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Hi everyone! A friend and I want to play some more Fiasco but our other friends aren't much for roleplaying games anymore. It's a delightful game if you enjoy movies where everything goes hilariously wrong, like Fargo and Burn After Reading. It's played in one-off sessions without a GM, in groups of 3-5. My friend and I know the rules, and Dintiradan has offered to brush up on them, so we could theoretically handle 15 people in 3 separate games with their own rules facilitators. But let's hope we don't have to. So check the game out. If it sounds interesting, give us your responses to the poll so we can get a feel for our potential group. Once enough interested players present themselves, I'll put up an availability calendar so we can schedule our first game. Hopefully we'll be able to get a session going in the next couple weeks. I've never played it online, but I'm guessing a single game will take a bit longer over IM than in person. Maybe 3 hours or so. Every game needs to run based on a premade playset which contains tools for character and story setup. I've included 8 official playsets from Fiasco and The Fiasco Companion in the poll up above, but there are tons of them made by players and if one of those sounds more interesting to you, post it here!

Hello! I've read recent Jeff's interview ( http://venturebeat.com/2015/02/17/the-original-indie-dev-how-one-man-made-22-games-in-22-years-mostly-from-his-basement/ ) and I do have suggestions for the next game title. I think Jeff overestimates the gradual combat power growing in RPG. I think that there is very much joy in other critical aspects of true RPG. For now, the gradual power growing of a character (what if a next fight won't be tough?) takes too much attention, a genious game can fail that aspect and do not worry about it. I want to point out the next games: Fallout 2 (made in 1998), Vampire: the Masquerade Bloodlines, Space Rangers and tbs game Dominions 4. Fallout 2 is the best RPG ever made. The character is free to go anywhere (in Jeff's games on higher difficulties it is actually not quite so, I personally sometimes do look where is the area which is not too hard for my current combat skill). The world in Fallout 2 is well interconnected both in quests (yes, you may well fail one quest by killing some character through the course of another, it affects the balance in power growing but it fails to affect the quality of the game) and in lore (for example, first you can help some gang in buisness on getting and protecting some chemicals, and closer to the end (if you do still remember that episode) you understand that this chemicals were supposed to use in genocide against most of mankind, those gangs including). In the Fallout 2 you can make do what you want on your responsibility (including attacking any characters you can see, if you'll make the game impossible for finishing initial goals it's your problem). So, the mechanics of the game in Fallout 2 generally allows gamers to make things which were not predicted by it' creators or somewhat unbalanced. For example, with high pickpocketing your can arm dynamite and put it in the inventory of some guy, and he would take great damage without armor protection. It is not some individually specialized action, it's possibility defined by engine: armed dynamite does explodes, items can be placed with pickpocketing. The other example: at first playing, I wanted to free Vic from Merzger immidiately, to go in future cities with hin now and not later after I'll get more powerfull. I didn't have enough money to buy him; I do not remember clearly but perhaps my girl protagonist could made some sevice for Metzger but I didn't want her to do that; I also didn't want to join Metzgers slavering band to accumulate more money and I was not strong enough to do what I want with force. I've found another way: I used drugs on Metzger and his people (drugs increased combat abilities right after their usage but decreased signifficantly them later, and some time after the abilities were restoring to normal but character become addicted), waited for some time when they would be weaken by drugs, and then killed them. VtM is a linear RPG, with great world and storytelling, which failed to achieve combat difficulties at late game, still having a great fan community. The worls is in well-known setting made by White Wolf company. According to that setting, different vampire clans and individuals oppose each other in some sort of political-guerilla struggle. The plot of VtM is the next. The camarilla prince (powerfull "official" vampire) moves in Los-Angeles. Even more powerfull, but "unofficial" and working as an individual vampire Jack create a plot which would mostly ineventably (just ineventably in the game) lead to death of the prince. Our protagonist becomes a laborer of the prince from the start and mostly work for that prince on his orders, helping him to achive his ineventable death orchestrated by Jack. So, generally we are a fighting supernumerary which "do what he shpold to do". The game is quite good, of course the next great step would be if the develpoers one day would manage to make a a game where persons like Jack or prince our protagonist, so that player would be able actually plot and\or avoid plots against him. What, as I think, can be taken from Fallout 2 and VtM (it is possible to find out other thing, so as the games are an art)? 1) VtM has an execellent XP system, which does not rewards for killing, it rewards for completing the tasks (but I would remove rewarding for finding cunning ways for completing the tasks or subtasks). Often you are not obliged to kill, you can sneak, steal, bluff, bribe - if you achieve a task witg 0 or 1 corpse your XP is the same as if you killed 100 subjects completting the quest. 2) Money. I don't say that money systen is extra good at that games, perhaps there are games where it is better, But now in Jeff's games, as I see, there are no money at all, money is just another XP type. I think that 90% and more players do spent 99% money on skills in Jeff's games. Potions are stockpiling by themselfs if you choose where you should go now rightly, and spending a signifficant some of money on a sword which would increase the effectivness of one of four characters on 3% for 3%-10% of game duration (before you'll find equal or better sword) is just silly. In should be more valid options for spending money on equipment, perhaps on buying temporery mercenaries, in quests and so on. 3) Choices. I like the choices in Fallout 2 (in VtM the situatin is somewhat not so good) because you can make them according to your own life experience and understanding. For example, if in New Reno you do decide to refuse to become a member of Salvatore gang (if and when you achieved the offer), the result would be in the Salvatore's order to kill you immidiately. This can be predicted if we understand the motives of mafia in reality. That's better then the situation even in Fallout: New Vegas where we can refuse to Caesar, and he just threatens in response, and better then in Witcher where there are consequences on different choices but they, as well as their usefullness, is unpredictable. 4) Engine and freedom, like in Fallout 2. The player can do what he wants and can be whom he want to be, he even just kill anyone he sees throw the game as long as he have enough strength. Space Rangers. The game is somewhat of another type. It can be played at different settings, it is somewhat unbalanced in possibilities of power growing. I've seen a guide, where there were a suggestion (for a free owner of spasecraft) to get at a jail as soon as possible (by smuggling) and get initial capital in a jail as a crime authority. The concept of the game is intresting because it is possible to loose if the global situation becomes harder with time (if enemies are slowly advancing) and you do develop not fast enough to stop it. So, it is possible to implement such methods where player should calculate his resources to get tasks to be made in a reasonable time (what is better - spent more scrolls and potions in this dungeon or go to another not so dangerous or with more proper benefits for now?). Dominions 4 is a strategy game, so only general concepts can be looked there. Dominions 4 is totally unbalanced (for example, quite few nations can fight against middle-age Ermor on their own). It doesn't have some defined scenarious. Thing is, events in dominions 4 do have a very detailed enviroment. For example, there is (not an epic) fight of an army of 500 soldiers and monsters against an army of 543 creatures and monsters. Looking at some time at one soldier, we can tell, for example, that he has 7 hit points out of 10, he is fatiqued at 52% (due to different reasons like actually fighting in heave armor, spells, fatiquing damage). He has crippled arm and so he fights with a sword without a shield he initially had. His armor could be broken, his morale can be altered. He has an age of, for example, 30, and if he is unlucky he could be affected by a spell which makes him 5 years older per combat turn (also there are nations and monsters with a long lifespan). So, general concept of dominions 4 is like that I've heard about Dwarf fortress. The fun game can be made with sheer complexity, where creators are clearly beyond to balance game because there are too many possibilities which can vary very unpredictably from game to game.

And there it is. A small band of survivors, marooned on a strange, deserted planet. A world of new magic and old technology, long-separated from civilization as we know it. Marooned will take place using the Savage Worlds system. if you don't have a set of the rules, a preview is available here (As Lilith did for TBS, I won't be expecting anyone to shell out money for this if you don't have the rules--we'll make it work). Characters will start out Novice with 0xp. As far as campaign length goes, I'm leaving that mostly up to the players. I'm guessing between 20-30 sessions, depending on how things go. This is relatively open-ended, I'm establishing the setting and content, but where it goes is up to the players. Will you find some way of returning home? Or set yourself up with a new life in a new world? Same Page for those of y'all into that sort of thing: As for a medium, this will most likely take place on the CalRef XMPP chat (Roleplay room). A CalRef account is not required as any xmpp account (read: if you have a google account you have this) will work (as well as outside clients if cadence isn't your thing, instructions here (warning: me explaining something out of the scope of SW)). Like with TBS, we'll be starting things off with a 'tutorial session' for everyone to learn the ropes, think on characters, and such. Have ideas for your character, but don't feel obligated to stat them up yet. If you are interested in participating in this campaign, please fill out the following whenisgood: http://whenisgood.net/iAmInterestedInPlayingMarooned If you have any questions or comments, feel free to PM me here or on CalRef. I'm also Telaverin on aim, and you can email or xmpp me at sylae@calref.net

The galaxy is in a delicate state. The long wars of Imperatrix Odeana, that devastated the Galactic Rim and nearly bankrupted the empire, have come to a close. Her son, Imperator Karaj, has brokered a controversial peace between the Empire and the Suzerain of the Rim, and has enacted sweeping reforms intended to restore the Empire to its former greatness. Meanwhile, the brilliant scientists of the Arcadian Free States are entering into alliances with the secretive and devout Coalition. Smuggling, piracy, and even slavery have returned with a vengeance, and rumors swirl of deranged death cults, powerful AI, and mysterious alien artifacts. In such a complex and unstable situation, even the smallest action can have dramatic impacts. You, and your allies, have this once chance to finally cement your place in galactic history… forever. __________ This is, basically, a scifi AIMhack campaign with a twist. Before the campaign begins, each of you will select a campaign goal. These goals are ambitious: to win, you may need to assassinate leaders, start wars, execute coups, build alliances, and carefully manipulate galactic affairs. Four goals are drawn from nationalist perspectives: you must successfully defend or advance the interest of one of the four major powers. Four goals are multipolar in nature: you must successfully accomplish a goal involving multiple powers at once, but are not affiliated with any nation in particular. Finally, four are alternative goals: they require something different entirely to succeed. The campaign itself will consist of a set of 3-5 interrelated vignettes, each roughly 2-4 sessions, for a total of 10-15 sessions. After each vignette is complete, you will have a chance to level-up (if you survived!), create a new character, reequip your inventory, and perform any needed political maneuvering in the galaxy at large- this will be done via PM with me. Characters who survive will become more powerful, but each vignette can be very different, and you should think carefully about what approach is needed to succeed in each. At the end of the campaign, I will reveal each player’s goals and announce if they achieved them or not. There is a wide set of goals: many can be achieved at once. Some goals are natural allies who will only benefit by working together. Some can be circumstantial allies or enemies, cooperating on some things and defecting on others. Some are implacable enemies: one’s success necessarily implies the other’s defeat. In expectation, roughly half of you will win and half will lose, though it is possible for everyone to win or everyone to fail. Also, some general differences: This will not be a primarily combat-focused campaign- though different arcs may feature more or less combat. Any character with skills well-suited to the situation will be able to do well. However, no combat doesn’t mean no deaths. Your objective is to accomplish the goal you set out with, and if your current character has to take one for the team, or even frag some other PC, well, such is life in the future. Think of this as Game of Thrones *in space*. __________ Anyways, right now I’m primarily gauging interest, so please post below if you’re interested in joining. If there’s sufficient interest (right now I’m shooting for 6-8 players), then we’ll move forwards and I'll post more background, character creation instructions, etc. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions, either here via PM or on Calref chat.

Greetings, everyone! I have been playing Spiderweb's games for about four years or so now, and I have been lurking in these forums for about three years (I may even have made one or two posts, but nothing relevant). I recently ran a Google search, as well as one in these forums, for Geneforge or Avernum conversions to a Pen & Paper RPG. How many results did it return? Google returned one post (not even a thread) where someone expressed their interest on such a thing. These forums returned, if I recall correctly, one single thread where someone did a bit of conversion to D&D 3.5. I couldn't believe that was all. Now, why couldn't I find anything else? Was it due to poor search-fu? Or author rights matters? Or simply because nobody ever went through with it? wkwkwkwk1