Welcome karabooo

Mar 12, 2024 2:37 am
Welcome karabooo.

What are you hoping to get from this game?

I know you said you had some experience with DnD (and, yes I include Pathfinder as DnD:) and Fate. Do you have any past experience with PbtA (Powered by the Apocalypse) games in general? It is fine of you don't, we can teach you as we go along.

World of Dungeons is very light on rules, so it does not provide anything by way of guidance as to how the game plays, or what you need to do. If you have played, or even just read, any PbtA games, that will shape how we teach; if you have not, we will take it from the top, no worries.
How did you find the Psybermagi game? Feel free to ask if you have questions about how things work. Not all games are run in exactly the same way.
Take a look at the Help! thread for guidance. Feel free to ask any question here or in the General Chat depending on where they seem relevant.

You can find the Game's Rule Book copied here for easy access. You may find Character Creation section useful. Also take a squiz through some of the old Character and World Creation thread to get orientated.
Mar 12, 2024 2:38 am
We can do your character creation here, or in the Character and World Creation thread, whichever is easiest for you to follow.

We are about to add another player character to the party. Depending on what your new character turns out like, it might make sense for you to know them and be brought in on their recommendation, though knowing one of the other party members (PCs by preference, but NPCs are valid too) is equally fine. Knowing one of them is not required, but eases the introduction of new people into the party. Don't let this influence what character you make, play what you feel like.

You are also welcome to say your character was with the party for a while if that makes more sense, we will just ignore that you have been quiet for the first part of this journey. :)
Mar 12, 2024 8:39 am
Welcome Karabooo!
Mar 12, 2024 8:51 am
Welcome!
Mar 14, 2024 1:11 am
Hi! Thank you for the welcome, and I apologize for my delayed response! I'm still getting used to how forums are set up and used here at Gamer's Plane, and I only just realized this thread existed. I'm getting there. :-P

I have played a couple PBtA games before! I may need a couple refreshers, but I won't be starting from scratch. My hope is to form bonds with other people interested in pbp and experience pbp with different rules systems to see how they feel in action. As a roleplayer, I tend to focus a lot on relationships between characters and character challenges/growth.

I found this game after you reached out in the Welcome forum. One of your longstanding players also highly recommended it. I don't have a specific character in mind for this game yet. I'd be happy to be the new player's friend if that eases the transition. I enjoy collaboration and would be happy to toss ideas back and forth with the new person (or someone else!) as needed. Does the new person have a character designed yet? I'm not sure how to go about this!
Mar 14, 2024 3:10 am
karabooo says:
... only just realized this thread existed ...
I was starting to think that was the situation, and considered reaching out, but it is so hard to judge these things and being 'pushy' can put people off. The is no time pressure, so no harm done. :)
karabooo says:
... I'm still getting used to how forums are set up and used ...
A good place to start is the 'main' page, at https://gamersplane.com/, it is a bit slow to load (a lot of database lookups that really should be cached, but caching broke things):. It should have all the posts, in all the threads, listed (or at least the latest 5).

Then there are links from that page to Latest Game Posts (which can also be slow if you are in more than a few games), which list 'all' the games and posts that have had activity in the last while.

There is also All Latest Posts which, as the name suggests, list all the posts, not limited to ones from games you are in or following.

'Following' or 'Favorites' can be a confusion, too. There is a little star-in-a-chevron icon at the top of each Game Page, and also to the left of the games in the Games page. If any of those are Favorited, then only the Favorited ones appear on the Front Page or in the list of Latest Game Posts (I am not sure that is all completely correct). If you find things are missing, then that is probably the culprit. If you want to follow a game you are not in, then that mechanism is your way forward, but don't come crying to me if you lose track of some of the games you are in... or do, actually, I will help in any way I can. :)

Have you seen how the Subscription system works? I talk about it briefly in the Email Notification section of the Help thread, but that may be a bit out of date —there have been updates since that was written— and you are welcome to ask if you need more guidance. Not everyone wants emails, and they would not have helped you yet, since you would probably not have been subscribed yet.
Mar 14, 2024 3:16 am
karabooo says:
... I have played a couple PBtA games before! ...
Which ones. It is not important, but can give us a common vocabulary to explain things.
karabooo says:
... As a roleplayer, I tend to focus a lot on relationships between characters and character challenges/growth. ...
Excellent. That tends to be a focus of my games as well. Probably a little less in this one, given it drop-in-drop-out nature but, even here, I look for ways to connect the characters.
karabooo says:
... I'd be happy to be the new player's friend if that eases the transition. ...
It is not at all required, but it helps explain why you joined the party and why they accepted you. We know from the premise of the game that you will be joining the party, so it just smooths the fiction a little. We can go with any 'introduction' you like.

Maybe think a little on the type of character you will be playing, maybe roll the dice and see what you Stats are (see the Character Creation section of the Rules) and then shape the character. Then we look into who it makes the most sense for you to know or how you get into the party.
karabooo says:
... happy to toss ideas back and forth with the new person (or someone else!) ...
We can all toss ideas around here. You have final say, but the whole group might have ideas about your character as you make them.
karabooo says:
... Does the new person have a character designed yet? ...
Yes. They have made Gronk, and we are in the act of introducing them to the party right now in the RP Thread.

You can follow their Character Creation process in their Welcome Thread, but don't get too focused on how others did it.
karabooo says:
... I'm not sure how to go about this! ...
Yeah. As I mentioned, this game's rules offer very little help, so read through the Rules, but don't hesitate to ask about anything that is not covered there.

The 'insert new characters in the middle of what is happening' process can also be chaotic. Take a look at the summaries of events and characters in the 'wiki'. And maybe, when you are ready and if that is still relevant, take a look at the recent events that lead us to where we are [ref].
Mar 14, 2024 12:01 pm
Thank you so much for the tips and guidance! I'm currently wrapping up a game of Brindlewood Bay with some local friends. I've also played Monster of the Week. I think there might be others I've played that used the PBtA system, but they're slipping my mind right now... I've played a lot of different systems and they tend to get muddled in my memory. (I remember the stories we told better than the rules we used!)

I checked out Gronk's creation process and am getting pumped. This looks like lots of fun! I think, before I think too much about my character, I'd like to roll some stats to see what they suggest about their strengths/weaknesses....

Rolls

Strength - (2d6)

(56) = 11

Dexterity - (2d6)

(61) = 7

Constitution - (2d6)

(14) = 5

Intelligence - (2d6)

(44) = 8

Wisdom - (2d6)

(16) = 7

Charisma - (2d6)

(16) = 7

Mar 14, 2024 12:02 pm
Have you ever seen so many 1's?? LOL. At least they're often paired with 6's. How weird!
Last edited March 14, 2024 12:03 pm
Mar 14, 2024 12:13 pm
So this all translates to:

Strength: +2
Dex: +1
Con: +0
Int: +1
Wis: +1
Cha: +1

Okay, so ... we've got a person who can deal hits but can't take them. haha! Otherwise, we're kinda average... Huh... Let me chew on this for a bit before choosing skills, etc., but I'll go ahead and roll my hp now....

Rolls

Hit Die - (1d6)

(6) = 6

Mar 14, 2024 12:52 pm
karabooo says:
Have you ever seen so many 1's?? LOL. At least they're often paired with 6's. How weird!
Sadly, yes. I have seen many 1s in this game already :P
Some say it's cursed. Others say that on a full moon vagueGM transforms into a being that eats all the 6's from your d6 dice.

I'm sure they are just stories though :)
[ +- ] Nothing to see here
Mar 14, 2024 1:00 pm
Nice rolling. You'll be quite versatile. Don't worry about matching stats with your character idea but it can definitely be a source of inspiration. You can totally be a knight with -1 strength. You just wouldn't be a very good one. Which can also be very fun to play :)

I'd say go with what you want to be in the story.
Mar 14, 2024 1:05 pm
karabooo says:
... currently wrapping up a game of Brindlewood Bay ...
I want to give that a go. I have only read the first edition, and I don't really know the 'source material' —I have definitely seen some Murder She Wrote, but don't recall the other references. I was impressed with what I read. I don't really do 'horror', but this amount and style appealed.
karabooo says:
... also played Monster of the Week. ...
Cool. That gives us some common ground.
karabooo says:
... there might be others ... played a lot of different systems and they tend to get muddled in my memory. ...
I know what you mean. I am used to getting strange looks when I call on my players to roll a move that does not exist ... by that name... in the game they are playing. :)
karabooo says:
... I remember the stories we told better than the rules we used! ...
Ain't that the truth.
karabooo says:
... see what they suggest about their strengths/weaknesses.... ...
Apparently Strength is your strength and Weakness (or not being hardy) is your weakness? Who would have thought. :)
Mar 14, 2024 1:05 pm
karabooo says:
Have you ever seen so many 1's?? LOL. At least they're often paired with 6's. How weird!
So many 1s? Yeah, seen that. Paired with so many 6s? Weird indeed. :)
karabooo says:
... we're kinda average... ...
+1 is above average. (I am saddened that there is no chance of -1s):.
+2 Is very impressive.
+3 is 'the best anyone can ever be'.
Mar 14, 2024 1:06 pm
TheGenerator says:
... on a full moon vagueGM transforms into a being that eats all the 6's ...
I save them up for my own rolling... but then I never roll dice and they go bad. :(
Mar 14, 2024 1:06 pm
TheGenerator says:
... I'd say go with what you want to be in the story.
So true. If the stats don't fit that can be a bit limiting, if the image does not fit the character is a guaranteed dud.
Mar 14, 2024 2:42 pm
Ha! I can tell I'm going to enjoy this crew already.

Apologies if this is listed somewhere already. I looked and haven't found it yet. Is there a place where I can read more about skills? I'm curious about Lore. Is that like historical knowledge?
Mar 14, 2024 3:11 pm
karabooo says:
... Apologies if this is listed somewhere already. ...
Apology not accepted... not valid. :)

Don't hesitate to ask. Even if it was already answered somewhere else, we don't expect you to go find it, or that it was asked or answered in a way that would be apparent. We are happy to repeat any answers as they come up.
karabooo says:
... I looked and haven't found it yet. Is there a place where I can read more about skills? ...
Only about how they work, not about what they mean. That is deliberate. When you take it, explain to us what you think it means for your character and we will try to make that work.
karabooo says:
... I'm curious about Lore. Is that like historical knowledge? ...
That's mostly what they dictionary says, so, yeah?

'Historical knowledge' might also not be 'wholly correct and accurate', especially if we are wondering far afield from our known areas. This might translate to being able to interpret and understand things in their context, but Decipher might be a better fit for that?

'Lore' might have a qualifier attached. If you are Skilled in one particular type of lore (Bird Migration Patterns, maybe, if you want to go useless), the detail level will be tempered by the specificity. You can know a lot about a small topic or a little about a broad topic. However, the system does not really cater for Skill trees or specialisations or taking the same thing twice. So just taking Lore will mean we interpret the detail level based on what you are asking, in the moment.

We don't roll a lot, so the Skills seldom directly affect the dice (they save you from a outright disaster on a 6- (but I tend not to go in for outright fails or disasters most of the time, so many may say they are a bit wasted here)), they are more about the flavour and the character. So if you are a 'learned' person, take something like Lore; if you are a 'physical' person, take a Skill the reflects that... or, if you are a obviously physical person, maybe take something like Lore to show that you are not one dimensional... but you can do that through how you play the character as well.
Mar 14, 2024 3:27 pm
This crew seems pretty male dominated, so I'm exploring the idea of a very physically strong woman, for flavor.

Have you ever heard of a bacha posh? It's the practice of raising a girl as a boy in the absence of a male heir. Is it conceivable that this character could have originally been from a rather "traditional" town where such practices were not unknown? Or does that not fit this world/setting? (I know lots of people understandably like to avoid topics like gender inequality while engaging in their fantasy escapism!)
Mar 14, 2024 5:04 pm
karabooo says:
... This crew seems pretty male dominated ...
The hobby is pretty male dominated, even if it is not dominated by pretty males. :(
karabooo says:
... so I'm exploring the idea of a very physically strong woman, for flavor. ...
Go for it. Until recently the two PCs were working for/with a strong woman (Captain of the guard), but they parted ways at the end of the previous scenario. They lost two female NPCs at that time. (...although one of them was masquerading as a boy. :)
karabooo says:
... bacha posh? raising a girl as a boy in the absence of a male heir. ...
The NPC, Theo, will be very interested in your story, he has just left his sister at home where she is probably working to take over from as mayor from her father, in his very male-centric village. As a teenage girl she will have a hard time of it, though. But that village and valley is ripe for a(nother?) female revolution. :)
karabooo says:
... Is it conceivable that this character could have originally been from a rather "traditional" town where such practices were not unknown? ...
We can make that work. Remember the premise that you are 'Fresh Faced Adventurers', and have 'not ventured far from home'. But we don't actually care how far you are from home, just so long as you have not been out adventuring to get here.

Did you family bring you here? Did you run away? Are you from a town near here, or did you come by ship across the sea?
Just example questions, but these answers will affect how and why you join the party.
karabooo says:
... Or does that not fit this world/setting? ...
We can make it fit. Even a day's travel from home is a pretty foreign land, they do all sorts of strange things over there. :)
karabooo says:
... avoid topics like gender inequality ...
We have had enough of that here, so no worries. The world started out pretty equalitarian (is that a word?:), with both male and female PCs and everyone working for a strong woman with not a eyelid batted. But only two male PC's players stuck around. The NPCs come and go, if you want any new ones, we make them easily enough (though the latest is constantly kicking my finger's ass, I did not expect Humphrey to be latched onto and coming along, or I would have given him a name that is not so hard for me to type!:).
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