Season 07 Episode 03

[Stu Venable]

Season 07 Episode 03 is up.

Your hosts: Stu, Stork, Bill, Jib.

[bloodsparrow]

Now that I'm more sober I just want to say that I have nothing against Exalted, but he did use it quite a lot for examples of things.

On the subject of minis closing distance and then not moving until the monster in front of them is dispatched and that not being my experience...

I can certainly see how that would be the case and it would be a lie to say I've never seen that or that I don't know people who do that. If you find the Flickr album of pictures of our battlemats you will see some images of a PC mini standing in the middle of an almost perfect circle of stick figures drawn on the mat. (Which is what we would draw when a baddie was taken off the mat after being dispatched.

The 4E thing where you get to push, pull and slide people around has, of course, increased the amount of movement for the minis around the battle mat. (Tank abilities to "Mark" or "Challenge" baddies at range that make them want to change their focus to said Tank as well.)

Pre-4E we did have a certain amount of movement around the battle because my old group had DMs that liked to do things with terrain (one in particular was IN LOVE with environmental hazards) and situation. Monsters would burrow, do "fly by" attacks, or there would be innocents that needed saving/dealing with. In one campaign the group had a roguey bent, there being one rogue and several of us who milti-classed with a couple levels of rogue so the group as a whole would be working together to flank and the monsters would be trying to get out of flank. One of my favorite 3E characters had a feat called "Spring Attack" that let me jump forward, attack, and then jump back in a different direction.

I love to move around... Stop laughing.

My point is, the best (most fun) combats we had involved the most character interaction and story elements (wanting to save each other, an important NPC, grab an item or we just REALLY wanted to kill THAT ONE GUY who kept getting away) and that somehow prompted movement around the battle. At least, that's how I remember it.

Actually, I lie. The most fun combat was the time the party's magical airship was attacked by a dragon while Gaz (my character, an Elf Barbarian) was following on a hyppogriff. So the airship made for the ground while I fought the dragon in the air and made it land so the rest of the party could finish him off. (It's good to let the "civilized" folk feel useful.) That was fucking rad.

[azuretalon]

I really wanted to do the "whimsical, cute, light" style game as a con game using F.A.T.A.L., but I'm not sure anyone would sign up for it and I'm not sure the prep time and game time is worth the joke.

[HyveMynd]

Hey guys, great cast as always. Glad Stu fixed the stream. Technology can be a real bitch sometimes.

I just wanted to write in with a slightly more in-depth description of Cosmic Patrol for the guy who wanted to do the "whimsical adventures" based on Beatles songs. I think the system used in that game would be perfect for what he is going for; a rules light player mechanic that is easy to grasp, yet provides enough of a framework to keep things fair.

The best way to describe Cosmic Patrol is a rules light mash-up of Savage Worlds and FATE. Characters only have five stats (Brawn, Brains, Charisma, Combat and Special) which are given a die type ranging from D4 to D12, just like in Savage Worlds. Unlike Savage Worlds though, there are no skills; players simply use Brawn when doing something physical, Brains when doing something mental, and Charisma when doing something social. Combat is self explanatory (I hope), and Special is some specific area of expertise that the player chooses for their character such as Investigation, Kung-Fu, Deal Making, or Engineering, to give a few examples. Characters also have a Luck stat that is a static, random number (rolled at character creation) that ranges from 1 to 12.

Task resolution is dead simple. When making an action that is unopposed (such as picking a lock, doing research, or jumping a chasm) the player rolls their appropriate stat die along with a D12 and adds them together. The Lead Narrator rolls a D20 as the target number the player is trying to meet or beat. Modifiers can be applied as the Lead Narrator sees fit given the situation and circumstances. When making an opposed roll against another character (PC or NPC), both players roll their stat die plus a D12 and total them, with the highest result winning. If a player ever has a die result that is their Luck stat, they automatically succeed at whatever they were doing. So if your Luck is 6 and you ever roll an 6 on any of your dice, you automatically succeed.

Combat is extremely free-form and narrative, as weapons only have a damage rating and ranges (Close, Near, and Far). There are no maneuvers, feats, or stunts, just a straight up opposed die roll using Combat with modifiers for range and circumstances. The winner inflicts damage on the loser based on the weapon they are using, within reason. (No inflicting damage when you're armed with only a dagger and your opponent is on the other side of a hallway with a laser rifle, but you could narrate how you dodged the blast and closed with your foe on a successful roll) . Characters have a health track (with a number of spaces on it that varies based on their Brawn stat), with a few spaces that have mechanical consequences. Get past a certain point and you have a 1- Brawn modifier, go further up and you have -1 Brawn and Combat, higher still and you're KOed, reach the end and your out of action (or dead based on how serious you want to make the game).

The little bit of FATE that the system has adopted is called "Cues". Cues are essentially Aspects that have absolutely no mechanical bonus; they're just there so the player can look at the character sheet and get a feel for the character's personality and motivations. A Cue might be something like "Shoot First and Ask Questions Later", "Never Leave Home Without a Spare Blaster Battery", or "Kisses Are On the House". They're kind of like non-mechanical disads, talents, Edges, and Aspects all rolled into one. There are also Plot Points which are kind of like Bennies or Fate Points, but you can use them to do practically anything. Need the Kool-Aid Man to bust through the wall as a distraction? Done.

So the system is really easy and open to a lot of interpretation. It's not always clear what stat you should use for certain actions, which is why the game works best when players are really descriptive and narrate their character's actions. But that's what makes it fun. The other thing that makes it super awesome is that the Lead Narrator (think GM) switches to a different player at the start of every scene. So all the players get to be both PCs and GMs during the session. It's a bit like Fiasco in that no one really knows where the story is going to go, since each player will take the game in a different direction when it's their turn to run a scene.

Cosmic Patrol is a fantastic "beer & pretzels" RPG that makes for a great introduction to the hobby. It's essentially a story-telling game with a few simple dice mechanics tossed in. I highly recommend it. The standard setting is 1930's era pulp space opera, but you can use it for literally anything. My group did a Blaxploitation Space Opera mash up (Galaxy Jones, Space Detective), and I have plans to run a Power Rangers knock off where the players have reversible character sheets (one side is their normal teenage character and the other is their super hero persona).

[gina]

Okay, firstly, you so had me with all the West Side Story-ish-ness. Life in general could benefit from more showtunes imo.

Secondly, a musical theatre RPG mash-up? Hellz to the motherfucking yeah

Thirdly, 1:27:41. Stu you were giggling so earnestly that you squealed. Not a creepy Deliverance squeal but the most awesome-est squeal-laugh ever. I need to make a ringtone or something out of that.

[jazzisblues]

BloodSparrow,

That just reinforces my opinion that I need to play in one of your games.

JiB

[Deleted]

Thanks guys for answering my email!

That was cool.

Keeping things on rails is always counter-intuitive for me, I hate to whittle down the options for my players, but I see the value in it for these cons. I might do some re-tooling.

thanks!

Andy

[kaitoujuliet]

D'oh! Of course you have your podcast on running a con game two days after I ran my first con game! ;D

[jazzisblues]

Jan 30, 2012 9:36:51 GMT -8 @andysalazar said:

Thanks guys for answering my email!

That was cool.

Keeping things on rails is always counter-intuitive for me, I hate to whittle down the options for my players, but I see the value in it for these cons. I might do some re-tooling.

thanks!

Andy

It might help to think of a campaign game as a novel and a con game as a short story. Both are fun but a very different read. With a short story you have to get to the point and make your point in a short time with no distractions or side treks.

Just my 2 krupplenicks on the subject, your mileage may of course vary.

JiB

[HyveMynd]

Jan 30, 2012 20:31:38 GMT -8 jazzisblues said:

With a short story you have to get to the point and make your point in a short time with no distractions or side treks.

Yeah, what JiB said above is good way to look at it. I hate to railroad my players too, and usually opt for sandbox style games whenever possible. So when I'm designing short games or one-shots, part of me really rebells at the idea of having to force my players down a specific path. I get around that feeling by trying to make my story hooks so compelling that the players will follow them like 99% of the time. Essentially, I stick a big neon sign that says "Hey! Go this way!" in front of them.

Another thing you can do is make scenes generic so that they can happen almost anywhere. In the Eclipse Phase one-shot I ran last month, my players went to a location that totally made sense for the story, but one that I hadn't planned for them to go to. So I simply had all the action happen at this new location, rather than forcing them back "on track". Essentially I just renamed the location and ran everything exactly as I had intended to. But the players didn't know that. They felt like they had made a choice that mattered, which is always important.

[whutaguy]

Whimsical fantasy game brought PDQ (Atomic Sock Monkey) to mind. They are most known to me for NinjaBurger, but have done other items. Questors for the Middle Realm is their fantasy supplement. Characters define traits for their character and damage is applied to those traits. Describing how you are using your trait of sushi chef to your attack gives benefits on the attack roll or allows you to take damage to that trait. Animal Mimicry was a waste of Non-weapon Proficiency in D&D2, but allows a character to do almost anything an animal can do: Scamper across a wire like a squirrel, dig like a badger, etc.

Minis are there to encourage everyone's imagination to have the same picture. Why Mage-o cannot encompass all 4 orcs in a fireball; How the sniper is in a great deal of trouble becasue the goblin is much closer than he realized etc. The reason no one moves is the punishment for moving in D&D has been ingrained across the hobby. If a character moves away, everyone adjacent gets parting shots. I ain't moving. I'm already hurt, why would I give the enemy more chances at continuing that. It's also the reason every monster fights to the death. (OK shift then move technically dodges this, but the point remains). I don't know how to fix this, but that's the reason. I recently became more mobile by playing a D&D4e Bard. Most of the bards powers are moving friends and foes. Pushing, pulling or sliding foes into fires, off ledges, away from me, into a clump for the mage to blast. My current character is fragile and runs around alot to keep away from those hurtful foes.

[Nolinquisitor]

Heavy Gear: Operation Jungle Drums. Word. This module is awesome... I ran it in the 90's. It's a very good introduction to the HG universe. I won't spoil anything. Go play it if you can!

[kaitoujuliet]

Reactions to the episode:

1. Female gamers are less likely to want to play cross-gender than male ones? Seriously? My experience has been much the opposite. I wonder if Kimi would have agreed with that statement had she been present. On a quick review of my experiences at Winter War last weekend, I estimate that the female players I observed played male characters roughly 50% of the time, while I did not see a single male player take on a female character. And this covers both games with pre-generated characters and games that allowed people to make their own characters. In my experience, male gamers are far more likely to be uncomfortable with or (if I'm uncharitable) threatened by the idea of playing a female tabletop character than the reverse. I specify tabletop because of the "if I have to look at an ass all day" excuse for videogames.

If female gamers are more likely to take female pre-generated characters at your games, maybe it means that they're just thrilled to see some female character options that look fun and exciting to play, instead of just being "the chick."

2. For the system questions, I must put in a good word for BESM (Big Eyes, Small Mouth). It's a point-buy system where you can build just about anything, but considerably less crunchy than GURPS and the learning curve is not nearly so steep. It has only three main stats to keep track of but offers a nice range of non-combat skills. Combat is quick (the vast majority of rolls are a simple 2d6 + a constant Attack/Defense Combat Value + any appropriate modifiers). It's not at all deadly, unless you work at making it deadly. And Stu, it even has armour soak! Like all games, it has its quirks, but you really can do a lot with it. I think it's a terrible shame that it's been more or less orphaned.

3. The guy who always plays loner swordsmen: I doubt that making him play out the consequences of being an outsider will help much. It seems more likely to just cheese him off. There must be something he's getting out of this archetype which brings him back to it again and again. If you could figure out what that is, maybe you could find a way to steer him toward something else which would give him a similar charge without being an exact copy. Maybe he'd be willing to play a loner druid next time, or a swordsman who's an pariah in his home country but isn't particularly discriminated against in the area where most of the game takes place.

[Robert23]

So I just found these podcasts and so far have found them to be very entertaining. But the main reason I'm here is to ask about getting information on the songs used in this podcast. Is it posted anywhere and I'm just not looking in the right spot?

[muntjack]

Jan 31, 2012 21:04:50 GMT -8 @Robert23 said:

So I just found these podcasts and so far have found them to be very entertaining. But the main reason I'm here is to ask about getting information on the songs used in this podcast. Is it posted anywhere and I'm just not looking in the right spot?

I know I'm probably not the best person to answer this, but I was looking through the forums on a sick day and thought I'd respond.

The two bands most often played are the Poxy Boggards (http://www.poxyboggards.com/) and The Merry Wives of Windsor (http://www.mwow.net/). I know their stuff is on iTunes as well as CD Baby (right?). Check them out!