General Chat

Oh I see :D I misunderstood.
I'd be interested in reading such a skirmish (or at least part). Mostly out of curiosity, just to see how it works.

I'm happy to add another player, but I'll leave that up to vagueGM.
Do you have someone in mind? Or just use the tavern to recruit?

What say you, @Airshark?

Fine by me!

I asked my fellow skirmish game player, but he/she is capped right now. So I would say let's ask in the tavern and let vagueGM do the recruiting. He has so good eye for great players ;-D ;D

@TheGenerator and others: here's the link to the thread and subform where we are starting to talk about the skirmish backstory and will play the game. It looks that if the other player will like my ideas it will fit quite well in the this game's world story - generated with our PCs creation process.

Thanks! :)

I think I am going to declare this game suspended, indefinitely. If a time comes that when all the players are able to start playing again regularly we can maybe look into picking it back up again.

Thanks all. I enjoyed what were able to do here.

I enjoyed it too. Allthough sci-fi is not really my cup-a-tea.
Thanks to everyone (especially Vague) for all the effort. I guess we are all a bit too busy at this time.

I'll watch out for any notification when the game is picked up again.

I think that's a good choice. Thanks lots for setting all this up, vague. It was fun playing with you guys, but it petered out quite easily (also because of me)

Hi Guys! Last year I was so swamped with work and family responsibilities... that I simply didn't manage to thank for this game and your (especially vagueGM's) effort put into this world. Now it is a little better and I'm checking my earlier games if I could rejoin them. With absolutely no intention to start any new ones and only focus on those I have played back then! As I will definitely have much less game(like 1-3 at maks), I will be able to dedicate even more time to this particular one... So the question is simple:

Any desire to get back to this game??

I think I'm ready to get back to this world - and we only started... back then:) But in the same time had put a lot of time into it...

Hi pedrop.

I am a bit to busy to get back to this game. But feel free to play without me.

Hey Pedrop, it is good to hear that you are OK, we were concerned when you vanished.

I think we have all moved on to other games in the intervening time. I was thinking of archiving this game, but did not want to pull it out from under you and leave you stranded.

I enjoyed the world-building and the characters, and especially your enthusiasm, but fear I may be joining the majority view that 'character creation is the best part of Traveller'. I was less impressed with the gameplay and mechanics, I don't think they are bad, per se, but a bit clunky, and especially too slow and involved for PbP.

I don't think I want to pick this one up again at this time.

Yeah... that was a harsh period for me back then... and I still feel bad about leaving without the word... but it was... 'today, evening... I will answer my games...'. And then the evening came and I was completely exhausted... "Ok, next day I will do it, after work..." (saying that at 3 am... And so on... And before I realized it was month or more... and figured out that no one is probably still waiting for me. Bleh.... I have a bad taste about myself about this behavior.... but will not change the past:/

I understand... and somehow you managed to distill my thoughts about Traveller - yes, the character creation was very exciting and somehow promised amazing game and world... but then... it somehow slowed down, very, very much. Maybe we have overcomplicated some things? And dive too deep in some unnecessary details? But isn't it a part of Sci-Fi theme? Also: after reading traveller rules it looked like simple, but elastic, crunchy system... but then it didn't delivered somehow. Maybe it's not for PbP? A pity, but you are probably right to leave it as it is.

Thanks again for those few amazing moments we got togheter and the few of those feelings as I would really preparing for the intergalactic journey! Great RP guys! And Lio, Ronny, Abby were a characters that I will remember for some time. They felt very alive!

BTW: So what systems are you preferring vagueGM right now ? For IRL playin and here PbP ? As I'm always interested in new systems - at least teory about them... :)

BTW2: Any games that (any of) you are playing and are looking for players? Assuming that any one of you will want to play with me again... :/

BTW3: For some time now I'm thinking about GMing one-shot in Coriolis, and if I will not manage to get back to any of my previous games I may start it finally. Will any of you be interested in it?

Wasn't in your game AND I'd be interested in trying out a short Coriolis game. Have looked through the book, liked what I saw, but have other things higher up my to-GM list. But would be excited to try playing it.

Hi BeardHare! Glad to know if I will start this game, I will let you know!

It happens and we understand. Don't beat yourself up over it. Most of the players were lukewarm on the system and mainly continuing for your sake (how's that or a guilt-trip :) so there were few complaints when it petered out.
It is definitely not the worst option for PbP, but the task resolution seems a bit too multi-step and complicated, while also being rather too common, to be ideal for PbP. As soon as dice need to come out games slow down, and PbP amplifies that a lot.

If we had kept up with the initial expected posting rate I think it could have worked, but even the slight slowdown we were seeing before the end turned the mechanics into a bit of a slog.
I don't have any new systems since we last spoke on this topic. One system I did think about mentioning to you —but you were away— is 24xx, it has a charmingly simple base ruleset, but does get a little more complicated and defined than it maybe needs to in the later pages (columns). It is still worth taking a look at and could prove versatile enough for most things.

People will look askance at me for saying 24xx has too many rules, but there is stuff in there I think is just unnecessary and limits its flexibility, the core rules are all I would take.

I have been thinking about running a PbP game using the basic resolution rules from Mythic Game Master Emulator Second Edition (Chaos Rank and Fate Chart), I think they could make for an interesting game even with a GM.

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There are still systems I am wanting to try, but that don't work well or at all on PbP, whenever I get a chance to play in person, they are near the top of my list, just so I can get the chance to see them in action.

Games based on Blades in the Dark are difficult in PbP. The need for all the players to be very familiar with the mechanics is massively amplified by the timing issues of PbP. I am still willing to play/run them in this format, but would require all the players to be (or be willing to become) proficient in the way the game;s systems work together. With the right group I think it could really sing. There have been a lot of new Forged in the Dark games since I last looked, and some of them may be worth it.

Probably right up near the top of the list of games I would reach for in a non-PbP setting is The House Does not Always Win. I really like how the cards play into the tone and feeling of the game, and that energy is hard to replicate in PbP, even if the card mechanics (separate piles, and cards moving between them (active, discard, burned, in hand, enemy, and so on)) were supported, there is a visceral aspect that would be lost. I would like to see it in action, and it is simple enough to teach that I would try persuade the next live group to give it a go.
Hmm... I have repeatedly found myself unable to read the Coriolis book, I don't know what it is, but while the artwork is pretty and the world seems somewhat interesting, I struggle to see how this incarnation of the Year Zero Engine will make for fun gameplay. I am always keen to be proven wrong —especially when I have neither properly read nor played a game— so might be persuaded to join this if you run it, but can't really see what all the fuss is about.

Hi Pedrop! Glad to hear you're ok :) Don't worry about the absence, it happens to many of us. You're always welcome back to GP!

As vague said. Even though I enjoyed this game's idea, the mechanics didn't really fit me as well as I thought they would. I think I've lost the ability to enjoy number crunching ^^ So I wasn't very sad when it stopped :P
But the RP side was very enjoyable! Thanks for your contributions.

I agree about you remarks toward Traveller in our game. I like how "logically built" this system is, and take cares for many things like details of flying (and refueling, etc.) space ships, but sometimes it seems like perfect system for Excel fan... (which I am probably, sometimes...). And I prefer my ttRPG to be more about the story, then numbers( even thou I love numbers... :). But by this I mean all mechanics in the rpgs games should be in order to provide some feeling (the most basic is suspension, risk: "will it work for my PC?") and Traveller seams to sometime cross this border and goes into "Fun Excersises for Accountants" area... what maybe somehow "realistic"... but requires all players to like the stuff :)
Yeah... I know and even bought the basic set of those rules quite some time ago:) I also really like the main dice resolution mechanic - simple, but cleaver. But the rest is also somehow lacking for me: too simple(by few notches), to be interesting for me, but too restricting to be easily extendable... So I agree. My first contact with the system made me thing: "This could be it! Let's only add a few things and it will be perfect for me..." But then it didn't clicked, and I've put it in the "fast ruleset for 'party' one shots" shelf in my notes.

Recently I have found "my next big discovery" - system from the guy(AFAIK) that designed FU Universal: Star Scoundrels and Neon City Overdrive - they look really interesting(there is even a game with those rules here on GP), but haven't bought them yet as I didn't have time to read them. But checked some videos, previe images and they seem very interesting and elastic enough.
Do you care to point me into direction where I can read how it works or write a few sentences about it? As I'm always interested in dice/resolution mechanics in RPG's? :)

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Yeah I have encountered quite a few instances where game on the BitD engine didn't last long in the PbP games. To be honest haven't seen a longer game of it in this format. But the system is certainly interesting for me.

BTW: have you seen: In the Dark - looks promising, but still on my reading list - haven't time to analyze it some more.
Yes! I also have its demo downloaded to my "To read" folder - indeed looks VERY interesting. Let me know if you will check/experience it someday. I'm really interested to listen how it worked out:)
Hehe... somehow I feel you on this! :) I also don't like the book that much. And haven't read it too much... so far. Maybe not so interested in setting. Just scanned the basic rules. Combat rules seems to be a little better in Alien RPG. But what picketed my interest were space ship battles rules - they seem really good on paper. And this potential game of Corliolis GMed by me will be mainly to check those rules.

To be honest I feel you should check their Year Zero Engine Standard Reference Document v1.0 - its my favorite book from Fria Ligan :) Probably because I don't like too many black/dark pages... And only after reading it - it opened my eyes how this Y0E engine could be good, quite easy, flexible but still thematic and focused on story. Without going into too simple, without structure territory. Especially as I somehow prefer "step dice" mechanics, rather then pools of ordinary(boring) d6es... But you have to give them credit for that those d6 pools in Y0E make a nice "push your luck" aspect, that is not so common in other systems.

Speaking of which... do you know systems from Two Little Mice? Especially Outgunned looks promising, and I will want to try it someday too. Also some aspects of push your luck in dice rolls, even better realized then in Y0E.

Apart from mentioned I also didn't find anything extraordinary interesting in recent times, but had no time for it either - so maybe thats the reason :)

Still my favorite rules system is the one from The One Ring™ Core Rules, also from Free League Publishing. I think it's perfect level of balancing crunchiness, incorporating story elements in dice results and thematic fit between mechanics and the setting. But the problem is... I'm not very interested in playing games in Lord Of The Rings setting/world... :D Seems much too restricting for me... So my dream system would be some adoption of this ruleset too Science Fantasy setting.

In fact I'm still working (very slowly ) on my rulesets based on Y0E but with rolling against TN, but with dice pools and dice providing different effect/stunts + push your luck elements:) Maybe I will be ready someday in this year to playtest it here on GP.

Apart from that I got back to very light version of Genesys for narrative and random play with my two sons(thinking how to make pokemon PC for them in this) or my mentioned version Y0E with rolling against TN for some more structured campaign for them in stone punk world. Taking a lot of rules and ideas from Forbidden Lands - for this.

I also would like a simpler version(judging from opinions of other) of Witcher RPG(based on Cyberpunk RED engine) - as somehow I love rolling against TN and exploding dice... :) And am waiting for Knave 2nd ed - too see if it will be my ultimate toolset for playing D&D games in OSR style. As I find D&D 5th as my least favourite rule system, generic and simply boring - "computer RPG"-like.

I also wonder how the new system from Critical Role will come up. First info looked promising. But Candela Obscura(or how is it called?) did not manage to ignite an interest in me... :)

Thanks for good words! All the best for you too. And I concur: the RP part had some real moment of magic!