Messages

1

RPGs / Re: Eclipse Phase

« on: December 09, 2012, 08:15:06 AM »

Remove the humorous context, and this becomes really disturbing.
TITAN artifact, or meme-virus?

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General Chaos / Re: What Vidja games are you playing?

« on: December 04, 2012, 04:10:09 PM »

Awesomenauts has been pretty awesome.
It's got a lot of MOBA elements like DOTA or LoL, but it's a lot more laid back with the ability to drop in and out of games.
The music is pretty cool too.

This is my favorite character, a space viking with a 3-hit-combo, earthquake, and can throw people behind him.

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RPGs / Lighthearted RPGs

« on: November 29, 2012, 12:49:24 PM »

So I was planning on trying my own take on Slenderman with an RPG (World of Darkness), but then I realized I've been doing too much horror/dark RPGs.  I think I should try something different.

But Lighthearted games seem more difficult to set up compared to Horror, Post-apoc, or Hack-n-slash.  With those other genres, the conflict is typically made through survival, gaining power, amassing fortune, and the occasional mystery.  While the players are likely to pass around lighthearted conversation outside the game, the in game content is rather serious.

What would be some good tips for running a lighthearted game; how do I keep a good mood without myself or the players going overboard on humor?

Also, while I could use Monsters and Other Childish Things, what other RPGs would help make things lighthearted?  I've thought about adapting the Part Time Gods powers from the Dynamic Game System for something akin to imagination magic or Homestuck element control.

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RPGs / Re: Monsters and Other Childish Things Questions

« on: November 28, 2012, 11:44:01 PM »

You'll need to include the classic "Loot food from trash cans".

If Weird and Boring are the two main classification of abilities, how do dangerous objects play in?  If Frank pulls out a knife, how are the kids going to handle it?

Perhaps allow one of the characters to take the Pray command or something similar?  You'd need to set up a random table.

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Role Playing Public Radio Podcast / Re: What should Caleb run next?

« on: November 28, 2012, 11:28:57 PM »

If we're going Grimdark with Monsters and Other Childish Things, the kids should all be angsty outcast teenagers.

6

RPGs / Re: Establishing some rules for Slenderman and other monsters

« on: November 21, 2012, 08:54:19 PM »

I haven't sat down to write any more stuff, but I did recall another good source of inspiration.

If you've played Amnesia: The Dark Descent, the main character is being chased by something known as the Shadow.  It serves as a reason for why the character can't leave and also gives a sense of urgency when the tell-tale signs of the Shadow appear.

If I can do that with Slenderman, than things will work well.

I also found a file of all the old stories from the early days of Slenderman from SA and other sites.  http://www.mediafire.com/?ayru5dep5q7cc9k

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RPGs / Re: Is Cthulhu Shy?

« on: November 21, 2012, 08:42:15 PM »

There was a free scenario I found somewhere where an artist ends up making a replica of Cthulhu out of special material and uses a ritual to bring it to life.  As far as rules went, the replica was treated as Cthulhu itself.  Reaching that point is kind of the "Bad End" but the players did have the ability to reverse the magic or destroy the replica.

I think it's buried somewhere in Yog-Sothoth.com.

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General Chaos / Re: The Official Marble Hornets Thread

« on: November 19, 2012, 11:03:47 PM »

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[spoiler]Holy shit those first 5 minutes.[/spoiler]

9

RPGs / Establishing some rules for Slenderman and other monsters

« on: November 04, 2012, 05:02:17 PM »

I've been tossing around the idea of a World of Darkness game/campaign/chronicle/whateverfancyterm with Slenderman.  I'm planning on using it more as a narrative force than a big beastie.
The idea would be the characters encounter Slenderman or something related to it, and become marked by its 'hunt'.  This would then lead to the characters spending the rest of the sessions trying to delay their capture in some way.  They'd likely spend time gathering information, talking with 'survivors' and the hunted, thwarting whatever is related to Slenderman, and maybe some things on the side (this is the World of Darkness after all).

While the motivations and abilities of Slenderman are nebulous, I've decided to set down some rules.  This will allow the players to have an idea when they're in trouble or relatively safe.  This will also give me some ideas for scenarios.
I've already decided to place Slenderman as one of the True Fae, as I want to stick to roots of folklore some have given it.  This will also give the rules greater strength and reason.  As a True Fae, this means Slenderman is going to be weak to Cold Iron and ruled by some kind of vice.
EDIT: This will also give me the excuse to toss in some stuff from Changeling as a way for captured characters to return.

As for his other rules and qualities:

• Slenderman capitalizes on the unreliability of human memory.
• The iconic association with fire, water, and the woods.  Don't go in the woods!
• "Slenderwalking" -- Observation makes it hold still, but doesn't stop it from using powers and arms.
• Interference with recorded media and electronics.  Our technology counters Slenderman preying on unreliable memory.
• Creating confusion and memory loss.
• Symbols do act as wards, but lose effectiveness and can be overcome.

I'd like some additional ideas, mostly to explain how the characters can keep running and not get snatched up instantly.  Other interpretations of Slenderman would provide some good fuel as well; I could toss them in as red herrings.
And to open the topic up to things beyond Slenderman: what kind of rules have you created or encountered for the entities in your games?

10

General Chaos / Re: Disney poised to take over the world.

« on: November 04, 2012, 12:07:39 PM »

It's good to see you guys aren't freaking out like people elsewhere in the internet.

I'm kinda looking forward to see Star Wars handled by people other than George Lucas.

Also, Disney is going to get the special effects resources Lucas built up.  We may see more of it in use through Disney's various studios.  Let's just hope they don't go overboard like with the Star Wars prequels.

11

General Chaos / Re: What Vidja games are you playing?

« on: October 25, 2012, 12:55:45 PM »

I've been playing The Binding of Isaac again since I got the expansion.  It's got a lot of the good rogue-like elements without the frustrating bullshit (I swear to God, if I get banished to the Abyss in DungeonCrawl:Stone Soup one more time...).  Plus you get to fight monsters with your own tears; sometimes blood too.

All together, the game and expansion are the best $8 I've ever spent.

EDIT: I can't seem to figure out the forum magics to embed youtube videos, so here's a link to a trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVbwMbQdeaU

12

General Chaos / Re: Introduction

« on: October 20, 2012, 06:39:24 PM »

sorry about that

would it help if I said I paid some actors to pose as us and in reality we totally look like whatever you thought we looked like?

Then I would have to compliment you on your lip-sync and video/audio editing skills.

But don't worry, I think I'll be able to recover from the shock and face reality.

13

General Chaos / Re: Introduction

« on: October 20, 2012, 04:36:16 AM »

I wrote a lengthy post, only to accidentally click back and lose the entire thing!
Here's my second attempt:

Hello there!

My name is Thomas, I am 21 years old as of this writing and studying computer science.  I am a long, looong time listener, first time caller poster.

I suppose this is where I put on my hipster glasses, because I found this place since episode 3 was posted!  I don't even remember how I found this site!  I didn't become an active 'subscriber' until the following March of 2008, listening to RPPR on the plane ride to some family.

I started RPGs with 3.5 D&D (My bro's 1e AD&D being my early exposure), but broadened out with the release of 4e D&D.  Like many people I had frustrations of things I liked changing. But instead of stubbornly holding to one system, I looked to other RPGs.  These days I view this as the best thing to happen with my relationship with RPGs, as my library has broadened, and with them my views.  I even prefer 4e over 3.5 now, but I would still like to try some AD&D. 
My first non-D&D RPG was Call of Cthulhu, inspired by hearing the stories from the podcast and getting into Lovecraft.  From there I expanded into Mutants and Masterminds, (new) World of Darkness, Eclipse Phase, and many more.

I am also the secretary of my university's gaming club.  It's been great playing and running various RPGs and board games.  I've even made it some-what of a mission to introduce new players to Roleplaying with rules-light games like Call of Cthulhu over the typical D&D.

My biggest flaw lately is designing my own scenarios or taking the time to learn new rules so I can introduce people to them.  It's really hard to sit down and get those words on paper.  I've been dying to run some Eclipse Phase but I haven't been able to organize anything, not to mention I've got Tenra Bansho Zero diverting my attention as well.

Frankly, this hobby is great and I wish I could do more with it.


As for why I finally registered to the forums?  I suppose it's because I wanted to deliver this message after watching a few of the RPPR videos:

It's a weird feeling to have my mental images of the RPPR crew shattered.