tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8615253283819094516.post8077669200715161620..comments2024-03-25T00:36:40.345-07:00Comments on Heroes & Other Worlds: Inquiry into gaming #1Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8615253283819094516.post-81456309621207670572016-08-08T16:44:06.299-07:002016-08-08T16:44:06.299-07:00Dark City GamesDark City GamesFenway5https://www.blogger.com/profile/14870312188585916750noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8615253283819094516.post-964644622552567102016-08-08T13:53:57.789-07:002016-08-08T13:53:57.789-07:00What is "DCG"?What is "DCG"?Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07420577894501394702noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8615253283819094516.post-5377437970317691952016-08-08T13:47:46.984-07:002016-08-08T13:47:46.984-07:00"Is it the effort to explore/create simpler d..."Is it the effort to explore/create simpler designs a futile endeavor? If not what are the basic elements necessary to impart a fun experience without over burdening players? "<br /><br />I look at the way Pathfinder does it and I wish I'd had that kind of organization when I was a kid. You can buy an adventure, then all the miniatures for the adventure - either in cardboard or pre-painted. You can buy cards that have most of the rules on them, cards with pictures of every NPC for the SAME adventure and for every piece of treasure IN that adventure. That's how you do it right except for one thing - the system is gawdawful complicated. <br /><br />So it's not just enough to come up with a simple RPG, you got to come up with a simple way of GMing it was well. <br /><br />The "Death Test" type modules in TFT did a great job of doing this. You could play the minute you counted your change at the cash register. <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07420577894501394702noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8615253283819094516.post-5692628294110534332016-07-27T19:16:07.201-07:002016-07-27T19:16:07.201-07:00OneDice system, you say? interesting. i've bee...OneDice system, you say? interesting. i've been tinkering with something similar for some time now. i have much more notes than i've posted on my crappy blog but i remain wishy-washy on some things.<br /><br />http://mmmnm.blogspot.com/2015/11/mettle-light1d6.html<br /><br />basically, TFT-light played with 1d6.<br />ewookiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00575992937649487920noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8615253283819094516.post-80204362953443537972016-07-27T19:07:33.476-07:002016-07-27T19:07:33.476-07:00interesting discussion. simplicity of mechanics an...interesting discussion. simplicity of mechanics and initial character build/options are paramount in my opinion. the most successful plans of mice, men, and the universe start simple and evolve with progress. it is the simple and sturdy structure that stands the test of time. these things are evident in both manned and unmanned nature. complicated structures collapse under their own weight as they grow larger and more complicated. if they were built upon a sturdy, simple design, that structure remains when the complicated, superfluous bits fall away.<br /><br />even a "pen-and-paper" rpg system with simple mechanics and initial character build is complicated by the complicated nature of our modern lives. there must be a Ref and at least one player. these people must be able to find time in their busy, hectic lives to get their game on. this is why the structure of DCG's "programmed" adventures is like some sort of holy grail for me. you can run them solo or with a Ref. however, i think the structure of the "modules" could be improved a bit for a Ref-run game.<br /><br />as some others have eluded, i believe the biggest hindrance to pen and paper rpgs has been and always will be the inexperienced or incompetent Ref. again, the "programmed" adventure is a holy grail of sorts to remedy that situation. you might call them training wheels for new refs.<br /><br />a ref needs to be humble but unafraid to exercise his power. in the beginning the manifestations of his powers will naturally be a bit ham-fisted. with experience, he learns to exert his power in more subtle ways. at the same time, a ref must be willing to loosen his grip on the story. let the players guide the story when they are up to it but let the story guide the players when they seem lost.<br /><br />no one loves an iron-fist "dick-tater" but the lackeys he favors. on the other hand, no one follows a "speck-tater" that doesn't lead.ewookiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00575992937649487920noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8615253283819094516.post-78085493054054938032016-07-25T10:48:04.383-07:002016-07-25T10:48:04.383-07:00Really? So am I. The OneDice system seems like it ...Really? So am I. The OneDice system seems like it might be really good for presenting a minimum barrier to entry. I really think the biggest barrier to entry is the variable quality of GMing. I'm trying to figure out a way to present GMing in a way so that it's got the lowest barrier to entry while having the highest quality it can. Still gathering data...Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07420577894501394702noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8615253283819094516.post-47125210179048505792016-07-18T15:53:37.315-07:002016-07-18T15:53:37.315-07:00Thanks both for the feedback. I am tinkering with ...Thanks both for the feedback. I am tinkering with a non-heroes system that is even more easy entry in terms of mechanics and play. Having run it a few times players initially were a bit "underwhelmed" in terms of character build--wait, that's it? But in terms of game play, it was much more fluid and creative, especially for me as the referee. Ended up with TPK each time, but as a "one shot" sort of evening of fun-it worked quite well.<br /><br />More to come...Fenway5https://www.blogger.com/profile/14870312188585916750noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8615253283819094516.post-62876125076375029912016-07-18T10:24:39.702-07:002016-07-18T10:24:39.702-07:00With other system there's the inevitable confu...With other system there's the inevitable confusion that comes from the new guy sitting at the table with the "rules lawyer." Sheesh.<br /><br />Yeah, the new guy gets "lost in space" relatively quick, which only equates with his/her being turned off about the hobby itselfMystic Scholarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07593826779432906953noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8615253283819094516.post-4197756628731491472016-07-17T12:24:08.631-07:002016-07-17T12:24:08.631-07:00I think that's one of the reasons why we prefe...I think that's one of the reasons why we prefer things like TFT and HoW -- entry time cost is about five to 15 minutes for an experienced player to teach a completely new player. the fundamentals are so...well... "fundamental," that you can walk someone who's never played a FRPG or wargame before in their lives through it in less than a quarter of an hour and get them up and running for at least an arena battle in a few seconds more. Then you can throw them into something like "The Orcs of the High Mountains" or "Death Test" to begin to give them a feel for more of the details, and you're off and running. In no time at all they are making intelligent tactical decisions and beginning to get a grasp of the basics; from there role-playing is MUCH easier since they've already internalized the basics of the system by PLAYING -- just like a computer game only with actual personal interaction and not scripts! <br /><br />Too many of the other desktop RPGs out there require hours of character creation, and more hours explaining what all of that does and means before they players can so much as walk out the tavern door. Then, if they die right away, they've "wasted" that hours-long time investment; something that simply isn't an issue with things like TFT or HoW where you can whack together another character in a minute or two. <br /><br />That initial time investment problem DOES create a barrier -- especially for people used to the relative painlessness of computer gaming. Jeff V.https://www.blogger.com/profile/09773383148220245208noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8615253283819094516.post-5314463560214433622016-07-16T16:01:45.362-07:002016-07-16T16:01:45.362-07:00Sometimes . . . simplicity is just . . . satisfyin...Sometimes . . . simplicity is just . . . satisfying.Mystic Scholarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07593826779432906953noreply@blogger.com