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moths posted:Those "stat yourself" games sound like they'd be loving awesome if the last thing you do at character creation is pass your character sheet to the left. I don't exactly follow. Is it to avoid overstating your abilities to survive? Or something else? Depending, it could actually 'cause some problems since roleplaying as your friends could lead to some grievances.
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Dec 7, 2014 21:07
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Yeah, you stat yourself up and hand your character over to another player. I mean, you'd probably have to devote a lot of text to how this is the fictionalized RPG version of your friends. So when it turns out Josh is a warp-dust addicted alien-cultist, it's fun and not GODDAMN GUYS WHY ARE YOU ALWAYS PICKING ON ME
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Dec 7, 2014 21:23
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Part of it is also that if you're being honest, a stat yourself game doesn't leave you with a lot of PCs with skills relevant to having crazy adventures, often. Like, I'd have terrible physical stats, arthritis, only the vaguest familiarity with weapons, etc and just be good at studying biblical texts and history, which really doesn't have much applicability in 'Let us fight the zombies'. Norms in AFMBE already do a good job of simulating a relatively believable, mostly average, but slightly above average/promising protagonist for a lower power zombie horror adventure as is.
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Dec 7, 2014 21:26
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But wasn't AFMBE the game where your supposed to stat yourself? Or was that Dread, which I know is another zombie game? I've honestly never read either. I might have mixed them in my head.
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Dec 7, 2014 21:29
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No, you are not required to stat yourself in AFMBE.Night10194 posted:Part of it is also that if you're being honest, a stat yourself game doesn't leave you with a lot of PCs with skills relevant to having crazy adventures, often. Like, I'd have terrible physical stats, arthritis, only the vaguest familiarity with weapons, etc and just be good at studying biblical texts and history, which really doesn't have much applicability in 'Let us fight the zombies'. Norms in AFMBE already do a good job of simulating a relatively believable, mostly average, but slightly above average/promising protagonist for a lower power zombie horror adventure as is. Yup, when I did stat myself in AFMBE a few years ago, I had to really stretch on some things and blow a lot of points in useless skills (Like History and bowling) and stuff like "well, I've taken gun safety courses and have handled and fired hunting rifles and pistols at gun ranges a few times, I GUESS I qualify for first skill level in handguns and rifles..."
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Dec 7, 2014 21:32
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I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess that the vast majority of people who play tabletop RPGs do not, in general, possess the sorts of skills and abilities that many genre fiction protagonists, even "everyman" types, possess, at which point I'm left wondering what the value of statting up the members of your game table are if the vast majority of what you commit to paper isn't really game applicable. "Okay so we've got three guys who do IT, Bob's still in college for his Master's, and Steve does medical billing. Nobody knows anything about guns or survival, Bob had a year of Tae Kwon Do when he was 15, Jake had to be first aid certified but hasn't ever had to actually use any of it, and Steve is 300 pounds and has asthma." I'm not saying that no gaming group ever has members who've done things like learn to use firearms, serve in the military, go on wilderness excursions, be an EMT, etc. Simply that by far the majority of people getting together to play RPGs are probably not going to be "stat-worthy" by traditional RPG metrics unless FFG has come up with a way to make someone's CS degree a vital and integral part of their zombie apocalypse game. Covok posted:But wasn't AFMBE the game where your supposed to stat yourself? Nope.
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Dec 7, 2014 21:41
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At the same time Norms are a ton of fun to write because they have just enough points to have a chance and can grow well if they survive, but they're still easy to write as relatively plausible people. Sheriff's deputy, med student, research tech, petty thug, etc.
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Dec 7, 2014 21:45
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Yeah Norms seemed more appealing to me when I was reading AFMBE because of how limited they are. Just not quite good enough to feel comfortable or safe, but capable enough to feel like you've got a chance.
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Dec 7, 2014 21:48
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Night10194 posted:At the same time Norms are a ton of fun to write because they have just enough points to have a chance and can grow well if they survive, but they're still easy to write as relatively plausible people. Sheriff's deputy, med student, research tech, petty thug, etc. Oh sure, the issue isn't that playing "normal" people can't be fun, it's just that most people around the game table probably aren't going to fit into the mold of what most tabletop RPGs generally consider worth statting these days. My last irl face-to-face group was a guy who did freelance editing and layout, his wife who was working on her veterinarians' degree, a philosophy major, two unemployed people, and a retail manager. In no RPG that we ever played would anybody around that table qualify for a full writeup without some generous stretching.
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Dec 7, 2014 21:50
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Kai Tave posted:Nope. Does anyone know what game I'm thinking of then? 'Cause I swear I heard of a game like that.
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Dec 7, 2014 22:03
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Kai Tave posted:I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess that the vast majority of people who play tabletop RPGs do not, in general, possess the sorts of skills and abilities that many genre fiction protagonists, even "everyman" types, possess, at which point I'm left wondering what the value of statting up the members of your game table are if the vast majority of what you commit to paper isn't really game applicable. "Okay so we've got three guys who do IT, Bob's still in college for his Master's, and Steve does medical billing. Nobody knows anything about guns or survival, Bob had a year of Tae Kwon Do when he was 15, Jake had to be first aid certified but hasn't ever had to actually use any of it, and Steve is 300 pounds and has asthma."
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Dec 7, 2014 22:12
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FMguru posted:Back in the 1990s the members of the GURPS forums at sjgames.com thought it would be fun to stat themselves up with the GURPS rules and post the results. I once read the collected document they put together, and yeah, every single one was IT Guy or Academic with the same set of disadvantages (Lazy, Overweight, Shy, Bad Vision (Correctable), Easily Distracted, Wealth/Struggling, Dependency:Insulin, etc.) and office/hobby skills (things like Art/Miniatures Painting and Perform/Filk). It was kind of depressing, all the more so since a statting up of myself would fit rather seamlessly among them. I mean it's not like that's such a bad thing. The standard adventurers in trpgs are kind of unrealistic and, even though we idolize them to a degree, they are kind of awful people. Sure, they qualities we should have such as bravery and, honestly, we probably could all stand to lose a few pounds and be in better health, but they also tend to be incapable of solving problems without violence, tend to be too greedy and obsessed, are unsympathetic to the plight of others unless they can get something out of it, are not emotionally old enough to settle down, lack emotional maturity in general thus are quick to wild and dangerous action, often know little about the ways of the world, never find love or have kids, can't even perform simple mathematics, ectera. I'm not saying we're better, but most of us are far from being bad people. Just because we aren't heroes slaying dragons, doesn't mean we haven't accomplished alot, dealt with adversity, and overcame alot. Just because our jobs don't have a lot clout to them, doesn't mean they aren't hard, that we don't work hard, or that we didn't earn them. Just because some of us may be shy and in bad financial standings, doesn't mean we're bad people, not someone people like to be around, or incapable of thriving in society.
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Dec 7, 2014 22:25
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Could someone explain why roleplaying yourself would be fun? I spend most of my week being myself and when I game I want to be something else. I guess if the character you're playing is an idealized version of yourself with all sorts of awesome abilities, then that might be a little fun but then that wouldn't be playing myself.
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Dec 7, 2014 22:26
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Covok posted:Does anyone know what game I'm thinking of then? 'Cause I swear I heard of a game like that. DocBubonic posted:Could someone explain why roleplaying yourself would be fun? I spend most of my week being myself and when I game I want to be something else.
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Dec 7, 2014 22:27
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Siivola posted:It's Outbreak: Undead. Thank you. I must have really got it all mixed up in my head then.
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Dec 7, 2014 22:29
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Making up new characters is fun though.
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Dec 7, 2014 22:34
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Covok posted:I mean it's not like that's such a bad thing. The standard adventurers in trpgs are kind of unrealistic and, even though we idolize them to a degree, they are kind of awful people. Sure, they qualities we should have such as bravery and, honestly, we probably could all stand to lose a few pounds and be in better health, but they also tend to be incapable of solving problems without violence, tend to be too greedy and obsessed, are unsympathetic to the plight of others unless they can get something out of it, are not emotionally old enough to settle down, lack emotional maturity in general thus are quick to wild and dangerous action, often know little about the ways of the world, never find love or have kids, can't even perform simple mathematics, ectera. Well I at least don't mean it in some sort of "critique of the modern man" sense, it's not "hurr nerds are dumb and bad," it's just that most RPGs are built to place an emphasis on adventure-y skills and not, say, your ability to file TPS reports or that time you coached little league. And these games FFG is making don't look like they're changing that paradigm what with being about zombie apocalypses and aliens and stuff like that.
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Dec 7, 2014 22:42
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Kai Tave posted:Well I at least don't mean it in some sort of "critique of the modern man" sense, it's not "hurr nerds are dumb and bad," it's just that most RPGs are built to place an emphasis on adventure-y skills and not, say, your ability to file TPS reports or that time you coached little league. And these games FFG is making don't look like they're changing that paradigm what with being about zombie apocalypses and aliens and stuff like that. Oh, I know. It's just that he was saying it was depressing that his character would end up built in a similar fashion to those examples he was listing so I was telling him that's not so bad to be like that.
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Dec 7, 2014 22:48
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Siivola posted:Because the point is playing yourself in an unfamiliar, even fantastic scenario. It's why going hiking is fun: Because it gives you an excuse to I play RPGs to be something other then myself. If I want to have adventure in my real life (even if its just hiking), then why not just do that? Also it seems to me that roleplaying yourself usually comes up in zombie games. Is that the "fantastic" scenario you want to be in?
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Dec 7, 2014 22:51
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The real trick is to go full escapist fantasy. Stat some cool hero types. At the start of the game, you play yourselves. Then A Thing Happens and you become those cool hero types (while still also being yourselves).
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Dec 7, 2014 22:51
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Is there any sort of setting where "play as yourself!" could work well? I mean, zombies and aliens are probably bad at it, but would something like Golden Sky Stories or Do: Monks of the Flying Temple adapt well to that sort of play? Games where you could ask something like "here's a fantastic problem, how would you use what you yourself know to solve it," I mean.
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Dec 7, 2014 22:51
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I gotta say though, learning adventuring skills like camping or stabbing things with swords is pretty fun, and I feel pretty awesome for knowing crap like that.  I honestly recommend taking a peek into YLLS or TFR or whatever and seeing if anything catches your interest.DocBubonic posted:I play RPGs to be something other then myself. If I want to have adventure in my real life (even if its just hiking), then why not just do that? 
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Dec 7, 2014 22:56
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Oh yeah, that is another silly thing I love about All Flesh Must Be Eaten, the name. In this modern day oversaturation of zombie games/movies/whatever its name actually manages to stick out. Compared to: Dawn of the Dead Night of the Living Dead Dead State State of Decay Dead Walking Dead Rising Shaun of the Dead Outbreak: Undead Evil Dead Day of the Dead Dead Snow Left for Dead Dead Island Etc etc. I dunno, I know there are other zombie things with standout names (ED: 28 Days Later), but holy crap most of them all just blur together. ProfessorCirno posted:The real trick is to go full escapist fantasy. Stat some cool hero types. At the start of the game, you play yourselves. Then A Thing Happens and you become those cool hero types (while still also being yourselves). And then that one annoying kid decides you've all got to go back to your lovely normal lives. 
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Dec 7, 2014 22:58
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Galaga Galaxian posted:And then that one annoying kid decides you've all got to go back to your lovely normal lives. It's escapism! It's not healthy! 
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Dec 7, 2014 23:00
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Davin Valkri posted:Is there any sort of setting where "play as yourself!" could work well? I mean, zombies and aliens are probably bad at it, but would something like Golden Sky Stories or Do: Monks of the Flying Temple adapt well to that sort of play? Games where you could ask something like "here's a fantastic problem, how would you use what you yourself know to solve it," I mean. As a magical shinto-anime spirit that regularly has heartwarming adventures IRL, yes.
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Dec 7, 2014 23:01
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Galaga Galaxian posted:Oh yeah, that is another silly thing I love about All Flesh Must Be Eaten, the name. In this modern day oversaturation of zombie games/movies/whatever its name actually manages to stick out. Compared to: I don't see Evil Dead as a zombie film. Also there's Walking Dead for your list too.
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Dec 7, 2014 23:05
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That is what Dead Walking was meant to be (though Dead Walking is probably something too), but I screwed up. And yeah I guess Evil dead isn't really a zombie movie, I was just trying to remember as many movies/games/etc with "dead" in it as I could.
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Dec 7, 2014 23:09
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Galaga Galaxian posted:And then that one annoying kid decides you've all got to go back to your lovely normal lives. Waffleman_ posted:It's escapism! It's not healthy! Ok, back to the wheelchair 
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Dec 7, 2014 23:22
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Davin Valkri posted:Is there any sort of setting where "play as yourself!" could work well? I mean, zombies and aliens are probably bad at it, but would something like Golden Sky Stories or Do: Monks of the Flying Temple adapt well to that sort of play? Games where you could ask something like "here's a fantastic problem, how would you use what you yourself know to solve it," I mean.
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Dec 7, 2014 23:38
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Cold: -1 Dark: -2 Hot: -4 Volatile: 0
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Dec 8, 2014 01:43
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I played Cthulhu Dark back in October and it'd work well for playing yourself or any non-adventuring type (provided you want a game arc about going insane): You get to roll an extra d6 for doing things "in your area of expertise" and if you fight with a monster you die.
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Dec 8, 2014 02:00
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I once played in a game of World of Darkness game where one of the other guys was playing himself, albeit a version of himself 10-15 years in the future that managed to be both too pessimistic (single, still living where he grew up) and too optimistic (graduated from law school) at the same time. I played Yamcha from Dragon Ball.  His character's first action was to show Dragon Ball to my character and completely mindfuck him, which definitely made for interesting roleplaying.
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Dec 8, 2014 03:16
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For the record, I don't have anything against the idea of 'Play as yourself!', I just think it's such an obvious idea that using it as the #1 selling point of your game isn't really saying a whole lot about your powers of creativity. It's not a new idea.
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Dec 8, 2014 07:45
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rereading chapter 1, i'm surprised people didn't realize nagisa's a coldblooded killer sooner. look at his face during the grenade reveal 
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Dec 8, 2014 08:10
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Tollymain posted:rereading chapter 1, i'm surprised people didn't realize nagisa's a coldblooded killer sooner. look at his face during the grenade reveal So, which topic was this post supposed to be in?
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Dec 8, 2014 08:11
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It's probably sad that I can guess from context that it's something for Assassination Classroom.
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Dec 8, 2014 08:12
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Oh, I read a bit of that. One with the mach-5 tentacle monster guy who the government can't kill so they appease him by giving him students to teach, right?
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Dec 8, 2014 08:15
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whoops also yes
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Dec 8, 2014 08:21
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Tollymain posted:whoops To which statement?
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Dec 8, 2014 08:25
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both, really
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Dec 8, 2014 08:29
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