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If you get rid of faction advancement, your players have an even lower chance of running into each other, which creates more downtime and makes your job as a GM harder.
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Feb 14, 2023 01:14
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Golden Bee posted:If you get rid of faction advancement, your players have an even lower chance of running into each other, which creates more downtime and makes your job as a GM harder. To elaborate on this a bit, Urban Shadows has a problem where it's really easy for everyone to just stay silo'd off in their own faction's problems and never meaningfully cross those threads over. A good GM can make it work anyway, but if your players aren't helping it's like dragging dead weight. 2e's making some changes to make it easier, but 1e's still fine if you recognize it's a problem and don't undermine what tools it does have to bring people together.
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Feb 14, 2023 15:39
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Having never played Urban Shadows but was interested in checking it out, how does it play when everyone's off focused on their own things? Does everyone just sit and wait at the table while the GM plays out a scene with the one player involved? There's gotta be ways for other players to inject themselves in a scene right?
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Feb 14, 2023 16:44
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So far I've played with tables where everyone is invested in making sure each other's plots are working out, mostly by way of talking out of character about how to get the characters in the fiction to participate. Basically volunteering leverage for our fellow players to use, like my dragon pc has no interest in helping her tainted pc screw over the werewolves, but she is interested in resolving a debt to his vampire pc, so let's make sure the vampire pc is the one to bring it to her so I have a reason to be involved. That works with high trust tables of friends. I'm also kind of forcing my new players into an environment where they *have* to interact at least twice an in-game week, which is ham-handed but whatever.
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Feb 14, 2023 18:07
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thunderdome winner
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DarkAvenger211 posted:Having never played Urban Shadows but was interested in checking it out, how does it play when everyone's off focused on their own things? Does everyone just sit and wait at the table while the GM plays out a scene with the one player involved? There's gotta be ways for other players to inject themselves in a scene right? It’s hard, even with strong players. Modern life, compared to a fantasy setting, has super fast travel, traffic and often 10,000x more NPC’s. If you’re in the penthouse in Manhattan and there’s a werewolf rumble in Brooklyn, it could realistically be over before you exit your elevator and call a cab.
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Feb 14, 2023 18:16
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Golden Bee posted:It’s hard, even with strong players. Modern life, compared to a fantasy setting, has super fast travel, traffic and often 10,000x more NPC’s. If you’re in the penthouse in Manhattan and there’s a werewolf rumble in Brooklyn, it could realistically be over before you exit your elevator and call a cab. I think one of the assumptions is that the GM would be able to use debts to hook people into colliding with each other. Werewolves are gonna rumble in Brooklyn? You're not in the penthouse in Manhattan, you got a call yesterday night and now you're in some trendy ethnic place at South Myrtle paying off a Mortality debt because some wandering seer looked into a local crime boss's eyes and promised doom and it's not like she believes or anything but these people have just been so persistent about it that now you'll be square if you just spend one ill-omened night as an ad hoc bouncer. Oh my, guess who just made an awkward landing right through the front window.
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Feb 14, 2023 22:17
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Theoretically yes, until you decide to go to any other place for any reason. You go visit my cousin somewhere else, the werewolf holds off hostilities for a while before they start… Same thing with Cartel, by cartel has much more robust combat so the problem can amplify. (I was playing the Esposa in one game and the Cocinero got in an accidental gun fight that felt like it took half the session.)
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Feb 15, 2023 00:56
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Golden Bee posted:Theoretically yes, until you decide to go to any other place for any reason. I have not heard of Cartel and this sounds extremely up my partner's alley. Is this another PbtA game?
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Feb 15, 2023 01:00
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Chernobyl Princess posted:I have not heard of Cartel and this sounds extremely up my partner's alley. Is this another PbtA game? Yeah, it’s from Magpie, and it focuses on Mexican cartels and crime. The Kickstarter will never complete but the core book is solid.
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Feb 15, 2023 01:57
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Urban Shadows 2e has a 'hub' system set up to encourage PCs to have certain shared locations they need things from, prompting regular entanglement. Otherwise breaking out of the silo basically means getting the GM (and collaborative players) to make sure the plots intermix. You want the help of one faction? Sure, in exchange though they want you to beat up [NPC important to other PC]. Gotta do the whole PC-NPC-PC triangle thing to force things to get messy. (I really want US 2e to come out, it's probably the perfect game I want to run and I want more than just the prerelease material)
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Feb 15, 2023 02:06
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Magpie games aren’t really released, they escape.
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Feb 15, 2023 02:53
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The game of TSL went well, thanks for the advice. One of my players is crushing hard on one of the antagonists so I think I am doing the thing correctly.
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Feb 15, 2023 18:54
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Ash Rose posted:The game of TSL went well, thanks for the advice. One of my players is crushing hard on one of the antagonists so I think I am doing the thing correctly. 
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Feb 15, 2023 18:56
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Golden Bee posted:Same thing with Cartel, by cartel has much more robust combat so the problem can amplify. (I was playing the Esposa in one game and the Cocinero got in an accidental gun fight that felt like it took half the session.)
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Feb 17, 2023 18:46
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Ilor posted:That's good in a way, because the first version of Cartel had gently caress-all for detail in combat - which was very surprising in a game where one of the playbooks is the Sicario. Hey man you're playing drug dealers, not gun dealers, ixnay the violence talk!
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Feb 17, 2023 23:16
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I know you're being facetious (because I played this game with you), but it's not gun dealers hanging dead people naked from bridges in Juarez. 1st ed Cartel wildly missed the mark for us, is what I'm trying to convey.
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Feb 20, 2023 17:13
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Mind talking about cartel's combat a bit? I'm intrigued by AW combat systems but Cartel 1st looks pretty bog standard AW
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Feb 20, 2023 17:23
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It’s not the combat is complicated, it’s that combat generates conflict which generates moves which generates conflict. And then like a fantasy genre, most characters aren’t going to run towards a fracas on the other side of town.
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Feb 20, 2023 19:26
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malkav11 posted:It's got some buzz but it's not at a profile level where it's surprising that it hasn't received third party content this soon after release. Has it been released? Where? It looks interesting and I'd like to buy it but the Evil Hat site says it's still in preorders.
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Feb 21, 2023 01:24
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Do PbtA games adapt to GM-less play easily?
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Feb 21, 2023 04:29
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I would imagine no, because the role of the MC is making specific moves. GMless generally diffuses responsibility.
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Feb 21, 2023 07:18
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t3isukone posted:Has it been released? Where? It looks interesting and I'd like to buy it but the Evil Hat site says it's still in preorders. Probably just to Kickstarter backers then? All I know is I have a PDF.
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Feb 21, 2023 07:19
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Zapf Dingbat posted:Do PbtA games adapt to GM-less play easily? Ironsworn has shown it can be done, but it takes players who are ready to share everything that the GM typically does, including managing the game world (establishing the scenario, fielding and tracking threats) and making cuts when players miss or the moment really needs one. Not everyone is ready to do that. I find that it often devolves into "I have a character of my own but I'm also the GM on top of that because I'm the player that least fears reading the drat book".
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Feb 21, 2023 07:22
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Zapf Dingbat posted:Do PbtA games adapt to GM-less play easily? Ironsworn is a spin-off PbtA system that encourages GM-less and solo play through its Moves. Free PDFs: https://www.ironswornrpg.com/downloads
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Feb 21, 2023 07:23
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Ironsworn also has very well-balanced game design, as seen in the upcoming Sundered Isles assets: https://twitter.com/ShawnTomkin/status/1627521851244306432
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Feb 21, 2023 11:10
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Zapf Dingbat posted:Do PbtA games adapt to GM-less play easily? There's a couple GMless PBTA games, but they tend to be designed pretty from-the-ground-up as GMless. My favorite PBTA (and favorite RPG period), Mobile Frame Zero: Firebrands, is GMless.
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Feb 21, 2023 15:25
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SimonChris posted:Ironsworn also has very well-balanced game design, as seen in the upcoming Sundered Isles assets: Your comment sounds sarcastic but those assets are both really interesting and well designed.
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Feb 21, 2023 17:27
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Oh yeah, I'm playing Ironsworn but I was just curious because I also liked the settings of the various PbtA games. I'm doing RPGs one on one with my wife but she doesn't want to do any game where we're in unequal roles, so no GM.
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Feb 21, 2023 18:07
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Looking for a good, offbeat PBTA or PBTA-like system for an online one-shot tomorrow and I was hoping this thread could point me in the right direction. I'd normally just search Reddit but alas it appears to be having issues. 3-4 players + Me as GM Lately we've run (and the overall player sentiment): Monsterhearts (loved loved loved) Avatar (loved) Masks (loved) Dreams Askew (Disliked, too experimental) Monster of the Week (Lukewarm, I forget what they didn't like about it) Night's Black Agents (Lukewarm, too complex for what's supposed to be a pretty lowkey weekday night game) I try to avoid: Anything D&D-like Anything goofy (sorry TSL)
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Feb 21, 2023 22:06
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Rosalind posted:Looking for a good, offbeat PBTA or PBTA-like system for an online one-shot tomorrow and I was hoping this thread could point me in the right direction. I'd normally just search Reddit but alas it appears to be having issues. Without knowing what sort of genre/experience you're shooting for, I'd recommend Blades in the Dark is PBTA-like, though not quite PBTA, and excellent for jumping into things in medias res, which is perfect for a one-shot.
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Feb 21, 2023 22:14
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Admiralty Flag posted:What sort of genre are you looking for? Blades in the Dark is PBTA-like, though not quite PBTA, and excellent for jumping into things in medias res, which is perfect for a one-shot. Really I could do anything that works well for a one-shot. They like variety and surprises. I'd love a mystery game. I know about Brindlewood Bay, but one of my players has a strong objection to the idea of playing an old woman and I'm not going to force them to do something they don't want to.
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Feb 21, 2023 22:17
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I haven't played it, but Rhapsody of Blood is PbtA Castlevania if that sounds interesting.
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Feb 21, 2023 23:14
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Rosalind posted:Really I could do anything that works well for a one-shot. They like variety and surprises. I'd love a mystery game. I know about Brindlewood Bay, but one of my players has a strong objection to the idea of playing an old woman and I'm not going to force them to do something they don't want to. https://www.gauntlet-rpg.com/blog/the-between-rpg Perfect game for you here The Between is a tabletop roleplaying game about a group of mysterious monster hunters in Victorian-era London. They are residents of a place called Hargrave House, and their job is to investigate and neutralize monstrous threats terrorizing the city—threats that Scotland Yard won’t or can’t handle themselves. As the story progresses, they become aware of the plans of a Moriarty-style criminal mastermind they will eventually have to face in order to save Queen and country. The Between is directly inspired by the gothic horror TV show, Penny Dreadful, but also takes a lot of inspiration from British horror classics, graphic novels like From Hell and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, and pulp-era stories. Mechanically, it’s Powered by the Apocalypse but also uses the mystery system from Brindlewood Bay. Gameplay If you’ve read or played Brindlewood Bay, then you already have a good idea of how this game works. The Keeper presents a mystery (called a Threat in The Between) and the player characters then conduct an investigation: they gather clues that will help them solve the mystery and put a stop to the menace in question. Making the transition from Brindlewood Bay to The Between is very easy, but there are still some unique gameplay elements and surprises in The Between—all of them designed to create a distinctly cinematic playstyle. Mysteries beyond murder There is one type of mystery in Brindlewood Bay: Who committed this murder? The Between expands the gameplay to include many different types of mysteries: How old is this vampire? Where is this killer’s lair? What can put this ghost to rest? What type of victim does this killer prefer? Is this fish-like monster a hoax? And much more. It does this through a new feature called Questions & Opportunities. The hunters use Clues to answer a Question, which then unlocks an Opportunity. The Opportunities are usually some method of stopping the Threat, but they can be other things, too.
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Feb 21, 2023 23:51
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I suggest spirit of 77. The sample adventure, cruise ship of the Damned, is an excellent one shot with seven amazing pre-generated characters, including the captain of a cheerleading team, a British spy, and Colonel Sanders.
Golden Bee fucked around with this message at 00:47 on Feb 22, 2023 |
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Feb 22, 2023 00:30
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Rosalind posted:Really I could do anything that works well for a one-shot. They like variety and surprises. I'd love a mystery game. I know about Brindlewood Bay, but one of my players has a strong objection to the idea of playing an old woman and I'm not going to force them to do something they don't want to. Here's my suggestion:  (aka Legends of the Elements)
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Feb 22, 2023 01:09
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Rosalind posted:Really I could do anything that works well for a one-shot. They like variety and surprises. I'd love a mystery game. I know about Brindlewood Bay, but one of my players has a strong objection to the idea of playing an old woman and I'm not going to force them to do something they don't want to. I get what you mean but you could reskin Brindlewood Bay as a Scooby-like gang in no time flat. That might be up their alley if they enjoyed Monsterhearts.
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Feb 22, 2023 04:05
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Tulip posted:Here's my suggestion: Why "Legend of the Elements" and not the official Avatar game, "Avatar Legends?"
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Feb 22, 2023 04:12
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Two very different PbtA games made for one shots: Blackout (in which you play members of the women's Civil Defence Service during the Blitz) and Escape from Dino Island (in which you escape from a dino island).
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Feb 22, 2023 04:20
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Covok posted:Why "Legend of the Elements" and not the official Avatar game, "Avatar Legends?" Haven't played that one so can't recommend it. Legend of the Elements was very good at iterating on the AW form and on feeling like you're playing characters from Avatar in the Avatar universe, which is a great feat in my opinion. In particular the way the damage system works I think not only suits Avatar particularly well but I'd also probably iterate it into a lot of RPG systems that are trying to be less lethal but still dramatic as a matter of genre.
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Feb 22, 2023 04:23
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Rosalind posted:Looking for a good, offbeat PBTA or PBTA-like system for an online one-shot tomorrow and I was hoping this thread could point me in the right direction. I'd normally just search Reddit but alas it appears to be having issues. My recs on this front: • Armour Astir: Advent (a game about a war of resistance against a powerful authority structure, it's mecha anime crossed with wizard poo poo; there are four styles of mage that can operate the giant suits of armour called Astirs, and four support crew playbooks that each get a dedicated space on the team's carrier and they can find excuses to get wrapped up in a B-plot while the Astir(s) are out on a sortie against the authority's forces) • Ross Rifles (a game about a section of the Canadian Expeditionary Force living the hell of the Great War, i.e. WW1; named for the persnickety firearms issued to the infantry, which were great for target shooting but could feel almost worse than nothing when it came to trench warfare) • Impulse Drive (Star Trek, Firefly, etc. you're the crew of a spaceship trying to be A) smugglers, B) pirates, C) Metroid's vision of what a bounty hunter is, or D) fulfilling a duty to an organization designed by the table; in all cases your game flow is working job-to-job (episodic), and getting a payout that helps you patch up consequences from your last mission and get in some good shore leave if you can swing it) And finally, a game that pushes its own format, Mobile Frame Zero: Firebrands (wherein players take turns framing minigames with swordfights and dances and mechs) has inspired a dozen variants, such as For the Honour (which applies the format to something based on Dreamworks She-Ra) and Stewpot (former fantasy heroes settle down to manage a pub, adjusting to commoner life).
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Feb 22, 2023 06:18
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