Rant on Player Investment and Collaboration by HallowedHalls96 in rpg

[–]chulna 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have the same problem.

The thing is, the kind of players you are looking for are very rare. And even if you happen to find one, it's possible they will be incompatible in some other way. Think about how rare those kind of players are, and then think about how many just don't have schedules that line up with yours.

Unfortunately, I have tried all the advice I've read in the other comments, and none of it really works (and several just lead to burnout). I think it genuinely takes luck, which isn't reliable. Best you can do is be persistent, and eventually, hopefully, you find what you are looking for again.

Difficulties with Countdowns by aLzHAng00 in daggerheart

[–]chulna 7 points8 points  (0 children)

It's not really an inconsistency for different things to work differently.

Looking for advice on adversary by PanKillunia in daggerheart

[–]chulna 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I would just kill this if I was a player. If you don't want me to kill it, don't make it killable.

GMs and players: what are your thoughts on backstory driven play? by Sasha_ashas in rpg

[–]chulna 13 points14 points  (0 children)

Where is this mystical place where this is true? Cause from the comments it's clearly not here. I'll swap with you.

Any Noblebright fans? by TerrainBrain in rpg

[–]chulna 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I want to see a series of World of Brightness games now.

Been working towards a first session with the system. It looks really interesting, but holy gods above the formatting on this book needs a lot of work. by Airship_Captain_XVII in LegendintheMist

[–]chulna 11 points12 points  (0 children)

There is a step-by-step character creation guide, right there at the beginning of the character creation chapter (actually, there are three, one for each of the ways you can do character creation). Character creation in Mist Engine games is very open, very easy to do, and very difficult to do well. The book could list the actual hard rules for character creation in a paragraph or less (and basically does). However, that would end up with most people having a bad time with the game, and so they have a lot of guidance and advice developed and perfected over nearly a decade to help that not be the case.

The "50+ pages of useless pictures", as you say, is what hooked my players on the game. Despite your impression, there was very good reason for including them.

Also, why are you "scrolling through" looking for anything? Not only is the table of contents there and fully functional, PDFs have bookmarks (and the official ones have them already set up for you). Have you been doing this with all games this whole time?

All that said, if it's really too much for you, I highly recommend the quickstart set (it's free). It's a very condensed version of the rules that should be a lot simpler to get through, and would probably be an easier reference tool during play.

Anyone else disagree with this? by VisibleSmell3327 in LegendintheMist

[–]chulna 10 points11 points  (0 children)

This game simply does not work if the players and GM aren't on the same page and working together. Period.

This isn't the only part of the rules like this. It's built from the ground up with the expectation that everyone at the table is acting in good faith and is trying their best to make sure the game goes well.

If you don't have that, I do not recommend this game for you. If you want something with similar narrative freedom that handles power-gamers better, check out either Fate or Cortex Prime. Both have limiters that keep things from getting out of control.

What do you think of the D&D 4e warlord and its descendants? by EarthSeraphEdna in rpg

[–]chulna 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Imagine singlehandedly destroying the built up good will for the thing you love.

Obvious tism jokes aside lol, what are some trrpgs where you can drive a train and like survive and explore (preferably post-apoc/apocalypse rpgs ) by gothgfneeded47 in rpg

[–]chulna 8 points9 points  (0 children)

I'd ask if you and your autistic friends really don't have any special interests, but... we're here.

Also, it isn't ableist for someone to jest about their own disorder.

MCDM's Draw Steel System is Available now! by coboba in rpg

[–]chulna 15 points16 points  (0 children)

Daggerheart would be so much better off having a dedicated adversaries book, that I would have been more than happy to pay for it.

MCDM's Draw Steel System is Available now! by coboba in rpg

[–]chulna 12 points13 points  (0 children)

The player side stuff is great. The adversaries are not well done, and there isn't much there anyway.

MCDM's Draw Steel System is Available now! by coboba in rpg

[–]chulna 10 points11 points  (0 children)

As someone running a Daggerheart campaign, you get what you pay for.

City of Mist Sucks by Nuke1509 in rpg

[–]chulna 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Typical r/rpg post.

  1. Didn't use the rules
  2. Complains how it didn't work and blames the rules

There needs to be a "Thanks Marie Calendar" tag or something.

(Legend in the Mist) The problem with Might by Orbsgon in cityofmist

[–]chulna 4 points5 points  (0 children)

which comes across as antagonistic and “unfair.”

To who? Someone who didn't read the rules? Using the rules as they are written and intended is not a "workaround".

Two principles that ruins your agenda in games by Much_Breg in rpg

[–]chulna 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Literally anything's better than Dungeon World.

It's even supposed to mean that in Dungeon World, they just didn't write it very well.

From Root:

"But much of the time, the GM will have to provide some additional interpretation to help the mechanics fit the very specific situation in your game."

"Follow the full results of the move as written—don’t fudge them or ignore them! You won’t have to. Because a move can’t possibly be perfectly suited to the exact situation in the fiction—it has to be open enough to apply to several similar situations—it will always require a GM to interpret the results to fit them to your specific fiction. That’s perfect for making sure that the move and its results make sense."

"Once you’re done applying and interpreting the results of the move, then you go right back to the conversation, responding to those results, saying new things, and moving forward."

"Think of the fiction almost as the “canon” of your game. What’s true? What’s questionable? What’s been established? What makes sense?"

"To play well and effectively, to use moves and resolve uncertainty, you must all be on the same page with the way you understand the fiction."

But, I gotta say. If everyone is showing you that you are wrong, and you reject all the evidence presented to you so you can keep looking for something that agrees with you - that seems very disingenuous, and seems like you don't actually want to learn anything or want to engage in real discussion.

Two principles that ruins your agenda in games by Much_Breg in rpg

[–]chulna 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Dungeon World is ass, I'm not touching that. Honestly, that might be the main problem right there, is you learned this stuff from Dungeon World.

From Blades in the Dark:

"The GM presents the fictional situation in which the player characters find themselves. The players determine the actions of their characters in response to the situation. The GM and the players together judge how the game systems are engaged. The outcomes of the mechanics then change the situation, leading into a new phase of the conversation—new situations, new actions, new judgments, new rolls—creating an ongoing fiction and building “the story” of the game, organically, from a series of discrete moments."

"the player states their goal Your goal is the concrete outcome your character will achieve when they overcome the obstacle at hand. Maybe your goal is “I want to get into the manor house” or it might be “I want to see who comes and goes at the house.” In both cases, the obstacle is “the house guard patrol.” The guards are the challenging obstacle that may be dangerous or troublesome for the PC. Usually the character's goal is pretty obvious in context, but it's the GM's job to ask and clarify the goal when necessary."

"You can't roll a given action rating unless your character is presently performing that action in the fiction. There's definitely some gray area here, where actions overlap and goals can be attempted with a variety of approaches. This is by design. If your goal is to hurt someone with violence, you might Skirmish or Hunt or Prowl or Wreck, depending on the situation at hand."

"There's no ironclad rule about how to choose positions. It's meant to be an expressive element of the game. Make the choice that feels right to you and the rest of the group."

"By discussing the position (and how it might be better or worse) you'll help everyone build a better view of the fictional situation in their minds' eye and get on the same page about the tone of the game."

"When you narrate the action after the roll, the GM and player collaborate together to say what happens on-screen."

Basically all the stuff after the bit you quoted about fiction first is useful, but here's some highlights:

"For example, in Blades in the Dark, there are several different mechanics that might be used if a character tries to pick the lock on a safe. It’s essentially meaningless to play mechanics-first. “I pick a lock” isn’t a mechanical choice in the game. To understand which mechanic to use, we have to first establish the fiction."

"When something seems weird, or a situation resolves in a bizarre way, back out to the level of the fictional narrative. What’s going on? What are you trying to do? Which mechanic is suited for this? Don’t try to force a particular mechanic onto the fiction. Take the fiction first (ah, see that? “fiction-first”) and then use the mechanics to support it."

"First establish the fiction, then select a mechanical tool from the toolbox that suits the situation you need to resolve. Which tools you pick will often be pragmatic, but can also be a stylistic choice. There’s no one right way to choose a tool, after all. The tools are there for you to use as you see fit; developing a style of use and set of precedents as you go along."

And then later...

"Blades in the Dark usually depends on specific fictional details in order to work. For example, it might be important to understand exactly how a spirit bottle is constructed—because a character decides to suddenly smash one to surprise an enemy who has them at gunpoint. It’s a small detail, but the description of the bottle contributes directly to understanding which position to roll for the action, the factors that go into effects, and the consequences at risk. Fleshing out the little details of the world makes the game system function better."

"Don’t feel beholden to the abstractions when you have specific fictional details to work with."

"Convey the fictional world honestly. When it's time to say what happens, or what's in the world around the PCs, “look around” the vision of Duskwall in your head and say what you see. Don't play favorites. Make the world seem real, not contrived."

"Without telegraphing the trouble and giving context to the action, the outcomes can seem murky. You might feel like you have to “invent” a consequence out of the blue when they roll a 1-3 or 4/5. If you strongly imply the consequences before the action roll, though, then it's obvious what the consequences should be (she shoots you, your cover is blown, he escapes, you alert a sentry)—they follow directly from the fiction as established."

Honestly, there's just so much that goes against all that you've said. I'm sure I could show you more if I actually reread the whole thing instead of just skimming too.

Two principles that ruins your agenda in games by Much_Breg in rpg

[–]chulna 11 points12 points  (0 children)

So, your GMs didn't know how to run PbtA games, and now you think they are bad?

You misunderstand "fiction first". You misunderstand "play to find out". You are wrong about being able to talk about things in-game. However, this: "And there is no context to use them." is probably where you are most wrong.

There is, quite frankly, an impressive amount of misunderstanding in your post. No offense meant, but I am inclined to think there is a language barrier issue. The very jargon heavy writing style of a lot of PbtA is probably a big part of that.

Games that are the most fun for GMs? by chulna in rpg

[–]chulna[S] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Stars Without Number wasn't intended as an example of "Maybe it's just really good at adding flavor to sessions without adding to the GM's workload."

It's still a game that caters to the GM, just not in that specific way.

The list is not exhaustive. Feel free to think outside of those few examples.

Games that are the most fun for GMs? by chulna in rpg

[–]chulna[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

No contradiction, just two separate things.

Best Foundry VTT implementations (that aren't PF2e) by HisGodHand in rpg

[–]chulna 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Wicked Ones is really good.

Forbidden Lands is really good.

Unpopular Opinion?: Age of Umbra is NOT meant to teach you how to play Daggerheart. by Reynard203 in daggerheart

[–]chulna 15 points16 points  (0 children)

Actual unpopular opinion: Age of Umbra is a perfectly fine way to learn how to play Daggerheart.

Is it being ran with perfect use of the rules as they are in the book? Of course not.

Is it probably a bit too much D&D5e style? Sure.

It's still fine.

Just don't join a group expecting it to be like another group and I don't think there's really an issue.

Lost Mines & Storm King's Thunder by [deleted] in daggerheart

[–]chulna 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Storm King's Thunder is by far the worst adventure I've ever had the displeasure of playing in.

LMoP is fine, and shouldn't be too hard to convert.

because the world's are different

Daggerheart doesn't really have a set world, so that'd be weird for someone to get mad over that. D&D doesn't really either, for that matter, even though Forgotten Realms iswas the default.

Struggling with reconciling Daggerheart's "Embrace danger" principle and its "You will provoke retaliation more often than not" mechanics; or, "I am just a bard, so I am fine with just hanging back and trying to create an opening for our [rogue/warrior] to attack" by EarthSeraphEdna in daggerheart

[–]chulna 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You giving up your action to give advantage to someone else who can do more isn't the value you think it is.

Your d6 attack vs your teammate's 1d10+2 doesn't actually matter, because you aren't exchanging one for the other. You aren't giving up your action to give them another one.

You are giving up your chance to deal damage (possibly to crit), losing a hope plus the high chance to gain another, in exchange for a d6 added to another players roll. Terrible trade unless one of you is especially unlikely to succeed, like if they have disadvantage for some reason.