Roll-playing

[andrewducker]

via theweaselking, who got it direct from Wizards Of The Coast (it was their April Fools this year, I think)

Comments

[spacelem.livejournal.com]

Ah D&D 4E. I played it for nearly two years, and it was horrible (although mathematically sound). It may well have been the rubbish GM though.

On the other hand, all the AD&D games I've been in have been fantastic (but THAC0 must die!!). It may have been thanks to the great GMs.

Still waiting for a chance to play OD&D (any one of the eleventy eight different versions that exist), but I suspect Advanced Fighting Fantasy is covering that angle well enough.

[andrewducker]

I very much enjoyed the 4th Ed game I played, so long as it wasn't entirely combat oriented.

Currently thoroughly enjoying WFRP - the new edition works very well.

[spacelem.livejournal.com]

I have heard good things about WFRP 3E (from Liam of Black Lion Games, so it must be good), apparently the dice can really make things interesting. I've only played 2E, but it had a great "no, you're going to die, it's only a question of how horribly" feel.

I like combat, I just don't like 4E combat. The theory is great, but the implementation seems so clinical and abstract (and don't forget the Big Reset Button feel). Apparently it was designed as a consequence of how 3E was being played, but I never got to see much that. I do find myself being drawn towards the style that the older editions were played, if not necessarily the specifics.

[andrewducker]

The combat can get too board-gamey if you don't inject your own flavour into it. And as it doesn't _require_ flavour, it can get that way if people don't actively make an effort.

WFRP is less mechanical, and thus tends to end up with more flavour by default.

[broin.livejournal.com]

There's a few small press games that have brought out some of the free-wheeling fun of earlier editions without getting so bogged down in tables and specifics.

Burning Wheel is a pretty straightforward fantasy game with mechanics you'd understand with swords and such but also makes 'Spiritual Attributes' important - they're how you tell the GM what story you want (revenge, pacifism vs violence, etc etc) and provide a mechanical advantage in play.

And then a personal favorite is The Shadow of Yesterday. I'd imagine there's a lot of focus you'd find novel, and it makes passions and drive even more focal via the brilliant mechanic 'Keys'. The game is available as various short books (as it's Creative Commons licensed, so others have written interpretations and settings) but you can read all the rules here.

[broin.livejournal.com]

And another one that's due out soon:

http://www.lumpley.com/apocalypse/

AW emphasises style and imagery as a mechanical thing, has a bunch of stuff about sex and death, gives GMs tools so they don't ever have to hold back (as you have to do all the damn time in D&D), and looks generally brilliant.

[spacelem.livejournal.com]

Thanks, I do love reading through new RPGs! I'll have a proper look through this when I've got a moment.

[broin.livejournal.com]

Enjoy! And ask any questions you like, I'd be happy to help.

(I totally recognise you from Conpulsion, don't I?)

[spacelem.livejournal.com]

Most likely, although my memory for names and faces isn't terrific. The only Irish person that I can remember at Conpulsion is Brian.

[broin.livejournal.com]

I don't think you and I met especially, but you're definitely familiar. =)

Next time I'm at Conpulsion, have a look at the indie games table and I'll demo some stuff for you.

[andrewducker]

He was on the "welcome" table with Julie at least part of the time.

[kynn.livejournal.com]

i think it probably was your dm, cuz honestly, i've played D&D since "first edition" AD&D and 4e is my favorite one so far (followed by 1e probably)

[andrewducker]

Yeah, system-wise I like it a lot. It dos, I think, require people to actually remember to put flavour into their descriptions, and I think that was the problem we had with that, largely to it being played by a bunch of tired people after work in the middle of the week.

[spacelem.livejournal.com]

Don't worry, I won't do the "Rar, 4e sucks and you suck for liking it!" rant. I've played in a 4e con game, and it was actually quite fun: I had a pregen character, there much silliness and we got the chance to discuss our tactics and annotate our firecubes ;) It wasn't a campaign though, and I suspect it wouldn't have worked too well in that respect; I would like to try a 4e campaign with a different GM to see how it went.

I played 2e at the same con, with cairmen (Hugh) as the GM, and it was fantastic, but completely different in style. I played a simple fighter, who like to swing his sword, but Hugh asked us to narrate how we were performing our actions, and at one point I was so animated that I pulled a muscle in my leg (I mentioned this to a friend and they said this was pretty much on par for Hugh's games).

I don't know if there would have been much difference between whether I had been playing 1e or 2e, other than THAC0 would have been replaced with a to-hit table. As a mathematician, I like the thinking behind 4e, I suppose I just felt more connected in the 2e game than I do in my regular 4e one, and I find creating a character easier without all the little options like feats hanging round.

[broin.livejournal.com]

Have you played any games where description gained you a bonus? Like stunt dice in Exalted? Or in Wushu, every chunk of description gets you a dice (there's no base stat).

[spacelem.livejournal.com]

I played Feng Shui once. It was fun, but probably a bit silly! I like the principle, but maybe grounding it slightly might be an idea, as one thing I can do is describe vividly how my character pulls off a really stylish manoeuvre.

[broin.livejournal.com]

It's an odd thing, but the freedom to take descriptions anywhere often results in silliness - probably because so many games constrain choice by necessitating appropriate feats or skill combinations, for example. I was posting elsewhere about a Star Wars game that used ,a href="http://galileogames.com/mortal-coil/">Mortal Coil and it was great not thinking about powers in terms of lists or requirements but in terms of drama and genre appropriateness.

But then while Wushu was originally designed as a kung fu game (I grab the goon opposite (+1d6), tug his tie around and slide behind him (+1), throttle him hard (+1) and whisper 'This is for mom' (4d6, let's roll)), I've also seen it used for a CSI game by actual forensic scientists, where you got dice for each step of the forensic process. So dead serious.

Tuesdays

[zornhau.livejournal.com]

Sword provided.

Re: Tuesdays

[spacelem.livejournal.com]

I know! ;)

I'll recommit to fencing when my paper is done. It's nearly done, but I really can't think about doing anything else while it's still in front of me.

[broin.livejournal.com]

How did a typo get through? Oh, Wizards. You foolish people.

[andrewducker]

Where? I've clearly gone blind?

[broin.livejournal.com]

'There could even be an oportunity...'

I'm editing three RPGs at the moment. ;)

[kynn.livejournal.com]

you haven't read many 4e books have you? :)

[broin.livejournal.com]

I prefer my poorly edited games indie. ;)