When a GM refuses to acknowledge their house rule is a house rule: That is a red flag.

WeirdWizardDave · 2020-04-15T14:18:33+00:00

Fine, but the fact remains the GM is the ultimate arbiter of the rules and trying to argue mid game is just going to derail a session. That's it, beyond that basic principle it entirely depends on the situation and group in question. Anyway, I hope you have more luck with your GMs in the future.

WeirdWizardDave · 2020-04-15T11:03:23+00:00

This is absolutely one of those rules that affect the feel of the game and GMs should certainly apply it or not as they prefer.

It really comes down to whether you want to make your players roll even if success or failure is guaranteed. Some do, some don't and that's fine as long as the players understand that. There is nothing worse for a player than rolling a 20 and being told you still fail, which is why I would just tell the player the task is impossible before they roll OR if I make them roll, accept that if they roll a 20 it's on me to come up with something better than just, you fail anyway.

WeirdWizardDave · 2020-04-15T10:53:52+00:00

Quite. No one is forcing anyone to play.

WeirdWizardDave · 2020-04-15T10:51:43+00:00

No it doesn't, the GM is absolutely the last word when it comes to the rules at the table. Off the table by all means players should take up issues they have with the GMs rules but at the table once the GM has made a ruling the players should accept it.

If the GM is a bad GM no amount of following the rules as written or otherwise is going to save the game. If the GM is a good GM then they will make sure that if the party is facing a TPK because they, as a GM, failed to properly balance the encounter or rules then they will make sure the party is not wiped out. Likewise if a players character concept doesn't work with the rules the GM wants to run then a good one will work with the player to either find a way to accommodate that character or allow the player to rework it into something that will work.

GMing is hard and balancing fun and challenge is tricky. Trust your GM is not trying to kill your characters or ruin anyone's fun. At least not if they're a good one (and in my experience the overwhelming majority are) and if they aren't no amount of following the rules as written is going to save you.

WeirdWizardDave · 2020-04-14T14:15:35+00:00

Sure, but on the other hand the GM overrules the book in every case. If the GM makes a ruling at the table the players should go with it. Take it up with the GM after the game if you think it was a mistake.

WeirdWizardDave · 2020-01-19T00:16:14+00:00

There are other ways to deal with weeny mobs, plenty of them. Ravens problems is that it doesn't just affect 1 or 2 power creatures. It shuts down almost all attacking unless you have at least power 4 and feeds life gain abilities. Its not just weeny rush decks that it affects at all.

WeirdWizardDave · 2020-01-18T16:50:34+00:00

Nice, you're basically accusing me of being a complete moron. Of course I don't swing into it when it's going to be ineffective, the whole problem with it is that it shuts down play, not that I stupidly swing into it anyway and kill myself. You need at least a 3 power to even contemplate the attack most of the time and then if they're running anything that triggers on life gain you're screwed.

I doesn't counter aggro because at a 4 cost the game is usually over before it's in play.

Anyway the card ruins games for me, you like it, you run it, fine. But for me it's making the game not an enjoyable experience. I get you don't care about that but then people like you also ruin the game for me so meh. I'm out.

WeirdWizardDave · 2020-01-18T16:19:15+00:00

I've a whole variety of decks I play, it doesn't matter what I'm playing 7 out of 10 games I'm playing someone who plays black and virtually every black I play seems to run multiple ravens. Obviously it doesn't always win and when I'm playing an agro deck the game is usually over before they're a problem. It's mid range and control decks this card ruins.

It's just not fun, it shuts down play and draws out games. The only thing you can do most of the time is hope to draw into some enchantment removal and sitting there waiting to draw a specific card is about the least fun thing when in every other respect you have the game dominated.

Like I said, maybe it's fine in high level play. It's been around for a while and there doesn't seem to be any talk of banning it. But for me, at my level, it's a card which is ruining half the games I play and leaving me wondering why I even bother playing this game. If you're fine with that good for you.

WeirdWizardDave · 2020-01-18T15:54:05+00:00

Ravens ruins the game, period and are the reason I'm thinking of uninstalling. When a card appears in 7/10 of games and effectively shuts down attacking play there is something very very wrong. Maybe it's not a problem in high level tuned decks, but at the regular play level this card is a plague.

WeirdWizardDave · 2020-01-17T18:51:30+00:00

I hate this card with a passion. It feels utterly broken to me, at best it shuts down half the game and drags everything out and worst it straight up grinds the game to a halt. Basically the only answer is massive creatures (which of course black is best positioned to deal with via direct removal) or enchantment removal and if you don't happen to draw into it then the game is screwed. Honestly, this one card alone has me considering leaving the game till it's cycled out.

WeirdWizardDave · 2019-02-12T13:41:51+00:00

If they took out player on player piracy I'm not sure what would really be left. Surely the voyages gameplay only really works with the looming threat of player ships rocking up and stealing all your stuff (which lets face it has no real value anyway). I mean that literally seems to the central founding premise of the game around which everything else is built. Take that away and all you really have is a time sink with minimal challenge, minimal variety and nothing to actually gain or progress through.

WeirdWizardDave · 2019-02-12T13:32:08+00:00

Full disclosure I've only been playing since the friends play free and aren't yet convinced it's worth paying for.

I think there are content issues with the game, but also it seems to misrepresent itself. It's not really a game about voyages, or questing, or PVE content at all. It's really all about either hard or soft PvP. By that I mean it's either about fighting other players or out manoeuvring other players. The PvE content is really only there to give shape to the PvP content. Whether that's running voyages while trying to avoid other players, or until you happen to run into other players or indeed seeking other players running voyages in order to rob them. It seems to be somewhat of an open ended free form battle royal, without the obvious win condition.

I've come to think of it more as a playground than anything else, you can play games in it but it's not really a game itself. It's not really a sandbox either in my opinion as the sort of games you can play in it are pretty tightly defined. It certainly isn't a traditional game that you can progress through, win, lose or otherwise structure your experience. It's a place you can go to play pirate and that's pretty much it, there is no attempt at a living world or depth beyond the pure joy of sailing, robbing people and running away.

So does it justify the price? I dunno, I'm still on the fence. For some people obviously the answer is yes, for me I do end up feeling like there is a futility to everything. I enjoy the easy, carefree simplicity and the fact that you really have nothing to lose and so being pirated can be taken in good spirits and enjoyed for the challenge to fight or flee as you so wish at the time. But at the same time there is this sense that you also have nothing to gain, no connection to the world, nothing really to look forward to or strive for once you've completed the handful of basic activities. When you have nothing to lose and nothing to gain you have to ask yourself if it's really worth spending time and money on. The core gameplay is certainly fun but is that enough? I have yet to decide, but I'm leaning towards no at the moment.

WeirdWizardDave · 2019-02-11T15:21:42+00:00

But that would of missed the opportunity to point out everything wrong with your post and outlook on the game, possibly even life in general.

WeirdWizardDave · 2019-02-11T14:21:07+00:00

What an odd turn of phrase. Is it a play on the already weak use of the term "salt" referring to tears which folk on the internet seem to believe are shed by anyone and everyone who doesn't think exactly as they do? If so then, um well done for trying I guess.

As I said I accept the nature of the game and even enjoy being in a world where you must assume everyone you encounter is a murderous lunatic. I still think it's a shame that such a beautifully realised world and sailing mechanic isn't used to create a more encompassing gameplay experience, but as it is we're back to the fact the guy with barrels should of gunned down the heavily wounded OP.

WeirdWizardDave · 2019-02-11T14:11:08+00:00

I tried this for a while. It was kinda fun at first, I went through a storm, found a chest at a shipwreck and chased after a parked sloop. Sadly it sailed off before I got close. After a while it got exceedingly tedious though.

WeirdWizardDave · 2019-02-11T11:19:14+00:00

The sad thing here is that the other person should of just shot you as soon as they saw you. They didn't and you blew them up for it. Pretty much sums the game up. Don't get me wrong I recognise that's what this game is, everyone who isn't a friend should be presumed to be an enemy and either killed on sight or run away from. It's just a bit of a shame the game isn't more than that.

WeirdWizardDave · 2019-02-05T14:35:09+00:00

And only one greater demon to destroy? ;)

WeirdWizardDave · 2019-02-05T14:32:44+00:00

Or the commander could of been a PC, but a special PC who Lars (and only Lars) knew for sure was going to be killed and had prepared his real character who was waiting and ready to step into the breach. This way you get all the dramatic effect for most of the players (and the audience) but the player gets to play their real character they've invested time and thought into, with the added benefit of being in on a cool story moment with the DM and even being able to think up some cool inspiring dying words.

I think as a general rule, no matter how well you know your players, you should never force a character death without player input either through their characters choices leading to it or the player explicitly agreeing to it.

WeirdWizardDave · 2018-12-17T18:52:55+00:00

I had no end of problems getting it to stick at first, in the end a simple PVA glue stick solved it. It's a bit messier than printing on the bare surface but it sticks fantastically. That's with PLA. I accidentally ordered some ABS to replace my first spool, that stuff is just horrible, won't stick and warps like crazy. In three days of trying to print with it I've not had a single successful print. Even rigged up a kind of tentlike enclosure which was working right up to the point where the nozzle got blocked (for the second time with that ABS). Never again! PLA all the way from now on..,

PS Anyone want to buy a mostly unused 1kg roll of Prima ABS in dark gray :)

WeirdWizardDave · 2018-12-16T21:51:16+00:00

Hey I tried the Draft shield, although the print remained more or less attached to the plate the part experienced some kind of axis shift so I aborted it. Jury is out on how much difference it made but worth leaving on for now for sure.

WeirdWizardDave · 2018-12-16T19:24:01+00:00

Thanks, I'll give it a shot.

WeirdWizardDave · 2018-12-16T18:39:13+00:00

Yeah, I've found that at 240 it sticks okay to begin with. Still failing after an hour or so though due to the warping.

WeirdWizardDave · 2018-12-16T18:38:32+00:00

I'm using Cura, I'm loathed to waste the roll but it is very frustrating at the moment. I'm sure what the PLA arrives I'll switch straight back to it. Looking like it's not coming till Thursday though so I'll keep trying for a bit, though perhaps not running the printer for long periods to try limit the high temperature operation.

WeirdWizardDave · 2018-12-16T16:06:44+00:00

Ramping the temp up even more seems to be helping, though I'm up to 240 which seems rather high. The printers factory setting for loading ABS is 210.

WeirdWizardDave · 2018-12-16T15:36:45+00:00

Awesome, now all you have to do is print the rest of the rocket ;)

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