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[Salvor.Hardin]

Heya. New to rpg gaming.

I'm wanting to learn/play D&D on my laptop. What's the best source to do this? I don't have a gaming laptop, so the simpler the game the better. I also have a Galaxy S3 so if there's any D&D like app that you lot could advise me on, please do.

Thanks!

 

[Mike M]

Heya. New to rpg gaming.

I'm wanting to learn/play D&D on my laptop. What's the best source to do this? I don't have a gaming laptop, so the simpler the game the better. I also have a Galaxy S3 so if there's any D&D like app that you lot could advise me on, please do.

Thanks!

For clarification, are you looking for a PC game using the D&D material and mechanics, or are you wanting digital tools and references to facilitate a table top session?

 

[dude]

Heya. New to rpg gaming.

I'm wanting to learn/play D&D on my laptop. What's the best source to do this? I don't have a gaming laptop, so the simpler the game the better. I also have a Galaxy S3 so if there's any D&D like app that you lot could advise me on, please do.

Thanks!

P&P RPGS do not require any PC or hardware. P&P stands for Pen and Paper, and that's usually as much hardware as you'll need to play them (well, and dice and some books.) They take place mostly in the collective imagination of the group you're playing with. Some people play with miniatures and maps to make things clearer.
There are video games and apps based on D&D though, if you're looking for those you would probably find more success at the gaming side. This thread is for P&P RPGs.

If you are talking about P&P D&D, the best way to start playing is by searching for a local group (you can find tools to help you do that in the OP) or just buying a source book and gathering a group of friends.

 

[Salvor.Hardin]

For clarification, are you looking for a PC game using the D&D material and mechanics, or are you wanting digital tools and references to facilitate a table top session?

I'm looking for a PC game (online or otherwise) on which I could play D&D.

P&P RPGS do not require any PC or hardware. P&P stands for Pen and Paper, and that's usually as much hardware as you'll need to play them (well, and dice and some books.) They take place mostly in the collective imagination of the group you're playing with. Some people play with miniatures and maps to make things clearer.
There are video games and apps based on D&D though, if you're looking for those you would probably find more success at the gaming side. This thread is for P&P RPGs.

If you are talking about P&P D&D, the best way to start playing is by searching for a local group (you can find tools to help you do that in the OP) or just buying a source book and gathering a group of friends.

I've heard of a few browser based D&D games. I understand that the game is originally P&P, but I don't have any D&D community nearby and no one to play with. I'm wondering if there's any leading game or site that would help me play D&D online.

Also, can D&D be played competitively or is it just a social game?

 

[Mike M]

I'm looking for a PC game (online or otherwise) on which I could play D&D.



I've heard of a few browser based D&D games. I understand that the game is originally P&P, but I don't have any D&D community nearby and no one to play with. I'm wondering if there's any leading game or site that would help me play D&D online.

Also, can D&D be played competitively or is it just a social game?

Well there have been a bunch of D&D games, but none are comprehensive enough to cover all the material of any given edition.

There are some tools and sites to facilitate playing the PnP version online such as Roll20.net and oodles of sites for play-by-post games (Tangled Web and Myth-Weavers off the top of my head).

I don't see any reason why D&D couldn't be played competitively if one were so inclined.

 

[wighti]

Does anyone have any experience with Warhammer 40k RPG's? Picked up Rogue Trader for our long time coming return to PnP gaming.(Must be close to 10 years since we last played anything) After a quick glance I'm glad I picked RT as our game. Feels like there's more options on what kind of game to run with it compared to the other 40k games.

 

[Danoss]

I don't see any reason why D&D couldn't be played competitively if one were so inclined.

At its very roots D&D was designed as a competitive game. It was derived from wargames. I'm not up on the details, but that much I know.

The majority of roleplaying games such as D&D are played as a group with the goal being to have fun, rather than to win. However, there are some some games with competitive or player vs player aspects to them; of these I am aware of two from Pelgrane Press which are Dying Earth and Skulduggery, there is also the indie (and free) Killsplosion. I know very little about these games, but it may be a decent starting point.

If you're after something more competitive in a tabletop game, perhaps look at something like Warmachine/Hordes which is a miniatures wargame that is very popular and comparatively cheap to get into. A number of people in my gaming group play it (more often than board games these days, sadly).

If you want to play online, Roll20 would probably be your best bet. But if you can find a nearby group, you will certainly enjoy yourself a lot more.

Not directing this at you Mike, just quoted that bit to elaborate on.

 

[shoplifter]

I don't see any reason why D&D couldn't be played competitively if one were so inclined.

It has been in the past. Take a look at some of the old tournament modules (the Cx series, starting with Hidden Shrine of Tamoachan) from the 80s. They had scoring systems, etc.

 

[Mike M]

Not directing this at you Mike, just quoted that bit to elaborate on.

No offense taken or anything, I'm little more than a neophyte myself.

 

[EndcatOmega]

Does anyone have any experience with Warhammer 40k RPG's? Picked up Rogue Trader for our long time coming return to PnP gaming.(Must be close to 10 years since we last played anything) After a quick glance I'm glad I picked RT as our game. Feels like there's more options on what kind of game to run with it compared to the other 40k games.

Yeah, I've been running a Rogue Trader game right now online. It's true it's more open, but that's a double edged sword- for those who aren't familiar with the universe it's not a particularly focused introduction, though the social ranks of the players makes mistakes on their part more forgiving so long as the Inquisition doesn't stick its nose into things.

System-wise... is does the job. Expect a large amount of lethality with fate points being blown through each session. Full-auto is incredibly strong; I used some homebrew rules based on later games in the series, but it should be fine if you're aware of it. The ship options are somewhat limited in the core book, so check out Into The Storm or Battlefleet Koronus if your players feel constrained.

 

[wighti]

Cool!

We've all been involved with 40k for ages so even the little more obscure references are bound to be known by at least someone in the group. It's been ages since we've played any tabletop games so I 'd imagine just creating the characters is gonna take a long while. Doubly so for a game none of us have played.

Edit:

What about the fact that the game has a De facto leader for the group in the form of the Rogue Trader, has that caused anything worth mentioning in the games people here might have played. It's one of the things I'm most concerned with. Otherwise the game sees fine.

 

[EndcatOmega]

You could have the Rogue Trader as an NPC, or have every player part of the dynasty, or whatever. Honestly, it's proven no real difficulty- the Rogue Trader in the game I'm running acts as the face for the enterprises, whereas the rest of the party actually makes the real decisions (especially the Navigator and Seneschal).

 

[BattleMonkey]

Rogue Trader is best option for 40k roleplay. The other games in the 40k series like Death Watch and such just aren't as good personally. Rogue Trader gives the most player and GM freedom in narrative and is the more basic of the systems. The rest of the games just seem to take the system and add on more rules which kinda just make em heavier.

 

[wighti]

You could have the Rogue Trader as an NPC, or have every player part of the dynasty, or whatever. Honestly, it's proven no real difficulty- the Rogue Trader in the game I'm running acts as the face for the enterprises, whereas the rest of the party actually makes the real decisions (especially the Navigator and Seneschal).

Yeah, I was thinking something along those lines. Guess it's only a problem if more than one wants to play the RT. Even then, there's always the cold impartiality of the dice roll.

 

[LaserBuddha]

Rogue Trader is best option for 40k roleplay. The other games in the 40k series like Death Watch and such just aren't as good personally. Rogue Trader gives the most player and GM freedom in narrative and is the more basic of the systems. The rest of the games just seem to take the system and add on more rules which kinda just make em heavier.

I'm curious about these games too.

Dark Heresy seems like the ideal set up for some 40k role-playing, at least as I imagine it. What's worse about Dark Heresy compared to Rogue Trader?

Also, does anyone have impressions of Only War yet? I'm big into Imperial Guard but I don't know how fun a game played within the constraints of IG servitude would be. I'm new to this stuff so YMMV.

 

[wighti]

The way I see it (not having played any) is that Rogue Trader is the most free form whilst the others a bit more restricted.

Death Watch, what else do space marines do other than kill, pray and rest?

Only War, it's the army life in the 41st millennium.

Dark Heresy, you're a team of almost Inquisitor but not quite.

Edit: I'm big enough of a Warhammer buff that I'd probably try them all given that there's even a small interest in the group.

 

[accx]

Hey all. We're a group that's about to start playing some PnP.

I'm looking for a useful tool for keeping track of characters, stats, logs, rules and what not.
rptools seems to be what i'm looking for but aren't really user friendly at all.

rolld20.net have some nifty stuff but without columns and not enough customizable options, it probably wont work.

Any suggestions?

Thanks!

EDIT:
We won't be needing any virtual tabletops. It's basically just for logging and so i can keep track of everything that has happened. I also want to minimize dragging along books so adding rules and preferably an automatic system that generates stats that i just need to add values manually one time.

 

[Mike M]

Hey all. We're a group that's about to start playing some PnP.

I'm looking for a useful tool for keeping track of characters, stats, logs, rules and what not.
rptools seems to be what i'm looking for but aren't really user friendly at all.

rolld20.net have some nifty stuff but without columns and not enough customizable options, it probably wont work.

Any suggestions?

Thanks!

EDIT:
We won't be needing any virtual tabletops. It's basically just for logging and so i can keep track of everything that has happened. I also want to minimize dragging along books so adding rules and preferably an automatic system that generates stats that i just need to add values manually one time.

What game are you looking to play? That might narrow it down : ) Also, what kind of device are you wanting to use?

 

[accx]

What game are you looking to play? That might narrow it down : ) Also, what kind of device are you wanting to use?

It's called Mutant, a Swedish pnp.
I figured that the only thing i might need at the moment is a simple spreadsheet.
Tabletop Forge would be lovely if all the features in the road map were available.
If i can figure out how to work with rptools that would be lovely, but as of now i might just go with simple spreadsheets.
The other players showed little interest in this so i might just scrape the idea all together.

Preferably a web interface would have been the best since it could be accessed from anywhere but anything that can be run locally on a PC works just fine.

 

[EndcatOmega]

Dark Heresy is very much CoC, 40k style. It's usually run (though it doesn't necessarily have to be) as investigative horror, some combat run-ins with human cultists or smaller xenos foes and then running like headless chickens/going insane when a major threat appears. It is also a very, very lethal system.

 

[Keasar]

Holy shit!

Brian Fargo and his team are making a spiritual successor to Planescape: Torment, and they are setting it in the Numenera world!

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=505002

 

[Dram]

Wizards of the Coast starts selling D&D PDFs again

http://www.teleread.com/copy-right/wizards-of-the-coast-starts-selling-dd-pdfs-again/

Remember how, back in 2009, Wizards of the Coast pulled all its PDF products from on-line gaming store Paizo and announced it was ceasing PDF sales altogether? Apparently it only took about four years for the company to change its mind again. Wired’s GeekDad reports that WotC has launched a new e-book store site, dndclassics.com, in conjunction with on-line RPG e-book seller DriveThruRPG.

The site currently offers over 80 products ranging in age from the old red and blue books up to the latest 4E stuff, with prices ranging from $4.99 for older products to $17.99 for newer stuff. More products are expected to go up as time goes by. Wired reports that these releases are made from new scans of the products. Hopefully they’re better quality than the one I looked at back in 2006. As with WotC’s former sales through on-line RPG sites, the PDFs seem mostly to be watermarked rather than locked down with DRM. (Found via Slashdot.)

 

[cj_iwakura]

Picking up these sparked some inspiration:

(the WoD books, not Klonoa)

Presumably I'll do a recruitment thread in community once I pen things out.
(Still NWoD Mage)

 

[cj_iwakura]

Recruitment is Go.

 

[dude]

Recruitment is Go.

Wish the time difference wasn't so bad. I have that WoD itch.

 

[cj_iwakura]

Wish the time difference wasn't so bad. I have that WoD itch.

Why does that matter? It's PBP.

 

[dude]

Why does that matter? It's PBP.

Well, because you'll constantly have to be waiting for my response, which would only come the next day...

 

[KittenMaster]

Well, because you'll constantly have to be waiting for my response, which would only come the next day...

Eh, that's active enough IMO. Definition of lack of activity for a PBP game for me is entire players dropping out and never returning.

 

[Somax]

Backed the Fate Core Kickstarter on a whim (because I read "Dresden Files" at the bottom of the stretch goals list and those two words sparked my interest a lot), read the draft and man, it's really awesome. I need to convince my group to try it as soon as possible!

 

[CornBurrito]

Backed the Fate Core Kickstarter on a whim (because I read "Dresden Files" at the bottom of the stretch goals list and those two words sparked my interest a lot), read the draft and man, it's really awesome. I need to convince my group to try it as soon as possible!

Hey I backed it too. Oddly enough I discovered it was even a thing 7 hours before the funding period ended. I had read the Dresden Files RPG a long time ago, decided to read through it again for fun, and then googled Fate. Decided to give 30 dollars for a hard cover.

Sadly I think I won't be able to get a game going, at least not IRL. Maybe I can start a play-by-post game on some forum. Gah I have so many campaign ideas and have a magic system planned out and everything.

Only thing I wish they did (and maybe the non-draft version will have it, or at least one of the expansions) is a "here's how much Refresh and Skill points you should give depending on what kind of game you are running." 3 refresh and 1 Great skill is simply not enough. I might just steal numbers from the Dresden files book.

edit: Would it be acceptable to ask for help crafting a story in this thread? I have some general ideas that need refinement. And I may be having trouble fixing plot holes without assistance.

I know Fate encourages crafting the basic story background with the other players, but I'm a bit hesitant since I -really- want to run a specific campaign idea. Maybe I could just give them suitable background information and let them craft their party, and fill in some details that don't impact the overall plot I want to do.

 

[injurai]

with Cyberpunk 2077 coming out, have any of you looked into the original pnp game?

 

[Somax]

with Cyberpunk 2077 coming out, have any of you looked into the original pnp game?

Played a bit of CP2020 recently, always liked the setting but not much the rules system... Character creation is really entertaining, though.

 

[Riposte]

A long time ago (well, not really, but before I had a GAF account), I was thinking about a PbP game where anyone (or anyone out of a selected group) can play any character as long as they agreed to stay in-character and knew the rules well enough not to fuck things up in battle. I'm not talking about one guy playing for everyone, but something like a dozen or two people playing six characters. With that in mind, I think the focus of the game would have shifted from a strong connection between player and character and more along the lines of building a story. Kind of like those "add to the story" threads, but a hundred times more orderly and consistent.

I also making a rule set designed around PbP play (mainly different for the way turns were done). Don't like how PbP play out currently, so I generally avoid them.

 

[HappyPuppy]

Howdy Gafffers

So for a very long time I have wanted to dive into Dungeons and Dragons but haven't found a group of people committed to do a whole campaign.
Wondering if there are any gaffers who are willing to include me in a campaign or if any of you guys/gals are starting one or want to start one. I've played Dnd 3.5e (only once) and I'm interested in 2e and 3e don't really want to give 4e a try until I played the older editions. So I decided to give online pnp a try, want to try gaffers first and if I don't get a group then try another forum like rptools.net.

TL;DR Caster LFG for Dnd adventure

 

[ultron87]

Walked my group through building Pathfinder characters yesterday for the first time for a campaign I'm starting. Man, that was pretty complicated coming from 4E. I considered having them just use one of those automated character builder excel sheets, but I wanted everyone to be able to do it together and have some idea where the numbers were coming from.

I'm going to make cheat sheets of all their spells and abilities so at least we won't have to pass around tons of books/iPads to look at the PRD all the time.

 

[Keasar]

Walked my group through building Pathfinder characters yesterday for the first time for a campaign I'm starting. Man, that was pretty complicated coming from 4E. I considered having them just use one of those automated character builder excel sheets, but I wanted everyone to be able to do it together and have some idea where the numbers were coming from.

I'm going to make cheat sheets of all their spells and abilities so at least we won't have to pass around tons of books/iPads to look at the PRD all the time.

Power cards similair to those in 4E is a useful tool to keep track of spells. 4/6 sided dice on top to keep the number shown of how many of a selected spell you have prepared is also handy.

 

[dude]

Walked my group through building Pathfinder characters yesterday for the first time for a campaign I'm starting. Man, that was pretty complicated coming from 4E. I considered having them just use one of those automated character builder excel sheets, but I wanted everyone to be able to do it together and have some idea where the numbers were coming from.

I'm going to make cheat sheets of all their spells and abilities so at least we won't have to pass around tons of books/iPads to look at the PRD all the time.

I assume your friends are beginners. You should dedicate and entire session to character creation, and work with the players step by step. Print a head of time multiple copies of the feat/skill/spell lists to speed thing up. This way it's more fun because players can also talk among themselves about the characters and build them so they're complementary of each other. Make sure to explain as much as you can, but also not to bore them with irrelevant information (Keep stats to a short description that's as intuitive as possible - Strength is for damage and attaching, dexterity is for ranged and defense etc.) If you see a player going for a obviously "bad" build, you should note to him that his character might not be the most effective - But you also need to make them feel unrestricted if you want to emphasize role-play, so not each character's strength and weakness and make sure to incorporate into your game an obstacle that will feature the abilities of all characters to that player don't feel they messed up because they didn't understand the rules.

Cheat sheets are very useful, you should especially print many copies of the spells. Make sure to also note in what page each spell is, it'll make it easier for when you need to check something.

Anyway, what you're describing is the biggest problem with P&P games right there. This is why I don't find Pathfinder such a big leap over D&D, they're both not very friendly.

EDIT: Somehow I missed that your post was in the past tense. Sorry

 

[Xisiqomelir]

Happy new year PnP thread!

Who's up for some roll20 or Skype retroclone action in 2013? I'd like to DM again, so I'll take an interest check for a new OSRIC or Labyrinth Lord or For Gold And Glory game. For anyone who doesn't know, all three rulesets are free:

OSRIC is a clone of 1E AD&D (i.e. initiative segments): Rulebook (404 page, 59.3 MB .pdf)

Labyrinth Lord is a clone of Moldvay-Cook B/X D&D (i.e. "Elf" as a Fighter/Magic-User class): Rulebook (140 page, 6.0 MB .pdf)

For Gold And Glory is a clone of my sweet, erratic love - 2E AD&D (i.e. Non-weapon proficiencies and settings FOR DAYS): Rulebook (400 page, 7.8 MB .doc)

 

[Riposte]

Man, I got bit by the bug bad. I was so tempted to make a PbP group I went as far as write up a few paragraphs in a thread then deleted it. No way I have the time for that right now, but maybe next year who knows... In any case there already is a PbP it seems and I wouldn't want to steal its thunder.

What do you guys think of the PbP idea I had earlier, with a large group of players sharing characters (probably multiple DMs too)? It obviously has its faults, but I think there is a lot of potential (not to mention convenience) in collaboration. Thing is do you think there are even that many people interested in taking part in a PbP game, even casually?

 

[LaserBuddha]

Walked my group through building Pathfinder characters yesterday for the first time for a campaign I'm starting. Man, that was pretty complicated coming from 4E. I considered having them just use one of those automated character builder excel sheets, but I wanted everyone to be able to do it together and have some idea where the numbers were coming from.

I'm going to make cheat sheets of all their spells and abilities so at least we won't have to pass around tons of books/iPads to look at the PRD all the time.

http://www.thegm.org/perramsSpellbook.php
Yes, you can still have the ol' spell cards. Enjoy

Also want to see something really neat? I unfortunately can't find the template anywhere:
http://www.feartheboot.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=13828

 

[ultron87]

Ooh, that spellcard thing is just awesome. Thanks!

 

[Jackben]

Man, I got bit by the bug bad. I was so tempted to make a PbP group I went as far as write up a few paragraphs in a thread then deleted it. No way I have the time for that right now, but maybe next year who knows... In any case there already is a PbP it seems and I wouldn't want to steal its thunder.

What do you guys think of the PbP idea I had earlier, with a large group of players sharing characters (probably multiple DMs too)? It obviously has its faults, but I think there is a lot of potential (not to mention convenience) in collaboration. Thing is do you think there are even that many people interested in taking part in a PbP game, even casually?

Aw man, on't worry about stealing thunder! There is no thunder. We might have one or two lurkers but we mostly play to an audience of ourselves. I enjoy it the most myself as a vehicle for exploring different creative writing scenarios and experiences.

In terms of your idea I think it's great and I hope you will try and run with it when you have more free time. It's always a struggle finding a group of people online that will stay dedicated to continue posting. You can get a lot of no shows and disappearances at first before you find a core crew. Even still we struggle with holding that elusive 4th member. I think four or at max five people is the perfect player dynamic though as it keeps things fresh and moving along. The dynamic of sharing would add an interesting flavor for sure and might alleviate some of those problems with attendance. Really depends on how you play it and what your focus for the game will be.

 

[CornBurrito]

Is anyone here interested in the Fate Core system? I need help balancing my schools of magic (stolen from Morrowind). I want players to be able to have some cool magical effects, but don't want mundanes overpowered like what happens in certain other games.

I was thinking:

Destruction: Offensive "pure power" magic. Players can make attacks with this. Now since other skills (like Athletics) are used for attacks and other things, I'm thinking the main benefit is that there won't really be any armor that can defend against destruction magic, and magic can be used at range and hit more targets than a bow could. The best defense would probably be to simply dodge.

Alteration/Mysticism: I plan on merging this two schools. So players who focus in this school can alter their stats, tag themselves with beneficial temporary aspects (like the ability to fly), and manipulate objects in the environment (transforming objects, telekinesis). Now the problem I see is that this school is really hard to balance. For the stat altering thing, I was planning on letting players swap points from the Alteration skill into any other skills they see fit for a set period of time. The problem is that this makes the person a Master of All for no real cost. Maybe I should make it cost 1 fate point per skill point transfer.

Illusion: This school is similar to destruction, except instead of physical damage it inflicts mental damage. Will is the only defense. This ability can run hot or cold depending on the enemy's Will.

Not sure if I need the other schools. Healing magic might be helpful, though I may only make it available if players want to actually take it. I also won't have the Conjuration school.

 

[Riposte]

Since I'm actually quite hyped about it... I've decided that I will very likely be doing a PbP game with at least the recruiting phase starting somewhere at the end of this year IF certain conditions are met. Those conditions are mainly having a number of players interested and dedicated, which I can see actually being something hard to obtain. The bare minimum would be 6 or 7 people (which gives me some flexibility if 2 or 3 drop). Like I said though, I actually want around 10 or even like 15 people (with half or more being very casual), including the possibility of co-DMs. The formula I put forth is as exciting to me as the simply playing the PbP itself.

In the meantime I'll figure out what ruleset to use, how to refine the PbP playstyle, how best to adapt to new players (since I want these in particular), and (if I'm lucky) how to actually run a game with more players than characters. I'm also going to slowly begin gathering "assets" and begin planning the campaign. Even though I clearly understand my chances of success are low, I'd like to go all out (I think if the thread has a lot of visual flare on my part it will keep interest and attract new blood). Alright, I won't talk about this anymore for awhile. Now where is my Sharn sourcebook...

EDIT: I was considering giving 13th Age a shot (it will be out by then right?), but I'm pretty concerned about converting material (haha, yeah, I won't be doing that by hand), particularly classes like the Artificer.

 

[Mike M]

Since I'm actually quite hyped about it... I've decided that I will very likely be doing a PbP game with at least the recruiting phase starting somewhere at the end of this year IF certain conditions are met. Those conditions are mainly having a number of players interested and dedicated, which I can see actually being something hard to obtain. The bare minimum would be 6 or 7 people (which gives me some flexibility if 2 or 3 drop). Like I said though, I actually want around 10 or even like 15 people (with half or more being very casual), including the possibility of co-DMs. The formula I put forth is as exciting to me as the simply playing the PbP itself.

In the meantime I'll figure out what ruleset to use, how to refine the PbP playstyle, how best to adapt to new players (since I want these in particular), and (if I'm lucky) how to actually run a game with more players than characters. I'm also going to slowly begin gathering "assets" and begin planning the campaign. Even though I clearly understand my chances of success are low, I'd like to go all out (I think if the thread has a lot of visual flare on my part it will keep interest and attract new blood). Alright, I won't talk about this anymore for awhile. Now where is my Sharn sourcebook...

EDIT: I was considering giving 13th Age a shot (it will be out by then right?), but I'm pretty concerned about converting material (haha, yeah, I won't be doing that by hand), particularly classes like the Artificer.

Man, 6 or 7 is pretty ambitious. The D&D PbP we've got going in Community struggles to get and stay above four players, and only two current players were in the original group.

I may be potentially interested, but I have noticed my penchant for huge wall of texts posts of storytelling and description has diminished considerably from where I started out...

 

[CornBurrito]

Honestly I don't see the huge appeal of DND and Pathfinder. I am currently in a DND game, and there's just such a widespread disparity between the classes. We have a party monk who is useless. Absolutely useless. Meanwhile the party fighter can wreck things up. This is at low levels. At high level play so many enemies give martial classes problems. Magic also seems to become absurdly broken, especially if you take some non-core stuff and can exploit metamagic to the point where you can metamagic 9th level spells at no cost.

And in non-Pathfinder DND humans are stupidly better than the other races, unless you're running a build that requires few feats or skill points.

It also seems to require a large amount of house rules. I made a Binder (Tome of Magic class) and had an insane diplomacy score by level 3 thanks to skill synergies and a high charisma. Diplomacy is a set DC and I can practically take anyone hostile and turn them friendly in a single roll.

 

[Riposte]

Man, 6 or 7 is pretty ambitious. The D&D PbP we've got going in Community struggles to get and stay above four players, and only two current players were in the original group.

I may be potentially interested, but I have noticed my penchant for huge wall of texts posts of storytelling and description has diminished considerably from where I started out...

I definitely want to aim high. I'm not delusional though.

I wonder what has diminished your interest in that style of posting. Obviously it would be something I would have to think about. (I'll be keeping a close eye on the current PbP game.)

Honestly I don't see the huge appeal of DND and Pathfinder. I am currently in a DND game, and there's just such a widespread disparity between the classes. We have a party monk who is useless. Absolutely useless. Meanwhile the party fighter can wreck things up. This is at low levels. At high level play so many enemies give martial classes problems. Magic also seems to become absurdly broken, especially if you take some non-core stuff and can exploit metamagic to the point where you can metamagic 9th level spells at no cost.

And in non-Pathfinder DND humans are stupidly better than the other races, unless you're running a build that requires few feats or skill points.

It also seems to require a large amount of house rules. I made a Binder (Tome of Magic class) and had an insane diplomacy score by level 3 thanks to skill synergies and a high charisma. Diplomacy is a set DC and I can practically take anyone hostile and turn them friendly in a single roll.

I assume you mean 3e DnD? Monks are like the worst class, no? There is a tier list, but I don't pay too much attention to it. It is probably the worst designed class if nothing else. Things just don't fit together. I don't think they are suppose to be completely useless at low levels though. If you are using Tome of Magic, then maybe Tome of Battle is available for your friend lol. One thing you have to realize is that additional source books will often lead to a power creep simply because they are made after the fact and may try to balance things in weird ways. It is sort of the DM's responsibility to realize which should or should not be used (after all there are probably, no joke, hundreds of thousands of d20 documents published under the OGL). One might think restricting it to Wizards products would be enough, but no.

Yeah, I love me some house rules though. Granted every game is probably better with them.

I make it (or made it, since it has been awhile) so that you can never shift disposition more than one tier with diplomacy. I like using that skill to give players a "dossier" on the character they are dealing with. Basically something that says "this is how you butter him up, this is what you don't want to say, etc" and leave it to role-playing. Depth of details (including the possibility of false information through spectacularly bad rolls) are based on the skill level of the user (knowledge skills are also thrown in). Get a 40 and you basically know the dude's favorite erogenous zones just by looking at him talk.

I simply have no interest in ever going over level 15 in DnD. I'm totally okay if epic rules just started in the early to mid teens (for NPCs too). I've seen similar rulesets for even lower levels (6-8), but personally I like to give prestige classes some breathing room.

EDIT: IIRC Binder is some potentially broken stuff, especially if people use it for multiclass dipping. Think Tome of Magic got negative reception for that.

 

[Mike M]

I definitely want to aim high. I'm not delusional though.

I wonder what has diminished your interest in that style of posting. Obviously it would be something I would have to think about. (I'll be keeping a close eye on the current PbP game.)

Time is a major factor, plus I found myself repeating the same sort descriptions over time. I'm not as imaginative as I thought. LOL.

 

[shoplifter]

Hopefully getting my Hackmaster game off the ground in the next month or so.

 

[Danoss]

James Wallis has created a new RPG and a new Kickstarter for Alas Vegas.

The books will be published by Pelgrane Press, so they'll no doubt be excellent quality and, owning the majority of the products they have put out, I can vouch for that.

I'm still hoping to see a printed copy of Wallis' The Exciting Adventures of Baron Munchausen one day. He says he will be trying for a print run this year, so here's hoping.