Minor game stuff from around the web for commentary...

Dean · Post by **Dean** » Thu Aug 14, 2014 7:53 pm

Longes wrote:People just can't stop making spellcasting classess with retarded subsystems

MY MIND!

Leress · Post by **Leress** » Thu Aug 14, 2014 7:55 pm

Prak_Anima wrote:The actual concept (gaining spells for the day by hunting them in your dreams) is kind of interesting. Everything past that is terrible mechanics. It would be better to just that the dreamlands has regions, which have certain spells that are written up on random encounter tables, and then add a mechanic where you can make a skill roll to look for specific spells.

That would be better but still not good.

Laertes · Post by **Laertes** » Thu Aug 14, 2014 7:58 pm

I can't speak for anyone else, but I personally would not play a game in which the GM needed to go off and run a minigame for one player whenever the party rested. That's bullshit above and beyond the call of bullshit.

virgil · Post by **virgil** » Thu Aug 14, 2014 8:00 pm

Leress wrote:
Prak_Anima wrote:The actual concept (gaining spells for the day by hunting them in your dreams) is kind of interesting. Everything past that is terrible mechanics. It would be better to just that the dreamlands has regions, which have certain spells that are written up on random encounter tables, and then add a mechanic where you can make a skill roll to look for specific spells.
That would be better but still not good.

What if you divide the spells not by school, but by terrain type within their dream region? Give the spells advantage against creatures whose native habitat matches the spell's associated terrain.

Prak · Post by **Prak** » Thu Aug 14, 2014 8:02 pm

Laertes wrote:I can't speak for anyone else, but I personally would not play a game in which the GM needed to go off and run a minigame for one player whenever the party rested. That's bullshit above and beyond the call of bullshit.

Yeah, that's really the problem with the overall concept.

Maybe just a survival check to see if you can get the exact highest level spells you want vrs a random assortment? edit: while automatically getting whatever you want that is lower than the highest spell level you can cast.

Laertes · Post by **Laertes** » Thu Aug 14, 2014 8:11 pm

Prak_Anima wrote:
Laertes wrote:I can't speak for anyone else, but I personally would not play a game in which the GM needed to go off and run a minigame for one player whenever the party rested. That's bullshit above and beyond the call of bullshit.
Yeah, that's really the problem with the overall concept.

Maybe just a survival check to see if you can get the exact highest level spells you want vrs a random assortment? edit: while automatically getting whatever you want that is lower than the highest spell level you can cast.

That would work for me but that's because I actively enjoy being screwed by random die rolls and having to wing it based on the luck of the draw. If you're the sort who likes making plans and having reliable things that your character can do, then not knowing whether you'll have access to the correct high level spell may be immensely frustrating.

It depends on the desires of the player and the willingness of the other players to put up with it happening in their game.

Prak · Post by **Prak** » Thu Aug 14, 2014 8:27 pm

Well, it strikes me as similar to the Sha'ir, which sends their elemental familiar into the planes to find their spells. As I understand it, they choose their spells, but have to make a diplomacy check for some/all.

Roog · Post by **Roog** » Fri Aug 15, 2014 1:40 am

Longes wrote:People just can't stop making spellcasting classess with retarded subsystems

Looks like it was taken from / inspired by Rêve de Dragon. Which I have only skimmed through years ago. So I'm not sure exactly how close it comes.

#edit
Looking more closely the mechanism is not that close. Rêve de Dragon used a map for hunting down spells in dreams, but did not have the closeness = penalties aspect. It still looks like a possible inspiration.

OgreBattle · Post by **OgreBattle** » Fri Aug 15, 2014 4:01 am

It looks like something you could dick around with in a videogame. Wonder if any videogame magic unlocking subsystems could work for tabletop, like...

Shin Megami Tense: Digital Devil Saga 2 has the "Mantra grid":

You start with a hexagon unlocked and you can unlock a hexagon next to yours. Certain special hexagons can only be unlocked by unlocking the six hexagons surrounding it.

Here's a link explaining the system in depth:
http://megamitensei.wikia.com/wiki/List ... r_2_Mantra

Here's a link to the names of every Mantra:
http://img4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb2009 ... raGrid.jpg

This kind of thing is fun to unlock in a single player console RPG, but I'm not sure if it is fit for tabletalk play.

Stahlseele · Post by **Stahlseele** » Fri Aug 15, 2014 3:33 pm

sleep-induced/sleep-related skills . . interesting . .

Krusk · Post by **Krusk** » Fri Aug 15, 2014 3:58 pm

Ogre, in actual play to look at the new Star Wars rpg or dark hereasy. They do exactly this, and I hate it. Others apparently don't think it's intrinsically a bad idea.

Does anyone know what's up with the declaration about zac not being a homophobe at the top of a random class?

Leress · Post by **Leress** » Fri Aug 15, 2014 4:37 pm

Stahlseele wrote:sleep-induced/sleep-related skills . . interesting . .

That particular one isn't very interesting since all it has is Null-Sleep and Mana Walk(regain MP as you walk). Now Null-Sleep is useful for not getting hit with the Fuck you combo which is being put to sleep (which restores some Hp and Mp each turn) and then hit with Calm Death (instant kills any sleeping targets)

OgreBattle · Post by **OgreBattle** » Fri Aug 15, 2014 5:33 pm

Leress wrote:
Stahlseele wrote:sleep-induced/sleep-related skills . . interesting . .
That particular one isn't very interesting since all it has is Null-Sleep and Mana Walk(regain MP as you walk). Now Null-Sleep is useful for not getting hit with the Fuck you combo which is being put to sleep (which restores some Hp and Mp each turn) and then hit with Calm Death (instant kills any sleeping targets)

Actually Null Sleep, instead of making you immune to sleep (Null Nerve already does that as sleep and stun are both 'Nerve' category), Null Sleep has the bizarre effect of letting you dodge everything while asleep. Some strategies to defeat the optional double secret super hard extra boss Demifiend (who's the protagonist of a previous SMT game) involve being purposefully put to sleep by one of his minion to evade his "this is going to kill everyone in one hit" Gaea Rage attack.

Cielo (the one with the bubbles around his head on the far right) is asleep with Null Sleep so he'll survive

Leress · Post by **Leress** » Fri Aug 15, 2014 6:12 pm

That's right I got those confused.

Username17 · Post by **Username17** » Fri Aug 15, 2014 8:28 pm

Krusk wrote: Does anyone know what's up with the declaration about zac not being a homophobe at the top of a random class?

Zak S is a horrible human being who argues in bad faith, holds insane grudges for years at a time, and persecutes people for perceived slights to the extent that he claims to believe (and probably does believe) that any person who ever did anything he thinks is bad is a "bad person" and everything they ever did is bad.

He engaged in his usual insane, vulgar, and amazingly offensive behavior targeting some people of various sexual and gender minorities and they felt harassed and victimized. For reasons that don't make any sense to anyone, Mike Mearls announced that the accusation that Zak S had engaged in horrible behavior towards some people of minority sexuality were baseless, thereby finding Zak S "innocent" in an entirely made up court that Mike Mearls is the judge and jury of.

And now there are some jackasses who write terrible rules on their blogs who have supportive statements of Zak S and/or Mike Mearls on the blogs.

None of that makes any sense, but that's what happened.

-Username17

Krusk · Post by **Krusk** » Fri Aug 15, 2014 11:25 pm

No I get who he is, I just had no idea that people made the header for their shitty blog a statement about how a shitty person isn't shitty.

Is there any logic or reason to it, or is it just some misguided sense of solidarity between shitty people? Is this some sort of "FYI Krusk never play a game with me and also we are defending zac" movement to restore the tarnished honor or something?

I guess I was after the question "why would anyone make that their header?" More than what I said.[/url]

PhoneLobster · Post by **PhoneLobster** » Fri Aug 15, 2014 11:44 pm

Krusk wrote:Is there any logic or reason to it, or is it just some misguided sense of solidarity between shitty people?

I don't know. You tell me. There is an entire RPGnet (or was it site) whatever thread of vast size full of assholes congratulating each other that there was "no evidence" of any misdeeds (despite a lot of evidence) because victims didn't want to give them personally real life identifying details and those that did got dismissed because ????

And on that thread Justin Bieber himself was there openly admitting to writing and publishing a real name hit list of his enemies onto the internet for his fans to read. Apparently as part of some sort of defense where in it somehow wasn't his fault that he didn't know that people, up to and including Something Awful mods of all people, might for some reason he doesn't grasp somehow think doing that was somehow bad.

They're current response to being accused of targeting women and minorities with harassment and vendetta, in order to prove their innocence, includes creating and running a campaign to have one or more of their female "enemies" blacklisted forever from the RPG industry for daring to even link to this stuff.

So yeah... IS it solidarity of assholes regardless of evidence or sensible self preservation? You tell me?

OgreBattle · Post by **OgreBattle** » Sat Aug 16, 2014 1:03 am

PhoneLobster wrote:
Krusk wrote:Is there any logic or reason to it, or is it just some misguided sense of solidarity between shitty people?
I don't know. You tell me. There is an entire RPGnet (or was it site) whatever thread of vast size full of assholes congratulating each other that there was "no evidence" of any misdeeds (despite a lot of evidence) because victims didn't want to give them personally real life identifying details and those that did got dismissed because ????

And on that thread Justin Bieber himself was there openly admitting to writing and publishing a real name hit list of his enemies onto the internet for his fans to read. Apparently as part of some sort of defense where in it somehow wasn't his fault that he didn't know that people, up to and including Something Awful mods of all people, might for some reason he doesn't grasp somehow think doing that was somehow bad.

They're current response to being accused of targeting women and minorities with harassment and vendetta, in order to prove their innocence, includes creating and running a campaign to have one or more of their female "enemies" blacklisted forever from the RPG industry for daring to even link to this stuff.

So yeah... IS it solidarity of assholes regardless of evidence or sensible self preservation? You tell me?

I'm curious to see who Zak S considers an enemy, and for what reason. With the amount of time he spends on TGD I'm surprised I haven't seen any of his followers mosey on over like somethingawful does.

How many fans does Zak S and RPGPundit actually have, and do they have actual, significant pull in the American RPG industry?

TiaC · Post by **TiaC** » Tue Aug 26, 2014 8:27 am

Does anyone know anything about Howard Tayler's book XDM: X-Treme Dungeon Mastery?

Sakuya Izayoi · Post by **Sakuya Izayoi** » Tue Aug 26, 2014 9:59 am

I imagine this coordinated effort on blogs is a result of the therpgsite subforum pundit has as his personal playground, as a result of footing the bill for the hosting. This is where he posts his screeds against the Swine, and boosts 5e without posting why its mechanically superior to earlier editions. It tends to be as popular, if not moreso, than the main RPG discussion forum, even as they lambast Tangecy for this same crime. It's the cool place to be. They've even got their own grognards.txt in that forum now. Not surprisingly, they recently had someone trying to drum up the crusade against Zoe Quinn there. No idea why a misogynist like that would think he's among peers on that forum!

Longes · Post by **Longes** » Tue Aug 26, 2014 1:42 pm

Grognard talks about DnD Next. Apparently a character from 24 years ago still haunts the Drow, making anyone who wants to play a drow for any reason a fanboy.

Lago PARANOIA · Post by **Lago PARANOIA** » Tue Aug 26, 2014 2:13 pm

I never would've pegged Spoony for a grognard. That's like finding out that Tim Allen was a drug snitch.

Longes · Post by **Longes** » Tue Aug 26, 2014 2:32 pm

Lago PARANOIA wrote:I never would've pegged Spoony for a grognard. That's like finding out that Tim Allen was a drug snitch.

Why not? The dude is a big fan of old D&D, killer GMing and WoD.

Chamomile · Post by **Chamomile** » Tue Aug 26, 2014 4:12 pm

Sakuya Izayoi wrote:Not surprisingly, they recently had someone trying to drum up the crusade against Zoe Quinn there.

I didn't know there was a crusade against Zoe Quinn, and a brief googling on the subject suggests that this is another elevatorgate, i.e. her opponents may be distasteful but in this instance they appear to be entirely correct and fighting them over it will only draw the attention of foolish bystanders who may assume that, you being on the wrong end of this argument, you may also be on the wrong end of the bigger picture issues. That would be bad.

That said, this is the result of fifteen minutes of googling, so if there is any evidence that the chat logs demonstrating consistent lies on her part were somehow out of context or fabricated, I am genuinely eager to hear them. I want to believe in an indie game dev and journalist scene that is creative and ambitious and not incestuous or deceitful.

Dean · Post by **Dean** » Tue Aug 26, 2014 4:58 pm

Lago PARANOIA wrote:I never would've pegged Spoony for a grognard. That's like finding out that Tim Allen was a drug snitch.

Spoony is a flagrant grognard. He has every terrible belief about RPG gaming. Listen to the video about him talking about how Dragons should fight if you want to put your fist through your screen. It's about 4 and a half hours of his nasally voice just dripping with hubris over having figured out the novel idea that dragons should fly and not melee.