TRPG General Chat

1:00 AM

@SevenSidedDie Is this an analogy to GNU then?

@JonathanHobbs Specifically to info/texinfo files. Lots of GNU man pages are incomplete and just refer you to the info files, which requires a special reader that has an arcane UI and non-intuitive interface metaphors.

doppelgreener

@SevenSidedDie oh dear. D:

and the reader refers you to the info files for info on it, which requires the reader?

this is like if the manual for operating a chainsaw correctly was inside a tree.

3

SevenSidedDie

@JonathanHobbs Yeah. Granted, the info files for the info command do in fact explain it well, but having to review the tutorial every time I need to read an .info file (every three years or so) is a pain.

doppelgreener

this is making me appreciate the documentation sources I do use all the more

DCShannon

1:25 AM

@SevenSidedDie Hey Seven, is there a way to get text to line up (tabs) without using the preformatted text?

In answers

doppelgreener

@DCShannon If you need stuff like columns, preformatted text seems to be the most reliable way. (Even tabs won't always be reliable, depending on peoples' fonts.)

DCShannon

I had preformatted text, but SevenSidedDie just edited my answer and removed it

Because it wasn't code

SevenSidedDie

@DCShannon Sadly no. For simple this:that lists like that one we avoid the preformatted text, but if it's "really" a table then preformatted is the way to go.

DCShannon

Well that's underwhelming

doppelgreener

There's probably a better way - bolding the names will make them stand out, using an — will space them further out from the classes.

DCShannon

1:28 AM

Oh well, at least they're on separate lines, which is the main reason I had the preformatted text. Now I see I need to put two spaces on the end

SevenSidedDie

@DCShannon Yeah, some kind of tab-stop support would be nice. It's more a limitation of HTML than our markup format though.

@DCShannon Yeah, that double-space end is totally unintuitive. That's why I usually assume that a preformatted list was just intended to be a linebreak-separated, because preformatted text is easier to discover how to use.

DCShannon

alright, thanks

SevenSidedDie

Got to go. Later, all!

doppelgreener

Bye SSD!

wax eagle

trawling twitter and saw they've released the map for the town of Phandalin, looks like a nice small town, good place to start an adventuring career

BESW

2:14 AM

@SevenSidedDie Always nice to have you in chat!

BESW

3:06 AM

So, this is going to go in one of my Storium games at some point.

wax eagle

3:17 AM

what role is that? Or is that just him in normal life?

(cuz I'd buy it either way, dude is classy)

BESW

Context seems to be post-Hobbit celebration.

So... I think that's just Sir Ian being a Sir.

I can only assume Patrick Stewart is standing just off-camera in a T-shirt and cutoffs, with a big stick of cotton candy and a bigger grin.

user61230

4:24 AM

So, I'm going to Free RPG Day at my LFGS tomorrow.

user61230

I'm debating bringing Fate Accelerated and Microscope, or just plan for Roll for Shoes. Might also pop into someone else's shenanigans.

user61230

Anyone know if these work?

BESW

4:38 AM

@Emrakul If what work?

user61230

If FAE or Microscope work thrown together from stragglers

BESW

FAE and RFS are probably better than Microscope.

I'd also suggest Pilgrims of the Flying Temple if you've got it.

user61230

Unfortunately, I don't have Do, but hmm... I guess FAE makes sense, too.

user61230

I've been thinking about ad-lib FAE games, and, well, whether it's possible to pull off successfully.

BESW

I've done it.

user61230

4:42 AM

How well does it work?

BESW

It's good to provide some structure, like my standby Tribute to the Dragon framework.

brb

user61230

Structure in the sense of... prepared thoughts and materials? (Tribute to the Dragon?)

user61230

No worries!

BESW

4:55 AM

Tribute to the Dragon is a generic Quest template.

During game prep the players identify something they care about (a roadside cafe, their village, a damsel) which is going to be destroyed by a powerful force (a corporation, bandits, a dragon) unless the party undertakes a dangerous journey to acquire something (blackmail information, a bribe or gift) and bring it to that force, then negotiate for the safety of what they value.

And that's the session: acquire the tribute, make the dangerous journey, and confront the threatening force.

@Emrakul Problematic and I came up with it together (but mostly him) a while back for a twosie FAE game.

I've played it with a dragon threatening a village; a galactic corporation wanting to tear down an asteroid diner; a carpenter saving his house from bandits...

@Emrakul Suggestion for starting FAE games fast and improv-y: Players start with High Concept, Trouble, and one aspect relating to another PC at the table; their highest Approach; and one Stunt. Everything else gets filled in during play.

If you want to provide pre-made character sheets, look at adventure modules like Aeon Wave for how to do that with class and style, providing the players with enough framework to start but also enough room to customise.

One nice way to do pre-made characters is to have fill-in-the-blank aspects, like high concept "Gunslinging _____."

You can provide a bank of suggested words or not as you feel is appropriate.

(Gunslinging Priest/Clown/Elf/Classical Musician)

user61230

5:22 AM

That's... actually very convenient.

user61230

I like that quite a bit.

BESW

Which bit? I talk a lot.

user61230

The Tribute to the Dragon format.

BESW

Ah, yeah. Problematic has good ideas.

user61230

Ironic.

BESW

5:24 AM

It's done me good for introducing Fate to new players on several occasions, and I imagine it'd be useful in nearly any system if the GM wants to give the players room to create the story but provide a solid framework for them to work inside.

user61230

It's a good way of phrasing it. I think it's a pattern prevalent in almost every RPG (at least the ones I've played).

user61230

By some manner of fractal, more complex games can be formed.

BESW

Aye. Usually I have the Dangerous Journey be a Fate challenge, and one consequence of failing a check in the challenge can be zooming in to that particular part of the journey as a contest or conflict.

@panav2000k Hi!

user61230

That has the potential to lead to a non-campaign? Unless some other idea is tacked onto confronting the Force.

BESW

The "fail forward" concept should be applied aggressively.

For example, one player failed to make the Overcome check to spend the night in the woods safely. So we had a contest where he was being chased by wolves.

He outran them, but took consequences in the process.

Later he failed the Overcome to climb the mountain. Instead of zooming in, he took "success at cost" --and the cost was that he lost the tribute, so he'd face the dragon without it.

(Had the wolves run him down, the contest would have ended in a conflict, and so forth.)

user61230

5:31 AM

Yeah. That shifts the focus from the fetch quest to the journey.

BESW

One party decided to start with the Tribute and focus on the Journey and the Dragon.

So each group can decide which of the three elements to make most important.

Maybe if you can successfully get the Tribute and make the Journey, you automatically succeed on mollifying the Dragon.

user61230

Sorry to backtrack a minute, but I'm curious: why not microscope?

BESW

Too many rules and too much of a style shift to drop on people suddenly and unexpectedly, I think.

Microscope needs a very different kind of mental space.

But maybe I just don't have enough experience with it.

user61230

You have a point, I think, but I don't have enough experience to corroborate or discuss.

user61230

Hmm. I think I'll bring it, so if I find people suitable we can play. But I don't think the people I'm going with would appreciate it, so it's unlikely.

user61230

5:38 AM

Gary Astleford is apparently going to be hosting a game.

BESW

6:13 AM

@JonathanHobbs If you're still following Scale Island, there's a new scene with two moves.

And the winner of today's "I hope this doesn't become a Hot Network Question" goes to...

4

lisardggY

6:33 AM

Hot Network Questions and the death of context.

I love how people clicked into Brian's Black Pudding question thinking it's on Cooking.SE.

BESW

7:09 AM

@lisardggY Hee, yes.

Metool

7:28 AM

And then this.

3

Dorian

10:08 AM

Lovely, joined the Gaming.se to ask about Skyrim exploits, and within 15 minutes of posting my first question I already have two downvotes. wtf?!

And I checked their rules, nothing saying you can't ask about exploits and useful glitches...

lisardggY

I don't hang out on Arqade much, but the feeling I got from some flags on their chatroom leads me to believe it's not as friendly as RPG.se.

Dorian

Starting to notice that already... Chances are I won't be going back in the future.

lisardggY

Also, I'm not much of a gamer, so the only questions there that interested me where identify-that-game questions for old 90's games I loved. But then they nuked the tag and made it off-topic, so off I went.

Dorian

lovely

lisardggY

All my rep was gone when they erased the questions. :-/

(Not that much rep, but still)

Dorian

10:13 AM

sounds to me they're a bunch of pretentious purists.

lisardggY

*shrug*. I don't know about that. Don't know them well enough.

And "identify that X" was a topic of StackExchange-wide discussion a few years back, and most sites decided to forbid them.

Dorian

this is based on first impression. and i know first impressions are usually missing info, but they also matter. with my current first impression I'm not likely to go back.

If someone would comment about what I apparently did wrong, then maybe I could fix it, instead of just downvoting at random.

lisardggY

Downvotes sting, I know, but they really don't mean much.

"Someone, somewhere on the internet, disagreed".

Dorian

Right, but it also causes people to ignore the question instead of answering it. If they downvoted and said something in a comment that'd be useful, but just downvoting a noob to the site without saying jack about why, well that's just mean.

lisardggY

18

Q: How do we stand on cheats, in particularly for multiplayer games?

This was prompted by this question: http://gaming.stackexchange.com/questions/2082/idling-in-team-fortress-2 Seeing as this is a form of cheating, what is our official stance? Do we allow cheats, caveat lector? This is considered a bannable offence by Valve.

Seems like the community consensus there clearly supports talking about cheats/exploits for single-player games. Skyrim is just single-player, right?

Maybe you should edit your question, linking to that meta post and explicitly saying "I'm not trying to gain unfair advantage in multiplayer/online games", just to establish that you're aware of the community standards.

That's usually good for a couple of upvotes from community-minded people. :)

Dorian

10:45 AM

i'll keep tht in midn later, that's too much work and i'm getting tired fast....... got startled out of a daze by someone tagging me in the other chat...

doppelgreener

11:01 AM

@Dorian I suspect it may have more to do with the fact you're asking for a link to an off-site resource, for which the link can go dead and render answers themselves less useful. I recently asked for just such a thing here and it's ok, but other SEs have different policies.

trogdor

11:13 AM

@BESW mk

BESW

@trogdor We should see if we can start early though, because Adib gets kinda punchy starting around 8:30 or 9pm.

trogdor

mk

BESW

I'll check with Ben.

I'm okay to do normal Princes or try a pony version, whichever people prefer.

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