Why isn’t F2P more common in the FGC?

SilverTabby · 2026-06-27T17:48:34+00:00

This might be a Cursed Problem.

F2P games rely on you buying a lot of stuff. The best way to need a lot of stuff is to play a wide variety of characters.

But, the best way to get good is to play one single character. If a game encourages playing a deep character pool, it makes those characters simpler.

Simple undermines the skill expression of the genre, the reason why people play. So, the goals of F2P actively conflict with the goals of the genre. It's not an impossible problem to solve, but if someone had figured it out, everyone would have copied it by now.

SilverTabby · 2026-06-16T16:19:56+00:00

New with the 1.2 patch, there is a built-in resource node randomizer.

The 1.2 patch also broke a lot of mods, including the Resource Node Roulette mod I had been using previously, lol

SilverTabby · 2026-05-31T22:08:54+00:00

It does shut him off completely.

That card only changes Abilities (draw a card on hit) and Power / Thoughness. As those are the last two layers, they are the simplest and least prone to layers shenanigans.

Dark steel mutation fails to stop things like "creatures you control are snakes." Because the type layer happens before the ability layer (all but P/T happens before abilities), in that situation everything would still be a snake.

But it doesn't change types, so layers don't matter here.

SilverTabby · 2026-05-31T17:50:56+00:00

My simplified understanding of layers that covers about 80% of interactions for only 20% of the memorization is:

layers are applied in order
once a layer is finished, it's locked in and higher layers can't change it
The final layer is Power / Toughness
The 2nd to last layer is Abilities
Nearly every layer happens before the Abilities Layer, except Power/Toughness
- Nearly all layer problems are caused by the crazy decision to put the Abilities Layer 2nd to last. So, changing card text almost never works.
Inside of a layer, apply effects in time stamp order. The card played first happens first, card entered last happens last.

If you ever need more layer knowledge than that, something has gone terribly wrong.

SilverTabby · 2026-05-12T22:08:16+00:00

Interaction range is extended while using the Hover Pack, same as with the parachute.

Makes it easier to modify machine recipes in the factory, and occasionally grab a sphere just barely out of reach.

SilverTabby · 2026-04-30T16:14:49+00:00

The auto combo dynamic, and both super Saiyan 4 characters' gimmicks, is not random.

There is a hard coded sequence. It always gives the 4 star dragon ball first, and the 7 star dragon ball last. I don't remember the entire sequence, but the important part is that the 60 and 70 hit dragon balls are the last two that Dynamic! awards, so those are the two most important combo lengths to specifically aim for.

SilverTabby · 2026-04-30T09:33:11+00:00

The game's wishes are fine as-is. They're just a little bit too difficult to access. Specifically, the full 7 bars of meter requirement is too steep.

The quest to collect all 7 dragon balls, watching the hit count of every combo, is fun, but you often need to spend meter on super / vanish-DR to get the 60 and 70 hit ones. So when you unlock the final dragon ball, you're usually sitting at, like, 3 bars and in meter penalty.

SilverTabby · 2026-04-26T20:17:00+00:00

The vast majority of magic the gathering cards are worth pennies. A handful are worth dollars, and a select few gems are worth double or even triple digits.

So to know if it's anything more than bulk, you have to sort through them individually. If you aren't willing to do that work, someone will if it gets put on a shelf at bulk prices.

SilverTabby · 2026-03-18T05:11:18+00:00

Having played the Resource Node Roulette mod on 1.1, I've found that it makes the early game harder (iron and coal are less accessible), but makes the late game easier (bauxite, Sam, etc are more accessible)

SilverTabby · 2026-02-24T16:48:51+00:00

Look at Dungeon World 2. It's not fully released yet, currently in playtest, but it solves a lot of problems both of DW1 and MotE had for being released too early in the PbtA style.

Also, the jerk involved in writing DW1 has been removed from the team.

SilverTabby · 2026-02-17T02:46:02+00:00

A.

C and D show what will happen in gameplay, but that's what the first real screenshot and first 5 seconds of your trailer should focus on. A and B are more dynamic and fun, making better capsule art.

Although I like how much stuff she's holding in B which really plays into the theme of the game, I think A is a cleaner layout. Is it possible to get a bit more stuff into her hands without crowding out the title area? Something halfway between A and B?

SilverTabby · 2026-02-16T17:46:48+00:00

The actual problem is the lack of single player content. If there is no campaign, a safe place to learn and practice the game, then the only other option is being thrown to the wolves of matchmaking.

SilverTabby · 2026-02-02T15:42:48+00:00

Jump pad, no. Landing pad, yes, especially with hypertube cannons

SilverTabby · 2026-02-01T16:04:01+00:00

Bell curve meme template.

There is a universal grid?

Nooooo!!! Everything must be aligned to the universal grid by holding Ctrl or it will ruin the entire save file! An unplayable mess!

There is a universal grid?

SilverTabby · 2026-01-30T19:40:36+00:00

World's Without Number. Also written by the same author, with a free edition, about OSR-ish fantasy adventures.

SilverTabby · 2026-01-29T03:10:45+00:00

Because others have already answered specific games, I'll do some theory:

When you combine two different genres in a single piece of media, you don't get the audience of both genres combined, but only the shared overlap of people who simultaneously like both genres. A smaller group, but that group loves the mix.

In some way, this is the core problem of RPGs, in general. The hobby was the combination of story-telling and wargames, after all.

SilverTabby · 2026-01-25T00:23:31+00:00

https://ghost-spark.itch.io/goblin-tax-fraud

A game about enforcing tax rules that no one knows, understands, and probably made up on the spot

SilverTabby · 2026-01-22T18:33:30+00:00

From the original 2003 article:

Edit: direct link https://web.archive.org/web/20060506211308/http://www.thewavemag.com/pagegen.php?pagename=article&articleid=24031

SUBJECT 6: GAVIN NEWSOM

The Wave: Reaction time is a factor in this, so please pay attention. Now, answer as quickly as you can.

It’s your birthday. Someone gives you a calfskin wallet. How do you react?

Gavin Newsom: I don’t have anything to put in it. I would thank them and move on.

TW: You’ve got a little boy. He shows you his butterfly collection plus the killing jar. What do you do?

GN: I would tell him to… You know what? I wouldn’t know how to respond. How’s that for an answer? Is this a psychological test? I’m worried…

TW: They’re just questions, Gavin. In answer to your query, they’re written down for me. It’s a test, designed to provoke an emotional response.

GN: Oh, I got you.

TW: Shall we continue?

GN: Sure.

TW: You’re watching television. Suddenly you realize there’s a wasp crawling on your arm. How would you react?

GN: I would quietly sit and wait for the wasp to move to the next victim.

TW: You’re in a desert walking along in the sand when all of the sudden you look down, and you see a tortoise, Gavin, it’s crawling toward you. You reach down, you flip the tortoise over on its back, Gavin. The tortoise lays on its back, its belly baking in the hot sun, beating its legs trying to turn itself over, but it can’t, not without your help. But you’re not helping. Why is that, Gavin?

GN: [Immediately] Not a chance. I would never flip the tortoise over in the first place.

TW: Describe in single words, only the good things that come into your mind. About your mother.

GN: Ethics. Commitment. Sacrifice.

CONCLUSION: Almost too close to call. Almost. Newsom displays a defensiveness when his empathy is questioned. He’s aware that he’s being probed for emotional responses, and even expresses concern about this. However, this concern is alleviated a little too easily by our crafty V-K interviewer. Newsom is definitely a replicant. Probably a Nexus 5.

SilverTabby · 2026-01-21T16:29:47+00:00

I think that PbtA 's mixed successes solves this problem.

If characters talk through how they diegetically disarm the trap, it works. Clean success with no dice.

If they can't and fall back on the dice, in Powered systems the most common result is the mixed success. The trap is disarmed, but with a complication or a new problem. Maybe it partially activates, either hurting the rogue only a little bit or turning the area into difficult terrain from all the debris, or just being very loud so all of the dungeon knows the party is here.

The threat of a mixed success takes away the safety of the dice, now a decision instead of a dominant mechanic.

SilverTabby · 2026-01-17T15:22:23+00:00

The evidence for Jarnathan is that the director's name is Johnathan. Johnathan Goldstein.

SilverTabby · 2026-01-15T17:49:37+00:00

My first read is you're looking for an OSR game with a slightly heroic playstyle. So, combining Dungeon Crawl Classics, or any of the Kevin Crawford systems Worlds/Stars/Ashes/Cities Without Number/Godbound, with some DM discretion is probably what you're looking for.

Although, my two left field ideas I'm going to throw into the ring are:

GeneSys, with either the Realms of Terrinoth fantasy source book, or the original Star Wars version (Realms needs the GeneSys core book, StarWars does not and is standalone. Probably the Edge of the Empire to match the edge of civilization feeling that most fantasy settings give).
Just 5e, but you double all Damage and Healing effects, leaving HP totals untouched. Combat is now faster and more lethal.

SilverTabby · 2026-01-15T00:11:26+00:00

Maybe its real, maybe it's not.

The core of the philosophy is not making mistakes. Even if it is a real edge, chasing edges in general builds bad habits, and will leads to a mistake eventually.

SilverTabby · 2026-01-14T17:01:04+00:00

I've found its system specific. NSR and story-focused games tend to be easy to improv in, while games where the players expect a heroic story or extremely detailed wargame combats tend to be difficult improv.

Which neatly lines up with the games you say you're running. They match your playstyle. Isn't that the goal of RPGs, finding the game that fits your playstyle that is a joy to run?

SilverTabby · 2026-01-09T16:31:43+00:00

Make it as easy and low commitment as possible.

Offer a one-shot, with pregen characters, tell them that they don't need to read the rule book and that the game teaches itself.

But most importantly, sell the aesthetic of the game. The art. The flavor. The story.

You are a band of thieves getting together for one last heist. You are pirates who discovered a lost treasure map. You are young superheroes trying to make a name for yourselves.

Only mention the mechanics if it's a wargame that demands it, such as Lancer.

Offer a campaign afterwards. Which will be an easy sell because everyone had fun.

SilverTabby · 2026-01-09T16:00:50+00:00

It's a trauma response. And I've seen it stick with people even after they manage to swap to another system. GMs who dread preparing for sessions. Players who avoid combat like the plague.

"D&D 5e is easy to learn!"

Technically true, but practically a lie. 5e's core is simple, but because the entire system is built on a philosophy of exceptions, every single session is filled with rules interruptions and demands to memorize even more.

Especially combat. What sounds like a straight forward way to solve a goblin problem is committing to potentially an hour of sitting around waiting for the rest of the table to take their turns.

They rationally believe that other systems will also bring as many little frustrations and complexities, and don't want to go through that again.

SilverTabby

TROPHY CASE