I'm in the market for some Balbinist games. I've just been having too much fun lately, and need to get back on an even keel. Anyone have some really boring, detail-laden snore-fests? Pig-farmers in Peril? Dugongs and Dagons? GURPS Fisheries? C'mon and lay them down! :O
-clash
I've heard really bad things about Star Cluster and In Harm's Way.
No, I don't mean it. But it had to be said. ;)
Quote from: James McMurrayI've heard really bad things about Star Cluster and In Harm's Way.
No, I don't mean it. But it had to be said. ;)
Been there, done that! Even Balbinus'd turn up his nose at those losers! :P
-clash
RIFTS was incredibly boring the only session I ever played it in. But I think I'd have to connect you with the GM for it, as it was his fault.
Mention the word Rifts, and boring is not often in the reply. Other words, yes, many of them four-lettered, but boring? Nah! Must be a case of a Balbinist GM with the wrong game.
-clash
I'm hoping Balbinus will grace this thread with his own favorites - if anyone knows Balbinist games, it's Balbinus!
-clash
World Action and Adventure might lower your spirits, if you're feeling too high.
OOOH! Linky?
-clash
Apparently this joke fell flat too... Not my day, I guess...
Apologies to those who took it seriously!
-clash
I found this eBay auction (http://cgi.ebay.com/World-Action-Adventure-RPG-Animals-Geography-book_W0QQitemZ8819309213QQcmdZViewItem) for one of the books. I doubt it'll sell at that price...I think I sold my copy of the Character Book on eBay for $0.01 plus shipping.
Spawn of Fashan?
http://www.role-playing.com/ (http://www.role-playing.com/)
Imagine RPG,IMO, the most unintentionally fun RPG ever. Note their url.:D
quoted from the back of the book:
Quote(368 pages) The Imagine Player's Guide is the culmination of years of work and development. Never before has anyone combined fun, creativity and playability into a role playing game of this caliber. Imagine a world limited only by the bounds of your mind. Imagine a game unlike any you have played before. Imagine no more, we have made it a reality.
Now if you dare,
discover what role playing is all about.
The Imagine Player's Guide is fully illustrated, inside and out, with a stitch-bound hardcover, and a color gloss finish. It is printed on high quality paper to withstand many years of enjoyable use.
There's a great review of Imagine in an old issue of Imazine (Imagine... Imazine.... keep up at the back).
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/panurge/imazine35.pdf
edit: Just re-reading it now - "There are 12 attributes, divided into four categories, and you roll for them on between 5 and 7d4. Female characters lose a point of Strength and gain a point of Agility." Oh dear.
Quote from: Mcrow(368 pages) The Imagine Player's Guide is the culmination of years of work and development. Never before has anyone combined fun, creativity and playability into a role playing game of this caliber. Imagine a world limited only by the bounds of your mind. Imagine a game unlike any you have played before. Imagine no more, we have made it a reality.
Now if you dare,
discover what role playing is all about.
The Imagine Player's Guide is fully illustrated, inside and out, with a stitch-bound hardcover, and a color gloss finish. It is printed on high quality paper to withstand many years of enjoyable use.
Ironic:
Just today I went to my LGS (bought: 36 d6es, some Dreamblade minis). Guess what was in the half-off bargain bin section on the floor?
Well, yeah, about 4 year's worth of worthless d20 shit.
...
and the Imagine Player's Guide.
I kinda want to give it a shot, really. Just once, to see what it was like. It's such an easy target and all, but I gave it a flip-through and was like, "Y'know, not half bad for what it tries to be".
-Andy
Well, the mechanics are a bit old school (in the bad way) but I have seen a lot worse.
Its more about the add copy and url. The claims it makes compared to what the game actually delivers, just isn't there. Now, if it wasn't for the claims I would just chalk it up as boring (though others may like it).
Fantasy Imperium. It has sixteen different hauberks.
I mean, halberds.
Halibutts.
Whatever.
You did have a look at the thumbnail for the Master's Manual right? I swear, that guy looks like the kind of person who hangs around city parks armed with bags of doggy treats.
Millenim´s End is an often overlooked pinnacle of BALBinist creative agenda design.
You can also easily add muskets (and muskrats too, if you wanna do some "Battle of New Orleans" southron exposure) for Age of Enlightenment fun.
Quote from: SettembriniMillenim´s End is an often overlooked pinnacle of BALBinist creative agenda design.
You can also easily add muskets (and muskrats too, if you wanna do some "Battle of New Orleans" southron exposure) for Age of Enlightenment fun.
Do you mean Millennium's End?
Perhaps ironically, that's on my list of books to survive the coming cull, so it really is Balbinist.
QuoteDo you mean Millennium's End?
Yeah, of course.
See, I know what you like.
:cool:
Beware their Ultramodern Firearms Sourcebook, though!
I´m not a gun-bunny per se, but when I read it and compared the entrances for the weapons I have actually been trained in and trained other people in, I found some rather unpleasant errors.
IIRC, they made a gas-loading rifle out of the H&K G3, which is a blowback operated lock if there ever was one.
Quote from: SettembriniI´m not a gun-bunny per se....
they made a gas-loading rifle out of the H&K G3, which is a blowback operated lock if there ever was one.
Uh-huh.
:D
Well, I was a drill instructor and platoon leader, so there you go.
But I´m not reading gun mags or collect weapons. I just like to know my tools , I have no big interest in guns per se. I´ve met many many people who are way more knowledgable (and fond of) guns than I am.
So I can´t say whether the stuff I don´t know about in the "Ultramodern Firearms" is correct or not. A Gun-Bunny would.
I found the information in "Compendium of Modern Firearms" by R.Talsorian to be more thorough in my areas of expertise. All in all I ´d say it´s the better book, gaming wise, and even holds up nice and well against non-fiction books on personal weapons. It´s a bit dated though.
Joewolz might give us his opinion on source for firearm info.
EDIT: And remembering the technical specs, including whether it´s a gas-loader or roller locked blowback device, is very very easy when you actually dissasembe and re-assemble the lock of a weapon. And you should know that this is done very often. Very often.
Did I say it´s done very often?
So, basically you don´t forget that kinda shit.
Is Dark Realms Balbinist? It's godawful, that I knows fer shure...
Quote from: Dr Rotwang!Is Dark Realms Balbinist? It's godawful, that I knows fer shure...
Well, I'd quote exactly what Balbinist means, but the thread on TBP is gone...
-clash
To actually delve into the higher arts of Balbinist-Play of millennium´s end, you have to frequent the ME mailing list.
I shirked away from that, but you shouldn´t!
"We have updated GNS to reflect a fourth creative agenda, gamism, narrativism, simulationism are now well understood. The fourth is Balbinusism, which essentially means low grade unimaginative play unable to step up and meet any other CA. Balbinist play is play which is simply not as good as gamist, narrativist or simulationist play."
Quote from: Christmas Ape"We have updated GNS to reflect a fourth creative agenda, gamism, narrativism, simulationism are now well understood. The fourth is Balbinusism, which essentially means low grade unimaginative play unable to step up and meet any other CA. Balbinist play is play which is simply not as good as gamist, narrativist or simulationist play."
Thanks, O Simian Santa! :D
My original idea for this thread was that people would make up Balbinist games, like
Turnips and Tolls: The Game of Bringing Root Vegetables To Market or
Lex et Ordo: The RPG of Lawyers in the Roman Republic, but folks started suggesting real games instead.
-clash
QuoteLex et Ordo: The RPG of Lawyers in the Roman Republic
I´d totally play that.
Quote from: SettembriniQuote from: flyingmiceLex et Ordo: The RPG of Lawyers in the Roman Republic
I´d totally play that.
I was just thinking that.
Quote from: Christmas ApeI was just thinking that.
Me too actually.
Christ, this really is a grognardy site.
Quote from: Christmas ApeI was just thinking that.
You're right -
Lex et Ordo is far too interesting a premise! But if Balbinus likes it, doesn't that make it Balbinist by example? :O
-clash
Quote from: flyingmiceYou're right - Lex et Ordo is far too interesting a premise! But if Balbinus likes it, doesn't that make it Balbinist by example? :O
-clash
Cool name too.
Hell, combine it with some political strategy, climbing the Cursus Honorarium (IIRC) and I think that would just be too cool for school.
I'd play Lex et Ordo but I'd spend all my time arranging public group stabbings of characters I didn't like.
Quote from: jrientsI'd play Lex et Ordo but I'd spend all my time arranging public group stabbings of characters I didn't like.
Well, what the hell else would you do? :haw:
Quote from: jrientsI'd play Lex et Ordo but I'd spend all my time arranging public group stabbings of characters I didn't like.
You say that like it's a bad thing.
Hell, now I actually want this.
Quote from: BalbinusYou say that like it's a bad thing.
Hell, now I actually want this.
Easy enough to do.
I'd take IHW, replace Notice with Popularitas, replace promotions with the Cursus Honorium, Replace Honor/Practicality with Gravitas/??, set up the professions, and go to town. But then, that's my game. How about you all?
Fulminata? You're all set, I think.
Roma Imperious could do it, but it would take some fiddling, and it's not the right era.
Any others? GURPS Rome?
-clash
So who's gonna run the Lex et Ordo PBP?
Also, what about the spin-offs? Lex et Ordo: Senate Victims' Unit ("So who killed Caesar? Apparently, er, everybody...") and Lex et Ordo: Imperial Intent...