Tabletop RPGs

[Actaeon]

Since Iffy put together a poll on RPs, I thought I'd go ahead with something a bit more in my comfort zone: RPGs.

 

For those unclear on the distinction, online tabletop RPGs are distinct from RPs by being conducted in real time and having a set of specific mechanics to govern success or failure, as well as a game mater. The most common commercial system is D20, while nearly all campaigns on Spidweb have been conducted with AIMhack.

 

Anyway, I haven't seen any new announcements lately, and would be curious to see what the level and type of interest is.

[Rowen]

After answering each question(2 and 3 had multiple boxes checked) I press vote and got this: "You must cast your vote in each question of the poll."

 

I did vote in each question of the poll. 47%; Fantasy, Modern Fantasy, Pre Medieval; Other; AIM, Roll 20; GMT-8; Either. I voted in Iffys thread also and got the same error until changed my answers in one of the questions. I don't remember which. Is anyone else having problems filling in this poll?

 

EDIT: Turns out I missed the very last question three times. Not filling in a question doesn't let you vote it turns out.

[Callie]

I'm interested but I'm not sure that I can participate. Finals are usually all-consuming. My last two characters were pretty dry anyway.

[Nioca]

I've been having time shortages recently, but I'd do my damndest to participate. Fantasy, SciFi, Modern, and Modern Fantasy would all be fine, and Geneforge & Avernum would be two established settings I'd be interested in.

 

EDIT: Forgot to mention; I've got familiarity (in descending order) with AIMHack, D20 Modern, and D&D 3.5.

[Student of Trinity]

In principle I'd love to try this but realistically I won't have time for it until the day I get my techno band.

[Lilith]

this poll would probably have been more useful if voter identities had been made public: it's not like it's confidential information, and knowing who has similar preferences to you makes it easier to find/choose players

 

anyway i'm thinking of running another campaign soonish and already have some ideas coming together for it. it won't be a direct sequel to CoH/ATCT but will probably be influenced somewhat by the events of those campaigns. also thinking of using mutants & masterminds for the system. it was originally designed as a superhero rpg but works fairly well for any kind of pulpy genre fiction

 

advantages:

* is a d20 system so the core mechanics are going to be basically familiar to people who have experience with D&D or AIMhack

* very, very flexible character creation: whatever character concept you can think of you can probably make it and have it function as a member of a party

* computerised tools exist to help with character building

* core rules of the latest edition available for free online so i don't have to buy books for everyone

* does most of what i wanted nibiru to do before development stalled out (partly because i realised this system existed)

 

disadvantages:

* pretty rulesy: it plays smoothly enough once you get into the game but there's a bit of a learning curve to reach that point (although most of the responsibility for knowing the rules falls on the GM so that's mostly a disadvantage for me)

* needs some customisation to fit different genres/settings since it offers kind of a big buffet of options that won't all be suitable for every game

* very, very flexible character creation - can be intimidating if you haven't already decided what kind of character you want to make

* computerised tools that help with character building cost money

* the previous edition of the game has a lot more supplementary content available for it but also costs money

 

so yeah uh be on the lookout for that i guess maybe. rules are here if you want to swot up on them in advance / berate me for considering such a terrible system

[Sudanna]

I have the notes for a mostly ready-to-start Mote campaign sitting on my desk at this very moment, but I doubt I'll ever actually start it.

 

Other than that, I'm happy to participate in just about any RP that will have me, though I completely understand why DMs wouldn't want me. Having just played Dishonored, a post-colonial or Enlightenment setting seems really interesting, though there's nothing wrong with the old staples of fantasy and science fiction.

 

A Geneforge game. . . I highly doubt it would work unless nobody played a Shaper, as coordinating creations for everyone would pretty much turn it into a wargame. Avernum's proven a great universe for AIMhack, and it would be pretty cool to be Hands of Avadon in the more freeform medium of an non-computer RPG.

[Lilith]

i actually feel pretty intimidated by historical settings tbh because i'm constantly worried about getting stuff wrong

[Sudanna]

I don't think historical settings like Bronze Age or Enlightenment are meant (necessarily) literally, just as a general level of technology and society. There's wiggle room.

[Actaeon]

Nalyd has it right. Most people prefer their own settings, I think. However, it's nice to occasionally get away from knights and the like, and play with stone tools or cannons.

 

You're also right that I should have made choices public. I forgot about that option. Can it be done retroactively?

[Lilith]

You're also right that I should have made choices public. I forgot about that option. Can it be done retroactively?

 

I don't think so. It looks like the poll doesn't even keep an internal record of who voted for what unless you tell it to make votes public when it's created.

[keira]

personally i would not say no to a pony aimhack session set in an alternate 1920s.

[Actaeon]

It is, perhaps, possible to wipe the existing votes and start it over without deleting the thread and making it from scratch?

 

(Apparently, post-apocalyptic modern fantasy is where it's at, though.)

[Lilith]

It is, perhaps, possible to wipe the existing votes and start it over without deleting the thread and making it from scratch?

 

doesn't look like it~

[Actaeon]

So be it.

[keira]

instead of nuking the topic, why not just say what we voted for

 

75%

 

post apocalyptic

medieval

sci-fi

western

post-medieval

 

pony

wheel of time

doctor who

 

aim

calref

irc

(also xmpp/jabber)

 

mountain time

 

aimhack

 

5-6 hours

[Alorael at Large]

I'll maintain my AIMHack silence, but I'll throw out that at least the previous version of Mutants and Masterminds was decent. It had most of the system flaws of D&D, but being able to play with Superman and Gandalf in the same game is a big point in its favor.

 

—Alorael, whose tastes run more to simple and rules-light. Blackbird Pie, mutant descendant of Lady Blackbird, is more to his current tastes, especially if it's online. It can also do anything, but mostly by making everything completely abstract.

[Lilith]

I'll maintain my AIMHack silence, but I'll throw out that at least the previous version of Mutants and Masterminds was decent. It had most of the system flaws of D&D, but being able to play with Superman and Gandalf in the same game is a big point in its favor.

 

yeah as far as i can tell if you want something that Feels Like D&D but with point-buy character creation instead of classes then M&M is about as good as you're going to get. from what i've seen so far 3rd edition is substantially similar to 2nd but has simplified the rules and shed some but not all of the D&D baggage, which is not necessarily a bad thing

[BJ Back From the Beyond]

100%

 

Post-apocalyptic, medieval fantasy, modern, modern fantasy, sci-fi, western... so I'm pretty much up for anything.

 

Other: Mote

 

AIM

 

Mountain

 

AIMhack (never played DnD, but I imagine I could learn it without trouble)

 

5-6 hours

[Ouroboros]

75%

1. Post Apocalyptic
   
2. Medieval/Fantasy
   
3. Science Fiction
   
4. Western
   
5. Modern Fantasy
   
6. Multiple Universes
   

1. Geneforge
   
2. Avernum
   
3. Avadon
   
4. 
   Nethergate
   
5. 
   Other : Mote
   

AIM,Calref

GMT+8

Either

3-4 Hours

[Nioca]

Lilith, regarding M&M: Holy... I've actually got a headache from trying to wrap my mind around the combinatorial explosion that system has. It looks very interesting, but keep in mind that you may have to hold a few hands when it comes to character building. I'm personally trying to stat up Mal Travers as a PL10, and am very thankful that I didn't try to whip up a completely new character.

 

Oh, regarding the poll:

 

Chance of Participation: 100%

Genre: Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Modern, Modern Fantasy

Established Settings: Geneforge, Avernum (I pity the poor soul who tries to run Geneforge with shapers in it, though. *shudders*)

Where: AIM, CalRef, Play-by-Post

Timezone: Eastern Standard Time (EST-5)

Game: AIMHack, D20/D&D, M&M

Session Length: 5-6 Hours

 

(Also: We have a spiderwebber in low earth orbit? )

[Mosquito---Slayer]

I was feeling too lazy to post but since I really want to play so I guess I will take the trouble,

Chance: 100%

Genre: Fantasy (OK with most others too, but that's my favorite)

Settings: Avernum, (I m not sure how geneforge will work out)

Where: Calref is preferred

Timezone: GMT+5.5

System: Never played before so.....

Session length: ~2 hrs.

[Lilith]

Lilith, regarding M&M: Holy... I've actually got a headache from trying to wrap my mind around the combinatorial explosion that system has. It looks very interesting, but keep in mind that you may have to hold a few hands when it comes to character building. I'm personally trying to stat up Mal Travers as a PL10, and am very thankful that I didn't try to whip up a completely new character.

 

yeah i'd expect as much. i enjoy poking around at game mechanics so i'm sure i'll be able to help out people who don't

[Actaeon]

At least you know what you're doing, Lillith. The sort of ideas I've been fielding lately have mostly elicited eye rolls from the CalRef crew:

 

• Same setting, same characters, rotating DMs and players.

Draw from a pool of potential players/ DMs in a sandbox setting or episodic plotline. Think Westmarches, or most TV shows.

 

• Levelless

First, I tried to accomplish this by having XP buy abilities directly- letting you level up a little each session, or even in the middle of combat.

 

• Automatic ability improvement

I played with the idea of having actions convert directly to bonuses, but Nalyd, Neb, and Slarty taught me the error my ways.

 

• Under the table mechanics

I thought about having the DM take care of all the stats and rolling, and making the experience feel more like an RP.

 

• Qualitative stats

Slarty's idea, actually, and probably more innovative than all of mine combined.

 

I'm not sure all this has actually made me more unpopular at CalRef, but it hasn't stirred up much enthusiasm, either. In general, I'd like to find a way of de-emphasizing mechanics while encouraging input, as well as engaging a large and varied community despite major scheduling issues. There are wonderful aspects of both RPs and RPGs, and it would be lovely to find a way of combining their best elements into one system.

[Lilith]

• Same setting, same characters, rotating DMs and players.

Draw from a pool of potential players/ DMs in a sandbox setting or episodic plotline. Think Westmarches, or most TV shows.

 

wait, "same characters"? who gets to make the characters? i'm not saying it can't work or even that it'd be unprecedented, but most people in the community would rather make and play their own characters i'd think

 

• Levelless

First, I tried to accomplish this by having XP buy abilities directly- letting you level up a little each session, or even in the middle of combat.

 

this is not all that uncommon; straight-up levels aren't seen that much outside of D&D and systems with a close family relation to it

 

• Under the table mechanics

I thought about having the DM take care of all the stats and rolling, and making the experience feel more like an RP.

 

look into Apocalypse World or Dungeon World; they don't do exactly what you describe (in fact, the GM never makes any rolls at all), but the players are expected to simply describe their characters' actions without reference to mechanics. the World games' mechanics are things that trigger when specific actions are taken, rather than things you consciously pick from a list and decide to use. it's more a difference of perspective than a massive change to how the game plays, but it does seem like it'd help achieve what you want

 

• Automatic ability improvement

I played with the idea of having actions convert directly to bonuses, but Nalyd, Neb, and Slarty taught me the error my ways.

 

there are games where this can work but they generally require a corresponding system to make all failed attempts at actions consequential in some way, to prevent people from just fumbling around all day at whatever they want to get better at. even then i'm not the biggest fan of the idea but for what it's worth the worst problems with it are in fact solvable. Burning Wheel is a good example of a system that does this right, more or less

 

• Qualitative stats

Slarty's idea, actually, and probably more innovative than all of mine combined.

 

any more information on how this works in practice?

[Sudanna]

wait, "same characters"? who gets to make the characters? i'm not saying it can't work or even that it'd be unprecedented, but most people in the community would rather make and play their own characters i'd think

 

The way we've had it, the DM plays a character as well.

[Actaeon]

wait, "same characters"? who gets to make the characters? i'm not saying it can't work or even that it'd be unprecedented, but most people in the community would rather make and play their own characters i'd think

 

Everyone would make their own, as part of a sort of ensemble cast. There might be a dozen characters drawn up for the setting, of which only a third to half would appear in any given campaign. The point is more that you'd get to recycle them in different settings and with different DMs. Think of a ship full of adventurers, only some of which go ashore at a given port (or, you know, Star Trek). Alternatively, think of an inn full of rugged souls where people come to round up a posse.

 

any more information on how this works in practice?

 

Well, based on the brief conversation I had, you'd express your ability with something as "good" "fair" "exemplary", what have you. The DM would take them into consideration when deciding the outcome of a roll. It would leave a great deal of judgement to the DM- something I'm a little loathe to do. In fact, one of the upsides I considered for the automatic option was that players could keep total track of their own stats without ever involving the DM.

 

...they generally require a corresponding system to make all failed attempts at actions consequential in some way...

 

I had originally only planned to award abilities based on success- with a built in exponential decay for the law of diminishing returns. Neb was quick to observe that you learn as much from failure as success. Nalyd reminded me how imbalanced things could become if your progress was based on luck. On the other hand, I had been counting on higher DCs to keep a cap on progress with more difficult maneuvers. I'd like to find a way to make this work, as it seems a simple and intuitive way of putting mechanics in the passenger seat, but it is definitely fraught with difficulty. I'll have to look into Burning Wheel.

[keira]

why do you change your font

 

it's like i'm minding my own business reading posts, then bam, serifs.

[Actaeon]

Because I like serifs, and I don't really have any other way of standing out. I thought I had a gimmick once, but you beat me to the copywrite.

[keira]

I don't know why I'm complaining, it could be a lot worse.

[Actaeon]

I move we (by which I guess I mean you) disable Comic Sans.

[Lilith]

Everyone would make their own, as part of a sort of ensemble cast. There might be a dozen characters drawn up for the setting, of which only a third to half would appear in any given campaign. The point is more that you'd get to recycle them in different settings and with different DMs. Think of a ship full of adventurers, only some of which go ashore at a given port (or, you know, Star Trek). Alternatively, think of an inn full of rugged souls where people come to round up a posse.

 

okay i'm with you. that doesn't seem very different from what we're already doing with Mote though

 

Well, based on the brief conversation I had, you'd express your ability with something as "good" "fair" "exemplary", what have you. The DM would take them into consideration when deciding the outcome of a roll. It would leave a great deal of judgement to the DM- something I'm a little loathe to do. In fact, one of the upsides I considered for the automatic option was that players could keep total track of their own stats without ever involving the DM.

 

my instinct is actually that you're going about this from the wrong direction. any kind of qualitative scale that simply compares better to worse within a single skill will end up becoming a de-facto numeric scale anyway, even if it's only an ordinal one rather than a cardinal one. what you may actually want to do is make the skills themselves variable and personalised, so one character might have, say, a +4 in High Priest of the God of War, and the group agrees in advance what kind of things being a High Priest of the God of War gives them a +4 bonus to doing, with the GM ruling on edge cases during play. look into FATE-based systems like Legends of Anglerre if you want to see a game that does things that way

[Alorael at Large]

Character generation should involve giving players a pool of letters with which to construct abilities and their qualitative descriptors. Let the most laconic win!

 

—Alorael, who takes Terse at Best.

[Actaeon]

okay i'm with you. that doesn't seem very different from what we're already doing with Mote though

 

Mote? I hadn't heard of that. How many people do you have involved?

[Sudanna]

Mote is the setting that most of our AIMhack campaign have taken place in. Most AIMhack players have several characters made for the setting that they could conceivably use again.

 

The basic information about the setting is on Eph's site here. The original mechanics we used are there as well. You don't really need any other information about it to use it, but most of our campaigns should have logs in their respective threads, if you're interested.

[Actaeon]

Oh! Cool! Then yes, that's most of what I was going for. The key element would be getting a group together that were specifically interested in campaigns that didn't require an extended time commitment. You would create a character, and take them out on whichever mini-adventures fit your schedule and inclination (ditto for DMing). They could be spur of the moment or planned well in advance. Any overarching themes or subplots would emerge due to the collective consciousness You could certainly use Mote, or create a new setting for the purpose.

[Nevermore]

I've responded to the poll.

 

I am interested in P&P Rpgs and I hope to join (maybe). Can someone explain to me in what consists AIMHack system? Thank you

[Mosquito---Slayer]

This is the basic set of rules

[keira]

In addition, there are also rules available for ZombieHack (an AimHack variant) here. The original Aimhack rules are also there, albeit in a less-formatted state.

Edited December 5, 2012 by صيلي
the aimhack wiki really could use a little TLC...:P

[Nevermore]

This is the basic set of rules

 

It seems interesting. I'll check it out soon.

 

I changed my vote.