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Post by ironnikki on Jan 8, 2015 9:11:52 GMT -8
I think that the decision about what skills transfer between in-game and out-of-game is going to be group dependent. I'd talk with the group about what they think, and see how they want to play it. A lot of this is going to depend on whether play will focus on one world over the other. After all, if they're only going to be out-of-game 10% of the time, it might be a moot point.
If it were me, here's how I'd do it: In SAO, Kirito's skill with a sword transfers over to real life (after he gets used to the different physics). So, you could make it such that all skills are transferrable, but certain abilities aren't. Things like flight, sword skills, and alchemy don't exist in the real world. Things that require their own skills, like flight and alchemy, might be cheaper than normal since they're only available in-game.
This is a quick and dirty way of doing it, and doesn't really take into account the tools that GURPS provides. Mook's suggestion makes better use of the system to achieve your goal.
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Post by ironnikki on Jan 7, 2015 7:55:33 GMT -8
Thanks for the responses! I had kind of given the thread up for dead :-)
Ecrodorias, I've tried a scene or two in that vein previously. I like the idea, and it often makes for a fun time, but since I'd be ideally teaching a new system each game, putting a hard cap on timing might make more problems than it solves.
Fredrix, good suggestions! I am providing pre-generated characters, and the games have all been very light in combat. Things aren't getting bogged down, the players are just having a good time roleplaying and examining the situation in front of them. Like you've suggested, I've wondered if this really is a problem, since everyone is enjoying themselves, but I'm starting to itch to swap systems again! Here's a list of games I've had them try or intend to:
-Pathfinder (we started here) -Savage Worlds -GURPS (currently playing) -Fate -New World of Darkness -DnD 5e -Shadowrun -Powered by the Apocalypse (probably Dungeon World or tremulus) -Tephra -Monsters and Other Childish Things -Burning Wheel -Cosmic Patrol
The idea is that if we find something that everybody really likes, we'll continue to explore that story, much like the trilogy idea suggested by greatwyrm. Most of my players have played little more than Pathfinder, so I wanted to find another system that everyone also liked.
Baldyr, generally what I do is come up with a simple, one-sentence description of the problem (i.e: the princess is missing). Then, when I'm generating the characters, I ensure each of them has a reason to care about said problem (i.e: one PC was supposed to be guarding her room when she disappeared, another is a prince in love with her, etc.) I'll come up with a list of clues or potential stepping stones to get to their goal, but often leave a lot blank. I think you can have a character driven story while still providing plot points, you just have to be receptive to what the characters are doing.
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Post by ironnikki on Dec 18, 2014 9:13:29 GMT -8
Even smaller, the daughter of a late friend of mine is a chemist working on the next generation of anti-cancer drugs (the ones specifically tailored to an individual's genome so as to target only the malignant cells) for one of the big UK pharma companies. She's not allowed to discuss specifics (obviously) but she has said "there are big things coming really soon once the trials are completed, a real and significant change in treating rather than managing cancer". Aaron Pretty cool! I've got some colleagues working on similar projects. I've also been surprised to find that apparently there's a lot of overlap between researchers and gamers. Maybe I shouldn't be so surprised by that!
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Post by ironnikki on Dec 15, 2014 9:47:01 GMT -8
I'm a graduate student studying how aging impacts cancer. Sometimes I envision myself working other fields, but most of those fields can qualify as a hobby, while cell biology requires a bit more an investment. I'm an academic research scientist working on malaria genetics. Interesting connection: a member of our lab is studying the impact of phytochemicals, including an antimalarial, artemisinin. Small world!
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Post by ironnikki on Dec 2, 2014 8:27:22 GMT -8
Both of my groups are currently going through a transition phase, where we're trying several different systems before settling down for a long haul. One of my group is experienced players, so we're trying new, indie games that we haven't played before, while the other group is mostly newbies, and I'm trying to give them a taste of the bigger name games they haven't played yet.
This style of running suits me really well, as I feel that I'm pretty decent with coming up with a short story hook, but struggle with developing a longer story arc for campaigns. However, I keep running into the same problem: These one-shots are lasting for months of play (which really makes them not one-shots at all!)
This isn't really a huge problem, since the players all seem to be enjoying the games anyway, but I'd like to really expand their exposure. I have a sizable list of games that I'd love to run, and at this rate, we'll never make it through most of them.
Based on my previous experience, I don't think that I'm preparing too much material. I generally prepare 3 scenes for a one-shot game, sometimes as much as 5 if they're likely to be short with little downtime. During play, we're staying relatively on track, so I don't think that it's due to distraction, and we keep a relatively regular schedule with few cancellations. I think the main factor here is the players expanding downtime between scenes more than I expected them to.
Again, this isn't a huge problem, because the players are all having fun, so far as I can tell. So I guess my question boils down to this: What are your tactics as a GM to limit game time? I've never run a convention game, but obviously that requires you to stay within your time slot, something that I would spectacularly fail at. I don't really need these games to fit into a single four hour session, but preferably something like 2-3 sessions per game would be nice.
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Post by ironnikki on Dec 1, 2014 14:26:16 GMT -8
I wasn't familiar with the Czege Principle before; thanks for the link, willh!
On a tangentially related note, the first thing that came to mind after reading the wiki article was Fiasco (probably because kaitoujuliet already invoked it earlier). On his/her turn, a player may either set the scene or decide how it ends (well or poorly), but not both. Makes a lot of sense now!
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Post by ironnikki on Nov 4, 2014 13:49:05 GMT -8
Yeah, I've always wanted to give Promethean a shot. I think that it's one of those games where you have to really know your players and be frank with what they're getting themselves into. I haven't read the Promethean book in a while, so I can't claim to remember most of the rules, but here's what I'd do.
Some people in the world will react violently to the PCs immediately, but socially, that's not acceptable. So, every single person on the street is not likely to just pummel the PCs. NPCs that you like, or that you'd like to have stick around for a while might just perceive the PCs in a negative light. For example, the first time they interact, the NPC perceives a tone in the Promethean's voice, imagined or not, that he or she finds slightly off-putting. Maybe the next time they interact, the Promethean makes a gesture that the NPC finds offensive, even though he or she wouldn't be offended if anybody else had done it. Pretty soon, the NPC is convinced that the Promethean is trying to steal his or her friends, or is only acting friendly because he or she wants their money, etc.
The above approach accomplishes a few things: it adds depth to the Promethean's plight by varying NPC response, it makes relationships much more valuable because they can still happen, and it makes it hurt more when things go to shit.
I get the feeling that you're planning something similar. After all, a grayscale world is much more interesting than a black and white one. Let us know how the game turns out! One of these days I'll get around to trying to run Promethean as well.
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Post by ironnikki on Oct 23, 2014 7:31:37 GMT -8
Ah, I think I misunderstood your initial post, tomes. I do agree that mechanics themselves can influence a player's enjoyment of the game, although I'm hesitant to suggest that the reason for this is a shift away from an adversarial tone. I don't play or run Edge of the Empire, but one of my groups has been going through a "try stuff out" phase, and we've all found some systems that we all had more fun with than others. We put a pin in our long-running Pathfinder game to try out Savage Worlds, GURPS, and some other games. One of my players in particular was a huge Pathfinder fan, and kind of skeptical about changing systems, but even he said that he had much more fun when we were playing Savage Worlds. I don't know if this was because of mechanics or if there was something else.
Personally, I seem to have more fun running games in Savage Worlds or GURPS than I do when running a Pathfinder game. I don't play much, so I don't know how I'd feel on the other side of the screen.
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Post by ironnikki on Oct 22, 2014 12:10:04 GMT -8
I've got a few that I've had trouble getting off the ground. I've tried running Fate twice. In both games, I was unable to maintain player attention after two hours or so (different groups and games). That might be a sign that I just don't jive well with Fate; who knows.
I've also been interested in giving Burning Wheel a shot. Unfortunately, before I was able to begin a game, my buddy's new puppy got a hold of the book and did to it what I imagine Stu would if he happened across a copy. I've since gotten another copy, but have refrained from planning a game in it to prevent additional damage.
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Post by ironnikki on Oct 22, 2014 11:58:23 GMT -8
My personal experience (thus far) is that any additional enjoyment derived from the players in a system that instructs the GM not to roll dice is not directly due to that fact. For example, I ran Numenera for one of my groups, a system that doesn't have the GM roll, and they were kind of lukewarm on it. They didn't hate the system, but the after game discussion was rather tepid, and it didn't appear to incite excitement in them (speaking specifically about the system, not the setting).
I'm now running Monsterhearts for them, and they're having a blast. There has been discussion about how easy it would be to modify the system for other settings, tweaks to moves, playset generation, etc. I don't think that their enthusiasm has anything to do with the fact that I'm not rolling dice, but I'm not exactly sure what. Maybe I'll ask them after our next game what it is they like about PbtA over the Cypher system.
That being said, we haven't had a combat session in Monsterhearts, so maybe that's where the adversarial nature described above really comes into play.
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Post by ironnikki on Oct 22, 2014 11:46:30 GMT -8
I can't actually remember having a TPK... I've killed players before, but never an entire party. I try not to pull punches once weapons have been drawn, although if the PCs try to run I usually let them get away. Maybe I should stop doing that >:-)
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Post by ironnikki on Oct 22, 2014 11:30:38 GMT -8
After reading your initial question, my first thought was that you're looking to start a long-form game with a totally new troupe. Now that I've read some responses, it looks like you're looking more for advice on preparing a con-style game or one-shot for players you don't know. The advice posted above, especially to design the game for the characters instead of the players and to ask probing questions, is spot on for the latter question. I've included my suggestion for the former in case there's anyone out there struggling with this issue instead.
A few years ago, I moved across the country with my girlfriend (now wife) who adamantly refuses to roll dice with me. She claims she's saving that to use as a bargaining chip in a future argument. Anyway, the point is I had no players around me that I could recruit for in-person gaming, and I was starting to itch.
What worked out well for me is running an arc with pre-generated characters and designing the story around the characters instead of the players, as has been said above. This gives you some time to game with the players themselves and get a feel for how they'll react to certain things. I took mental notes about each player during that arc, and used that as a base for the campaign that we started. After the arc ends, the players made their own characters and we decided on whether we'd rather continue the story or move on to something else.
This allows both you and your players to at least see gaming styles in action, and with an intelligent game design, you can probe them to get a hint at what their reactions to certain things will be. It's not a replacement for knowing people very well, but it worked out well for my group.
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Post by ironnikki on Oct 16, 2014 7:53:45 GMT -8
I don't have the time to contribute to the forums as much as I used to, so I'm a little late to the game on this one. Still, I wish to send my condolences during this difficult time for your family. Unlike many others above, I am not a child of divorce, but I have several close friends who are. Some of them had it easier than others, but it's always easier when the parents keep the kids first and foremost in their decisions.
I believe from your post, and from the little that I have gleaned of your character from our limited (and one-sided) interactions that for your kids, this separation will be one of the good ones, relatively speaking. My thoughts will be with you and yours. The next few glasses I raise will be in your family's honor.
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Post by ironnikki on Sept 9, 2014 18:52:55 GMT -8
I'm surprised that you didn't enjoy Snow Geisha, heavymetaljess. Everyone that I've served it to has liked it. I thought it was tasty, even though I generally prefer darker teas. I didn't pick up a heavy cherry flavor though, so maybe your batch was iffy? I'd second everything said so far, but I have a couple other suggestions for coffee in particular: I've found that the most cost-effective method of brewing a better cup immediately is by using fresh beans. There's a few ways to do this: buy locally roasted beans (less travel time), store them in the dark in an air-tight container (less oxidation), and buy whole beans (less surface area to oxidize). If you can, grind right before you brew. Burr grinders are generally better than blade grinders, as they result in a more consistent grind with less dust. Here's a low-price manual burr grinder. I got one of these several years ago, and it's still working like a charm; while the kettle is on to boil, I grind the beans and they generally finish at the same time. A manual grinder also has another plus: electric ones are loud, and are great at waking up sleeping EVERYTHINGS. However, this grinder is really only feasible for making one or two cups at a time, so if you're gonna stick with a traditional drip pot, that won't work well. I make one cup at a time, since I'm the only one who drinks it in my household. I have a Keurig, which is nice for a quick cup, but it doesn't come out great, and the K-Cups are expensive. I prefer the Aeropress and moka pot. The Aeropress requires more coffee per cup, but makes a great cup and is hard to mess up. The moka pot uses about half the coffee that the Aeropress does, but has less consistent results. They both make a concentrated, espresso-style brew, which you can dilute with hot water or milk/cream depending on your preference. I've also heard a pourover cone like this one makes a great cup without requiring much extra work. I'd recommend starting with a grinder, and maybe a pourover cone. You'll wind up with a smoother, less acidic cuppa without breaking the bank. I haven't yet had the opportunity to try cold brewing, but I've also heard great things about that as well. Glad to hear the world of coffee drinkers has expanded yet again :-) Enjoy!
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Post by ironnikki on Aug 12, 2014 19:23:18 GMT -8
Thanks for the screen shots, Stu. I've been using OneNote for session prep, but not very effectively. That gives me an idea of how better to organize things.
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