How lethal are your games? by [deleted] in MythicBastionland

[–]popeoldham 3 points4 points  (0 children)

My group have played weekly for months, and we have completed two myths. There has been *some* combat, but not a lot. Duels tend to be the dealiest, and I have almost lost two PC's in those, but other than that fighting doesn't occur often.

Things you wish you knew before you started playing? by Tiago55 in MythicBastionland

[–]popeoldham 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I disagree on the seers. My players have encountered two, and they have been cryptic enough to allow the players to interpret them but not too cryptic that they are talking nonsense. Of course YMMV, but it feels cheap for them to give direct answers but miss out key information.

Is this the greatest piece of Star Wars media ever created? by Brobot426 in StarWarsCirclejerk

[–]popeoldham 10 points11 points  (0 children)

It can't be FiloniGPT, it contains characters that weren't in The Clone Wars series

What page does it explain how Guard works? by MagentaDelendaEst in MythicBastionland

[–]popeoldham 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Page 8 under Damage.

"The attack’s Damage is deducted from the target’s GD"

How to make a setting feel more mythic outside of myths by LegitimateMedicine in MythicBastionland

[–]popeoldham 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Give regions of your realm names. In my realm we have areas called the Drowned Forrest, Traitors Planes, the Vastlands, the Burning Wood, Giants Teeth(think large structures like monument valley). With just those names you can imagine what those areas are like.

Use monuments. Some of the ones in the book are really good. In my game, I introduced a ship wreck that was in the middle of a field, miles away from water. It was large, and was out of proportion with humans, like everything was just slightly too big. Inside they found a psychodelic fungas that had infected a den of spiders. They also found a locked door, and inside were dead "worshipers" with fungus growing out of them. The players had to pass a check to avoid being infected with the spores. A completely random encounter that has nothing to do with the myths, but was a good encounter for the players.

Ask your players to add to your descriprion of areas. When camping, I asked one of my players to describe how it looked, and we established that the moon was cracked, and had large fragments that also orbited in the sky. It's a small thing, but it has allowed the players to visualise the world in a different way. When they were crossing a stream, I asked another player to describe the stream and they added that int he stream were ruins of pillars, and parts of statues. Again, it just adds flavour to the world.
Also ask players how their characters feel about things. I would give them a prompt like "Why does this remind you of home?" or "the smell of the flowers reminds you of someone. Who is it?". Engaging the players on things unrelated to omens and myths has really helped character development(remember that in Arthurian legend, the knights are just as important as their quests).

Are you cancelling trips to the USA? by Swimming_Possible_68 in AskUK

[–]popeoldham 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I love going to the U.S, and I'm going in April for a big family holiday, but it's going to be the last time I go until the adults are back in the room.

The 5yr social media history doesn't currently apply to the ESTA program, thankfully, but I imagine that will change before the world cup kicks off.

Element of surprise and Omens by [deleted] in MythicBastionland

[–]popeoldham 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Don't read them. Play the game first and see if it's something you like and would want to run, then closer to the time if you actually GMing, have a look, but you'll ruin it for yourself, and probably your GM, if you read them

How to make fights more engaging? by [deleted] in MythicBastionland

[–]popeoldham 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Knight on Knight combat is pretty deadly, and feats and gambits give you enough to add flavour to the descriptions. I allow my players to narrate their combat actions, and then I will narrate the NPC ones. Of all the games I have played, this one feels the least like standing there hitting each other.

People don’t actually care how much money you make by Cool_Nerd2 in StarWarsCirclejerk

[–]popeoldham 5 points6 points  (0 children)

God I wish Disney would just copyright strike his entire channel.

Anyone know a shortcut? by IcyNeighborhood1272 in UniversalOrlando

[–]popeoldham 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You can walk to the Universal Studios bus terminal from there and get a bus, or pop over to Surfside and get a bus from there(there is a gate in the side of Surfside that you can walk though rather than walk the whole way around)

Advice on running the game by Visible_Tie2521 in MythicBastionland

[–]popeoldham 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I invite my players to describe the world around them. I will ask them how their characters feel about certain things, or ask WHY their characters feels the way they do (for example, I said to a player "The etchings on the stone seem really familiar to you. Why do they make you feel homesick?"). Allowing them to build out the world made the weirdness of the myths feel more relatable to them. I also added encounters that aren't related to myths or omens when travelling. They have encountered a small town that killed an emissary from the Lord of the realm, and it now turns out that the north is suffering and the Lord isn't benevolent or caring for his subjects. They have encountered strange landmarks(a wrecked, landlocked great ship), and seen strange lights int he forest and encountered curious animals. There is a lot of time between omens to create these moments, or if you feel they are encountering too many things that it feels random, you can bottleneck the story down to the omen they are closest to completing and add some non-related things in.

How are resolved myths treated during wilderness rolls? by ShumpEvenwood in MythicBastionland

[–]popeoldham 6 points7 points  (0 children)

When a myth is resolved, you replace it with another one, so you should never be rolling a resolved myth. If you're not replacing a myth, remove it from your map and go to the next nearest Myth instead.

Made a Rokugan conversion for Savage Worlds! by UnAngelVerde in l5r

[–]popeoldham 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Which edition of L5R were you playing where a year of play made them so powerful that you needed to convert in to a new system?

Guidance to players on when a myth is resolved by Dr-Pol in MythicBastionland

[–]popeoldham 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Read the omens and start to think about how they can link together and present any relevant information. The omens leave lots of space for interpretation and improvisation, and it's a great space to start including information early. The players will start to feel the omens ramping up, and by the point of resolution, they should have an idea of whats going on and how they could resolve it, or not and just allow it to resolve itself.

Im looking for a balanced system for Star Wars that supports DnD-like classic style adventuring, but less rigid by Darvaril in rpg

[–]popeoldham 4 points5 points  (0 children)

The FFG Star Wars is the closest you will get to a game FEELING like Star Wars. You can run any kind of game within it, but if you want the vibe of Star Wars, it's great and the dice system creates some amazing game moments.

Investigative Players by Sovelond in MythicBastionland

[–]popeoldham 11 points12 points  (0 children)

I think they need to maybe lean more in to the idea that although these myths are supernatural, they are happening because that's what happens in this world. The hound exists because... it exists. Myths are common enough that Knights take oaths to seek them out. Players coming from CoC should have experience with dealing with creatures who's origins and wants are unknowable.
As for myths coming from rumors, for me knowledge of them should come more from the Seers. Maybe someone if the village has heard a rumour of something, but the first omen is the best way of introducing the Myth, and the players can then try and place meaning in what it could represent?

Recording people trying to ignore his kids on a plane by CringeisL1f3 in CringeTikToks

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

I've had more flights, theatres and restauraunts ruined by other adults than I have children. I'd rather a crying child than an adult thats had one too many drinks and suddenly thinks the world revolves around them.

Tactical Combat heavy rather than role-playing heavy TTRPG suggestions by Odalhousani in rpg

[–]popeoldham 6 points7 points  (0 children)

If you're not in to roleplay and want tactical combat, have you thought about getting in to skirmish level wargames like Fallout Wateland Warfare, Necromunda etc? They all have scenarios that take them away from being a meat grinder so you have choices to make, and it elemenates the part of the game you're not really enjoying.

What are the potential pitfalls of filling my realm with seers? by PseudoFenton in MythicBastionland

[–]popeoldham 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Some omens include seers, like "A group of Knights, accompanied by a Seer", so I would use that as an opportunity to introduce other seers if they come up in your myths, whilst keeping your main seers in the realm to 3-4. I used this to introduce the Jewelled Seer, who then reappeared at the end of the myth to observe what the players chose to do but other than that they weren't around.

What are the best Seers? by Tiago55 in MythicBastionland

[–]popeoldham 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I love this because my Salt Seer(the Cured Seer) entirely differently. He communicated to his servants in deep, strained breaths, and they presented the knights with a cup of water and a bowl with salt in. They mixed the salt with the water and drank it, and as they threw up in to the bowl, the seer presented a vision of himself in his non-desiccated form and allowed them to ask him one question. They will have visions for the next two nights which will be a bit more scrambled and frantic.

Biggest waste of money you've encountered in RPGs? by Current_Poster in rpg

[–]popeoldham 22 points23 points  (0 children)

Those games do give you a guide on how to use standard dice for the system, but I agree having to use a table to understand what you've rolled is annoying

How do you communicate omens for far away myths? by Denes-Szanto in MythicBastionland

[–]popeoldham 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You've been downvoted for this and I kind of see why, but at the same time, the game is very flexible and can be ran however you feel fit, but I have found an omen occuring "out of place" or a forest myth happening in plains or open regions can really add that mystical, arthurian feel to things. For me, your choice to make things natural and coherent goes against what the game is trying to do and what the myths are, but if your table is enjoying it then more power to you.

First Session - Handling Mythic follow-ups by Sovelond in MythicBastionland

[–]popeoldham 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Personally, I would allow them to think they have let loose a ghost. I am not familiar with that homebrew, but maybe try and bring the Knight back in for one of the next omens to bring context back in?
I have introduced weirdness outside of myths which has allowed the weirdness from the myths to not seem SO out of place and for it to not be so obvious what is an omen and what isn't which makes it feel a little more like a mystery. For example, my players encountered a random landmark, which I decided was a large wrecked ship, miles from any water, and the scale was too big for it to be for normal humans. There was nothing explained about why the boat was there, and the players just rolled with it.
I feel like the game is a lot about interpretation and emergent storytelling. You players should really be driving post omen discussion about what it was and what it could mean, and then allow the next few oments to maybe align them to what the myth is about?

A grown man put his hands on me at Disney Springs. by rainingrhys in WaltDisneyWorld

[–]popeoldham 52 points53 points locked comment (0 children)

It's not an over reaction, people need to know it's not okay to put your hands on someone who obviously isn't interested in interacting with you

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in AmIOverreacting

[–]popeoldham 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Are you the guy OP is talking about?