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Pen and Paper Roleplaying Games (RPGs) Discussion / Introducing Completely New Players to D&D
« on: August 06, 2014, 01:47:47 PM »
I just tell them to watch "Mazes & Monsters" to understand what it's all about.
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872
Pen and Paper Roleplaying Games (RPGs) Discussion / Things Palladium Got Right
« on: August 06, 2014, 12:21:42 PM »
Novastar, if an objectively better game is boring...is that not a contradiction?
873
Pen and Paper Roleplaying Games (RPGs) Discussion / Things Palladium Got Right
« on: August 06, 2014, 12:20:47 PM »Quote from: Spinachcat;776486
Systems Failure is awesome!!!
It's gonzo and easily the best organized Palladium book. It's a very playable game and its combo of modern-ish day + post-apoc + alien bug invasion really works at the table.
An organized Palladium book?
Sounds like Systems Failure could have been a cool TV series circa '99.
You've sold me on it.
874
Pen and Paper Roleplaying Games (RPGs) Discussion / Throm vs the Pit Trap
« on: August 06, 2014, 12:25:50 AM »Quote from: Daztur;776453
At least for me 5ed feels like "3ed done right." But it doesn`t really focus on a lot of the stuff that 3.5ed didn`t focus on.
I've never read 3rd and not even sure what "3.5" would mean...last edition I owned was 2nd. All I have now is Basic, Expert, and Companion D&D gathering dust on my shelf.
875
Pen and Paper Roleplaying Games (RPGs) Discussion / The Great Kingdom - Rise and Fall of Gary Gygax
« on: August 06, 2014, 12:22:58 AM »Quote from: Omega;776454
If its cross compatible then players are more likely to gove it a try since they dont need to learn a totally new system every time. We learned that one early on.
Not sure I believe that without evidence. Board games seem to have no trouble getting players to learn new rules for different games. Unless RPGers are very different in their willingness to learn. Could be wrong.
876
Pen and Paper Roleplaying Games (RPGs) Discussion / Things Palladium Got Right
« on: August 06, 2014, 12:08:54 AM »
I have no beef with Palladium. It's just a game company. I think Ninjas & Superspies is a lot of fun and does exactly what it was meant to do in a contagiously enthusiastic manner. Same with Teenage Turtle Mutant Ninjas and Heroes Unlimited. Is the house system sometimes a little clunky? Guess so, but compared to what? Makes more sense to me than D&D. Not as sleek as WEG Star Wars, but maybe it shouldn't be as it's meant for a different style of play. Palladium evolved from house rules as I understand it, and it feels like it as some of it feels like improvements (or variations, if you prefer) on AD&D: the combat system in N&SS is a lot of fun; the opposed rolls make both fighters feel like they are actively involved in the outcome (and they are), hitting on 5+ makes morr sense to me than D&D's rolling vs. AC, Armor Rating is very nice...I think it's quite good. I have read opinions that the "mechanics need to evolve," but without explanation as to what that is supposed to mean. I wouldn't want Palladium if it suddenly became Cortex or WEG d6. And in addition to that addled, rambling list of things, Palladium games have a lot of charm.
As for behind-the-scenes drama, I have no interest in it. I'm just here for the games. Really interested in getting Revised Recon and 1st ed. Beyond the Supernatural and Systems Failure sometime. Sound like a lot of fun.
As for behind-the-scenes drama, I have no interest in it. I'm just here for the games. Really interested in getting Revised Recon and 1st ed. Beyond the Supernatural and Systems Failure sometime. Sound like a lot of fun.
877
Pen and Paper Roleplaying Games (RPGs) Discussion / Voices and accents for NPCs: ever just drop them?
« on: August 05, 2014, 11:55:19 PM »Quote from: Shipyard Locked;772186
I'm actually pretty good at doing voices and accents for NPCs, but I wonder if sometimes they actually detract from the experience more than they enhance it (and I'm not just talking about "comical" performances). Last campaign (7th Sea in pseudo-Germany) I didn't use any, just a description of the NPC's overall speaking "presence" before talking as I normally would. I think it helped make things feel more serious, which suited the circumstances.
How about you?
I lose track of who sounds like what unless I write it down somewhere with notes like "squeaky," "old blues guy," "effeminate," etc. But yeah, sometimes it just becomes laughable and I paraphrase instead of speaking in character: "The barkeep says two guys matching that description just asked him for directions to the miniature golf course."
878
Pen and Paper Roleplaying Games (RPGs) Discussion / Throm vs the Pit Trap
« on: August 05, 2014, 11:51:11 PM »
Sounds like fun! Falling into pit traps is classic D&D!
How does 5th edition AD&D compare to 1st and 2nd? I haven't played any D&D since 2nd was new except for one pick-up game in '00 or '01 (3rd edition?) and a couple of one-shots of "Labyrinth Lord" (which appears to be Basic D&D with a new name) last year. No idea what has changed from one edition to another since 2nd (which I liked).
How does 5th edition AD&D compare to 1st and 2nd? I haven't played any D&D since 2nd was new except for one pick-up game in '00 or '01 (3rd edition?) and a couple of one-shots of "Labyrinth Lord" (which appears to be Basic D&D with a new name) last year. No idea what has changed from one edition to another since 2nd (which I liked).
879
Pen and Paper Roleplaying Games (RPGs) Discussion / Any love for Fate?
« on: August 05, 2014, 11:45:40 PM »Quote from: robiswrong;776416
If I run an online game, I'll be sure to invite you. I've offered to run an "intro" game for curious folks here.
Let me know...I'll try any game on for size at least once.
How does Fate compare to Cortex? I played a couple of Cortex games but didn't care much for the dice pools and plot points. Is one an imitation of the other? They seem similar when described to me.
880
Pen and Paper Roleplaying Games (RPGs) Discussion / Any love for Fate?
« on: August 05, 2014, 10:01:26 PM »Quote from: Will;768956
Being cheap and a fan of system light games, I've been really into Fate (and FAE) lately.
Any fans here? Board seems heavily dominated by D&D...
(I like D&D, though currently pretty happy with PF)
I tried to read Fate but my eyes glazed over...couldn't get into "aspects" in lieu of defined attributes...and the examples of play I read didn't seem very appealing. But I don't really like D&D either. What did you like about Fate? Maybe if someone showed me why it's good and not just amateur drama while rolling dice I could get into it.
881
Pen and Paper Roleplaying Games (RPGs) Discussion / The Great Kingdom - Rise and Fall of Gary Gygax
« on: August 05, 2014, 09:51:57 PM »Quote from: Omega;761264
As for why so many lines? That is what the players wanted. Diversity to suit their interest. WOTC learned this one ASAP when they tried to stifle it and others took up the slack from them. Also one of the reasons for so many different systems for each game was part of Gary's design philosophy. He believed that each game needed mechanics tailored to the setting. And he liked to design or encourage others to.
I miss the old days when a company would have more than one game. Just from TSR my brother and I had Gangbusters, Basic D&D, Star Frontiers, and Boot Hill. And FGU and GDW had quite a few I liked as well.
And my biggest beef with the new games I see is how companies just seem to try to cram any setting into the same mechanics whether they are genre-apppropriate or not. MWP is one that I don't care for with its compulsion to recycle its "Cortex" system over and over. I like it when the mechanics are built around the setting, as in Pendragon. That seems ideal to me. Is it a lost art? Everyone lately seems to want to recycle D&D mechanics.
882
Pen and Paper Roleplaying Games (RPGs) Discussion / Sharknado needs a setting!
« on: August 05, 2014, 09:39:55 PM »
Didn't anybody else think "Sharknado" was trying too hard to be a "so bad it's good" movie and thereby utterly failing due to its self-conscious cheesiness? I found it unfunny and unwatchable. Kept fast-forwarding in hopes it would improve, but it never did. Couldn't be bothered with the sequel, though my wife says it's better than the original.
I'd rather watch a movie that is trying to be good but failing due to general incompetence, like "Plan 9" or "Star Crash."
But playing an RPG based on cruddy Syfy movies is appealing.
I'd rather watch a movie that is trying to be good but failing due to general incompetence, like "Plan 9" or "Star Crash."
But playing an RPG based on cruddy Syfy movies is appealing.