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12:01 AM
Adira Slattery wrote on twitter that "all of my games are designed to be played."
BTW, I cannot get over that this was made in freaking PowerPoint:
23 hours ago, by BESW
"A free adventure available: The Summer Blooms" by momatoes for ARC: Doom Tabletop RPG. A 4-hour adventure with characters, various locations and a strange, tiny dungeon. Also available on the ARC website. Screenshots in this twitter thread.
Kickstarter: Stonewall 1969 - A war story RPG by Asterisco Edizioni. A single-session RPG for 3 to 4 players. It narrates the lives and reasons that led the characters to revolt during the Stonewall Riot.
 
 
1 hour later…
1:13 AM
@Phoenices This is where player-driven game choices come into their own. When players have the agency to make choices about the game that are outside the scope of their characters, so many opportunities for character development open up also.
Wanna see some awesome non-combat powers I've made for my own PCS in games, which I knew I'd get to use because it was in systems where I wasn't just reliant on hoping the GM would grant me that boon?
 
1:27 AM
Non-combat choices seem less reliable to choose when the table gives all the power of context to the GM, while using a system in which the only context the GM must consistently provide is combat. If the table figures out how to distribute that choice, or plays in systems where other contexts are more reliably present, or even just learns to communicate more effectively with the GM about the table's play goals, that whole problem just... evaporates.
 
@ThomasMarkov It just occurred to me that when wearing the legendary cloak of invisibility, you don't become visible when you attack since you are not under the effects of the invisibilty spell. You are simply invisible. Does that square with your understanding of it? My warlock just got one of those and I am using far step to confuse the enemy ... and I think I can cast other spells to up the shenanigans since I just used an action to put the hood up.
 
 
1 hour later…
2:34 AM
"WHAT WAS WRITTEN MUST BE DESTROYED" interview by Walton Wood for Wyrd Science. Walton Wood heads to Argentina and speaks to games designer Gavriel Quiroga about his new science-fantasy game Warpland...
 
BESW has made a change to the feeds posted into this room
BESW has made a change to the feeds posted into this room
 
10
Q: If a character falls off a flying mount (e.g. a pegasus), can the mount fly down to catch them before they hit the ground?

Klopfstein54Say a paladin is riding on a pegasus mount from the find greater steed spell (XGtE, p. 156). The pegasus is flying 100 feet in the air, but something or someone knocks the paladin off. Can the Pegasus fly down to the paladin and catch them before they hit the ground to prevent fall damage? And wo...

 
 
1 hour later…
4:08 AM
Thank You Ma'am TTRPG Jam 2022 hosted by ell0. Join me this March of 2022 to create a silly TTRPG or silly TTRPG related content—hex crawls and paper miniatures are totally welcome! (warning, jam page background is eye-searingly saturated purple)
Is there a way to add a twitter-posted image to a Pinterest board without just copying the image to your computer and uploading it that way?
 
 
5 hours later…
9:37 AM
@KorvinStarmast yup, seems right. Nothing in there about attacking or casting spells.
 
@SmokeDetector excuse me, what?
 
@SmokeDetector that one actually made it into the first question review queue.
 
@SmokeDetector oh no. The spam bots are sending me targeted ads now. They’ve discovered that I work in agriculture in rural georgia.
 
@SmokeDetector Is that a Light Novel advertisement?
 
10:19 AM
1
Q: Do you get an opportunity attack if the enemy next to you casts the Etherealness spell or uses it's innate Etherealness ability?

gybencskoI suspect you don't but I'm not sure. In the description of opportunity attacks: You can make an opportunity attack when a hostile creature that you can see moves out of your reach. To make the opportunity attack, you use your reaction to make one melee attack against the provoking creature. The...

 
10:44 AM
Since thinking through the whole sexuality discussion, I feel more and more like we should have a tag called "procreation" — as we have many questions to which it applies; and it would also help by improving the usage guidance for tags in that field. Before creating it, I'd like some input on whether procreation fits as an inoffensive catch-all reproduction term of biological and non-biological generation offspring.
 
 
1 hour later…
12:05 PM
@Akixkisu I guess we'd need to be clear on what sort or people would be interested/questions it would apply to and if it was too narrow?
 
@AncientSwordRage yes, a clear usage guidance is important - why would it be too narrow? I don't understand what you mean by "what sort or people would be interested/questions"
 
12:20 PM
@Akixkisu so the way I see tags is that they need to be useful to people using them, we're not just categorising questions semi-arbitrarily (it's also why I don't think lumping ancestries with races is useful). With that in mind, I'm wondering 'Who would only want to look for questions to read/answer on ?" and I can't think of an answer where that same person wouldn't be better served by a wider tag, because they may want to know about highly related topics ...
... like for somebody who is interested in they may also be interested in or and you don't want them to have to watch or look for questions under these highly related tags separately
also, it means if you have a question cover 3-4 different highly related topics, you need to pick one as you're limited to 5 tags
 
@AncientSwordRage I think that leaves out people who have expertise with procreation as a concept relating to the paired up system (or the subject when system agnostic). Procreation is intended as a catch all tag that neither birth nor something else could accomplish.
 
PLUS there's a good thought process that tags should ( ideally) be allowed to appear naturally, not artificially by somebody saying 'we should make a tag for'
@Akixkisu maybe, but I'd be happier for that expert to see it and ask for it, than assume they'd want/need it
 
The idea is to apply that general term to a specific question as we already have more than 400 (yes, I didn't think that either) questions about the subject.
I already have the question that would introduce the tag written up.
 
@Akixkisu I'm counting ~10 but acknowledging there's probably a handful more that don't literally use that word
@Akixkisu in that case fire away
maybe 'reproduction' would be a better name for the tag
 
12:36 PM
@AncientSwordRage I think this article makes a good distinction ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7653007
"‘Reproduction’ has to do with replicating an original, not identical but similar to the original, with producing offspring of one’s own kind, whereas ‘procreation’ has to do with the ‘act of begetting’, the ‘effectiveness of the capacity’ to produce offspring: ‘Reproduction’ – that is, replicating an original"
 
@Akixkisu the topic of Procreation is a subset of Reproduction as a whole though.
If somebody asked "If I cast a spell on a creature than can split in two, does the effect stick on both" 'reproduction' would cover that as well as specifically procreation
 
@AncientSwordRage Yes, exactly.
 
1:27 PM
@ThomasMarkov OK, needed a second set of eyes. Our session ended in the middle of a battle, and I had an idea I was going to implement but wanted to sanity check it first. I am about to cause our adversaries some trouble. 😊
Got into the low 30's and very windy here yesterday, so we put a fire in the fireplace. I prepared home-made chicken and dumpling soup (a long time tradition in our house is "Dad's chicken and dumpling soup"). It came off pretty well even though I did not use traditional Bisquick for the dumplings. (Used a keto friendly dumpling recipe with almond flour and coconut flour - a bit grainy but it worked). Yum. Chicken soup on a cold day, it really hits the spot). Momma was happy. 😊
 
I hadn't realised that providing too comprehensive of an answer, with sections trying to address individual elements, was a bad thing.
 
1:43 PM
@illustro Is it? Which answer are you referring to?
@Illustro I have found over the years that sometimes I am asked to trim my answers with the idea being 'keep it in scope" ... is that what you are running into?
 
That one
I'm struggling to see what isn't "in scope" for the purposes of the question
It may also be my communication style...which tends to be direct and detailed, in part due to the nature of the work that I do in "the real world"
 
@illustro I smashed upvote on that answer.
 
2:04 PM
@ThomasMarkov Why thank you :)
 
@Akixkisu so you're more in favour of making ?
 
@AncientSwordRage No, I think is a better definiton of the topic.
 
me: 'reproduction' would cover that as well as specifically procreation
you: yes
me: so you're more in favour of making [tag:reproduction]?
you: no
I think 'reproduction' is better tag overall, but I'm not going to stop you making it
 
@AncientSwordRage Yes ;) I believe that reproduction covers different things that procreation doesn't cover.
And in that scope this type of question (including mine) is about procreation and not reproduction specifically.
Specifically, such that someone could also use to talk about it but would miss out on the narrower and different scope of .
 
that's how I'm seeing it
 
2:17 PM
@illustro Updoot. Thorough and well reasoned is appreciated by this user. 😊
 
@AncientSwordRage Feature intended :)
 
@AncientSwordRage Your diagram gave me this spontaneous thought: I think that the average murderhobo is prodestruction
3
 
@KorvinStarmast Same, great answer.
 
:) :phew:
@KorvinStarmast @Akixkisu Thank you both
 
@Akixkisu I think it's not a good feature but I will see how it pans out
 
2:36 PM
@AncientSwordRage Reproduction as a tag has the potential confusion for people discussing the recreation of non-living things, whereas procreation is very specifically about making new living things. For example, I can attempt to reproduce a Van Gogh (I won't succeed, but I can attempt), which is a very different thing to making a baby.
If you are looking to catch questions talking specifically about the production of new living beings and link them all together, then procreation is the better tag imo
(out of the two)
 
@illustro Concur
 
@illustro cool, good to see that angle for sure
 
3:43 PM
But RPG's also contain a lot of non-living creatures such as elementals, ghouls and self-replicating robots, as well as living beings that don't procreate but are created in other ways, e.g. being spawned from dreams.
Do you guys have some kind of [non-procreation-reproduction] tag in mind for them? If not, I don't see why they should be excluded.
 
3:59 PM
@SilentAxe yeah I did look back and the linked paper sort of said that
 
4:30 PM
4
Q: How do a changeling's experiences affect the set of forms they can take?

sptrashcanIn Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition, the changeling's Shapechanger feature, as found in Eberron: Rising from the Last War, is described, in part, as follows: [...] [Y]ou can change your appearance and your voice. You determine the specifics of the changes, including your coloration, hair length,...

 
4:43 PM
@illustro "Reproduction as a tag has the potential confusion for people discussing the recreation of non-living things" - I don't think this is a major concern, as that can just be clarified in the tag excerpt/tag wiki.
 
5:15 PM
@SilentAxe So, in this case, my definition of "living" would be much broader than the real-world definition, and their procreation would be covered by that tag. "Living" in the context of an RPG game is essentially "has the ability to interact with the world according to some form of directed action, and the ability to create new versions of it's creature type"
 
5:43 PM
I'm staying neutral this year, and I've just posted my first question, and made sure to ask a non-dnd-5e question :D
@illustro "There there any undead/elementals/angels that can procreate?" is very different to "Are there any undead/elementals/angels that can reproduce?"
 
Not really, as both questioins, by their construction pre-suppose that it is the creature driving the creation of a new one of their creature type
They are different to "Can angels/undead/elemnentals be created or reproduced by a different entity?"
 
I'll be honest I'm most familiar with the word 'procreate' being used as another way of saying "To have sex" without using the S word
 
6:31 PM
@BardicWizard your question about mage hand made me think about how pseudo-entities (images/objects that behave like creatures) such as spectral weapon, arcane hand and mage hand all interact with gravity.
Doesn't seem relevant until you realise that these spells exist
 
@AncientSwordRage is dungeon wordle a video game?
 
@KorvinStarmast Awesome! I should try making some of that. We have onions, carrots (ish), chicken, bones and napa cabbage right now. It feels like it wants one more vegetable, though. Maybe celery or red peppers? I should check which canned vegetables we have.
 
Anc works @tho I prefer my full username
@ThomasMarkov nope
 
@AncientSwordRage then leave a note responding to my comment on your question
 
It's a polite way of not pinging while clearly pinging, you see
 
6:34 PM
 
@ThomasMarkov done and an edit
 
I... cannot tell what that expression is, but those pure black irises keep staring at me. They never stop...
 
@Phoenices my money would be on irritation
 
Oh! I hadn't even thought of that, somehow. Of course!
 
You got me good with the "tho"
 
6:38 PM
hehe yeah, I had to reread that twice to make sure I understood the joke.
Wait, does this ping? @ThomasMarkovs
 
@Phoenices theres no "s"
 
Alright, good to know.
 
7:08 PM
@ThomasMarkov I hope it was taken well
 
8:07 PM
Do you have any sort of relationship with the author of this game? I ask because it feels like you're trying to persuade people to buy the product. — Dan B 12 mins ago
Is it because I linked the game, or said it was 'pay what you like’ 🤷🏻‍♂️?
 
I can think of no better way to encourage indie content on the stack than to question the motives of someone who tries a new game, likes it, and ask questions about it. /S
 
@ThomasMarkov yeah exactly
First I'm a shill for dicebreaker and now for a random indie game dev 🤷🏻‍♂️
 
4
Q: What is the chance of failing all three saves of the spell Flesh to Stone?

BBeastThe spell flesh to stone is a powerful way to eliminate a target. However, it calls for multiple saving throws, a complication which makes determining the chance of success or failure challenging. To quote, You attempt to turn one creature that you can see within range into stone. If the target'...

 
@Mołot To be fair, promoting BESW content is one of the best things we could do on this site. — Thomas Markov Sep 28 '21 at 0:16
 
8:19 PM
@ThomasMarkov let's leave this on the star board without context and see what happens :P
At least if you click to see the context there's a comment from me encouraging shilling for BESW right below it
 
@Carcer was my reply on in that question?
 
8:45 PM
@AncientSwordRage I don't understand the question
 
8:57 PM
@Carcer bleh, I don't know what happened. I meant to ask, is how I responded to you and the other commenter on the dungeon wordle question ok?
 
@AncientSwordRage I don't think you're doing anything wrong there
 
@Carcer ok cool, I know I get a little defensive at times which I'm trying to work on
 
9:09 PM
@AncientSwordRage I think they were just taking note of how it looked promotional (I can see how) and given that you have to make affiliations known, I found their comment warranted
 
@Exempt-Medic that's fair
 
shrug emoji
 
 
1 hour later…
10:33 PM
@AncientSwordRage In my experience, if you link a game users haven’t heard of they think you’re a shill, and if you don’t link it they demand that you teach them the game yourself in the comments. RPG.SE just doesn’t know how to handle the fact that there are games they’ve never heard of, apparently.
 
@BESW yeah I'm wondering about that
 
@BESW Sure!
 
10:49 PM
@Phoenices So, here's some stunts I made myself for Fate characters in a game where combat was pretty common.
> Safety first! When I create an aspect by following documented safety guidelines, I get an extra free invoke on it.
> Practical Rocket Science You can use Vehicles in place of any applicable Science skill when working with vehicles that have an engine of some sort.
> Cunning Disguise. Provided I keep my mouth shut, I get +2 to Deceive when pretending to be a normal dog. Weakness: it’s hard for me to not correct people when they’re wrong.
> The Wheels of Bureaucracy Grind at My Behest. I get +2 when using Provoke to create advantages representing my ability to bury people in red tape.
And here's a couple abilities that I've had, or want to have, for characters in other systems. They're not ones I made, they're default options out of the book and look like fun options that will come up a lot in play.
> Secret of Shape Warping As a goblin, you can change your shape, growing shorter, taller, fatter, thinner, and changing your skin color, at will.
> Petting Being petted makes you happy. When someone is in the same scene as you and pets you, you can gain Feelings equal to the strength of your connection to them. You can’t just decide to use this power; you need someone participating in the scene to actually pet you.
> CONFESIÓN
When you tell someone of your wrongdoings, roll with the questions
- Do you view the other as pure of heart?
- Do you invoke religion or family?
On a hit, clear 1 stress and give them 1 Leverage. On a 7-9, choose 1. On a 10+, choose 2:
- You unburden yourself; clear an extra stress.
- You beg their forgiveness; if they give it to you, they clear 1 stress.
- You hold something back; don’t give them Leverage.
On a miss, their image of you is tarnished; they gain 1 Leverage over you, and you must mark 2 stress or lose your Leverage over them.
> Grand Gesture When you express your love passionately with a grand romantic gesture, they choose 1 more option from the list, even on a miss.
Some of the systems those pre-made powers are from, have no combat at all or consider combat an optional narrative skin on mechanics about dramatic relationships.
Others treat combat as just as likely as any other kind of conflict resolution.
 
Hmm. Yeah, I think I see what you mean. There can actually be usable powers outside of combat. One think I hadn't considered is that there are four(ish?) characters + opportunity to hire someone else, and you often need only one character for an out-of-combat job, so you can cover much, much more.
When characters can spend 1/5 of their points/whatevers on a single job (compared to D&D, where you often spend it all, and use your ribbons for out-of-combat stuff), it's easier for characters to shine. In D&D combat, being an expert who can solve problems isn't as cool, because... everyone else
 
11:07 PM
yeah, and that's all very much D&D-specific issues relating to how build resources are distributed and how the game treats resolution in different scenarios. The "only takes one person to do something out of combat" thing was resolved in 4e with skill challenges (though the math was atrocious) and I think 5e would feel a LOT different if they'd built on that legacy.
(Remember how D&D marks significance by the number of dice rolls you need to resolve the thing? Skill challenges turn non-combat obstacles into three-to-24-roll scenes where everyone takes turns rolling to influence the outcome and there's potentially room for everyone to contribute regardless of specialty.)
 
Hmm. So, would a skill challenge alter and have multiple paths? e.g. if someone fails the skill challenge to go over the rope and falls onto the platform, something something tying a rope that can hold them up fast enough?
 
There are ways for a D&D table to mitigate this, partly by modifying the system (it's VERY easy to add skill challenges, or something like them, to any skill-like system) and partly by just changing the kind of conversations the table has around character creation and game choices so that non-combat choices don't have an element of "I hope the GM lets me use this but I have no control over it"
@Phoenices Aye. Depending on the kind of skill challenge type system you're using. 4e's had a list of skills the GM expected would be useful, and successes on those skills counted toward achieving the goal while failures counted toward losing the challenge. Other skills could be used to give bonuses or re-rolls or the like.
Let me rummage up one of mine from back in the day. It's using this variant because the original WotC math was awful and a little boring.
 
11:23 PM
That's definitely very interesting. So, would you give the players that sheet, or what? I'm a bit at a loss on how to explain that a character could use Endurance.
 
There are lots of other kinds of challenges. Fate's got a couple all on its own, and most of them would be pretty easy to adapt to a D&D-like skill system.
 
This feels like a concept I've always been wishing for and never quite known about, though I've heard the phrase before.
 
Yes, that was my handout for that event. It's one of the first times we used skill challenges so I put all the rules on the sheet.
And because it was a new thing, my inclusion of Endurance was quite deliberate: creative use of skills is a pretty significant part of the experience in my opinion because it increases player involvement and makes sure people can be included even if their specialty isn't obviously related.
"I've got a lot of Endurance, I grab the portal when it tries to kill me I absorb as much power as I can handle." Very classic movie moment where the Big Strong Guy just puts himself in the way of the problem.
In D&D 5e, would you let a Fighter roll Wisdom (Athletics) to treat common exercise-related injuries?
It's that same principle of being creative and flexible about how mechanics are applied to unexpected situations, and looking for reasons to say "yes" to opportunities to include players.
 
11:46 PM
In Fate there are four basic ways to use dice to resolve something.
- You can use one ACTION, that's single dice roll of 4dF with modifiers to both the roll and the target difficulty (which may be another roll), with different outcomes depending on if the roll failed by three or more, failed, tied, succeeded, or succeeded by three or more.
- You can use a CONTEST if more than one person/group is trying to achieve the same goal at the same time but not directly interfering with each other. Everybody involved rolls one ACTION and the highest roll marks a win for that character's side (with ex
And last there's CONFLICT which is the most like D&D-ish combat but isn't necessarily physical. You use CONFLICT when there's at least two sides trying to actively oppose each other's success by making the other side unable to continue meaningful action. It uses rounds and turns in D&D-like ways.
Each character's turn lets them take one ACTION which can be some way to change the situation to their advantage, or it can be an attempt to add stress to an opponent until the opponent has to choose to either take a long-term consequence of their choice (damaged reputation, fear of clowns, broken
 

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