I'm not very good at dungeon mastering or whatever but that campaign sounds like it would be a motherfucker to adjudicate.
I'm not very good at dungeon mastering or whatever but that campaign sounds like it would be a motherfucker to adjudicate.
Yeah, but it's Ross. And he has Cody to keep track of all the tiny details and ensure he remembers them, even the unimportant ones...
I'm not very good at dungeon mastering or whatever but that campaign sounds like it would be a motherfucker to adjudicate.
Have you looked at the other WT theme books? I haven't looked at them much (and not in a while), but what you describe does spark a bit of a memory.
I've a question Ross, I've noticed you don't run many mutants and Mastermind games, and recall a bit of an argument with RJ about it, the only one's i recall were, as you said watchmen inspired, And while i like watchmen, i didn't care as much about those games, plus i think they were at conventions, and my bad hearing couldn't get me through them.
Is there a reason you don't seem to run the straight up super hero games, with a random power generation origin for each character? (I don't even know if that exists but it should, one person gets heat vision the other gets....a third arm growing out of his belly, another person rolls and gets no powers, or ends up being the vessel for a demon, or angel)
1. The price of power - superhuman power has an incredible cost - how far will you go? What will you do with this power that justifies the cost?
1. The price of power - superhuman power has an incredible cost - how far will you go? What will you do with this power that justifies the cost?
I hope you're going to explore more than just material costs. After all, you know who'd I'd play if I were in the game. And when the whores and politicians of your game world looked up and shouted "save us," I would still whisper "no."
I've a question Ross, I've noticed you don't run many mutants and Mastermind games, and recall a bit of an argument with RJ about it, the only one's i recall were, as you said watchmen inspired, And while i like watchmen, i didn't care as much about those games, plus i think they were at conventions, and my bad hearing couldn't get me through them.
Is there a reason you don't seem to run the straight up super hero games, with a random power generation origin for each character? (I don't even know if that exists but it should, one person gets heat vision the other gets....a third arm growing out of his belly, another person rolls and gets no powers, or ends up being the vessel for a demon, or angel)
What is a 'straight up' super hero game? There are so many superhero subgenres that I don't know what you mean by that.
Random power generation isn't a feature of any popular superhero game out right now. I don't see how you could have a long campaign with random powers.
1. The price of power - superhuman power has an incredible cost - how far will you go? What will you do with this power that justifies the cost?
I hope you're going to explore more than just material costs. After all, you know who'd I'd play if I were in the game. And when the whores and politicians of your game world looked up and shouted "save us," I would still whisper "no."
My friend took a fiction writing class this past quarter and someone wrote the worst Rorschach rip-off story. His catch-phrase was "Swift death TO Evil In all it's Forms" (I capitalized random letters since that's what he did). He also had a handgun (can't recall the type at the moment) but it was a heavy caliber one and had a silencer for it (i.e. made absolutely no sense to have a silencer). But the two best parts: first he had a custom Smith and Weston .45 caliber revolver with custom special shotgun attache (yes we realized that this made no sense, it made even less sense the way he wrote it); he lamented at one point, "How can I compete with the brainy, and the brawny, and the brainy-brawny?" for the affection of his desired. If I knew more about intellectual property right and whatnot, I wouldn't be so reluctant to share more.
Oh, the plot was essentially him stalking a couple and wanting to kill them because they reminded him of when he was with the love interest before she was killed by a druggie or something...
I think Heroes Unlimited had random powers.I've a question Ross, I've noticed you don't run many mutants and Mastermind games, and recall a bit of an argument with RJ about it, the only one's i recall were, as you said watchmen inspired, And while i like watchmen, i didn't care as much about those games, plus i think they were at conventions, and my bad hearing couldn't get me through them.
Is there a reason you don't seem to run the straight up super hero games, with a random power generation origin for each character? (I don't even know if that exists but it should, one person gets heat vision the other gets....a third arm growing out of his belly, another person rolls and gets no powers, or ends up being the vessel for a demon, or angel)
What is a 'straight up' super hero game? There are so many superhero subgenres that I don't know what you mean by that.
Random power generation isn't a feature of any popular superhero game out right now. I don't see how you could have a long campaign with random powers.
I think Heroes Unlimited had random powers.
I've a question Ross, I've noticed you don't run many mutants and Mastermind games, and recall a bit of an argument with RJ about it, the only one's i recall were, as you said watchmen inspired, And while i like watchmen, i didn't care as much about those games, plus i think they were at conventions, and my bad hearing couldn't get me through them.
Is there a reason you don't seem to run the straight up super hero games, with a random power generation origin for each character? (I don't even know if that exists but it should, one person gets heat vision the other gets....a third arm growing out of his belly, another person rolls and gets no powers, or ends up being the vessel for a demon, or angel)
What is a 'straight up' super hero game? There are so many superhero subgenres that I don't know what you mean by that.
Random power generation isn't a feature of any popular superhero game out right now. I don't see how you could have a long campaign with random powers.
Hey the Morlocks aren't useless. There's something pretty cool in my opinion about a bunch of people with "lesser" powers having to band together to be one pretty badass power suite. Unfortunately another team (the Marauders) with a bunch of "better" powers gathered together and slaughtered them. It's all up to what the DM throws at the players.
I don't want to seem over-opinionated, but in my experience people that always wanted to play Wild Mages were the same kind of people that got a laugh out of "accidentally" casting fireball on another player's character or wanted to have the biggest "damage dick" at the table.
I am going for a straight up comic book feel but I am aiming more for Batman than Superman or the Justice League in terms of power level. There will be plenty of costumed heroes and villains, just that the vast majority will be new to the game or underpowered. I definitely hate games where there are plenty of epic/cosmic NPCs just hanging around waiting to save the players from any fuck up or are so powerful the players can never overthrow or stop them. FUCK ELIMINISTER
It will be like Marvel or Image but just after a major 'event' that removes all the heavy hitters so a new generation of heroes can rise. People will be used to seeing superheroes and villains in the news and new superhumans will put on costumes to hide their identities.
I'm also tired of the cliche motivations and plots of most superhero comics - villains that commit crimes because they are serial killers, or want to get revenge or rich or take over the world/city are boring as fuck. Heroes that just fight crime are boring too.
Hi, forum folk. This is Caleb from the AP's. I'm learnin' how to use this new-fangled computer thing.
If we go the Wild Talents route, I've already talked some with Ross and Cody. I think it is important to have some sort of hook that gets the whole party adventuring together. Otherwise, it'll just be a whole bunch of PC superhero fights without the team-up at the end. Here's what I've brought up and what I've heard.
Awesome Things By Caleb
Anyway, I'm just thinking aloud here. Interested to hear what y'all have to say.
Ross Payton is the Wes Anderson of the roleplaying world. (POSSIBLY INFLAMMATORY)
Ross Payton is the Wes Anderson of the roleplaying world. (POSSIBLY INFLAMMATORY)
I feel like we need a campaign guide already. Damn.
I agree, it's good to see Ross working on a more generic setting than the New World, without all that confusing fluff.
I agree, it's good to see Ross working on a more generic setting than the New World, without all that confusing fluff.
What?! What Ross is planning sounds less confusing than the New World?
I so want to see Aaron break tradition and play a reverse-flash/zoom like "hero"
I so want to see Aaron break tradition and play a reverse-flash/zoom like "hero"
Reverse Flash... would be be really slow or would he have to move backwards?
I so want to see Aaron break tradition and play a reverse-flash/zoom like "hero"
Reverse Flash... would be be really slow or would he have to move backwards?
He's just like the Flash, but yellow.
Also, maybe someone else wants to be a speedster . . . ::)
Also, maybe someone else wants to be a speedster . . . ::)
I so want to see Aaron break tradition and play a reverse-flash/zoom like "hero"
Reverse Flash... would be be really slow or would he have to move backwards?
He's just like the Flash, but yellow.
Well, color balance being what it is, the opposite of red is green and yellow's reverse is purple (orange's is blue).Also, maybe someone else wants to be a speedster . . . ::)
Ah, so Sam's playing then?
real life inspiration for this campaign: http://dr1.com/articles/steroids.shtml
Desperate baseball players in the Dominican Republic use steroids meant for cattle. Think about that for a moment.
Question for our venerated GM:
Did the Ragnarok ship explode or just disappear? If it exploded, were there any debris? (I have an origin story idea).
Question for anyone who cares to answer, especially RPPR's:
I've got three ideas, with various background stories. I know who I'd like to role-play most, but what does the party need?
Preternaturally intelligent/perceptive leader-type?
Techno defensive crowd control?
Hyper-fast healing damage tank?
Canz I haz itty-bit of debris? (sad kitten)
Not that it matters in every instance. First off, what do you think that party is lacking?
I haz itty-bit of debris? (sad kitten)
Not that it matters in every instance. First off, what do you think that party is lacking?
well to be honest, I want to leave the Ragnarok event as a big unknown for right now - but there are plenty of other alien ships that have left debris behind - what did you have in mind?
I haz itty-bit of debris? (sad kitten)
Not that it matters in every instance. First off, what do you think that party is lacking?
well to be honest, I want to leave the Ragnarok event as a big unknown for right now - but there are plenty of other alien ships that have left debris behind - what did you have in mind?
[spoiler]A riot control device from an alien penitentiary ship grafted to my character's arms. It generates force fields of various shapes and sizes.[/spoiler]
I haz itty-bit of debris? (sad kitten)
Not that it matters in every instance. First off, what do you think that party is lacking?
well to be honest, I want to leave the Ragnarok event as a big unknown for right now - but there are plenty of other alien ships that have left debris behind - what did you have in mind?
[spoiler]A riot control device from an alien penitentiary ship grafted to my character's arms. It generates force fields of various shapes and sizes.[/spoiler]
I haz itty-bit of debris? (sad kitten)
Not that it matters in every instance. First off, what do you think that party is lacking?
well to be honest, I want to leave the Ragnarok event as a big unknown for right now - but there are plenty of other alien ships that have left debris behind - what did you have in mind?
[spoiler]A riot control device from an alien penitentiary ship grafted to my character's arms. It generates force fields of various shapes and sizes.[/spoiler]
[spoiler]You could have the device come from a Grey or Luyten ship or from a parallel universe and was recovered from the Tunguska zone. There are still undiscovered Grey and Luyten wrecks and they could be bigger ships like a prison ship.[/spoiler]
I had already picked which character I wanted to play, but now with the reputation/status system, I'm back at square one. I really like the idea of a mastermind character in that kind of setting, but we still need muscle. Damn you Payton! Damn YOU!
A few things:
I will set up some kind of status/reputation system for the heroes - it will measure various factions view the characters and how far they will go to help or hurt them. Each major organization, the local and federal governments and the public will be tracked. PCs will get bonuses or penalties depending on how they treat various factions. In particular, if you piss off a group they may send goons to your neighborhood to try and find you or they may hire private detectives and the like to learn more about you. Information is vital so a PC that makes too many enemies and not enough allies may have their secret lair raided and secret identity revealed.
I will use Reign rules to track important factions - so the players can actually bring down a mob family by damaging its stats - steal their money and hurt the Treasury stat or beat up a few dozen goons to hurt its Might stat.
I had already picked which character I wanted to play, but now with the reputation/status system, I'm back at square one. I really like the idea of a mastermind character in that kind of setting, but we still need muscle. Damn you Payton! Damn YOU!
I had already picked which character I wanted to play, but now with the reputation/status system, I'm back at square one. I really like the idea of a mastermind character in that kind of setting, but we still need muscle. Damn you Payton! Damn YOU!
Don't worry. I'll be handling the muscle.
A few things:
I will set up some kind of status/reputation system for the heroes - it will measure various factions view the characters and how far they will go to help or hurt them. Each major organization, the local and federal governments and the public will be tracked. PCs will get bonuses or penalties depending on how they treat various factions. In particular, if you piss off a group they may send goons to your neighborhood to try and find you or they may hire private detectives and the like to learn more about you. Information is vital so a PC that makes too many enemies and not enough allies may have their secret lair raided and secret identity revealed.
I will use Reign rules to track important factions - so the players can actually bring down a mob family by damaging its stats - steal their money and hurt the Treasury stat or beat up a few dozen goons to hurt its Might stat.
I have a book called "Crooks" for Mutants and Masterminds that has a system in the waaaaaay back. I'll be honest, the book is 80% bad guy templates but in the way back there's this pretty cool system. It's d20 based but it might be able to be converted.
Long story short, it weighs your progress versus heroes against the progress of the villains. If the heroes aren't creating too much collateral damage or are popular with the people of the city, then it's easy to get villains convicted, get support from the people, etc. HOWEVER, if the heroes dip onto the red side of the graph then they get all sorts of negatives towards other things. The villains end up getting control of the media/courts/etc and the superheroes could be deemed enemies of the state, face jail time, etc.
So even if you're going to make your own system, it might be a pain in the ass, but the aforementioned system has a chart that might be a good idea for you. You take + or - for various actions that the heroes do that will result in placement on a chart that will monitor just how good of a job that they're doing. It's easy to maintain the middle ground and slip into the red but much harder to maintain the green level, so to speak. Shit, at the highest level of that chart there's a microscope on you to always perform at that level.
What kind of animal will your character be able to turn into? I'm think adapted streetshark.
What kind of animal will your character be able to turn into? I'm think adapted streetshark.
Bat actually. And no changing. Permanent.
What kind of animal will your character be able to turn into? I'm think adapted streetshark.
Bat actually. And no changing. Permanent.
You're taking the Batman theme way too far.
All right, Langstrom (hehe) if you aren't able to turn back and forth, it's going to be a very boring game unless we get an image inducer or something. Obviously, there would be no secret identity, but how are you going to interact with NPCs when we are not on a set mission?
All right, Langstrom (hehe) if you aren't able to turn back and forth, it's going to be a very boring game unless we get an image inducer or something. Obviously, there would be no secret identity, but how are you going to interact with NPCs when we are not on a set mission?
With fear.
Shane Ivey once killed a PC just to watch him die.
basically what I'm saying is that RPPR should do a Star Wars one-shot
not because I have any particular appreciation for Star Wars just that it would be cool to hear people play it who aren't fat jerks who shout 4chan memes and smell like cum
basically what I'm saying is that RPPR should do a Star Wars one-shot
not because I have any particular appreciation for Star Wars just that it would be cool to hear people play it who aren't fat jerks who shout 4chan memes and smell like cum
oh another thing
first game is tomorrow night
oh another thing
first game is tomorrow night
Oh good! So it'll be posted sometime this summer. I'm future excited for it.
oh another thing
first game is tomorrow night
Oh good! So it'll be posted sometime this summer. I'm future excited for it.
You're excited? you should see my nipples!
How do you smell like cum over the interwebs?
As someone from Cali and familiar with Morro Bay....how did you pick Cambria of all places?
That makes sense. Hell, any town between Santa Cruz and Santa Barbara you'd miss if you blinked. Although Cambria does have Hearst Castle, which is creeptastically fun. You might want to consider using that at some point.
| Body | 3d | Body Skills | Coordination Skills | Sense Skills | Mind Skills | Charm Skills | Command Skills | ||||||
| Coordination | 5d | Athletics | 1d(4d) | Dodge | 1d(6d) | Empathy | 1d(6d) | First Aid | 2d(5d) | Lie | 2d(4d) | Interrogation | 3d(6d) |
| Sense | 5d | Brawling | 2d(5d) | Stealth | 5d(10d) | Perception | 1d(6d) | Streetwise | 3d(6d) | Persuasion | 2d(4d) | Stability | 3d(6d) |
| Mind | 3d | Scrutiny | 1d(6d) | Tactics | 3d(6d) | ||||||||
| Charm | 2d | Base Will | 6 | ||||||||||
| Command | 3d |
| Source: | Cybernetics |
| Permissions: | One Power |
| Intrinsics: | Allergy: Electricity (Uncommon, shock) |
| Source: | Technology |
| Permissions: | One Power |
So who are all the players in the new campaign? Old? New? Cody? Arje?Cody's long-suffering wife? ;D
So who are all the players in the new campaign? Old? New? Cody? Arje?
So who are all the players in the new campaign? Old? New? Cody? Arje?
There are 7 players at the moment. Aaron, Cody, Tom, Caleb, Drew, Bill, and myself. We might end up with another player but I think that's the max Ross is willing to handle. He's splitting us up into two different groups to manage things better because seven players was pretty chaotic the first night.
Police stop robot assassin from killing hospitalized witness! A flying robot attempted to kill a government witness against the syndicate by flying through his window and attacking. Two police officers detected the robot's presence and forced the soulless automaton to retreat.
The Fixer is active: The engimatic middle man and fence is reported to be working yet once again. Infamous for his dealings with both hero and villain, the Fixer is able to provide connections between metahumans - introducing wounded vigilantes to psychic healers for example. Of course, he charges a small fee for his services.
Bloodhound the Bounty Hunter: A notorious metahuman tracker and bounty hunter, Bloodhound is back in the game. Real name unknown, Bloodhound was a free agent back in the days when being independent was nearly impossible. Given the sheer number of wanted metahumans, it is assumed he is making the big bucks taking them down.
Led by an Army veteran named Tyler, they forced the recruiters to abandon the camp. "What we worked out is their words can't hurt if they can't be heard, sonificiation wise so we out talked them vis a vie sociopolitical ramifications of their ideologicalisms" Tyler said.
Led by an Army veteran named Tyler, they forced the recruiters to abandon the camp. "What we worked out is their words can't hurt if they can't be heard, sonificiation wise so we out talked them vis a vie sociopolitical ramifications of their ideologicalisms" Tyler said.
Best. NPC. EVER.
let me know if I missed any important events
Robot Assassin on arsonist rampage! The dreaded robot assassin was spotted after Prospero's Bounty was burned down, fleeing with documents in hand. He was later seen terrorizing a crowd after starting a fire at Joe's Cybercafe. To top it off, the assassin attacked a police station with hand grenades and flew over the building, taunting police. Experts believe the robot assassin is a rogue war machine built with Omega-tech and has been permanently set to kill all humans. Its erratic behavior can be explained by errors in its programming, possibly from an alien computer virus. The police have received anti aircraft missiles from the national guard and now have shoot to kill orders on all flying robots seen in the city.
The police have received anti aircraft missiles from the national guard and now have shoot to kill orders on all flying robots seen in the city.
: clockworkjoe
To top it off, the assassin attacked a police station with hand grenades and flew over the building, taunting police.
Goddamnit Ross. Goddamnit.
: clockworkjoe
Robot Assassin on arsonist rampage! The dreaded robot assassin was spotted after Prospero's Bounty was burned down, fleeing with documents in hand. He was later seen terrorizing a crowd after starting a fire at Joe's Cybercafe. To top it off, the assassin attacked a police station with hand grenades and flew over the building, taunting police. Experts believe the robot assassin is a rogue war machine built with Omega-tech and has been permanently set to kill all humans. Its erratic behavior can be explained by errors in its programming, possibly from an alien computer virus. The police have received anti aircraft missiles from the national guard and now have shoot to kill orders on all flying robots seen in the city.
Goddamnit Ross. Goddamnit.
:|
:|
1. It is unlikely that whatever city Paragon retreats to will be able to stop her. She tried to destabilize the entire govt. of California for some evil plot; god knows what evil she will achieve unrestricted.
Also:
Ross what are the rules of engagement for this battle?
or more directly...
Can I put a compact group of 9mm slugs in the syndicate goon's head (As opposed to non-lethal take-downs) without the New Arcadia Police wanting to talk to me?
Yes! Come on you guys, go Golden Age those mutha'fuckas!
Yes! Come on you guys, go Golden Age those mutha'fuckas!
That would require virtually no one to die.
Yes! Come on you guys, go Golden Age those mutha'fuckas!
That would require virtually no one to die.
That's silver age. In golden age comics, Batman carried a gun, Superman beat up industrialists and Stardust tortured and murdered villains using cosmic super powers.
I look forward to hearing that. . . in September 2042. :(
Anyway, come on. With great power and all that. Big damn heroes. Clog up the evil death machine with your heroic corpses.
Aegis - Atlantean trained martial artist
We need to be acting like a team. This lone wolf shit is just going to get us all killed.
Aegis - Atlantean trained martial artist
Is Atlantian martial arts a fancy name for holding people under water until they drown? Because that would be an awesome superpower.
Also, concerning the "team" issue, the last I checked we had the following:
Decent offensive and defensive tacticians,
Information specialists hacking safe routes for us
and a decently armed backup as well.
I'm just trying to figure a way to save this campaign.
1. Shift has got to chuck that bitch over the railing. The catwalk isn't 50 feet so it won't kill her, and it might knock her out. Even if it doesn't knock her out, the weapons are all on the catwalk after the disarm and she'll be prone for a round; it'll reduce her threat greatly and allow shift to immediately grab the .50 (WHICH WE NEED NEED NEED FOR CANDIDE AND HIS SPORE CANNON)
R.I.P. Shift, R.I.P.
R.I.P. Shift, R.I.P.
Zero-Shift: The Big Damn Hero
...
Also: Hello, forums! I am Thad.
Recover their geneseed for the next generation!
You, sir, are dangerously close to stealing my name... I'm watching you.
Ross:
I am working on my new hero, and I want him to be "off the grid". Does a 2 point intrinsic sound good to you?
"So I think we should name the group The New Ideal in honor of its last survivor dying to save us. You will be missed, Shift. It was an honor calling you friend."
~The Martyr
Out-of-character: I'm voting for "The Realists." It don't get more real than what went down in that damn particle collider. Failing that, "The Arcadians" or "The Achaeans," maybe.
As much as all our characters were affected by Shift's BADASS death, commemorating it with the name "New Ideal" might be a really bad idea. Consider the fact that the Ideal was wiped out by some kind of gigantic space explosion, whereas we were almost wiped out my a single crime family. I don't think we want to up-sell our abilities too much and have the government expect us to stop a meteor or something.
But that's just me! Here's what Norm would have to contribute to the name debate:
"..."
(sound of a beer can being opened)
"..."
(sigh)
(Googling the Trail of Median)
AWESOMESAUCE
(Googling the Trail of Median)
Your search terms have found 1 result
http://www.myfakewall.com/w/idealistwatch.com (http://www.myfakewall.com/w/idealistwatch.com)
Yeah, like finish writing Ruins.
So, is this the next campaign to be released Bi-weekly on the actual play feed?
Or is that a special treat for January 2038?
The term street-level was being thrown around a lot in the first half of episode one. I was curious as the definition of that term in the context of the fiction of New Arcadia. For example what heroes, in comics, would constitute such a term?
honestly to me street level doesn't mean the character's power but the story's focus. What I wanted:
Focused on a single city or limited area of operation - the different strata of society, notable characters etc
Dilemmas connected to urban life and its core problems: crime (especially organized crime), ghettofication/gentrification etc
Emphasis on the personal lives of the characters and how they relate to normal people
Compare this to hero groups that are not street level
the FF (cosmic, dimensionally focused, seldom interact with 'normal' people)
Avengers (global security focus, no connection to real life issues)
Justice League (seldom focus on personal issues - team protects entire universe)
Exiles (multidimensional focus)
Doom patrol (not focused on single city - however they do emphasize relating to normal people and how difficult it is)
Street level characters and groups
Spider man
Punisher
Bat family
Heroes for Hire
X-Factor - perfect street level hero team
Powerpack
Runaways
The current version of X-men is somewhat street level - they stay in San Francisco for the most part and a lot of the comic deals with how they relate to society
I really don't see someone who can dodge bullets, lift trucks, and outfight Taskmaster as being 'street level' (Spiderman).
Can't believe I forgot the Punisher though. Durrrr
I really don't see someone who can dodge bullets, lift trucks, and outfight Taskmaster as being 'street level' (Spiderman).
Can't believe I forgot the Punisher though. Durrrr
the individual powers don't matter as much as what the hero does - spiderman has a day job in the city and deals with family problems all the time. He doesn't have a secret base in space or the arctic nor is he super rich. He can relate to normal people and so can we. He usually doesn't try to save the world - he settles for stopping a mugger or rescuing a a kid from a burning building.
i am saddened beyond belief that none of the characters are basically The QuestionYa know I was actually considering it but I didn't want to rip off an awesome character concept completely. But it would've been fun to play a paranoid conspiracy nut, especially factoring in the Ideal and Ragnarok. Plus I don't think I'd have been able to keep up with all the theories I'd throw out there, let alone spontaneously connect the dots in game to develop some new wild conspiracy. It would've been very taxing, creatively speaking.
right but superman doesn't do that. Spiderman is street level also because his enemies are usually professional criminals that just want to make a score or are crazy people obsessed with killing him not cosmic powered superbeings, alien warlords, etc
right but superman doesn't do that. Spiderman is street level also because his enemies are usually professional criminals that just want to make a score or are crazy people obsessed with killing him not cosmic powered superbeings, alien warlords, etc
Only thing stopping him is the writers. Same thing as only thing stopping Spiderman from joining the Avengers going on galaxy-wide megaultimatepower universe saving quests.
I wouldn't just say it's the writers. Spider-man is inherently at his core a street level character. He patrols New York City, using his abilities to stop various villains because he believes its his responsibility. He does not concern himself with the wider world due to his alter ego (photographer, teacher, student, family, romantic relationships, and friends) needing to develop. He is the average person, dealing with the general ups and downs of life, compounded with extra anxiety and time allotted to his superhero life. It would deviate too much from his character concept and personality to throw him out into the greater universe too often. Doing so would lose the appeal of his accessibility as the everyman.right but superman doesn't do that. Spiderman is street level also because his enemies are usually professional criminals that just want to make a score or are crazy people obsessed with killing him not cosmic powered superbeings, alien warlords, etc
Only thing stopping him is the writers. Same thing as only thing stopping Spiderman from joining the Avengers going on galaxy-wide megaultimatepower universe saving quests.
right but superman doesn't do that. Spiderman is street level also because his enemies are usually professional criminals that just want to make a score or are crazy people obsessed with killing him not cosmic powered superbeings, alien warlords, etc
Only thing stopping him is the writers. Same thing as only thing stopping Spiderman from joining the Avengers going on galaxy-wide megaultimatepower universe saving quests.
well the problem with super popular characters that have been written for decades is that if you include everything they've been written in, you can't define them at all. They are literally everything in every genre.
The spiderman of the movies is street level. When most people think of Spiderman, they think of the street level version not the avengers version.
well powers are a funny thing - sure spiderman is super strong, fast and smart - but what can he actually do with them other than stop supervillains and do search and rescue? Superman can save the world by himself. If he wanted to, he can stand up to nation states or galactic empires.
Street level characters lack the means to dramatically alter the world or universe.
Tony Stark gave the armor to him and Spiderman didn't stand up alone to the US government nor did Spidey do a whole lot to the government.
right after we conclusively prove spider man is street level or not
right after we conclusively prove spider man is street level or not
right after we conclusively prove spider man is street level or not
Spider-Man is street level.
just like your mom
hey Ross.
they should call you Ross PAYton.
cause you're gonna make us PAY. for the next episode.ton
edit: oh I thought your last name was spelled with an E not an A. fine, my joke is ruined. fine. I'm okay with that. fine. don't care at all. Ross Payton.
give us more RPPR give us some New Arcadia give us some Eclipse Phase omg =(((
also, your registration captcha and password requirements are NEEDLESSLY OBTUSE
I'm personally not a fan of eclipse.
I'm a fan of this user account.
I'm personally not a fan of eclipse.
Then you should try Breaking Dawn.
right after we conclusively prove spider man is street level or not
right after we conclusively prove spider man is street level or not
You aren't street level if you beat up a herald of Galactus.
hey Ross.
they should call you Ross PAYton.
cause you're gonna make us PAY. for the next episode.ton
edit: oh I thought your last name was spelled with an E not an A. fine, my joke is ruined. fine. I'm okay with that. fine. don't care at all. Ross Payton.
give us more RPPR give us some New Arcadia give us some Eclipse Phase omg =(((
also, your registration captcha and password requirements are NEEDLESSLY OBTUSE
hi Tad! I was the one shocked to see you in the Unspeakable Oath AP. you didn't sound spacey.
=3 where's that name come from?
I was also trying to behave like a skeptic through the whole thing, which got really hard towards the end.
Short version: a character in the Usagi Yojimbo comics: Oyama Tadanori. and I decided to use "Tad" at the Cons because it doesn't sounds as pretentious as a clearly American voice using the name "Oyama".
Breaking Dawn is the fourth book in the Twilight series, Eclipse is the third. I was drawing the parrallel as a humorous aside since you said "eclipse" and not "Eclipse Phase".
I read the 4th one. Out loud. Because it has: vampire fang c-section, psychic-human-vampire-god telepathic adult-intelligence baby (strong enough that it breaks Bella's spine when it kicks as all infants do), creepy pedowerewolf, and just for the simple fact that Edward's super powered thrusts knock Bella into the headboard of the bed so hard she gets knocked unconscious (but he keeps going anyway).
And she comes back for more.
It's just so stupid it must be read, like watching a slow motion, Michael Bay trainwreck.
I read the 4th one. Out loud. Because it has: vampire fang c-section, psychic-human-vampire-god telepathic adult-intelligence baby (strong enough that it breaks Bella's spine when it kicks as all infants do), creepy pedowerewolf, and just for the simple fact that Edward's super powered thrusts knock Bella into the headboard of the bed so hard she gets knocked unconscious (but he keeps going anyway).
And she comes back for more.
It's just so stupid it must be read, like watching a slow motion, Michael Bay trainwreck.
And their making the movie. It's gonna be the most awesome train wreck ever. It won't even need the Rifftrax to be sidesplitting.
Granted moondog's description is hilarious; you all disgust me with your reading of twilight. A pox on all your houses!
if you have not read every good book why would you dedicate time to reading bad books
"yeah i didn't improve my life but at least i got to laugh and compare myself favorably to a 14 year old"
That's why I always have a Beta Fork read my books for me. If I think he sounds like a prick afterwards than I don't reintrigrate him.
encoding new episode on the rppr mainframe
Next 4 APs:
New Arcadia episode 2
Eclipse Phase: Think before asking
Fiasco at Gencon
Call of Cthulhu: Scott Glancy's WW1 game at Gencon 2011
ooo a scott glancy game. How long is this one going to be? 24 hours?
ooo a scott glancy game. How long is this one going to be? 24 hours?
god i hope so
ooo a scott glancy game. How long is this one going to be? 24 hours?
god i hope so
sarcasm bro
ooo a scott glancy game. How long is this one going to be? 24 hours?
god i hope so
sarcasm bro
see i was taking your sarcastic sentiment and replying in a positive and hyperbolic way
you did not somehow pull a fast one on me
EDIT: ps kroack i love you baby i aint want to fight
i didn't combine the next 2 sessions together because they were each about 3 and half hours. I've set ~6 hours as the max for a single RPPR AP episode.
found some art i can use http://www.emptykingdom.com/main/featured/andreas-englund/
A superhero is just a thug who assaults people. These 'criminals' that they attack weren't arrested. They weren't charged with a crime. They were denied their rights. They were not allowed to be judged by a jury of their peers or had a judge rule on their case.
The superhero determined they had commented a crime. The super found them guilty. He decided on what the punishment should be and carried out the sentence.
So remind me what makes a superhero, heroic?
Doesn't spiderman's "With great power comes great responsibility" boil down to "Might makes right?" I have more power than you so I will use that power to enforce my will upon those around me. Who is he responsible for? Himself right? But then he would just use his power to protect himself. Everyone weaker than he is? Did they ask him to be responsible for them? Did they give him the authority to be judge, jury, and executioner of them?
A couple think they are alone and role-play a little 'bad guy/good girl'. Spiderman swings in, beats the hell out of the guy, webs him up a leaves. Maybe the guy suffers brain damage. He at least suffered the mental and physical trauma of being assaulted. Was spiderman being responsible with his power or does he suffer the hubris of believing that he is better than others because of his power and therefor can sit in judgement of them?
Peracles is a helpful NPC that has been hired to help keep crime down while the PCs deal with other stuff.What?! When did this happen? I miss a week and Peracles is back...not to mention with more powers and a resume. I'm so happy I brought him out of Lemuria!
DOUBLE LENGTH EPISODE
ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED
DOUBLE LENGTH EPISODE
ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED
I am entertained Mr. Ross.
at what? I don't remember which games had which groups and I'm not going to relisten to them before posting.
Hey Ross,
This could be me moaning about broadcast schedule but I'm going to pretend I speak for entire listening audience. Could New Arcadia and Eclipse Phase post each month? IE WT:New Arcadia, one shot, EP: Know Evil , one shot? Or some combination there in? They're both bad ass games and we love to them and going for over a month without hearing them can be feel like Tommy Wuso is tearing us apart.
mahalo
Schrodinger's Gat
god damn you ross payton
that is the best thing i've ever heard
(Googling the Trail of Median: The Gazebo Incident)
(Googling the Trail of Median: The Gazebo Incident)
god damn it. finally fullreadthroughing I made it to page seventeen without replying, but here I am. Caleb keeps doing this thing, making these spaces feel real. my fantivity is getting embarrassing.
can't believe there's ten months of already-completed New Arcadia to come.
To be fair Tom's character was a killer/thief in his past and he's trying to redeem himself. He never claimed to be Superman, none of us have. Our characters are more akin to Watchmen. We are going to use the quickest and most effective means to thwart an enemy. If that means killing a villain in self-defense, then yeah we'll do it. Chirop does struggle with this later and realizes even in self-defense, he's still committing murder, so he begins to reel in his strength. In game terms, he changes his hard dice to wiggle dice. I don't think Tom as a player realized just how strong he was making his character when we first made our characters. Heck, I had to continually change something with The Martyr just to iron out the kinks of learning a new system.
We are going to use the quickest and most effective means to thwart an enemy. If that means killing a villain in self-defense, then yeah we'll do it.
Yeah, I love the fact that we are such amateurs and in way over our heads, especially since when I try to act all confident like a hardened hero. I never meant to imply that we just go around killing anyone who gets in our way like the Squadron Supreme, but we certainly don't pull our punches when our lives are threatened. We may not have the experience to plan things out as effectively as seasoned heroes, but we do treat life and death struggles more realistically. It's about survival and stopping our enemies however we can while trying to keep ourselves safe in the process. There are several villains who are killed because we don't let up and our backs are against the wall. The sorcerer Chirop killed is only one circumstance. We don't really tie up the bad guys and let the police take care of the paperwork. In fact, I think there's only a couple of times we turned a villain over to the authorities, and those were very unique situations.We are going to use the quickest and most effective means to thwart an enemy. If that means killing a villain in self-defense, then yeah we'll do it.
I would disagree with this.
There was some death in the first session, but after that we reeled it in pretty hard.
Norm's just plain out of his element.
Shift's a stupid idealistic pretender who thinks he's a lot more powerful than he is, and can afford to just take people alive.
The Martyr's a kid, and still forming his morals, but even you never really bring out the fire demon all that often/ or at all.
Chirop's the ex-con trying to reform and coming to grips with his awesome power.
I can't speak for the Robot Assassin or Ghost Robot because I didn't meet up with them till the first climatic battle.
We were not doing what we could to thwart the enemy, we were a mickey mouse operation and we messed up a great deal. For me that's the fun part. Far better than this... http://penny-arcade.com/comic/2011/09/05
Hey, when can we get some new episodes? November was great... December was understandably slow... but it's February now.
No dammit I am NOT addicted.
There was a double length episode of New Arcadia posted less than 12 days ago. It's the second listing on the actual play site.The December and January episodes just showed up in Podcaster yesterday. My bad for not checking the website <sheepish>.
There was a double length episode of New Arcadia posted less than 12 days ago. It's the second listing on the actual play site.The December and January episodes just showed up in Podcaster yesterday. My bad for not checking the website <sheepish>.
Move along, citizens. Nothing to see here.
Fight just started for me [spoiler] RIP Shift you will be missed. [/spoiler] also I hope Raul makes it.
That was a hell of a thing. I wouldn't have run a Wild Talents fight that big without a big white board to put each declared action onto.
Isn't Jason like Jenga Jesus or something? Did the Martyr take dominion of the Earth and cast all lesser being into perdition?
I'm dying to hear what everyone thinks of Wayfarer, the teleporting thief with a complicated background.He has a virtual Alt reality inside his head? I don't understand how his power works?
I'm dying to hear what everyone thinks of Wayfarer, the teleporting thief with a complicated background.He has a virtual Alt reality inside his head? I don't understand how his power works?
so you have a MUSE in your head?
Are there going to be other systems covered in regards to stats aside from Wild Talents and Mutants and Masterminds?
Heroes Unlimited, of course. I like to see a well balanced hero game.
Heroes Unlimited, of course. I like to see a well balanced hero game.
Are there going to be other systems covered in regards to stats aside from Wild Talents and Mutants and Masterminds?
What other systems do you want to see?
Are there going to be other systems covered in regards to stats aside from Wild Talents and Mutants and Masterminds?
What other systems do you want to see?
How much will I have to pay you for GURPS? You have a year or two do calculate all the powers don't you?
I'm confused now, do you mean making it a setting book like Grim War? Or making a systemless book like Caleb is doing? Or a dual(+) system book?
This sounds intriguing. What made you decide to create your own rules though? from the podcast episodes so far the Wild Talents rules seem to be working fine for the core of the game.
Found a problem, Ross. It looks like you left out the "Champions" conversion guide at $10,000.
Found a problem, Ross. It looks like you left out the "Champions" conversion guide at $10,000.
Did I?
You need a marketing guy to spice that pitch up for you.
Also, as of the present, Base Raiders has raised more money than all of Ross's previous Kickstarters combined (~$6659). This doesn't count "Get Aaron to GenCon" or "No Security" since those weren't Ross projects and it doesn't count pre-Kickstarter fund raiser efforts.
Calling it now - I think at minimum Caleb will find employment in writing out the Leviathan, Kickstarter will make at least the 18K mark in the next 24 days. I'll even throw in a casual bet if someone will take it - I lose, I'll run a Skype game for forums-folk, you lose, you run a skype game. Any takers?Also, as of the present, Base Raiders has raised more money than all of Ross's previous Kickstarters combined (~$6659). This doesn't count "Get Aaron to GenCon" or "No Security" since those weren't Ross projects and it doesn't count pre-Kickstarter fund raiser efforts.
Kicktraq still has the project trending to just under $20K! :o
I've been a bit more realistic in my estimates when talking to Ross. I think he'll probably hit about $10K. Prove me wrong people! Get out the word!
Tad: your group sounds like they all make decisions that would have even Aaron sighing in exasperation.
the Talent (private investigator Theodore Valiant)
the Talent (private investigator Theodore Valiant)
He dies. Someone drops a piano on him, from about six stories up.
I READ YOUR BOOK YOU MAGNIFICENT BASTARD
Calling it now - I think at minimum Caleb will find employment in writing out the Leviathan, Kickstarter will make at least the 18K mark in the next 24 days. I'll even throw in a casual bet if someone will take it - I lose, I'll run a Skype game for forums-folk, you lose, you run a skype game. Any takers?
Maw ha ha ha!
Victory!
I'll be waiting the spoils of war...well maybe not war...
Also happy that Baseraiders did better then I expected.
Anyway, I want to thank everyone that backed this project. Once Amazon clears the money, I'll start sending out the download login details for the preview AP episodes. I plan to send out the ebook for the short story Pariah around December 10 or so. It's 10k words in length and Ean Moody is doing cover art for it. Playtest is scheduled to go out sometime in February.
Well I'm leaving the Paypal page up for one week to catch any stragglers or people that can't use Kickstarter. So far I've gotten an extra $45 from it. I'll post the total amount once that ends.
Anyway, I want to thank everyone that backed this project. Once Amazon clears the money, I'll start sending out the download login details for the preview AP episodes. I plan to send out the ebook for the short story Pariah around December 10 or so. It's 10k words in length and Ean Moody is doing cover art for it. Playtest is scheduled to go out sometime in February.
Well I'm leaving the Paypal page up for one week to catch any stragglers or people that can't use Kickstarter. So far I've gotten an extra $45 from it. I'll post the total amount once that ends.
Anyway, I want to thank everyone that backed this project. Once Amazon clears the money, I'll start sending out the download login details for the preview AP episodes. I plan to send out the ebook for the short story Pariah around December 10 or so. It's 10k words in length and Ean Moody is doing cover art for it. Playtest is scheduled to go out sometime in February.
Hey Ross, when the kickstarter finished I got an email about how my transaction didn't go through - Amazon had the incorrect card info, blah blah - and I took corrective measures, getting the contribution sent through. Point here is, I just wanted to ask if the preview links had gone out yet because I'm an AP fiend, or if you're still handling shit.
Maw ha ha ha!
Victory!
I'll be waiting the spoils of war...well maybe not war...
Also happy that Baseraiders did better then I expected.
You were insufficiently optimistic, I was insufficiently pragmatic. What matters is the Kickstarter did well and it sounds like there'll be more for Base Raiders in the future via splat books, so I still get what I want. ;D
My game'll seat a max of 5 players, Monsters and Other Childish Things for the system, pregens provided, and it'll probably take place sometime in early December if that's at all possible for scheduling and early January if not. Gorkamorka and Tad already have spots, sound off here or PM me if you'd like a spot.
Shortly the entire super-scientist staff will become linked by a hive mind psychic bridge.That seems like it will end wonderfully.
Not sure if you guys have seen this, but I noticed it in the gas station where I picked up my copy of Eclipse Phase
I'm sinking my teeth into this newest AP and I love the fact that James has 5hd in mind.... Also, if I can get Thad to weigh in on why he chose to go with turning his 5d in mind into 5hd, and what kind of challenges role playing wise arise when you have the power of "knowing every fact ever".I believe that's "5hd+5d in mind".
I think it's 5hd in mind plus 5d in Super Science!
I'm sinking my teeth into this newest AP and I love the fact that James has 5hd in mind.The choice primarily came from the fact that he was no longer running on human hardware. Since he was basically an organic supercomputer, I wanted to reflect that in the stats. For RPing purposes, I tried to approached it by having James be (if possible) more rambling and detached than he was before. I'm not sure how noticeable the shift was externally, but that was the aim.
If you don't mind discussing it hopefully without spoilers to the rest of the game...
What kind of challeges did you find in as Mr. Stolze said "Giving the kids the keys to the car"?
Also, if I can get Thad to weigh in on why he chose to go with turning his 5d in mind into 5hd, and what kind of challenges role playing wise arise when you have the power of "knowing every fact ever".
All in all I like it. James has been consistently tied with Norm for my favorite Hero so I just felt the need to ask.
Ross, did you ever get an answer on radius defense powers?
I'd like to add that, by default, all Defends powers are Self only. I've always made my players buy, at a minimum, Touch (+1) before allowing them to add Radius (+2).
Well, you can't take "Self Only" on a Defense power because only effecting yourself is the default.
This is one of the reasons I love/hate Wild Talents: stuff like this is subjective. It ends up coming down to the GM of the individual group.
I've found that any persistant defensive power over 2 Width starts to get a little silly. Even just to get through those I had to start making it the rule that persistant defensives gave Gobble dice per round, not per attack, so there was a chance of overwhelming a highly defensive character.
Well, you can't take "Self Only" on a Defense power because only effecting yourself is the default.
This is one of the reasons I love/hate Wild Talents: stuff like this is subjective. It ends up coming down to the GM of the individual group.
I've found that any persistant defensive power over 2 Width starts to get a little silly. Even just to get through those I had to start making it the rule that persistant defensives gave Gobble dice per round, not per attack, so there was a chance of overwhelming a highly defensive character.
I'm actually with Tim B on this one. If Daze effects Duration/Endless/Permanent like that (without the Daze power having a comparable extra), this means that you can technically shoot a player with a tazer or flash bang him, and somehow reduce the effectiveness of his hardened bones or body armor, or suddenly make people who are intrinsically impervious to like, toxins or fire not immune. Duration I'm less caught up in, but Endless and Permanent are a big deal. And as much as I love WT for how it lets you mechanically model just about anything as a miracle, I'm not a huge fan of letting the crunch automatically triumph over the fluff of a game, especially if it makes no inherent sense.
An elemental with 2hd in (Immune to Fire) shouldn't suddenly become flammable just because I poked it with a stun gun or shot it with a sleep dart.
That is true. It's a seldom pointed out rule that doesn't have to be used if it doesn't make sense. Also an elemental should presumably have the Native extra meaning the power cannot be negated by (nearly)any means.
Either way one of the reasons I like WT is that it lets you apply rules when they make sense, and only if.
Ross, I remember you saying that Wayfarer's suit gave him 1wd on skills.
Was this just mind skills or any skill?
If it was any skill did you just have a 1wd power with Augment and Focus? Seems like a nifty and not too expensive way to always succeed on skill checks.
Why did the PC attack the entity in the first place?
I'm going to miss Median....
Also...who the heck is going to be the de facto team leader now?
Why did the PC attack the entity in the first place?
How Overwatch keep the seed AI under control?
How many sessions do you give the game before the entire universe rises up to strike the PCs down? They are making a lot of enemies very fast and don't seem to realize the value of loyal allies.
I'm going to miss Median....
Also...who the heck is going to be the de facto team leader now?
Oddly enough James always seemed to be the backup leader in Global tier when Norm was missing, I'm wondering if he'll step up like that again.
Or the Martyr will take control and the team will be run by a teenager, either way. ;D
The cards all came tumbling down last night. We ended up ending the campaign.
Bummer of an ending to a mostly fun campaign.
Did the players have fun with the campaign?
Did the players have fun with the campaign?
A question about Charon and other similar deal making characters (ie any that Aaron has made a deal with):
Do their powers/abilities have stats or are they treated as a narrative device? Do they merely have conditions to get things from them?
When I was running game I started to try to stat out my Charon substitue. I got through the Stats before I realized how pointless it was. The guy was never gonna fight the PCs or even really oppose them so why have stats to try and focus on? After that I stopped stating any NPCs I didn't think would end up fighting the characters.
Speaking of that; Ross, weren't you going to use the new app your phone has to convert photos of pages into PDFs to post RPPR characters sheets?
And then it turns out that James would later become Manjappa. XD
Moneys on Adam ;D
The Return of the Robot Assassin heralds the Fall.
Moneys on Adam ;D
The Return of the Robot Assassin heralds the Fall.
My money is on Panglos mind controlling the Torchbearer... Caleb is a mad genius after all...
Moneys on Adam ;D
Not sure if its just me, but I'm trying to download ep 4 and 5 without sucess...
Ep 4 just never downloads and Ep 5 downloads a 6ko file.
Any ideas how to solve this? I really want to listen to this campain
Not sure if its just me, but I'm trying to download ep 4 and 5 without sucess...
Ep 4 just never downloads and Ep 5 downloads a 6ko file.
Any ideas how to solve this? I really want to listen to this campain
Try again with a different browser? Have you use the right click, save target as method to download them?
Relisening to the campaign and on session 2, I know its been a long time since then, but I've got a question for Caleb, who/what was the other character he had created if Norm died on the operating table?
Just a passing curiosity when I heard mention of it in the session.