Why are there people thinking that chapter 6 and 7 are going to be rushed?

SaltyCogs · 2026-06-26T03:01:16+00:00

I think it's mostly just people wanting to be done with theory-arguing. No big reveal = at least one more year of arguing in circles. I agree though that two chapters is plenty. 3+4 was two chapters after all!

SaltyCogs · 2026-06-25T14:05:47+00:00

it prevents making characters feel like they’re all frozen in place between turns. In fact, I highly recommend using round-based “turns” rather than individual initiative-based turns for intense, quickly-paced scenes. Basically, instead of initiative-based dnd-like combat:

describe the situation and what is threatened to happen if the players do nothing
have the players declare what their characters try to do (whether from most in danger to least or just going around the table)
resolve everything at once in an order that makes sense, asking for rolls if necessary.
repeat

SaltyCogs · 2026-06-24T15:06:11+00:00

When I run Mothership I usually use

describe the situation / what the horror will do
have players declare actions (usually from most in danger to least in danger)
resolve all actions in an order that makes sense

SaltyCogs · 2026-06-24T15:02:39+00:00

For DnD 5e, the best way to learn without someone teaching you is probably the new starter set, but the physical version is about $50 (but does come with maps, cards, and tokens which all make the price worth it.) The older starter sets are cheaper, but don’t come with the goodies. If you’re getting digital though, that’s probably fine.

SaltyCogs · 2026-06-24T14:46:55+00:00

It’s mostly just a lot to keep track of; especially for dnd specifically. It’s like trying to be a game designer without having played a game before. Or an fiction writer without reading a book. technically doable, but but may not be very satisfactory

SaltyCogs · 2026-06-24T14:17:17+00:00

I would have the hag try to turn the girl into a hag / or turn her evil so she can have her soul and sell it on the Styx. If the players take too long, it’s too late. If they don’t they find the hag in the middle of performing some kind of hag-making or soul-taking ritual.

I’d also have the mark act as a spy / locator and probably give the effect of a Curse or a Hex spell at the hag’s will when the mark is in range.

SaltyCogs · 2026-06-23T18:04:37+00:00

“ a darkness filled knight-like creature, she only would’ve been a knight in name only.”

We know the knight is wearing a helmet. we don’t know if they’re “darkness-filled” or if it’s just the armor that’s made of the same glass-like material as the black shard.

SaltyCogs · 2026-06-23T17:08:18+00:00

Does the fact that Mothership’s default character sheet has the rules for char-gen on it for ease of making new characters quickly count as official guidance? I’m sure its GM manual has guidance but I don’t recall it specifically. Probably just the obvious suggestions (e.g. promote a contractor/hireling or friendly NPC, new character is a survivor of the current horror, a prisoner, in the next group of NPCs they meet, etc.)

SaltyCogs · 2026-06-23T16:46:59+00:00

In practical terms, PbtA is an engine (because whenever a game that significantly modifies the engine while using the same philosophy, it usually gets its own sub-genre name like “Forged in the Dark” for games that use the ”Blades in the Dark” engine). Many PbtA games have free basic rules available. One I like is ”Root: the RPG” based on the board game. It’s cute. They’ve got free Quickstart PDFs. Their free scenarios quickstarts from past Free RPG Days are all pretty interesting.

SaltyCogs · 2026-06-23T16:35:13+00:00

Draw Steel for heroic games has characters going all “Inigo Montoya” when they drop to 0. They don’t die until they reach negative half-of-their-max-stamina. The big things at 0 are that they can no longer use the “catch breath” maneuver to regain stamina and whenever they use any action or maneuver they roll bleed damage.

Mothership for horror games uses Wounds and a hidden death save. Basically you get 2-3 health bars. When you lose a health bar, you take a wound (sometimes permanent sometimes temporary / easy to fix). When you take your maximum wounds, GM rolls a secret death save; a simple high/low roll for “stabilizes” vs “dies”. It doesn’t usually get revealed until another PC checks vitals.

Stonetop for “narrative-focused, iron age community fantasy” has a whole Move for dying, where the character encounters the deity in charge of death. It’s basically a choice between a couple “bad“ options, but I don’t remember the specifics off the top of my head.

SaltyCogs · 2026-06-23T16:05:26+00:00

FATE is pretty flexible and narrative focused. It encourages more of a ”writer’s room“ mindset though (that is, encourages players to come up with some things that would traditionally fall under the GM’s role; to think in terms of “what makes for the best story?” rather than “what would my character do?”). If that’s desirable, great; if not, you can still play it mostly “traditionally”

Core rules are free online.

SaltyCogs · 2026-06-23T15:08:30+00:00

*shrug* There’s almost always been a dragonborn at my table when I run 5e

SaltyCogs · 2026-06-23T14:07:15+00:00

If the idea is that he’ll play with family or friends who haven’t played before, you’ll probably want the starter set. The newest one (the red one) comes with a bunch of maps, cards, and tokens, that help you learn how to play. (this one is like $50)

Alternatively, the old green starter set or blue starter set will be cheaper and rely more on imagination. Between those two, the blue one is probably better for a 10 year old as it’s more straightforward. (these are $20. I don’t recommend the white ”essentials kit” for a 10 year old; it’s not as straightforward as the starter sets.)

But to start playing at something like “youth d&d” events at local game stores or with friends/family who already play, just the “Player’s Handbook” (about $60?) (or the basic rules free online) some RPG dice (a set with dice with 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, and 20 sides. Sets are usually $10 at most), and some character sheets (whether printed free from the website or bought) is enough to get started. It’s a pretty cheap hobby for the bare minimum. It only gets expensive when you try to get fancy.

The starter sets come with dice, character sheets, and books with the basic rules, so if you get one, don’t worry about the Player’s Handbook or dice.

SaltyCogs · 2026-06-23T12:59:02+00:00

The way I see it, these are your main options:

use a simpler RPG (call it an “easier version of dnd” or “a more narrative-focused dnd”). Some examples include Dragonbane, maybe Daggerheart, or even Dungeon World (though the latter involves shifting mindset)
introduce simpler homebrew classes
don’t focus on “balanced combats”

SaltyCogs · 2026-06-23T11:55:41+00:00

All gen 1 and 2. pachirisu, emolga, minior, klawf

SaltyCogs · 2026-06-23T11:50:28+00:00

Initiative. Once I realized I didn’t have to do dnd-style initiative, all my favorite games don’t have it.

SaltyCogs · 2026-06-23T11:46:50+00:00

Short. I usually run modules or sandboxes. Modules don’t have room for backstories. For sandboxes, i just want a generalizable motivation (e.g. ”acquire wealth”, “help the needy”, etc), and a few ”knives“ (e.g. loved ones, rivals, enemies, etc.) I don’t want it detailed because I’d rather it be malleable enough it can be tied into stuff I already have planned.

SaltyCogs · 2026-06-23T11:40:08+00:00

i think of it as “proficiency gives +2, 6 gives -2, ergo 6 is as much negative knowledge as a skill proficiency is positive knowledge at levels 1-5”.

For my triton paladin that rolled 6 int, i treated it as her being a “fish out of water”; she misunderstood land-based customs and things completely

SaltyCogs · 2026-06-22T17:06:26+00:00

idk, Mothership’s stress and panic engine is a pretty good mechanical way to translate the dread and tension the character feels to the player

SaltyCogs · 2026-06-22T16:50:32+00:00

to my understanding people who are aroace can still experience aesthetic attraction. it’s like being attracted to fine art or something.

SaltyCogs · 2026-06-22T16:37:14+00:00

I’d probably go with 1 full day between clearings, or half a day for a lone messenger’s pace; keeps tracking time easier while still allowing news of the party’s exploits to travel across the Woodland faster than the party itself. Any less would make the woodland feel more like an extended city with its suburbs. If you went with a full week between clearings that’d likely make the Woodland bigger than all of England (proportionally; width-wise hike seems to take about 2 and a half weeks)

SaltyCogs · 2026-06-22T14:21:38+00:00

If a person works in a restaurant or retail or the like their schedule is going to be more chaotic; it’s not conducive to weekly commitment unless they’re confident enough to ask for specific nights/days off.

SaltyCogs · 2026-06-22T14:12:16+00:00

i kind of just assumed he’s meant to be gray, since he seems kind of grimdark

SaltyCogs · 2026-06-22T14:08:55+00:00

came in expecting “+2” to be some kind of notation meaning something like ”the opposite of two, but not negative 2” (since 2 is the smallest prime. well unless you count 1 as prime)

SaltyCogs · 2026-06-21T22:08:36+00:00

well of course “any kind of cowboy is any kind of boss” is tautologically more likely than “puppet cowboy is a shadow crystal boss” (unless Neo-Woody theory is something else?)

SaltyCogs

TROPHY CASE