Any "Old School" gamers out there?
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Tonight is my dungeons and dragons night!!! I have been looking forward to it. In the last game session they actually figured who was responsible for a murder they were investigating. They just caught up with her and they wanted to catch her alive to ask her questions which I thought was actually going to happen but the ranger in the group shot at her three time in one round thinking only one or two shots would hit but he hit all three times and one was a critical hit. He rolled high damage on all three hits and the sudden spike in damage dropped her health below negative 10. I am interested in seeing how they proceed now since they can't talk to her about her motive.0
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I still play. Started when I was 18, still going at 32. My wife is even starting to get into it. I don't have as much time as I did in the past (becoming a parent will do that to you), but my friends and I still find the time to squeeze in a game of Shadowrun or Star Wars here and there.
**Old School Cred Alert**-- When I say "Star Wars", I mean the old (original) D6 West End version. REPRESENT.0 -
I have not been able to get my wife interested in playing with me but I have been able to get her to accept the fact that there will be a monthly D&D game at the house. She was resistant to that at first but now she almost looks forward to it. She uses those nights to plan things I don't enjoy doing.
I know as a rule we are supposed to say that the older stuff is always better but when it comes to the star wars rpg I feel they really improved it. I thought it was absolute insanity that anyone who plays a scoundrel has to be in debt to a hut. Why would they balance the classes around that? Why would they manhandle every single character history in such a way?
I like the d20 star wars system better but I still feel that in both systems playing as a Jedi is kind of unbalanced. The DM would have to hold them to a very high standard of behavior in much the same way as the paladin but most DM's that I have played with just don't. I have seen Jedi commit acts of violence and intimidation that I know should warrant dark side points and the DM will just let it go.
I also reject the concept of the greater good being best served by a dispassionate violence. I think that the cause of good is best served by the presence of those traits that are noble and good and not the absence of passion. While it is true that anger and hatred are passionate emotions and if left unchecked they can be very destructive. It is simply throwing the baby out with the bathwater to bar yourself from all passionate emotions.0 -
Def an "old school" gamer here. Been playing RPG's for last 25 years. I've been fortunate to have maintained my "core" group for the last 10 years and we try to play every other weekend. As a matter of fact, we'll be playing Shadowrun tomorrow night.
We used to play lots of DnD, but the direction the game has gone has turned most of our group off from it. The main ones that usually make the rotation are Shadowrun, Dragon Age, Mutants and Masterminds, Cthulu, and a rare occurrence of WoD. Lately there has been a "sub-group" formed that plays a lot of board games now. Not those kinda board games, but Arkham Horror, Catan, Descent, Relic, Wiz-War, and just recently X-Wing miniatures game.
Our "sessions" if you will, used to be fueled by endless supplies of Pizza and Mountain Dew, would start at 6 or 7pm and end around 3am. Now we start around 2 or 3, and are wrapping up by 11 or midnight. Pizza and Dew has been replaced with slightly healthier food and water (although on game nights i still drink beer).
if there is a virtual MFP game that develops, i would be interested. Although i'm voting NOT IT! for running it. hehe. i just ran the game for the last 2 years with my group and i need a break!0 -
I know as a rule we are supposed to say that the older stuff is always better but when it comes to the star wars rpg I feel they really improved it. I thought it was absolute insanity that anyone who plays a scoundrel has to be in debt to a hut. Why would they balance the classes around that? Why would they manhandle every single character history in such a way?
I like the d20 star wars system better but I still feel that in both systems playing as a Jedi is kind of unbalanced. The DM would have to hold them to a very high standard of behavior in much the same way as the paladin but most DM's that I have played with just don't. I have seen Jedi commit acts of violence and intimidation that I know should warrant dark side points and the DM will just let it go.
I don't think there's that much of a discrepency (sp?) between the two SW systems; it just depends on what you want. Fast and loose gameplay, or a more in-depth system? it's personal preference. A deep storytelling experience can exist in both.
As far as the classes being manhandled unbalanced...well, rules can change. I think that slavish dedication to the books and rules-lawyering is why a lot of people shy away from tabletop games, and part of the reason why they get a bad rap in general. If you don't like a rule, change it to fit your group. If a DM is making poor decisions, then that's his/her fault, not the game's.
Anyway, while we may disagree on this particular point, I tip my hat to you and all the others responding here; y'all seem like some true RPG'ers.
It makes me happy to see some of my favorite games mentioned; particularly Call of Cthulhu and D&D. 0 -
I am willing to change a rule if it needs to happen. I am very careful about every time I do it. I am very careful to not create an imbalance. It is so easy to do. For that reason I like to have a system that does not obligate me to go through and clean up things I consider detrimental and/or unnecessary. I feel that with the newer d20 system I have had to do far less of that.
Either way I do appreciate that you are at least still helping to keep the table top tradition alive and I completely agree with this statement that you made.
" If a DM is making poor decisions, then that's his/her fault, not the game's."
I think that players and DM's are the only ones capable of ruining a game. If I were given any rule system I would either discard it, edit it, or run with it. I have a lot of experience with running games. I have actually managed to successfully run a complete campaign without even knowing how the combat mechanics worked. The vast majority of the enjoyment of the game comes from the interactions that people have and the story itself. If you simply present circumstances that are reasonable to the situation then you will find that the majority of players will make appropriate actions and as a result the bulk of the story will actually write itself.0 -
Def an "old school" gamer here. Been playing RPG's for last 25 years. I've been fortunate to have maintained my "core" group for the last 10 years and we try to play every other weekend. As a matter of fact, we'll be playing Shadowrun tomorrow night.
We used to play lots of DnD, but the direction the game has gone has turned most of our group off from it. The main ones that usually make the rotation are Shadowrun, Dragon Age, Mutants and Masterminds, Cthulu, and a rare occurrence of WoD. Lately there has been a "sub-group" formed that plays a lot of board games now. Not those kinda board games, but Arkham Horror, Catan, Descent, Relic, Wiz-War, and just recently X-Wing miniatures game.
Our "sessions" if you will, used to be fueled by endless supplies of Pizza and Mountain Dew, would start at 6 or 7pm and end around 3am. Now we start around 2 or 3, and are wrapping up by 11 or midnight. Pizza and Dew has been replaced with slightly healthier food and water (although on game nights i still drink beer).
if there is a virtual MFP game that develops, i would be interested. Although i'm voting NOT IT! for running it. hehe. i just ran the game for the last 2 years with my group and i need a break!
It sounds like you know how a gaming session is designed to be. Long run times and easy to make and serve food so it won't interrupt the flow of the game. We have recently started playing Catan on nights where everyone can't make it. I love that game.
WoD is a great example of a game where I impose a lot of changes. I basically run that game system with my own story line. I do this mainly because it prevents a gamer from being able to predict too much without leaving them completely in the dark either. I want them to be able to make reasonable predictions but I don't want them to necessarily know the name of my main villain in game session one either.
I have been wrestling with the idea of running a MFP virtual game on here for a while. I have a few ideas about how it could be done.
Create a Group and Name it after the campaign
Create a Sticky Thread for the initial character sheets.
Description of Situations could also be handled in another thread.
People could handle declaring actions in private messages to the DM.
Rather than rolling for stats they would be created by using a pool of 78 points which you would divide across your 6 stats as you choose.
Where I run in to a real issue would be if a combat ever broke out. Even if I used an honor system where people could roll and just tell me what they got. That would make a single combat take months.
There are a ton of variables that would have to be ironed out in order to make the game viable.0 -
Def an "old school" gamer here. Been playing RPG's for last 25 years. I've been fortunate to have maintained my "core" group for the last 10 years and we try to play every other weekend. As a matter of fact, we'll be playing Shadowrun tomorrow night.
We used to play lots of DnD, but the direction the game has gone has turned most of our group off from it. The main ones that usually make the rotation are Shadowrun, Dragon Age, Mutants and Masterminds, Cthulu, and a rare occurrence of WoD. Lately there has been a "sub-group" formed that plays a lot of board games now. Not those kinda board games, but Arkham Horror, Catan, Descent, Relic, Wiz-War, and just recently X-Wing miniatures game.
Our "sessions" if you will, used to be fueled by endless supplies of Pizza and Mountain Dew, would start at 6 or 7pm and end around 3am. Now we start around 2 or 3, and are wrapping up by 11 or midnight. Pizza and Dew has been replaced with slightly healthier food and water (although on game nights i still drink beer).
if there is a virtual MFP game that develops, i would be interested. Although i'm voting NOT IT! for running it. hehe. i just ran the game for the last 2 years with my group and i need a break!
It sounds like you know how a gaming session is designed to be. Long run times and easy to make and serve food so it won't interrupt the flow of the game. We have recently started playing Catan on nights where everyone can't make it. I love that game.
WoD is a great example of a game where I impose a lot of changes. I basically run that game system with my own story line. I do this mainly because it prevents a gamer from being able to predict too much without leaving them completely in the dark either. I want them to be able to make reasonable predictions but I don't want them to necessarily know the name of my main villain in game session one either.
I have been wrestling with the idea of running a MFP virtual game on here for a while. I have a few ideas about how it could be done.
Create a Group and Name it after the campaign
Create a Sticky Thread for the initial character sheets.
Description of Situations could also be handled in another thread.
People could handle declaring actions in private messages to the DM.
Rather than rolling for stats they would be created by using a pool of 78 points which you would divide across your 6 stats as you choose.
Where I run in to a real issue would be if a combat ever broke out. Even if I used an honor system where people could roll and just tell me what they got. That would make a single combat take months.
There are a ton of variables that would have to be ironed out in order to make the game viable.
Yeah...nothing better to do on a Saturday then having a marathon of gaming.
Almost all of the games that are run with our group are "homebrew", with a few exceptions. I think they are better...which is not to say that pre-mades are bad, but if given the choice of pre-made vs. homemade, i'll pick homemade every time. Maybe that's just the GM in me talking?
The easiest way to get around dice rolling is when a dice roll is required, you as the GM generate about 100 dice rolls ahead of time then just pick them from the list. Cross em off as you go. That way it's much quicker.
Player: GM, i would like to do this.
GM: Ok, (grabs the next "roll" from the list) You attempt to that, but fail. take 3 damage. (clearly the next number in the list caused a failure).
Player: Ouch...i won't be trying that again.0 -
I am very respectful to anyone who takes on the mantel of responsibility that is being a DM. I will admit however, that if a person is reading out of a module it just bugs me. I see modules as training wheels. I can play a game where the DM is using a module and I will do all I can to be a positive contribution to the team. I would expect over time for the module to end and for the DM to be able to keep the game going. There just comes a time when the training wheels have to come off and when you get to my level you can't imagine actually putting them back on. I may borrow an aspect of a module that I think is well done like a villain for example but I will put my own spin on everything in my world. I will describe my own scenarios and I will know where I am taking the story.0
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I am very respectful to anyone who takes on the mantel of responsibility that is being a DM. I will admit however, that if a person is reading out of a module it just bugs me. I see modules as training wheels. I can play a game where the DM is using a module and I will do all I can to be a positive contribution to the team. I would expect over time for the module to end and for the DM to be able to keep the game going. There just comes a time when the training wheels have to come off and when you get to my level you can't imagine actually putting them back on. I may borrow an aspect of a module that I think is well done like a villain for example but I will put my own spin on everything in my world. I will describe my own scenarios and I will know where I am taking the story.
I can't argue with that. Modules have their place, but when it comes down to it i just prefer to write my own stuff.0 -
I remember playing D&D, HEROS, Waterworld, Vampires, whatever RP we were doing at a friend's house and her mom would just fill the table with treats. (Family of gamers, so she understood the need) Once one dish was finished the next would be put on the table. We sat there one time for 36hours straight playing out this one game and there was never a moment when the table did have sauteed mushrooms, pizza bread, chips and dip, spaghetti, everything you could think of. There was about 6 people there everytime. It was great then, but now no way can I eat that much junk. Oh the good ole days.0
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I am very respectful to anyone who takes on the mantel of responsibility that is being a DM. I will admit however, that if a person is reading out of a module it just bugs me. I see modules as training wheels. I can play a game where the DM is using a module and I will do all I can to be a positive contribution to the team. I would expect over time for the module to end and for the DM to be able to keep the game going. There just comes a time when the training wheels have to come off and when you get to my level you can't imagine actually putting them back on. I may borrow an aspect of a module that I think is well done like a villain for example but I will put my own spin on everything in my world. I will describe my own scenarios and I will know where I am taking the story.
Using Modules take away from the point of the game unless you are a beginner DM. Its about creating your own world and scenarios. Modules make it feel like a cookie cutter game. Never have I disrespected a DM in their own game, but I wouldn't return if modules were their foundation.0 -
Well this D&D weekend was an interesting one. A lot of things happened and the characters drove the storyline for the most part. There wasn't even one combat but at no point were the players unengaged. They were investigating further in to the activities of several prominent people within the game and perhaps my favorite part of the game was the part when the group was debating whether or not they should even be getting involved in all of the politics of this new region they are in.
I really liked how they were asserting that they had a choice. They didn't simply assume that they should be getting involved because it is a game and they need to follow the story. The truth is my story will continue regardless of what the group does and they know that I won't drop a DM hammer on them for getting involved or not. They had the conversation because that is the what their characters would do. It was fantastic.0 -
This weekend's Shadowrun game had a similar feel to it. Flowed smoothly, no inner-group dissention (which can occur a lot given the circumstance of Shadowrun), story moved forward, and we got paid handsomely for the run.
It also felt pretty good to be on the Player's side of the table for a change. Looking forward to the next run.0 -
Oh shadow run that brings back the memories. Are you guys on the side of technology, magic or both? Shadow run has so many opportunities for metaphysical debates. Whats the general storyline that you are in?0
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thats awesome we had a bachelor party this weekend which makes it 1 month before we get to play again... kinda depressing, as far as an mfp virtual game check out http://roll20.net/ fully web based no downloads had voice/video chat virtual dice and a costumizable map and chars for the gm to move around.... looks pretty cool just saying 0
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Oh shadow run that brings back the memories. Are you guys on the side of technology, magic or both? Shadow run has so many opportunities for metaphysical debates. Whats the general storyline that you are in?
I usually run a higher Tech game, while my friend likes to run a higher than normal Magic game. He's currently the GM so...
The general storyline is one that's been going on for a LONG TIME since 2nd edition days. It's mainly a conspiracy / suspense style of game with a lot of Earthdawn reference (EarthDawn is 4th Age, Shadowrun is 6th Age). Very dark, and more oppressive then your usual Shadowrun canon. Believe it or not, i actually have a character that has reached 500 karma in that game. He's essentially become an NPC at this point (that i get to control), but most people don't make it to 75 karma.
Some say that's no fun, but i think it's very fitting of Shadowrun, and the theme of the game he runs. Playing Shadowrun isn't like DnD where when you die, we take your hand into town and get you resurrected/reincarnated.
You die in Shadowrun...you are dead....end of story.0 -
Oh shadow run that brings back the memories. Are you guys on the side of technology, magic or both? Shadow run has so many opportunities for metaphysical debates. Whats the general storyline that you are in?
I usually run a higher Tech game, while my friend likes to run a higher than normal Magic game. He's currently the GM so...
The general storyline is one that's been going on for a LONG TIME since 2nd edition days. It's mainly a conspiracy / suspense style of game with a lot of Earthdawn reference (EarthDawn is 4th Age, Shadowrun is 6th Age). Very dark, and more oppressive then your usual Shadowrun canon. Believe it or not, i actually have a character that has reached 500 karma in that game. He's essentially become an NPC at this point (that i get to control), but most people don't make it to 75 karma.
Some say that's no fun, but i think it's very fitting of Shadowrun, and the theme of the game he runs. Playing Shadowrun isn't like DnD where when you die, we take your hand into town and get you resurrected/reincarnated.
You die in Shadowrun...you are dead....end of story.
500 Karma sounds completely ridiculous. That is like saying you got to level 100 in D&D. Don't you start out with just 6 Karma? How long did it take you to get to 500? I would have thought that you would have achieved some sort of transcendence at about 200.
I do like it when death is permanent. I don't know if you have read my previous posts in this thread but I have broken resurrection in my game. I have an in story reason for why it is that way but on a meta-game level I did it because I wanted death to be permanent. I also broke detect even and know alignment and that sort of thing. I think that a world where people can just know if that guy on trial is evil would change things greatly. I also got rid of zone of truth and detect lie.0 -
Oh shadow run that brings back the memories. Are you guys on the side of technology, magic or both? Shadow run has so many opportunities for metaphysical debates. Whats the general storyline that you are in?
I usually run a higher Tech game, while my friend likes to run a higher than normal Magic game. He's currently the GM so...
The general storyline is one that's been going on for a LONG TIME since 2nd edition days. It's mainly a conspiracy / suspense style of game with a lot of Earthdawn reference (EarthDawn is 4th Age, Shadowrun is 6th Age). Very dark, and more oppressive then your usual Shadowrun canon. Believe it or not, i actually have a character that has reached 500 karma in that game. He's essentially become an NPC at this point (that i get to control), but most people don't make it to 75 karma.
Some say that's no fun, but i think it's very fitting of Shadowrun, and the theme of the game he runs. Playing Shadowrun isn't like DnD where when you die, we take your hand into town and get you resurrected/reincarnated.
You die in Shadowrun...you are dead....end of story.
500 Karma sounds completely ridiculous. That is like saying you got to level 100 in D&D. Don't you start out with just 6 Karma? How long did it take you to get to 500? I would have thought that you would have achieved some sort of transcendence at about 200.
I do like it when death is permanent. I don't know if you have read my previous posts in this thread but I have broken resurrection in my game. I have an in story reason for why it is that way but on a meta-game level I did it because I wanted death to be permanent. I also broke detect even and know alignment and that sort of thing. I think that a world where people can just know if that guy on trial is evil would change things greatly. I also got rid of zone of truth and detect lie.
500 karma is a little ridiculous, but there is good reason. BTW, characters start with ZERO karma...
I created the character near the beginnings of 3rd edition's release. He would get played, then sit out, then get played again. It was an on-off-on again type of character to help bring the heat off of him. Near the end of 3rd edition / intro to 4th edition he had amassed about 275 karma. Instead of trying to convert him using the conversion guide, i just remade him using 4th rules but gave him all his 3rd gear using 4th equivalents.
4th edition came, and played him using the same routine of on-off-on again. last time he saw play he had about 225 karma.
275+225 = 500. This is also a major reason he is now an NPC / major character in the story and not a player anymore.
As to the "age" of the character...i would say i have been playing this character for almost 10 years throughout the course of our games. (my friends games and my games take place in the same world, just different story arcs when we are GM).0 -
I must have been thinking of essence then because zero should kill you or you would at least lose your character. At least it took you a long time to get the character to that level of insane power.0
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I must have been thinking of essence then because zero should kill you or you would at least lose your character. At least it took you a long time to get the character to that level of insane power.
Ahh yes...Essence, the stat that measures your humanity. Correct, starts at 6, and goes down as you implant yourself with cyberware/bioware.
I'm glad he is placed in retired status. It's very easy to get yourself killed in Shadowrun, so someone who's survived that long really isn't going to be tempting fate anymore...at least not until the rest of my "regular" crew who has as much karma as i do decide they wanna go on one last Hoorah! Although i fear such an en devour would be a suicide mission. Lots of karma makes you known...shadowrunners like to remain anonymous...0 -
thats awesome we had a bachelor party this weekend which makes it 1 month before we get to play again... kinda depressing, as far as an mfp virtual game check out http://roll20.net/ fully web based no downloads had voice/video chat virtual dice and a costumizable map and chars for the gm to move around.... looks pretty cool just saying
Roll 20 looks very interesting! Especially the possiblility of voice and video chat. I'm going to have to float this by my old buddies and see if they are interested in giving it a whirl. Of course, if someone on here wants to get up a MFP game...:drinker:0 -
thats awesome we had a bachelor party this weekend which makes it 1 month before we get to play again... kinda depressing, as far as an mfp virtual game check out http://roll20.net/ fully web based no downloads had voice/video chat virtual dice and a costumizable map and chars for the gm to move around.... looks pretty cool just saying
Roll 20 looks very interesting! Especially the possiblility of voice and video chat. I'm going to have to float this by my old buddies and see if they are interested in giving it a whirl. Of course, if someone on here wants to get up a MFP game...:drinker:
I sent a message to my old gaming buddies after I checked it out.... no one replied yet lol o well I am totally down for a mfp game id even offer to run it but yall all seem to be pros and will probably laugh at my attempts. But if we can get a scheduled time that works with people im more than willing to give er a go0 -
still kinda like the idea of a mfp you are caught in a cone of push ups do 2d6 of push ups or be stunned lol0
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I will check it out when I get home. If there were a game on MFP I would not want to incorporate any sort of exercise in to it. It would just be a game that we would play through a group on MFP but the game itself would be a serious campaign.0
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I will check it out when I get home. If there were a game on MFP I would not want to incorporate any sort of exercise in to it. It would just be a game that we would play through a group on MFP but the game itself would be a serious campaign.
/agree. can't mix business with pleasure.0 -
I was also thinking that something in the whitewolf setting might be a good way to go since that is set in the present day. I used to lose to love it when I would be going about my regular day and I would receive an e-mail from my GM that was actually for my character and not me. I am such a nerd for immersion. We could also focus the campaign around storyline instead of action.
I know players love a good fight scene heck I am even one of them but since we are trying to create a campaign that will function within the constraints of the resources that we have available to us there are other ways of telling the story. I would suggest a storyline that involves a lot of the politics that whitewolf is so famous for.0 -
I'm in. I think we need to give this a shot, if only to test the roll 20 thing out. If we are going to run a "Whitewolf" campaign, or some other system I'm not familiar with (its been over a decade since I gamed seriously) someone will have to point in the direction of some background material and/or books.0
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I'm in. I think we need to give this a shot, if only to test the roll 20 thing out. If we are going to run a "Whitewolf" campaign, or some other system I'm not familiar with (its been over a decade since I gamed seriously) someone will have to point in the direction of some background material and/or books.
That is a good point. We would need some sort of single source that we can all look to so that we all know the rules. I do not have access to PDF's for any game system anymore and I don't want anyone to have to spend actual money on this. Does anyone have a suggestion?0 -
Maybe we need to pole the potential players as see if we all have a common RPG system that we could use. For example, I still have all my AD&D 2nd edition books, Call of Cthulhu, and Role Master. I am not opposed to buying some books as long as I don't have to fork out for a dozen manuals. Does anyone know if any of the RPGs are coming out as e-books?0
