Topics

1

RPGs / Language evolution

« on: July 24, 2015, 01:00:10 PM »

I've got a character I intend to introduce in a game in the near future who's been in a kind of stasis for 500 years. He speaks "common" but I know that languages that are called the same are usually quite different between their eras.

So does anyone here know any notable examples of how spoken and written English has changed over the last 500 years? This will give me a jumping off point to create my own idiosyncrasies.

I tried googling it but it's a hard thing to explain in search engine terms.

2

RPGs / Contextless RPG Sessions

« on: April 16, 2015, 02:55:50 PM »

Players hunted Cult Leader

Players went to Brothel/Burlesque club, hung out with cross dresser, met up with old crime boss.

Players investigated murders.

Players tracked down cult leader.

Cult leader transformed into a monster.

Players lynched cult leader monster.

Players pinata'd him all over the wall.

One character got impregnated by crime boss, crime boss became vigilante.

The end.

3

RPGs / Social-Political Challenges

« on: April 12, 2015, 05:18:43 AM »

I have a game I've been planning and the players are a group of capable murder hobos who have since settled down, they've moved into a wealthy city where the rich elite control the government almost openly.

The poverty stricken are abundant and exploited beyond belief in this city. They live in a giant ghetto that takes up several quarters within the city.

The players upon settling down decided they were going to fight the corruption to try to make things better for the poor in the city. They are mostly using the only tool they know to work in their previous lives. Violence. Well now one of them has gone missing and the group has stepped up their investigations to find the hidden oligarchy.

Well I'd like for the rich to push back by social and political engineering.

For instance one character owns a brothel/burlesque club and while prostitution is legal I plan to have them shut down for "violations of public health and safety" without a due inspection.

The setting is one of our own creation but the best way I can describe it is Victorian Black Powder Wild West Very Low Magic Gritty Fantasy.

If you guys have any ideas please let me know. If you have questions I will do what I can to clear stuff up.

4

General Chaos / Payday 2 Discussion Thread

« on: August 11, 2014, 04:51:33 PM »

So RPPR's new episode (103) reminded me that I wanted to talk you all y'all peeps about the mechanics of payday.

Let me begin by saying, I do love this game, I've put in over 100 hours easily.

So does anyone else get kind of frustrated with guards randomly deciding they can see you through a wall.. or ECM's not being super clear about when to put them down?

I downloaded Hoxhud, it has timers for the ECM's and shows you how many body bags you have on your person and how many pagers your group can answer, also you can check timers for objectives without having to go back over to it.

So with all that stuff added in I feel like I learned so much about the game mechanics.

So some of the things I like to do in Payday 2.

Four Stores can be completed on all Difficulties up to Overkill by going into the liqueur store and ecming the ATM and hiding behind the open door until the escape car comes.

Diamond Store gives a 30% stealth bonus to your next mission and is pretty easy to do. Especially on Normal.

Chaining ECM's is the key after you find the security card and pad just ecm and switch off the alarm and run 4 bags to the car before they run out.

After that do a Rats or Firestarter on Overkill as a pro job to get yourself a solid 500k exp.

The money on those missions are really good too.

You guys got any tricks of the trade to share?

5

RPGs / FATE: Let's like talk about it.

« on: May 16, 2014, 03:47:15 PM »

So yeah...

Of those of you that have run FATE, what are your impressions? Any challenges you've found in the rules?

Literally I'd just like to hear any and every thought people have on it, specifics are good.

I'm going to run a campaign in it, however I want to immerse myself more fully in the system first.

Don't worry I also have the Base Raiders episodes on my list of things to listen to.

6

RPGs / Oregon Trail

« on: February 11, 2014, 12:17:40 PM »

I've been milling an idea around in my head(off and on) ever since the Gen Con videos, I've finally decided on how I want the supplies and such to work, I just need to figure out some conflicts.

So far it's a story of 4 families of at least 3 people each, packing up and heading out on the trail. I'm running it in a very low magic fantasy setting using the pathfinder rules, although there are no clerics/wizards/druids/sorc ect. Diseases will still be a potential  threat and healing is going to be a challenge.

Other than the random repairs and disagreements among families I am having trouble coming up with a suitable "end" game conflict, I want to include a war between tribal lizardfolk and orc at some point so that might be some source of inspiration.

So please help me with some ideas for an interesting plot point to end this mini series on.

7

Role Playing Public Radio Podcast / Tadanori Oyama and you can too!

« on: March 01, 2013, 04:50:20 PM »

Also known as the first appreciation thread for a forum member. Possibly ever.

The first time I ever visited these forums it was Tad that helped me with all my questions. You deserve it, honestly...

Seriously thanks for all the help over the years.(Yes I've been here for years as in more than one of them)

/gush

8

General Chaos / Mid level Tech Geek looking for Advice

« on: January 31, 2013, 02:42:20 PM »

I'm gonna be building myself a new gaming rig here in about a month. Only my HDD and case will be reuseable from my old machine as the damn thing is ancient.

My tenative plan for the new machine:
http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=21508352

Keep in mind I am not committed to getting these through newegg that is just where I went to establish my baseline.

So please let me know if you guys have any particular suggestions. I will primarily be using it for gaming, I might run Fraps through it as well.

9

RPGs / One Roll Engine Fantasy

« on: January 29, 2013, 12:56:16 PM »

I am attempting to teach my friend and long time DM, the rules to newer RPG's he's a big advocate for 2nd editions emphasis on story telling and he never really cared for the myriad of rules contained in pathfinder and 3.5.

I decided to attempt to teach him some One roll engie seeing as it has some pretty simple mechanics once you get past character creation.

My real question here, is that I own Wild Talents already... I do not have Reign.

Is there a substantial benefit to having the Reign book for a Fantasy One roll engine game? Or will a Wild Talents hack do just fine?

If you do prefer Reign I'd appreciate some insight as to why.

I just need to justify spending the money before I do so.

10

RPGs / GM/Player Dynamic

« on: January 24, 2013, 11:43:25 AM »

I've been having some discussions with a friend of mine over the past few weeks.

I decided that this might be a fun discussion here as well.

Do you feel that it is necessary to be a "good" player in order to be an amazing GM? We both fell on the same side in this discussion but I am happy to hear from all sides.

I feel like it is important that a GM get to be a player on occasion so that they can better understand player motivations and can gain an appreciation for the role of the player character in a role-playing game.

Not to say all GM's are disconnected horrible monsters that are using the players to /flex and act superior.

I just feel like everyone at the table should take a turn seeing how the other lives as it were. Granted not everyone can be a GM but I think it could be a valuable experience.

11

RPGs / Fiasco

« on: January 21, 2013, 04:13:37 AM »

So I tried to get my gaming group into Fiasco way back when RPPR did an Actual Play of it. Well of course my hipster mentality of I knew about Fiasco before it was cool didn't really get me anywhere and since Tabletop with Wil Wheaton did an episode it convinced my friends to want to try it out.

So as a practice run, my friend who was the only one interested in the game way back when, and I set up a game for fun. I ended up kind of sad we didn't get to play it because we made a pretty awesome game.

So here is the set up for the judging eyes of the internet.

1. Super Scientist Doctor Thomas Monroe aka The "Formerly" Villainous "Doctor Tomorrow"
6 The Government w/ Char 4
1 Define Relationship w/ Char 4 Scientist and Experiment
4 Need: To Save the Day
6 Define Need: So that they will finally admit your genius

2. The Samaritan
3 Secret Identities w/ Char 3
5 Define Relationship w/ Char 3 You know each other's darkest secret
2 Rivals W/ Char 1
1 Define Rivals: Righteous defender and arch-nemesis

3. Richard Oppenheimer EMP Powers
3 Location Boring
6 Define Location Coffee Shop
1 Need: To Take Over the World
3 Define Need: To Bring about Eternal Peace

4. Atomic Sally
5 Origin Stories w/ Char 3
6 Define Relationship w/ Char 3 Parent and Unknown Progeny
3 Need: To Escape
3 Define Need To Go Back to Being a Normal Person.


Tilt
1 Mayhem
4 Define Mayhem Magnificent Self Destruction

3 Innocence
3 Define Innocence The Wrong Guy Gets Busted

Newly turned Super Hero Doctor Tomorrow comes up with a plan to "save" the world from an extremist Eco-warrior, who has newly developed EMP abilities.

His old nemesis The Samaritan doesn't believe his change of heart and in his later years is obsessed with proving him to be a fraud despite all evidence to the contrary.

Richard Oppenheimer test tube child/experiment of Doctor Tomorrow, has recently developed his own special abilities, and due to his extremist upbringing during foster care he believes that the world needs to be returned to a more natural state.
Doctor Tomorrow provides him with the technology necessary to amplify his own abilities to do this. He is currently working out of a coffee shop.

Atomic Sally recently found evidence that there is someone out there who was created using her DNA, she fears that the power is too much for anyone to be trusted with and is currently pursuing a means to disable her own abilities and find this person and do the same to them.

In our discussions it ends with The Samaritan being arrested for nearly killing Dr. Tomorrow, and Richard activates the McGuffin, but is interfered with by Atomic Sally. The machine kills him and she is sinks back into obscurity.

I just figured I'd share and yeah sorry it's quite a bit of reading.

12

General Chaos / Go Home RPPR host servers

« on: January 17, 2013, 02:47:27 PM »

You're Drunk.

13

RPGs / Victim of Circumstance

« on: January 11, 2013, 12:02:17 PM »

After the newest episode, I started thinking back to some of my super heroes and it made me want to discuss this with the forums.

It's so true.

All of it is true.

So many accidents!

I have Flux, my shapeshifter character. He was experimented on and developed powers and forgetting large parts of his life in the process.

Although the flip side of that is that I have a billionaire mutant who's only power is hyper intelligence. He uses that power to create super androids to protect the world but he refits the android design to make it a suit of power armor. So he's not a victim of circumstance at all.

My players in my Wild Talents game are mostly comprised of this "victim of my powers" trope.

14

General Chaos / Disney poised to take over the world.

« on: October 30, 2012, 07:02:17 PM »

Disney bought Lucas Arts for $4 Billion today.

As my friend said.

"I'd sell out the childhood dreams of millions for $4 Billion."

Well played Disney.

Marvel comics produces a new comic of Indiana Jones?

I'd say it's safe to assume Star Wars comics will end up at Marvel when IDW loses it's license.

Also, they annouced Star Wars Episode 7.

15

Role Playing Public Radio Podcast / I'd Say Some Serious Congratulations Are In Order

« on: August 17, 2012, 09:06:12 PM »

Congratulations! RPPR is premium podcast number one.

I knew you guys would win but it doesn't make me any less happy to hear it's official.