« first day (1793 days earlier)      last day (3171 days later) » 
00:00 - 05:0005:00 - 13:0013:00 - 00:00

Ben
Ben
5:10 AM
I'm not understanding everyone else's dependency on coffee... For example, for everyone else -
Before coffee: "I will kill you"
After coffee: "You will get to live another day longer"
 
Pixie
Pixie
Coffee does nothing for me. Sometimes I feebly try, but I am immune to its effects.
 
HadesHerald
HadesHerald
It helps perk me up, but that can be said of most drinks that aren't water
 
Ben
Ben
But for me, it's more like:
Before: 11 x 176 = "uuhhhh... what?"
After: [whips out phone calculator]
 
Miniman
Miniman
Yeah, as far as I'm concerned coffee and energy drinks are both just inefficient (and bad-tasting) methods of consuming sugar.
 
HadesHerald
HadesHerald
lol\
 
Miniman
Miniman
5:12 AM
Orange juice is what gives me power.
 
Pixie
Pixie
I now drink it fairly regularly because the local bookshop has some delicious lattes and such. :P But I gave up all hope of this affecting my constant sleepiness in any way.
 
Miniman
Miniman
Seriously, the number of morning exams I've gotten through on the basis of OJ alone, it's ridiculous.
 
Pixie
Pixie
Haha. I wish that worked for me.
 
HadesHerald
HadesHerald
Also, the rules on recovery of thrown weapons are... very unclear. If I take out this dofus thief with my javelin through his head, can I grab as I run after his friends?
 
Ben
Ben
@Miniman I'm jealous of your body
 
Pixie
Pixie
5:13 AM
My body is generally resistant to things that are meant to make you sleep or keep you awake.
 
HadesHerald
HadesHerald
*grab the javelin
 
Nyoze
Nyoze
@Miniman There's one problem with this.
 
Miniman
Miniman
@HadesHerald That generally depends on your group. Some groups enjoy bookkeeping and logistics, some are happy to assume you always have ammo for your ranged attacks.
 
Nyoze
Nyoze
OJ tastes horrible to me :(
 
Miniman
Miniman
@Ben In at least 2 cases OJ has served as a substitute for doing any study whatsoever, too.
 
HadesHerald
HadesHerald
5:15 AM
It specifically says "one harpoon (javelin)" in my gear so...
Talk to the DM?
 
Miniman
Miniman
Yeah, we can't know what assumptions he plays with.
 
HadesHerald
HadesHerald
Ok
 
Nyoze
Nyoze
I think there's rules for thrown weapons breaking, otherwise they can be recovered as a move action? But yeah, ask your GM.
 
Miniman
Miniman
@Nyoze No move actions in 5e :P
 
doppelgreener
doppelgreener
@Pixie Coffee loses its effectiveness on regular coffee drinkers anyway, but it sounds like it never affected you very strongly to begin with?
 
Nyoze
Nyoze
5:17 AM
I think that it's perfectly viable to pick up a weapon while moving along the same lines as drawing while moving. Others would likely disagree with me though.
Ah flowerpots, that's right.
It's a... Minor Action?
 
Pixie
Pixie
@doppelgreener Yes. I used to never drink it (I don't like it unless it's so full of sugar you can't tell it's coffee anymore).
 
Miniman
Miniman
@Nyoze You could certainly pick up a javelin with your free object interaction.
 
HadesHerald
HadesHerald
Could I pick up our gnome?
 
Miniman
Miniman
@HadesHerald That's also group dependent. The rules don't cover it, so people will range from saying "Of course, why not?" to "If you use an attack to grapple him and then drag him at half speed."
 
Adeptus
Adeptus
@HadesHerald Is there a Seduction skill? ;)
 
doppelgreener
doppelgreener
5:20 AM
@Pixie Even the lattes? ;_;
 
Nyoze
Nyoze
@Miniman That reminds me... I need to flesh out the barbarian build where I pick up enemies then throw them at each other.
 
Ben
Ben
@HadesHerald Interacting with other players/characters is entirely dependant on how they react to the situation. I once attempted to use another player as a boost in an attempt to leap over a necrotic elemental. The other player did not cooperate, and I ended up in the middle of the elemental for the next 4 rounds.
 
Pixie
Pixie
@doppelgreener Only if very sweet! I can't stand bitter things at all, so coffee's gotta be... adulterated.
 
HadesHerald
HadesHerald
Yeah, the first thing she said when she declared her race was: "NO GNOME THROWING OR THERE WILL BE HELL (as in I slit your sleeping throats) TO PAY"
Most likely means I can't pick her up... Dang
 
Pixie
Pixie
@Nyoze This reminds me of Disgaea etc. xD
 
Ben
Ben
5:23 AM
@Nyoze One of the enemies we fought at the beginning of our adventure (a low-level barbarian goblin) kept using other nearby goblins as meat shields whenever we threw javelins/shot arrows at him
 
HadesHerald
HadesHerald
That's funny
However, I feel like it would be awesome if our DM would let our goliath use fallen enemies as clubs or somethin
 
doppelgreener
doppelgreener
@Pixie I see! Do you have the option of syrup shots? 8D
 
HadesHerald
HadesHerald
just to hear "MINSK SMASH!"
 
Nyoze
Nyoze
There's a barbarian rage power for that in Pathfinder. :P
 
HadesHerald
HadesHerald
Then mumble "puny mobs"
 
Miniman
Miniman
5:25 AM
@HadesHerald Improvised weapon, go nuts.
 
Pixie
Pixie
@doppelgreener Yes. The bookshop I don't really have to ask for anything extra because their drinks are sweet enough for me. Lots of good flavors too. Oh god, one time they had a French toast latte special that was like white mocha with cinnamon and it was amazing.
 
Ben
Ben
Actually this is giving me ideas... Our DM looooves to make gnomes as annoying as possible in our campaign... Next one I see I am going to pick up and swing around as an improvised weapon.
 
Miniman
Miniman
@Ben Improvised weapons only do 1d4 damage, so just because you can doesn't mean it's practical.
 
Pixie
Pixie
Hmm. I love gnomes, but I have never played one.
 
Ben
Ben
@Miniman I'm not so much looking for practicality as a defensive/offensive measure as such... These gnomes are just really annoying. And I didn't say anything about them being dead gnomes... ;)
 
doppelgreener
doppelgreener
5:30 AM
@Pixie Cinnamon is my favourite spice so I can believe this.
 
Ben
Ben
@Pixie I only really drink one type of coffee at a time. I just get used to it and I can't drink others, until I get used to them
 
Pixie
Pixie
@Ben That's understandable. As soon as I discovered that they had London fogs, that's all I had for probably weeks. xD
(That is tea and not coffee, but I like tea better anyway.)
 
Ben
Ben
@Pixie The first coffee I drank (and got used to), was a (slightly) fancy (instant)mushroom coffee, then I stopped drinking that and just went onto the less fancy off-the-shelf Mocconna instant coffee brand
 
Pixie
Pixie
I don't care how fancy my coffee is because it's just going to get flavored and sweetened to heck and back anyway. Tea, on the other hand...
 
Nyoze
Nyoze
Mushroom coffee? :\
@Pixie I used to be like that. Then I got fat, so I got used to coffee without sugar :(
 
Ben
Ben
5:35 AM
I was wondering if anyone would pick up on that haha
 
Pixie
Pixie
@Nyoze For me this would not be "get used to coffee without sugar" but "entirely stop drinking it again." I reeeally don't like black coffee. :P
 
BESW
BESW
@Pixie Cold brew!
 
Ben
Ben
@Pixie White and 1 for me. Always haha
 
Nyoze
Nyoze
Hey, who said anything about black. I just use 3/4ths a cup of milk instead... I'm not sure it's healthier for me, but I can trick myself into thinking it is.
 
Ben
Ben
Or a 1:1 coffee:sugar ratio
Depending on how early it is
 
Pixie
Pixie
5:38 AM
@BESW I... have doubts that this would do it. Yes, it's sweeter, but... Hershey's dark chocolate is too bitter for me. xD
 
Nyoze
Nyoze
Oh wow.
I love dark chocolate :(
 
Pixie
Pixie
I have an extremely low tolerance for bitter things. Dunno why.
 
doppelgreener
doppelgreener
@Pixie I think cold brew is not so much sweeter as just less bitter and acidic.
So it is more of a mild sensation.
 
Pixie
Pixie
@doppelgreener It is described as sweeter for this reason. There's no difference in sugar content of course.
 
Ben
Ben
I like how we all seem to have latched onto the discussion of coffee, like a bunch of connoisseurs haha
 
Pixie
Pixie
5:43 AM
[the furthest thing from]
 
doppelgreener
doppelgreener
@Pixie I contest this! Sweetness is not in opposition to bitterness and acidity (see: grapefruit) but just another dimension entirely.
 
Ben
Ben
@Pixie Indeed :P
 
doppelgreener
doppelgreener
So less bitter is not more sweet, just less bitter.
 
Ben
Ben
Indeed also
 
Pixie
Pixie
@doppelgreener That might be so, but in cutting the bitterness and acidity, what sweetness is actually there is more evident, hence cold brew is characterized as sweeter.
 
doppelgreener
doppelgreener
5:45 AM
@Pixie I seeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee............ [has not actually had cold brew, strokes chin]
 
Pixie
Pixie
I haven't either! I've just read about it.
 
doppelgreener
doppelgreener
I haven't done that either!
 
Ben
Ben
@Pixie I read about coffee once. It was the label on the jar... while I was waiting for the kettle to boil
 
Nyoze
Nyoze
I do that with cereal :(
Except there's nothing to wait for, I just do it.
 
Ben
Ben
@Nyoze ...read the packet while you wait for the kettle to boil? :P
 
Pixie
Pixie
5:48 AM
I'd try it if I got the chance. I just am doubtful that the change would be extreme enough that I could drink it straight. The Hershey's dark example was to kind of quantify this as it's... really not that bitter, but to me it is. xD
 
Ben
Ben
Dang it... got it out before me :P
 
Nyoze
Nyoze
@Ben Well... Porridge I do wait for the kettle. And the rest of my family boils the kettle for weet-bix :\
 
Pixie
Pixie
My group is planning more for our Kingmaker party but we just keep winding up back on the subject of how great Friesian horses are.
 
Ben
Ben
I'm only just noticing how they did that gif... the hand and beard are cropped... you look at it closely and you'll see they're the only things moving. everything else is abnormally still
 
Tashio
Tashio
Morning
 
Adeptus
Adeptus
5:55 AM
@Ben he's staring at me, make him stop
 
Pixie
Pixie
@Ben That is such a weird effect.
 
Nyoze
Nyoze
It's like you see the tendons in the hand just freeze :\
 
Ben
Ben
@Adeptus muahahahaha
watch this spot especially: it's the most obvious
The beard on his chin moves about, but not on his lip
 
doppelgreener
doppelgreener
6:39 AM
I see.
@Ben So this man is an Eldritch warlock tampering with dangerous energies, is what you are suggesting.
 
Nyoze
Nyoze
7:29 AM
@doppelgreener There aren't enough upvotes I can give you for that answer...
 
SPArchaeologist
SPArchaeologist
@Pixie .... thanks, you have remembered me it is time to start searching once again for a way to get old of the Disgaea 5 collector edition.
 
Nyoze
Nyoze
@SPArchaeologist You can post it to me. I'll take it off your hands and look after it for you :P
 
Alex Mitan
Alex Mitan
Hi guys!
 
Nyoze
Nyoze
Hey!
 
SPArchaeologist
SPArchaeologist
@Nyoze hahaha.... you hope.
They already managed to make me miss the D2 collector, this time I am ready.
 
Nyoze
Nyoze
7:43 AM
Oh, get hold of... I thought you meant get rid of :)
 
Alex Mitan
Alex Mitan
What's going on?
 
SPArchaeologist
SPArchaeologist
Nothing special, just Pixie triggering my collector editions radar.
 
doppelgreener
doppelgreener
@Nyoze thank you! :D
I'm glad it is appreciated :)
 
BESW
BESW
@doppelgreener You can link to my Doctor Who pre-gen character sheet if you want in that answer.
@Pixie, @doppelgreener I make "plunged" cold brew every day, really easily. Coffee grounds in water, in a pitcher in the back of the fridge for 24 hours. Use a tea infuser for the grounds, or pour the coffee through a filter at the end of the 24 hours, to get the grounds out of the drink.
 
Nyoze
Nyoze
8:02 AM
@doppelgreener Just makes me realise how woefully inadequate my own answers always are. I'm just glad my suggestion helped get a great answer out of that question.
 
BESW
BESW
I use Maxwell, or Folgers, just whatever's on sale.
 
doppelgreener
doppelgreener
@BESW could you link me to it? I couldn't find that.
 
BESW
BESW
It's a bit more filled-in than I'd do these days.
I thought I'd need four aspects to properly convey the PC concept, but I think three would do just fine.
 
doppelgreener
doppelgreener
Thanks!
 
BESW
BESW
You might want to add a line about the difference between the Doctor Who pre-gens and your advice for how to make pre-gens.
(Fewer aspects and stunts.)
Just 'cause you make it sound like the DW PCs are following your bullet points, but they kinda aren't.
 
doppelgreener
doppelgreener
8:12 AM
@Nyoze I've been making a special effort recently with fate core answers. Up until recently I've been doubting myself a lot and not giving great answers or any answer when I could.
 
Nyoze
Nyoze
I need to actually get some experience in Fate and Mage online at some point, so I can actually answer questions outsides of just doing rules research.
 
Alex Mitan
Alex Mitan
@BESW, what would a stunt that yields a guaranteed one-shift-hit need to be balanced?
 
BESW
BESW
I refer you to @doppelgreener, @trogdor, and the other good Faters of the chat. I'm a bit busy.
 
trogdor
trogdor
just a sec, let me read something
I think I remember a place where something like that is an example stunt
ah here is something,... it might not be exactly what you are looking for but it looks pretty close
JUDO BLACK BELT: When defending with Combat, on a success with style you may spend a fate point to deal a 3-shift physical hit to the attacker (instead of getting a boost).
it is pretty restrictive, but it does do the thing
I will look to see if I can find any other examples
 
doppelgreener
doppelgreener
8:32 AM
Yeah, I've usually seen that done as an add-on to another action.
@AlexMitan what do you want to represent narratively, and why aren't you just using an attack action?
 
BESW
BESW
I think auto-stress is best modelled as giving a weapon rating to some specific action/circumstance other than Attack.
 
trogdor
trogdor
there is another more restrictive one that basically just adds that you also need a sword
IE any specific weapon
 
BESW
BESW
The general "balance" for a stunt is that it should average out over a session to the effect of spending one extra Fate point each scene.
 
trogdor
trogdor
sometimes that means it doesn't tend to get used often
because it's restrictions are high due to it being at least a little better than a fate point being spent
though it is usually best to just make it as good as a fate point
 
BESW
BESW
One of the keys is that a Fate point is never spent in a vacuum: you always have to tie it to something in the scene by linking the Fate point to an aspect which justifies what you're having the Fate point do.
Stunts that don't give similar restrictions by tying their effect to something specific (like weapon:2 is tied to "successful attack with X skill with Y weapon") need to happen less often because they're more flexible and thus more powerful.
 
trogdor
trogdor
8:45 AM
but they are technically still restricted by hitting an attack, as it were
 
doppelgreener
doppelgreener
@BESW I'm actually finding that a less and less relevant guideline. +2's count lots of times per combat (far more than one fate point could do), the +3 bonus stunts are circumstantial, The Social Network and There Are No Rules just bust this trend completely.
 
trogdor
trogdor
for something that does a one shift hit guaranteed, you would probably have to restrict it to being used once per session, and still even cost a fate point
 
doppelgreener
doppelgreener
Plus all of Stellata's current stunts don't seem even remotely equitable with Fate points. Unless they are worth spending a fate point on narrative justification to do things differently? Then half of them kinda work out that way.
 
trogdor
trogdor
@doppelgreener that actually is an application of fate points
they are pretty flexible
but if your group decides something shouldn't work a specific way it is still off
like, most groups would probably not be cool with someone suddenly being able to fly when they really shouldn't just because they had a fate point
like in a game where a player doesn't have like, magic or superpowers
if he/she just starts flying with no tech on them to explain it that is silly
but if someone declares they know something about the main villain, or some mcguffin, for instance, that would probably usually fly as an application
 
Alex Mitan
Alex Mitan
9:02 AM
It was just a bit of spitballing, a move where someone focuses and throws out a sure-fire attack, despite all attempts of the target to defend
I don't know, really... sorry
I need to be off for a bit, see you guys around
 
BESW
BESW
@AlexMitan That narrative is more useful to spitball a stunt around, than just a mechanic.
"Focusing to make a sure-fire attack" sounds like spending one or more round using create advantage to stack up free invokes to make an attack with so many shifts there's no way its target can dodge.
 
BESW
BESW
9:23 AM
So I'd start with that and think about how a stunt could make that more effective: easier or faster.
 
Alex Mitan
Alex Mitan
I was thinking something like an assassin either sneaking around or observing an opponent otherwise, then throwing a dagger or something that will ALWAYS hit... perhaps a stunt like

Because [badass assassin thing here], once per scene, I can turn an unsuccessful attack into a one-shift-hit, considering I had time to observe my opponent's weaknesses or patterns
 
BESW
BESW
Hmm.
 
Alex Mitan
Alex Mitan
[obviously WIP]
 
BESW
BESW
> Unerring strike. When you miss with a Shoot attack against a target you've got a boost on, you can sacrifice the boost to inflict one physical stress on the target.
 
Alex Mitan
Alex Mitan
Oooo, I like that
counts for free invokes, right?
 
BESW
BESW
9:26 AM
Hm?
 
Alex Mitan
Alex Mitan
Does it have to be a boost on the target, or just an applicable free invoke?
 
BESW
BESW
I'm leaning toward boost only, but I can't articulate why.
 
Alex Mitan
Alex Mitan
Does it have to be a boost on the target, or just an applicable free invoke?
Did I double-post by accident? Sorry
I don't think boost-only would make a lot of sense, since it would mean that sometimes you wish you'd performed WORSE (CAA tie instead of success) to activate it
I don't think "Damn, I wish I had... 4 less on this roll" is a good mentality for Fate
 
trogdor
trogdor
this chat does seem to auto save your last post sometimes
I have had to delete stuff I said the day before after logging back in
not often, but it has happened for some reason
 
BESW
BESW
Boosts also arise from success with style, and some other edge cases.
I think the idea is, if you've got a regular aspect with a free invoke, you can spend the free invoke AND spend a fate point on it.. and it's intended to stick around for a while and have effect later.
Burning that for 1 stress seems severe.
A boost, however, is gonna go away in a turn or two if you don't use it, and sooner if you do.
It's intended to be a transient, expendable resource.
You should be looking for ways to use it up before it burns away on its own.
@doppelgreener This is the case. The effect of a Fate point includes compels and declarations.
And yeah, in some scenes a +2 to [action] with [skill] in [situation] will get applied a half-dozen times.
But in other scenes [situation] will never be true.
Over a session--or a couple sessions--it should even out.
If the stunt's getting used more than once every scene in every session, that's probably a problem.
@AlexMitan Given your enjoyment of graphs, these NPC grids might entertain you.
 
Alex Mitan
Alex Mitan
9:52 AM
rubs palms together in an aquisition-anticipatory fashion
Many thanks, @BESW
Random thought for a good RPG villain: The Imperious Mindmass
 
BESW
BESW
Pretty sure that's a hyped-up illithid Elder Brain.
 
Alex Mitan
Alex Mitan
Hah, yep, but I have a feeling the Mindmass has a more... democratic demeanour
http://walkingmind.evilhat.com/2015/08/25/something-i-find-useful/

This is a cute thing
 
BESW
BESW
Yeah, it's somewhat similar to the procedures for Bahá'í consultation.
 
doppelgreener
doppelgreener
@BESW No well I mean all of Stellata's use X to do Y stunts.
Maybe that maps to spending a fate point but I don't grasp the connection enough to be a remotely useful measure.
At least, not yet.
 
BESW
BESW
10:07 AM
Yeah, it's still very gut-feeling-level for me.
But I do feel that "compare stunts to what Fate points do" is a useful tool for me.
@trogdor How does Doctor Light feel about solarpunk?
 
trogdor
trogdor
solarpunk? probably very good
 
Alex Mitan
Alex Mitan
@BESW emerges from slumber Solarpunk?
 
BESW
BESW
 
Alex Mitan
Alex Mitan
Because I am obsessed with -punk genres, once per conversation I can shamelessly intrude, if anyone mentions such a genre.
clasps cheeks in palms It's...beautiful!
I'm sorry, I don't want to be antagonistic like I used to be, but is it just me or...*looks up at Feed Items*...is d20 more and more of a pain to play as the levels rise?
 
BESW
BESW
10:28 AM
It gets a lot more complicated: more choices, more bookkeeping.
(And because the d20 System runs on a "increased choice = increased potential for power" paradigm, levelling up increases the spread between power differentials.)
 
Miniman
Miniman
Some people really enjoy having choices, so they find it more fun as they get to higher levels.
Other people focus on improving a single option; their choices don't increase, but their effectiveness does.
 
BESW
BESW
The first time I played in a D&D 3.5 game around level 30, I made a rakshasa sorcerer. He was quite powerful, but died two rounds into the first combat encounter because of an enemy exploited a very narrow weakness.
So I rolled up a lich wizard/cleric who was insanely powerful and almost totally immune to death--but in our third or fourth session he got melted for 1d10 days.
 
Miniman
Miniman
@BESW Narrow weakness?
 
Tashio
Tashio
@BESW You'd think by level 30's you'd be able to create a protection from blessed bolt's spell
 
trogdor
trogdor
@BESW yeah I think is is practically all Dr Light is about even
 
BESW
BESW
10:34 AM
@Miniman @Tashio Not blessed bolt. Power Word Kill. He was immune to all spells that allowed spell resistance, but he'd lost so many HD that his hit points were within the range of Power Word Kill after being attacked just once.
 
Miniman
Miniman
@BESW Ah, the LA/HD problem.
 
BESW
BESW
So I designed a doppelganger that could become anything with 35 HD or less. Objects, insubstantial creatures, anything. And could mimic class features. And had a high enough Bluff that it could deceive detect spells non-magically.
The doppelganger rendered the rest of the party almost totally irrelephant.
 
SPArchaeologist
SPArchaeologist
Korosensei would have been proud.
 
Tashio
Tashio
Tarrasque thank you and good night.
 
BESW
BESW
So I retired it and brought back a new, improved version of the lich wizard/cleric.
@Tashio 48d10 HD. I could only go up to 35 HD, and that was with a bard helping.
 
Tashio
Tashio
10:38 AM
Ah, I was guessing not familiar with d20/3.5/pf level stuff
 
BESW
BESW
@Tashio Believe me, I checked specifically when I designed the PC.
(I was also unable to become certain kinds of older dragons.)
I actually had to use a wish to get the last creature type; I could get everything from prestige classes except fey, which would have required that I take four useless levels to get to the bit that let me become fey.
So....
Apr 15 '14 at 11:30, by BESW
> I, Shachm the Any-Faced, wish that my abilities to become and mimic creatures and objects are extended to include that grouping of races known collectively as "fey" in the same manner that I am able to mimic creatures and objects, provided that this extension does not in any way reduce, diminish, or introduce shortcomings to said abilities or to myself.
I spent most of the rest of the campaign as a nymph (add Cha mod to AC and saves), unless I was angry. That meant force dragon: add Cha to AC and attacks and damage.
(Nymph also had a nuclear option in the form of AoE permanent blindness, but I didn't like to use it because it was a friendly-fire thing.)
 
trogdor
trogdor
nymph was the best thing to add to cha? or was it just a good balance of that plus the AC and saves?
also, I didn't realize shape shifting gave you like, ability mods and such
 
BESW
BESW
Nymph was the best practical defensive form.
 
trogdor
trogdor
or at least like, the mental ones
 
BESW
BESW
@trogdor Physical ability mods, it does. Mental, not. But I was a level 31 doppelganger: my Charisma was disgusting.
 
trogdor
trogdor
10:46 AM
it wouldn't make sense if it didn't give you the physical stuff
ah ok
 
Tashio
Tashio
@BESW I dunno, solid block of adamantium or the like is pretty defensive too
 
trogdor
trogdor
it just gave you a racial ability
 
BESW
BESW
@Tashio But not very practical.
Nymph was able to mingle relatively ordinarily in humanoid crowds and interface usefully with stuff designed for humanoids.
Like, yanno, doors and stairs.
(Force dragons don't do well with human-sized doors.)
 
trogdor
trogdor
lol
 
Tashio
Tashio
@BESW I wish for the ability to teleport to any location within 100 feet of my current location, while in any form. Shapeshift 1x 100ton acme anvil.
 
BESW
BESW
10:48 AM
And, yes, I could change my form at-will as a free action as many times a turn as I wanted, but it was convenient to have a default form.
@Tashio Still hard to leverage my Charisma skills without unnecessary penalties.
I'm pretty sure the Formian Queen wouldn't have wanted to sleep with a chunk of metal.
(That was the GM's idea, not mine, but Shachm was game for it.)
 
Tashio
Tashio
@BESW Was thinking more for offensive capabilities there.
 
trogdor
trogdor
@BESW I am pretty sure that wouldn't be a thing XD
but wtv
 
BESW
BESW
@Tashio I talked a woman into thinking I was also herself. When your Bluff modifier exceeds 100, it IS an offensive capability.
 
Tashio
Tashio
@BESW And revenge possiblities for every time a DM has threatened to drop an anvil on a players head.
 
BESW
BESW
...I did spend a session as a helmet on another PC's head.
 
trogdor
trogdor
10:52 AM
@BESW it is D&D,.. I am sure that was a possible thing to happen
though maybe not as likely as the doppelganger thing
 
Alex Mitan
Alex Mitan
Sorry I was away for a bit... I'm not saying the increased choice is BAD, but it seems like people are having such a difficult time playing... and it must be such a pain for the DM
I mean it IS, it was at level 1 for me, and I'm a person that can generally keep up with things well
 
BESW
BESW
Yeah.
 
Alex Mitan
Alex Mitan
But half of the questions on RPGSE are d20 confusion
 
BESW
BESW
My problem as a player was that there were so many bad choices that I had to learn to recognise.
 
Alex Mitan
Alex Mitan
I have a feeling that D&D would work better as a video game, honestly
Kind of like Shadowrun PC
 
BESW
BESW
10:56 AM
My problem as a GM was that it was very difficult to design encounters for players who'd made choices of differing effectiveness.
 
Tashio
Tashio
@AlexMitan I've always felt that the whole system really encouraged min/maxing and squeezing every last possible bonus out by picking weird combinations just to meet feat requirements
and it's very easy to make bad choices that can weaken your character
 
Alex Mitan
Alex Mitan
Exactly... which feels, at least to me, un-tabletop-like.. Again, full subjective
 
BESW
BESW
For many people, that is the essence of their tabletop experience: the struggle for system mastery.
 
Tashio
Tashio
I like Shadowrun, one of my favorites, along with D&D 5th
 
Alex Mitan
Alex Mitan
@BESW I feel like that is the essence of... boardgame experiences...
For someone that LOVES the narrative-driven systems in RPGs, my favourite board games are abstract strategy
Like Abalone or Kulami or Hive, Go, etc
 
Tashio
Tashio
11:02 AM
d20 is way to complex for a board game
 
Alex Mitan
Alex Mitan
I know, I know, but I associate mastery with board games rather than RPGs
 
Tashio
Tashio
ah
 
Alex Mitan
Alex Mitan
Wanting to be good, win, master feels like what I felt about Go or Hive, rather than RPGs where failing is a part of not just life, but a good story
 
Tashio
Tashio
That's very true
But many people get enjoyment out of being the best they can be at slaughtering innocent monsters
 
Alex Mitan
Alex Mitan
Even the most memorable things I've heard about d20 games were the disastrous failures or creative wins, rather than the optimised rogues or whatever
Like Sir Bearington or the giant whale corpse airship
@Tashio Sure, and let them have it, by all means, I'm much more mature now and I can accept that, but it just seems so alien to me
I feel like unless you make it your point to do so, d20 characters often have little personality or motivation other than those you roll on a random sheet
Again, each of us is looking for something else, but I feel like it's a strain on the GM
I feel that the CPU for a game being a human brain works better for narrative or weird systems, rather than bookkeeping and calculations, which a computer will always do better
I was just thinking as I woke up what a MUD based on Fate would work like, and it just felt like it wouldn't, but a D&D MUD would be... fine
 
Tashio
Tashio
11:09 AM
Fate is far to abstract for a computer to handle
 
Alex Mitan
Alex Mitan
Hell, I could probably program a basic D&D fighting engine in a few days, because d20 is difficult for its bookkeeping and menus
 
Tashio
Tashio
Oh yea that's easy
There is also a reason most D20 CRPG's strip down the feats
To a more manageable selection.
And are mostly combat related ones vs RP/power ones
 
Alex Mitan
Alex Mitan
Either way, it'd be immature for the combat and bookkeeping focus to bother me, no matter how weird it is, but it just seems like... people are having a hard time playing it
As in... people are so confused and stuck about it, and so was I... after my first session I posted dozens of questions on Reddit myself
At least three were about being able to throw two daggers on a turn, and how many daggers you end up with in your hand on the beginning of your next turn, and one about "you can drag people when grappling them, but can you "rotate them" around yourself?"
 
SPArchaeologist
SPArchaeologist
@Miniman - just noticed you while I was skimming the Worldbuilders chat room. Can I ask if you usually keep an eye there?
 
Miniman
Miniman
@SPArchaeologist Nah, I wandered in there recently.
 
BESW
BESW
11:24 AM
I don't like bookkeeping, but I love the word "bookkeeping."
It has three letter pairs in a row!
 
SPArchaeologist
SPArchaeologist
@Miniman ok, I hoped you were a regular there. I have gone to that board from time to tome to see if there are ongoing discussions or anything about story building.... but it seem pretty empty most times
probably I should just have a look to the site for now
Thanks anyway.
 
BESW
BESW
Healthy, active Stack chats that are primarily on topic have a common element: their topic is something which people do regularly and communally.
Worldbuilding chat is populated by people who mostly do worldbuilding erratically and on their own, because that's how most people build worlds.
Us tabletop RPGers are unusual, in that our worldbuilding can be constant and communal.
(Similarly the Writers and Seasoned Advice chats tend to fill with talk about anything but their ostensible topic.)
 
doppelgreener
doppelgreener
Salos - ancient Greek word for Rough Sea.
 
Alex Mitan
Alex Mitan
@BESW ...you're amazing
Also, this
I'll go make some food, be back soon!
 
BESW
BESW
 
SPArchaeologist
SPArchaeologist
11:38 AM
@BESW I suppose so, I just hoped to see some ongoing discussions about plot ideas and the such. The site seem lively enough, I had expected to see people discussing in chat too.
 
BESW
BESW
I hung around the chat for a while at the very beginning.
I think it had a hard time finding common ground because people worldbuild so differently for different purposes, and it was easy to assume that one's own techniques were more universal than, in fact, they were.
I found the RPG folks have more insight into RPG worldbuilding than the worldbuilders do.
 
SPArchaeologist
SPArchaeologist
At least, they are usually aware of the Mary Sue problem. Which some questions there seem to disregard entirely.
 
BESW
BESW
Mmm.
 
Tashio
Tashio
Mary Sue problem?
 
BESW
BESW
"The Mary Sue Problem" would be a good name for a band.
(Or an issue of The Middle-Man.)
 
Tashio
Tashio
11:43 AM
People who are world building for say a novel don't have to worry (most of the time) about their characters going screw this we're tired of stinky dungeons we want something else
 
SPArchaeologist
SPArchaeologist
Also know in MLP fandom as "The Alicorn OC Syndrome"
 
BESW
BESW
@AlexMitan Tribute to the Dragon is a Threat adventure.
 
SPArchaeologist
SPArchaeologist
@BESW Forgive me for another MLP reference, but this just popped in my mind from reading the quest template you posted. Have you ever saw Silver Quill two part episode template?
 
Alex Mitan
Alex Mitan
What's worldbuilding chat like? I forgot that this is not the only stack with a chat
 
BESW
BESW
@AlexMitan Quiet.
 
SPArchaeologist
SPArchaeologist
11:54 AM
I was going to say "lifeless"..
 
BESW
BESW
@SPArchaeologist [takes notes for own game system]
 
Alex Mitan
Alex Mitan
Really.. what other chats do you guys ever visit other than this?
(And Fate Room)
 
BESW
BESW
@AlexMitan You can click a person's chat icon to see a list of the rooms they're currently in.
 
Alex Mitan
Alex Mitan
Yeah, but I meant which rooms people here actually enjoy and regularly go to, rather than "what other tabs do you have open"
 
Tashio
Tashio
Right home time, be back in a bit
 
BESW
BESW
12:01 PM
ttfn
 
SPArchaeologist
SPArchaeologist
sometime Arqade - which is somehow strange too, you would expect to see more ongoing games discussion than what you get. Then I am on meta and my mlp themed room, Sugarcube Corner
Tried Anime... but I don't really like the feel of it.
 
BESW
BESW
I liked a lot of the people in Science Fiction & Fantasy chat, but there was also a lot of hostility and jerkery and eventually I just left.
 
SPArchaeologist
SPArchaeologist
I had the felling of begin on a fanservice imageboard more than an anime chat.
 
BESW
BESW
I chat in the Overlook Hotel occasionally; they're nice but generally talk about stuff I'm not interested in talking about in an online chat. Ditto the Ink Spot and sometimes the Frying Pan.
Basically, the RPG chats are the only ones I've found where people consistently talk about stuff I wanna talk about, and are also nice enough that I'm happy to stick around for extended periods. The other Stack chats I drift in for a little while and then drift away again.
 
Alex Mitan
Alex Mitan
What's Overlook Hotel?
 
BESW
BESW
12:07 PM
It's the chat for Writers.
And the Ink Spot is for Graphic Design.
(GD.SE is mostly filled with web/app designers, so my ability to participate is limited.)
 
Aaron
Aaron
Good morning
 
BESW
BESW
[wave]
[sigh] I need to set aside more time for speed-painting with my stylus.
 
Alex Mitan
Alex Mitan
[sorry for just leaving, food]
 
Aaron
Aaron
12:23 PM
Hey @BESW Do you know any good system agnostic campaigns I could run for a 4-5 hour session?
 
BESW
BESW
@Aaron I've used the Tribute to the Dragon formula successfully.

Tribute to the Dragon

Jun 21 '14 at 4:55, 11 minutes total – 5 messages, 1 user, 0 stars

Bookmarked Aug 7 at 9:09 by BESW

 
Aaron
Aaron
I have been roped into DMing a game for a group who is going to be playing games for 24 hours for a charity. I am only doing the 4-5 hour session but I want to do my best to help the charity
@BESW Cool. Quick, To the point and very open ended
 
BESW
BESW
Alternately, I once ran a two-hour game of Roll For Shoes with nine players, and the entire session was spent trying to escape the prison cells beneath a gladiatorial arena.
That was all: they made their characters, I said "Okay, you're all imprisoned beneath an arena," and chaos ensued. Of course, the insanity escalation inherent in Roll For Shoes helped.
Prey for Smiley Bob might work too?
It's 4e, but looks pretty generically adaptable for any system that supports similar "go be a hero by confronting something dangerous" stories.
But yeah, for short and sweet generic plots, Tribute to the Dragon has been hard for me to beat.
If you find anything else, let me know!
Tribute's good because you can stretch and condense it.
Sometimes we just start the session having the Tribute, and the game is about travelling to the threat and negotiating.
 
Alex Mitan
Alex Mitan
@BESW, another one of those questions... in FAE, generally a difficulty for an in-combat CAA with no real opposition should be around 0, right?
 
BESW
BESW
12:39 PM
Sounds about right, though remember that "opposition" might include passive "you're in combat" difficulty.
For example, if someone's placed Harried by sword flurries on you, that's probably worth increasing any personal-aspect-placing difficulty by 1 or 2 just because of context.
My personal rule of thumb is +1 for each aspect in play that obviously makes the action harder, or +2 if it's a really juicy aspect.
 
Alex Mitan
Alex Mitan
But -1 if the idea is really kickass?
 
BESW
BESW
That's up to you.
 
Alex Mitan
Alex Mitan
Mmhm, alright
I've been looking on Wb and I think, once I become more experienced, that I'd like to run a "this entire world is almost completely dark" setting
Or "The world went dark years ago"
 
BESW
BESW
My thoughts immediately go to the short story Nightfall by Isaac Asimov (the novel's not worth reading) and the film Pitch Black.
(Although, my thoughts to go the film Pitch Black semi-regularly, so that may not be indicative.)
 
Alex Mitan
Alex Mitan
Maybe they like some of my ideas about the weird, uncertain floating islands setting, and they get a bit more used to it, even if they mostly play on a larger, stable landmass, and later on it all goes dark and they have to deal with stuff regarding that
Again, classic Fate worldbuilding session etc, but I'll pitch in as much as they do
 
BESW
BESW
12:53 PM
If you've got a world of floating islands... consider islandclipses.
 
Alex Mitan
Alex Mitan
Ooooh yes!
Yes, exactly! Especially how if I considered actual multiple layers of islands in some kind of faux-aerial-tectonics orbit
Faux Aerial Tectonics - only on RPG.SE!
 
00:00 - 05:0005:00 - 13:0013:00 - 00:00

« first day (1793 days earlier)      last day (3171 days later) »