Tabletop Randomness

LordMortis · Post by **LordMortis** » Mon Mar 12, 2018 2:49 pm

four class books only

Four?

One? PCH...

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Mon Mar 12, 2018 4:30 pm

Blackhawk wrote: ↑Mon Mar 12, 2018 1:43 pm But those books were all optional, and a lot of DMs simply didn't allow them in their games.

Well, I was the DM and as someone that was way into the ROLE playing element, I was excited for all these specialized themed character classes. I might be blending the skill checks (core book, handbooks) together and maybe the core player's handbook only included non-combat skills checks. But I absolutely remember there being combat-related skills that were added with those additional handbooks, yes. I guess that's where it all went wrong for me and if I did stick with it, it probably would have ended then for sure with 2nd edition or starting the 3rd- mainly because of all those super-detailed minutiae rules that seemingly bogged everything down. I get that not everyone has the ability to be creative or imaginative on the fly so having detailed lists of things you can do makes sense. But if it slows down everything because you're constantly running down spreadsheet lists of skills or abilities you have to see whether or not you get to strike first when there's a full moon and you have one foot touching a fresh water supply, I think you've gone too far.

It's so funny to think of all those [Whatever] Handbooks as things that were never play tested or balanced. I think I purchased (and read) every single one of them just for the supplemental theme or source material.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Mon Mar 12, 2018 4:44 pm

Oh, I agree with you completely. I've played (and ran) dozens of different systems. I have absolutely no desire to get bogged down in tables and subtables, movement charts and formulas.

I want to watch dwarves fight giant spiders, not do math homework.

And in a world with D&D 5th, Savage Worlds (

), and Powered by the Apocalypse systems, I can't see myself ever pining for that kind of dense mechanics-heavy game again.

/edit - and we must have just played 2e at different times. I got out by the time the Complete books got way out of hand. When I played it, it honestly was less complex and dense than 1st edition was at the end.

hentzau · Post by **hentzau** » Mon Mar 12, 2018 4:59 pm

I was looking through a bunch of old Rolemaster stuff the other day. I love that system as a 20-something, but today I couldn't even imagine running it.

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Mon Mar 12, 2018 5:16 pm

Yeah, I was heavy into RoleMaster as well, though only as a player. However, I think the general attitude of the guy running it was similar to mine - focus on the story and use the tables and charts when you want to spice it up. I'm sure my teenager mind's eye is remembering it as a much faster experience than if we tried doing it today.

Blackhawk wrote: ↑Mon Mar 12, 2018 4:44 pm/edit - and we must have just played 2e at different times. I got out by the time the Complete books got way out of hand. When I played it, it honestly was less complex and dense than 1st edition was at the end.

I played the original basic for a year or two when I was 11 or 12 (1986), then discovered A&D. We played that until 2nd edition came out (1989) - a much shorter time period than I imagined. We played 2nd edition until we graduated high school and all went our separate ways (1992). I have not played a paper-based RPG since then. I do know that I hated that awful 3 ring binder they made the Monstrous Compendium. I'm not sure who thought of that, but I can only hope they're currently suffering somewhere.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Mon Mar 12, 2018 5:40 pm

I've still got my Spell Law, Character Law, and... Arms Law? Yeah, I think it was Arms Law books in the closet, three shelves down from my 3-ring Monstrous Compendiums!

I do wish I knew what changed in my mind that made hundreds of complex tables so appealing at 17, but so undesirable at 44.

hentzau · Post by **hentzau** » Mon Mar 12, 2018 5:47 pm

Blackhawk wrote: ↑Mon Mar 12, 2018 5:40 pm I've still got my Spell Law, Character Law, and... Arms Law? Yeah, I think it was Arms Law books in the closet, three shelves down from my 3-ring Monstrous Compendiums!

I do wish I knew what changed in my mind that made hundreds of complex tables so appealing at 17, but so undesirable at 44.

I bought them back before there was even a Rolemaster, these were just add ons for D&D. But man, we loved the critical tables...

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Mon Mar 12, 2018 6:08 pm

Do one point of damage, but loose a blood clot that travels to the creature's brain, killing it instantly.

Do x4 damage by crushing the target's chest. A shard of ribcage is driven into the target's heart, killing it instantly.

hentzau · Post by **hentzau** » Mon Mar 12, 2018 6:16 pm

Blackhawk wrote: ↑Mon Mar 12, 2018 6:08 pm Do one point of damage, but loose a blood clot that travels to the creature's brain, killing it instantly.

Do x4 damage by crushing the target's chest. A shard of ribcage is driven into the target's heart, killing it instantly.

I had one character that had his nose broken in about every other game we played.

Zarathud · Post by **Zarathud** » Mon Mar 12, 2018 10:53 pm

Ugh, critical hits and random tables reminds me of MERP Rolemaster. Walk into Moria, the Balrog appears. It swings, you're decapitated. Sit out the rest of the session. Sometimes the dice just hate me.

I am having a great time with 5th Edition, although we just changed to the Fantasy Flight Star Wars system for the next campaign. It's going to be fun to play a Trandoshan spy -- "I am going to deceive you or smash you with this polearm, you decide."

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Mon Mar 12, 2018 11:26 pm

Zarathud wrote: ↑Mon Mar 12, 2018 10:53 pm Ugh, critical hits and random tables reminds me of MERP Rolemaster. Walk into Moria, the Balrog appears. It swings, you're decapitated. Sit out the rest of the session. Sometimes the dice just hate me.

That's not surprising given that MERP used a simplified version of the Rolemaster rules those examples were based on.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Thu Mar 15, 2018 2:52 pm

Board game annoyance #485:

Any game with a 300+ card deck whose per-scenario setup instructions include anything like, "Look through the deck and remove all of the cards with [symbol] and put them into a separate deck, then remove all cards from each deck with a number in the upper corner higher than [#]."

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Sun Mar 25, 2018 4:13 pm

I have a board-gaming friend a few hours away. He and his husband just got a stack of new games and were clearing out their shelf space to make room for them. When they came down, they brought me their copies of Android: Netrunner, Ashes: Rise of the Phoenixborn, and a still-sealed copy of Zombicide Season 3: Rue Morgue.

Free games!

YellowKing · Post by **YellowKing** » Wed Apr 11, 2018 3:26 pm

Just found out the wine store next to our friendly local game store is moving in May. Why does that matter?

That space is leased to the wine store by the game store owner. Rumor has it they're going to expand into that space and turn it into a full gaming cafe.

LordMortis · Post by **LordMortis** » Thu Apr 19, 2018 12:49 pm

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-2Vgd ... 2ufaTKSPyQ

Skinypupy · Post by **Skinypupy** » Sun Apr 22, 2018 11:29 am

The search is over. I have now officially found the stupidest gaming article on the internet.

15 Critically acclaimed games that everyone lies about enjoying

Most of the time, games that players find enjoyable will receive a ton of critical attention. However, game critics aren't above getting swept away by hype, and sometimes, customers will be left wondering why some overrated video games were so well-received by the press.

When it comes to video games that nobody actually likes, it often feels like no amount of bad word-of-mouth buzz can cause an expensive yet mediocre title to flop. It appears that gamers sometimes want different things than reviewers, as the things that make a game impressive don't guarantee that a title will be fun. The most controversial titles are critically successful, but loathed by the vast majority of players who didn't receive a free copy to review. These train wrecks are video games people lie about liking, simply because Metacritic said they were "universally acclaimed." Players know when they're having fun, and no amount of fancy language or big-budget trailers can change that.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Sun Apr 22, 2018 12:04 pm

Eh, it's Rankr. It's just a popularity contest for Rankr users.

AWS260 · Post by **AWS260** » Tue Apr 24, 2018 6:06 pm

Mike Fahey of Kotaku is recovering from an aortic dissection. Here's wishing him all the best; he seems like a genuinely wonderful guy.

l0ri · Post by **l0ri** » Fri Apr 27, 2018 5:03 am

When it comes to randomness, the best random game that I played is QWOP running game. It's so simple and weird game but you know I played it for few minutes until hours pass by just to master it. I don't know but this is the weirdest game i played haha

Skinypupy · Post by **Skinypupy** » Sat Apr 28, 2018 9:13 pm

AWS260 wrote: ↑Tue Apr 24, 2018 6:06 pm Mike Fahey of Kotaku is recovering from an aortic dissection. Here's wishing him all the best; he seems like a genuinely wonderful guy.

and

Hoping for a full recovery, love his articles.

$iljanus · Post by **$iljanus** » Sat Apr 28, 2018 9:36 pm

Blackhawk wrote:I have a board-gaming friend a few hours away. He and his husband just got a stack of new games and were clearing out their shelf space to make room for them. When they came down, they brought me their copies of Android: Netrunner, Ashes: Rise of the Phoenixborn, and a still-sealed copy of Zombicide Season 3: Rue Morgue.

Free games!

I have Rue Morgue. It's my first Zombicide game and pretty fun. And free is a great price!

YellowKing · Post by **YellowKing** » Tue May 15, 2018 11:02 am

Flights and hotel booked for my first trip to GenCon! We're doing the full four days. Going to be quite the marathon.

hentzau · Post by **hentzau** » Tue May 15, 2018 11:18 am

YellowKing wrote: ↑Tue May 15, 2018 11:02 am Flights and hotel booked for my first trip to GenCon! We're doing the full four days. Going to be quite the marathon.

Enjoy! Wish I could make it this year, but I'm doing two shows within a few weeks of each other and GenCon falls right smack in the middle of them.

May I make a great restaurant recommendation? St. Elmo Steakhouse. Great lunch specials, including a small size of their AMAZING shrimp cocktail. Couldn't speak to dinner there, but we've never had a problem getting a table for lunch.

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Tue May 15, 2018 1:38 pm

YellowKing wrote: ↑Tue May 15, 2018 11:02 am Flights and hotel booked for my first trip to GenCon! We're doing the full four days. Going to be quite the marathon.

Let's exchange info before August. Zarathud, Seppe, and I are going again. And I'm sure Harkonis will be there (he has to get those leather pants out into the public eye at least once a year).

Zarathud · Post by **Zarathud** » Tue May 15, 2018 2:03 pm

Let's talk conventions in a new thread. I am going to need the break from work, and look forward to seeing the OOers who can meet up.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Tue May 15, 2018 2:05 pm

I had another invitation this year for the full four days, including lodging, transport, and badge. I turned it down this time, though. It's been a short year, and I knew I wouldn't be able to put anything back before then. Going is fun, but going for four days with twenty bucks would kind of suck.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Wed May 16, 2018 2:57 pm

Ugh. I've tried every game store within driving distance (~30-35 miles.) All describe themselves as 'all your gaming needs.' Every one of them is a Magic the Gathering store with a few board games. Not one carries miniatures or RPG supplies. The closest option for that is 65 miles away, which is ~$20 in gas.

Or I pay $10 in shipping to get things here in three weeks without being able to see them in advance, or I pay triple retail from Amazon.

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Wed May 16, 2018 3:01 pm

Used to have a nice board gaming / minis store in our mall in the 90s. It left then too and we didn't get a new one until the 2010s. Its a pretty nice one last time I went in there.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Wed May 16, 2018 3:31 pm

There was one in Terre Haute for maybe five years that actually was a full-service game store. It shut down 20 years or so ago. Nothing new showed up for a long, long time. In the past few years one opened up that was openly hostile to people who didn't play Magic (which has given me a very, very poor impression of the game.) It was replaced with another owned by the same family a couple of years ago, and a new store just opened.

I went into both this week. Both were the same thing - large rooms full of tables with people playing Magic or X-Wing, a wall with Magic and X-Wing supplies, and a tiny counter with a half a dozen sets of dice and a few D&D books. One was filthy, with stained carpets and dirty walls. In each one, the din was so loud that you couldn't have a conversation, and the 'staff' was too busy playing games to help customers.

They were two blocks away from each other, but not related.

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Wed May 16, 2018 7:47 pm

Blackhawk wrote: ↑Wed May 16, 2018 2:57 pmOr I pay $10 in shipping to get things here in three weeks without being able to see them in advance, or I pay triple retail from Amazon.

What are you looking for? I've pretty much given up finding things locally, FWIW. When you factor in driving and spending time searching, sometimes the slight price hike on Amazon is worth it. Sometimes.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Wed May 16, 2018 7:59 pm

Miniatures and paint tend to be at least double retail on Amazon, and that's straight from the companies. Someone somewhere figured out that more people will buy a $7 miniature with free shipping before they buy a $3 miniature with $4 shipping.

And it isn't that I need a specific thing (although I do), it's that I periodically need specific things - a dragonborn, a bottle of black paint, some pinning materials, whatever. As it is, it isn't practical to buy them and pay the shipping until I've built up a bunch of things on my list. It would be so, so nice to drop by the store and pick up a $4 bottle of paint for $4 and be back home with it afterwards, or take a look at some options for a creature for a campaign and see which one actually looks best before buying it and finding out that it is half the size I need it to be (anyone want a miniature giant? Not a hamster, just a hill giant that's smaller than an ogre.)

Mostly it's me venting about how much I hate living where there is nothing. I could write the same post about restaurants, or furniture stores, or museums, or any number of similar things.

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Wed May 16, 2018 8:31 pm

This is the store we have... Dicehead Games . Our's has a more minis / comics / boardgame leaning but less with the RPGs though.

Right across from them is Electric Playground. Its a XBOX / PS4 LAN center and used game store.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Wed May 16, 2018 10:02 pm

Looks like I'll be at Fear the Con in St. Louis again this year on June 22-23. I don't know if any of you are local, but this will be my third year going, and I've always had a great time. It's an RPG/board game (well, 90% RPG) convention. It's small, usually between one and two hundred people. It sprung up around the community that formed around the Fear the Boot RPG podcast, and is sort of the equivalent of OO for RPGs - mature, intelligent people without the trollish nonsense.

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Thu May 17, 2018 12:35 pm

Daehawk wrote: ↑Wed May 16, 2018 8:31 pm This is the store we have... Dicehead Games . Our's has a more minis / comics / boardgame leaning but less with the RPGs though.

Right across from them is Electric Playground. Its a XBOX / PS4 LAN center and used game store.

You really should go and join in any open board game events. I'm sure you'd love it.

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Thu May 17, 2018 12:47 pm

Probably would have years ago. Now just getting out the next day keeps me up at night worrying about the going part. Then once there sitting would be uncomfortable to painful. And if I take more meds to cover it then I really shouldn't drive or once there Im more a zombie.

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Tue May 22, 2018 2:36 pm

Axis and Allies and...Zombies?

Axis & Allies & Zombies adds a new twist to the classic game of World War II conquest by introducing a third non-player faction: the undead. The players still command one of the five principal players of either the Axis Powers or the Allies, fighting to bring World War II to a victorious conclusion. But now, in addition to confronting the opposing forces, they must also contend with hordes of undead, with more zombies shambling out of every battlefield as the casualties add to their numbers.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Fri Jun 08, 2018 11:33 am

NetRunner

Starting on October 22nd, 2018, Fantasy Flight Games will no longer offer for sale any Android: Netrunner The Card Game products, including Android: Netrunner playmats and card sleeves. Before we reach that point, Android: Netrunner still has one final stop to make: the Reign and Reverie deluxe expansion will be the final product for the game. ... What's more, while Android: Netrunner is coming to an end, the worlds of Android will continue to be explored, from the gritty streets of SanSan to the warring colonies of Mars, in future products from Fantasy Flight Games.

From the website, that closes the books over six years with:

Core Set and a Revised version
Five deluxe expansions
A campaign expansion
48 data packs in eight flavors
Twelve draft packs
Four championship decks
Various sleeve and playmats

MonkeyFinger · Post by **MonkeyFinger** » Mon Jun 18, 2018 7:44 pm

Well, it's official now!

'Gaming disorder' has been classified as a mental health condition by the World Health Organization

Holman · Post by **Holman** » Tue Jun 19, 2018 8:38 pm

The 1st of the 12 Steps is bequeathing me all your games...

But, yeah, I do believe it's a problem just as much as compulsive gambling is a problem. Probably any pleasure-reward system carries a similar risk.

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Tue Jun 19, 2018 9:38 pm

Support groups are available.