Come here and talk about anything!

This post will stay stickied for (at least) the week-end. Please enjoy this space where you can talk about anything: your last game, your current project, your patreon, etc. You can even talk about video games, ask for a group, or post a survey or share a new meme you've just found. This is the place for small talk on r/rpg.

The off-topic rules may not apply here, but the other rules still do. This is less the Wild West and more the Mild West. Don't be a jerk.

----------

This submission is generated automatically each Saturday at 00:00 UTC.

With me having to make the red vs 2020 choice for my players, combined with my own poor decision making skills, I found it interesting how red still has a rough reputation to this day. With claims of the setting being sauce less to just flat out saying it doesn't work. (I'll probably be picking it up still, but it does fascinate me.)

I've compared it two recent sort of events I've experienced or heard about. Those being Monte Cook, and Vampire 5e.

I've mentioned it before that my friends have a bad impression of Cooks games due to the design principles of 3E rewarding system mastery over all else. The thing is, cook has said he regrets that decision and it seems like his modern games veer Away from that direction. And yet to some folks I know, he's still remembered as the system mastery guy.

By contrast, Vampire 5E came out in a really rough spot. From a poorly formated rule book, the disastrous Camarilla sourcebook, everything to do with Gehenna... But the thing is, it seems like 5E has solidified into a solid game nowadays. Especially with the very last sourcebook, Courts of the Damned being a solid read. So 5E has solidified into a solid game with its own niche... But I know a lot of folks who still write it off. And 6E is looking to be a whole other affair...

Sometimes, a bad first impression can be killer to a games reputation, deserved or not. And no matter how many amazing sourcebooks, errata, or hyperbole gets adjusted, it can mess up the games chances long term.

So, as a follow up to a previous thread I made about incorrect assumptions regarding systems. What are some RPGs that developed a reputation early on they just couldn't shake no matter what happened?

Was thinking about some very classic fantasy with a backdrop of "thieve's guild"-intrigue (a bit leverage, a bit john wick lore, a bit of 80s airbrushed fantasy art basically). The first thing that came to mind is blades in the dark with a modified setting, but i think that leans a bit too much on the heist/criminal aspect. I think what i'm mainly interested in, in terms of "heist", is that vibe of low-level characters using their resources to plan around bigger threats, rather than the more cinematic concept of a heist blades in the dark goes for (and flavour wise it is also a bit grittier than i'd like, cause when i think thieves and heists here i'm more thinking lupin the third, leverage or tantalus from ffIX than breaking bad). And i've been re-playing baldur's gate (the first one) so I do kinda have an itch to run some very classic fantasy setting vibes (but I refuse to run actual D&D lol)

So I was looking for a system to do a rules light oneshot, where I could suprise the players about the genre of the scenerio... like they know setting and historic period, but nothing else...

I was thinking a bout the Ghost busters system, and I found this generified version of it... Sixtacular.

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/233609/sixtacular-srd-1-0

Does anybody have any expierence with this rules set, or material written for it? Seems to be a pretty straight cut and paste of the Ghost Buster rules. Any intersting evolutions of this rule set?

As written it seems to be a "no death" kind of fun rules set... but I feel I could easily use it to run a CoC scenerio, grafting sanity onto it... as a derived stat, so players wouldn't nessesarily see the eldritch horror coming...

Interested in peoples thoughts of running the following for people brand new to the hobby:

- Nimble
- D&D 4e
- Pure BRP, Basic Roleplaying System, rather than one of its derivatives like Runequest or Cthulhu
- Dragonbane
- 13th Age
- Edit: Maybe Draw Steel but feels a little complicated

The group want fantasy we’ve established, that or pirates (edit: please keep other game suggestions to a minimum and no OSR)

I've not played either of these systems but will probably pick one up in the near future. For those with experience playing both systems as players or GMs, which do you prefer and why? Pros, Cons, etc. Thank you!

If you play with minis, you should check this out. I've been pondering how to make something that is both easy to get on the table and cheap to make for quite a while. I'm pretty happy with what I came up with and I'm sharing it as a free product for folks. Even if you don't like the basic design, there are elements you might find helpful. I'm calling it...

Magnets on Everything

Please let me know what you think!

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/593381/magnets-on-everything?affiliate_id=473126

There's also a YouTube intro video.

I just released my first full TTRPG system Traumapilots today! In an effort to shamelessly self-promote bring awareness to my game, I'm opening an AMA about the system.

The link to the website and the book can be found here!

The 51-page PDF includes the full rules text, GM advice for the system, a short intro module called Project Stem, as well as printable character sheets.

What Is Traumapilots?

Traumapilots is a TTRPG about the lives of high school mecha pilots as they cope with the horrors of fighting off horrors beyond human comprehension. The system is a PbtA-inspired 2d6 system, with a big focus on putting the pilots through trauma. Combat in mechs is present, but the majority of the system focuses on the pilots' day to day lives, and the drama that comes from putting teenagers into war.

Why This System?

When compared to other mecha systems, such as Lancer or Beam Saber, they primarily focus on the combat, while Traumapilots is more about the pilots as people.

The bulk of the system revolves around Traits, Emotions, Trauma. Traits are the culmination of a pilot's personality. Whenever a pilot gains a strong emotion, they temporarily forgo one of their traits to gain an Emotion, each of which give an ongoing bonus and penalty. However, Should a pilot fall victim to the horrors they fight against, they gain Trauma, which permanently changes them. Trauma removes one of your traits, and should a trigger related to it come up, you may suffer a Traumatic Episode.

This is a system based around a downward spiral as you lose parts of your humanity to war.

Is There Any AI In the Book?

Absolutely not. As someone who went to school for both Literature and Graphic Design, all elements of this book are 100% human made. In fact, the setting itself hinges upon teenagers piloting mechs, so Artificial Intelligence isn't even present within the game's fiction.

The cover art was designed by u/Jubriart, and I am incredibly grateful to them for helping create the '90s anime aesthetic that inspired the system.

Edit: Getting late on my end. I'll keep answering questions in the morning

For my fans of hardcore simulationist gaming, what do you think of HarnMaster? Is HarnMaster the ultimate expression of simulationism or a bridge too far even for people like us? Or neither? Like it, love it, loathe it? I'm considering finally taking the jump and would love to hear your impressions.

First off, I was scanning the clearance shelf of a LGS that I rarely go to and they had a game that I was interested in for 75% off! I have been thinking about the GI Joe RPG for a while and, for less than 14 bucks, it was a happy score. Then I came home and saw that Amazon was selling the Star Trek Adventures Technical Manual for 13 dollars. Well under 30 bucks for two beautiful RPG books made me very happy indeed.

Don’t get me wrong, the prices are pretty much exactly what I would pay. While beautiful and well written, they both have issues. The Technical Manual is a very thin splat book and I’m going to have a hard time getting together enough people interested in a GI Joe game. $13 and $14 are exactly the right prices for both books.

That said, I’m just happy that there were a couple places in the world where I could score a good deal. It seems like the RPG market is overinflated and unpopular games, instead of going down in price, seem to stay the same price or go up.

If you are a bargain hunter like me, keep hunting, and hopefully you will find a deal or two, as well. Also, if you are in the US and you play Star Trek Adventures, Amazon still is selling the Tech Manual for $13.

Hey folks!

I've recently gotten myself an FDM printer, and I'm now looking for files for terrain that work well for RPG's.

Mainly I play Starfinder and Pathfinder (2e for both), so I'm looking for things like woods, walls, scatter terrain, and just about anything like that which could help build up cityscapes, forests, or caves, etc.