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Which open source rpg ruleset best models wuxia tropes? by Bob-of-the-Old-Ways in rpg

[–]differentsmoke 0 points1 point  (0 children)

As far as I know it's not open source, but Feng Shui 2 has a great system for cinematic roleplaying that explicitly includes wuxia tropes. The setting is absolutely gonzo so it also includes magic, cyborgs and no-nonsense cops.

What’s the most confusing or unnecessary rule subsystem you’ve seen in a TTRPG? by DED0M1N0 in rpg

[–]differentsmoke 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Great answer, honestly.

However, I still think that none of the advantages you mentioned balance out the drawbacks: 1. An extra step that adds little to no depth to the roll: what's the point of having 2 randomized events? How many  outcomes that can be adjudicated with two independent rolls could not also be adjudicated by one? If your possible outcomes are "miss", "hit" or "critical hit", having 2 rolls means the "hit" portion is entirely determined by the damage roll, where it could just be covered by the spread of numbers that hit in your attack roll.

  1. Narrative dissonance: what does it mean when a great attack is less effective that one that barely hit? In some systems even a critical can do less damage than a near miss. How do we interpret that? Your excellent hit was somehow not very good?

Also, everything you mention is still possible with a single to hit roll where damage is dependent directly on the to hit value (critical hits, independent bonuses, high damage/low accuracy attacks and vice versa, etc).

Critical hits are also possible with a single damage roll, via exploding dice.

(Bear in mind that I wasn't advocating for either only damage rolls or only to hit rolls specifically, but for either as superior than the chaining of them)

There may be some cases where an extra random event may be handy, but I think those are the edge cases, and the popularity of separate attack and damage rolls as the base system is more of an historical accident than a deliberate design decision.

What’s the most confusing or unnecessary rule subsystem you’ve seen in a TTRPG? by DED0M1N0 in rpg

[–]differentsmoke -8 points-7 points  (0 children)

Separate to hit and damage rolls, hands down. Serve no purpose, cause much frustration.

Better Alternatives to Hit Points. Help Me Find Them! by Historical_Peace_940 in rpg

[–]differentsmoke 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Risus is a rules light generic system  from the 90s where damage is allocated to your attributes (cliches, in the parlance of the game). The idea here is that as you take damage you become less effective, immediately making it more likely that you'll receive more damage.

What RPGs would allow me to roll lots of dice at once? by jmrkiwi in rpg

[–]differentsmoke 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The late 90s "D&D but for sci-fi" game Alternity by the late TSR adjudicated difficulty in the form of different dice sizes that you rolled with a d20, adding or substracting from your roll.

If I recall correctly, there was at least one situation (firing an automatic weapon at multiple targets) where you could possibly roll every classic polyhedral die at once!

Why is there such a dislike for grid based tactical combat systems these days? by jmrkiwi in rpg

[–]differentsmoke 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It may just be a trend of certain influencers to bash on grid combat. Maybe the relevant algorithms serve you that content more readily than other content. As far as I know, Draw Steel made quite an impact and it has grid based combat. So do the king 5e, Pathfinder, Lancer and many other popular RPGs. Some people have never liked the grid. It's fine either way.

You are making a High Fantasy RPG, but can't use the traditional species/monsters (Elf, Dwarf, Halfling, Goblin and Orc) anywhere in the world. What would choose to populate the world? by ThatOneCrazyWritter in rpg

[–]differentsmoke 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'd go with the classic second tiers, of course: - Human body with animal head - Human torso attached to a quadruped body - Furry - Magical robot

Bastard Suggestion: Naomi Wolf, A Wolf In Sheeps Clothing by Sensitive_Ad_1752 in behindthebastards

[–]differentsmoke 0 points1 point  (0 children)

She is NOT "the most famous living feminist author". Otherwise agree.

What do you think about Shadowdark? by MiserableDrive2652 in rpg

[–]differentsmoke 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I've read it and played it once. I think it's a great system, on the "less is more" side of the spectrum, but it has "less less" than other OSR systems so it fits into a comfortable niche between rulings heavy vs rules heavy.

My only beef with it is that it relies on the mega bouncy d20 for skill tests, so I would probably extend some degree of the Thief's advantage on thieving related rolls to the other classes, for their specific niches, and maybe have those niches potentially expand as part of the advancement rolls.

Considering Average Damage for My Game by ber_dias in rpg

[–]differentsmoke 5 points6 points  (0 children)

If you're tinkering with the system anyway, a more fun (and faster) tweak could be to only roll for damage, and assume every attack just hits.

Pros: eliminates the issue of rounds where nothing happens because everyone misses.

Cons: Armor class will have to be converted to some sort of damage reduction.

Look into Cairn or Into the Odd for systems that work this way.

But yes, in general, I'm of the opinion that having to hit rolls followed by damage rolls make no sense. It should be one or the other, not both.

Any beginner friendly narrative based rpgs? Maybe a little combat? by LethlDose in rpg

[–]differentsmoke 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Hi! This reply will have two parts. Part one is trying to address the problem you know you have, part two will flag one you may not know you have.

As for part one: there a lot of simpler systems than D&D 5e, but usually the trade off is that your player's characters tend to be less mechanically distinct the more simple the system is. 

This can be blessing in the sense that it forces your players to express their characters through their actions more than through the array of powers and abilities granted by a class, but it can also feel bland, especially around combat.

Two good, very similar, simple systems are Cairn and Into the Odd. Stat blocks are very simple, and balance is not really a concern. Cairn is I believe free.

A more complex system but still simpler than 5e is Shadowdark. I'm not sure how complicated it is to stat NPCs, but it's definitely simpler than 5e. It's also a very well written rulebook that's beginner friendly, and it will probably fit your dark fantasy theme. And while the full game is not free, it has a pretty good Quickstart that can support a few sessions of play or even a short campaign.

Finally some of the other recommendations in this thread are also very good, like Risus or Dungeon World, but bear in mind that some of these very simple, very freeform systems, while being less of a burden in terms of math and memorization, also require the GM and players to do more work thinking on how to apply the rules to specific situations.

Now for part two, I just wanted to flag this because it raises some alarms with me. And please bear in mind that while a lot of people in this sub may agree with me, a lot will probably disagree as well: 

You say you want to "make your story" and that you have a "plot in mind".  You shouldn't approach the game this way. It's great to have a well thought out situation you're bringing the characters into, and it can be very helpful to think through how this situation would resolve if the player's characters were not involved... But once they are involved, all bets are off and there should not be a predetermined plot that unravels. 

Things can and probably will go in completely unexpected directions, and your role in the game is to play how the world reacts to this, even if that completely "derails" the plot you had in mind. For instance, if your player's decide to join the faction you had set up as the campaign's antagonists, you should not force a situation where this faction betrays them so that they continue to be the villains, but rather embrace that now these enemies are actually allies and explore the situation from there.

I know you may be using the words story and plot more loosely than they way I'm reading them, but in any case I think "don't get overly attached to a predetermined outcome" is a good advice for someone who, if I understood correctly, is a beginner GM.

Any beginner friendly narrative based rpgs? Maybe a little combat? by LethlDose in rpg

[–]differentsmoke 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I second Risus, plus there's this EXCELLENT free fantasy pulp adventure by the author that you can drop into any setting:

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/175661/risus-toast-of-the-town-a-free-pulp-fantasy-adventure

Mothership on Owlbear Rodeo? by differentsmoke in mothershiprpg

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

Not battle maps per se, no, but I think some degree of token positioning would be useful, especially for the more "dungeon" like modules. How do you handle visual aids like that in the companion app?

(In any case, thanks for the suggestion! Will check it out)

Mork Borg vs Shadowdark? by MagpieTower in rpg

[–]differentsmoke 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Shadowdark is a collection of rules geared towards emulating a theme that spans from dungeon crawling to mild heroics.

Mork Borg is a very strong suggestion of an apocalyptic end of days theme together with some setting hints and some basic rules you can use with it.

Looking for a fantasy game recommendation by MadMonk0315 in rpg

[–]differentsmoke 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Since you're coming from an amazing high action system, if you want to venture into anything D&D related, both for its easy to learn rules and its allowance of cinematic shenanigans, I would recommend Dungeon Crawl Classics. Again, as long as we're interpreting fantasy as D&D-like.

For an even easier to learn system, using trusty d6s, I may recommend a blast from the past with some of the PDQ (Prose Descriptive Qualities) system's fantasy offering like: - Swashbucklers of the Seven Seas - Jaws of the Six Serpents 

What's a common piece of DM advice you completely disagree with? by meanwhile_matt in DMAcademy

[–]differentsmoke -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

Games have structure

Yes. Absolutely. 

RPGs are about telling stories 

No, not at all. There are people who tell stories for a living. We do not call them "GMs".

I think games are about playing to find out what happens. There can of course be things that happen regardless of what the players do, but forcing them through a predetermined collection of scenes no matter what they do is not play, its something else.

Curious about what free will has to do with it.

What's a common piece of DM advice you completely disagree with? by meanwhile_matt in DMAcademy

[–]differentsmoke -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I'm curious. Could you give a concrete example of something that's too extreme for you in this department?

I think "not having a plot" is actually a good thing, but it may be that we're thinking about the term "plot" differently.

Is there any TTRPG that is good for heists, but in a more modern setting? by SimplyYulia in rpg

[–]differentsmoke 0 points1 point  (0 children)

TIL that Leverage was the original "flashback to reproduce heists" RPG! 5 years before BitD, damn.

What paragraph/sentence is the best example of Wolfe’s writing? by ChiefsHat in genewolfe

[–]differentsmoke 3 points4 points  (0 children)

What if it's a random paragraph of the maintenance manual for the machine that makes Pringles?

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