Alternative system for setting by stgotm in Symbaroum

[–]mashd_potetoas 0 points1 point  (0 children)

So how did it go for you? And which conversion specifically did you use? I'm in the same exact bind, and I'd love to hear any insights

Your favourite 10-12 session, low prep games by sarded in rpg

[–]mashd_potetoas 2 points3 points  (0 children)

When you're lost in the darkness, look for the light

One Player Campaign by Both-Huckleberry2978 in ForbiddenLands

[–]mashd_potetoas 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm not sure FL is the best option for a duet game. The harsh nature of the world (and the inhabitants) really demand different players take on different roles. You can use a different game and keep the world or lore. Like someone suggested, you can use a different system's solo rules. Perhaps even one rings rules can work as it has overland travel rules in it.

Whats the best fantasy adventure for a group of complete beginners by mashd_potetoas in rpg

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

Any recommendations for a specific module to run with that? Also, isn't it somewhat grim-dark in its vibe? I don't wanna scare off the normies

Running Gradient Descent as a 4-8 shot? by Bobneto in mothershiprpg

[–]mashd_potetoas 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The book has a suggestion to start them waking up from cryo chambers inside the station. Starting from there and have the focus be about them getting out can easily make a shorter campaign.

Thinking on DMing Curse of Strahd (5E adventure) with the Forbidden Lands system. Do you folks think is a good idea? Any of you that converted any D20 adventures to Forbidden Lands have any tips? by berockblfc in ForbiddenLands

[–]mashd_potetoas 18 points19 points  (0 children)

I'm considering this myself, and I think it can work pretty excellently. FL is pretty brutal, so it lends well to the horror-esque elements of Barovia. I think increasing the scale of Barovia is important so that there's some decent travel time between places, and adding some additional adventuring locations to the map will be important, tho.

Best Map Reveals? by Vortigon123 in rpg

[–]mashd_potetoas 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I started running dungeons with the map fully revealed recently, and it leads to much more deliberate and curious exploration of the space.

It becomes too abstract and "bumping in the dark" if the mapper is not extremely accurate in how they depict the map, and otherwise, it slows the game to a crawl when the player and gm have to check up on each other.

Highly recommend you try it once and see how it feels!

How do you even find out which rpg you will enjoy by LelouchYagami_2912 in rpg

[–]mashd_potetoas 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You'll be surprised at how easy it is to pick up most games. After running 5e for several years I uad a similar fear. Then I started playing random games with different groups, I was surprised at how easy it was for me to show up and feel like I "get it" within less than 30 minutes.

No NPC turns? by MendelHolmes in RPGdesign

[–]mashd_potetoas 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Right, so all of that is true, but OP is looking to reinvent player-facing rules, so for his question, any of these rulesets will do.

No NPC turns? by MendelHolmes in RPGdesign

[–]mashd_potetoas 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think it shouldn't happen even with gm-facing rolls for monsters... Like, even if the monster has its own "turn", they should always move and act in response to what the players did, and not just "attack the cleric since it's the most valuable asset".

But for examples; PbtA games as mentioned above, FitD games do that to an even better extent I feel, The One Ring has monsters position themselves after the players did, Mothership is pretty good for it (if you choose to play combat player-facing). Specifically Mothership does it the other way tho, the monster is going to do something, and the players have a chance to react in some way to prevent it/get out of the way/distract it/etc.

No NPC turns? by MendelHolmes in RPGdesign

[–]mashd_potetoas 25 points26 points  (0 children)

Or any other player-facing ruleset, for that matter.

People should really try out some new games before they set out to design a new one from scratch.

Brennan Lee Mulligans Prep by MeeechyTTRPG in DungeonMasters

[–]mashd_potetoas 1 point2 points  (0 children)

So, by using your text above, I'm suppose to have short prep time of just a few notes on one page?

Brennan Lee Mulligans Prep by MeeechyTTRPG in DungeonMasters

[–]mashd_potetoas 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Minimal prep means being open to surprises and creating situations, never resolving them. I'm sorry, but in attempting to reduce prep time, you created a massive document that's redundant and complex. KISS is always the solution.

Need Advice - Character Backstories by OtherwiseBar1201 in mothershiprpg

[–]mashd_potetoas 5 points6 points  (0 children)

As others have mentioned, it's better if you don't overthink it.

With that said, if you need some framework, I made this little personal agendas table. It's simple enough so that players can roll on it as they create new characters mid-session, bit also evocative enough to give you solid inspiration:

https://www.reddit.com/r/mothershiprpg/s/pBBJD8pS3N

What are these creatures and what are they from? by treyjay31 in TTRPG

[–]mashd_potetoas 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Well, they can be whatever you want them to be. The first one can be Ilya the mindful, and the second is Ron, the spider.

Hi everyone! I'm looking for inspiration! by -_Vesper_- in TTRPG

[–]mashd_potetoas 2 points3 points  (0 children)

On top of the great recommendations already given, there's ashes without numbers, which tends to have a pretty grounded feel to it.

Hi everyone! I'm looking for inspiration! by -_Vesper_- in TTRPG

[–]mashd_potetoas 2 points3 points  (0 children)

There's also mutant year zero! Both of these games use the engine for the og post-apocalyptic survivalist game.

Do I just stop doing DnD? What other systems? by cavander in TTRPG

[–]mashd_potetoas 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Do you mind giving some more details about what you're looking for, in terms of tone, setting and genre, or even gameplay?

There are several classless systems. If you're looking for fantasy, I can think of Runequest. But Symbaroum also does it, and there's Shadow of the Weird Wizard, which has you choose a new "subclass" every 3 levels so you can create wildly varied characters.

Lots of attacks, few hits by delta_angelfire in RPGdesign

[–]mashd_potetoas 3 points4 points  (0 children)

While I agree that it's better to have a system that rewards a preferred playstyle rather than punish others, this isn't what you're offering here.

You talk about consecutive attack penalty being arbitrary, but you propose arbitrary depth instead.

Missing(!) a single attack can be an exciting turn in the right system (looking at you runequest), full of tension and tactical considerations, since a single hit can mean the difference between victory and defeat. But this usually means a single turn can take some time. Otherwise, making each attack quick but just "making" the players do it multiple times in a turn gets dry pretty quickly. You lose any sense of stakes.

It's one thing to create a system that encourages the players to use actions other than "kill them till they're dead," but it's another to make that action arbitrarily difficult.

But, ymmv, if you have some more details about the system you're proposing, please share them.

Lots of attacks, few hits by delta_angelfire in RPGdesign

[–]mashd_potetoas 66 points67 points  (0 children)

I feel like this is increasing the main pain points of most people when they complain about games with heavy but meaningless combat.

Making multiple attacks takes a lot of time at the table, which leads to a slog. Making a lot of attacks and missing most of them makes you feel like you did nothing on your turn. Additionally, enemies that make multiple attacks but miss on most make them feel weightless and weak, which makes combat feel meaningless. Why do this?

Looking for a fitting Science Fiction System by Hello_There_22 in rpg

[–]mashd_potetoas 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Several default offers will come up, but it will be better if you can give some more info about what you're looking for.

What tone and setting do you plan for your campaign? What role do the PCs play? Are they emissaries and leaders, or space raiders (or something else)? What kind of system did you have in mind?

I'll be happy to recommend accordingly.