TRPG General Chat

12:07 AM

1

Q: What do we do when there are duplicate questions that get missed?

What do we do when duplicate questions go missed, both questions have good answers (full disclosure: I answered one of the questions in question), and both have been established and open for some time? This question was asked back in October and received some answers, and this one was asked just...

Momonga-sama

ALL OF THEM

BESW

Fortunate positioning is a very useful design/play concept to be aware of.

I've been poking it with a stick for a year or more, and I'm glad to now have vocabulary for it.

Miniman

@Momonga-sama I hate to point this out, but momongas aren't exactly overlord material.

Asteria

12:22 AM

@Miniman Their fluffiness will allow them to take over the world

Miniman

@Asteria Or they'll all get eaten by eagles.

I'm really tempted to make a joke about squirrelfangs, but I suspect no-one would get it.

BESW

@Miniman A Google search indicates there may be exceptions.

Miniman

@BESW Y'know, if I was going to name a skeletal overlord character after something, I'm not sure I'd pick a species of squirrel.

trogdor

@Momonga-sama in that case you have a lot of work ahead of you :P

BESW

@Miniman I'm not clear how he got that name; the entry says he was born with one name, and that he chose a different name for himself.

But neither of those names is Squirrel.

@Miniman If your nemesis is a dog, naming yourself Squirrel might be a very clever ruse.

Miniman

12:40 AM

@BESW Don't dogs chase squirrels? We don't have squirrels here, but we have possums, and dogs love chasing possums.

BESW

Yes, but if you're not a squirrel...

"Squirrel!? WHERE?!" [hero is totally distracted]

Miniman

@BESW So persuading someone else to name themselves Squirrel would be even better...

BESW

True.

Pick your least-favourite lieutenant.

Asteria

1:08 AM

Momonga is a play on Momon (Dark Hero)

Miniman

@Asteria Oh! That makes a lot more sense.

nitsua60

1:32 AM

@Miniman @BESW still interested in "Zero to Hero"?

BESW

@nitsua60 Aye, but I'm afk for a little bit.

nitsua60

@BESW ping me when you're back?

Miniman

@nitsua60 Yep.

nitsua60

@Miniman mind waiting a bit for @BESW?

Miniman

@nitsua60 Not at all.

nitsua60

1:36 AM

@Miniman cool. @BESW: can you ping us both? Thanks. Gonna do some prep for a bit. Or grade. (Probably prep.)

Shalvenay

@nitsua60 what is "Zero to Hero" btw?

trogdor

I suspect it isn't this, but I know a song about that in the animated Hercules movie

again, I suspect it is not the same "Zero to Hero"

Asteria

@trogdor beat me to the punch, thats what I was going to say :P

Miniman

@Shalvenay That's what he's going to explain when he comes back.

Shalvenay

@Miniman got it

nitsua60

1:40 AM

2 days ago, by nitsua60

Actually, though... if I ever got around to finishing, then playtesting, then typesetting my 5e lifepath character creation supplement (tentatively titled "Zero to Hero"^{TM}), what would be the considerations in doing so OGL vs. Guild?

Shalvenay

@nitsua60 aaah

nitsua60

(Anyone interested, of course, feel free to join in wherever the conversation happens. I only pinged BESW and Miniman because they had, two days ago, expressed interest.)

LegendaryDude

@nitsua60 Have you read this page? dmsguild.com/whatisdmsguild.php

It compares the options and benefits of each

Plus some general FAQ stuff

nitsua60

@LegendaryDude yes, quite a bit. (Thanks.) I'm actually puzzling my way through the actual legalese of the Community Content Agreement on DMsGuild these last few days.

LegendaryDude

I assumed as much but you never know

nitsua60

1:42 AM

(I assume their description/FAQ is in no way legally binding so am trying to read the source.)

@LegendaryDude true--especially in the light of the preceding conversation, in which it was abundantly clear that I have little grasp of the digital+RPG landscape. That "thanks" was sincere, is what I'm saying =)

Wow. Lots of bounties going up these last few days....

trogdor

@Asteria lol, I just couldn't help it, I mean I still remember at least that it exists, and they repeat that phrase so many times

BESW

@nitsua60 @Miniman What's up?

LegendaryDude

@nitsua60 I forgot that I could place bounties until I saw yours earlier and then I decided that 13th Age question has been hanging around for too long with almost no activity.

Miniman

19 mins ago, by nitsua60

@BESW ping me when you're back?

BESW

@Miniman Am doing.

nitsua60

1:54 AM

wanna hit the NAB and we can discuss my proto-ideas for 0->Hero?

BESW

Not a bar, but plays one on TV

I'm not a place to unwind after work, but I play one on TV.

2

Asteria

2:08 AM

@trogdor He's going Zero to Hero! *epic music* JUST LIKE THAT!
I blame you for getting it stuck in my head :(

BESW

Square One TV: Less Than Zero

►

trogdor

2:25 AM

@Asteria but you watched it, that isn't my fault :P

doppelgreener

Self-doubt happens to everyone. Including me. With every large project I tackle there's a time when I'll hit a wall. http://www.tested.com/art/makers/570380-overcoming-self-doubt-still-untitled-adam-savage-project-51716/

Tweeted by donttrythis on May 17, 2016 at 9:37 PM

trogdor

@BESW I really shouldn't be surprised this exists

Asteria

2:46 AM

@trogdor nah, I tried to watch The Little Mermaid but Hercules was in that case, with a note saying 'love from Trogdor'

trogdor

lol

I would not do such a thing

personally I liked both of them

I certainly wouldn't trick someone into watching one when they wanted to see the other

Asteria

@trogdor [returns to house] [Every DVD case has Hercules in it] [Note pinned to door "Uhh....BESW did it....."]

3

trogdor

see? all cleared up now

how dare he do such an awful thing

Asteria

3:15 AM

tsk tsk

Adeptus

6:09 AM

trogdor

lol

it's true

doppelgreener

@trogdor Sssh! No talking or flash photography during the performance.

Ok I think the cricket's finished...

Miniman

@doppelgreener Actually, it's the intermission, so make sure you grab a drink.

doppelgreener

6:28 AM

@Miniman how long is the intermission?

trogdor

6:47 AM

forever or a half hour

probably

BESW

7:41 AM

**[Cool RPG stuff](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1nKltjD1HJ954pS3QZZL-E_ckNaKEeedxMKn7XwdFiio/edit?usp=sharing "Click for Cool Stuff source doc; please suggest items to pin!"):** [BoH](https://bundleofholding.com "Buy RPGs cheap in bulk, support charities & indie designers!");
[conventions](http://casualgamerevolution.com/blog/2016/01/2016-tabletop-gaming-conventions-a-comprehensive-list "A comprehensive list of 2016 tabletop gaming conventions.");
[200Words](http://schirduans.com/david/200-word-rpg-challenge-2016 "Winners of the 200 Word RPG Challenge, now with a PDF of all entries! K…

Miniman

This just puzzled the hell out of me and my family, so I'll leave it here in case anyone else is getting mysterious lights in the sky and wondering why.

BESW

What did it look like?

Miniman

Car headlights. Except stationary. And in the sky.

(It's about 200km away from me.)

BESW

trogdor

mm if it is literally going everywhere we could certainly expect it here at some point

Miniman

7:46 AM

@trogdor From the website it sounds like it's not expected to change latitude that much.

"NASA estimates the balloon will circumnavigate the globe about the southern hemisphere’s mid-latitudes once every one to three weeks, depending on wind speeds in the stratosphere."

trogdor

ah, perhaps not then

Miniman

Actually, rereading it's not particularly informative.

BESW

"Southern hemisphere's mid-latitudes."

Miniman

Yeah, ignore my first statement.

trogdor

ah

XD

doppelgreener

7:57 AM

@BESW that's some impressive packing

BESW

Packing?

doppelgreener

That's more links than I remember showing up in cool rpg stuff in a long time.

BESW

I'd like to see more non-KS stuff. Nobody's been suggesting stuff to pin in a dog's age, and I feel like relying on my own feeds was getting too narrow a cross-section of the RPG world's events.

As a stopgap measure, I present "every active RPG Kickstarter I could find."

Also, the "Cool RPG Stuff" phrase is now a link to the raw text of the pin, with a place to comment on suggestions.

doppelgreener

8:14 AM

Ooo.

BESW

Folks with events for the Cool Stuff pin can @ me in chat or comment on the doc.

doppelgreener

@BESW I nominate Lasers & Feelings for an RPG Highlight.

BESW

That's... not exactly what the pin was made for.

What's your RPG Highlight concept?

lisardggY

@BESW How about Patreons? I have some friends who started one now, for their boardgame-and-RPG webcomic.

BESW

Announcements about new things fit the bill quite nicely!

lisardggY

8:26 AM

In that case, patreon.com/ut4p?ty=h

BESW

I assume you mean Up to 4 Players.

lisardggY

@BESW Yup.

BESW

....jinx?

**[Cool RPG stuff](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1nKltjD1HJ954pS3QZZL-E_ckNaKEeedxMKn7XwdFiio/edit?usp=sharing "Click for Cool Stuff source doc; please suggest items to pin!"):**
[BoH](https://bundleofholding.com "Buy RPGs cheap in bulk, support charities & indie designers!");
[conventions](http://casualgamerevolution.com/blog/2016/01/2016-tabletop-gaming-conventions-a-comprehensive-list "A comprehensive list of 2016 tabletop gaming conventions.");
[Up to 4 Players](https://www.patreon.com/ut4p "Patreonise an Israeli-British webcomic about tabletoppery!");

@lisardggY That look good?

lisardggY

@BESW Cool.

@BESW Sticking to the British spelling for a British webcomic was a nice touch.

BESW

I always use a horrific combination of British spelling and American style.

Keeps the autocorrect on its toes.

doppelgreener

8:39 AM

@BESW Have an obscure cool rpg called out and linked to at the end. It's not news (except it might be to a lot of people) but it is cool rpg stuff.

Also it's not just you, just about all new RPG developments I hear about involve a Kickstarter.

BESW

I dug up a list of conventions, as that seems useful.

@doppelgreener I like the idea, but right now it'd be the 22nd item on a list where only the first half of items are visible anyway. Also I'm not entirely sanguine about attaching that idea to the events pin, for reasons I can't articulate right now.

BESW

8:56 AM

@doppelgreener Actually, I meant that my feeds are mostly limited to Fate-related and game dev stuff these days.

So even outside the realm of KS, I'm only able to bring in a very small and biased slice of what's going on.

eimyr

9:14 AM

doppelgreener

Now that I am home I see that there was not in fact much packing into the Cool Stuff pin to be had.

eimyr

10:13 AM

@Momonga-sama I see you played Mage: Ascension.

Momonga-sama

10:31 AM

Well more like want to play.

Couldn't find people for that, bu actually I feel like starting an online campaing in the summer.

eimyr

@Momonga-sama I'm currently prepping for my M:tA campaign that starts in 4 weeks

I don't think I'd enjoy an online game of Mage, to me it's a bit too involved of a system.

Momonga-sama

Personally I like it.

Virtual Tables solve many problems.

I don't know how many times we couldn't make a roll, because a few dice landed under the table >.<

eimyr

Yeah, they also introduce other ones :)

Do you have people online interested in it already?

Momonga-sama

Also, having tons of handouts, notes etc in one click is neat.

eimyr

It is, if you're into it.

Momonga-sama

10:38 AM

I didn't even start looking. I wish I' ve already finished my D&D campaing, that lasts for 3 freaking years >.<

eimyr

oh, that's a long one

Momonga-sama

It's like worst campaign ever.

eimyr

If you got bored, what's stopping you from finishing?

Momonga-sama

I recruited tons of unfortunate people.

eimyr

or ditching it if it's that horrible

Momonga-sama

10:38 AM

Some of them were trolls.

eimyr

So why do you put up with them?

Momonga-sama

Some of them were jerks, who were asking after 2 hours: "GM, I am sleepy, can we finish?"

I didn't know who they were :/

Wanted to give some people a chance.

eimyr

yeah, but I mean after you've made your opinion?

Momonga-sama

But they had to ruin it...

eimyr

"They" always ruin it, don't they?

Momonga-sama

10:40 AM

Nope, not always.

There were some nice moments.

eimyr

hah

There's always "them" that ruin it for "you", unless you really think of the group as "us" all the time.

3

Which is it's own flavour of challenging.

Momonga-sama

Welp, if you ruin other's time. Waste GM's time who have prepared something it is seriously cross.

BESW

@eimyr Bam, 1/3 of our social questions answered.

Momonga-sama

Hueh?

eimyr

@BESW Allow me to correct you: "Bam, 1/3 of ~~our~~ social questions answered."

BESW

10:42 AM

@eimyr [hands mic]

Careful, it's slippery.

eimyr

[drops it]

@Momonga-sama If my players waste something I prepared I consider myself ill-prepared.

Momonga-sama

Why?

eimyr

Because it's my job to prepare in a way that makes it fun for all.

BESW

I've been a lot happier as a GM since I learnt how to prep for games in ways (and use systems which support) sessions which don't rely on linear progression or preparing for every possible circumstance.

eimyr

It's my job to leave space for players creativity and channel it to where it's safe for "the plot". If I screw up and their creativity (bar some actually malicious attitudes) overflows and "ruins" my plot it's my own failure to recognise it.

Momonga-sama

10:45 AM

You see that's the problem.

"
Because it's my job to prepare in a way that makes it fun for all.
"

eimyr

@BESW I've had my player asked me yesterday (on Trello, you can spy it if you like) if a certain character attitude won't ruin the narrative. I responded with "lulz, how can you destroy the narrative if the narrative is about you?"

@Momonga-sama Myself included, that is. Why is that the problem?

Momonga-sama

What if you play the game, only because your BF is playing as well.

And you don't really feel it.

eimyr

Oh.

Momonga-sama

You just sit there, because they like it.

eimyr

Well, that's me being in an inherently unfun situation.

And there is no way for the GM or anyone else to make it fun.

BESW

10:48 AM

@eimyr Heh. There are ways that a character's attitude can make things less fun (see "my guy syndrome," both of the "I don't want to bite any hooks" and "I want to hot the spotlight" variety). But that's not a specifically narrative kind of ruination.

(And obv. hogging the spotlight isn't a problem if you're playing twosies.)

eimyr

That situation can only be resolved by coming clean with your disappointment - or accept it's your unfun social sacrifice and pretend to be happy with it, but that's toxic.

@BESW all of these are player attitudes, not character attitudes.

BESW

@eimyr See again, "my guy" syndrome. "I'd love to take that quest, but my character doesn't see any reason to."

eimyr

@BESW I still consider it a player attitude. "As a player I'd love to take that quest, but my guy's perceived integrity trumps mine and group's enjoyment of the game."

BESW

@eimyr Yes, well, now we're getting into ontology and creator philosophy, in which "How can you destroy the narrative if the narrative is about you" gets reduced to the tautology, "Your character can't destroy the narrative because your character doesn't exist."

I think it's more productive (and more charitable) to assume the player was asking you, "If I choose to play a character with this attitude, will that make problems for the kind of story you intend to help us tell?"

eimyr

Not necessarily. I'd rather say "Your character can't destroy the narrative, because it IS the narrative."

BESW

10:54 AM

Instead of reducing the character to a non-entity, elevate the character to the player.

eimyr

Have you read the actual conversation?

The Oracle

0

Q: Are [encounter-design] and [encounters] redundant tags?

Currently Encounter Design has 146 questions and Encounters 58. They seem to be pretty much the same thing. Should they be merged?

discussion tags

BESW

@eimyr Are you playing a twosie with this person?

The Oracle

0

Q: What signals a need to curate the emergent tagging folksonomy?

I'm told our emergent folksonomy means the attitude toward tags is "don't fix it if it's not broken," and I'm all for letting the garden grow wild until it needs pruning. But looking over our tags history, I can't really tell what constitutes "broken" for tags; what signals a need to curate? Cura...

discussion tags

eimyr

@BESW My quote is a great simplification of a very fruitful conversation. I don't think we could solve the problem (which there isn't, but if there was) on that basis alone

BESW

10:57 AM

Fair enough.

eimyr

As I mentioned, if you still have my trello link, you can read it in its entirety, if you feel like it.

@BESW I'm trying to find a question that says "I have a disinterested player at my table who's there for non-game reasons. wat do?" For @Momonga-sama 's sake I thought we already have one like it. Could you summon your Search-fu to the rescue?

Momonga-sama

Whhaaat?

BESW

Well, first it's important to identify if that's really the issue. For example this question is about someone who's only interested in a particular game experience the rest of the group doesn't want to devote all their time to.

That's very different from someone who is totally disengaged from the RPG experience in toto.

eimyr

@Momonga-sama Sorry, I assumed the GF situation is something you are experiencing. I'd however say it seems to be a pretty common issue, so a question like that is not unwarranted and I'm surprised it's not easily found.

BESW

Then there's this guy who says he's interested but keeps drifting away.

This person uses their phone during the game.

eimyr

11:09 AM

@BESW The diversity makes me want to ask "How to diagnose why the player appears disinterested".

BESW

Aye. There are many diverse causes for very similar symptoms.

eimyr

I am yet to find a question about "the person who wanted to hang out and was invited by (gender)friend and thought the game will be fun but is genuinely bored"

BESW

It's one of those "social sense" things that's often hard to give useful answers for on the Stack even given a specific case--much less general guidelines.

eimyr

"... but still comes for the genderfriend's sake"

I don't want to drag someone's SO to the game just so that I can provide reference material for an interesting question.

The Oracle

0

Q: Are good faith questions on problematic subjects allowable?

If one has asked a very positive and good faith question about a subject concerning issues which may be problematic for roleplayers... That is, which touch on subjects to do with religion, past trauma, the relationship between fact and fiction etc in a way which has been shown to be distressing a...

discussion

BESW

11:30 AM

BAM meaty meta questions.

eimyr

BAM well done answer

BESW

11:49 AM

[sigh] I'm such a serial commaist.

eimyr

[thinking very hard whether to make a Communism joke or electric engineering joke]

BESW

@eimyr It seems to have not been what the querent was looking for, though. [edits to clarify, and include points from comments]

eimyr

[shrug]

I don't even know what he is looking for at this point.

BESW

On a brighter note, that six coins stats question has already gotten me a silver badger for 2.5k views.

@eimyr Don't encourage him.

Stick to the topic.

eimyr

sorry, I just had to

BESW

12:03 PM

He's either very confused about how to express his concerns, or very trolling.

lisardggY

12:20 PM

@BESW Dunno, his comments to your answer didn't feel like trolling, as much as general mental disarray.

SirTechSpec

He's likewise had trouble making himself understood with recent questions on main

eimyr

I think to some extent the conversation convinced him our rep system is deeply flawed and he tried to contest it, recognising BESW (and others) as The Man.

BESW

@lisardggY I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt (at first I thought he was ESL), but he's been capable of more eloquence elsewhere.

eimyr

Which I kinda get, because for a newcomer certain aspects of the rep system could potentially seem oppressive.

Until you realise the rep requirements for 95% site functionality are really low.

SirTechSpec

@eimyr I mean, I don't necessarily disagree with that, so much as wanting to point out that it is probably less deeply flawed than most other systems one might come up with.

BESW

12:23 PM

This sort of non-answer can easily be read as classic troll behaviour, though, so... [sigh] [backs away slowly] I don't think there's much more I can do for him whatever his situation is.

SirTechSpec

On another note: Morning all!

(Or rather, morning some!)

eimyr

@SirTechSpec And both of these opinions have their reason and merit. It's just that quoting Zimbardo while linking Eminem in a comment to a good answer on an unrelated meta is not the clearest way of expressing either.

It's a bit of a Reddit thing to do.

Yello!

BESW

@SirTechSpec [wave]

At least it took the edge off my meta, which I was worried would spark immediate contention.

SirTechSpec

I'm adjusting pretty well to my cat suddenly leaping onto my shoulders (as long as I'm wearing a sweatshirt), but I'm not sure how I feel about her new trick of just climbing straight up me while I'm wearing a bathrobe. How are your days? XD

eimyr

A couple days ago I though one of my stick insects is going to die of old age. Yesterday I saw him still being the dominant male in the group and bossing younger, stronger ones around.

BESW

12:28 PM

I'm very slowly moving books from one shelf to another, but they're so mouldy that just two books is enough to send my sinuses into shock for half a day, so it's a veeeery slow process.

SirTechSpec

@eimyr Well that's good news, then.

@BESW That sounds like a bad time. Masks and all?

BESW

@SirTechSpec Books don't do well on tropical islands.

SirTechSpec

Also, I do have an RPG-related question that I think must be nigh-universal, and yet I can't find an answer here (and I'm afraid it might be too broad/subjective if I ask.)

eimyr

ask gere

here*

leave Richard alone.

SirTechSpec

Namely, how do I keep the stat blocks handy for the monsters I'm planning on using in a given adventure? I don't want to be flipping pages in the MM every turn.

@eimyr Heh.

eimyr

12:33 PM

One of my dnd 5e GMs bought some monster cards. These are business card sized statblocks with keywords as well.

That might be a solution

SirTechSpec

@BESW Ahhhh, that makes sense. Yeah, I'm fortunate to work in the library building, which is air-conditioned in the summer. Y'know, for the books. Not for us puny fleshbags. (It's pretty nearly the only building on campus that does have AC).

eimyr

On mainsite.... you might try, I don't know if it's not a shopping question

SirTechSpec

Yeah, I guess my reputation can survive a few downvotes if the community judges it is.

BESW

@SirTechSpec I'll take a dive into the Stacks to see if I can dig anything up.

Related.

SirTechSpec

It does seem like something that must have come up before; very possible my Google-fu is insufficient this morning.

Hmm, I like the index card idea.

BESW

12:38 PM

Depending on the system you're using, there are online/app tools which work well.

Kinda related.

SirTechSpec

That would be amazing; I use computers as an assistive device anyway. It's 5e.

BESW

When I was running D&D 4e, I made and printed custom scenario pages with maps, stat blocks, and notes, designed for double-page spreads in my campaign binder.

It was a bit of overkill, but I'm a graphic designer and it was good practice.

These days I often just use index cards, but I run systems where prep is much MUCH simpler and my mechanics and notes references are commensurately less.

Totally unrelated, but I'm so glad I don't have that "problem" anymore.

SirTechSpec

@BESW Because you just say yes?

BESW

@SirTechSpec And "Yes, if you give me a fate point" or "Yes, take this fate point" depending on context.

@doppelgreener once ran a character who got to roll in every new place we visited, to see if she already knew someone there (she almost always did).

SirTechSpec

Sounds fun!

BESW

12:46 PM

Ahah!

11

Q: Tips for keeping track of NPC stats and conditions

Is there a good paper based solution to keep track of NPC stats so they are avaliable when you need them in-game but don't take hours to keep up to date? I have a bunch of NPC notes and lists of names etc., but during a game I generally wing it as far as actual stats and skills for the NPCs. I d...

gm-techniques npc organization

SirTechSpec

This time I'm running a prewritten adventure, so I don't want to get too too far off the rails, but here's what I'm thinking - you can add minor details for color, and I'll sometimes prompt you to do so (a la Titansgrave), but if it gives your character a distinct advantage, that's the Inspiration mechanic.

BESW

That makes sense.

I'm reminded of Lovecraftesque's distinction between the Narrator and the Watchers.

> The Narrator describes the environment and other characters, and ensures the scene requirements are met which usually means revealing a new Clue.
The Watchers support the Narrator, especially by embellishing their descriptions to add depth and texture.

SirTechSpec

Coming at it from the other direction, if you say "I want to use my inspiration to give me advantage on this roll!" that's okay... I guess... but I strongly encourage you to come up with a reason, instead: "I actually know this guy from X, I want advantage on this check" or "I'm pretty sure there's a rock right behind this orc that he'll trip over riiiight... now."

BESW

@SirTechSpec That reminds me of 13th Age's approach to Backgrounds.

13th Age replaces D&D's list of default skills with unique Backgrounds which each player comes up with for their PC and assigns a number of points to. When you want to do something that isn't covered by other mechanics, you describe something from your character's past which explains why a particular Background is relevant to what you're doing.

SirTechSpec

Sufficiently creative descriptions that lead to amazing stunts will probably result in me giving another point of Inspiration, so. The reward cycle is there, I think.

BESW

12:52 PM

eg, my PC Fen Lorn the Free had these backgrounds:

> Frost Range Nomad +5
Renowned Skin-Painter +2
History of Skulduggery +1

If I wanted to go sneaking around, it'd be easy for me to roll +1 with my History of Skulduggery and talk about how I once stole a bag of furs from a trapper while he slept.

But if I wanted that sweet +5 from Frost Range Nomad, I'd have to come up with a much more impressive tale about, perhaps, sneaking past a pack of ravenous wolves and stealing their freshly-killed deer.

William Mariager

What are some good negatives for low quality/jury-rigged weapons? I'm thinking mostly things like clubs, hammers, etc.

Obviously, reduced damage and durability is one thing.

But it seems a bit simple, I'd love if there were other factors.

Miniman

@WilliamMariager System, yo.

William Mariager

System Agnostic, yo. :P

Miniman

@WilliamMariager That's ridiculous. Reduced damage and durability, for example, are entirely non-system-agnostic.

William Mariager

Ofcourse they aren't. Both are an abstract concept you can apply to whatever system you're using. In pathfinder you'd give a negative modifier or reduce the die and add the fragile property to the weapon.

SirTechSpec

12:57 PM

Usually improvised weapons are unwieldy, even if they're heavy enough to do full damage.

Miniman

@WilliamMariager There are systems where "damage" isn't even a thing.

William Mariager

But if you need a system, let's say DnD3.5/Pathfinder.

@Miniman In that case, reduced damage would mean a reduced effect from the weapon in some other way.

SirTechSpec

@BESW I like it.

William Mariager

@SirTechSpec That's true, so reduced proficiency/penalty to hit.

SirTechSpec

Yep.

William Mariager

12:59 PM

I was also considering some kind of selfharm risk. Like a larger chance of catastrophic failure. Maybe the hammer head falls off mid swing and hits you or a friend.

SirTechSpec

OMANS @BESW Fight Tracker is perfect.

doppelgreener

@BESW I'd consider Mercia a good fit for a similar stunt, were it desirable in addition to her current stuff! But at the moment if we entered any population center I could just roll to create advantage anyway to see if they've heard of her - and maybe succeed at cost that they have but she has a bad reputation.

SirTechSpec

@WilliamMariager Another example of system-dependent - in GURPS that's already accounted for (lower skill means higher likelihood of critical miss, which is what you're describing.)

William Mariager

That's true.

SirTechSpec

In DNDish I would probably give a penalty to hit (depending on how unsuitable as a weapon the object is) and roll, say, a d8 to see if it breaks or does something else hilarious every time you use it.

BESW

1:02 PM

D&D 3.5 has similar rules in... I think Frostburn?

@SirTechSpec Hooray!

SirTechSpec

@BESW I was searching for the post where you linked me to it and then I realized that you just said "there's an app for that" and I googled "dnd software" and there it was! XD

Plus I get to continue my longstanding hobby of pretending to speak French!

BESW

Yey!

SirTechSpec

OK, off to work. Thanks all, good luck @WilliamMariager!

BESW

ttfn

William Mariager

@SirTechSpec Thank you. :)

BESW

1:50 PM

@HolyBlackCat Hi!

BESW

2:13 PM

@Tophandour, @Len, @Waterseas [wave] Lots of folks dropping in.

Waterseas

Hola

BESW

What's new?

Waterseas

Not too much, boredom at work. I should remember to come here sometime and share my homemade 5e kobold race and get feedback on it; always forget that chats other than the board/card games one exist

BESW

@Waterseas Ooh, that sounds interesting.

I won't be able to help with the 5e bits, but it'd be fun to see.

Waterseas

Love kobolds too much to not play one. Primary concern is one racial trait in particular, due to it being difficult to balance

Tophandour

2:30 PM

@BESW I did just for a second, but then I decided I didn't need the distraction :p

BESW

@Tophandour [distracts anyway] Oops.

Tophandour

Has anyone played a game with a pretty good magic/spellcrafting system?

BESW

DFRPG was interesting and crunchy, and the DFAE beta was fascinating but clunky (but, beta).

Tophandour

I heard about something from a friend (I forget the name of the game) where spells weren't so much a D&D style list of things that you can do but rather you would just choose how you wanted to affect the world and deduct points from a pool or something like that

I played the Dresden Files RPG just briefly, but I played a mundane mortal because I wanted to have a bunch of Fate points available :p

Waterseas

I believe Scion had a similar, but possibly more limited system?

BESW

2:36 PM

I'm really liking Shadowcraft's magic system, but haven't seen it in action yet.

(We've hacked Shadowcraft magic into our increasingly-not-actually-atomic-robo campaign as the vampire PC's blood magic, but it hasn't seen much table time so far.)

Tophandour

It would be cool if there was something like the magic system in the Eragon books where doing something by magic takes the same amount of energy as doing something by hand and that's how your power is limited. I imagine that it would take quite a bit of balancing though...

BESW

That'd be almost trivial to do in Fate.

Tophandour

Since in the books (the two that I read at least) it's easier to kill people by bursting blood vessels in their brain or shooting small rocks at them than shooting fireballs

So it might actually not be a great idea, I'm not sure

Waterseas

Even the books themselves sorta refute that kind of thing when they do transmutation, which in theory requires a massive amount of energy

So even within the subject material, there's a lack of consistency

Tophandour

@Waterseas I like the basic idea though the specifics don't always make sense to me

Waterseas

2:44 PM

I agree, the basic idea is incredibly elegant

Tophandour

I think my roleplaying group tends to enjoy big flashy magical displays rather than very precise tactical choices, so it remains to be seen if they'd be interested anyway

in 5e they refer to a "Plan B" where the B stands for "Burning". Usually when things go bad the solution is to drop very powerful fire or radiant magic :p

Waterseas

Fair, I've always been a fan of prismatic spray

BESW

@Tophandour DFAE beta's magic might be for them, then.

In DFAE, everything's ranked by power level and the more gap between your level and your enemie's level, the harder it is for the lower-level guy to succeed at using magic on the higher guy, and the more effective the higher guy's spells are against the lower guy.

You define your magic with an aspect representing its nature, and you tie it to one of your approaches.

You can only tie one element of magic to each approach, and minor magicians only get one element.

Waterseas

Hrm, I don't like that first part, of level difference being impactful

BESW

So a pyromancer who ties his fire magic to Flashy can only use fire magic to do Flashy things. But when he does, those effects are ranked on the power scale. If he's not using fire magic, his rank is 0.

Waterseas

2:52 PM

A fireball's effectiveness shouldn't be dependent on the target's level really

BESW

The "trick" is that your magic will always be equally effective on the environment.

Waterseas

Depends then if that includes clothes worn by the target

BESW

So clever casters create effects that don't directly target stronger opponents, but which set up unfortunate situations for their opponents to suffer.

Tophandour

I only played one Fate system game very briefly, so I could be misunderstanding, but I tend to be uncomfortable with the concept of... I forget what they're called... scenes, chapters, and things like that?

The time increments that the game is divided up into

eimyr

scenes

Not a bar, but plays one on TV

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