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Wandering Adventure Party

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A lesson so many need to learn

Scheduled Pinned Locked Moved Pathfinder
rpgmemes
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  • southsamuraiS southsamurai

    You sound like me!

    We have a household rule: don’t talk to south until he’s awake. How can you tell he’s awake? Has he been moving for at least an hour? If yes, then he may be awake, but there’s no promises. If not, then treat him like you would a manbearpig freshly out of hibernation.

    The grunts and croaks that pass as communication from me that first bit are a passable caveman shtick.

    StametsS This user is from outside of this forum
    StametsS This user is from outside of this forum
    Stamets
    wrote last edited by
    #142

    Not too dissimilar here. Roommate has learned to avoid me at all costs until my tone of voice doesn’t sound like a serial killer. I thought a cpap machine would help with that part of my sleep habits too. It did not.

    1 Reply Last reply
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    • F frezik@lemmy.blahaj.zone

      If anything, I feel like Pf2e is more streamlined than DnD5e overall. At the very least, everything is in just one book.

      The way critical success/fail works is better, too. Rolling a nat 20 doesn’t automatically make an unskilled character super good at something, and rolling a nat 1 doesn’t make a super skilled character fumble it completely.

      K This user is from outside of this forum
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      kattfisk@lemmy.dbzer0.com
      wrote last edited by
      #143

      Well there are no crits on checks in 5e, so a nat 20 +0 is no different from a nat 6 +14. And someone with a +14 can’t fail a check with a DC of 15 or lower.

      Having Degrees of Success built into the system in PF2 is really neat though. And seems like something DnD could easily incorporate if Wizards had any vision.

      1 Reply Last reply
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      • underpantsweevil@lemmy.worldU underpantsweevil@lemmy.world

        I think part of the problem is that 5e is so pervasive and baked into the “people who play TTRPGs” population that you need to sell them on why 5e isn’t good before you can get them to consider why your alternative is good.

        Frankly, I’m a White Wolf die-hard. I love Exalted. I love Werewolf. I love Mage. I tolerate Vampire. But as soon as I show someone a set of d10s and try to talk them out of the idea of “Leveling” they get scared and run back to the system they’re familiar with. I also have a special place in my heart for Rollmaster/Hackmaster/Palladium and the endless reams of % charts for every conceivable thing. And then there’s Mechwarrior… who doesn’t love DMing a game where each model on the board has to track it’s heat exhaust per round? But by god! The setting is so fucking cool! (Yes, I know about Lancer).

        I will freely admit that these systems aren’t necessarily “better” than 5e (or the d20 super-system generally speaking). But they all have their own charms. The trick is that selling some fresh new face on that glorious story climax in which three different Traditions of Magi harmonize their foci and thereby metaphorically harmonize fundamental concepts of society is hard to do on its face. By contrast, complaining about the generic grind of a dice-rolling dungeon crawl is pretty straightforward and easy.

        K This user is from outside of this forum
        K This user is from outside of this forum
        kattfisk@lemmy.dbzer0.com
        wrote last edited by
        #144

        If you lead with “Thing you like is actually bad”, their immediate response will be to disagree with you and start defending the thing they like. And if you want someone to listen to your arguments, rather than just try to poke holes in them, you must avoid putting them on the defensive.

        To get through to people, find common ground and build off that. “If you like FEATURE in GAME, you’ll probably love SIMILAR FEATURE in OTHER GAME because…” is something that’s actually going to get someone interested, rather than start a pointless argument 🙂

        underpantsweevil@lemmy.worldU 1 Reply Last reply
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        • StametsS Stamets
          This post did not contain any content.
          I Cast FistI This user is from outside of this forum
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          I Cast Fist
          wrote last edited by
          #145

          I personally prefer Warhammer Fantasy (either 2e or 4e), I think it contrasts to DnD like Dark Souls to Diablo. Armor is damage reduction instead of damage avoidance, everyone has access to a number of combat maneuvers, magic is limited and dangerous, every combat is dangerous and healing is limited.

          Brave Little Hitachi WandG 1 Reply Last reply
          5
          • J jjjalljs@ttrpg.network

            try to talk them out of the idea of “Leveling” they get scared and run back to the system they’re familiar with.

            I still think about the time in college I tried to get a D&D friend to consider Mage. I was telling him about how you can just do magic, and the real limitation is paradox and hubris. Like, it’s often not about ‘can you?’ but rather “should you?”

            He couldn’t get over “you can just cast whatever you want? Fireballs every turn?”

            “Yes, but that’s probably going to make a lot of paradox, and probably isn’t the best way to solve your problem”

            “Sounds broken,” he said, and lost interest.

            I Cast FistI This user is from outside of this forum
            I Cast FistI This user is from outside of this forum
            I Cast Fist
            wrote last edited by
            #146

            The main problem with magic in Mage is that you need a LOT of rule knowledge to even know what the fuck you can cast, especially if you mix different spheres. Your friend might’ve dodged a bullet, but for the wrong reason 😆

            J 1 Reply Last reply
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            • A archpawn@lemmy.world

              Mutants and Masterminds is kind of interesting. I like how it’s designed so character creation is entirely point buy. There’s no classes. No spells. You pay for skills and abilities directly. There’s basic powers, and modifiers you can use to make them more interesting. It’s also geared towards balance as opposed to simulation, which means you can make whatever type of character you want instead of having to stick with what’s optimal.

              Unfortunately, it’s not well-done. For example, they frequently forget the game uses a log scale and cut numbers in half. Someone with a Dodge rank of -2 who is Vulnerable has their active defenses halved, which brings their Dodge rank up to -1. Equipment is 3 to 4 times cheaper than Devices, with the only differences being flavor (Equipment is something a normal person can get) and a different method of calculating Toughness that very often makes Equipment stronger. I ended up making a list of house rules trying to fix all of them (and admittedly including a few alternate rules that aren’t clearly better or worse) that’s so long that it would probably be easier to make a new RPG.

              I don’t suppose I can get any advice on something I would like? My requirements are:

              1. A point buy system that lets you make any character you want.
              2. Costs are based on making characters balanced, and not how literally expensive a piece of equipment would be and that sort of thing.
              3. Must be balanced as far as reasonably possible without massive flaws like M&M.
              4. I’d really like having a wide variety of characters you can make and things you can do. Make it so you can just play a Swarm, or a character of any size class, or anything else you can think of.

              EDIT:

              1. Must be free. I’m not going to pay $20 for a system I don’t even know I’ll like. And honestly, I’m too cheap to pay for anything I don’t really need.
              I Cast FistI This user is from outside of this forum
              I Cast FistI This user is from outside of this forum
              I Cast Fist
              wrote last edited by
              #147

              Maybe try GURPS + Supers suplement?

              A 1 Reply Last reply
              0
              • I Cast FistI I Cast Fist

                The main problem with magic in Mage is that you need a LOT of rule knowledge to even know what the fuck you can cast, especially if you mix different spheres. Your friend might’ve dodged a bullet, but for the wrong reason 😆

                J This user is from outside of this forum
                J This user is from outside of this forum
                jjjalljs@ttrpg.network
                wrote last edited by
                #148

                I think Mage: The Awakening 2nd edition was a cleaner version of the game, but yeah no version is something you can just phone in.

                I ran a game of it a year or so back, and one player just refused to read the book in any detail. She was always frustrated by not knowing what she could do, or how to do it effectively.

                1 Reply Last reply
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                • K kattfisk@lemmy.dbzer0.com

                  If you lead with “Thing you like is actually bad”, their immediate response will be to disagree with you and start defending the thing they like. And if you want someone to listen to your arguments, rather than just try to poke holes in them, you must avoid putting them on the defensive.

                  To get through to people, find common ground and build off that. “If you like FEATURE in GAME, you’ll probably love SIMILAR FEATURE in OTHER GAME because…” is something that’s actually going to get someone interested, rather than start a pointless argument 🙂

                  underpantsweevil@lemmy.worldU This user is from outside of this forum
                  underpantsweevil@lemmy.worldU This user is from outside of this forum
                  underpantsweevil@lemmy.world
                  wrote last edited by
                  #149

                  If you lead with “Thing you like is actually bad”

                  Why would you assume the critiques are of things they like? 5e has plenty of widely recognized flaws.

                  To get through to people, find common ground and build off that.

                  Often, simply catering to people’s priors means never leaving their comfort zone.

                  KichaeK K 2 Replies Last reply
                  0
                  • I Cast FistI I Cast Fist

                    I personally prefer Warhammer Fantasy (either 2e or 4e), I think it contrasts to DnD like Dark Souls to Diablo. Armor is damage reduction instead of damage avoidance, everyone has access to a number of combat maneuvers, magic is limited and dangerous, every combat is dangerous and healing is limited.

                    Brave Little Hitachi WandG This user is from outside of this forum
                    Brave Little Hitachi WandG This user is from outside of this forum
                    Brave Little Hitachi Wand
                    wrote last edited by
                    #150

                    I played that a few times. I love the early game lethality and gritty realism. I’ve heard Mörk Borg (sp?) is carrying that torch nowadays, have been meaning to try it.

                    1 Reply Last reply
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                    • underpantsweevil@lemmy.worldU underpantsweevil@lemmy.world

                      If you lead with “Thing you like is actually bad”

                      Why would you assume the critiques are of things they like? 5e has plenty of widely recognized flaws.

                      To get through to people, find common ground and build off that.

                      Often, simply catering to people’s priors means never leaving their comfort zone.

                      KichaeK Offline
                      KichaeK Offline
                      Kichae
                      Forum Master
                      wrote last edited by
                      #151

                      Sute, but the thing they like is “D&D”, and D&D isn’t just a game anymore, it’s an identity signifier. Pointing people to other games before establishing yourself as firmly not attacking their identity is going to trigger a fight.

                      underpantsweevil@lemmy.worldU 1 Reply Last reply
                      0
                      • A alexanderthedead@lemmy.world

                        Your formatting broke btw

                        KichaeK Offline
                        KichaeK Offline
                        Kichae
                        Forum Master
                        wrote last edited by
                        #152

                        Aye. NodeBB and Lemmy have a couple of rough edges here and there.

                        1 Reply Last reply
                        0
                        • A archpawn@lemmy.world

                          Mutants and Masterminds is kind of interesting. I like how it’s designed so character creation is entirely point buy. There’s no classes. No spells. You pay for skills and abilities directly. There’s basic powers, and modifiers you can use to make them more interesting. It’s also geared towards balance as opposed to simulation, which means you can make whatever type of character you want instead of having to stick with what’s optimal.

                          Unfortunately, it’s not well-done. For example, they frequently forget the game uses a log scale and cut numbers in half. Someone with a Dodge rank of -2 who is Vulnerable has their active defenses halved, which brings their Dodge rank up to -1. Equipment is 3 to 4 times cheaper than Devices, with the only differences being flavor (Equipment is something a normal person can get) and a different method of calculating Toughness that very often makes Equipment stronger. I ended up making a list of house rules trying to fix all of them (and admittedly including a few alternate rules that aren’t clearly better or worse) that’s so long that it would probably be easier to make a new RPG.

                          I don’t suppose I can get any advice on something I would like? My requirements are:

                          1. A point buy system that lets you make any character you want.
                          2. Costs are based on making characters balanced, and not how literally expensive a piece of equipment would be and that sort of thing.
                          3. Must be balanced as far as reasonably possible without massive flaws like M&M.
                          4. I’d really like having a wide variety of characters you can make and things you can do. Make it so you can just play a Swarm, or a character of any size class, or anything else you can think of.

                          EDIT:

                          1. Must be free. I’m not going to pay $20 for a system I don’t even know I’ll like. And honestly, I’m too cheap to pay for anything I don’t really need.
                          Brave Little Hitachi WandG This user is from outside of this forum
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                          Brave Little Hitachi Wand
                          wrote last edited by
                          #153

                          Oooh, have you heard of Wild Talents? It has everything on your wishlist. It’s possible to create overpowered abilities, but you’d have to set out to specifically do that - and the GM would then have to say yes to it. If you’re trying to be OP in a sneaky way, it’s just not gonna happen.

                          A 1 Reply Last reply
                          0
                          • KichaeK Kichae

                            Sute, but the thing they like is “D&D”, and D&D isn’t just a game anymore, it’s an identity signifier. Pointing people to other games before establishing yourself as firmly not attacking their identity is going to trigger a fight.

                            underpantsweevil@lemmy.worldU This user is from outside of this forum
                            underpantsweevil@lemmy.worldU This user is from outside of this forum
                            underpantsweevil@lemmy.world
                            wrote last edited by
                            #154

                            D&D isn’t just a game anymore, it’s an identity signifier

                            Which is part of the problem. Like talking to someone who only drinks Coca-Cola about trying a new bag of tea you brought over.

                            attacking their identity

                            If you’ve wedded yourself so deeply to the brand that you feel attacked whenever someone levels a critique, you’re probably not mature enough to be at my table.

                            KichaeK 1 Reply Last reply
                            1
                            • underpantsweevil@lemmy.worldU underpantsweevil@lemmy.world

                              D&D isn’t just a game anymore, it’s an identity signifier

                              Which is part of the problem. Like talking to someone who only drinks Coca-Cola about trying a new bag of tea you brought over.

                              attacking their identity

                              If you’ve wedded yourself so deeply to the brand that you feel attacked whenever someone levels a critique, you’re probably not mature enough to be at my table.

                              KichaeK Offline
                              KichaeK Offline
                              Kichae
                              Forum Master
                              wrote last edited by
                              #155

                              Ok, but these discussions aren’t happening at you’re table. “Well, fuck them then” isn’t exactly helpful.

                              underpantsweevil@lemmy.worldU 1 Reply Last reply
                              0
                              • KichaeK Kichae

                                Ok, but these discussions aren’t happening at you’re table. “Well, fuck them then” isn’t exactly helpful.

                                underpantsweevil@lemmy.worldU This user is from outside of this forum
                                underpantsweevil@lemmy.worldU This user is from outside of this forum
                                underpantsweevil@lemmy.world
                                wrote last edited by underpantsweevil@lemmy.world
                                #156

                                “Well, fuck them then”

                                Isn’t what I said. But if that’s what you’ve heard, you’re illustrating my point.

                                1 Reply Last reply
                                0
                                • S semester3383@lemmy.world

                                  I never had a chance to try Earthdawn, but it looked like a lot of fun.

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                                  E This user is from outside of this forum
                                  Enkrod
                                  wrote last edited by
                                  #157

                                  Try 4th Edition, I am having sooooo much fun! But if you want Spells to feel like more than just different flavors of damage/buffs/debuffs, I would recommend the addon “Magic - Deeper Secrets” that brings back a whole lot of the extremely creative spells from 2nd Edition.

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                                  • HossenfefferH Hossenfeffer

                                    Runequest

                                    No character classes: everyone can fight, everyone gets magic, everyone worships a god (with a few exceptions), and your character gets better at stuff they do or stuff they get training in. The closest there is to a character class is the choice of god your character worships (which dictates which Rune spells your character might have) but there is plenty of leeway to play very different worshippers of the same god.

                                    No levels: your character gets better at stuff they do or stuff they get training in. As they progress in their god’s cult they also get access to more Rune spells.

                                    Intuitive percentile ‘roll under’ system: an absolute newbie who’s never played any RPG before can look at their character sheet and understand how good their character is at their skills: “I only have 15% in Sneak, but a 90% Sword skill - reckon I’m going in swinging!'”

                                    Hit locations: fights are very deadly and wounds matter, “Oh dear, my left leg’s come off!”

                                    Passions and Runes: these help guide characterisation,and can also boost relevant skill rolls in a role-playing driven way, e.g invoking your Love Family passion to try and augment your shield skill while defending your mother from a marauding broo.

                                    Meaningful religions: your character’s choice of deity and cult provides direction, flavour, and appropriate magic. Especially cool when characters get beefy enough to start engaging in heroquesting - part ceremonial ritual, part literal recreation of some story from the god time.

                                    No alignment: your character’s behaviour can be modified by their passions, eg “Love family” or “Hate trolls”, and possibly by the requirements of whatever god you worship, but otherwise is yours to play as you see fit in the moment without wondering if you’re being sufficiently chaotic neutral.

                                    Characters are embedded in their family, their culture, and the cult of the god they worship: the game encourages connections to home, kith, kin, and cult making them more meaningful in game and, in the process, giving additional background elements to take the edge off murder hoboism (though if that’s what the group really wants then that’s a path they can go down (see MGF, next)).

                                    YGMV & MGF: Greg Stafford, who created Glorantha, the world in which Runequest is set, was fond of two sayings. The first is “Your Glorantha May Vary”. It is a fundamental expectation, upheld by Chaosium, that while they publish the ‘canonical’ version of Glorantha any and every GM has the right to mess with it for the games they run. Find the existence of feathered humanoids with the heads, bills, and webbed feet of ducks to be too ridiculous for your game table? Then excise them from the game with Greg’s blessing! The second is the only rule that trumps YGMV, and that is that the GM should always strive for “Maximum Game Fun”.

                                    While we’re on the subject of Glorantha, the world of Glorantha! It’s large and complex and very well developed in some areas (notably Dragon Pass and Prax) but with plenty of space for a GM to insert their own creations. It is, without doubt, one of the contenders for best RPG setting of all time.

                                    To continue on the subject of Glorantha, there is insanely deep and satisfying lore if you want to go full nerdgasm on it. But you can play and enjoy the game with a sliver-thin veneer of knowledge: “I’m playing a warrior who worships Humakt, the uncompromising god of honour and Death.” The RQ starter set contains everything you need to get a real taste for the game (ie minimal lore) and is great value for money since it’s what Chaosium hope will draw people in.

                                    Ducks: ducks are cool and not to be under-estimated.

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                                    Ahdok
                                    wrote last edited by
                                    #158

                                    I just finished playing through a short Runequest campaign, and it’s certainly an interesting system and setting. It’s extremely “oldschool” in feel (probably stemming from the fact that it’s been around for forever.)

                                    The big struggle with Runequest and Glorantha is that there’s just so MUCH of it, and a lot of the setting is rather dry. It’s a little like reading a history book, except you have to learn what everything means, because it’s a self-contained setting. I feel it appeals quite strongly to people who want a lot of “lore” and history in their game, and who want to really get into the weeds of what a political marrage between these two clan leaders means for future trade agreements and military alliances. People who like their fantasy stories to have an index in the back of character names with a pronunciation guide, and their family trees and stuff.

                                    Like… the first hour of character creation was rolling through d20 tables that randomized the eventual fates of each PC’s grandparents through various wars and major historical events, so we could determine stuff like “is your family famous?” and “how much do you hate wolf pirates?”

                                    Anyway, here’s my girl Tikaret, she’s a priestess of Issaries, and she discovered one of his lost aspects on a heroquest once.

                                    1 Reply Last reply
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                                    • underpantsweevil@lemmy.worldU underpantsweevil@lemmy.world

                                      Anyway the only thing about 5e that does suck is Wizards of the Coast.

                                      The race/class system, the leveling mechanics, the Vancian Magic mechanics, and the general need to get into conflicts in order to progress the story / advance your characters has been a thorn in the side of the entire d20 universe from day one.

                                      5e stripped out a lot of the math (which is good for bringing in new players but bad because actually having lots of gritty math in a game can be part of the fun of designing and playing) and smoothed the edges off 3.5e. But 4e also did this arguably too aggressively, giving us a game that was so bland and so generic that people flocked to alternatives for a good five years.

                                      WotC is a mixed bag of old school TTRPG nerds and corporate suits that have somehow managed to keep the game cheap and fun while heavily investing in promotion. As enshittification goes, it could have been a lot worse. They’re a meaningful improvement over TSR, which is a low fucking bar. Lots to dislike, but nothing I can point to that I wouldn’t find in another system easily enough.

                                      I’m more of a Pathfinder 2e guy tho.

                                      IMHO, the math on PF2e is bad. They stripped out a lot of the more interesting abilities and features of 1e to make the game simpler. But, as a result, writing encounters is a balancing act between “trivially easy” and “functionally impossible”. Like, why even use the d20 if you’re going to build a game this way? Just make it an entirely points-based resource management game, with High Fantasy color.

                                      I’d rather run up against the Big Red Dragon and have my DM say “You swing with all your might, but the beast barely notices” than to get handed a d20 while the DM laughs up his sleeve.

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                                      Ahdok
                                      wrote last edited by
                                      #159

                                      I would say that the main thing that “sucks” about DnD is that DnD has often been portrayed as appealing to the kind of nerdy rules-lawyers that like to argue “hey, the rules say (x) so I can do (ridiculous thing)” and end up in a big argument with their DM about what the rules do and do not say. A lot of my groups have been like this, and it’s okay for a game to cater towards that specific playstyle.

                                      I’m not trying to make a value judgement whether this is a good or a bad way to play a game. It’s also just one of many ways to play the game. You can (and given the stuff I talk about below, perhaps you should!) play it differently, but regardless it is quite a common table-style that the various holders of the DnD IP have encouraged throughout its history.


                                      What is a problem is that this kind of playstyle can often be quite acrimonious, especially when combined with adversarial DM styles, and arguments can get rather heated and angry. I’ve heard many a tale of a group that split up over a rules argument that left everyone at the table too angry and frustrated to stick together as a group.

                                      DnD 4e made huge strides to mitigating these problems by having a whole lot of very tightly defined keywords and language which could almost always be resolved into a solid, consistent, official ruling. You had to do a lot of work to learn exactly how the language was being used, but it was possible to get a table of six rules lawyers to sit down and develop a shared understanding of what the rules meant - and know there was a right answer to any specific question.

                                      DnD 5e has taken huge strides to re-introducing the uncertainty in the system, by very loosely defining how things work, or not providing official answers at all, preferring to go with a “the DM will make a ruling” approach. This can be a nightmare for groups that like to have a defined, correct, answer to things.

                                      Now of course, many alternate systems take this stance as a given “The rules are a set of loose guidelines, the GM will run the game and just make up a lot of the rules on the spot.” - and this has a lot of advantages. It makes it easier to write systems because you don’t have to be completely rigorous, and it leaves the GM with the freedom to run the game they want, and it encourages players to not get hung up on the details - all healthy…

                                      But DnD is in the unique position of already having proven with 4e that it can nail down a rigorous set of principles and a style guide that leaves ambiguity behind, courting a whole section of RPG players who desire that, and then retreating from that position with a new, fuzzier, system document.


                                      Why is this a “problem” for DnD specifically? Well… I find it’s extremely common on internet forums like this one for a person to say “I was in a game and (x) happened” and then immediately three different arguments spawn, running in separate directions, all founded on the premise that the poster is playing the game wrong or doesn’t understand the rules. It’s exhausting.

                                      underpantsweevil@lemmy.worldU 1 Reply Last reply
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                                      • StametsS Stamets
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                                        Ahdok
                                        wrote last edited by ahdok@ttrpg.network
                                        #160

                                        I’m not seeing any mention of it, but I think a lot of people might be interested in Break! - it’s specifically aiming to make a game that has the vibes of an “adventure of the week” system, where you learn of an ancient ruin, gear up, venture through the wilderness, explore a crumbling tomb for loot, then get back in time for dinner and an ale. - Basically I’m saying that the game is specifically designed to try and tell the kind of stories that DnD is designed for.

                                        Where break differs from DnD is in it’s approach to mechanics. Downtime, journeying, exploring an adventure site, and fighting are all their own small, light subsystems of rules, so there’s clear guidelines for how to run each of them, and they’re largely aimed at highlighting the cruical and interesting moments for each of those activities, while quickly glossing past the faff and monotony of what lies between.

                                        I’ve lost track of the number of DnD campaigns I’ve played where the DM didn’t really have a clear framework for what to do on a long journey, and resorted to just tossing a couple of random encounter fights in because it “felt necessary”, but they never felt like they advanced the story or contributed anything interesting to the game.

                                        It’s also a game you can recruit random NPCs and the like to join you and follow you around, and when they run out of HP you check to see if you remembered to give them a name. The world knows that characters who have their own names are important to the story, and characters who are just “that random bandit mook who surrendered and we brought them along” are not. If the character doesn’t have a name when they hit 0hp, they die on the spot.

                                        Oh, and fights take 10 minutes, rather than 2 hours - so you can have one in the middle of a session without it becoming the whole session. Yum.

                                        1 Reply Last reply
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                                        • underpantsweevil@lemmy.worldU underpantsweevil@lemmy.world

                                          Anyway the only thing about 5e that does suck is Wizards of the Coast.

                                          The race/class system, the leveling mechanics, the Vancian Magic mechanics, and the general need to get into conflicts in order to progress the story / advance your characters has been a thorn in the side of the entire d20 universe from day one.

                                          5e stripped out a lot of the math (which is good for bringing in new players but bad because actually having lots of gritty math in a game can be part of the fun of designing and playing) and smoothed the edges off 3.5e. But 4e also did this arguably too aggressively, giving us a game that was so bland and so generic that people flocked to alternatives for a good five years.

                                          WotC is a mixed bag of old school TTRPG nerds and corporate suits that have somehow managed to keep the game cheap and fun while heavily investing in promotion. As enshittification goes, it could have been a lot worse. They’re a meaningful improvement over TSR, which is a low fucking bar. Lots to dislike, but nothing I can point to that I wouldn’t find in another system easily enough.

                                          I’m more of a Pathfinder 2e guy tho.

                                          IMHO, the math on PF2e is bad. They stripped out a lot of the more interesting abilities and features of 1e to make the game simpler. But, as a result, writing encounters is a balancing act between “trivially easy” and “functionally impossible”. Like, why even use the d20 if you’re going to build a game this way? Just make it an entirely points-based resource management game, with High Fantasy color.

                                          I’d rather run up against the Big Red Dragon and have my DM say “You swing with all your might, but the beast barely notices” than to get handed a d20 while the DM laughs up his sleeve.

                                          Count Regal InkwellV This user is from outside of this forum
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                                          Count Regal Inkwell
                                          wrote last edited by
                                          #161

                                          Those are all just

                                          Like

                                          Your opinion

                                          Man

                                          (Whereas wotc being a terrible company that mistreats its players is straight up fact)

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