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01:00 - 21:0021:00 - 00:00

21:01
Yhanks in advance
@GaelL I think this is a place where narrative and playtesting and game balance are getting all tied up. I don't find any argument made from "this is why things are the way they are in-game" persuasive, as both the net and the commander's strike example strike me as fiddly little mechanical bits made to restrict their use.
@Shalvenay [wave]
@BESW is it OK if I eject your dicebot from Discord? the discorddice.js thing no longer connects (Discord must have broke it with an API change)
Okay.
(Sadie had a different one on hand and fired it up, and it's the one that's there right now)
@BESW done.
21:05
@nitsua60 so, as an AL DM, would you let a net thrower use a Commander Strike post net throwing ?
I.e. I don't think the developers thought "nets are cumbersome, we should restrict them to one per Attack," I think they saw in playtesting that a fighter with a net and a sword, if the net weren't restricted, would be overpowering.
@GaelL My leaning would be 'no,' but I can't point to anything that solidly backs that up.
Just the natural-language reading of foregoing all your attacks.
Hmmmmmm.
But here's an important thing: if you're playing AL you don't want an AL GM's ruling, you want yours.
Unless you're going to join my table. Which has no space =(
Well that's the thing : i play with many different DMs, and they might want a trusted standpoint to rule on when required to rule on the sotuation.
So, i ask such questions in advance to help them make their ruling whrn the time cones
@nitsua60 do you believe this would deserve clarification with a tweet to a wizards dev like mearls ?
@GaelL Then you need to ping Travis Woodall or Alan Patrick or another of the AL admins and see if they'll issue a ruling, which I highly doubt they will. (They almost always say "ask your GM.")
@GaelL Mearls, no. Crawford, sure.
21:11
Hmmm, i think i'll make myself a twitter account then.
Though I, personally, dislike the culture of tweeting at devs for answers/rulings.
Hmmmmm. I wouldn't want them to see ne as a waste of their time
@nitsua60 do you think the mode of communication needs to change, or is it more the appeals to authority themselves that are the issue?
[leans back in rocking chair] in the good ol' days, you wrote your letter to Dragon and it was four months until it got published, and another two until it got an answer. If at all!
And that apecific question is important for me to clear up in advance cause extra attack comes at level 5, at which point i cannot modify my character at will anymore
21:13
@Shalvenay I think the mode of communication, and the devs insistence on engaging with it, has created a culture of appealing to that authority which I, personally, dislike. This comes up at my table I say "I feel like it's 'no,' but what do you think?" And 30 seconds later we move on. As a group.
@GaelL I get it. It's a seam that they probably weren't thinking of, and not that many people use nets so it hasn't come up much.
@GaelL I don't know that they see it as a waste of time, I think the expectations now are that they'll engage with these sorts of things.
SFW Oglaf comic about Santa (but the rest of the site is guaranteed 99% NSFW)
XD
no contracts please
hey there @ACuriousMind
@Shalvenay heyhey
@ACuriousMind btw, it looks like a) Pixie will have to be a bit late (because they need to deal with fixing some food real quick) and b) text-only will be best for this game
hey there @BufferOverRead
21:42
welcome to the RPG.SE lair :) how're things going?
@Shalvenay Alrighty, just tell me which text channel to use when you two are ready to start :)
What's Shalvanay meaning?
@BufferOverRead the name comes from an old D&D char of mine, that is all.
@BufferOverRead or what are you asking about?
You know what mine means?
It led to a massive security vulnerability a few years ago.
In computer security and programming, a buffer over-read is an anomaly where a program, while reading data from a buffer, overruns the buffer's boundary and reads (or tries to read) adjacent memory. This is a special case of violation of memory safety. Buffer over-reads can be triggered, as in the Heartbleed bug, by maliciously crafted inputs that are designed to exploit a lack of bounds checking to read parts of memory not intended to be accessible. They may also be caused by programming errors alone. Buffer over-reads can result in erratic program behavior, including memory access errors, incorrect...
21:45
@BufferOverRead :P I figured as much
hooray for heartbleed! \o/
@doppelgreener Sounds like you tried to use it once?
@BufferOverRead nope, just aware it totally shook up SSH for a while
hey there @Asteria
(that was not an entirely serious hooray :'D it was like a "hooray for getting stabbed")
21:47
lol
Hay hay @Shalvenay
@Asteria how're things going?
@doppelgreener it is hard to tell that in written form :P
@trogdor that is true
@Shalvenay eh, slow. Sad to be back at work. Whats up with chu
21:48
@Asteria alright here, starting up DW soon (or at least, that's the plan :)
also, while listening to Quad City DJ remixes for a bit, I got curious -- and I found the part of youtube where Quad City DJ Space Jam Remixes met My Little Pony remixes. :D
i don't regret this search
@Shalvenay fun! GL getting it started!
@doppelgreener -- mind summarizing the kenku warlock question for me? I'm rather too curious :P (and kinda wondering why it was zapped -- if it was indeed LQ or what)
@Shalvenay i'm not sure, which one was that?
Oh, looks like there was one posted an hour ago then removed by its owner
@doppelgreener that one, yeah
@Asteria mind if I bounce a few things off of you in Discord re: finding new groups?
21:52
@Shalvenay sure, but I'm only around for about 1 hour
So, guys, any recommended RPGs for a guy who basically never played any?
I mean, the question titles on here are what's interesting, but I've never really been in an actual RPG game.
@BufferOverRead depends on what genres you're interested in
I don't prefer magic stuff.
Like, no flying dragons.
Something a bit more realistic.
Also, no warp drives either.
@BufferOverRead ah, so more of a gritty modern-esque setting?
or are you more into cyberpunk-style dystopian SF?
Not like dystopian stuff.
Something like, where they have super guns but not portals
A balance, kind of.
21:55
@BufferOverRead ah. I take it high-powered modernesque stuff (supers and the like) is off the table as well for you?
@Shalvenay What would that be like? Any examples?
@doppelgreener wat da heck?
@BufferOverRead "supers" is a reference to the superhero/supervillain genre (pop media example: Batman)
@Shalvenay Ah, wasn't familiar with the shortened version of the word
Nah, no crazy superheroes.
@trogdor have you come across quad city DJ remixes before?
21:59
it'd seem that some of the more indie games would be up your alley
@Shalvenay Such as?
if you don't mind heavy story-telling drive in your gameplay that is
@doppelgreener no, I have not
@Shalvenay Not like reading a book if that's what you mean.
I think I can be excused for not seeing,.... literally everything that happens on the internet XD
22:00
@trogdor give me the name of a show you've watched that you think had an awesome theme song. (if Gurren Lagann or Attack on Titan is on that list, I have examples ready.)
poke BESW, Greener, and co about Bubblegumshoe perhaps? Night Witches could be good if you don't mind engaging with its themes (it deals with the Russian all-woman air-support unit by that nickname from WWII)
Yeah, I'm not an expert so I dunno any of these names.
What would be a good thing to start with?
@doppelgreener I mean, you should know Gurren Lagann is already on there
Also, would rather no world war.
Nothing too political.
you were one of the like, 20 people who suggested it to me XD
@BufferOverRead I'm giving you hooks to start talking to other people in this Stack with. Bubblegumshoe is more of a teen-detective theme (Hardy Boys etal)
@Shalvenay Definitely NOT wanting Hardy Boys
@BufferOverRead what do you read/watch mostly? also, are you interested in very serious themes, or lighthearted stuff?
basically, at some point in the early 2000's, people started realising: they could remix the Space Jam theme with almost anything else. like Guile's Theme Goes With Anything but even better.
@Shalvenay I mostly read crime thrillers
@doppelgreener This is just, horrible.
22:03
@doppelgreener lol
@BufferOverRead it's amazing
(not for everybody but i love it)
@doppelgreener No, it's horrible. Horrible.
@BufferOverRead ah! Bubblegumshoe was derived from a system designed for detective-y stories called GUMSHOE. while BGS is probably too teen-detective for you, the base GUMSHOE system would be worth a shot
@doppelgreener Noise pollution.
@Shalvenay Is that base system thingy playable or is it really a base system?
it's,... really weird
I just don't understand this thing
22:05
it's so weird
@BufferOverRead I'm pretty sure GUMSHOE is playable base, but one thing about RPGs is that they're really game construction kits, not playable games in the sense that a board game can be played out of the box
space jam remixes are hit and miss but some of them are awesome hits
@Shalvenay I know, when I read base system I thought it was more like a skeleton that people build on and not a usable system in itself.
most folks running a RPG will adjust elements to fit the story/world/themes the group wants more precisely.
I am sure it works for some things, but I don't know if I like the space jam remix as much as the normal version
22:06
Gumshoe was originally designed for Cthulhu Mythos mystery games, but it's also been applied to teen sleuths, space crime, superpowered police, etc.
@trogdor i like both XD
although to be fair I am a huge dork and mostly listen to Virals theme anyway
@Yuuki oh shoot XD
that's nearly at peak meme
I'm not sure there's technically a "generic" form of the system available, but lots and lots of people have hacked it both professionally and casually--including myself.
22:07
@BESW Ah, not into Cthulhu.
@BufferOverRead yeah, the base Mythos form probably won't be useful, but as BESW points out, it can be applied to a variety of detective-story-esque things
@Shalvenay So do I have to make my own RPG out of it?
Or is there one that fits my style?
@BufferOverRead I'm not super into it either; it's a "sometimes" genre for me. But Bubblegumshoe is pretty awesome, and I'm currently hacking the solo version of Gumshoe for a "magical ancient Egypt political thriller" game with @trogdor.
@Yuuki This is, noise pollution, plain and simple.
@BufferOverRead -- how cool are you with lighthearted stuff btw? do you want to explore serious themes in your games, or would you rather be laughing over pretzels and beer?
22:09
@Shalvenay Like, not teens and candy, nah.
@BufferOverRead There's a small number of Gumshoe offshoots, but basically if you want to use gumshoe and there isn't an offshoot ready-made for you, you'll be in unexplored territory
I want a gumshoe gumshoe.
Get it?
Bubblegumshoe, as written, is more... Veronica Mars than Nancy Drew.
@BufferOverRead doesn't have to be teens and candy. could be orcs failing hysterically to their doom
22:11
The Gumshoe system is mostly designed for dramatic noir storytelling.
@doppelgreener Orcs, nah.
yeah bubblegumshoe is the only "teens and candy" one and technically you can really skip the candy
like easily
[rummages through games]
so yeah -- probably not Great Ork Gods or Roll For Shoes for that matter considering just how open-ended the latter is
@BESW I don't want like the sexual noir
22:12
@BufferOverRead ....no.
@BufferOverRead no, more like Casablanca is probably what BESW is referring to no?
@BufferOverRead yeah
The one with nightclubs and Germans, right?
Basically, Gumshoe's sweet spot is telling stories about sleuths who are very competent but bite off more than they can chew in a setting where in order to do the right thing you often have to do the wrong thing.
22:14
@BufferOverRead oh wait, I may have my references mixed up
Maltese Falcon's what I'm looking for sorry!
@BufferOverRead Oh! Like, a straight and simple detective RPG?
@BESW You keep talking about gumshoe like I know what it is.
I don't.
@Yuuki here, have a song remix meme apex: youtube.com/watch?v=rEM6zENiupo
Like, not a dumb one
@BufferOverRead i didn't mean that version of simple
22:15
@doppelgreener I mean like, not one where the detective misses stupid things as a plot point
yeah, GUMSHOE is more oriented towards competent folks in over their heads in a moral-tradeoff-heavy world, whereas you'd probably want something more like Fate if you want fewer moral dilemmas in your game
@BufferOverRead I don't know what you're reading into there but I meant "a detective investigating ordinary detective things"
@Shalvenay I'm okay with moral dilemmas if they're not the trolley problem esque
@BufferOverRead That's why I'm talking about Gumshoe. It's a game system designed to have detective characters who don't miss necessary clues.
@doppelgreener Like, Sherlock Holmes you mean? Or a really ordinary detective?
22:16
@BufferOverRead Either?
Neither one is dealing with, say, the Cthulhu Mythos or investigating deep and dark elite intrigue
@Yuuki Ridiculous! The Super Mario 64 one is the best.
@Miniman Which? :O
:D!
super 3d space jam world 64 is a heck of a title
@doppelgreener I mean like, the detective has to battle with interesting enemies, alright? And they're interesting not merely because of their power.
22:19
@BufferOverRead Sure, yeah
Like how Sherlock Holmes doesn't have enemies who just stall around as a plot point
@BufferOverRead -- what sort of antagonists do you prefer? are you more after clever but isolated criminals of a stereotypical variety (aka what Holmes went up against), something more in the vein of a highly-organized crime syndicate-type group or hate group, or do you want people who are more clever in a "using nontraditional tools" way?
@Shalvenay Somebody who, like Holmes, is clever.
(i.e. the last sorts of folks are the folks who are trying to outmaneuver/abuse the law itself)
Well, sometimes. Sherlock's mysteries often didn't have any antagonist, just some people who weren't all that truthful as he tried to piece together what happened.
22:21
Has anybody here read The Hound of the Baskervilles? Like that, I want an enemy like that.
so more of a clever but isolated criminal then (very classical crime-drama antag IOW AIUI)
Like, not isolated entirely but visible the entire time
However, very cunning
You don't suspect of him till it's too late
Basically, he passes the smell test.
right. I meant "isolated" in the sense that they aren't part of some larger big-E Evil force
(like a crime syndicate)
Well, kind of half way between.
Like, not working on his own.
@BufferOverRead -- also, are you OK with online play, or are you going to be wanting an in-person group to play with?
or do you have a group and want to introduce them to RPGs?
22:25
I got no group to be honest right now. And don't really have any plans to yet.
okiedokie
Sorry for asking too many questions, I'm just new to this.
@BufferOverRead this is hardly too many questions, haha :)
Okay then, I'll record an hour long rant of what exact RPG I prefer, hahahaha
So, to begin
Just kidding ahaha
so yeah -- working with someone who shares your tastes and can hack GUMSHOE to fit would likely be worth trying. The other option I was thinking of would be something using Fate; however, Fate is a more generic system that requires the table to put in a lot more work figuring out themes and genre (i.e. the system has very little input on that front)
22:30
And then what, I like, sell it?
if you think other folks will be interested in what your table's come up with :) (it wouldn't surprise me if that's how many of the Fate derivatives, such as Atomic Robo, came about)
Well, I'd rather a ready-to-order one.
@BufferOverRead a lot of the issue is sitting down with fellow players and figuring out what you want to play, then finding a good fit among the systems that are out there and adapting that to the precise needs of your group's choices
See, right now I do not have a group.
Which I believe like 99% of RPGs need
I don't know honestly
@BufferOverRead -- there are two approaches to that -- look around for a group that's already playing something that looks good and see if they want a new player :) or take an existing group of friends and teach them how to play
22:36
Are there any single player stuff? That would kind of be videogame territory at this point, I guess.
@BufferOverRead not really. part of the fun of RPGs is the multiplayer aspect :)
@Shalvenay Actually.
@Shalvenay If they're anything like movies make them out to be
Weird nerds in a group, then no.
They're weird, but RPGs do exist.
@BufferOverRead hahahaha
@BufferOverRead Or how about "people who enjoy playing this game together"?
Try an actual video of an actual game. The depiction of tabletop RPGs in media is about as accurate as the depiction of digital crime in media.
2
That is, if someone who knows nothing about it stands very very far away, they might not be able to tell the difference.
@BESW Yeah, not all of us play using back-lit dice that will project the numbers onto our faces =)
@nitsua60 :P
@BESW Very cheesy intro
22:45
@BufferOverRead define "weird nerd" :)
@Shalvenay Mountain Dew, Doritos, obsessively scrolling through a rule book.
To be clear, I adore Doritos
@BufferOverRead ah. Fate's probably the best antidote to the latter there is ;) (the rules in Fate are explicitly designed to take a fiction-first approach)
@trogdor [adds to Christmas list: backlit dice that will project numbers onto my face]
@Shalvenay A microlite is probably the best antidote--play in ten minutes with friends while taking the subway, no rulebooks, no character sheets....
@nitsua60 that, too :)
@BufferOverRead I don't think you'll have too much of that to worry about -- most of the post-Forge systems are less rule-centric than traditional games. besides, there are better game snacks/drinks than MD and Doritos
@nitsua60 lol
22:50
passes @BufferOverRead a Dragon's Milk (yes, there's a microbrew by that name) and some freshly baked crescent rolls
@BESW that works too :) the crescent rolls were actually from a recent meatspace game btw
@Shalvenay I don't know any of these words or acronyms like "Forge"
@BufferOverRead MD = Mountain Dew :)
I guess there isn't an RPG for me, probably. I'm asking for too much.
22:52
post-Forge vs traditional games is sort of a design paradigm shift in the RPG design world
I don't know what either are.
I think it's more a matter of not having a clear sense of what's being asked.
post-Forge games tend to be more fiction centered vs traditional RPGs which are a lot more rules-centered
@BufferOverRead What made you think "I should look for an RPG"? Was there some time when you saw some people playing, or heard people talking about it and thought "that looks fun." Or someone said to you "you should try RPGs"?
@nitsua60 I was playing CCGs and thought like, at some point you have a good strategy, but like, where's the story?
Where's the fiction?
Where's the plot?
You play with a good strategy, then what? Maybe collect a good deck, but like, I felt something was missing.
22:54
@BufferOverRead Do you mean traditional card games (like Bridge, Poker) or CCGs (like Magic: The Gathering or Yu-Gi-Oh)?
@nitsua60 CCGs
Then, yeah, it might be time to jump into a tabletop RPG.
btw @BufferOverRead -- if you've never heard of the beer I was referencing: newhollandbrew.com/beer/dragons-milk
@Shalvenay Not a drinker.
Or community theater =)
22:55
ah, nor am I actually :)
@Shalvenay I doubt it.
You wouldn't have been browsing them otherwise.
haha. I actually dug that reference up because it was one of my tablemates at my first FLGS-table was drinking and I looked at it and was like "That's a proper dwarven beer"
So you want me to believe you can tell between different beers and never touched any?
Lots of people are interested in things that aren't immediately relevant to their everyday lives.
Especially people who make a hobby or profession out of creating worlds and telling stories far outside their own experience.
(even though I don't drink myself, my mom especially is a mistress of malt :) and some of her knowledge of beer and drinks rubbed off onto me)
22:59
Beers aren't RPGs. One is an addictive, dangerous substance, the other is an alcoholic drink? ;)
(and I carry quite a bit of respect for the "beer as food" mindset as a result as well -- not nearly so much for getting drunk though)
@nitsua60 There are a number of dice with LED light-up pips. And my Googles have found a set of light-up dice that... also roll themselves when you clap your hands.
@BufferOverRead that aside -- I'd recommend hanging around here for a while and getting to know some of the regulars. modern-mystery/crime-drama stuff is not a particularly common theme, but I'm sure you're not alone. (I'd actually like to see GUMSHOE in action myself, but my taste in mysteries is neither fish nor fowl. picking apart a trainwreck to figure out just WTF happened to cause the mess is what's up my alley.)
(That's a crappy roll.)
@BufferOverRead (also, if I may ask, since you were commenting on music earlier: what are your tastes in music like? :)
23:09
@nitsua60 Well, here's a dice gobo.
@nitsua60 reminds me of some of the druids I have played/am playing
The last 4 AngryGM articles: "An Important Message to all Patreon Supporters," "Important Message Re: Patreon (Updated)," "The Final Word on Patreon Changes," and "Patreon Unchanges the Changes! (Important Please Read Etc.)"
How you know someone screwed something up =\
@nitsua60 ah yes, Patreon. :/
The last one starts with "Hey, remember when I used to write about RPGs?"
23:13
@nitsua60 -- you mind summarizing the Kenku Warlock question from a few hours ago btw? (I can't see it because the author scrapped it for some reason or another.)
> I have a whole backstory I have been putting out on Roll20 and I really want to play this character. I think it would be fun and interesting to have two sides to the character, one a respectable yet fun Kenku with the group, and a darker side fulfilling the contract (Price of knowledge and all that).

He would make a deal with the great old ones, using the borrowed voice of his patron while using telepathy (as the Kenku have no voice of their own).

But so far, no one has bitten. I am wondering if there is a way I could convince potential DMs that I am the guy they want without sounding l
@Miniman that's... one take on "summarize" =)
@Miniman that is quite a curious question, yes
@nitsua60 Ah, but it's the OP's take.
True. Well played, sir.
23:18
Although, like the commenter, I don't think the character is any part of his problem.
# of players looking for games >>> # of DMs looking for players
The idea of coming to an unknown campaign with a character you made independently is deeply weird to me, but it seems to work for some people?
Still, definitely if you're pitching yourself as a player based on "I already have a character I made without knowing anything about your campaign, setting, or playstyle!" that's gonna narrow the field of interested parties rather significantly.
I also (when I'm not at work) want to take a look at Roll20's recruiting system. It sort of sounds like he's put a character up and is waiting for DMs to find it and say "join my group plz".
Which sounds like it'd work about as well as sites where people put resumes up and wait for an employer to find it and give them a job.
@nitsua60 i was there watching the unfolding storm on twitter
turns out half the people i follow operate a patreon in some capacity or other
e.g. they're illustrators or they're Evil Hat or they produce cartoons or they do youtube
23:37
I find it really strange that someone would not believe that it's possible to learn things about something without being involved in it
@Shalvenay what's that in the context of?
@BESW It doesn't really work for me, as a GM. I'm a much bigger fan of table coming up with party ideas together, or discovering/filling in through play. Heck, I prefer a table full of players who rolled for stats, race, and class to one where players came in with "this character I've always wanted to play and have fleshed out through years of imaginings."
@doppelgreener the little row about the new fella thinking it was impossible that I knew a thing or two about beer taxonomies without being a drinker
@Miniman Taco Tuesday! On a Sunday!
@Shalvenay oh huh.
23:42
@nitsua60 That's why it's "Taco Tuesday Any Day" and not "Taco Tuesday" :P
Did I hear, Taco Tuesday..?
@ATaco On a Sunday!
hey again @ATaco
I've been here a while, just ghosting :P
(Or Monday, depending on which side of the incomprehensible-line you're on.)
23:44
Monday for the Australian Taco.
@ATaco "Australian Taco." Wouldn't the fillings just fall out?
(I'm assuming it's like an Australian rappel.)
Oh, I've only ever heard it called abseiling
@nitsua60 we hold the taco toward the ground so that they don't fall out into the sky, see
@doppelgreener Ahh... right. Does that mean that drop-bears are actually jumping up?
actually you know, at some point, i want someone to do an advertising campaign for Australian tourism and/or beer (it's more likely to be a beer ad) actually playing on Australia being literally upside-down
with all the ground-hooks, holding glasses pointed groundwards, tacos, etc
losing things into the sky
23:50
@doppelgreener Wasn't that the point of Mr Squiggle? :P
Helium balloons bumping up against the ground when a child loses hold?
@Miniman no xD
@nitsua60 yes! one of the problems that solve themselves
> "Why is it upside down?"
"Everything always is!"
@BESW I still need to finish that show, but I haven't been able to find anywhere I can watch it.
23:58
@BESW They are unfortunately one of the websites that hate Australians.
Awwww.
yeah
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