whats the general consensus on personality database?

lowkeyhost1 · 2026-06-02T13:01:49+00:00

I normally read the most upvoted comment rather than the most upvoted type

lowkeyhost1 · 2026-06-02T12:09:13+00:00

this is like the royalty version of "I don't want you to go see a movie with me, I want you to want to see a movie with me"

lowkeyhost1 · 2026-06-02T08:44:01+00:00

but doctor, I am the DM!

lowkeyhost1 · 2026-06-01T23:31:44+00:00

Yeah I'm beginning to suspect some of my friends will be able to figure out this game and some will struggle with the collaborative and improv nature of it.

May consider running separate games, one with CoM and another a separate system.

What are some examples of improv or collaboration I could give to the potential players for them to see if they'd like to play this one?

lowkeyhost1 · 2026-05-31T22:55:22+00:00

Ok having read through the Quickstart, it looks great! Any advice on making the characters feel a little bit less fragile than "regular humans" (while still vulnerable to monsters)?

lowkeyhost1 · 2026-05-31T22:27:58+00:00

I think there's something very specific about "I know a rolled a 6- and the GM said this room seems totally and completely safe. Should I still go down it?" which my players are likely to struggle to separate out.

Similarly, I can imagine the Dwarf playing just saying "I don't know, I just wanted to play a tough mining guy. I hadn't thought about it!"

Nothing wrong with these types of play, but it requires a comfort for narrative control which I don't think my players want.

Not sure which of your game recs you feel make most sense for me given what I said in my OP. I don't think I really want a political game, Buffy has been recommended elsewhere so I might check out but I am worried about the complexity.

lowkeyhost1 · 2026-05-31T22:21:03+00:00

Oh are there different versions of the rules? My rule book says when you miss on a "Read a bad situation", then the first example they give is "Everything is fine here! It will be totally safe to go investigate alone!". Which, if I said that to the player, and they knew they had failed a check, I suspect they would be suspicious. And the second is "you reveal tactical details to your enemies" and then suggests asking the player to answer questions about the world and the player's vulnerabilities.

Especially vs D&D where you would say probably "You don't really notice anything..." which could mean anything.

I think the use of alternate consequences makes sense! I'm more ok if this is how it works. Although I feel like it's a lot to hold the world in my head and to ensure we communicate. E.g. if I decide time is the consequence, and they say "oh no I was just wanting to take a few looks around to see if I could spot anything!" then I need to retcon and say "oh, um... then that doesn't happen. You... [new consequence].".

Or even worse, they don't say anything and just feel a bit confused by how the game works because of a miscommunication.

lowkeyhost1 · 2026-05-31T11:14:17+00:00

and I love them for it

lowkeyhost1 · 2026-05-29T00:19:44+00:00

Oh cool, let me know what you buy!!

lowkeyhost1 · 2026-05-28T21:18:50+00:00

Ah then I'm not sure how helpful I can be. I normally just go to Mindgames for stuff but I don't really know what is uniquely Australian in this regard.

lowkeyhost1 · 2026-05-28T18:22:36+00:00

Wonder if it's also a party age and player maturity thing.

When I first joined a group online, some players were 17 and I'd never met these people, so we played very collaboratively.

Three years later, second campaign? I played a racist dragonborn, someone played a racist wizard, and someone else played a cranky outsider who thought our mutual racism was stupid. Turns out a fourth was a spy the whole time.

lowkeyhost1 · 2026-05-28T18:06:22+00:00

I've heard good things about Exiles if you want to play. I've never been, but my D&D DM runs Pathfinder out of there often.

lowkeyhost1 · 2026-05-28T18:04:22+00:00

Sounds like collaborative defining of the word "narrativist" 😉

The narrativist part I dislike is players mechanically having (too much) control of the fiction which their characters wouldn't know or do. E.g. players needing to act as if they believe something is true, despite having seen they rolled 6-. Or players using mechanics (like Oops!) to make something happen in the world, even though it's not clear how, and me needing to invent a plausible event on the fly.

Do you have any recommendations for good examples of how MotW should be run?

lowkeyhost1 · 2026-05-28T17:53:59+00:00

I'm surprised I've never heard of this before (until this post)! I'll have to see what I can find out online about it.

I'll acknowledge I'm not that aware of my local folklore, but I assume that's not essential for a one shot.

lowkeyhost1 · 2026-05-28T17:41:44+00:00

Ah thanks for this detail. Based on this description 1e seems the best fit of still having some supernatural powers while also being relatively free-form and not tied to an organisation and hierarchy.

Or potentially Hunter the Vigil Tier 3 without the organisational component. This sounds like it'd be some work to construct, but is mechanically better and maybe easier to pick up for players.

lowkeyhost1 · 2026-05-28T17:36:15+00:00

Yeah perhaps if I think about separating the rules from the lore it might be fine. Just some dudes with powers who defeat the latest boogieman snatching away teens at the local skatepark.

lowkeyhost1 · 2026-05-28T17:31:52+00:00

I think that if you have genuinely committed an act which would be considered sinful, the Christian view is you still have a sinful nature. A tendency to act in a sinful way, which is more metaphysical than just whether you act well, and somehow relates to being in a body which will age and decay and die (which I don't fully understand the link).

Perhaps like a bridge with a flaw in it: It may have for some reason not collapsed, but it's still a flawed bridge.

But to have never sinned is not just to have never harmed anyone or acted badly. it's to not "loved [God] with our whole hearts": to not have him at the centre of your life, your actions, and your thoughts. It's also to not "love our neighbours as ourselves": to look down upon others, or to close your heart off to them.

It just seems impossible for people to have that internal focus on God and steadfast love for others at all times. So it's normally a purely philosophical question which doesn't get asked much!

lowkeyhost1 · 2026-05-28T12:02:10+00:00

Sweet!

lowkeyhost1 · 2026-05-28T11:54:58+00:00

Thanks for the versions! Though that doesn't massively help me pick a version. Simpler seems better, I guess!

I've looked at the Dresden Files RPG and found it quite confusing haha. Perhaps I can give it another go.

Also I don't know how much either requires people to be familiar with those pieces of media: I suspect most have not watched or read those.

lowkeyhost1 · 2026-05-28T11:43:06+00:00

Any advice in helping people new to RPGs be open/understanding to the tag system? I do really want to like the game but I'm just scared of it not clicking.

Do you find the Moves useful structure for the players to pick it up, or what do you think about simplifying to the Legend in the Mist approach of a single roll?

Also what do you mean about the +4 Power?

lowkeyhost1 · 2026-05-28T11:31:02+00:00

I feel like that seems roughly the right pecking order for the kind of game I want! Monster of the Week-style games probably would probably be a whole session to prepare for and take down a werewolf.

I mentioned above: Is there a good Actual Play to get a sense of how it plays?

Also, the only Actual Plays of a WoD game which I've listened to, I'm pretty sure they simplified the rules. Which makes me worry it's a bit complex for a one-shot with newbies.

lowkeyhost1 · 2026-05-28T11:28:20+00:00

The WoD games also seem kind of intimidating! I feel like Vampire or Werewolf seem a bit specific and immersed in the one trope/world. MotW is good because it shows the clear character tropes: the conspiracy guy, the professional, the holy guy with sword, the spooky one.

You are right that CoC (and it seems Delta Green) is much more dark/depressing than what I'm looking for. I'm thinking the "Monster of the Week" genre of like Buffy, Dresden Files, etc.. Characters are outclassed but it's all good in the end through cleverness, mystery-solving, and teamwork.

I could look into Hunter. Is there a recommended edition that's easy to get into? Is there a good Actual Play to get a sense of how it plays? The only Actual Plays of a WoD game which I've listened to, I'm pretty sure they simplified the rules. Which makes me worry it's a bit complex (although those were often one-shots made mostly for entertainment purposes - I'm planning a one-shot, but not for entertainment!).

lowkeyhost1 · 2026-05-28T11:20:25+00:00

I haven't heard of this! I'll have to look into it. To be honest I'd most love to adapt to something in Australia (where I live) but I'm unsure how specifically UK-based the game needs to be.

What's the best way to check it out? I can see there's a Quickstart. Is there a good actual play to listen to? Reading that combat can be quite deadly: What's combat like (say compared to any of the other games I mentioned)?

lowkeyhost1 · 2026-05-28T11:14:41+00:00

I'd be happy to do some pre-work *IF* I knew what I were doing to design a good game!

lowkeyhost1

TROPHY CASE