NationStates Jolt Archive

A general thread with a few vague purposes. Firstly, D&D 4th edition has been announced for 2008 (http://www.enworld.org/). Thoughts? Feelings? Expectations?

How many roleplayers are there in NSG? No not you, level 70 Blood Elf Paladin. I mean real roleplayers. You know, those of you who assume roles and play them. Preferably those who roll unusual dice and herbs. What systems do you play? Which do you prefer? Why is your system of choice undeniably and irrefutably better than his?

I don't keep up with D&D enough to find it more than mildly interesting. I play now and then (this year I'm planning on being a mummy...).

However, since you asked, I'm kind of excited about the new Star Wars Saga Edition RPG. The changes to the system from the last set of books is dramatic and, I feel, for the better.

Allow me to begin. D&D 4th ed? Hmm, skeptical yet optimistic. They say they have plans to reduce prep time and speed up game play. To this I cast a suspicious eye and unsteady query "At the expense of what". Don't get me wrong; what wizards did to 2nd ed was much needed. By rolling up all of the tack-on rules and tables, and torching them, they got to the core of the gaming experience, and built a symmetrical system from that. But is it wise to repeat the same approach. I happen to think that D&D has been 'slimmed' enough. I'd hate for them to oversimplify it at the expense of gameplay simply to make the game more marketable to newbies.

Perhaps I am just being recalcitrant due to all of the invested houseruling I've done in 3rd ed. Mind you, I've houseruled to such an extent I believe I have violated the geneva convention. Perhaps that in itself is a protection from an update of my host systems former self. My brand of D&D has evolved as such to become something different entirely. Perhaps this new system shall serve to be assimilated into my uberfestation Gaming complex for the mutual benefit of both parties. Perhaps I should stop making up words.

Systems? All of the above. None of the above. Each has their merits and drawbacks. Apart from the big market driving it's ongoing innovation and creative expansion, D&D also has one of the better construed and simple game mechanics; namely the D20 system. The system with a lesser overall design, but by far the best individual instances of systematic genius has got to be GURPS. They practically wrote the existing D&D skills rules, and can more or less claim fatherhood to point-buy. What of White-Wolf? Well, they win the creativity cup, demonstrating with dashing effectiveness that RPing doesn't have to be about bumbling balding bums blubbering over barechested barbarian brutes battling bristling beasts; be they baatezu, Balor, or other baleful bearers of bane. Instead they presented a world both modern and mature, murky malevonce milking the mettle of mortality, moon inspiring mindless madness making men into monsters. Yes, Whitewolf made an art out of RP, and demonstrated exactly what was possible in the medium.

They've all got their bonuses, and shortcomings. Perhaps this is why mys system of choice involves a D20-based strata, with GURPS features and point-buy, mixed with WhiteWolf open-endedness.

dunno. gotta read the core books.

but my initial reaction is... too soon. they didn't give enough resources for 3.5.

I do wonder which classes they nerfed this time tho.

Probably Druid.

Question: How do you make people shell out the money for the same product six times?

Answer:

D&D 4th edition has been announced for 2008 (http://www.enworld.org/).


_____

As for my system of choice - if I ever got into gaming again it would be Black Box Classic Traveller (with a few odds and ends from Books 4 and 7) or Tunnels & Trolls. Why let rules get in the way of the game?

I've got a Level 15 Wizard in Neverwinter Nights 2!

He somehow managed to turn Chaotic Evil though. :confused:

Probably Druid.

I say Clerics.

As for my system of choice - if I ever got into gaming again it would be Black Box Classic Traveller (with a few odds and ends from Books 4 and 7) or Tunnels & Trolls.

Huzzah for Traveller!

I'd play DND if there was a group to play with.

If anybody here goes to Ohio State and would be interested in starting a group...

I say Clerics.

Yeah, divine spellcasters will probably get a nerfing to the same degree as psions did on the shift to 3.5. "You want to cast and wear armour?! BEND OVER!"

I've been playing a stripped down version of D+D with my family lately - my wife, 11yr old son, 9 yr old son and 5 yr old daughter. (she INSISTED on playing).

We do real role play - so age really is not important. I have to share this with you though - I hope it is as humerous in writing as it was in real life...

I am the DM - the four brave adventurers are deep within an orc dungeon - further than any orc ever traveled. It seems to be the remains of what was once the hidden palace of a great and evil wizard.

They come across a great bronze door. Though the lock is easily picked, they find the massive door stuck. Only with great effort are the two strongest characters able to pry it open - just enough for the halfling (my 5 yr old daughter) to slip through. She decides to peek her head into the room ever so stealthily, but the noise of the door made any attempt at stealth vain. Inside a great black dragon rears up on its massive hind legs - it spreads it wings easily the width of ten men and lets out a roar so loud that you can feel your kneecaps resonate with the sound. It glares at you.

"tell me what do you do?"

5 yr old daughter; "Shut the door."

The Wizards forums have been calling this, they are going to be in a blood frenzy.

Question: How do you make people shell out the money for the same product six times?

Answer:




_____

As for my system of choice - if I ever got into gaming again it would be Black Box Classic Traveller (with a few odds and ends from Books 4 and 7) or Tunnels & Trolls. Why let rules get in the way of the game?
You obviously missed the Monster Manual series.


"tell me what do you do?"

5 yr old daughter; "Shut the door."

Your daughter wins.

As for my system of choice - if I ever got into gaming again it would be Black Box Classic Traveller (with a few odds and ends from Books 4 and 7) or Tunnels & Trolls. Why let rules get in the way of the game?

I could go for either of those. I started with Blackmoor and Eldritch Wizadry, what seems like a century or two ago, moved on through the TSR games until 2nd Edition Ad&D, then I didn't have the time anymore. I did get hooked on Traveller and on Runequest on the journey though. (T&T was a brief sidetrack)

I am the DM - the four brave adventurers are deep within an orc dungeon - further than any orc ever traveled. It seems to be the remains of what was once the hidden palace of a great and evil wizard.

They come across a great bronze door. Though the lock is easily picked, they find the massive door stuck. Only with great effort are the two strongest characters able to pry it open - just enough for the halfling (my 5 yr old daughter) to slip through. She decides to peek her head into the room ever so stealthily, but the noise of the door made any attempt at stealth vain. Inside a great black dragon rears up on its massive hind legs - it spreads it wings easily the width of ten men and lets out a roar so loud that you can feel your kneecaps resonate with the sound. It glares at you.

"tell me what do you do?"

5 yr old daughter; "Shut the door."

LOL!

Simple... effective... did it work?

one Cyberpunk adventure we were on took place at a new adventure park. D&D themed. so our Cyberpunk characters were armed with electronic swords, bows, etc... fighing robotic orcs and what not.

we were in two teams of 3 and 4 (there were 7 of us.) and the goal was to get the crystal orb located in the center of the maze.

team one opened the door and realized they were in the center. a large 'cavern' littered with coins and a huge... I MEAN HUGE dragon sleeping in the center. right infront of it's nose, the orb.

Team Two (with me) opens the final door and we see almost the same thing... the only difference? we were at the butt end of the dragon. and we see team one doing the stealth thing. walking slowly and quietly on a floor littered with coins.

me to the DM: I run, full out and grab the orb. If the 'Dragon' wakes after my grabbing the orb, I "Hail Mary" it to my teammates at the door and take my chances. (me, being the fastest runner of both teams)

DM: OK... are you trying to be stealthy?

Me: nope.

DM: Team one... you're sneaking up onto the orb when you hear alot of noise... as if someone's running towards you. [My Char] comes tearing around the dragon and he grabs the orb off of the pedistal. [to me] if I roll a one... the 'dragon' does not 'wake up'. [he rolls a d20]

[it comes up one!]

Dragon does not wake up... what do you do.

Me: RUN!

DM: Team one. so you see [My Char] tear around the dragon, he grabs the orb and flees. what do you do?

Team one member: can I catch him? [her move was a 3 vs my 10.. infact, If I remember right... the fastest in Team one had a move of 6]

DM: Sorry, he has too much momentum going for him, he'll reach the door way before you do.

Team one: damn...

DM to me: you reach the door, and as you step out of the room, a loudspeaker makes the following announcement. "Stage One Complete. Stage Two Initiated. ALL MONSTERS ARE NOW ACTIVE!"
Team one. as soon as you hear that... you see the dragon's Eyes start glowing as it slowly rears up, it obviously sees your team...

You obviously missed the Monster Manual series.

Ah, no, I'm counting White Box, AD&D, 2nd Edition AD&D, 3rd, 3.5 and 4th. Makes six.

That story was terrible and you should feel terrible.

A general thread with a few vague purposes. Firstly, D&D 4th edition has been announced for 2008 (http://www.enworld.org/). Thoughts? Feelings? Expectations?

How many roleplayers are there in NSG? No not you, level 70 Blood Elf Paladin. I mean real roleplayers. You know, those of you who assume roles and play them. Preferably those who roll unusual dice and herbs. What systems do you play? Which do you prefer? Why is your system of choice undeniably and irrefutably better than his?

I'm actually starting a D&D game with some friends this Wednesday (not the DM, one of my friends is). I'm running a Spycraft game right now, using the d20 Spycraft rules and a premise similar to Burn Notice.

My favorite system of all time is still Deadlands, a Wild West style pnp that uses a fairly unusual system. You can have up to five actions in a given round, determined by a Quickness stat (there are 10 stats in total) by rolling the stat (anywhere from a 1d4 to a 4d12) and taking the best score. On top of that, any time you get an ace (the highest roll, so a 4 on a d4 or a 10 on a d10) you reroll that die, and then add the result onto the previous roll. This means that there's no such thing as a critical, but also no theoretical upper limit to a given roll.
On top of that, to determine the order of who goes first in a given round, those actions are associated with 1-5 cards, drawn from a deck. Ace of spades goes first, 2 of clubs goes last.

This means that a single combat encounter can take anywhere from five minutes to several hours.

Ah, no, I'm counting White Box, AD&D, 2nd Edition AD&D, 3rd, 3.5 and 4th. Makes six.

actually, you're missing Dungeons and Dragons that was released before the 3rd edition. it was an attempt to get new players into the system by simplifying the rules.

That story was terrible and you should feel terrible.

which story?

which story?

Yours.

I plan to purchase D&D 4th edition, I like D&D. We use it in homeschool. (yes, it can be educational, if you make it so)

I plan to purchase D&D 4th edition, I like D&D. We use it in homeschool. (yes, it can be educational, if you make it so)

"Ok kids, if I roll 3d6, what's the average roll going to be?"

"I dunno, but let's hope that roll wasn't against the Tarrasque, because then it didn't do anything useful." :D

Yours.

*shrugs*

not my problem. My character didn't assign the teams, our "Group Leader" did. He teamed himself with all the female characters/players.

Of course that left the remaing three (the combat speciallists) all in one group while all the cyberjocks thought they could do it alone.

actually, you're missing Dungeons and Dragons that was released before the 3rd edition. it was an attempt to get new players into the system by simplifying the rules.

Yup, and I'm doing so intentionally, as it was always intended as an alternative to 'real' Dungeons & Dragons. As for 'simplifying the rules' - not really, seeing as how it predated 1st Edition AD&D against which you seem to be drawing comparison. If anything it was an increase in complexity from OD&D.

"Ok kids, if I roll 3d6, what's the average roll going to be?" :D

;)

Me: You just fell down a hole.
K: crap, A! throw me a rope
A: I am going to throw K my rope
Me: K, you are now at the bottom of a hole with a rope
K: I am going to throw one end of the rope back up so A can hold on to it! :mad:

Yup, and I'm doing so intentionally, as it was always intended as an alternative to 'real' Dungeons & Dragons. As for 'simplifying the rules' - not really, seeing as how it predated 1st Edition AD&D against which you seem to be drawing comparison. If anything it was an increase in complexity from OD&D.

I'm referring to the box set that was released in the early 90's. so it came out way after 1st edition AD&D.

;)

Me: You just fell down a hole.
K: crap, A! throw me a rope
A: I am going to throw K my rope
Me: K, you are now at the bottom of a hole with a rope
K: I am going to throw one end of the rope back up so A can hold on to it! :mad:

:D You're an evil DM. The only good kind of DM.

"I'm going to throw a grenade at them."

"You do so."

"...so do they blow up?"

"Did you take out the pin?"

"...damn you."

My friends play 2nd edition. We were thinking about converting to 3rd edition, but now maybe we'll stay with 2nd...

The group I played with the longest ran several different ongoing campaigns - 2 Empire of the Petal Throne campaigns, Arduin, Oriental Adventures, Twilight 2000, and a total homebrewed "Catholic RPG". The EPT games ran on rules that bore little resemblance to any published rules for that setting. My T2K rules were totally pimped.

In college, I ran a homebrewed cyberpunk game in a couple of flavors - a straight up cyberpunk game, a Shadowrun based setting, and a cyber/horror crossover a la Dark Conspiracy.

Although I haven't played in ages, as it's difficult to put together a group here, I still tinker around with ideas rules for both the T2K sort of game and a cyberpunk game.

As for my system of choice - if I ever got into gaming again it would be Black Box Classic Traveller (with a few odds and ends from Books 4 and 7) or Tunnels & Trolls. Why let rules get in the way of the game?

Yeah, old school Traveller FTW.

The GDW house rules influanced a lot of my own designs and homebrews. Those and Chaosium's awesome BRP system. (Yes, I have a simulationist slant.)

5 yr old daughter; "Shut the door."

:cool:

:D You're an evil DM. The only good kind of DM.

"I'm going to throw a grenade at them."

"You do so."

"...so do they blow up?"

"Did you take out the pin?"

"...damn you."

Yay!:p

The children have gotten much better at perspicuous communication.

:D You're an evil DM. The only good kind of DM.

"I'm going to throw a grenade at them."

"You do so."

"...so do they blow up?"

"Did you take out the pin?"

"...damn you."

"Ok, I grab another grenade, I pull the pin out and I throw it at them."

"Ok. you see it sailing towards them..."

"So do they blow up?"

"Nope... they do look at the grenade pin you just threw at them..."

"... Damn YOU!"

"Ok, I grab another grenade, I pull the pin out and I throw it at them."

"Ok. you see it sailing towards them..."

"So do they blow up?"

"Nope... they do look at the grenade pin you just threw at them..."

"... Damn YOU!"

:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D JuNii is made of win!

:D:D:D:D:D:D JuNii is made of win!

Oh, just wait till you get to granting wishes... :D:D:D:D

"I want a Ring of Protection +5 in my hand." guess where the ring appeared?

"I'll stick with [fellow player's name]" (the now cursed player immediately wished "for [Player's name] to be as far from me as INHUMANLY possible!")

Oh, just wait till you get to granting wishes... :D:D:D:D

"I want a Ring of Protection +5 in my hand." guess where the ring appeared?

"I'll stick with [fellow player's name]" (the now cursed player immediately wished "for [Player's name] to be as far from me as INHUMANLY possible!")

It used to get to a point where we'd fine rings of wish and similar objects...and just leave them alone.

It used to get to a point where we'd fine rings of wish and similar objects...and just leave them alone.

For us, that's half the fun. that and finding beneficial uses for cursed items.

at one point... we used a "Bag of Devouring" as our latrine.

a tome that lowered the IQ points of anyone who read it as our decoy "Group Journal".

and so forth...

For us, that's half the fun. that and finding beneficial uses for cursed items.

at one point... we used a "Bag of Devouring" as our latrine.

a tome that lowered the IQ points of anyone who read it as our decoy "Group Journal".

and so forth...

Our party tends to have more of a scorched earth policy in regards to these things.

Don't get to play much anymore with the job and family and all that, but when I do it's usually AD&D (just b/c I know a group that gets games together now and again, it's entertaining but not my game of choice.

My favorite game of all time would have to be Earthdawn... any Earthdawn players out there? Lots of RP in that game b/c if your GM is actually sadistic enough to pit you against the "Horrors" in combat you have no chance of staying alive (although I do have one original character who has managed to not die). Cool thing about Earthdawn is that it is actually Shadowrun thousands of years in the past (which I guess makes it earth???).

I also used to play a fair bit of White Wolf. I liked Dark Ages the best, it can be challenging to RP a Nosferatu or Malkavian correctly... and not the lunatic Malkavian, either, that's TOO easy and gets distracting to the rest of the players.

I've looked at games like these, and they seem interesting, but I'm afraid that I'll just find them confusing and get lost lol.

4th edition? Shit, I still miss my 2.5 edition. Screw you, feats!

(I'm in a bad mood right now. :-[ that's my serious/bad mood face. I use it when I'm in a serious/bad mood.)

4th edition? Shit, I still miss my 2.5 edition. Screw you, feats!

(I'm in a bad mood right now. :-[ that's my serious/bad mood face. I use it when I'm in a serious/bad mood.)

Feats are awesome. The PHB2.0 from 3.5e has this feat called Shadow Striker that basically lets you spend the entire fight in some manner of hidden/silent.

Please understand, I dont mean to offend.

I am not an RP er, but from time to time I like to do World Factbooks and some real world nation RPS, I have a few more coming in the near future one of them based on the Kindom of Hawaii from my nation of the Kingdom of Havaii.

What I like least about the RPS is they are mostly made up of non real world nations, it seems like RW nations RPS are mostly done in Earth Worlds RPS.

It sounds like one big crazy NS world, Romans in the USA, Russians in Oceania etc, etc, etc.

That said, I understand there are many of you RP ers and may have to make non real world nation RPS.

I would suggest basing your nation RP statistics on a real world nation times your NS nations population, can be figured by divide & times or by % s.

Please no more World Fact books with ages 05 to 25, 26 to 65
01 to 14, 15 to 65.

I break mine down by 1 to 5, 6 to 10, 11 to 15, 30 to 35, 40 to 45 or so % s etc, etc, etc.

I dont mean to offend, I do think you are all very creative to come up with those scripts, I cant do that, I can do short like RPS, my best one will be on my Kindom of Havaii wich is coming along quite nicely and short will add a World Factbook to it.

Also like Interactive RPS back and forth posted of course.

La Habana Cuba

Maybe they'll fix rangers. I bet they try anyway.

A general thread with a few vague purposes. Firstly, D&D 4th edition has been announced for 2008 (http://www.enworld.org/). Thoughts? Feelings? Expectations?

How many roleplayers are there in NSG? No not you, level 70 Blood Elf Paladin. I mean real roleplayers. You know, those of you who assume roles and play them. Preferably those who roll unusual dice and herbs. What systems do you play? Which do you prefer? Why is your system of choice undeniably and irrefutably better than his?

They should have stopped with AD&D 2nd Edition.

GURPS is ok. I know someone who wrote a couple of the sourcebooks.

They should have stopped WoD with the second edition. I HATE the new stuff -- And I have seen the Vampire sourcebook, the Werewolf sourcebook, Chicago Sourcebook, and the Corebook. I played Vampire 2nd ed. for a loooooooong time. And Werewolf. And Mage. And Changeling......

I played a Decker in Shadowrun way back when....

Villains and Vigilantes? Marvel SuperHeroes? DC Heroes? Traveller? West End Star Wars? FASA Star Trek? Space 1889? Lost Souls? No? Bah, you're minor league. ;)

Maybe they'll fix rangers. I bet they try anyway.

The 3.5 Ranger isn't so bad....

They should have stopped with AD&D 2nd Edition.

I stopped before they even did that.

Villains and Vigilantes? Marvel SuperHeroes? DC Heroes? Traveller? West End Star Wars? FASA Star Trek? Space 1889? Lost Souls? No? Bah, you're minor league. ;)

Space 1889? That was a great game!

Lost Souls was fun, too. Your first session, you die.

Then it gets really interesting. :-D


Come to think of it, a lot like Dead Like Me.

Space 1889? That was a great game!

Sweet crap I loved that game.

T

Villains and Vigilantes? Marvel SuperHeroes? DC Heroes? Traveller? West End Star Wars? FASA Star Trek? Space 1889? Lost Souls? No? Bah, you're minor league. ;)

I have played every one of those except Lost Souls, which sounds kinda cool...

well....i have a lvl 70 blood elf warlock ;)

And damn you for not having multiple options !

I play D&D every tuesday, currently im DMing a pirates party, very funny.
Saturdays i play a veteran sergeant of the Harakoni Warhawks in the Warhammer 40k universe, a home brewed system.
I've got an ongoing WoD campaign, the Transylvania Chronicles (from the books), this story's been running for 6 years now, and although we don't have a set game evening, our characters do write eachother pretty often.(through e-mail)


On and off we run games of Warhammer Fantasy RolePlay, Cyberpunk 2020, FASA Battletech, Vampire: The Masquerade, Werewolf: the Apocalypse and Mage: the Awakening (last 3 both 2nd edition, we don't like the new WoD at all)

A general thread with a few vague purposes. Firstly, D&D 4th edition has been announced for 2008 (http://www.enworld.org/). Thoughts? Feelings? Expectations?

How many roleplayers are there in NSG? No not you, level 70 Blood Elf Paladin. I mean real roleplayers. You know, those of you who assume roles and play them. Preferably those who roll unusual dice and herbs. What systems do you play? Which do you prefer? Why is your system of choice undeniably and irrefutably better than his?

I don't post here because I roleplay. :)
4th Edition? damn, I didn't like the 3.5 one.

I use strange dices (I have d7 and d11 die). I play D&D sometimes (using 3rd Edition rules; the 3.5 Edition was not too bad, but it was completely unnecessary. Okay, with exception of few things bad.), I also quite often play SW D20 according to Revised Core Rulebook, and rarely I try to make a game in Classic Traveller setting, but I have problems with rulebooks.

Each system is appropriate I think for different setting.

They should have stopped with AD&D 2nd Edition.

GURPS is ok. I know someone who wrote a couple of the sourcebooks.

They should have stopped WoD with the second edition. I HATE the new stuff -- And I have seen the Vampire sourcebook, the Werewolf sourcebook, Chicago Sourcebook, and the Corebook. I played Vampire 2nd ed. for a loooooooong time. And Werewolf. And Mage. And Changeling......

I played a Decker in Shadowrun way back when....

Villains and Vigilantes? Marvel SuperHeroes? DC Heroes? Traveller? West End Star Wars? FASA Star Trek? Space 1889? Lost Souls? No? Bah, you're minor league. ;)

OOooh, I'm actually going to be hosting a Marvel-type RPG online in the not-too-distant future.

I never really got into Vampire. Or rather my group never really got into Vampire. We do RP, but we've always been a combat-centric party. Hell, we even tried using a Tac-map while playing Vampire ffs.

The 3.5 Ranger isn't so bad....

Hahahahaha. It's "not so bad" in the sense that it's a significant improvement on the 3.0 ranger. Still not worth playing. Especially with some of the rogue-oriented combat feats in PHB2.0. I mean, come on? I can hit you, make a single Move Silently check, and you get -5AC on the next round? I like, I like.

My favorite rpg Amber DRPG. Never even miss the funny dice :)

Second favorite would be White Wolf (old world of darkness), followed by both Shadowrun and Earthdawn.

I stopped keeping up with D&D when 3rd ed. came out and everyone I knew who played that switched from 2nd (or started playing for the first time with 3rd :eek: )

No not you, level 70 Blood Elf Paladin.
Night elf hunter?

;)

I stopped at D&D the original editions, and have two books from that set. That's a long time ago!

Funny thing, I found a gaming store - and bought a D20 and D8. Don't know why I like D20 ...

I see no option for Traveller on your poll, and I don't mean the GURPS Traveller.

The original, by Game Designers Workshop.

4th Edition: Meh, we'll see. I like 3.5 just fine.

Other systems? I've tried Shadowrun once. I rather enjoyed it but my husband gets all up in arms when he thinks about the weird statistics.

4th ed.? *geeky orgasm*:D

Didn't like 3rd ed, so I can't see why I'd like 4th.

2nd ed AD&D all the way. Played a lot of Shadowrun recently, but that group imploded (never play the Matrix rules with a group of computer geeks, you'll spend whole sessions with them arguing how the matrix just wouldn't work...). Also a little Vampire: The Masquerade (I still wear a Toreador rose occasionally).

http://users.ox.ac.uk/~orie1381/nerds2.JPG

Night elf hunter?

;)

Tauren druid, baby! Of course, I'm still not level 70. Damn RL getting in the way.

OOooh, I'm actually going to be hosting a Marvel-type RPG online in the not-too-distant future.

I never really got into Vampire. Or rather my group never really got into Vampire. We do RP, but we've always been a combat-centric party. Hell, we even tried using a Tac-map while playing Vampire ffs.let me know when you get your Marvel thing going.

Lost Souls was fun, too. Your first session, you die.

Then it gets really interesting. :-D


Come to think of it, a lot like Dead Like Me. or Lost Souls... no one survived it yet... ;)

KODT: Tomb of Horrendous Horror

4th ed.? *geeky orgasm*:D a Geekgasm? :eek:

OOooh, I'm actually going to be hosting a Marvel-type RPG online in the not-too-distant future.

Sweet!

The first RPG I ever made a character for was Marvel. Only played like 3 sessions and the GM was basically teaching us all how to play (which meant he told us what we should do a lot), but it was fun. =)

In other words, tell when you set it up. *nodnod*

http://users.ox.ac.uk/~orie1381/nerds2.JPG

And?

You say it like it's a bad thing.

http://users.ox.ac.uk/~orie1381/nerds2.JPG

None of those geeks look anything like me. =(

Damn gender stereotypes!

None of those geeks look anything like me. =(

Damn gender stereotypes!

LOL...

although... I can't say the same for me...

Fortunatly, I don't look like any of those on the end... :D



:(

Neeeeeeeeerrrrrrrdddddddssssssssss!!!!!!!!!!!

http://www.sedentario.org/wp-content/uploads/2007/05/homer_gun1.gif

Neeeeeeeeerrrrrrrdddddddssssssssss!!!!!!!!!!!

http://www.sedentario.org/wp-content/uploads/2007/05/homer_gun1.gif

Meh, you found nerds on the internet. You don't go on shouting when you find pickles in a pickle jar, do you?

I refuse to buy 4th Edition. I just recently broke down and shelled out the dough for 3rd.

I refuse to buy 4th Edition. I just recently broke down and shelled out the dough for 3rd.

3rd... or 3.5?

Meh, you found nerds on the internet. You don't go on shouting when you find pickles in a pickle jar, do you?

Hahahahahahaha!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hahahahahahaha!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Quick! While he's distracted! Pelt him with d20's!

3rd... or 3.5?

3rd. My roomies are bugging the crap out of me to go 3.5. I hate changing from 2nd edition 'cause I have it all memorized.

Quick! While he's distracted! Pelt him with d20's!

*Holds up his +5 shield of coolness*

3rd. My roomies are bugging the crap out of me to go 3.5. I hate changing from 2nd edition 'cause I have it all memorized.

THAC0 rules!

None. There's talk with a group of my friends about setting up a 3.5 campaign - all the characters are made, story is planned, but we haven't started yet. I intend to smoothly take over GMing and run Wushu instead, but we'll see.

Systems I want to try: Nobilis, Traveller,

Edit: I also want to try Paranoia. How could I forget that?

I have been playing since First edition D&D back in the stone age. It does not surprise me that they are going to 4th edition. 3ed and 3.5 started out strong but the stuff that they have been putting out for the last six months to a year have not been worth the money. The books have gotten more expensive and the material in the books seems tried at best.
My Sunday night group which has been running the same D&D campaign since 1993 (from second edition to 3.5) has switched over to Rifts by Palladium. We switched because of the cost of the new books and the future switch to
4th ed. A new D&D book runs from $30 to $40 and may have one or two things we can use in each book. On the other hand a Rifts book runs between $15 to $25 and have a LOT more useful material. Hands down my players seem to like Rifts better.

My favorite system of all time is still Deadlands, a Wild West style pnp that uses a fairly unusual system. You can have up to five actions in a given round, determined by a Quickness stat (there are 10 stats in total) by rolling the stat (anywhere from a 1d4 to a 4d12) and taking the best score. On top of that, any time you get an ace (the highest roll, so a 4 on a d4 or a 10 on a d10) you reroll that die, and then add the result onto the previous roll. This means that there's no such thing as a critical, but also no theoretical upper limit to a given roll.
On top of that, to determine the order of who goes first in a given round, those actions are associated with 1-5 cards, drawn from a deck. Ace of spades goes first, 2 of clubs goes last.

This means that a single combat encounter can take anywhere from five minutes to several hours.

Deadlands! We had a kick ass Deadlands group! My character was blonde and blue-eyed, born and raised Cherokee. My best friend was a mad scientist (female) who bore an odd resemblelance to Nickola Tesla. Redwulf was playing a marital artist named... Chon Wang. We had a mime who worked magic only because she didn't know she wasn't supposed to be able to (and who was dumber than the proverbial red brick), and a big Vodoo practitioner from N'awlins.

We were hired to do... Aw, hell, I don't remember. I just remember the contact told us to be 'subtle'. I fell out my chair, I was laughing so hard.

To the poll, D&D, but Whitewolf and GURPS are good too (I LARP Vampire, and I play a couple Darkside/GURPS campaigns). I'm not sure how I feel about the digital portion of 4.0. It seems too... CRPG and not enough Tabletop.

Meh, you found nerds on the internet. You don't go on shouting when you find pickles in a pickle jar, do you?

QFT

Deadlands! We had a kick ass Deadlands group! My character was blonde and blue-eyed, born and raised Cherokee. My best friend was a mad scientist (female) who bore an odd resemblelance to Nickola Tesla. Redwulf was playing a marital artist named... Chon Wang. We had a mime who worked magic only because she didn't know she wasn't supposed to be able to (and who was dumber than the proverbial red brick), and a big Vodoo practitioner from N'awlins.

We were hired to do... Aw, hell, I don't remember. I just remember the contact told us to be 'subtle'. I fell out my chair, I was laughing so hard.

Yeah, I remember Chon Wang being subtle.

<Walks up to the door of the church and knocks.>

"Hello, we are looking for the Agents disguised as US Marshals. Are they here?"

Villains and Vigilantes? Marvel SuperHeroes? DC Heroes? Traveller? West End Star Wars? FASA Star Trek? Space 1889? Lost Souls? No? Bah, you're minor league. ;)


How about Gamma World, Top Secret and Boot Hill? Now that's old school!

Now days however, I pretty much stick with GURPS.

Edit: Oh, how could I forget Car Wars?

How about Gamma World, Top Secret and Boot Hill? Now that's old school!

As gaming systems they made 1e AD&D seem amazing well designed in comparison.

Anyhoo, wouldn't Metamorphosis Alpha be older school?

As gaming systems they made 1e AD&D seem amazing well designed in comparison.

Anyhoo, wouldn't Metamorphosis Alpha be older school?

I have Metamorphosis Omega!

and Tunnels and Trolls is older.


have that too.

Meh, you found nerds on the internet.

Heck, he found nerds on a role-playing site of which he himself is a member...

3rd. My roomies are bugging the crap out of me to go 3.5. I hate changing from 2nd edition 'cause I have it all memorized.

3.5 kicked 3.0's ass and stole its lunch money.

3.5 kicked 3.0's ass and stole its lunch money.

3.5 was a patch on a system, that, while not unplayable, was severely broken. There's a reason why planning for 4e started in '05.

Systems I want to try: Nobilis, Traveller,

Edit: I also want to try Paranoia. How could I forget that?

Classic Traveller and Parinoia are awesome. MegaTraveller was OK. Haven't had a chance to play any of the later eds., but I understand GDW screwed around with the background even more after MT.

How about Gamma World, Top Secret and Boot Hill? Now that's old school!

Obscure old school TSR = EPT.

I always had a soft spot for Star Frontiers as well

Now days however, I pretty much stick with GURPS.

Edit: Oh, how could I forget Car Wars?

Old school SJGames = TFT. :D

(Trivial name drop: the only actual proper gamingt club I ever joined was Rice University's WARP, of which, IIRC, the aforementioned Steve Jackson was a founding member.

As gaming systems they made 1e AD&D seem amazing well designed in comparison.

Anyhoo, wouldn't Metamorphosis Alpha be older school?

Boot Hill and EPT are more old school than MA. BH and EPT came out in 75 and MA in 78.

and Tunnels and Trolls is older.

Same year as Boot Hill and EPT. :)

have that too.

That's one of the old school games I know next to nothing about. :(

And another old school one" anybody here ever play Morrow Project? That was one I always wanted to try but nobody else I played with was interested.

Boot Hill and EPT are more old school than MA. BH and EPT came out in 75 and MA in 78.

Yup. I was saying that Gamma World wasn't really old school, being a revision and re-setting of MA.

And another old school one" anybody here ever play Morrow Project? That was one I always wanted to try but nobody else I played with was interested.

I think we tried running that basic idea of cryonauts rebuilding shattered society with some other system, but I don't think it really got off the ground - that old problem of players getting too excited about the firepower they had at their disposal.

LOL!
Simple... effective... did it work?

Your daughter wins.


In all it's childish simplicity I could not help but admire it. There are so many dynamics to such a simple thing.

1) It is brilliant! The dragon could not fit through the door!
2) The retreat. Whoops - wrong door. Sorry. Excuse me. Do you know where the bathroom is?
3) The panic! Close the door! Ack!
4) The duh. Close the door! Like what - you want me to fight that?

In a game that is so often run by hack-and-slash I found her solution unexpected and refreshing and quite possibly more rational than what most players response would ever have been. - from the mouths of babes... Thanks for letting me share it with you.

OOooh, I'm actually going to be hosting a Marvel-type RPG online in the not-too-distant future.

I never really got into Vampire. Or rather my group never really got into Vampire. We do RP, but we've always been a combat-centric party. Hell, we even tried using a Tac-map while playing Vampire ffs.

Oh believe you me, when you toss a bunch of Camarilla childer at a pack of Sabbat, combat becomes the center of the universe.

None of those geeks look anything like me. =(

Damn gender stereotypes!

Yeah. I gots boobs.

How about Gamma World, Top Secret and Boot Hill? Now that's old school!

Now days however, I pretty much stick with GURPS.

Edit: Oh, how could I forget Car Wars?

Not only did I once PLAY Car Wars, I've had two stories published in ADQ.

3.5 kicked 3.0's ass and stole its lunch money.I don't totally disagree. But....I'm freakin' poor and the game shop doesn't want to just give me the damn books.

My friends play 2nd edition. We were thinking about converting to 3rd edition, but now maybe we'll stay with 2nd... Convert. 3rd is uniformly a better system in every way (unless you like inverted rules and needless tables/restrictions).

They should have stopped with AD&D 2nd Edition. Oh I contest. Strongly. I haven't yet seen 4th, and 3.5 wasn't really all that different from 3. I'd have to say 3rd is the pinnacle of 3 (definitely with it's own problems, but with it's emphasis on simplicity and integrated DM houseruling guides, this is of little concern). 2nd ed shat me to tears.

GURPS is ok. I know someone who wrote a couple of the sourcebooks. GURPS is cool, every now and then.

They should have stopped WoD with the second edition. I am with you there. NWoD is somewhat lacking in depth, though I imagine this will improve in time. I HATE the new stuff -- And I have seen the Vampire sourcebook, the Werewolf sourcebook, Chicago Sourcebook, and the Corebook. I played Vampire 2nd ed. for a loooooooong time. And Werewolf. And Mage. And Changeling......

I played a Decker in Shadowrun way back when.... I actually adore shadowrun. I had a guy with less essence than a daisy he was so teched up.

Villains and Vigilantes? Marvel SuperHeroes? DC Heroes? Traveller? West End Star Wars? FASA Star Trek? Space 1889? Lost Souls? No? Bah, you're minor league. ;)Haven't tried any dedicated superhero titles, though I have dallied with GURPS high point superhero campaigns. Not so much into the comics thing.

I don't post here because I roleplay. :)
4th Edition? damn, I didn't like the 3.5 one.

I use strange dices (I have d7 and d11 die). I play D&D sometimes (using 3rd Edition rules; the 3.5 Edition was not too bad, but it was completely unnecessary. Okay, with exception of few things bad.), I also quite often play SW D20 according to Revised Core Rulebook, and rarely I try to make a game in Classic Traveller setting, but I have problems with rulebooks.

Each system is appropriate I think for different setting.
Agreed, 3.5 didn't bring anything new which wasn't already implied through simplicity and encouragement of houseruling. Thats all it was actually, a reprint of 3rd with a few of the better houserules in print.

4th Edition: Meh, we'll see. I like 3.5 just fine.

Other systems? I've tried Shadowrun once. I rather enjoyed it but my husband gets all up in arms when he thinks about the weird statistics. Shadowrun is fun, but it is nightmare with the rules lawyers.

Didn't like 3rd ed, so I can't see why I'd like 4th.

2nd ed AD&D all the way. Played a lot of Shadowrun recently, but that group imploded (never play the Matrix rules with a group of computer geeks, you'll spend whole sessions with them arguing how the matrix just wouldn't work...). Also a little Vampire: The Masquerade (I still wear a Toreador rose occasionally).
God, what is it with all of the 2nd EDers? What precisely is it that you like about that abomination? Familiarlarity? Don't worry, 3rd is a lot less painful to learn than 2nd, and you'll feel much better afterward.

3rd. My roomies are bugging the crap out of me to go 3.5. I hate changing from 2nd edition 'cause I have it all memorized.
That was a pain, but so worth it. They basically rewrote the game entirely, keeping a few common words and the dominating use of the d20.

THAC0 rules!

Arghhhh!
"Hey, why not set up a system of inverse negtive geared targeting matched against various also inverse modifiers which applies only to combat?"
"Why can't we just have a generic system of targets with competeing modifiers?"
"You just don't get it, do you? How are you supposed to lord it over noobs if the system is straightforward and clear?"

I don't totally disagree. But....I'm freakin' poor and the game shop doesn't want to just give me the damn books.

Download the entire collection in pdf via bittorrent?

Yup. I was saying that Gamma World wasn't really old school, being a revision and re-setting of MA.

Ah, gottcha.

I think we tried running that basic idea of cryonauts rebuilding shattered society with some other system, but I don't think it really got off the ground - that old problem of players getting too excited about the firepower they had at their disposal.

My old Twilight 2000 campaign had a funny dynamic that way - that group had an even balance between Real Men, Thespians, and Brains, so it ended up a struggle between "Kill the Ruskies!", "OMFG! Teh worldz is GONE!", and "Can I play a nuclear technician trying to restart the South Texas Nuclear Plant?" Made for a fun game...

In all it's childish simplicity I could not help but admire it. There are so many dynamics to such a simple thing.

1) It is brilliant! The dragon could not fit through the door!
2) The retreat. Whoops - wrong door. Sorry. Excuse me. Do you know where the bathroom is?
3) The panic! Close the door! Ack!
4) The duh. Close the door! Like what - you want me to fight that?

In a game that is so often run by hack-and-slash I found her solution unexpected and refreshing and quite possibly more rational than what most players response would ever have been. - from the mouths of babes... Thanks for letting me share it with you.

That was a beautiful story. :D

Not only did I once PLAY Car Wars, I've had two stories published in ADQ.

Heh. You just dropped a SJG name better than me. :D

I actually adore shadowrun.

Shadowrun is fun, but it is nightmare with the rules lawyers.

I only ever was "familiar" w/ 1st ed Shadowrun, and to be honest, I disliked it largely because I simply didn't get the whole dice pool mechanic. :confused:

I only ever was "familiar" w/ 1st ed Shadowrun, and to be honest, I disliked it largely because I simply didn't get the whole dice pool mechanic. :confused:

Another system that can be improved by upgrading to the newest version. Get 4th Edition Shadowrun. The dice pool mechanic has been vastly simplified among other changes.

Never played any of those pen and paper RPGs (I've never even seen a real life d20, let alone roll one) but I do know about Dunkelzhan, Malystrix the Red, Vecna, The Lady of Pain, The Cormyr Royal Family, Clan Tzimisce, The Adeptus Custodes, The Skaven among other things.

Suffice to say, I only like the stories, not so much on the "enters the dark brooding man" part. I guess I'm one of the generation with the the short attention span,... was it X or Y?

The only thing I'm interested on is not what edition of rules,... but wheter Fallout 3 going to be a disappointment or not.

(oh yeah, I also know what To Hit Armor Class 0 means too)

Arghhhh!
"Hey, why not set up a system of inverse negtive geared targeting matched against various also inverse modifiers which applies only to combat?"
"Why can't we just have a generic system of targets with competeing modifiers?"
"You just don't get it, do you? How are you supposed to lord it over noobs if the system is straightforward and clear?"

"It's perfectly simple, just look..."

http://www.acaeum.com/ddindexes/miscpages/miscscans/wheelfront.jpg

"...could it be any more obvious?"



Back in my day we didn't hold with such newfangled notions as THAC0.

Another system that can be improved by upgrading to the newest version. Get 4th Edition Shadowrun. The dice pool mechanic has been vastly simplified among other changes.

Troof. Shadowrun 4th actualy makes a small amount of sense. Much as I enjoyed playing it with our old GMs (they moved. :(), the whole mechanic this was a pain in my arse.

But I did what I always do - roll the dice and let the GM figure out the rest. There's a reason I only run d20.

"It's perfectly simple, just look..."

http://www.acaeum.com/ddindexes/miscpages/miscscans/wheelfront.jpg

"...could it be any more obvious?"



Back in my day we didn't hold with such newfangled notions as THAC0.
AAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaAaaaaghhhhh! *pop**thud*

Another system that can be improved by upgrading to the newest version. Get 4th Edition Shadowrun. The dice pool mechanic has been vastly simplified among other changes.

It's been almost 20 years now, so my memory may be fuzzy, but from what I recall, the 1st ed. rules didn't even define what a "dice pool" was, but that may have just been the messy rules. I remember it coming up somewhere, and going "WTF is a dice pool?" and not being able toi find an answer. Twas one of the reasons I tossed out the rules for my own homebrew.

To be honest, I'm still not real sure what a dice pool is and why it's a good mechanic, and I've read a few different explanations.

Give me a simple percentile skill level any day. :)

Give me a simple percentile skill level any day. :)

I have a couple of problems with simple percentile skill levels - and here I'm basically thinking of BRP:

- they seem needlessly granular. Is it really necessary to have a skill defined to that level of precision? A scale of just twenty or even ten different levels should be sufficient for most purposes. This is especially obvious when they are paired with arbitrary bonuses or minuses on referee whim: is a referee likely to come up with a reasonable modifier correct down to plus or minus one percent? Instead the tendency is to run with blocks of five or ten percentage points.

- they don't mesh too well with the system of opposed rolls - why calculate first whether your pointed stick makes a potential hit on the foo, and then have to make a separate roll to see if the foo's buckler intercepts the hit. Why not instead unify the two mechanisms so that you make an opposed roll against the foo's buckler skill or dodge skill instead?

- they always seem to be used only to calculate whether an attempt is successful or not, and never to determine how effective that success is: instead that is calculated separately. Someone with 'fishgutting 95%' should be able to not only successfully gut fish in times of stress more often than someone with 'fishgutting 10%', but they should also be able to do it more quickly and more effectively.

- they always seem to break down at high levels: witness the mess in games like Elric or Hawkmoon which allow percentile based skill levels above 100 percent. I can't even remember exactly how they were meant to operate, but I do recall that it was ungainly.

- the skills always seemed to operate in isolation from each other: a character might possess 'battle axe 95%' but only 'blunt instrument 10%' - they should have the option of employing their cudgel as if it were an axe, and rolling on their battle axe skill along with some negative modifiers.

- IIRC they were sometimes granted bonuses from primary attributes, but this only operated one way. If a high Charisma score can give a 10% bonus to 'perform mime act' skill, then similarly a high skill level in 'perform mime act' should give a bonus to the primary attribute. Of course some kind of cunning but simple mechanism would be needed to prevent the skill and the primary attribute from engaging in an ongoing loop of positive feedback...

- why run specific skills on a different basis from primary attributes? Why shouldn't Strength be changed to a skill like 'perform general feat of strength' and given a percentile rating instead of an average human level of 10.5 on an ill defined scale?

In theory I like the simplicity of the BRP system, but when you look at it close up it seems to start displaying its flaws. I think one of the reasons I liked the old Classic Traveller skill system was because it was so massively under-described in the rules. Yes, there were examples of how some of the skills worked in play, mainly in the area of combat, but a great deal of the leg work was left to referee discretion, and so the skills defaulted to being general descriptors of the kind of people the characters were, and in the end were just rough templates of the kind of real skills that they might possess.

My favorite System is Star Wars D20

I don't play any one game though. I have played most of them my favorites being DnD, Star Wars,, Shadow Run, L5R, and Seventh Sea.

I've also been a mod on RPG host and an admin on several smaller sites... so I guess I am a true nerd... never got into any MMO though.

Download the entire collection in pdf via bittorrent?

Wait, I can download them? Where? For how much?

Wait, I can download them? Where? For how much?
BitTorrent = free downloadz ahoy. 'Z' obviously for a reason.

Oh and I play a little GURPS and played SLA Industries for about a week before I realised how shoddy it was. But of a nerdy pasttime, though, and I only play it when single.

I play a bit of Werewolf; used to do Mage and D&D too, as well as Marvel Exiles. I've cut down a bit since then. :p

Deadlands! We had a kick ass Deadlands group! My character was blonde and blue-eyed, born and raised Cherokee. My best friend was a mad scientist (female) who bore an odd resemblelance to Nickola Tesla. Redwulf was playing a marital artist named... Chon Wang. We had a mime who worked magic only because she didn't know she wasn't supposed to be able to (and who was dumber than the proverbial red brick), and a big Vodoo practitioner from N'awlins.

We were hired to do... Aw, hell, I don't remember. I just remember the contact told us to be 'subtle'. I fell out my chair, I was laughing so hard.

My friend used to play a martial artist named...Shing Wu. His character had no possessions other than his clothes and a rice bowl hat with a bladed edge.

I usually play either Hucksters or gunslingers with Doubting Thomas. Nothing is quite as funny as trying to explain away the fact that the upper half of the zombie you just chopped in half kept coming at you. "Umm...he wasn't a zombie, just a dude who was REALLY REALLY pissed off..." :D

Also, to those who expressed an interest in the Marvel game. We're still working on getting a copy of the book for it online, since we own a single copy of the book and it's a pain in the ass even for us to call each other up for game info. So once that gets done and we get the board up and running, I'll send the word out about it.

To update, I now have a copy of the sourcebook, and we're in the process of getting the board up and running, getting character creation info up there, etc.

Anyone who's still interested in playing the Marvel game who hasn't already contacted me about it, please shoot me a TG, or an IM over AIM at InflatedEgo86.

I used to play AD&D, but I don't seem to find the time for it today.

Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, FTW!

4th Edition.. feh. "Characters will have even MORE customization options."

Bah.

The more complex you make the character creation system the easier it wil be for people to exploit and powergame.