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General Chaos / Re: Cyberpunk 2077
« on: January 15, 2013, 05:21:44 PM »
Who here has played the Cyberpunk 2020 tabletop RPG, and how was it?
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2
General Chaos / Re: DayZ
« on: June 07, 2012, 11:13:46 PM »
I finally came around to reading Cormac McCarthy's The Road. If anyone wants some inspiration for a setting based in a dark post-apocalyptic wasteland, give this book a read. That, and the book is a story of Day Z, without the zombies.
I put the game down for a bit after a long session ended with my assassination by a hidden bandit. Two days of gathering supplies and weapons, put to a quick and bitter end by my impatience with crawling through the grass. I was near one of the biggest hubs for players to search for supplies, at night, and I heard gunshots from the buildings every couple of minutes. I tried to keep away from the shots and travel north from the city to avoid the other survivors. After I reached a hill, slightly north of the city, I took a chance and began running into the woods. Not more than ten steps, the sounds of silenced shots whizzed by and I was incapacitated with a shot to my leg. I did a quick sweep of my surroundings to try and find the shooter, but it was too dark and there were too many bushes for me to find his location. I dropped to the ground in a prone position and tried to roll out of the kill zone, but that didn't help either. My screen faded to black, then to a bloody red hand print that informed me I died a horrible death.
This game is fun if you like the survival aspect of games. There's no boss, no quests, no storyline other than you have to survive. If you're playing in a heavily populated server, supplies are scarce but survivors are abundant. Some of them are willing to form quick alliances, and others will watch you and kill you to get your gear. Yeah, there are zombies. They shuffle around and chase you if you get spotted, but the survivors are the real threat.
Moral of the story: Read The Road and let's get a RPPR survivor group going!
I put the game down for a bit after a long session ended with my assassination by a hidden bandit. Two days of gathering supplies and weapons, put to a quick and bitter end by my impatience with crawling through the grass. I was near one of the biggest hubs for players to search for supplies, at night, and I heard gunshots from the buildings every couple of minutes. I tried to keep away from the shots and travel north from the city to avoid the other survivors. After I reached a hill, slightly north of the city, I took a chance and began running into the woods. Not more than ten steps, the sounds of silenced shots whizzed by and I was incapacitated with a shot to my leg. I did a quick sweep of my surroundings to try and find the shooter, but it was too dark and there were too many bushes for me to find his location. I dropped to the ground in a prone position and tried to roll out of the kill zone, but that didn't help either. My screen faded to black, then to a bloody red hand print that informed me I died a horrible death.
This game is fun if you like the survival aspect of games. There's no boss, no quests, no storyline other than you have to survive. If you're playing in a heavily populated server, supplies are scarce but survivors are abundant. Some of them are willing to form quick alliances, and others will watch you and kill you to get your gear. Yeah, there are zombies. They shuffle around and chase you if you get spotted, but the survivors are the real threat.
Moral of the story: Read The Road and let's get a RPPR survivor group going!
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General Chaos / DayZ
« on: May 31, 2012, 11:05:00 PM »
I recently started playing this game after seeing it repeatedly referenced on gaming sites. The article that finally did it for me was recently published on pcgamer.com : http://www.pcgamer.com/2012/05/27/day-z-photo-diary/
Anyone up for starting a DayZ group? Let's try and survive the end of the world together.
I've gone through piles and piles of zombies in the Left 4 Dead series and Killing Floor. With DayZ, it's a little bit different. There is still a fair share of zombies to shoot through the head, but that hasn't been the hook for me. Crawling through the brush, surveying a farmhouse, counting the number of zombies nearby and carefully navigating around them to reach the sweet can of beans I need to live. Seeing another survivor, ducking behind cover, and playing the dangerous game of judging them as friend or foe. Moving through an open field, hearing the loud screech of a zombie that spotted me, and then running in a full spring to avoid getting killed by my stupid mistake. These are some of the things I've had to go through after a couple of hours of playing the game.
Ross has mentioned it before in Zombies of the World, but DayZ gives the concept center stage: People are the real threat in a zombie apocalypse. The zombies suck, but they're manageable. The other survivors are the worst. They can be valuable allies, if they want to, but there are also the lying survive-at-all-costs folks that roam the barren fields. One of the reasons players are dangerous, is that other players drop the best gear. A zombie might drop a Coke to quench your thirst, if you're lucky. A player on the other hand can drop his awesome sniper rifle, GPS, flashlight, and other neat toys. I watched an exchange where one player told the world he carrying a GPS. He then greeted another player in front of him, commented on how friendly the player was, and then screamed as he was gunned down like a dog. The other player looted the GPS from the dead player, and quietly left the area.
The game is still in the alpha stage, so there are still plenty of bugs that need to be fixed. Zombies can punch through walls, zombies only spawn near buildings, the zombies seem to run and teleport towards their prey. Even with that, the game still holds its own.
Here's a quick actual play video from youtube:
I'm usually not a fan of people running around and screaming, but it gives an idea what a game session can be like.
Let's try and get an RPPR DayZ hunting group together!
Anyone up for starting a DayZ group? Let's try and survive the end of the world together.
I've gone through piles and piles of zombies in the Left 4 Dead series and Killing Floor. With DayZ, it's a little bit different. There is still a fair share of zombies to shoot through the head, but that hasn't been the hook for me. Crawling through the brush, surveying a farmhouse, counting the number of zombies nearby and carefully navigating around them to reach the sweet can of beans I need to live. Seeing another survivor, ducking behind cover, and playing the dangerous game of judging them as friend or foe. Moving through an open field, hearing the loud screech of a zombie that spotted me, and then running in a full spring to avoid getting killed by my stupid mistake. These are some of the things I've had to go through after a couple of hours of playing the game.
Ross has mentioned it before in Zombies of the World, but DayZ gives the concept center stage: People are the real threat in a zombie apocalypse. The zombies suck, but they're manageable. The other survivors are the worst. They can be valuable allies, if they want to, but there are also the lying survive-at-all-costs folks that roam the barren fields. One of the reasons players are dangerous, is that other players drop the best gear. A zombie might drop a Coke to quench your thirst, if you're lucky. A player on the other hand can drop his awesome sniper rifle, GPS, flashlight, and other neat toys. I watched an exchange where one player told the world he carrying a GPS. He then greeted another player in front of him, commented on how friendly the player was, and then screamed as he was gunned down like a dog. The other player looted the GPS from the dead player, and quietly left the area.
The game is still in the alpha stage, so there are still plenty of bugs that need to be fixed. Zombies can punch through walls, zombies only spawn near buildings, the zombies seem to run and teleport towards their prey. Even with that, the game still holds its own.
Here's a quick actual play video from youtube:
I'm usually not a fan of people running around and screaming, but it gives an idea what a game session can be like.
Let's try and get an RPPR DayZ hunting group together!
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Role Playing Public Radio Podcast / Re: Beware - I live.
« on: March 04, 2012, 10:19:01 PM »I am going to run a game some time. Underdark campaign!
Thank you for renewing my interest in RPPR. I'm looking forward to the campaign. And if there's a way to speed its entry into the RPPR front page, then please let us know!
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General Chaos / Re: What Vidja games are you playing?
« on: February 07, 2012, 02:29:21 AM »
Started The Darkness II. It's like Tom Church wrote the concept of the main character. Pretty slick so far.
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Role Playing Public Radio Podcast / Re: The Heroes of New Arcadia - RPPR Superheroes campaign - Wild Talents
« on: December 08, 2011, 10:02:36 PM »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.
It does make more sense to approach the situations with the idea that Chirop was an ex-convict. From what I heard in the first episode of the series, Finn/Chirop is a criminal with an at least decade long rap sheet. This tracks when he gleefuly kills people with industrail air conditioing units or by using them as human cannon balls. It also applies when he steps into make moral decisions for other people, while ignoring his own actions. One of the reoccuring themes of lifelong criminals is that they can't take responsibilty for their situations and readily condemn others who make the same decisions.
The fact that you guys play games without Superman characters is why I love listening to you guys. RPPR is an adult gaming group that isn't afraid to play in adult situations, where right and wrong aren't black and white. This isn't the part that rubs me the wrong way. In Watchmen, the characters were human with consistent idealogies. To the point where one of them becomes a megalomaniacal villian, and another dies for his inability to compromise his beliefs. Those situations are awesome. Watchmen would have been jarringly different if after Night Owl and Silk Specter kicked some hooligan ass, Silk Specter stops Night Owl from kicking down the doors of the Psychiatric Detention Facility because some orderlies might get hurt or it was against the law.
Tom did know he had the ability to pull his punch and spare the spellcaster's life. He specifically refused to spare the man's life, stating he didn't want the man to live because he feared for his life. That's a valid argument. The spellcaster was trying to death spell Chirop to death. The issue I'm seeing is Chirop's schizophrenic logic in similar situations. The situation where Chirop stopped Caleb from neutralizing a mad surgeon's ability to harm him and others in the future, without so much a thought to what a decision like that could make for future victims. Now there's the issue. I know I'm hanging my hat on that situation repeatedly for the Heroes of New Arcadia, but it's a reoccuring trait in Tom's character's (Vashyk).
At least Cody would stand up and play the devil's advocate. He would probe further than the face of a situation before making a decision. In a situation where a man who lead a good life or a baby with an uncertain future should be spared, Tom an Aaron would instantly pitch their votes for the baby and then condemn anyone who thought otherwise. Cody, on the other hand, slowed everyone down to weigh the situation before casting his vote. Caleb's similar to Cody in his decision making, but still does so with his own personal flare.
All in all, thank you guys for being an awesome group of gamers. I might have my gripes, but it's like talking about an episode of a good drama series.
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Role Playing Public Radio Podcast / Re: The Heroes of New Arcadia - RPPR Superheroes campaign - Wild Talents
« on: December 08, 2011, 04:51:54 PM »
Anybody else hear Aaron's excuse for the collateral loss of life in Episode 4? After attempting to cause a meltdown on a power core, where the strength of the explosion was unknown, he brushes off the chance of killing civilians by explaining that the destruction could be blamed on the Syndicate.
That's a case of Noble Corruption, or Aaron is secretly playing a Lawful Evil character who will ultimately make a totalitarian version of the Ideal. A version where they'll protect you, even if it kills you.
Tom's on the same path, where killing is ok, but sparing someone and removing their instruments of their crimes is not ok.
I miss Cody. At least he was upfront about his character's loose morals.
That's a case of Noble Corruption, or Aaron is secretly playing a Lawful Evil character who will ultimately make a totalitarian version of the Ideal. A version where they'll protect you, even if it kills you.
Tom's on the same path, where killing is ok, but sparing someone and removing their instruments of their crimes is not ok.
I miss Cody. At least he was upfront about his character's loose morals.
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General Chaos / Re: HAY GUYS HAVE YOU SEEN THIS THING (Forum Shout Out Thread Thing)
« on: December 08, 2011, 03:47:31 PM »A slasher flick with a twist. Wash, from Firefly, is also in the movie. As a hillbilly, not the pilot of a midbulk transport, standard radion-accelerator core, classcode 03-K64, Firefly.
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General Chaos / Adventure Time
« on: December 07, 2011, 05:50:27 PM »
I've seen this show mentioned on the forums through the "Image Thread" and other random posts, but it hasn't gained its official post yet, so here it is.
After watching the Christmas Special, "Holly Jolly Secrets", I can't help but notice H.P. Lovecraft's influence on the show. There are other obvious influences, like Dungeons and Dragons and post-apocalyptic settings, but Pendleton Ward ended this episode with a Lovecraftian flourish. I don't want to give any big spoilers for the episode, so just watch it.
There are other Lovecraft nods in the show in different episodes to boot! In "Mortal Recoil", the Ice King mentions his "stanky old wizard eyes", and then gives his point of view on the matter: http://adventuretime.wikia.com/wiki/Wizard_Eyes. This links with Lovecraft's short story, "From Beyond", where a mad scientist creates a machine that allows the user to see into planes of existence beyond reality. The protagonist in the story sees an alien plane transposed with ours, where indescribable creatures flitter and shamble about. The catch being, if you can see them, they can see you.
The father of Marceline, a female half-demon half-vampire, is nothing but a soul sucking horror from beyond who is summoned through an intricate ritual and banished in the same manner.
There are more examples, but these are reasons why I love watching this show.
After watching the Christmas Special, "Holly Jolly Secrets", I can't help but notice H.P. Lovecraft's influence on the show. There are other obvious influences, like Dungeons and Dragons and post-apocalyptic settings, but Pendleton Ward ended this episode with a Lovecraftian flourish. I don't want to give any big spoilers for the episode, so just watch it.
There are other Lovecraft nods in the show in different episodes to boot! In "Mortal Recoil", the Ice King mentions his "stanky old wizard eyes", and then gives his point of view on the matter: http://adventuretime.wikia.com/wiki/Wizard_Eyes. This links with Lovecraft's short story, "From Beyond", where a mad scientist creates a machine that allows the user to see into planes of existence beyond reality. The protagonist in the story sees an alien plane transposed with ours, where indescribable creatures flitter and shamble about. The catch being, if you can see them, they can see you.
The father of Marceline, a female half-demon half-vampire, is nothing but a soul sucking horror from beyond who is summoned through an intricate ritual and banished in the same manner.
There are more examples, but these are reasons why I love watching this show.
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General Chaos / Re: Random Question
« on: December 07, 2011, 05:29:59 PM »
It's pretty sensationalized, and there's a good chance that anyone following the Occupy Movement knows about the pepper spray incident and its fallout with the chancellor: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/12/jon-stewarts-mocking-of-uc-davis-chancellor-touches-a-nerve.html.
The world is watching, but only the meaty bits. Best of luck on your finals.
The world is watching, but only the meaty bits. Best of luck on your finals.
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General Chaos / Re: Best Internet Vidyas
« on: December 07, 2011, 05:13:14 PM »
All your sanity are belong to us.
I'm so sorry.
I'm so sorry.
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RPGs / Re: My Rifts Experiment
« on: October 11, 2011, 05:09:44 PM »Someone should have handed Caleb a Snickers.
Seems to me this game was shot down way before it even had a chance to take off due to Caleb's diva complaints throughout the game.
It wasn't the best game, but it had it's moments. Come on, it's the RPPR crew here. The ingredients are all there for a good time. The only reason a game wouldn't go well, is because the players didn't want it to go well.
Thanks for killing Dresden, Ross. That made my day.
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Role Playing Public Radio Podcast / Re: Vampires on Third
« on: June 26, 2011, 12:34:05 AM »
For those that don't get the reference:
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General Chaos / Re: Best Internet Vidyas
« on: June 24, 2011, 04:00:26 PM »Watch the first skit. The rest don't appear to be RPPR related.
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Role Playing Public Radio Podcast / Re: Offsite Discussions of RPPR
« on: March 24, 2011, 11:40:29 PM »I opened a thread on the Eclipse Phase forums to let them know about RPPR's Actual Play.
http://www.eclipsephase.com/rppr-actual-play-eclipse-phase
A few listeners have commented already.
One of the users from the site said the gaming style of the Eclipse Phase RPPR Actual Play was too casual for their taste. Could someone help me out on this one, because I don't think I've listened to an AP from other sources that was anything more than "casual". What's the difference between "casual" play, and what I'm assuming to be the opposite, "hardcore" play?