[dude]

Godammit, one of my players had to drop out of our group because of school and work...

Well, guess I'll start looking for a replacement!

[ultron87]

Our DM for our ongoing 4E game is moving an hour and a half away. I think I might need to step back up to the seat to keep us playing.

[Nairume]

Hey guys, im new to the PNP scene and have a question. are there any good 2 player PNP RPGs. i'm looking for something easy to pick up and play with my brother. i don't see him too often but he's coming to visit soon and when i spoke to him about it we both agreed it might be a pretty fun way to spend a couple of evenings so basically: -two player PNP rpg ideally with a contemporary setting though d&d is ok too -easy any ideas?

I'm probably a few days late on this, but check into Savage Worlds (which I don't think was listed in the OP). It's a very easy to learn system that is geared towards any setting, with contemporary/modern being one of the ones the core book focuses on the most. It is basically perfect for one shots/quick campaigns (which I am assuming you are looking for), since it doesn't require nearly as much of an investment to get going.

You can also snag the core book for $10 brand new.

[AdrianWerner]

I've been out of loop when it comes to PnP RPG gaming for a while. Now that I came back I just learned Mongoose lost Conan license years ago. So I guess buying the few remaing Conan setting books will be really expensive :D

Anyway...what's currently the best site for news about whole PnP RPG industry? Since Gaming Report also died :(

[KittenMaster]

I bought the .PDF version of Pathfinder's rulebook.

I can't figure out how paizo.com's recruitment forum works. I see recruitment for campaigns go up to hundreds of pages of people submitting characters, but it doesn't seem like the campaigns have more than several characters.

I also need to ask, is it acceptable to join a campaign without asking if new players are welcome? It feels intrusive and I'd have to ask in every thread I post in if I did that.

EDIT: Nvm, learned how they operate. Post a character app and hope you get in.

[dude]

I'm probably a few days late on this, but check into Savage Worlds (which I don't think was listed in the OP). It's a very easy to learn system that is geared towards any setting, with contemporary/modern being one of the ones the core book focuses on the most. It is basically perfect for one shots/quick campaigns (which I am assuming you are looking for), since it doesn't require nearly as much of an investment to get going. You can also snag the core book for $10 brand new.

I wanted t add Savage Worlds, but I didn't know much about it - I'd love if you could write a few sentences on it so that I could add it to the OP :)

[Nairume]

I wanted t add Savage Worlds, but I didn't know much about it - I'd love if you could write a few sentences on it so that I could add it to the OP :)

Gladly!



Savage Worlds is a "newer" universal system that is a simplified modern version of the classic Deadlands rule system (which itself has been relaunched as a setting for Savage Worlds). Rather than a more realistic stats heavy approach to a universal system, SW instead is a fairly fast & loose system. Character creation takes minutes. The mechanics are all fairly uniform and geared towards never bogging players and GMs down in unnecessary rolling. Even the more advanced mechanics are simple enough to where you can easily teach a fresh group of players how to play the game and have everybody up to speed in little time.

The system also usually has a very low price of entry, with the Savage World Explorers Edition (a softback that features the ) being priced at a very fair $10. Sadly, it's presently out of print as Pinnacle is in the process of revising it, but you can still find copies around the market for the usual price. The hardback full sized version of the book is readily available at $30, which is still a low cost of entry when

[Fine Ham Abounds]

I haven't played tabletop D&D in almost 25 years. I still have my classic red box of the rules from like 1987. It's sadly in nearly mint condition.

Some part of me always wanted to play these more than video game RPGs, but I never knew enough people who played this until I was in college and firmly set in my ways.

Gonna read all the links offered in the OP and do some research when I have time, I'm curious about giving these another try.

[Keasar]

Anyone have any experience with the Pathfinder Adventure Paths? Most of my friends dont have time to write our own adventures and so we are looking to pre-written ones. These Adventure Paths seems perfect since they span whole campaigns and seem to be pretty long each. Any you recommend to start with?

[krypt0nian]

Anyone have any experience with the Pathfinder Adventure Paths? Most of my friends dont have time to write our own adventures and so we are looking to pre-written ones. These Adventure Paths seems perfect since they span whole campaigns and seem to be pretty long each. Any you recommend to start with?

Here's a list of all the APs with a blurbs on each one. If you click in, there's a blurb on each module. http://paizo.com/pathfinder/adventurePath

They are rereleasing Rise of the Runelords their first AP as a hardcover for $59 in July, revised to Pathfinder rules (the first couple APs came out as 3.5 since they pre dated the Pathfinder ruleset) and it's considered one of the very best module sets ever, so if you can hold out til then?

http://paizo.com/products/btpy8mqq?P...tion-Hardcover

Link to the free PDF of the RotRL Players Guide - http://paizo.com/products/btpy8bd9?P...-Players-Guide

[Keasar]

Here's a list of all the APs with a blurbs on each one. If you click in, there's a blurb on each module. http://paizo.com/pathfinder/adventurePath They are rereleasing Rise of the Runelords their first AP as a hardcover for $59 in July, revised to Pathfinder rules (the first couple APs came out as 3.5 since they pre dated the Pathfinder ruleset) and it's considered one of the very best module sets ever, so if you can hold out til then? http://paizo.com/products/btpy8mqq?P...tion-Hardcover Link to the free PDF of the RotRL Players Guide - http://paizo.com/products/btpy8bd9?P...-Players-Guide [IMG]http://paizo.com/image/product/catalog/PZO/PZO1002_500.jpeg[IMG]

That does sound great. Was looking at Rise of the Runelords before realising it was 3.5 rules and not Pathfinder rules. And it seems a pretty hefty adventure.

Any other modules, Pathfinder Society Scenarios and the like you guys recommend for a beginner group?

[_tetsuo_]

D&D Virtual Table. Godlike. Once I find out how to send them, I have a few beta codes to give out. Going to try and run Elder Elemental Eye on it :)

[dude]

Gladly! Savage Worlds is a "newer" universal system that is a simplified modern version of the classic Deadlands rule system (which itself has been relaunched as a setting for Savage Worlds). Rather than a more realistic stats heavy approach to a universal system, SW instead is a fairly fast & loose system. Character creation takes minutes. The mechanics are all fairly uniform and geared towards never bogging players and GMs down in unnecessary rolling. Even the more advanced mechanics are simple enough to where you can easily teach a fresh group of players how to play the game and have everybody up to speed in little time. The system also usually has a very low price of entry, with the Savage World Explorers Edition (a softback that features the ) being priced at a very fair $10. Sadly, it's presently out of print as Pinnacle is in the process of revising it, but you can still find copies around the market for the usual price. The hardback full sized version of the book is readily available at $30, which is still a low cost of entry when

Added to OP, thanks a lot! :)

[Riposte]

That's D&D failings - I literally don't know anyone who remembers all of the D&D rules, let alone anyone that play by them. It's amazing how needlessly complicated that game has become.

I partially disagree. It is only the weird rules (like Turning) that are hard to remember. It is reasonably complicated, especially once you house-rule the rough edges.

[_tetsuo_]

Anyone want a D&D Virtual Table Beta invite?

[Arpeggio23]

Anyone want a D&D Virtual Table Beta invite?

Yes, please!

[Nairume]

Anyone want a D&D Virtual Table Beta invite?

Ooh, would you happen to have multiple?

[dude]

I partially disagree. It is only the weird rules (like Turning) that are hard to remember. It is reasonably complicated, especially once you house-rule the rough edges.

But if I buy the D&D books, I expect to find rules that I won't have to house-rule. These "weird rules" are regarded as the same as any other and it's sometimes hard to disconnect them from the rest of the rules.
Beside, I would argue that even the more easily remembered rules of D&D are too complicated (too much math, numbers are too big, too many different dice, too many arbitrary parameters - you pretty much can't level up a character without opening a book and much more.)

[_tetsuo_]

Yes, please!

Ooh, would you happen to have multiple?

Both sent

[AdrianWerner]

Both sent

Do you, by any chance, have one left? :)

[krypt0nian]

Cover and updated,product description for Giants Revisited sourcebook due out in May. Nice to see Ryan Costello's name on it. He hosts two of my fave Pathfinder podcasts (Know Direction and 3.5 Sanctuary). Great community supporter!

No creatures demonstrate smaller races’ relative insignificance better than the eerie and awe-inspiring giants, whose humanoid visages and cyclopean strengths exude an aura of both familiarity and terror. Standing in the long shadows of these colossi, smaller races can witness a form of primordial power that shakes the earth, churns the skies, and roils the waves. Giants Revisited explores the traits and habitats of the biggest and meanest humanoids ever to tread the earth, towering beings whose motives and behaviors are as varied as their origins and amazing abilities. Each giant race’s entry examines the creature’s ecology and habitat, its interactions with other giants and races, advice on how to implement the behemoth in your game, unique stat blocks, and more. Inside this 64-page book, you’ll find goliaths such as: Hill giants, the primitive, blundering brutes who plague valley communities and roving caravans in their endless search for food and destruction. Cyclopes, the one-eyed behemoths whose ancient empire’s ruins still dot tropical coasts. Taiga giants, nomads who commune with ancestral spirits to guide them. Rune giants, who were created long ago to enslave all of giantkind. Marsh giants, froglike beings who conspire with otherworldly sea-spawn sent from their foul demon lord. Cloud giants, whose mythical cloud cities are as much a thing of legend as their own lofty race. Other herculean heavyweights such as the industrious fire giants, barbaric frost giants, capricious storm giants, and stoic stone giants. Giants Revisited is intended for use with the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game and Pathfinder campaign setting, but can easily be used in any fantasy game setting. by Jesse Benner, Ryan Costello, Brian R. James, Jason Nelson, Russ Taylor, and Ray Vallese ISBN-13: 978-1-60125-412-2

Gods, I love Pathfinder art!

[Keasar]

Just put an order down for the Pathfinder Advanced Players Guide and also for the swedish RPG Coriolis. A sci-fi RPG that centers around the space station Coriolis.

A new time come close. The Third Horizon. A new era. The signs are everywhere - in the prayers recited before the rows of silent symbols in the tempes city of Lotus, in the crackling masses of souls transmitted across the emptiness by lonesome space beacons by star route's crossroads, in the silence from the Council of Factions on the space station Coriolis. The mysterious emissaries from Xene have arrinved to Coriolis, with dark tidings from powerful lifeforms in the depths of the gas giant. Many regard them as the herolds from the gods, carrying a divine promise about a new beginnin in The Third Horizon. Others see them as the forefront of doomsday, sent from the darkness threatening all the worlds. It is a time of change - a time where all blessings also carry their own curse. A time for heroes.

[shaowebb]

I still own the Discworld PnP Rpg and used to mess around with THACO dnd and Shadowrun with my brother in highschool. We also had this one REALLY fucked up Douglas Adams style PnP called "Tales from the Floating Vagabond".



It was a comedy where occasionally someone from time and space anywhere/anywhen will go missing and they all appear in the future at one location. This meant you could be an orc, an anthro, a dwarf, an alien...ANYTHING. A bar was built on this spot called "The Floating Vagabond" as the first thing each person tends to want after such an event occurs to them is a damned stiff drink .

Game had great perks. You could use your "cool" stat to get away with a ton of shit and to quite simply not be effected by some things because you were too cool to die. You could even get one perk of "theme song" that gave you a ton of cool point perks, but it greatly nerfed your stealth since they could always hear you coming.

Check it out sometime. Its really fun.

[Riposte]

Wasted a few hours reading through all the archives of Wizard's "Sharn Inquisitive" series. I really like Eberron a little too much.

http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/archeb/si

[krypt0nian]

Just put an order down for the Pathfinder Advanced Players Guide and also for the swedish RPG Coriolis. A sci-fi RPG that centers around the space station Coriolis.

Let us know what you think of the APG. I believe that that book is what makes Pathfinder more than just DnD 3.75, and turns it into its own game.

[Lonesome_Raod]

So a week on Sunday and the first session of Pathfinder will be kicking off. I have got a nicely fleshed out corner of the world as well as histories of various people and places. As sessions will be around 4 hours long every three weeks I am encouraging a lot of the solo stuff such as researching information for personal stories and other individual activities to be done in a sort of play by email method so that the core of our time can be spent as a group moving the game on.

Bought some lovely miniatures by reaper for the games but other than undercoating them white I will not be painting them; I just don't want to ruin such lovely miniatures with a naff paint job.

[krypt0nian]

So a week on Sunday and the first session of Pathfinder will be kicking off. I have got a nicely fleshed out corner of the world as well as histories of various people and places. As sessions will be around 4 hours long every three weeks I am encouraging a lot of the solo stuff such as researching information for personal stories and other individual activities to be done in a sort of play by email method so that the core of our time can be spent as a group moving the game on. Bought some lovely miniatures by reaper for the games but other than undercoating them white I will not be painting them; I just don't want to ruin such lovely miniatures with a naff paint job.

Keep us updated. My current love is Pathfinder and I relish new campaign stories.

Are you all using something like Obsidian Portal for campaign organization/wiki/session recaps? I find it to be invaluable.

[Lonesome_Raod]

If I am honest I have never heard of that. I will post updates here though.

The party consists of a gnome fighter, half-orc monk, elven rogue and a human ranger. Each has been asked to write the reasons they have arrived at the frontier town of Odessa's Stand and I have had them all back. The stories ranged from visiting family to tracking down an on-the-run killer. This will allow me to tailor some personal stuff into the stories as we go along. for example one place they can find early on is a well-spring that served as a bolt hole for the killer one of the players is hunting and here they will discover information that sets off a story arc named 'the god in the stone'.

I have used a standard goblin attack on the town to pave the way for bigger things. Playing some basic combat scenarios to allow everyone to get into things and pick up the rules. None of us has played paper and pen for around 8 years maybe more. Back then it was A,D&D and MERP we used to play.

[Keasar]

So I have just recieved my two new RPG books, Coriolis and Pathfinder RPG: Advanced Players Guide.

While I havent read through it properly yet, I do love the Advanced Players Guide. The new classes sounds fun, I like the new archetypes (even convinced my GM that I should be able to play a Drunken Master, so now I am a Drunken Master Half-Orc Monk, awesome!) and the new rules sounds really useful for the game. Gonna have to discuss the new rules with a GM and see what he thinks, overall, a great book that compliments the game well so far from what little I have read.

As for Coriolis, a swedish sci-fi set in a middle eastern/north-eastern african themed space far out in the future, it is a beautiful game. Stylish art that really sets the mood for the mystery of the third horizon. Wish I had a scanner or a better camera to show you guys. The rules are a bit overcomplicated at some points and they have kinda messed up with the grammar and spelling but I am looking forward to try and play it soon.

[krypt0nian]

I honestly believe that the archetypes make the game. They've pretty much replaced prestige classes as they start you out in a very different place and make the classes unique.

That said Paizo has a prestige class hardback solicited for this year that I'm crazy interested in. ;)

[Danoss]

Call of Cthulu is an old but good one. The rules are a lot of more flexible since combat is not as common and its more exploration and imaginative.

Call of Cthulhu is amazing, I was stunned when it wasn't in the OP. Having been out for just over 30 years and being just as popular as ever, it's quite disappointing to see it be ignored over the other listed games (listing it with D&D as D20 doesn't count *shudders*).

It is essentially the gateway to indie RPGs and runs on the brilliant BRP system. BRP is incredibly flexible and adaptable to many situations. It is one of the easiest systems for any beginner to learn. No checking with the GM to see if you successfully hit or passed a check, you roll percentile dice, look at the skill on your character sheet and know immediately.

This has already spawned a game based on it called 'Trail of Cthulhu', which runs on the GUMSHOE engine. The premise and system are quite similar, but a lot of clues that are normally rolled for can be bought by players using a limited number of points available to them. A problem easily worked around in the original CoC game, but some very cool stuff nonetheless.

There are a couple of Kickstarter projects running at the moment for CoC scenario books. Get 'em while they're hot!



The first is by Pagan Publishing, well known for The Unspeakable Oath and Delta Green. Their newest book 'Bumps in the Night' is ready, it was just seeking funding for printing, which it is absolutely smashing at over 400% raised with 2 weeks to go!



The second is by Dennis Detwiller who is a legend in the industry, having contributed to many incredible books. His latest offering is 'The Sense of the Sleight of Hand Man'. A campaign set in H.P. Lovecraft's Dreamlands. The first chapter sample alone looks great. It's only a PDF at present for as low as $10, and if $10,000 is reached it looks like it will be made into a book, which I really want to happen.

Chaosium has just released the 3rd edition of their 'Cthulhu by Gaslight' sourcebook today! I hear there is an (optional) surprise they've added to character creation, which makes me even more keen to get my hands on this and I had already put my pre-order in. Whats more terrifying then being in a scary as hell situation with no cars, no phones, no torches etc.

To the person who said that it's hard for DC values to be changed in BRP, it is easily accomplished. I believe it is in the core rulebook that you can add or subtract percentages to achieve this. Should that Listen check be a little bit harder? -10% to their listen skill ability, or any other number, as much as you would like to scale the difficulty to the situation or the player. You can also just use skill fractions if you want, such as 3/4 or 1/2 skill points. Here is a handy PDF for your players to have as a reference as it makes for easy fraction calculations, especially for impales.

Calling for rolls can be overused. They are designed to be used when there is a chance of failure. If I dropped a key out of my pocket onto the floor whilst browsing the internet, calling for a Spot Hidden roll would be pointless. The reason it's pointless is because there is no pressure or difficult circumstance, I would just keep looking and eventually find it. If I dropped a key out of my pocket and there was a Byakhee swooping down to drain my blood, or it was on the street and the night was very dark with limited lighting, that's a different story.

Wild Talents really should be added to the Supers section in the OP. Overlooking that game is a crime.

[peakish]

"They were hardy and dangerous, lawless, stripped of allegiance or morality, living off their wits, stealing and killing, hiring themselves out to whoever and whatever came. They were inspired by dubious virtues.

"Most were nothing but tomb raiders. They were scum who died violent deaths, hanging on to a certain cachet among the impressionable through their undeniable bravery and their occasional impressive exploits." <- Stumbled upon this depiction of adventurers in Perdido Street Station. Anyone recognising themselves in it? :lol

To the person who said that it's hard for DC values to be changed in BRP, it is easily accomplished. I believe it is in the core rulebook that you can add or subtract percentages to achieve this. Should that Listen check be a little bit harder? -10% to their listen skill ability, or any other number, as much as you would like to scale the difficulty to the situation or the player. You can also just use skill fractions if you want, such as 3/4 or 1/2 skill points. Here is a handy PDF for your players to have as a reference as it makes for easy fraction calculations, especially for impales.

Well that's what I'm doing right now, I just don't think it's very interesting as a system (mostly giving straight -10/20/30 penalties instead of fractions though :) ). What does "Cthulhu Mythos 5%" really mean for characters when faced with something unknown they want to identify, did that thing by chance happen to be written in the pages that gave those few mythos points even if it didn't contain anything of that sort? I know that the system isn't meant to be taken at face value for that stuff but to me it feels like it's designed for that type of gaming, with the keeper having to work around instead of with it. Anyway, it's definitely not a huge deal, I'm just not a fan.

I've eyed Trails of Cthulhu which very much seems to be something more in line with my idea of Cthulhu gaming, I'll probably track a copy down once I get some free money :)

Edit: I just ran a session btw, it was pretty fun. The investigators decided to fight some police officers who were actually cult members worshipping a Great Old One. They were shot and surrendered and spent a few nights in prison before getting dragged to a ritual in which the great daemon appeared and turned them into undead servants. Goodbye, Good Guys. But I really need to work on my Lovecraftian vocabulary, I can't describe horrible creatures with extra dimensional forms and appendages in a frightening way at all :/ Got a long way to go as a keeper but having tons of fun on the way!

[Danoss]

Well that's what I'm doing right now, I just don't think it's very interesting as a system (mostly giving straight -10/20/30 penalties instead of fractions though :) ). What does "Cthulhu Mythos 5%" really mean for characters when faced with something unknown they want to identify, did that thing by chance happen to be written in the pages that gave those few mythos points even if it didn't contain anything of that sort? I know that the system isn't meant to be taken at face value for that stuff but to me it feels like it's designed for that type of gaming, with the keeper having to work around instead of with it. Anyway, it's definitely not a huge deal, I'm just not a fan.

A penalty between 20 and 30 is pretty harsh, especially if used often. Depending on the skill, that can sometimes be forcing an impale as the only way to succeed. I find those situations don't come up very often at all. If you find yourself punishing players a lot like this, I hope you give skill bonuses when they come up with a cool idea.

As for the Cthulhu Mythos, that's exactly what it means. Every character in CoC has a 1% chance to succeed at something. The idea behind it is that someone might have read something in a magazine or heard something on the radio that's oddly appropriate for a particular solution. The 5% in Cthulhu Mythos demonstrates what little they have learned about the horrors of the beyond.

I don't see what has to be worked around in CoC, where exactly are you finding the system getting in the way? I find the system appears when it's needed (and there is a skill or stat for just about any situation) and then falls back when it isn't.

I think the Cthulhu Mythos/Sanity mechanic is quite elegant in its implementation. Cthulhu Mythos score goes up, Sanity goes down. The more your learn about the Cthulhu Mythos, the more insane you become. But, I'm not keen on actually using the Mythos itself. If you play the game long enough, players will be able to pick things up like "oh, thats a Byakhee" or "yep, here comes a Deep One". It's okay to use them every now and then or just use their stats and re-skin them. I encourage you to take a look at the 'Bumps in the Night' Kickstarter for scenarios which do not feature mythos creatures, I'm confident that it won't be anything short of amazing.

As for the Lovecraftian vocabulary to describe the horrors that your players face, which vocabulary are you talking about? He often used descriptors such as 'the un-namable', 'the unspeakable' or ' a horror which I dare not attempt to describe'. Whilst he did use adjectives a whole lot, he often went rather lean when it came time to talk about the inter-dimensional horrors. Here's the initial description of Cthulhu itself when it appears:

The Thing cannot be described - there is no language for such abysms of shrieking and immemorial lunacy, such eldritch contradictions of all matter, force, and cosmic order. A mountain walked or stumbled.

i.e. it's big, that's all you get for now.

Remember the 5 senses and use them (often not all of them) when describing rooms, creatures and whatnot to your players. Smell is one that is often forgotten. Lovecraft demonstrated this later on when Cthulhu was attacked by having the yacht, the 'Alert' rammed into it (but as you'll see, he flaked out on the sound):

The awful squid-head with writhing feelers came nearly up to the bowsprit of the sturdy yacht, but johansen drove on relentlessly. There was a bursting as of an exploding bladder, a slushy nastiness as of a cloven sunfish, a stench as of a thousand opened graves, and a sound that the chronicler could not put on paper.

Also, be careful when trying to scare your players, it's incredibly difficult and will often come off as cheesy when you do. There was a something Stephen King wrote in Danse Macarbre, which goes like:

The 3 types of terror; The Gross-out: It's when the lights go out and something green and slimy splatters against your arm. The Horror: It's when the lights go out and something with claws grabs you by the arm. And the worse one, Terror: It's when the lights go out and you feel something behind you; you hear it, you feel its breath against your ear, but when you turn around, there's nothing there.

• The Gross-out is effective in horror games, because most peoples reaction is to be disgusted by such things. Easy to overuse, but is somewhat effective when you do.
• The Horror is hard to pull off, the main thing he talks about is people hearing about a 10-foot spider and shrugging it off because "at least it wasn't a 100-foot spider".
• The Terror is something Stephen King said he would go to every time. It's effective and scares the shit out of people. Harder to do in an RPG but it can work to some degree.

There is an RPPR podcast on this very topic that you might find worth listening to. Linky.

On podcasts, there are a few you may want to listen to (if that's your thing).

• RPPR Podcast - Many varying tips and ideas for GMing, they're very big CoC players. A recent one you may like: Critique of Cthulhu.
• Miskatonic University Podcast - A very new podcast purely about CoC. Early on it is starting with the basics and fleshing them out. Very useful for people new to CoC, they explain things very well.
• Unspeakable! - An excellent podcast with some of the great people in RPG publishing talking about horror gaming, as it's the podcast for 'The Unspeakable Oath'; a magazine on Cthulhu RPGs. Adam Scott Glancy is amazing to listen to and in one episode, describes an instance of him terrifying his players by infecting their characters bodies. Well worth a listen. (The Actual Plays may not be your thing, but any game run by Adam Scott Glancy is worth a try, he's great).

[peakish]

Thank you for some good links and tips! I'll definitely check out those podcasts (an upcoming five hour car ride just became more bearable :) ).

As for system critique, maybe my critiques are misguided - my first contact with BRP was a dungeon slasher and maybe it's just that I'm expecting a game with as awesome premises as Call of Cthulhu to have a more interesting system than just making skill checks. I'll need to think about that a bit more honestly. Anyway, here are my current main complaints about the system:

- There's too many skills, some with little distinction between them (conceal/hide/sneak, or fast talk/persuade), some that seem unnecessary (conceal, pilot, mech./elec. repair) and some like the natural sciences that could have tons of uses, but you need to specialise into just one or two and hope that your challenges will need those specifically (of course coordinating these skills inside the group is possible, or as a keeper modifying scenarios/inventing stuff on the go such that those selected will be more useful, which would be my preferred solution once I get better at this).

- No skill interconnects, so you have characters that are great at spotting things but bad at listening or tracking, great at hiding but can't sneak if their life depended on it, etc. Again this will probably get better for players as they play more and realise what constitutes good balanced characters but to me it adds to the binary feel of the system.

- Difficulties aren't built into the system. In some skill descriptions they note that certain circumstances may call for rolling against half skills, or even reducing more if required at the keepers call - this is of course quite obvious and one of the first methods I started using almost without thinking about it. However, the core rulebook doesn't give good guidelines as to when this could apply which in my mind again puts work squarely on the keepers shoulders to experiment and find out what works and what doesn't instead of working with them on the issue.

- Speaking of difficulties, success is mostly a binary affair, you either find the letter or you don't. Most of the time this is everything you need but I've found that some skills (say, history) could be more interesting if there were built in ways of doing better or worse. There's no support for this in the system. But again it might be my inexperience speaking, making things too complicated and bogging down into details will probably slow down the game and confuse the players now that I think about it. Still, I read that for instance Trails of Cthulhu has "spending" as a method for gaining more than the default in certain situations. I'm not sure about details right now but that sounded interesting.

These complaints aside, the sanity system is fantastic and that part of the book (also including rules for mythos tomes, occult, etc.) very good. Much more in line with what I want from this game :) I've also been eyeing this character lite system which reduces the number of skills, introducing more combined awareness, athletics, combat etc. skills, and adding specialisations on top of more all encompassing "science" skills. I don't want to praise it too much before actually playing with it (I'll probably try to make my group try it for their next set of characters) but it seems to deal with a lot of my issues concerning too many skills without links, without touching the goodie sanity systems. Less focus on skill particulars, more on the meat.


Edit: Writing this post made me realise that my problem probably isn't lacking difficulties or non-binary outcomes. I don't need more details (like DC's or non-binary outcomes) to rely on to improve my game - rather less so that the play flows better and isn't bogged down in technicalities of specific skills. I guess that's my main draw to that particular light system. Next session I'll keep modified skill checks to a minimum or even eliminate them completely, see how that works out.

[Danoss]

Happy to help if I can!

Wow, I had a decent reply written for you and GAF decided to wipe it on me. I'll try to get to the nuts and bolts of it.

Are your players pushing the limits of some of their skills, i.e. 85-95% ? If they are, that may be part of the problem there.

As for mismatching skills, when your players choose a profession, their skills should match it. There are some great examples in the core rulebook to use as a guide. If you're doing one-shots, you can generate characters that fit the story with the skills that will be needed. If the players really want to play their own characters, that's fine, but tell them the skills that are essential for your adventure.

Keep giving it a go with the game, the things you're not liking will fade away in time, because they really aren't issues at all. Have a listen to some podcasts and see what other people find fun about it and how they deal with certain things. You may even want to listen to some actual plays to see how other, more experienced groups play. Maybe try RPPR's 'The Horrible Lonely House in the Woods' (2:15:44). I haven't yet listened to Adam Scott Glancy's game of 'The Night Mission' on there yet, but it's on my list. His historical knowledge is awesome and his games are great.

You seem to be on the right track with your edit. This game is meant to be kept simple. Skill checks can be as abundant or scarce as the Keeper wants. If a characters skill is high enough, you can just say they succeeded, there's no harm in that. CoC can be hard enough without increasing the difficulty on checks regularly (it's supposed to be an every now and then thing, when appropriate, not another element to the system to constantly apply).

I've got a couple more games up my sleeve that may be worth a look if CoC isn't working out for you. It is a great system and I think it's worth giving a really good go before giving up. Especially if you're a new Keeper. You will find ways around any problems your players may throw at you, it's all time and experience. You and your players are trying to tell a story together, it takes practice, but once you find your rhythm you'll be having an absolute blast. Given time, I think it'll be fine.

Edit: I would have made a separate post for this, but this thread is a little too slow, so it would have been a double post. A cross-post from AusGAF anyhow, with some extra stuff that they wouldn't give a crap about (not that they even gave a crap about the first bit).

I received a CD in the post a while back and hadn't gotten around to opening and ripping it to my PC yet. It's some creepy and atmospheric ambient music that would be great to use when running some Cthulhu or other horror RPG (which is the intent behind their creation). The creator included some album themed postcard things and one of them contained a personalised message. I though it was cool enough to share with you guys.



You can have a bit of a listen if you want at http://www.cthulhumusic.com/

I think mood music in RPGs is a very cool thing. It certainly adds to the tension in horror games, which is much needed to try and get the players on edge and into the scene. There are a couple of other bands which produce music appropriate for RPGs, however they are not anywhere near as ambient as Musica Cthulhiana. Check out Midnight Syndicate and also Nox Arcana if you're interested, they're quite good. I'm partial to Midnight Syndicate myself, they keep it to a minimalist level that I like. Nox Arcana can be a bit grandiose in my opinion.

Midnight Syndicate did do a Dungeons & Dragons themed CD, which is of course more up beat and video gamey by the way of chivalrous 'here come our heroes' sort of thing. There are a number of tracks appropriate for exploring dark dungeons, seemingly abandoned buildings and discovering various things within.

[krypt0nian]

Anyone at PAX EAST?

They are running D&DNext sessions, and I need details. I'm wondering if the NDA is finally lifted as after this, the full open beta tests are supposed to hit.

EDIT:

God damn it:

Playtest Special: D&D Next (Friday 7pm) - Join in a public playtest of the next iteration of the Dungeons & Dragons game at PAX East. Play in an adventure with characters provided, and give us your feedback to help guide the future of the D&D game! Players of any editions of the game are welcome to participate. All participants are required to sign a non-disclosure agreement. Length: 4 hours.

Even so with a playtest this big, there's no way this is staying under wraps anymore.

[SRG01]

I might be starting a D&D 4th ed group in the summer. What's a fun module to play for beginners? ToEE? Or is that one too hard?

[Keasar]

Anyone have any experience with the Shadowrun game? Following the announcement of the Shadowrun Returns game on Kickstarter and a friends constant yabbering about the Shadowrun PnP RPG I decided to check it out. It sounds pretty awesome, set in the future, technowizards and magic stuff everywhere. Sounds fun. :)

[Lonesome_Raod]

So tomorrow is my first Pathfinder session and I am pretty much set, aside from some nerves, to get this campaign rolling. I have also got personal quests for everyone, parts of them will be done with the group, parts will be done via messaging so we do not bog the game down. I figure each game session the opportunity will present itself for one players individual quest to be furthered that the group can join in with. So each session will be a mix of progressing the campaign, one players plot having the opportunity to advance and some back-up free roam stuff if they just decide; 'to hell with it all for now'.

Rendan the human ranger: His aunt dies in the initial goblin attack and at her funeral finds out she was in pretty deep with loan sharks and villains. Rendan inherits the debts.

Trig the Gnome fighter: His brother and father were slain by a maniac and his followers. Trig will learn that this man is a cult leader of sorts and in possession of something named the 'god in the stone'.

Silence the Elven Rogue: Memories lost in a ship wreck and his saviours turned out to be something out of a nightmare. They tortured him extensively before he managed to get away. Silence's plot is more ties to the main campaig.

Cha'Ka the Half-Orc Monk: Monk of the Inheritor, a man who abandoned hiss wicked ways to take on the problems of others. His plot begins with rumors that the shield of the inheritor has been found. This is a ruse by the sons of the taker who follow the ways the inheritor did before he redeemed himself.

[krypt0nian]

So tomorrow is my first Pathfinder session and I am pretty much set, aside from some nerves, to get this campaign rolling. I have also got personal quests for everyone, parts of them will be done with the group, parts will be done via messaging so we do not bog the game down. I figure each game session the opportunity will present itself for one players individual quest to be furthered that the group can join in with. So each session will be a mix of progressing the campaign, one players plot having the opportunity to advance and some back-up free roam stuff if they just decide; 'to hell with it all for now'. Rendan the human ranger: His aunt dies in the initial goblin attack and at her funeral finds out she was in pretty deep with loan sharks and villains. Rendan inherits the debts. Trig the Gnome fighter: His brother and father were slain by a maniac and his followers. Trig will learn that this man is a cult leader of sorts and in possession of something named the 'god in the stone'. Silence the Elven Rogue: Memories lost in a ship wreck and his saviours turned out to be something out of a nightmare. They tortured him extensively before he managed to get away. Silence's plot is more ties to the main campaig. Cha'Ka the Half-Orc Monk: Monk of the Inheritor, a man who abandoned hiss wicked ways to take on the problems of others. His plot begins with rumors that the shield of the inheritor has been found. This is a ruse by the sons of the taker who follow the ways the inheritor did before he redeemed himself.

Oh man, I'm hyped to play in it just from reading this. You'll do fine, just watch out that you don't railroad the plot too much. A little is fine IMO, especially if you do it without anyone knowing what you're doing. ;)

[Lonesome_Raod]

Aye, I have several side areas/missions/dungeons to go if they suddenly look at the map and go 'sod heading to the reave as asked, let's go to the marrow glens'. First session is mainly about us all learning the rules a little. I never played much d&d outside of a,d&d.

I want the players to feel they do have freedom but there is also the sense that too much time spent not following the main story arc could result in the enemy getting a stronger foothold.

The plot is pretty basic: Ancestors of the people who fled old Ghalia but did not go with the refugees to form New Ghalia, the kingdom of the winter crown, ended up becoming their own people. The Tar Thula (The Coral Court) who resided on the cliffs of the bone coast.

Before that there was a civilisation named Thrule who built towers to assault heaven (gods in this setting sit upon silver thrones that travel the stars). It went badly for them and they were cast down. Before the end certain Magisters preserved their life forces in vats of engineered liquids. The Tar Thula found these vats and some cracked them open and drank deeply. Their holy men have sort have had part of their beings now overwhelmed by the magisters and visions of their old nations. It is basically a story of these people expanding on what the Magisters originally intended.

The early arcs revolve around Sil a sorceress of the Tar Thula who isn't as far gone with the visions of the magisters and her attempts to one up her superior by moving too far ahead with the plans, too soon. The goblin attack is porly planned and after some scouting and detective work around the town the players will soon track her down. Depending on the outcome of that the plot generally works towards discovering some of her men are stationed on an island with some of the liquid to offer the goblins in exchange for their alleigance. To get there the players will have to find out the location of the island. The best way to do this is to deal with the Tiburion Council, a trade controlling organisation who have all but left this part of the world and moved business elsewhere. The players will get involved with some ploitcal malarkey within that organisation surrounding murders and betrayals and the players discovering a former member turned wereshark behind this.

That is my basic outline for the ealry chapters. A lot mor fleshed out in my notes though just felt like sharing my ideas.

[Lonesome_Raod]

Reading that back it does sound basic to what I have actually written. Hopefully in my write-ups it's better reflected :P

[krypt0nian]

Aye, I have several side areas/missions/dungeons to go if they suddenly look at the map and go 'sod heading to the reave as asked, let's go to the marrow glens'. First session is mainly about us all learning the rules a little. I never played much d&d outside of a,d&d. I want the players to feel they do have freedom but there is also the sense that too much time spent not following the main story arc could result in the enemy getting a stronger foothold. The plot is pretty basic: Ancestors of the people who fled old Ghalia but did not go with the refugees to form New Ghalia, the kingdom of the winter crown, ended up becoming their own people. The Tar Thula (The Coral Court) who resided on the cliffs of the bone coast. Before that there was a civilisation named Thrule who built towers to assault heaven (gods in this setting sit upon silver thrones that travel the stars). It went badly for them and they were cast down. Before the end certain Magisters preserved their life forces in vats of engineered liquids. The Tar Thula found these vats and some cracked them open and drank deeply. Their holy men have sort have had part of their beings now overwhelmed by the magisters and visions of their old nations. It is basically a story of these people expanding on what the Magisters originally intended. The early arcs revolve around Sil a sorceress of the Tar Thula who isn't as far gone with the visions of the magisters and her attempts to one up her superior by moving too far ahead with the plans, too soon. The goblin attack is porly planned and after some scouting and detective work around the town the players will soon track her down. Depending on the outcome of that the plot generally works towards discovering some of her men are stationed on an island with some of the liquid to offer the goblins in exchange for their alleigance. To get there the players will have to find out the location of the island. The best way to do this is to deal with the Tiburion Council, a trade controlling organisation who have all but left this part of the world and moved business elsewhere. The players will get involved with some ploitcal malarkey within that organisation surrounding murders and betrayals and the players discovering a former member turned wereshark behind this. That is my basic outline for the ealry chapters. A lot mor fleshed out in my notes though just felt like sharing my ideas.

Bolded is simple and genius. More DMs should use it.

Also don't forget that if the players decide to go North and avoid Important Cave #1, you can move Important Cave #1 to the North! ;)

The best sort of railroading is the kind that they never know about.

[Lonesome_Raod]

First session was a big success and all my old DM tricks came back to me in minutes. The players had a blast and got really engaged with the story and there was even some in character interaction between them that i just st back and watched for several chunks of time over the game. could not be more happy. i have written a session report up for the players, it's pretty long but can post here if anyone wants an idea of the game. it isn't super detailed but gives off a good sense of events.

[krypt0nian]

First session was a big success and all my old DM tricks came back to me in minutes. The players had a blast and got really engaged with the story and there was even some in character interaction between them that i just st back and watched for several chunks of time over the game. could not be more happy. i have written a session report up for the players, it's pretty long but can post here if anyone wants an idea of the game. it isn't super detailed but gives off a good sense of events.

Dooo eeet!

[Lonesome_Raod]

Everything kicked off with the goblin attack on the town and the party getting involved in some bloody street fighting. Cha'ka's 'take a prisoner' approach didn't go down with the rest of the party and goblins were cut down left and right. Rendan the ranger opened the fighting with a killer shot from his bow and managed to save a poor cat from a goblin although I am not sure he agreed with his comrades about taking it on as his animal companion.
Silence the rogue used his hero point for moving silently across the roof tops, dropping back down to the streets with a back flip and getting the drop on a couple of goblins who were sneaking up on the rest of the party. Although his attack missed he did divert attention away from the party.
Trig the Gnome spent his time going toe-to-toe with the goblins and dishing out some nasty wounds with his trusted axe. Cha'ka finally managed to pin a goblin and bind him with his robe tie.
Checking in on the inhabitants of the inn the 'three arrows; they found several townsfolk prepared to make a stand inside. Some of the part were already familiar with Ava and Milos and asked them if they would watch the goblin prisoner whilst they headed out to try and help the town, by the sound of it fighting was raging across the town.Back on the streets more goblins were encountered, one seemed intoxicated and in a berserk state of mind, another was dragging a small child along it with it. Short work was made with a concentrated attack by the party and the girl saved when Cha'ka once again involved himself in his favourite pass time of grappling goblins.

Heading in to the centre of town to meet with Bars the guard captain to lend their aid things did seem to be dying down in the town. However the party were deputized to head to the hill lands the goblin tribes inhabited and scout out if they were moving against the town. Silence and Trig agreed for the pay, Rendan and Cha'ka signed up for the honour. Silence and Trig headed back to the inn for a last drink and to gather belongings whilst the ranger and monk headed to the ranger's aunt to check on her. They found the door of her house booted in and the house ransacked. They searched the house and found the aunt in bed with her throat slit. A little investigation and it appears there is more to this than just the goblins.

The party then agreed to meet up on the coastal road and then follow the river east towards carn falls and the goblin shanty town. The ranger used his wilderness skills to plot a better route than had been advised and shaved a half day off the journey. Along the way they were ambushed by snakes who managed to poison the gnome trig but his hardy fighter constitution helped him shurg it off eventually. Hunters from nearby thorn wood were also encountered who warned them of an ogre in the nearby area, the party thanked them but never encountered this ogre.

Destination was eventually reached and the party managed a stealthy scouting mission, raised no alarms and spotted that the goblins were not amassing in any sort of force. A nearby cavern, blocked by boulders was spotted. Silence the rogue advised it was best to leave it be and get back to the town incase they had decided to be rash and send forces against the goblins. Rendan the ranger wanted to get in that cave so he used his hero point and animal skills to just so happen to spot a messenger bird (coming up with the story it was being sent with a message of help from some trapped adventurers that could be a future quest). The party, laughing, then laughed that he had no writing equipment and had to improvise some charcoal.
Message sent. Trig the gnome then used his innate spell ability to talk with animals and chatted with a nearby squirrel who informed him that undead and goblins had fought outside the cave once and the goblins had sealed it up.

Again Silence said this was not a great idea but the rest of the party had already begun clearing the boulders, poor trig dropped a rock on his hand too.

Inside there was some watery caverns and an encounter with a spirit melded with the wall begged them to save his brothers, communication was futile, the ghost merely repeated the same line over and over. Inside the caverns lurked bloody bones and some vicious fighting broke out. The parties toughest challenge yet. Silence fancied himself a warrior, charged in and had to be backed up by Trig when things started going bad. Cha'ka the monk stormed in and with his unarmed strikes was the most successful although he eventually fell unconscious from an onslaught of undead attacks. Rendan also fumble his long bow and damaged his leg meaning he had to limp around for the rest of this fight. It was close but they eventually destroyed these horrific creatures. The party commented on how that was a good fight.

A search of the cavern discovered an alter and a chest that silence dealt with. It must be noted that it unclear what he found in that cave. The party was informed of some things but it is unsure if in reality there was more found.

Back to Odessa's stand, it rained the whole three days back.

Reports were handed in and the guardsmen said that they had received the messenger bird and the roughly scrawled charcoal message. Whilst it was being decided on a course of action on finding out why the goblins had attacked the party retired to the inn. A shady business proposition was given to them by a halfling to act as a go between for his trading with the people of thorn wood. the rogue and fighter mentioned they were interested.

Of a more serious note Ava who owned the inn mentioned her husband had gone to check in on his brother at the warehouse and had not returned for several hours. The party agreed to go and check in on him. Arriving at the warehouse senses were tingling due to the panicked horses outside. Moving stealthily into the warehouse they found milos the inn keeper bleeding out and surrounded by goblins. defeating these (trig broke his trusty axe) as well as goblins hiding up on the high shelves who began throwing barrels at the players the party attempted to stabalise milos but trig only managed to fumble his attempt and make the wounds worse. the party had no option but to rush him back to the inn before going back to find the brother. returning to the warehouse they found a mutated horrific looking goblin attacking several goblins. the party watched the fight for a while before moving in and finishing them off.

Session ended with the party finding the brother dead and a ledger of his trade activities that had rough notes detailing his love of a sorceress he had met who had promised to be his for his assistance. eventually (under influence of magic) he had given in, fallen utterly fall for her and agreed to this. Cha'ka stated they should not sully his name and keep this to themselves. the party found access to tunnels beneath the warehouse and guessed this is where the goblins had been hidden.

[kai3345]

I've always wanted to get into a regular dnd game. I've only played twice, but those two times were a blast. Sadly no one in my area really plays.

So if any Gaffers are setting up a noob friendly online dnd table using any of the tools in the OP, please let me know!

[Karak]

Subscribed:

23 years and still going strong here.
We recently finished up our 5 year long Fading Suns game(probably my favorite world).

Now we have moved into a game of my own making. Spent 9 months and have like 720 pages of a world bible. We use a card based system(playing cards replacing D10's) for most rolls with dice relegated to damage that can't be translated to playing cards. Loving the game so far. Having the cards has increased the speed of everything tremendously. I just don't see going back to diced based for quite some time. Really removed the rollplaying aspect that has crept up in many games and replaced it with roleplaying.
There is such speed with cards and having players just show you a card, also allowing for mystery and subterfuge that sometimes a typical diceroll just doesn't translate as effectively.

Played Afterearth(the world I created) on Friday for about 9 hours. First hour was rough with some confusion and just difficulty getting started in a new world but the remaining 8 was epic.

[krypt0nian]

Epic awesomeness!

OK that got me excited, and wanting to play NOW.

Too bad we're not scheduled to play until the 19th I think. =(

[Bellamin]

I still own the Discworld PnP Rpg and used to mess around with THACO dnd and Shadowrun with my brother in highschool. We also had this one REALLY fucked up Douglas Adams style PnP called "Tales from the Floating Vagabond". It was a comedy where occasionally someone from time and space anywhere/anywhen will go missing and they all appear in the future at one location. This meant you could be an orc, an anthro, a dwarf, an alien...ANYTHING. A bar was built on this spot called "The Floating Vagabond" as the first thing each person tends to want after such an event occurs to them is a damned stiff drink . Game had great perks. You could use your "cool" stat to get away with a ton of shit and to quite simply not be effected by some things because you were too cool to die. You could even get one perk of "theme song" that gave you a ton of cool point perks, but it greatly nerfed your stealth since they could always hear you coming. Check it out sometime. Its really fun.

I loved the skills in that game.

Shoot gun
Shoot big gun
Shoot really big gun
Hey, don't point that at my planet!