Willow: Yikes. Imagine the things...Buffy: No! Stop imagining! All of you! Xander: Already got the visual.

'Dirty Girls'


Gaming 1: You are likely to be eaten by a grue

A thread for the discussion of games: board, LARP, MMORPG, video, tabletop RPG, game theory etc. etc. and all attendant news, developments and ancillary subjects thereof, as well as coordinating/scheduling games either online or IRL. All are welcome to chime in, talk about their favorite games or learn about gaming of any sort.

PLEASE TO WHITEFONT SPOILERS for video games, RPG modules or anything for which foreknowledge of events might lessen one's enjoyment of whatever gaming experience.


Sean K - Jun 12, 2008 2:05:17 pm PDT #918 of 26132
You can't leave me to my own devices; my devices are Nap and Eat. -Zenkitty

Manny just sent the following email about 4e to our group:

I talked a bit about 4e in the last game, but I was wondering if anyone else has gotten a chance to read through the 4e books?

It's funny because I'm kind of upset about the opposite shit than I would have expected. But looking at the system as a whole, it's pretty solid where 3.0 has become a cluster fuck of options. While there are a bunch of powers and abilities that i would classify as "pointless" I can see the intent: to make the game interesting despite the fact that it doesn't get all that different as you level. For example (I'm making up the names), they could have just said at 11th level all your Daily powers become Encounter powers; instead they give you Whirlwind of Steel as an encounter at 11th, this does the same shit as your daily Spinning Strike, and you can retrain Spinning Strike or have two attacks that hit everyone engaged with you. There are slight differences in the powers, but nothing so dramatic as Whirlwind does twice the damage, more likely it also let's you shift 2 squares before you attack. Now, I would rather they just fucking made it simple and let powers level up as your character does, but I'm a seasoned pro and I don't need all the flavor shit. They are playing that aspect up for the video game & acting crowd that might jump in.

The problem really surfaces when you realize the party never gets that much more powerful, they just get more options, but the monsters get nasty as fuck. Options are cool and interesting, but when you're doing 2d8+3 at 12th level and whittling down 230 HPs... who is having any fun? The modules tend to go pretty heavy handed, and now that I looked at the DMG I can easily see where they went overboard. The encounters don't need to be so brutal to be fun, and the DMG does cover that... obviously the guys making modules are just sadistic fucks. But there is a disconnect between PCs and Monsters, and between using your powers in combat vs. dragging out a fight. It will take some time to see if the rules play out as is, or to come up with options for upping the ante with house rules. Two simple rules would be to give all Encounter powers a recharge time (or a way to regain them, even if it means taking a turn to refocus) and most Daily powers should be Reliable (meaning they are only wasted if they hit).

The main thing people are complaining about are the multi-classing rules, and in truth it kinda bugs me too. I think it's mostly because 3e was such a multiclass whore-fest that this is too much of a radical departure. I think it could use a tweak or two, but mostly because I think multi-classing makes creating characters more fun (once you have done the basic characters to death). The problem in this system, is that powers tend to DEPEND on your class, and don't play well with other classes. If that caveat can be fixed, I see no reason why the system they set up wouldn't work. In fact, the Paragon Paths almost demand some cross class pollination for the sake of realism (ie. why would a wizard suddenly get to become a Battlemage Paragon without at least engaging in melee once in a while?).

I love the Monster Manual, it is set-up beautifully, making encounters is simple. Minions rule and we should come up with something like it for our 3.5 game(s).

The DMG has about 6 pages in it that are worth owning, and that really pisses me off (it's basically full of shit telling you how you can do whatever you want and how to have imagination).


Volans - Jun 12, 2008 2:30:58 pm PDT #919 of 26132
move out and draw fire

They are playing that aspect up for the video game & acting crowd that might jump in.

I'm not sure I believe this will happen.

Just read the PHB, and I have a totally silly quibble: "Warlock" is a gendered term. Whereas I don't have a cognitive problem with a female rogue or a male rogue, a female fighter or a male fighter, saying female warlock makes me go o.O

Oddly, "female warlord" doesn't bother me.

Oh, and I disagree with ditching LE as an alignment. What were the Nazis if not LE? But I like Unaligned.

The MM is pretty cool, and it has Pete art!

but when you're doing 2d8+3 at 12th level and whittling down 230 HPs

But it's OK! Because if you have to stop playing when you still have 60 HPs to go, you can take a photo of the battlemat with your digital camera.

I guarantee you that my players are going to start doing that mid-battle, then if it goes poorly, ask to restart from their last save point and show me the photo.


hippocampus - Jun 12, 2008 2:50:08 pm PDT #920 of 26132
not your mom's socks.

::knocks and is sorry to interrupt::

if billytea is around, I'm trying to fix a video chat issue w/ my sister in Auckland ... we don't know if the problem is all oogle, no cash, or just us being boneheads.

eeee. it was just boneheads! I get to vid w/ my sister!!! eee.

and now I return you to the gaming thread.


billytea - Jun 12, 2008 3:09:01 pm PDT #921 of 26132
You were a wrong baby who grew up wrong. The wrong kind of wrong. It's better you hear it from a friend.

if billytea is around, I'm trying to fix a video chat issue w/ my sister in Auckland ... we don't know if the problem is all oogle, no cash, or just us being boneheads.

Hang on, I'll just pop round and ask her. :-)

We've been able to hook up a video chat link to Wallybee's parents in China, though their connection wasn't the greatest. It should be achievable, just being in another country shouldn't stop it, but it may make matters more complicated.


hippocampus - Jun 12, 2008 3:16:33 pm PDT #922 of 26132
not your mom's socks.

Hang on, I'll just pop round and ask her. :-)

shush, you. It's absolutely a factor of putting Iris and her aunt face to face before Iris melts down that is driving all of this flapping about.


Pete, Husband of Jilli - Jun 12, 2008 3:19:42 pm PDT #923 of 26132
"I've got a gun! I've got a mother-flippin' gun!" - Moss, The IT Crowd

Just read the PHB, and I have a totally silly quibble: "Warlock" is a gendered term. Whereas I don't have a cognitive problem with a female rogue or a male rogue, a female fighter or a male fighter, saying female warlock makes me go o.O

Honestly, i think this is a problem that first started at WotC with Magic and just kind of bled into D&D. I tend to just shrug & filter out those issues, as they are crazy-making.


Volans - Jun 12, 2008 3:55:32 pm PDT #924 of 26132
move out and draw fire

The DMG has about 6 pages in it that are worth owning, and that really pisses me off

Hee - the DH is storming around upstairs raging about just this thing right now.

I tend to just shrug & filter out those issues, as they are crazy-making.

Yeah, I was more laughing at my own reaction than anything. Although, since they are making up race names (Eladrin), they could just make up a word for that type of spellcaster.

And they should make it rhyme with "orange."

ION, we gold-starred "Gimme Shelter" today. Ph34r our l33t Rock Band skillz!


amych - Jun 12, 2008 4:29:57 pm PDT #925 of 26132
Now let us crush something soft and watch it fountain blood. That is a girlish thing to want to do, yes?

We, umm, flipped through the 4e MM looking at the art credits!

Other than that, I have serious amounts of nothing to add to the debate.


Sean K - Jun 12, 2008 5:18:10 pm PDT #926 of 26132
You can't leave me to my own devices; my devices are Nap and Eat. -Zenkitty

We, umm, flipped through the 4e MM looking at the art credits!

The art is generally being praised. They got some damned good artists to fill the job.

Although to that extent, while I much prefer good art to bad art in gaming books (the old D&D interior art was... varied, to say the least), it's kind of like having Janusz Kaminski as your DP. Of course your movie is going to look fantastic.


amych - Jun 12, 2008 5:44:36 pm PDT #927 of 26132
Now let us crush something soft and watch it fountain blood. That is a girlish thing to want to do, yes?

They got some damned good artists to fill the job.

Indeed. Adorable, even.