Topics

16

General Chaos / The Official Marble Hornets Thread

« on: December 06, 2010, 07:09:56 PM »

Marble Hornets is now back. In this thread, post Marble Hornets clips and discuss the series. Also, the most recent episode will appear in the first post of this thread.

Episode 30

<a href="" target="_blank" class="aeva_link bbc_link new_win"></a>

Links

The Youtube channel http://www.youtube.com/user/MarbleHornets

The Twitter http://twitter.com/#!/marblehornets

Totheark Youtube channel http://www.youtube.com/user/totheark

The unofficial fan wiki http://marblehornets.wikidot.com/

The Unfiction MH forums http://forums.unfiction.com/forums/index.php?f=248

17

General Chaos / Fixed That For You Thread

« on: November 04, 2010, 11:27:42 PM »

You all know what to do with this thread.

18

RPGs / MOVED: WUSHU Rock and Roll Play by Post

« on: October 26, 2010, 09:56:39 PM »

This topic has been moved to Recruitment Board.

http://slangdesign.com/forums/index.php?topic=1013.0

19

Role Playing Public Radio Podcast / Who is Petro Sarkis?

« on: October 24, 2010, 07:11:06 PM »

Petro Sarkis is the antagonist of the NW epic campaign. While he doesn't appear until the second game of epic tier, I'm going to go ahead and post how he was created now.

me: can I do the background to a champion paladin for the loyalists?

Ross: the loyalists believe in the gospel of obedience, obviously
They are centered in the city of Seron

me: hmm, obedience eh

Ross: well the old world government is a monarchy
divine right as established by the pantheon of civilized gods
headed by pelor

me: should base the leader of their army on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcus_Licinius_Crassus

Ross: heh
good idea

me: Crassus resurrected the idea of decimation while fighting Spartacus
he was a nasty son of a bitch

Ross: oh yeah
the crown is going to be absolutely ruthless

me: yeah
as it should be
fear and resentment
the two most powerful emotions for getting people to do what you want

oh, before I go, I'm skimming Plutrach's biography of Crassus
and, yes, I'll definitely create a paladin based off of him

Ross: make him a real asshole

me: well that's the trick
he'll be a politician but an asshole in combat

As for his literary pursuits, he cultivated chiefly the art of speaking which was of general service, and after making himself one of the most powerful speakers at Rome, his care and application enabled him to surpass those who were most gifted by nature. For there was no case, they say, however trifling and even contemptible it might be, which he undertook without preparation, but often, when Pompey and Caesar and Cicero were unwilling to plead, he would perform all the duties of an advocate. And on this account he became more popular than they, being esteemed a careful man, and one who was ready with his help. 3 He pleased people also by the kindly and unaffected manner with which he clasped their hands and addressed them. For he never met a Roman so obscure and lowly that he did not return his greeting and call him by name.
from Plutrach

Ross: hahaha
oh man
he will be a fucking hero to the people of Seron

me: However, Crassus was generous with strangers, for his house was open to all; and he used to lend money to his friends without interest, but he would demand it back from the borrower relentlessly when the time had expired, and so the gratuity of the loan was more burdensome than heavy interest. When he entertained at table, his invited guests were for the most part plebeians and men of the people, and the simplicity of the repast was combined with a neatness and good cheer which gave more pleasure than lavish expenditure.

Ross: that's great

me: this is the paragraph that proceeds the one I just copypasta'd
he's perfect
I couldn't have picked a better example

Ross: yeah the players will realize that if they kill him the people of Seron will hate him

me: yeah, even though he'll be a meticulous and brutal general in the field

Ross: yup
and he will be impossible to persuade
no diplomacy check will convince him to change sides
no intimidate
nothing

me: more than that, he'll convince people on the fence to join him
the greeting the average person in the street is a true sign of a Pelor devotee too

Ross: right

me: so he's faith will be seen as impeccable
sure he's collected a lot of money over the years, but he gives interest free loans and gives freely to the church
jesus, we've come up with some nasty enemies in this game

Ross: oh man
he is getting better and better
they will hate. him. so. much.

And Sarkis' background.

Petro Sarkis – Paladin of Pelor

Background

Petro is the second son of a wealthy merchant. He was initiated into the church of Pelor at an early age and became initiated as a paladin when he was still in his teens. After serving as a paladin for almost twenty years, Petro retired from combat duties and focused primarily on developing a career as a diplomat. He is now world renowned for having negotiated several treaties and for having acted as an arbiter in a number of international disputes. He currently resides in Soren in the colonies.

Political Status

Petro is a member of the King's Privy Council, while at court. He was once offered the governorship of the colony, but turned it down. He is a well-respected politician and active in colonial politics however. He is known to be very thorough in discussing even the most minor matter. He also surrounds himself with the best political advisors. His advisors have been known to do pro gratis work on the behalf of the poor and dispossessed at Petro behest. In fact, there are rumors that refusing such a request by Petro can be met by a fierce rebuke and public censoring. These rumors are largely unsubstantiated as of yet.

Social Status

After retiring from  combat duties, Petro used his numerous contacts to gather a large fortune through a series of fortuitous investments. His wealth was further augmented by his ability as a negotiator and arbiter. His services now command a very large price. His exact wealth is not known, but it is rumored to rival many princes and barons.

Despite his immense fortune, Petro lives a very austere life in Soren. His modest home can be found in middle class part of the city among the artisans and minor merchants. He uses his fortune to develop the economic infrastructure of the colony by giving out interest free loans to those who he feels will use them well. He also gives freely to the church of Pelor. There is at least one cathedral that bears his name.

While international fame and immense wealth cause many to shun the lower classes, Petro greets every person on the street as an equal. He knows many people of different classes in Soren by their first name and makes it a point to remember what each person's specialty is.

Religious Status

Petro is one of the most respected paladins that serve the church of Pelor. He is a fierce opponent of heretics and defends the usage of excommunication, exile, and even torture for those that turn against the church.

He has a more complex relationship when it comes to the native peoples of the colony. Petro believes the natives can be converted in time and brought into the church as full members. Because of this belief, he supports the rights of natives, even the natives right to their own religion. He defends his contradictory positions by arguing the natives have never been given the chance to experience an uncorrupted church, while heretics have experienced it and turned their backs on it.

Military Commander Status

Petro is both a feared and respected general in battle. He commands his troops with an iron fist and is not afraid to use corporeal punishment in disciplining troops he feels are insubordinate. Petro views cowardice in the face of an enemy, especially a heretical enemy, as an act of insubordination.

Although a master strategist himself, Petro surrounds himself with the best strategists available, often using his own  treasury to pay for their services.

Rumors

There is an unsubstantiated rumor that Petro is the leader of a secret society of ascetic knights that receive orders directly from the King. A rumor that seeks to explain Petro's place on the King's Privy Council. These rumors are often wildly speculative.

20

Role Playing Public Radio Podcast / Decide on the Alignment of RPPR Cast Members

« on: October 20, 2010, 02:36:04 PM »

The "Origins" thread made me think of think of this: If you had to decide the alignment of each RPPR Cast Member, what would it be and why?

21

Role Playing Public Radio Podcast / Content and Specials Question

« on: August 20, 2010, 11:08:39 PM »

Ross and I were discussing this before he left for Mexico last week and I forgot to put it up as a question for the forum. When we typically hold ransoms for supplements, we add incentives like pre-release APs and so on. For the next supplement that is in the works, Ross and I were discussing producing a series of short fiction that would accompany the release as an incentive.

We were also kicking around the idea of doing other types of ransoms, so ransoming short fiction based in the New World or other RPPR specific game worlds or even other types of short fiction (like longer versions of the dystopian micro fiction I was writing for a bit).

So I'm posting the question to the boards as a form of preliminary inquiry. We all know you love your APs as incentives, but what else would you like to see as incentives for future ransoms or ransomable content?

22

Role Playing Public Radio Podcast / Review of Road Trip on RPG.net

« on: August 06, 2010, 02:22:58 PM »

I'm posting this for Ross because I don't think he's seen it yet: http://www.rpg.net/reviews/archive/14/14903.phtml

Monsters and Other Childish Things was a game I came into ownership of a couple of years ago during a series of trades on RPG.net, and it was an incredibly pleasant surprise.  Just a very evocatively written book and a really cool premise, I just haven't ever really figured out what to do with it.  I was very pleased when I had the opportunity to review Road Trip, the new mega-adventure for MaOCT.

Road Trip is perfectly timed for the summer, beginning with the end of school and hooking the kids and their monsters into a, well, road trip across the United States as they try to halt a nefarious plot that could mean the end of the world.  No, really, that's an actual outcome of the adventure.

Road Trip is a non-linear adventure designed as a series of quirky set-pieces meant to be played in any order, other than the first and last adventures, which (obviously) start and stop the adventure.  Along the way, the PCs can experience glimpses into the underworld, encounter urban legends and even mundane fun like running out of gas or flat tires.

I'm going to go light on spoilers, seeing as how this is an adventure and I wouldn't want someone's fun spoiled by players reading all about it here, while still trying to give a good overview of the material.  The Road Trip PDF is an impressive 202 pages, which includes post cards (that are actual in game props), fully searchable, bookmarked, and featuring a clickable table of contents.  It retails for $14.99 in PDF, or $29.99 in softcover.  The book begins with the history of the Ur-Monster, an ancient being possibly older than The Great Old Ones.  This thing is kinda important to the adventure.

Despite being pretty open for customization, the book makes certain assumptions about the world and gives you said assumptions, so that if you decide to change something, you have an idea as to what is affected.  The book also assumes a modern setting, but provides some tips on switching up eras as you like.

One thing I loved right off the bat is that it is designed for two to four kid/monster pairs.  I almost always play in very small groups, and so it annoys me that adventures tend to always assume four to six players.  I am far more likely to wind up running this just because of the smaller group size, honestly.  This chapter also provides tips on setting the adventure in a non-modern day setting and how it'll influence the various regions in the book.  There's also a section on rewards, as the PCs can gain valuable insight about the Ur-Monster and its Cult if they are particularly successful on their missions.  In fact, every mission can go a couple of different ways, and impact the final chapter by influencing the preparedness of the PCs as well as the enemies and allies present.

New mechanics are also introduced, such as Threats, which abstracts problematic situations into a die pool similar to, but not exactly like, a monster's die pools.  Homesickness is a nice little feature that all the kids have to begin rolling for after their first stop on the road, the severity of which can be nothing to losing a die in a skill, an attribute and a relationship!  However, Homesickness can be fought, and if fought successfully, can be beneficial.  The third mechanic, Lessons of the Road, allows PCs to potentially gain bonuses after recovering points lost due to Homesickness, giving them an edge due to their trials.  The Threats mechanic are applicable in any MaOTC game, while Homesickness and Lessons of the Road are nice touches for the theme.

The story begins with the PCs being visited by a strange boy named Jack, whose monster Basil has gone missing.  Jack believes that the baddies that have taken Basil are after the PCs next, and tries to form an alliance of convenience, which sets the PCs afoul of Jack's enemies.  Once this is completed, it is very likely that one or more kid/monster sets are in danger of disappearing from the world forever, unless the PCs rally and defeat the bad guys, giving them good reason to embark on their road trip.  At this point, the aforementioned post cards kick in, with Jack doing what he can to help the PCs make it to their next destination (wherever that may be).  Once the PCs are on board with going on a road trip, then it's all up to figuring out the “how”.  The book provides a number of alternatives but assumes none, so if the PCs come up with something, let 'em run with it.  If not, there is plenty of advice.  A helpful checklist of necessary needs are included, as well as pros and cons of things like having parental units around (no homesickness vs much sneaking around).  Once the method is determined, the kids are off!

As mentioned before, once the first chapter is finished, there is no assumed order for the next chapters.    In New England, the PCs are drawn into the middle of war between an insane farm owner and the intelligent animals, led by the intelligent, talking rabbit he was once friends with, who live there.  Each chapter has a section detailing what the PCs' adversary hopes to accomplish in each place.  For all the detail provided, the adventures does not dictate the PC's actions, though this struggle is fated to erupt into full scale war not long after the PC's arrive.  The side they are on will be up to them and their actions, which can have immense ramifications on the future of the story.

In California, the PCs get to encounter an homage to a certain famous kids show about multicolored ninjas as they encounter a small town that is unusually targeted by giant monsters.  As you may imagine, these rainbow ninjas are awfully suspicious of monsters, thus complication #1, and so the PCs are presented with the task of helping them find their missing mentor while potentially having to battle the very people they are trying to aid.  As with the previous chapter, there is far more going on behind the scenes than appears on the surface, and success or failure is at least partially dependent on the methods used.

Las Vegas provides the ultimate nightmare: A daycare prison.  The kids who have been left behind have banded together into Playground Gangs, which means the PCs will have to at least dabble in Playground Politics before they can unlock the secrets of Sucrose Park, and perform a prepubescent prison break.

Kansas provides a trip to a famous destination, as the kids get to play stormchaser in order to travel to the Emerald City of Oz, which is reaching a boiling point as factions in the city are divided over how best to govern and the children have the opportunity to play Kingmaker...literally.  This one has the most “rail-roady” of outcomes...but also has some of the broadest ramifications based off of the actual choices made by the PCs.

Florida provides a timeless everglade where missing kids have joined in a parentless rule, ala Lord of the Flies but a little less violent and nihilistic.  Again, as with the previous adventures, there is a lot more going on behind the scenes than appears on the surface, and there is the possibility for a big misstep or two here.

Once all the chapters are finished, it's time for the grand climax of the Road Trip, hosted at a certain infamous government facility in Nevada.  Precisely how this plays out is dependent on how well the previous chapters went: Successes bolster the PCs, failures bolster the enemies.  Decisions made by the PCs affect the allies available to them, and possibly the enemies they face.  A number of options are presented for the grand finale, including an extended battle with cultists, a more peaceful approach toward ending the summoning of the Ur-Monster, and a gigantic, Godzilla-sized battle between The Ur-Monsters and the PC monsters, depending on how you and your players are feeling.

Ending options are provided, ranging from a clean wrap-up to the End of the World.

Two appendices follow, one on Underworld Tremors, which are little asides that can be inserted throughout the campaign to remind the PCs about just why they are racing against the clock, and a wide variety of Roadside Encounters, from getting lost to phantom hitchikers (with a very cute twist) to The Speed Trap from Hell to rumors of local haunted houses.

Two extended encounters follow in the final two appendices, not directly related to the main story at all, including a mini zombie rampage using the Threat rules.

So: Thoughts on Road Trip?  I like it.  A good variety of adventures, all linked to a larger outcome, but providing a great mix of roleplay solutions, problem solving and good old fashioned combat.  Every adventure is well detailed while still providing a lot of flexibility for whatever solutions the players provide.  Honestly, I wish more adventure books were written like this.  I don't think it's railroady any more than asking the players to buy into any given premise is railroady...with the exception of one adventure, whose outcome seems to be a foregone conclusion, but even then the “how” the PCs arrive to that conclusion can have startling ramifications for the campaign climax.

If you like MaOTC, or if you think you do and you're just not sure what to DO with it, buy this.  I doubt you regret it.

23

General Chaos / Newest RPPR Member

« on: July 22, 2010, 05:55:05 AM »

Ewen was born at 4:15am, July 22. He was 21 3/4" and 9# 7.5oz.

24

General Chaos / Search Button

« on: July 18, 2010, 07:05:56 PM »

As some of you are aware, the RPPR forums have a "Search" button that allows you to find appropriate threads to post ideas before starting a new thread. For those of you that are not aware of this, I made this handy picture:

25

RPGs / The BP Board Game

« on: July 06, 2010, 05:38:25 PM »

Two to four players compete at exploring for oil, building platforms, and laying pipelines to bring the offshore oil back to the player’s home company. Players take on the roles of either BP (Hull), Amoco (Bergen), Chevron (Rotterdam) or Mobil (Dieppe) in their quest for oil. As with other games focusing on offshore oil exploitation (e.g., Omnia’s North Sea Oil), there is also the risk that storms will reduce production on, or eliminate, one’s oil platforms. The first player to make $120,000,000 in cash is the winner.

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/16904/offshore-oil-strike

Just so everyone knows, my birthday in September, and you're looking at what I want for a present.

26

General Chaos / Creepy Lock Box in the Basement

« on: July 05, 2010, 04:16:37 PM »

So today, I'm in the back storage room of our basement in our new flat and I found something interesting.

Entrance to the back storage room:


What is that?


Seriously, what the hell is that?


Holy crap...


Well at least it isn't locked.


Damn it's empty.



At this point, I decided that since I had a creepy lock box in the basement that I might as well take advantage of the situation. So I grabbed an old book and an old leather journal to put in the box. Karee suggested that I put a porcelain doll in the box next and take a picture. So, I guess I'm taking suggestions on what you guys think I should put in the box within reason of course.

Mythos Tome and Sorcerer Diary in Box
I think this could actually pair really well with the pictures I did in my office awhile back.

27

General Chaos / Most Badass Version of Paper-Rock-Scissors Ever

« on: July 01, 2010, 08:50:47 AM »

Seriously, check this out: http://www.geeksaresexy.net/2010/06/28/monkey-pirate-robot-ninja-zombie-most-badass-headline-ever/

28

Role Playing Public Radio Podcast / MOVED: GURPS vs BRP

« on: June 25, 2010, 11:24:19 PM »

This topic has been moved to RPGs.

http://slangdesign.com/forums/index.php?topic=828.0

Corrected placement of thread at poster's behest.

29

Pathfinder & 3.5ed D&D / To Save A Kingdom? A Farcical D&D Game

« on: June 23, 2010, 04:44:03 PM »

It's just a normal day in the kingdom, in your first post describe what your character was doing the moment before your god came and grated you your gift and what you immediately do after.

---

Normal posting decorum applies. Make your post look as close this as possible.

Character Name

In character text.

Epic Skill
Rolling 1d20+200:

(4)+200: Total = 204

Out of character text.

30

Recruitment Board / To Save A Kingdom? A Farcical D&D Game [3.5 D&D - SRD Only: Seeking 4-? Players]

« on: June 22, 2010, 08:33:14 PM »

Game Title: To Save a Kingdom? A Farcical D&D Game
System: 3.5E D&D - SRD Only
Players Wanted: 4-?
Posting Rate: Every other day or 100 times an hour depending
Special Rules: No Advancement - Everyone Plays as a Level One Commoner (See Text Below)
Advancement Rules: Ha! You wish!

This is a farcical D&D game in the spirit of the Old School Dungeon Crawl games.

Everyone begins and ends as a level one commoner who has been granted an extraordinary gift from the god of their choosing. Basically, everyone's choosing went something like this.

God: "Hey you!"

You: (Looks Around)

God: "Yeah, you hoeing the potatoes."

You: "Me."

God: "Yeah, you, here enjoy."

The god then granted you your gift. And you've decided that since you were chosen, you are going to use your gift to save the Kingdom. Is the Kingdom in danger? You don't actually know, but it seems to be in danger a lot because of all the silly adventurers running around.

So what was the gift? 100 skill points to one skill. Here's the catch, though, the god being a sarcastic son-of-a-gun choose the skill at random.

In game terms, this means we will only be using skills from the D20 SRD, which can be found here for normal skills and here for epic skills.

If you choose to play, you will roll 1d20 to determine the skill you get 200 points in. Do you get anything else? Nope, you're just a commoner with an epic level skill level in one skill. Here's the list. Good luck.

Skills

1.   Balance
2.   Bluff
3.   Climb
4.   Decipher Script
5.   Diplomacy
6.   Disable Device
7.   Disguise
8.   Escape Artist
9.   Forgery
10.   Handle Animal
11.   Heal
12.   Hide
13.   Listen
14.   Perform
15.   Search
16.   Sense Motive
17.   Sleight of Hand
18.   Spot
19.   Tumble
20.   Use Rope

Other than your one epic level skill, all characters will have 4 hit points and 8 skill points to spend in skills of their choice other than their epic skill. Everyone's stats will be straight 10s, so there will be no stat bonuses to skills.