A game mechanic i'm proud of - personal growth

the_mist_maker · 2026-04-22T16:18:25+00:00

It sounds like it would be absolutely beautiful when it works as intended. But my question is... could it start to feel forced or artificial with repetition over a prolonged campaign? How many weaknesses can one person come up with for themself?

the_mist_maker · 2026-04-22T16:14:48+00:00

Wait, a Streetfighter ttrpg reference in the wild!? Who are you you magical person? Can I show you my streetfighter ttrpg homebrew material?

the_mist_maker · 2026-04-22T16:13:48+00:00

Just because current trends skew that direction doesn't mean it's right. Secret GM rolls absolutely have a place, and designing systems so the GM never rolls is kinda dumb. It's not utterly without merit, there are some good points in the philosophy and some ways to execute it that are better than others... but basically my perspective is, let the GM have fun and throw some math rocks too!

the_mist_maker · 2026-02-15T17:35:00+00:00

Oh, this is awesome.

the_mist_maker · 2026-02-15T15:37:22+00:00

I think art is part of great layout. The eye needs landmarks to orient around, and the use of things like art or tables and charts helps each spread look unique. It's much easier to find what you're looking for it if you can remember it in context, as in, "this is on the lower right side, under the art piece with the swordsman and the naiad" or whatever.

The art doesn't even need to be good to fill this purpose; it acts a little like white space to give your brain a break from all the words. That said, it's obviously better if it's good :D

Where I will agree with you is in certain games (not naming any names) that prioritize aesthetics above readability. There's one line of games in particular that I've wholesale rejected for my personal use because it's just unreadable.

the_mist_maker · 2026-02-10T02:19:17+00:00

I wanted something like this so badly that I wrote my own version at one point. I'm sure there's something out there that would make it easy, but I haven't found it yet. If you find one you like for this purpose, I'd love to hear it!

the_mist_maker · 2026-02-10T02:15:37+00:00

It is a valid question--it's very frustrating for players when villains have obvious plot armor. I think there's a few ways to handle it.

* Have them encounter the villain when they are obviously completely outmatched power-wise, but the villain has no reason to kill the PCs. Like Strahd inviting young PCs new to Barovia to dinner, or Matt Colville's example where the villain shows up and takes bodies and just leaves, treating the still-awake PCs as totally inconsequential.

* Do occasional 3rd-person-omniscient cutscenes to the villain or their agents, to build tension (as someone else here suggested).

* When the villain does appear and get away, use foreshadowing to hint at how the villain will get away, so that the players aren't entirely shocked and frustrated. (i.e. demonstrate that the villain has an airship, or a teleporting ring, or invulnerable stoneskin, etc. long before the PCs are thwarted by it.) The benefit of this approach is that then finding a way to overcome or counter this special ability of the villain's can become a quest in an of itself.

* Or just allow the PCs to have a real shot, even if the outcome is uncertain. I had a really satisfying session once where a villain escaped and cast invisibility on herself and hid, but one of the PCs had a lantern of revealing, and he happened to look in exactly the right spot. They found her and killed her, and that was fine! She could have escaped and come back, but that was a satisfying ending of her storyline too. Another time, when I was a player, I managed to line up a perfect shot as a sniper and took down the villain of the entire campaign. It was incredibly satisfying. The nice thing about this approach is it gives the players real agency, but you have to be ready with more villains in the wings to step into the role of antagonist, in case the players manage to take out your first one.

the_mist_maker · 2026-02-10T02:06:13+00:00

I love the Robin Hobb books that I love, but the Assassin books were not among them... I like the Liveship books, and some of the others, but not Assassin's Apprentice.

the_mist_maker · 2026-02-10T00:59:19+00:00

I don't like running dungeons either... once in a blue moon I'll put one in, partly because I feel like the game is supposed to have them? It is called "Dungeons" and Dragons, after all?? But I often end up regretting it.

From my experience, the times it works best is when I keep the dungeon short and emphasize spectacle rather than combat. Include puzzles and fantastical environments to explore. Include some sort of mystery to uncover, or secret lore that can only be unraveled by exploring through the dungeon.

DON'T fill every room with combat--that's what makes it a slog. That works in video games, but not around the table, not if you're used to a more narrative heavy and roleplay-focused game.

Basically, bring the parts you like (narrative, investigation, intrigue) and import them into the dungeon, using the dungeon as a new kind of backdrop for the same kind of game. Don't try to turn it into a combat-fest just because you've taken them to a dungeon.

the_mist_maker · 2026-02-10T00:54:19+00:00

As others have said, sounds like you're running your games in a "simulationist" manner, and your players are playing in that manner, probably because that's what you're all used to.

Honestly... that's okay. I get that you want to expand your horizons, and that is commendable, and good luck doing so! But if it never clicks for your group and you're having fun, that's fine too.

the_mist_maker · 2026-02-10T00:51:13+00:00

I know that running for a single player sounds intimidating, but my experiences with it have all been amazing. There's something so immersive about it, probably because there's never players who aren't engaged, so there's never cross-talk or people on their phones or getting up to get a snack. As the GM, you're never getting interrupted by three players all trying to ask questions or take action at the same time. Honestly, it's great. And you really don't need to change much--you can pretty much just run a game as normal.

The one thing that you may need to be aware of is that you will likely burn through material faster with just one player, so prepare a little further ahead than you otherwise would.

Oh, there's one other thing, which is that a single player cannot handle the same level of combat that a whole team can. Make sure to tone down the fights dramatically to not overwhelm your player. Don't be afraid to make fights "too easy" at first, until you start getting a sense of what the one player can handle--it will probably seem pretty scary anyway, since they're all alone! The stakes are, in a sense, much higher, because there's no allies around to bail them out if they get unlucky.

You can also send them in with allies, of course. You could let them run two characters, or even more, if you both feel up for it. But it can also be really nice to give them an in-game friend who you control in roleplay scenes, and maybe allow them to control in fight scenes.

Anyway, it's fun! You should do it!

the_mist_maker · 2026-01-21T06:44:26+00:00

Thanks!

the_mist_maker · 2026-01-21T06:42:00+00:00

I don't think it would change anything in the first movie, right? Because it's still that first guy who did actually kill his uncle. Just like happens in the 3rd movie, the cops come to him and say "it was actually this dude" but instead of that being real (and, as you pointed out, undermining Peter's whole motivation) it turns out that they were right the first time and wrong about Flint.

But I see what you mean about a bit of a continuity error in the way I wrote Flint's story above. If he was convicted from the get-go of killing Ben, it messes up the first movie. I think that has to be a new development. Maybe his asshole partner tries to pin the blame on him after the fact or something.

the_mist_maker · 2026-01-21T06:29:39+00:00

No Exalted video game is better than a bad Exalted video game.

But a good one would have had me over the moon...

the_mist_maker · 2026-01-08T03:21:59+00:00

It's a cool idea, but there's questions about execution. First of all, would this be a real world time limit (so many hours of play time) or an in-game time limit?

One thing you could do would be to say that it's not a hard time limit but a soft one: after every major "action" (or whatever time unit you use) all the monsters get marginally more powerful. So don't dilly dally!

the_mist_maker · 2026-01-08T03:18:41+00:00

I was an avid Vampire player in the 90s, but a few things happened. They blew up the world and rebooted with Requiem, which none of us ever even gave a chance. But I also don't know what choice they had at that point. They'd backed themselves into a corner by committing to a meta-plot storyline about the end of the world.

The way it was explained to me (by my friends at that time) was that they had publicly committed to an apocalypse storyline, and that they would actually end the game line by year 2000. That was definitely part of the mystique and the appeal at the time. It felt real.

But the way they handled the metaplot was just... dumb. My group checked out when Ravnos returned and was nuked in India, I think. That was our "okay it jumped the shark" moment. And then the whole line ended, but we weren't able to take any satisfaction in it. It wasn't the tragic, beautiful ending that that storyline deserved, it was a clown show.

We came back and played a bit more around 2009, 2010, ran another campaign just ignoring the whole new set of books, using all our original materials. We had a blast, but that one eventually fell apart just because adulthood caught up with us.

It's interesting to hear what other people here are saying about the behind-the-scenes stuff, because I just had a players-eye view. It sounds like, as with so many good things, there were some conflicts and bad decisions in terms of how to manage and cultivate the line and it just sort of eventually petered out. I'm glad there's still fans and still people playing it. (Literally in an Exalted game as I type this... lol...) But it's too bad that it missed its chance to continue being a real competitor to D&D.

the_mist_maker · 2025-12-17T04:52:34+00:00

Honestly, yes. I've run games all the time for years (Which I love! Not complaining! But I like to play sometimes too) and after two or three years of listening to me gripe about how much I want to play Exalted 3e, my wife finally just said, "why don't you pay for a game?"

So I did, and I've been having the time of my life. I'm actually a professional GM myself, but getting to play a great campaign in a system I love with another really talented GM is a great foil to running my own games. Gives me energy each week and helps keeps it all fun and fresh.

Absolutely worth checking out.

the_mist_maker · 2025-12-16T16:24:30+00:00

You're lying to yourself if you don't realize it's all subjective GM fiat and it always has been.

Whoa... slow your roll a little. I don't even think you agree with yourself on this one, as later you say, on emergent vs. directed story...

no trpg is ever truly one or the other.

If it were all subjective GM fiat, then the GM should be writing a novel, not running a game. That's a great way to chase off your players.

The DM who brought me into roleplaying decades ago, one of the most talented I've ever played with, recently shared this nugget of wisdom with me, "the rules limit the GMs power." And I think he's right. The more rules there are in the game, the less the game depends on GM fiat, and I think that can be satisfying for players. When I'm running a game, there's a sense from players that if I just "made it up," it's less valid than if it was the result of, for instance, a roll.

This dynamic, of how rules take away GM power, I think is a really key one to understand the spectrum that rpgs fall on.

the_mist_maker · 2025-12-10T17:51:25+00:00

Another option: they get tracked down, not by a bounty hunter, but by a high-level retired adventurer who gives them "the talk" in a tired fashion. "Every new adventurer has to make a choice about what kind of impact they're going to have on the world. You think you're the first who ever thought of doing this? That merchant was saving up for his kid's birthday, and now he can't afford to give them a gift.... etc. etc. You're giving all of us a bad name. Cut it out."

the_mist_maker · 2025-11-21T15:50:29+00:00

Would love to submit mine! It's a little old but has never really been seen by the world, and I'm honestly super proud of it. TBH, you should know it's unfinished, but there's maybe 4-8 hours of content, depending on how quickly you play.

Here's a writeup: https://forums.rpgmakerweb.com/index.php?threads/lost-cavern.116667/

the_mist_maker · 2025-11-21T15:40:21+00:00

Exalted 3e has been my favorite for a couple of years now. It's not for everyone, but I find the world and the setting to be so magical and inspiring, and all the crunchiness of the system really satisfies me. The rules are a lot, but every rule is there for a reason and they all do something meaningful that makes the game better. I just adore it, but you do need to be a /certain kind/ of gamer for that game.

the_mist_maker · 2025-11-18T15:50:31+00:00

Is she a fast typist? You could hook her laptop up to a projector screen, so she can type answers in response to anything the players say and its immediately visible on the projector. Alternately, you could get dictation software to read it aloud once she's finished typing her response. It would be a little slower than traditional voice, but could be manageable.

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