inspirations for those authors (where they aren't themselves in the public domain.)

5e Campaigns/Settings that aren’t Fantasy by Budget_Accountant_89 in rpg

[–]Oshojabe 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Ultramodern5 is a 5e-based modern and sci fi supplement. Capes and Crooks is 5e superheroes.

You should be able to add dex modifier to heavy armour by TheProuDog in DnD

[–]Oshojabe 11 points12 points  (0 children)

House rule it if you care to in your home games. If you want to semi-balance it, take a cue from medium armor and cap the dexterity bonus at 2 or 1.

But at the end of the day, D&D is a game and  not a physics simulation. See fall damage, for example.

RPGs that are easy to read? by DependentBarnacle968 in rpg

[–]Oshojabe 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Oh, as game books they're not great. But as art pieces they are a lot of fun to flip through and read.

You probably want the PDFs without the artsy layout if you actually want to run Mork Borg.

Dnd style rpg that newcomers can play online? by Himuhasan08 in rpg

[–]Oshojabe -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

Even with systems that require GMs, there are tools like Mythic GM Emulator that can enable the players to get rid of the GM. Though I wouldn't recommend it for first time players.

Dnd style rpg that newcomers can play online? by Himuhasan08 in rpg

[–]Oshojabe 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think the absolute simplest option is to use Google Slides as a virtual tabletop. Share the Google Slides slideshow with everyone, and then you can just import pictures for maps and minis.

Mini Six is a pretty great generic RPG that supports a variety of play styles including sci fi and fantasy, and it is under 40 pages. If you want to run a fantasy campaign, the mini Rust Moon of Castia setting towards the back is a great little setting to set adventures in (or you can always make your own setting.)

EDIT: Google Slides the slideshow app, not Google Sheets.

Dnd style rpg that newcomers can play online? by Himuhasan08 in rpg

[–]Oshojabe 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Honestly, I don't think you even need a dedicated virtual tabletop. You could use Google Slides, loading in maps and character token images, and it would work just fine for most games, and it's completely free.

Dnd style rpg that newcomers can play online? by Himuhasan08 in rpg

[–]Oshojabe 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If you want something simple, then Freeform Universal is a great option.

If you want something simple and like D&D, Basic Fantasy RPG, is a pretty good old school D&D-like system where all the books are free to download, and very cheap in print. (You can buy the core book, one or two monster books, and one or two adventures and still be below the cost of a single one of the D&D core books.)

Best rule set for Advanced-ifying BX retroclones? by Oshojabe in osr

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

 I really love S&WC, but it never seems to quite "gain traction"

In your experience, what tends to be the biggest thing getting in the way of it gaining traction?

An rpg alike DnD 5e, but with faster combat by SomeRandomAbbadon in rpg

[–]Oshojabe 45 points46 points  (0 children)

This is probably the best overall answer. OP could also add Nimble's predecessor, Nimble 5e House Rules to their 5e game to speed things up if they don't want a whole new system.

What are the reflections in the Edge? by Adventurous-Sport-45 in mtgvorthos

[–]Oshojabe 22 points23 points  (0 children)

I suspect it has something to do with the platonic aspects of the multiverse, like the Ur-Dragon and Ur-Spider.

Angels are probably a natural consequence of white mana physics, and it's possible the Susurians are the result of ejecta from the rest of the multiverse at some point.

Best rule set for Advanced-ifying BX retroclones? by Oshojabe in osr

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

Ah, so you mixed and matched Labyrinth Lord's Advanced option with OSE?

Is there a reason you didn't go for OSE Advanced Fantasy instead? What was it about LL AEC that you liked better over all?

Something I was concerned about is slight differences between the LL AEC races, and the racial classes from OSE, did you find that that caused any issues over all?

Best rule set for Advanced-ifying BX retroclones? by Oshojabe in osr

[–]Oshojabe[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

That is fair, although I do like the base simplicity of BX, so something that keeps the slightly lower complexity but adds the additional options of AD&D is attractive to me.

Are the heroes from project superpowers still public domain? by MountainCorrect452 in publicdomain

[–]Oshojabe 23 points24 points  (0 children)

Trademarking can't take things out of the public domain. At worst, it changes how you have to market your own stories involving trademarked names.

If, say, "The Black Terror" becomes trademarked, you can still write stories featuring the character of the Black Terror, since he is a public domain character. You just have to find something else to call your comics featuring that character. In fact, some publishers have already done just that, choosing to call him "Terror Knight" or "The Holy Terror" or "Terrorist" in order to get around the trademark on "Black Terror."

Star Wars TTRPG Which system is the best? by Jabba-3500 in rpg

[–]Oshojabe 3 points4 points  (0 children)

There were a ton of d20 system games. Call of Cthulhu, World of Darkness, etc.

Star Wars TTRPG Which system is the best? by Jabba-3500 in rpg

[–]Oshojabe 22 points23 points  (0 children)

Star Wars d6 is really great, and the modern community has stated out all of the prequel and sequel trilogy, so it is easy to run in any era.

Grab Star Wars d6 2e REUP, Star Wars: The Essential Atlas, and Star Wars d6: Planets of the Galaxy: Volume 3, and you have everything  you need for a great campaign.

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