tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6111427000351828107.comments2024-03-28T18:12:39.123-05:00A Knight at the OperaDwizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17255968459773708115noreply@blogger.comBlogger434125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6111427000351828107.post-5288197816033712712024-03-12T22:11:33.069-05:002024-03-12T22:11:33.069-05:00Third Kingdom Games / Todd Leback's "Into...Third Kingdom Games / Todd Leback's "Into the Wild" has a set of OSE domain rules; if I can interest my players in that sort of game, it's where I'd start - not obviously so rigorously mathematically justified as ACKS, but covering a lot of the same ground, and something I could ask players to buy into who weren't into supporting Macris. We had a play-by-post of it that felt promising but fell apart over time as PbP seem to do around me.<br /><br />I'm currently toying with hybridising Beyond the Wall or OSE with the simple third-party 5e supplement "Home: A Light in the Darkness" that goes zero to hero for a settlement over the course of a very small hexcrawl, but the more I dig into Home the more it seems a little bit incoherent. That seems to be a big theme right now - there are several flashy kickstarters or heartbreakers around settlement-building (e.g. Broken Weave, Out of the Ashes, ...). But that's not quite the same as establishing one's own domain in the world at mid-levels.<br /><br />The 3p 5e campaign "Runewild" starts by giving the players a manor house, and the potential to start establishing influence over the nearby settlement, but it focuses on the barbarian side of the equation for sure, even if for kingly motivations.<br />Tom Hudsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14295247089905712338noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6111427000351828107.post-84394699852773641212024-03-09T16:30:19.830-05:002024-03-09T16:30:19.830-05:00Hello Dwiz we'd really like to translate this ...Hello Dwiz we'd really like to translate this article into French on our (free) site ptgptb.fr - the best of the Internet RPG, translated for the French-speaking audience - could you please contact us so that we'll send you our engagements ? :)PTGPTBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00823188086792566010noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6111427000351828107.post-31369326037696735212024-03-07T13:40:50.515-05:002024-03-07T13:40:50.515-05:00One fun thing GURPS Dungeon Fantasy had; their tak...One fun thing GURPS Dungeon Fantasy had; their take on the Fairy Dragon was that it’s breath weapon is “happy gas” - you inhale the multi-coloured gas it exhales, and you start hallucinating, as if on LSD or something.333https://www.blogger.com/profile/04303058354806079658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6111427000351828107.post-82234058573441889042024-02-17T08:36:32.634-05:002024-02-17T08:36:32.634-05:00I like it and it's already inspired me a bit f...I like it and it's already inspired me a bit for my games. It also reminds me of something I read years ago regarding dungeon design, dwarves, and the dwarven abilities to detect new construction, sloping floors, sliding walls or rooms, traps involving stonework, and depth underground - it boiled down to 'include some/all of these things in your dungeon to mollify Dwarf players.' <br /><br />Regardless, thank you for compiling all of these ideas in one place.Benhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01761433624474071848noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6111427000351828107.post-44782455700395482562024-02-15T13:22:07.263-05:002024-02-15T13:22:07.263-05:00"The notion that there are types of dragons i..."The notion that there are types of dragons implies that somebody has lived to encounter at least 3 dragons and began noting patterns. Preposterous."<br /><br />Great line.Joshhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11103061574208320331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6111427000351828107.post-3676571126335873392024-02-09T19:56:08.440-05:002024-02-09T19:56:08.440-05:00They mention the type numbers in the description b...They mention the type numbers in the description but the statblocks say the proper names.<br /><br />Very much agreed on apes. They aren't as naturally sinister as goats and vultures and flies but they invite lots of ooking sounds and chest beating at the table which is hilarious. Dwizhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17255968459773708115noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6111427000351828107.post-65169925810527678372024-02-09T19:13:07.253-05:002024-02-09T19:13:07.253-05:00Generally I'm all about the heavy metal demon ...Generally I'm all about the heavy metal demon - though now I usually just make something up (often on the fly) and hand it some hp and attacks. But I've used a lot of the published over the years - types I-VI (did they finally get rid of the numbers in 5E?),alu-demons/cambions (these are more jazz and blues), ice devils and bar-iguras (love a good ape monster of any sort!) ligehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00652431558688176341noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6111427000351828107.post-76874766853274557852024-02-06T01:22:20.874-05:002024-02-06T01:22:20.874-05:00"begin by asking this essential question: cla..."begin by asking this essential question: classical, jazz and blues, or heavy metal?" - brilliant, love it!dave dowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06318272469276577477noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6111427000351828107.post-6646223246192219602024-02-03T15:26:20.262-05:002024-02-03T15:26:20.262-05:00Very interesting read, I enjoyed your point of vie...Very interesting read, I enjoyed your point of view and the inclusion of sources and references. I am thinking that keeping a 1 to 8 ratio it would make sense for my upcoming campaign to use a 6 hours short rest and 48 hours long rest. Looking forward to test it out!Apatridehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02723353831289358462noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6111427000351828107.post-32921508901220509862024-01-23T08:29:09.618-05:002024-01-23T08:29:09.618-05:00Regarding the Goblinoid trio, my take on them is t...Regarding the Goblinoid trio, my take on them is that they're the same species:<br /><br />The three recognised “races” of Goblinoid are in fact a single species. A pregnant goblin’s body utilises available resources in three distinct ways, resulting in variable gestation lengths and young optimised for different conditions.<br /><br />The first method produces a single, oversized infant with a neurology customised for a more solitary existence than goblinoids typically prefer. This is a bugbear, noted for their self-sufficiency, comfort operating as lone scouts, and surprising capacity for stealth. A bugbear gestation is longer than average, and the infant is born at a higher level of physical and mental development. A bugbear can only be born to other bugbears or hobgoblins, as the smaller frame of a goblin cannot survive the strain. Originally, bugbear pregnancies were the consequence of plentiful times, when a given population of Goblinoids was secure in an apex predatory role. They could afford long gestation periods, and favoured minimal offspring to avoid upsetting a healthy food pyramid with uncontrolled population growth; a failsafe against the possibility of turning boom into bust through excess breeding. Instead, each new life was provided with the full resources of its healthy mother and prepared for the world as thoroughly as possible before being born. For all that some races stereotype Goblinoids as “hoard-like” (a result of the Goblins’ mob-like conduct coupled with an aversion to the warfare that is so intrinsic to Hobgoblins), Goblinoids are in fact creatures of inherent restraint and balance, right down to the biological level. They are almost tailored to successfully hold a predatory niche without succumbing to extremes of failure or of success; the latter being potentially as disastrous in the long-term.<br /><br />The second breeding method produces a small litter of 3, 4, or 5 young, with resources distributed more or less equally between the developing foetuses. This produces a “Hand” of Hobgoblins, who possess a natural affinity for order and discipline, having bonded within the womb from earliest development, subject to a selective and balanced system of biological oversight. Hobgoblins are accepting of deprivation and plenty as equal forces shaping a cooperative, and combine tight devotion to peers with instinctual stratification. Restraint is once again an inherent feature of their biology, and as the division of resources is governed as much by the mother’s body as actual availability of food, Hobgoblins are naturally shaped into Lawful creatures.<br /><br />The third method channels the mother’s resources into producing a litter of 7-10 Goblins, diminutive young given to chaotic mob behaviour over organised pack-hunting, her body rushing to produce viable offspring and in large numbers, rather than slowing to ensure an even distribution for a lesser number of fully-develop young. <br /><br />Biologically, the Hobgoblin might be considered the “standard” for the race, with Goblins and Bugbears common deviations produced under certain conditions to maximise the survival chances of the social group. In a modern state of civilization, different factors of nutrition, environmental pressure, divine favour, or magical exposure can influence which type of gestation a pregnancy will result in. Goblinoid politics and immigration patterns are often informed by current caste balance, and attempts on a societal level to find preferable or favoured percentages, or else to influence the outcome in favour of personal preferences.<br />Deranged Nasathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04126481367524906833noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6111427000351828107.post-83302190010004445632024-01-22T13:59:14.606-05:002024-01-22T13:59:14.606-05:00You absolutely can talk me into Gajasimha - that a...You absolutely can talk me into Gajasimha - that art goes pretty hard.<br /><br />For me, the standout here is djinn, but I think the key element for them is really the summoning/binding stuff - the Key of Solomon and all that. They're a great magical power, tied to the elemental nature of the universe, which you can talk to and try to get something from. They personify Nature in a way that invites you to take a duplicitous and scheming approach to it, and that's fun.Kellerishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07630590037168605549noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6111427000351828107.post-20989244031313878492024-01-22T10:04:22.169-05:002024-01-22T10:04:22.169-05:00Another decent example of the dryad/nymph worth me...Another decent example of the dryad/nymph worth mentioning is the episode "Jibaro" from the latest season of the "Love, Death & Robots" show. Granted, it is probably a siren, but who caresAdrian Hammerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13204975261167989318noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6111427000351828107.post-46071217424522131072024-01-17T10:55:24.090-05:002024-01-17T10:55:24.090-05:00Gyo - yeah. Could do a lot worse than just replayi...Gyo - yeah. Could do a lot worse than just replaying that with the serial numbers filed off.Kellerishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07630590037168605549noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6111427000351828107.post-44988128007156176832024-01-16T11:22:07.146-05:002024-01-16T11:22:07.146-05:00I'd always had the thought that Hill Giants wo...I'd always had the thought that Hill Giants worship chaos and thus are prone to mutations so Cyclops, Ettins, and Ogres are frequently found/associated with Hill Giants and don't have cultures of their own. Ruprechthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00139664977453444000noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6111427000351828107.post-79688117904205556112024-01-16T02:40:30.606-05:002024-01-16T02:40:30.606-05:00“ Sometimes the ocean just spews forth armies of f...“ Sometimes the ocean just spews forth armies of fleshwarped deep-sea mutants for unguessable reasons, who do stuff for a while and then retreat, like a tsunami that eats people. The adventure is surviving the cataclysm and the aftermath, and you might not ever see the aboleth coordinating the thing. If you do, I run their mind-control and illusion powers as just being side effects of opposing your will to something much older and more psychically coherent than you, so break out all the cosmic horror tropes.”<br /><br />This reminds me of a Junji Ito story, not the Uzumaki one. It had fish in mini-mechs invade the land like a fucking army and stuff?333https://www.blogger.com/profile/04303058354806079658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6111427000351828107.post-8788598157014133122024-01-16T02:32:24.951-05:002024-01-16T02:32:24.951-05:00The GURPS dungeon fantasy line had a whole book de...The GURPS dungeon fantasy line had a whole book devoted to Slimes, Fungi, Spore Clouds, Oozes, Puddings, Mold and such. They had varieties, colour-coded, for each monster. Bonus points, they introduced the idea of “moldy monsters” - undead and constructs could ALSO have Mold covering them for additional defences. Another monster book had the Undead Slime, which is a huge gunk made of an undead horde that’s decayed and melted into one big gross animated sludge.333https://www.blogger.com/profile/04303058354806079658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6111427000351828107.post-40592565308187949252024-01-15T13:21:29.774-05:002024-01-15T13:21:29.774-05:00I always like cockatrices as chicken-sized, myself...I always like cockatrices as chicken-sized, myself, because having to deal with a foul-tempered chicken that can instantly kill you regardless of your hp can create fun OSR-style monster-as-problem situations. And just generally ludicrous behavior from the players. Especially if you give them jerkface chicken cunning in response to traps designed to exploit their teeny brains. And then you can always provide a way to unpetrify PCs that got got if you're feeling merciful, a bit more easily than other nasty-trick monsters like permanent level drain undead or rust monsters or what have you.<br /><br />I like cloakers a lot, too. The subsonic moans thing is a good combat gimmick, and they're just smart enough and weird enough in terms of how they communicate and what they want that they can be a spoiler faction in a dungeon that could turn into something more interesting than a BOO! monster.Kellerishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07630590037168605549noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6111427000351828107.post-69552154499991037242024-01-12T23:25:41.876-05:002024-01-12T23:25:41.876-05:00Another twist for d6 skills (and connected to the ...Another twist for d6 skills (and connected to the idea of number of 'exchanges' permitted by a reaction roll before your interlocutor loses patience):<br />Treat the number rolled as the number of [time units] the attempt takes to succeed, but if it's equal or below your x-in-6 value it takes minimal time (1 unit or effectively a 'free action' depending on what makes sense). Avoids multiple rolls when spent time is meaningful, but no other major consequences for repeated attempts. In a dungeon setting can then check for random encounter as single y-in-6 roll, where y is the number of turns spent on the task.<br />Your Alternative approach reminds me of later Traveller skill system (Dice Modifier for increasing time spent on attempt up or down ladder of time units), the Time/Gear/Skill trinity by Goblin Punch (only roll if have 2 of 3), and xd6 under ability score checks Gus L promulgates (where usually -1d6 on difficulty if plenty of time). Lots of ways to play around with time!Illusory Sensoriumhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17885061772129120848noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6111427000351828107.post-7932414810461158602024-01-10T11:52:02.950-05:002024-01-10T11:52:02.950-05:00Blink dogs are great because they have human intel...Blink dogs are great because they have human intelligence and are Lawful Good.<br /><br />I like to play them as having a sort of absolute doggish sense of loyalty and justice, plus their ability to see into the ethereal plane and teleport around means they know about all the bad stuff in the area. Since they have trouble communicating with humans but get protective about them anyways, you have a pack of good doggos warring against the evils of the wild on behalf of people who probably don't appreciate it at all, which is good drama. Will the players mistake them for a threat and drive off the town's secret guardians? Will they try to ally with them and discover that a dog's black-and-white morality and absolute devotion to their people grates on them? Will they help the pack defeat something they couldn't handle on their own, or try to exploit their loyalties to rope them into something more ill-advised and adventurer-y? Has the pack seriously misinterpreted something, like mistaking the new Duke's troops for bandits? Plus it's always fun to RP a dog, haha.Kellerishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07630590037168605549noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6111427000351828107.post-65603879019588549342024-01-08T23:39:06.774-05:002024-01-08T23:39:06.774-05:00My experience as a 13-year-old (other than paging ...My experience as a 13-year-old (other than paging through the *Q Manual* a lot) was being really confused about the scenes from *Octopussy* laid out in the module, which as far as I could tell had no connecting tissue between them (they were in the movie! they had to be there!) in the text.Fats Durstonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02857644154468583820noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6111427000351828107.post-5734036656877855392024-01-08T18:36:17.649-05:002024-01-08T18:36:17.649-05:00I've always felt stunts could be used as a way...I've always felt stunts could be used as a way to show team-work. Player One's stunt distracts the enemy so the thief can sneak around for the backstab. Player Two knocks the Ogre's shield away so the others in the party are a bit more likely to hit. That sort of thing. Ruprechthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00139664977453444000noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6111427000351828107.post-10546316125351346852024-01-08T18:35:20.827-05:002024-01-08T18:35:20.827-05:00Dwiz, I don't have any experience with the Lab...Dwiz, I don't have any experience with the Labyrinth or Dark Crystal RPGs, but I believe you. If they excel at replayability, that's a big gain for this kind of prepared game. I wonder what they do that's different... I look forward to your next insights and promise not to write such a long comment next time!Tom Van Winklehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00498476328377801884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6111427000351828107.post-11894659606833966802024-01-08T17:04:22.046-05:002024-01-08T17:04:22.046-05:00Obviously you're much better versed in the his...Obviously you're much better versed in the history of these things than I am (as usual) but I have this impression that the mostly-forgotten capsule games of the 80s and 90s contain some "flaws" that I don't see in the modern resurgence of these trends. For example, the idea of recreating the plot of a known story scene-by-scene is a very blunt and unsophisticated approach to adapting a movie into an RPG, so it doesn't surprise me that it got flak. Contrast this with how the Labyrinth RPG and the Dark Crystal RPG approach the same task and I think they've figured out a much smarter way of translating to a different medium. One which doesn't compromise on some of the unique strengths of RPGs in the name of fidelity to the source material. Likewise, games like Labyrinth and YBB counterintuitively manage to EXCEL at replayability compared to mainstream D&D campaigns books and Pathfinder adventure paths. They figured out what exactly makes something dull when replayed and how to avoid that, which the TSR capsule games didn't seem as concerned with (perhaps because, as you said, they were instead hoping you'd just buy the next capsule, then the next, then the next...).Dwizhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17255968459773708115noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6111427000351828107.post-40547039371513446992024-01-08T14:53:00.437-05:002024-01-08T14:53:00.437-05:00Once we push back this far, it's easier to see...Once we push back this far, it's easier to see that Character Class is at the roots of character encapsulation. If the choices are fighting man, cleric, and magic-user, there are only so many archetypes available, mostly interchangeable within their classes. As with your previous post, we can see a scale of "encapsulation"--or, in this case, something more like a scale of predetermined characterization--when it comes to PC roles.<br /><br />I'm sorry for this long comment, but you'd probably be interested in the bizarre flop of an RPG from Pacesetter Games in 1985, called Sandman: Map of Halaal. It billed itself as a breakthrough that you could just open and play, no character creation required: the definition of a capsule game. It also took place literally on a railroad. One of the most distinct early "capsule games."<br /><br />Anyway, I find it interesting to notice early examples of this right beside TSR's Marvel game from 1984, which you mentioned. It seems like 1984 was the year that TSR invested a lot into what we might now call "capsule characters" for its published games. Games for people who want to emulate specific mass-media fictions right down to their favorite characters. Game designers would sell a lot of products to an audience thirsting for curated experiences with little prep.Tom Van Winklehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00498476328377801884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6111427000351828107.post-2672289441214474252024-01-08T14:52:49.435-05:002024-01-08T14:52:49.435-05:00Another excellent post full of good observations.
...Another excellent post full of good observations.<br /><br />Along these lines, I think of other early examples of capsule games (to use your term) with fixed characters. TSR's 1984 game The Adventures of Indiana Jones Role-Playing Game, by Dave Cook, was basically about playing the characters from the films. The published modules were run-throughs of the films, "scene" by "scene," with character sheets for the characters just as they were in the films. One player plays Indie, one plays his current girlfriend, one plays Short Stop, etc. There were also games like Avalon Hill's James Bond 007 RPG, by G.C. Klug, just before (1983) where you were expected to make your own "00" agent but the modules, published in slim boxed sets with lots of player handouts, were reenactments of the films, with all the non-Bond NPCs represented. You had your own "00," a fixed "character class."<br /><br />People complain about Dragonlance's "railroading" (for different reasons) but games like the Indiana Jones game are a major and forgotten context in which we have to understand Dragonlance. TSR published Tracy Hickman's DL1, Dragons of Despair, the first DL module, also in 1984. And it says, "Players may wish to use PCs from the DRAGONLANCE story, detailed on character cards at the beginning of this module. It is generally an advantage for players to use these characters rather than bring their own into the campaign." This is just like the Indiana Jones game that they published at the same time. The simultaneously released DL modules made the characters of DL modules even more into capsule characters, like Marvel superheroes or Indiana Jones.<br /><br />In 1985, TSR published the first Conan RPG (again by Dave Cook), in which players take the roles of Conan and his pals.<br /><br />This was all part of a mid-'80s trend of RPG encapsulation, if you like. Capsule games have low replay value and each module is a selling item, so designers have a motive to publish them. In theory, you might buy something new for each time you play. Toolkit games, by contrast, are one-time purchases that can be replayed forever.<br /><br />Even though one hears a LOT of griping about how Dragonlance is supposed to have ruined D&D, there's important earlier history: pregenerated characters were a NORM in earlier TSR modules, complete with given names. They were expected to be used in tournament settings but were available for home use, too. The original Tomb of Horrors used at Origins 1 in Baltimore, 1975, had pregenerated characters... Again, the idea is a one-shot product. If this was normal, why does Dragonlance get flak for its pregens? It's probably partly that these ones had full personalities and backstories (with romances, eww grown-up stuff!) that players were expected to play, and the modules were written with these specific character roles in mind. But DL is a great example of an early encapsulated game supplement.Tom Van Winklehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00498476328377801884noreply@blogger.com