JetBlackPanda
Member
I want that pathfinder pawn box!! my FLGS has the monster one.
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PnP RPGs OT || Come play the REAL RPGs
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If anyone feels like seeking out some nostalgia or maybe even some of our gaming heritage, here's something that you might be interested in.
The Temple of Elemental Evil is free until the 28th! Have at it.
The Temple of Elemental Evil is free until the 28th! Have at it.
Thank you for the heads up. I think the old systems are worse than people tend to remember, but the art is often better than what we get these days. If nothing else, these old sourcebooks are amazing inspiration.If anyone feels like seeking out some nostalgia or maybe even some of our gaming heritage, here's something that you might be interested in.
The Temple of Elemental Evil is free until the 28th! Have at it.
JetBlackPanda
Member
I love having this stuff for inspiration for all kinds of games.
Definitely. Game design has come a long way since the early days and while my experiences with the older systems are limited, in not interested in even the briefest of games using them.
Not too long ago I played in a game of Traveler and it was woeful. Not something I wish to repeat.
Like you said, the old modules and sourcebooks are great for inspiration. That's all I'd intend using this one for and I imagine most others would think the same.
Sean Nittner is currently running this one in a game of Torchbearer and, while it's a great fit, changes need to be made to adapt to the system differences as well as ensuring the players actually enjoy themselves. One particular instance would have left the players hopelessly lost in a seemingly endless made of tunnels and that's not fun for anyone; it's one of the old remnants of adversarial design no longer used for good reason.
krypt0nian
Banned
First, wow Torchbearer looks interesting and is triggering my love of reading new systems!
Second, still digesting Mythic Adventures but I have to say that typical of Paizo the art is fuckamazing, but for me the Mythic reenvisionings of the Pathfinder Iconics are seriously giving me wood. Very much looking forward to the two support books out this month that bring the rule set into Golarion proper. The player option release Mythic Sources looks cool, but OMG Mythic Realms, which begins to details Golarion's places of power is my new baby that I have yet to read!
Finally, wow! Far West is almost ready to ship! Soooo hyped!
http://intothefarwest.com/2013/08/12/august-art-preview/
Second, still digesting Mythic Adventures but I have to say that typical of Paizo the art is fuckamazing, but for me the Mythic reenvisionings of the Pathfinder Iconics are seriously giving me wood. Very much looking forward to the two support books out this month that bring the rule set into Golarion proper. The player option release Mythic Sources looks cool, but OMG Mythic Realms, which begins to details Golarion's places of power is my new baby that I have yet to read!
Finally, wow! Far West is almost ready to ship! Soooo hyped!
http://intothefarwest.com/2013/08/12/august-art-preview/
Cross-posting from AusGAF, because more people here should be aware of the RPG equivalent of the Humble Indie Bundle. The detail here may be excessive for some, but I'm pretty passionate and excited about the contents of this one.
Okay, so for those who were sleeping while I was posting late last night, the new Bundle of Holding went live. This one, not unlike the previous, is excellent. The contents are from Pelgrane Press, a favourite publisher of mine, and the writers are very well known and one of them, Kenneth Hite, is now a staff writer there.
For those unfamiliar with Pelgrane Press, they are the publisher of the recently released 13th Age that got me all hot and bothered and, speaking of which, the bestiary for it just went up for pre-order this morning; the preview looks wonderful and full of flavour, ideas and inspiration. Pelgrane's main thing has been the creation and evolution of the GUMSHOE system, which was designed to be used for investigative games in a variety of genres while solving the problem games like Call of Cthulhu presented where sometimes the investigators don't get the clue, and that's neither interesting or fun for anyone involved. Robin Laws was asked to do this and The Esoterrorists was the first release to use and demonstrate this system and a 2nd edition of this recently became available due to fans begging for more, and deservedly so.
Kenneth Hite took the GUMSHOE system and created Trail of Cthulhu with it, something that is very impressive and contains so much goodness that even Call of Cthulhu player buy it to use some of the contents. It continues to see a lot of product support by very talented people with incredible ideas, with some excellent things on the horizon. Most recently the globe-spanning epic campaign Eternal Lies became available, and this book is an amazing monstrousity that I am told holds an incredible twist, is pure brilliance and one of, if not the best campaign of its kind. While I haven't yet read through this campaign, the book is a beautiful tome that one could easily bludgeon someone with. Eternal Lies also has a great soundtrack to accompany it and it is a pleasure to listen to.
Robin Laws has whipped up another few games using GUMSHOE, two of which are currently included in the bundle. Ashen Stars is an investigative space opera game with plenty of flavour and coolness to sink your teeth into. This was so popular that the first print run sold out rather quickly. This description is incredibly simple, but there is plenty of detail in this setting that I don't even know where to begin summarising it.
The other is the much less popular Mutant City Blues which I think is a brilliant idea for an investigative game and it's a shame it wasn't more popular. This universe is set 10 years after the Sudden Mutation Event, where many people around the world came down with something similar to the flu, scientists found strange genetic material in those afflicted, there was much panic and fear from this unknown pathogen. 11 days later, everyone's symptoms ceased and this infection was never seen again.
Still no one know what it was, but a few months later, some people demonstrated superhuman abilities; each person had previously had the 'ghost flu' as it was named, which was roughly 1% of the world population. To many people's disbelief, only a handful of these 'heightened' people donned a costume and either fought crimes or committed them. Most people continued with their normal life and after the initial hysteria, the general populace saw the advantages to the existence of such people and they filled many roles in society from professional athletes to healers, empathic psychiatrists and firefighters.
A special police squad called the Heightened Crime Investigation Unit was formed to investigate all mutant crimes and this is the role that the players take. Cleverly, ranges of abilities in one individual are limited and can only stretch so far. There are connections and correlations between abilities, some of these connections bring with them mental and physical disorders or defects. This is wonderful for both mechanical in-game reasons such as limiting power for players and NPCs, being able to use the method of the crime to find the perpetrator, as well as great roleplaying ideas with character concepts and quirks. This Quade Diagram shows the spectrum and how they connect and relate, it's pretty cool and explains what I may be poorly describing here.
Night's Black Agents is the most recent release and is a testament to Hite's enthusiasm and brilliant ideas. He approached Simon Rogers, the owner of Pelgrane Press, and asked if he could make a game where it would be like the Jason Bourne films if Treadstone were vampires. He was given the green light and now we have this awesome game with a cool, clever campaign and a sourcebook to add in even more awesome. Both this game and the campaign are included in the bundle if you beat the average.
Shortly after Ken Hite started working at Pelgrane they started offering a monthly PDF and a 12-month subscription to this, simply called Ken Writes About Stuff. The naming, while simple and maybe a little odd to some, is much akin to the title of the stellar podcast that both Ken Hite and Robin Laws make together which is Ken and Robin Talk About Stuff. Each month delivers either a variety of different angles and uses for a hideous creature, or something different altogether which will total 10 pages. Included in the lowest price you can obtain the bundle at (only $4) is a 12 month subscription to this; 4 issues immediately and a code to redeem the remaining 8 which will see you through until March 2014.
As always, the bundle will add more things over the course of the next week and any additions will be available no matter when you jump on board. The earlier you do, the cheaper it will be since the average increases over the duration.
Clearly I have gone into more detail than usual on this particular bundle. I will not deny I am very much a fan of the people behind the products included here as well as the products themselves, so if it reads like an advert then that's largely unavoidable, but perhaps we can all feel a little better knowing that this benefits charity. Pelgrane is a company I would not hesitate to recommend to anyone as they treat their customers with a level of care and respect that anyone would want. Even without the additions to come, there's a whole lot of value to be had here.
I don't think I linked to Torchbearer in my previous post, but at least I have now. It only just recently hit general release in PDF and is currently shipping out to the Kickstarter backers. Mine was signed and so was slightly delayed, but needs to make it's way to Australia so even that minor delay makes no real difference.
I believe the book will be generally available once backers have them in their hot little hands. The pictures I've seen showing the colour cover and the foil stamped text look absolutely stunning.
Okay, so for those who were sleeping while I was posting late last night, the new Bundle of Holding went live. This one, not unlike the previous, is excellent. The contents are from Pelgrane Press, a favourite publisher of mine, and the writers are very well known and one of them, Kenneth Hite, is now a staff writer there.
For those unfamiliar with Pelgrane Press, they are the publisher of the recently released 13th Age that got me all hot and bothered and, speaking of which, the bestiary for it just went up for pre-order this morning; the preview looks wonderful and full of flavour, ideas and inspiration. Pelgrane's main thing has been the creation and evolution of the GUMSHOE system, which was designed to be used for investigative games in a variety of genres while solving the problem games like Call of Cthulhu presented where sometimes the investigators don't get the clue, and that's neither interesting or fun for anyone involved. Robin Laws was asked to do this and The Esoterrorists was the first release to use and demonstrate this system and a 2nd edition of this recently became available due to fans begging for more, and deservedly so.
Kenneth Hite took the GUMSHOE system and created Trail of Cthulhu with it, something that is very impressive and contains so much goodness that even Call of Cthulhu player buy it to use some of the contents. It continues to see a lot of product support by very talented people with incredible ideas, with some excellent things on the horizon. Most recently the globe-spanning epic campaign Eternal Lies became available, and this book is an amazing monstrousity that I am told holds an incredible twist, is pure brilliance and one of, if not the best campaign of its kind. While I haven't yet read through this campaign, the book is a beautiful tome that one could easily bludgeon someone with. Eternal Lies also has a great soundtrack to accompany it and it is a pleasure to listen to.
Robin Laws has whipped up another few games using GUMSHOE, two of which are currently included in the bundle. Ashen Stars is an investigative space opera game with plenty of flavour and coolness to sink your teeth into. This was so popular that the first print run sold out rather quickly. This description is incredibly simple, but there is plenty of detail in this setting that I don't even know where to begin summarising it.
The other is the much less popular Mutant City Blues which I think is a brilliant idea for an investigative game and it's a shame it wasn't more popular. This universe is set 10 years after the Sudden Mutation Event, where many people around the world came down with something similar to the flu, scientists found strange genetic material in those afflicted, there was much panic and fear from this unknown pathogen. 11 days later, everyone's symptoms ceased and this infection was never seen again.
Still no one know what it was, but a few months later, some people demonstrated superhuman abilities; each person had previously had the 'ghost flu' as it was named, which was roughly 1% of the world population. To many people's disbelief, only a handful of these 'heightened' people donned a costume and either fought crimes or committed them. Most people continued with their normal life and after the initial hysteria, the general populace saw the advantages to the existence of such people and they filled many roles in society from professional athletes to healers, empathic psychiatrists and firefighters.
A special police squad called the Heightened Crime Investigation Unit was formed to investigate all mutant crimes and this is the role that the players take. Cleverly, ranges of abilities in one individual are limited and can only stretch so far. There are connections and correlations between abilities, some of these connections bring with them mental and physical disorders or defects. This is wonderful for both mechanical in-game reasons such as limiting power for players and NPCs, being able to use the method of the crime to find the perpetrator, as well as great roleplaying ideas with character concepts and quirks. This Quade Diagram shows the spectrum and how they connect and relate, it's pretty cool and explains what I may be poorly describing here.
Night's Black Agents is the most recent release and is a testament to Hite's enthusiasm and brilliant ideas. He approached Simon Rogers, the owner of Pelgrane Press, and asked if he could make a game where it would be like the Jason Bourne films if Treadstone were vampires. He was given the green light and now we have this awesome game with a cool, clever campaign and a sourcebook to add in even more awesome. Both this game and the campaign are included in the bundle if you beat the average.
Shortly after Ken Hite started working at Pelgrane they started offering a monthly PDF and a 12-month subscription to this, simply called Ken Writes About Stuff. The naming, while simple and maybe a little odd to some, is much akin to the title of the stellar podcast that both Ken Hite and Robin Laws make together which is Ken and Robin Talk About Stuff. Each month delivers either a variety of different angles and uses for a hideous creature, or something different altogether which will total 10 pages. Included in the lowest price you can obtain the bundle at (only $4) is a 12 month subscription to this; 4 issues immediately and a code to redeem the remaining 8 which will see you through until March 2014.
As always, the bundle will add more things over the course of the next week and any additions will be available no matter when you jump on board. The earlier you do, the cheaper it will be since the average increases over the duration.
Clearly I have gone into more detail than usual on this particular bundle. I will not deny I am very much a fan of the people behind the products included here as well as the products themselves, so if it reads like an advert then that's largely unavoidable, but perhaps we can all feel a little better knowing that this benefits charity. Pelgrane is a company I would not hesitate to recommend to anyone as they treat their customers with a level of care and respect that anyone would want. Even without the additions to come, there's a whole lot of value to be had here.
I don't think I linked to Torchbearer in my previous post, but at least I have now. It only just recently hit general release in PDF and is currently shipping out to the Kickstarter backers. Mine was signed and so was slightly delayed, but needs to make it's way to Australia so even that minor delay makes no real difference.
I believe the book will be generally available once backers have them in their hot little hands. The pictures I've seen showing the colour cover and the foil stamped text look absolutely stunning.
CornBurrito
Member
Suairyu, a bit of a correction to a question you had awhile ago.
Fate seems to be not so great at doing suspense/mystery plots. The game's rules encourage collaborative story telling between players and GM, and go so far as to practically demand open information on "difficulty class" so players can choose when to spend precious Fate points. You can keep some difficulties hidden with passive opposition, but the game still insists you tell your characters if they fail.
You can use this to your advantage for some mysteries like: "Picking the lock to this supposedly heavily guarded bank was only a difficulty of "average"? Is this a setup?" or "This stupid little broken down shack has a lock with a difficulty of "legendary"? Is there something more about this place than meets the eye?"
But if you have a vampire trying to hide in a populace and the PCs try to run empathy on him when they question him, you pretty much have to give away if he successfully lied to them or not. If they roll a high empathy check you must say "you didn't meet the difficulty" if they have Fate points to spend. If they fail to beat the bluff check they will know. You can handle this in a few ways. Tag the player with a "believes the guy is not a vampire" aspect, and compel it to prevent metagaming. Or feeding players multiple statements and saying at least one is a lie but the rest are truthful. Or you could be honest with players and hope they don't metagame.
But Fate is essentially a game where players and the GM try to tell a story together so everyone gets a look at the script. It takes a lot of extra work for the GM to keep things secret. You can keep world details secret the easiest, but lying/scheming characters are hard to have in Fate.
Fate seems to be not so great at doing suspense/mystery plots. The game's rules encourage collaborative story telling between players and GM, and go so far as to practically demand open information on "difficulty class" so players can choose when to spend precious Fate points. You can keep some difficulties hidden with passive opposition, but the game still insists you tell your characters if they fail.
You can use this to your advantage for some mysteries like: "Picking the lock to this supposedly heavily guarded bank was only a difficulty of "average"? Is this a setup?" or "This stupid little broken down shack has a lock with a difficulty of "legendary"? Is there something more about this place than meets the eye?"
But if you have a vampire trying to hide in a populace and the PCs try to run empathy on him when they question him, you pretty much have to give away if he successfully lied to them or not. If they roll a high empathy check you must say "you didn't meet the difficulty" if they have Fate points to spend. If they fail to beat the bluff check they will know. You can handle this in a few ways. Tag the player with a "believes the guy is not a vampire" aspect, and compel it to prevent metagaming. Or feeding players multiple statements and saying at least one is a lie but the rest are truthful. Or you could be honest with players and hope they don't metagame.
But Fate is essentially a game where players and the GM try to tell a story together so everyone gets a look at the script. It takes a lot of extra work for the GM to keep things secret. You can keep world details secret the easiest, but lying/scheming characters are hard to have in Fate.
I'm suffering from RPG withdrawal.
My usual weekly session is on hiatus from July since we're waiting for the return of one of our players from Germany, and the other group I play with is also on hiatus for about the same reason (coupled with vacations/weddings/bbqs and other Summer treats).
Argh!
I just want to conclude our 4 year D&D4 campaign with the final showdown (that we planned to happen in last June, but scheduling times and a couple of missed sessions fucked that up) and start with all the good ideas I've been planning using the mine of inspiration I found in the goodies from the Fate Core Kickstarter.
My usual weekly session is on hiatus from July since we're waiting for the return of one of our players from Germany, and the other group I play with is also on hiatus for about the same reason (coupled with vacations/weddings/bbqs and other Summer treats).
Argh!
I just want to conclude our 4 year D&D4 campaign with the final showdown (that we planned to happen in last June, but scheduling times and a couple of missed sessions fucked that up) and start with all the good ideas I've been planning using the mine of inspiration I found in the goodies from the Fate Core Kickstarter.
JetBlackPanda
Member
I was invited to a local D&D group on Facebook but missed out on getting in the group. ( I was busy the night they rolled characters ) Seeing the posts from their sessions is making me depressed. I enjoy my little group but 6 player games with a few strangers and making friends along the way is always awesome.
The Reaper Kickstarter #2 is up if anyone wants to get a ton of miniatures: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1513061270/reaper-miniatures-bones-ii-the-return-of-mr-bones
I totally love what I got from the first round.
I totally love what I got from the first round.
Same here. I started painting them and made it through the 20 something goblins and got burned out. Kickstarter #2 might get me to pick up my brush again.
krypt0nian
Banned
I tell myself that I have enough from KS 1 and I'm not pledging, but then I remember that there are weeks left to change my mind.
RaySpencer
Member
Wait...so for 100 bucks (plus whatever shipping will cost to Canada) I get all the stuff in the purple picture? That seems pretty nuts.
krypt0nian
Banned
Even more since he posted.
RaySpencer
Member
Yeah, but the purple picture gets updated all the time right?
I like that there is Pathfinder heroes in there too, I want a set for the ACG
Yep. If it goes as well as their previous KS it'll get pretty nuts by the end. Here is everything I got for a total of 115 last time:
I'm totally going to get the add on for the Water Elementals this time around to continue with the cool translucent miniatures. And then if I ever turn into a hermit I'll have enough miniatures to paint for forever.
fallengorn
Bitches love smiley faces
Geez, I wouldn't even know where to keep all of them.
RaySpencer
Member
Yep. If it goes as well as their previous KS it'll get pretty nuts by the end. Here is everything I got for a total of 115 last time:
I'm totally going to get the add on for the Water Elementals this time around to continue with the cool translucent miniatures. And then if I ever turn into a hermit I'll have enough miniatures to paint for forever.
Fuck thats just nuts.
I will probably have to get in on this one, though looking at the last one I missed out on a bunch of Pathfinder ones! shit!
I hope they do the race sets like the last one, I like the groups of Dwarves and Elves and stuff.
Managed to get in on Wave 2 for Reaper Bones II. I missed the first one and I definitely want in this time around. Painting miniatures looks like a fun thing to learn and do, once the initial frustration stemming from painting something so small has passed. The Core Set Expansions looks like a great idea for a bunch of extra minis too.
Dragon Kings is said by Tim Brown to be his spiritual successor to Dark Sun. I think this will be right up the alley of many people here. It is much better value with the new pledge tiers added after much feedback right after launch. Pathfinder and Savage Worlds will be supported upon completion, while 13th Age is a distant stretch goal I hope it reaches.
Dragon Kings is said by Tim Brown to be his spiritual successor to Dark Sun. I think this will be right up the alley of many people here. It is much better value with the new pledge tiers added after much feedback right after launch. Pathfinder and Savage Worlds will be supported upon completion, while 13th Age is a distant stretch goal I hope it reaches.
ElectricThunder
Member
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/davebrown/adventures-in-the-east-mark-the-red-box
Allegedly spiffy fully-wrought classical OGL RPG from Spain finally intent on making it over in English box by box? This is the sort of thing I like to see happening!
Allegedly spiffy fully-wrought classical OGL RPG from Spain finally intent on making it over in English box by box? This is the sort of thing I like to see happening!
DiscoJer
Member
I just found about this! Looks absolutely amazing, though at this point I'm not sure if it's going to make its target.
I really hope they succeed with their goal and plan, cause that game looks really sweet. I then hope we Swedes do the same for some of our classics like Mutant: Undergångens Arvtagare, Drakar och Demoner and Svavelvinter, I know Krypt0nian would love some of them.
krypt0nian
Banned
Using Numenera's rules in a new setting, The Strange Kickstarter hit and funded in 4 hours!
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects...-tabletop-rpg-by-bruce-cordell-and-mo?ref=tag
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects...-tabletop-rpg-by-bruce-cordell-and-mo?ref=tag
And the Reaper Bones II Kickstarter added some official Numenera minis too. They look pretty cool.
What are good scifi RPGs? Space opera and/or hard scifi preferred, something with spaceflight, not just one planet (so one can probably rule out all post-apocalyptic ones and cyberpunk, unless of course the system is good and flexible enough for other types of scifi too)..
I'd be the GM.
I specifically need the game mechanics, not the setting as i build my own (though i steal good ideas from other places so setting details are never really wasted) that is also relatively simple, not too rules-heavy*. More of a narrativist system rather than simulationist. But the latter might be acceptable if it is good.
Fast and easy(-to-learn) are important, balance is not as i can balance stuff on the fly if i must, or compensate with other ways.
Some specifics i may need:
-Cybernetic and biological augmentations. Transhumanism is inevitable IMO and i want to utilize it (no virtual realities though, not interested in cyberpunk).
-Combat that is interesting and not just turns filled with people taking shots at each other, preferably NO space magic (think the Force from Star Wars, Biotics from Mass Effect etc.) though psychic powers, if limited enough, are okay.
-Space combat and spaceflight rules though these are less important. For reference and/or heavy modification. I know with 99% certainty that i will have to make my own, because i need semi-realistic space combat (no space fighters, no slow moving plasma bolts...).
Class/skill systems are less important, as long as there is interesting stuff for combat (and other actions), if i don't like the system, keeping the combat parts and bolting them to another class/skill system shouldn't be too hard.
*D20 doesn't work well with scifi IMO, though perhaps i just haven't seen any good scifi-RPG utilizing it (Star Wars (Saga and earlier) is space fantasy and it has a lot of problems IMO, mostly those inherent in d20, along with other ones like armor being worthless aside from special cases).
I'd be the GM.
I specifically need the game mechanics, not the setting as i build my own (though i steal good ideas from other places so setting details are never really wasted) that is also relatively simple, not too rules-heavy*. More of a narrativist system rather than simulationist. But the latter might be acceptable if it is good.
Fast and easy(-to-learn) are important, balance is not as i can balance stuff on the fly if i must, or compensate with other ways.
Some specifics i may need:
-Cybernetic and biological augmentations. Transhumanism is inevitable IMO and i want to utilize it (no virtual realities though, not interested in cyberpunk).
-Combat that is interesting and not just turns filled with people taking shots at each other, preferably NO space magic (think the Force from Star Wars, Biotics from Mass Effect etc.) though psychic powers, if limited enough, are okay.
-Space combat and spaceflight rules though these are less important. For reference and/or heavy modification. I know with 99% certainty that i will have to make my own, because i need semi-realistic space combat (no space fighters, no slow moving plasma bolts...).
Class/skill systems are less important, as long as there is interesting stuff for combat (and other actions), if i don't like the system, keeping the combat parts and bolting them to another class/skill system shouldn't be too hard.
*D20 doesn't work well with scifi IMO, though perhaps i just haven't seen any good scifi-RPG utilizing it (Star Wars (Saga and earlier) is space fantasy and it has a lot of problems IMO, mostly those inherent in d20, along with other ones like armor being worthless aside from special cases).
DurielBlack
Member
Eclipse Phase will have all the Transhuman stuff you need. It's also mostly a percentile system like Cthulu. Making characters is probably the hardest thing rule-wise (and its pretty deep).
Hmm. Perhaps i should add i'm not a fan of percentile systems. Dice pools are interesting but not required. Dice-less systems are abhorrent.
And complex character creation is not good either (i don't have problem with it but my players may very well have problems with it...).
Still, i'll need to study the system more closely first.
Anything else?
EDIT my problem with percentile systems is that i absolutely hate d10s. And don't get me started on so called d100s...
EDIT additional note: My players hate rolling toward smallest number. Not a consideration really though.
EDIT Huh, EP is available for free legally? Neat.
But... the game mechanic seems off. Margin of Success especially: Equal or lower than target number, ok, easy enough. But higher than required margin of success? Umm... why that way? Why not "Lower is better, period", ie you need to throw less than MoS.
E.g. Bob needs to make a test of 60 with margin of success 30, that is, he must throw 30 or less to succeed. In unmodified system Bob would have to throw between 30 and 60...
EDIT other than that and the use of d10s, the system doesn't look too bad so far.
I don't have a lot of space opera/hard sci-fi games in my collection, but I like to think what I do have are pretty damn good.
Ashen Stars is a space opera game which uses the GUMSHOE system and is well supported. GUMSHOE games are all about looking at the genre and making things work in the game as they would if you were reading or watching related media. It is an investigation-centric game, as are all GUMSHOE games, and after looking hard into space opera it was seen they are too. It should meet your requirements and has an excellent setting that is flavourful without being restrictive.
Diaspora is a hard sci-fi game using the Fate system. It is based on Traveler as the creators are big fans of it and, since this game uses Fate, what made Traveler so badly outdated is completely removed. The requirements you have that this game is missing are easily added as Fate really caters to them. No setting to speak of, but the system creation rules are really damn cool and worth stealing.
Bulldogs! is another space opera game and another one using the Fate system. I suspect it may be the least ideal game out of these for what you want, but what it does, it does well and may not be far off the mark. This game could be re-skinned to something like Firefly with minimal effort.
Ashen Stars is a space opera game which uses the GUMSHOE system and is well supported. GUMSHOE games are all about looking at the genre and making things work in the game as they would if you were reading or watching related media. It is an investigation-centric game, as are all GUMSHOE games, and after looking hard into space opera it was seen they are too. It should meet your requirements and has an excellent setting that is flavourful without being restrictive.
Diaspora is a hard sci-fi game using the Fate system. It is based on Traveler as the creators are big fans of it and, since this game uses Fate, what made Traveler so badly outdated is completely removed. The requirements you have that this game is missing are easily added as Fate really caters to them. No setting to speak of, but the system creation rules are really damn cool and worth stealing.
Bulldogs! is another space opera game and another one using the Fate system. I suspect it may be the least ideal game out of these for what you want, but what it does, it does well and may not be far off the mark. This game could be re-skinned to something like Firefly with minimal effort.
Thanks, bookmarking these for later study.
Not gonna use their settings though, as i said i'm making my own since no existing SF setting satisfies me (at least not for RPGs). But as i noted, good ideas are always a plus...
EDIT oh god, Fate uses Fudge dice?
I know i said narrativist system but Fate is just something i can't like. It has too much stuff i don't like. And remaking the rules... eh, might as well continue with my own proto-system (which is really boring d20 derivation and sucks for combat).
Don't like Fudge dice either, our fantasy game GM brought a set to the play and i really don't like them. Aside from the hilarity they produce when one player throws 4-, 3- and then 2- in a row... He is the guy who also rolls 1 whenever it is critically important NOT TO DO THAT!
EDIT perhaps i'd like a "cinematic" system? Numbers and some detail but not too rules heavy. Still want some, too informal is not good (our current homebrew system is too informal at times).
CornBurrito
Member
You can replace fudge dice with 6 sided dice. Unless for some reason you just hate 6 sided dice. Anyway what does Fate (Core?) have that you particularly dislike? It'd be easier to recommend other systems knowing what you hate specifically.
It is Fudge concept (and how they're used, usually) that i dislike, not d6s. d10s, d16s and d20+s (d24 for example) are what i hate, and not a fan of special dice like Fudges in general (though the latter are usually because i feel special dice are more about getting extra profit by requiring people to get non-standard stuff than actually being useful...).
"Neutral" result is kind of nonsensical IMO, success or failure is all that is needed (in the event of a tie, re-roll, modifiers or GM ruling solves in case tie doesn't automatically go to someone). Never needed it before as a GM (and if i were to need, i know how to handle things without Fudge).
Fate system... eh, it has some good aspects (no pun intended) but there's one or two systems that are similar in some ways but overall better. Mostly it boils down to my issue being with Fudge.
...
Hmm. Writing this and thinking about this may have provided the solution to an issue that prevented me from using one Fudge-like-without-being-Fudge system.
EDIT as for why i don't use D20 system (3.xx):
Unwieldy. Too board-game like.
Class system. I either need to replace Class system with a skill system, or design scifi-classes. Neither option is good, the latter is especially hard.
Feats. Don't like the concept really.
Reliance on a combat grid.
CornBurrito
Member
Fate Core doesn't have a neutral result as far as I know. Unless you mean the dice adding up to 0. But that isn't a neutral end result. Fate Core specifically mentions three outcomes: Failure, Success at a cost, and Success. And sometimes a "really really good success" but I forgot the terminology used. There's no "nothing happens: neutral" result so I am confused as to what you are referring to.
If you do mean "dice adding up to 0" then... why is that a problem exactly?
Was speaking about Fudge dice, not Fate system itself.
But don't like how Fate handles combat for example. Needs a bit more accuracy. And if i were to run a fantasy game, clearer rules for magic and its use. Core at least doesn't provide rules, unless i'm managing to overlook them somehow.
Funny how similar Fate is to Mistborn Adventure Game. The latter does have somewhat more rigid rules, i think, and more importantly, uses dice pool in an interesting way. MAG's a system that doesn't really suit scifi RPG though, IMO.
EDIT actually, i have no idea what i'm talking anymore. Didn't think my issue with Fudge/Fate through in my previous post. Should go to sleep.
Need enough rules to support items, interesting combat, interesting augmentations (and perhaps those psychic powers) while not getting unwieldy like D20.
CornBurrito
Member
Yeah I agree with the magic system being vague (you pretty much have to use the separate magic toolkit or flesh out your own system with unique rules), and the combat can be pretty weird (though I like it personally). I just don't very much get the whole "the dice can add up to 0" thing. I guess I don't mind much since I played some of Vampire The Masquerade and its 1d10 system can lead to "0" rolls.
Well, if you don't like Fate, then only Ashen Stars remains from what I've listed. GUMSHOE can be quite cinematic and isn't bogged down in rules. There are certainly rules for a bunch of things, but once they enter play they're not announcing themselves all the time and just aid play as they should once everyone is comfortable with how they work. When you read about the setting, you'll see what I mean by what I said; like a Claytons, it's the setting you have when you don't want a setting.
If you don't like Fate, that's cool, it's not for everyone. Have a closer look at how the dice work though, because rolling a bunch of negatives in a Fate game is not like rolling a 1 in d20. Failure is not a lack of success, failure is meant to complicate a characters life and make things more interesting. Definitely look at Diasporas system creation though, it can do a lot of heavy lifting to bring your world to life.
Yeah, my tired-brain mixed Fudge-dice-as-they're-and-we're-using-them with actual Fate system.
Basically if you use Fudge as they're, you can get 0/Neutral. Now you can get a tie in many systems but usually it is solved in some way. Usually a system does not produce a zero result that is neither a win nor a loss. Naturally one can rule 0 is either one automatically but then it defeats the point of Fudge dice (bell-curve, which can be produced with 3d6 just as well by the way)... The end result is that i don't like the system as it is.
Fate does seemingly avoids this so that's not a big issue. I just don't like using Fudge dice (+-0) with it since Fate's mechanics could be used with other dice as well. Like Mistborn does with a dice pool. And Fate lacks magic rules (Mistborn's magic rules can be used as a framework for other magics relatively easy, depending how much balancing you're going to do).
EDIT also, i'm more interested in combat (or equivalent action) application of a system (along with rules for stuff like augmentations: what kind of there are? What are worth copying to my setting?). And items to support 'em.
As for degree of success or failure (outside combat)... eh, failure itself is usually a complication, especially since i don't really allow re-rolls (i either require players to think of something else OR i introduce some suitable event depending on context).
CornBurrito
Member
No but I mean, what is the problem with a dice giving a neutral 0 result? By the game's rules that does NOT result in a neutral outcome. It doesn't result in "nothing happens."
Fate DOES NOT have this issue. Fudge dice themselves do have this... unless i designate zero as either a win or loss. Which makes Fudge dice totally redundant, for i could use 3d6 to achieve the same probability curve. Or just use plain d20 (multiple throws or not).
My problem with Fudge is basically that they're a money-grab. That and how our current game's GM uses them (i did say they're pointless).
Not sure what i was thinking yesterday.
CornBurrito
Member
Yeah so just use D6 dice. 4d6 dice works the same way. Just make two sides equal to -, two sides equal to 0, and two sides equal to +.
Fudge dice are a cash grab, but it isn't like you -have- to use them.
A matter of principle, i hate cash grabs. And i have no idea why our GM went and bought a set. Ah, well, his money. If only he didn't require we use the goddamn dice instead of using d20 as previously which worked equally well (and badly).
(We use d20s for everything but certain special cases, all of which could be solved by giving those special cases modifiers (like being flanked giving -4 to evade, instead of using the goddamn d16 which is the most horrible die there is).
CornBurrito
Member
I mean, to me this is like refusing to use DnD or d20 systems because DnD has figurines and "official" dice. Both of which are entirely optional but also "cash grabs."
Video games must be a nightmare for you, given the large amount that have cash grab DLC.
Just saw they had completed the funding goal which is great.
Now I just hope they keep selling the translated box after the Kickstarter as I am currently a bit tight on money.
ElectricThunder
Member
I'm pretty sure they will have it available for folks after the fact, so no worries there.
Better still, latest update confirms they will in fact be launching another Kickstarter next year for the Blue Box with all the goodies AFTER they get everything and everybody sorted on the Red Box----these folks look to be serious on doing it right and I look forward to them hopefully knocking out the entire lot of it.
Better still, latest update confirms they will in fact be launching another Kickstarter next year for the Blue Box with all the goodies AFTER they get everything and everybody sorted on the Red Box----these folks look to be serious on doing it right and I look forward to them hopefully knocking out the entire lot of it.
DiscoJer
Member
Here's another interesting translation project
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/diamondsutra/ryuutama-natural-fantasy-role-playing-game
Already quite funded, $48k out of the $8k goal.
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/diamondsutra/ryuutama-natural-fantasy-role-playing-game
Ryuutama is a tabletop pen-and-paper role-playing game, developed in Japan by designer Atsuhiro Okada. It is set in a world where the "NPCs" of the village--the bakers, minstrels, farmers, shopkeepers and healers--set off on a wonderful adventure exploring a fantasy world together. Some people colloquially call it "Hayao Miyazaki's Oregon Trail", because of its heartwarming (in Japanese "honobono") feel of family anime, and its focus on traveling and wonder over combat and treasure.
Already quite funded, $48k out of the $8k goal.
ElectricThunder
Member
Ryuutama looks great and I've seen nothing but praise for it as time has rolled on---Tenra Bansho Zero really does seem to have been a boon for getting stuff from Japan seen as viable to be brought over between Double Cross and now this.
Orbis Terrarum seems like it has potential, currently stretching and I hope they go bold if they can manage to achieve all of their rather modestly marked stretches and have to come up with something else:
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/orbisrpg/orbis-terrarum-rpg
Orbis Terrarum seems like it has potential, currently stretching and I hope they go bold if they can manage to achieve all of their rather modestly marked stretches and have to come up with something else:
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/orbisrpg/orbis-terrarum-rpg