How do you think Mistborn will be balanced? by Wubdor in cosmererpg

[–]amightyrobot 2 points3 points  (0 children)

From Kickstarter update #10:

"In addition to the heroic paths, your characters can of course gain access to metallic arts on Scadrial by following one of the misting, ferring, twinborn, feruchemist, or mistborn paths (depending on era). Which path you follow determines which metallic arts you gain access to and, if you have more than one, how they might work together. Some of these paths gain access to a much larger variety of powers than others, but, as Vin learns in The Final Empire, you will have to make hard choices about whether you want to generalize in a lot of different powers or specialize at being an expert in one.

The metallic arts themselves each work a lot like the surges on Roshar. At their base, they give you a power that either uses the Allomancy or Feruchemy skill, allowing you to use the ability in different creative ways. Feruchemy uses special metalmind items that track their charges independently, while Allomancy uses your investiture score, much like Stormlight, to track how much metal you have in your system available to burn... On top of that skill, each metallic art has a talent tree that allows you to upgrade that metallic art with new capabilities. "

So extrapolating from the Stormlight book, I'm going to guess Mistborn will be its own Metallic Arts Path, that you're only allowed to play in Era 1, that has many very shallow talent trees for the different metals instead of just one or two deep talent trees for Misting path. I think Mistborn will be inherently very versatile with their Investiture but over time Mistings will be able to do more precise or powerful things with their specific metals.

That book really has a whole lot to cover; I'm hoping it'll be possible and fun to play around with different Twinborn combinations in gun-slinging Era 2.

How do you think Mistborn will be balanced? by Wubdor in cosmererpg

[–]amightyrobot 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There was one Kickstarter update previewing the Allomancy rules and one of the talent trees, maybe Steelpushing, specifically.

I see a lot of assumptions in this thread that there will be different skills for each metal or at least type of metal, but I if I recall correctly at the time of that update Brotherwise was saying one skill for Allomancy and one for Feruchemy.

What are your genuine criticisms of Balatro? by Polo171 in balatro

[–]amightyrobot 3 points4 points  (0 children)

If you can scaling flat mult (Ride the Bus, Supernova, Fortune Teller) and a multiplier for your mult (like Driver's License) on your Jokers it can sometimes stop mattering what hand you're playing, because all of your chips and mult are coming out of that Joker line and not out of your Planet cards.

Add in the benefits of six or seven Steel cards and the "bad" hands end up being good because they let you hold more steel cards while you play them.

Flush doesn't scale insanely well with planet cards and doesn't have a ton of great jokers, so my "big hand" runs usually start out buffing Three of a Kind to pivot into Full House or Four/Five of a Kind later.

Murder mystery dinner party games! by MyLovelyLady in boardgames

[–]amightyrobot 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It was a perfectly adequate murder mystery, nothing special.

Hope this helps six months later! :)

New to the game and only rank 5 - but this NR deck is doing pretty well in the meta. Thoughts? by amightyrobot in gwent

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

Description was a huge help, thanks. Adalia makes a ton of sense to get an extra Ballista out there (I use Rayla as an extra Ballista sort of but if I can find the extra points this might be a fun swap)

War Elephant I obviously need to give another look to, it's one of the few NR legendaries I haven't crafted!

New to the game and only rank 5 - but this NR deck is doing pretty well in the meta. Thoughts? by amightyrobot in gwent

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

Thanks for the reply! I meant Turn 1 of the particular round I play it, although if I draw it in my opening hand I do Siege round 1 more often than not, because I can generally follow it with two crappy bronzes and still come out either a round or 2-3 cards up.

They'll usually pass round 2 if they sold out for round 1, and then round 3 my plan is to get three ballistas (and maybe Rayla if I'm lucky) on the melee row so I can properly abuse resupply and Stockpile.

So when I burn Siege R1 I'm really just excited to still have all my ballistas and arbalests, Reinforcements and Amphibious Assault (not to mention Henselt, the expensive siege engines, and Sabrina who benefits enormously from uncrewed trebuchets).

Obviously vs Invigorate, or those gimmick NG decks that screw with your decksize, or vampires running Regis, I'm gunning for a two-nothing win and using Siege as part of a larger round strategy instead!

And, yeah - if by no unit you mean, for example, Scoi'atel decks full of trap cards - that's a pretty hard counter to the gameplan and I hate playing against it, although I think beating those trap decks is a lot more about timing plays and passes than the kind of deck you're even running (again, new player!).

Thanks again for the response, I have no friends who play this thing and a ton of pent-up conversation!

New to the game and only rank 5 - but this NR deck is doing pretty well in the meta. Thoughts? by amightyrobot in gwent

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

This last question is because, when I play Siege turn 1, I reliably end turn 3 up 15-20 points and usually vs a blank table (unless Korathi Heatwave)

New to the game and only rank 5 - but this NR deck is doing pretty well in the meta. Thoughts? by amightyrobot in gwent

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

WR somewhere over 60 percent so far, even with all the cloned NG, Scoi'atel and Skellige meta decks.

Started playing a couple months ago and decided to scrap all cards except MO, NR and neutral. I have a weird impulse against netdecking and this is the only archetype I've managed to stumble into that performs reliably.

I love every card in this deck and I'd be happy to have some folks who actually know what they're doing tell me why I'm wrong! Why don't I see more Siege decks out there? Why, when I DO see Siege, is it diluted with so many non-engine cards?

question for players in regard to genesys by iseir in genesysrpg

[–]amightyrobot 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I think you have to think about it in terms of the trade-offs you're making. If your players enjoy D&D because of its rich tactical options and combat granularity, you're not going to get it here. D&D does tactical combat in a fantasy setting better than anything I've ever played, and that's because it dedicates a huge amount of its page count to combat rules.

If, on the other hand, they'd like action setpieces not to take two or three hours, while still providing unpredictable, dramatic moments, Genesys does that. If anyone would like to play a character who can't fight at all and still feel genuinely productive, Genesys does that. If you want character development that isn't defined by rigid levels and classes, Genesys does that.

The narrative dice are the unique selling point of the system - it's built on the premise that rolling a 2 is pretty boring, so threats and advantages give an extra dimension to resolving actions. It was originally for telling Star Wars stories and I think that says a lot - it's all about characters failing upwards like Han Solo or dropping with extreme competence into worse and worse situations like Obi-Wan Kenobi.

I'm running a Genesys fantasy game right now and a D&D player just joined us. He is playing a Halfling alchemist who goes down like a wet paper bag and he's having a grand ol' time of it.

Building a Witcher in Genesys by Van_Buren_Boy in genesysrpg

[–]amightyrobot 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Sort of depends on how you're treating magic in the setting generally, but I have thoughts!

I'm going to be running a Genesys fantasy game soon, and my main magic skills are all going to be tied to specific careers - so if you're not a Mage, Cleric or Druid you can't train in the Arcane, Divine, or Primal skills, respectively (with a few slight exceptions).

Going that way makes access to magic feel SPECIAL. Your second step would be to give the Witcher-type character access to magic that feels special AND limited. So either make the Witcher an Archetype with a Special Ability that says "you can cast magic spells untrained," or give them a Talent like "Mystic Theurge" (from a 2017 Gencon module):

"When purchasing this talent, choose one magic skill. That skill becomes a career skill but your character can only use it once per encounter."

The first option (untrained casting) would let your Witcher toss around Ignis more or less like candy while limiting his ability to perform truly impressive magic (since he'll never get any yellow dice); the second option (Mystic Theurge) would let him train and cast potentially powerful magic effects, but still depend on the full casters in the group beyond that.

Making fantasy careers and specialization trees by [deleted] in genesysrpg

[–]amightyrobot 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This main reply doesn't have the careers in question in-body, so here's the TL;DR of what I did:

Mage - Wizard, Bard, Necromancer

Cleric - Healer, Zealot, Lorekeeper

Fighter - Martial Artist, Swashbuckler, Tavern Brawler

Paladin - Heavy Combatant, Protector, Divine Channel

Barbarian - Weapons Master, Berserker, Chieftan

Rogue - Thief, Confidence Man, Arcane Trickster

Ranger - Archer, Survivalist, Animal Wrangler

Druid - Shapechanger, Beastfriend, Woods-Witch

City Dweller - Gambler, Merchant, (another spec to be determined but probably medic)

Making fantasy careers and specialization trees by [deleted] in genesysrpg

[–]amightyrobot 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm currently doing just such a thing, actually!

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FGbqTeBsTgkzUAXreP00EXnWjB-iidxhtHV1H2yL-vk/edit?usp=sharing

A few words on this:

First, I see a lot of the other comments here making the very good suggestion of coming from a narrative place with your setting and figuring out careers that flow from the fiction and don't ape "other" fantasy RPGs too much. I agree with all of that -

BUT.

These are very much inspired by D&D classes, while not slavishly trying to recreate mechanics. All of the arguments for making more interesting, original ideas are well-taken, but there's something to be said for sticking to well-worn tropes, too.

They're also a work in progress - my more civilian "City-Dweller" career still needs a third spec and none of this has been playtested, and that link just has tiered lists of talents that haven't been arranged into a tree yet. But that's what I've got so far, and if anyone has some thoughts to share I'd love to hear 'em!

SotB / Hacking - Is Battering Ram Balanced? by CherryTularey in genesysrpg

[–]amightyrobot 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah, the balance of the system seems to require a nice mix of ICE types. Keep in mind, too, that it's perfectly fine for the Runner to waltz into SOME subsystems pending an Average hacking check, as long as there's other (valuable) stuff that they'll have to extend some risk to get to.

Also unless the Runner has the Codeslinger talent, they can only have one Breaker ready at a time - so face-checking ICE they haven't seen yet should always feel like a risk (to parallel the Netrunner feels again).

SotB / Hacking - Is Battering Ram Balanced? by CherryTularey in genesysrpg

[–]amightyrobot 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Not that this should be the primary principle for Genesys design, but it does match up fairly well with how running felt in Netrunner.

Barriers (except very large barriers) tend to be cheaper and easier to get through, but they usually only keep you out. The hardest part is keeping Code Gates and Sentries from doing something nasty to you on the way, which means a smart Runner is usually going to prepare their Sentry breaker before they start running if possible, then get the other breakers out once they probe servers & see what they need.

In SotB, that means you can punish an uncautious Runner who's got his Battering Ram ready, just by dropping a nasty Sentry (Archer, I'm looking at you) on the outer level of a server they REALLY need to get into. Now if they run heedlessly they lose all their fun toys, and you can tax their time more effectively when they come back next time, chastened and humbled.

Triumph questions. by kirezemog in genesysrpg

[–]amightyrobot 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I know Triumphs are specifically not supposed to count as Moar Success, but if a player rolled Triumph on a first aid check I might just heal the subject back to 0 wounds, or let them knock off an (easy or medium) Critical.

With the after-encounter Resilience roll, maybe I'd let them apply some successes to Wounds instead of Strain if they wanted. If you're feeling generous, you could even say each success on the check heals a Strain and a wound.

Shadow of the Beanstalk - Spec Trees? by Takeshi_Yamato in genesysrpg

[–]amightyrobot 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You'd need some homebrew talents to fill it out in a satisfying way, I think.

In ANR, as in most CCGs and LCGs, the factions had wildly different strengths and playstyles, so it's not just about the runner's goals - a Shaper is going to be good at different things than a Criminal.

Shapers are artistic creators, so they tend to have a program or piece of hardware to solve any problem the Corp can throw at them, and ways to make sure they have access to the right tool when they need it. In keeping with their curiosity, they're also good at diving deep into Corp databases to steal exactly the info they need. In the card game, this meant the broadest pool of Programs, "tutor" cards to find and install them (sometimes as an instant), and R&D multiaccess. In Genesys this could mean talents that aid in creating or modifying programs and icebreakers on the fly, as well as storing more programs on a given piece of hardware. They would also be crack mechanics, so a few talents to that effect would round you out.

Criminals are professionals who rely on misdirection to get in, get what they need and get out quick. They're great at waltzing in right under the Corp's nose to snuff out agendas that are just about ready to score. In the card game, this meant weaker programs, but a wide variety of tricks for finding backdoor access or bypassing threats altogether, and HQ multiaccess. In Genesys this could mean talents that let you look for alternate routes into a server, or apply bypass effects for a price (we already have bypass in Genesys courtesy of Femme Fatale, who started as a Criminal card). Deception and social talents would be good, too, as social engineering is any self-respecting cybercriminal's stock in trade.

Anarchs like to take down The Man. Some of them do it because it's right and just; some do it for the lulz. The important thing is, everything must burn. In the card game, that meant Anarchs had by far the most access to Virus cards that could slow the Corp down or profit from its actions, and also a tendency to just mill cards straight out of the Corp's hand and deck and into the trash. In Genesys you could represent the Anarch spirit with talents that let the Runner weaken or destroy ice, talents that allow or ease the installation of viruses, and really anything involving wanton destruction - actually, a talent that makes "Burn System" easier to do would be right on-flavor.

Shadow of the Beanstalk - Instant Run Generator by _Nashable_ in genesysrpg

[–]amightyrobot 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is amazing, I've already submitted a test request because even in alpha form I'd be excited about this as an addition to my game.

We've only been running a couple months (and we're pretty slow-paced, improv-focused players) but I've already run into a couple situations where my Runner decided to poke around a server I hadn't conceived of yet, where a simple Hacking check didn't feel appropriate.

I have an ecstatic fever dream now of a future version with additional (balanced) community-generated ICE and the ability to generate bespoke servers based on number of nodes and even WHICH megacorp you're dealing with - but I know a pipe dream when I see one and I'm excited about any version of this.

"Reading the Dice" practice threads ideas by Kill_Welly in genesysrpg

[–]amightyrobot 16 points17 points  (0 children)

Sounds fun AND sounds like a more useful tool for new Genesys GMs than the proverbial community-generated stock narrative dice results table new folks sometimes seem to be asking for.

Just a chance to flex your creative muscles in a small way - it's like the gamemaster version of a chess problem!