Trad Games Chat: squabbled over drafts, forked, and disbanded

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Traditional Games > Trad Games Chat: squabbled over drafts, forked, and disbanded

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Xiahou Dun: Jul 16, 2009; We shall dive down through black abysses... and in that lair of the Deep Ones we shall dwell amidst wonder and glory forever.

As someone whose favorite games are historical or horror(those are two of my favorite things! I�m the target audience!), I am left entirely cold by this pitch. Everyone is entitled to their own fun, of course, but this sounds like a miserable nightmare. And not a fun spooky nightmare.

# ? Dec 11, 2021 05:38

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# ? Apr 28, 2024 20:53

FirstAidKite: Nov 8, 2009

I'm reading the rulebook for cats of catthulhu and I wish the writer had better puns because some of this stuff just doesn't work imo.

The different classes (called roles) are:

Catcrobat
- Dexterous rogue-esque class with emphasis on acrobatics and swiftness

Pussyfoot
- Spoiled class that focuses on getting what they want through allure and persuasion

Scrapper
- Tough class that centers around looking like a bruiser, being built like a bruiser, and tanking through fights or being so intimidating that fights never even start

Tiger Dreamer
- A class that is able to tap into their ancestral roots through their dreams and interpreting and applying these visions from their big cat ancestors to gain knowledge and understanding of the situation

Twofootologist or Poker
- 2 different names but they're the same class, they're the cats that dedicated their time to watching and learning about the twofoots that live under their care and generally gaining some level of understanding of how to use their primitive and basic tools and learning the basics of their primitive language

You can really tell where they just kinda went "ehh whatever" with the class names lol

# ? Dec 11, 2021 06:19

habituallyred: Feb 6, 2015

Was Acrocat too much to ask for? Or Ragged Ear for the scrapper class?

# ? Dec 11, 2021 09:18

FirstAidKite: Nov 8, 2009

I don't want to come across as being unfair to the game so I should include what the book itself says for each role.

"Cats of Catthulhu - Book 1: The Nekonomikon, by Joel Sparks posted:

CATCROBAT
All cats can climb, jump, balance, and move with great stealth. The Catcrobat�s
natural gifts and style take this to another level. Feats of dexterity considered
downright supernatural by most creatures are daily accomplishments for this cat.
Whenever athletic Challenges come up, the Catcrobat handles them quickest and
best. In any situation, Catcrobats act first: getting into Scraps, running away, or
whatever else comes along.

PUSSYFOOT
Cute, playful, and sweet with just a touch of spoiled temperament, the Pussyfoot
has spent a lifetime charming the Two-Foots out of treats, toys, and special
treatment. Even cats, even sometimes other animals, can fall prey to the sheer
adorableness of the Pussyfoot and give in to demands. Most Pussyfoots live with
pampering humans to serve them; a few have many friends but no fixed home.

SCRAPPER
Big, tough, and mean, a Scrapper has had a life of vicious fights, with the scars
to prove it. A snarl from a Scrapper can stop even a dog in its tracks. When it comes
down to a tussle, or a Challenge of brute strength or intimidation, this is the cat to
count on.

TIGER DREAMER
All cats know that they are tigers in disguise. If humans and dogs choose to be
fooled by size, all the easier to get away with things. A Tiger Dreamer has a special
connection with cats� mighty ancestry. This cat sleeps a lot, even more than other
cats, and in dreams, finds answers. Awake, the Dreamer�s lifetime of accumulated
wisdom about the True Tiger Way helps other cats succeed.

TWOFOOTOLOGIST (POKER)
Many cats live with humans. Some brainy cats have made a close and extensive
study of the Two-Foots and their ways. Twofootologists don�t like the nickname
�Poker,� but that�s what many call them. A Poker often knows, or can figure out, how
human devices work, from doorknobs to toilets to simple machines.

There is also a little bit of extra customization on top of that in the form of deciding what kind of lifestyle your cat is from. This comes in the form of picking if your cat is a show cat, a house cat, or a feral cat, and deciding what kind of hunting your cat is most familiar with. I guess in a way these would be comparable to alignments or subclasses or something along those lines since they would more or less define how a character goes about performing their role.

"Cats of Catthulhu - Book 1: The Nekonomikon, by Joel Sparks posted:

LIFESTYLE

Feral Cats have no place in a human home and no regular human contact. They
live on the street, or in abandoned cellars, or even in the wilderness.

House Cats have adopted at least one human and dwell in ordinary homes.
Some never go outside at all, but that isn�t natural and makes for a very limited
adventuring career. Unlike other cats, most House Cats have been spayed or
neutered.

Show Cats live in luxury, whether they actually compete in cat shows or just
have the looks for it. Almost always Purebreds, show cats are sheltered from the hard
knocks most cats go through. For example, one might know a great deal about caviar
and nothing about mice. A show cat doesn�t have to be a Pussyfoot.

HUNTING
The player should also decide how much experience the cat has in stalking,
catching, killing, and eating small animals. Does she hunt to survive, or only for fun
between meals of cat food? Is she a professional mouser or barn cat? Does she eat her
prey, or only toy with it? Has she never hunted anything but string?

# ? Dec 11, 2021 09:38

Splicer: Oct 16, 2006; from hell's heart I cast at thee
🧙🐀🧹🌙🪄🐸

CitizenKeen posted:

Started scrolling through the links on GLOGs provided above. One of the first things I see is a set of separate tables for Male Fighter Skills and Female Fighter Skills. Never change, OSR, never change.

Well yeah they piss different

# ? Dec 11, 2021 09:45

Runa: Feb 13, 2011

# ? Dec 11, 2021 11:26

Doctor Zaius: Jul 30, 2010; I say.

Tulip posted:

This talk of class systems makes me want to play FFT hacks again.

Is there an RPG that has a modular class system that feels as good as FFT? All I can think of is LANCER.

Late, but abbadon is working on a game called ICON right now that's very much a sort of 'fantasy lancer' sort of thing, with FFT as explicit inspiration.

# ? Dec 11, 2021 21:13

Plutonis: Mar 25, 2011

RIP Anne Rice, VTM and by extension the world of darkness would not exist without you

# ? Dec 12, 2021 12:49

Helical Nightmares: Apr 30, 2009

Plutonis posted:

RIP Anne Rice, VTM and by extension the world of darkness would not exist without you

drat straight. The 90's roleplaying scene would have been utterly different without her writings. RIP.

# ? Dec 12, 2021 19:37

Humbug Scoolbus: Apr 25, 2008; The scarlet letter was her passport into regions where other women dared not tread. Shame, Despair, Solitude! These had been her teachers, stern and wild ones, and they had made her strong, but taught her much amiss.; Clapping Larry

Helical Nightmares posted:

drat straight. The 90's roleplaying scene would have been utterly different without her writings. RIP.

Different and probably better.

# ? Dec 12, 2021 19:51

Absurd Alhazred: Mar 27, 2010; by Athanatos

Humbug Scoolbus posted:

Different and probably better.

There would have been some other stupid pretentious nonsense, I'm sure.

# ? Dec 12, 2021 20:06

Plutonis: Mar 25, 2011

Humbug Scoolbus posted:

Different and probably better.

You got the av of one of the worst books in English lit, why even care about your opinion?

# ? Dec 12, 2021 21:10

Nuns with Guns: Jul 23, 2010; It's fine.
Don't worry about it.

Humbug Scoolbus posted:

Different and probably better.

I don't know what about the past or present tabletop RPG scene makes you think any equivocal early 90s ttrpg phenomenon would be better but could you tell us how to get transported to your parallel reality?

# ? Dec 12, 2021 21:32

pog boyfriend: Jul 2, 2011

Plutonis posted:

RIP Anne Rice, VTM and by extension the world of darkness would not exist without you

rip

# ? Dec 12, 2021 22:03

Warthur: May 2, 2004

Humbug Scoolbus posted:

Different and probably better.

Unpack this, please? Given that V:tM inspired an influx of people into tabletop RPGs who would not have otherwise seen it, I am curious about what advantage you see here which outweighs the potential loss of recruitment.

I think 1990s White Wolf's near-open contempt for system was probably bad from a design perspective, mind. But a backlash of that sort was inevitable given the excesses of high-complexity low-fun 1980s designs.

# ? Dec 12, 2021 23:37

Humbug Scoolbus: Apr 25, 2008; The scarlet letter was her passport into regions where other women dared not tread. Shame, Despair, Solitude! These had been her teachers, stern and wild ones, and they had made her strong, but taught her much amiss.; Clapping Larry

Warthur posted:

Unpack this, please? Given that V:tM inspired an influx of people into tabletop RPGs who would not have otherwise seen it, I am curious about what advantage you see here which outweighs the potential loss of recruitment.

I think 1990s White Wolf's near-open contempt for system was probably bad from a design perspective, mind. But a backlash of that sort was inevitable given the excesses of high-complexity low-fun 1980s designs.

I knew Mark (pre-Rein) Hagen in college and he was a pretentious dick then. Seeing his ego expand as WoD got popular and what he did to his 'friends' (names and details redacted because their lives became poo poo after that) pissed me off so much it's stuck with me for over thirty years.

# ? Dec 13, 2021 00:06

Arivia: Mar 17, 2011

Humbug Scoolbus posted:

I knew Mark (pre-Rein) Hagen in college and he was a pretentious dick then. Seeing his ego expand as WoD got popular and what he did to his 'friends' (names and details redacted because their lives became poo poo after that) pissed me off so much it's stuck with me for over thirty years.

How does it feel to be An Old

# ? Dec 13, 2021 00:08

Coolness Averted: Feb 20, 2007; oh don't worry, I can't smell asparagus piss, it's in my DNA

GO HOGG WILD!
🐗🐗🐗🐗🐗

Humbug Scoolbus posted:

I knew Mark (pre-Rein) Hagen in college and he was a pretentious dick then. Seeing his ego expand as WoD got popular and what he did to his 'friends' (names and details redacted because their lives became poo poo after that) pissed me off so much it's stuck with me for over thirty years.

And you know white wolf and wod wasn't strictly him, right?
Also White Wolf's games were infinitely more appealing as RPGs to folks who were less served by the RPG market at the time. There were a lot of gross and dumb things, but WoD games were a place for women, queer, and non-white folk long before the rest of the industry chased those market segments.

# ? Dec 13, 2021 01:02

KingKalamari: Aug 24, 2007; Fuzzy dice, bongos in the back
My ship of love is ready to attack

Warthur posted:

Unpack this, please? Given that V:tM inspired an influx of people into tabletop RPGs who would not have otherwise seen it, I am curious about what advantage you see here which outweighs the potential loss of recruitment.

I think 1990s White Wolf's near-open contempt for system was probably bad from a design perspective, mind. But a backlash of that sort was inevitable given the excesses of high-complexity low-fun 1980s designs.

I feel like a lot of the improvements to RPG design over the years have been the result of trends that have made the industry shittier in the short term: For instance, the D20 system and the OGL led to game stores being flooded with OGL shovelware and gave a bunch of people a bad case of 3.x-brain, but also brought a ton of new people into the hobby and really solidified the medium's shift away from the piecemeal design sensibilities of older games.

The White Wolf boom of the 90s resulted in an influx of weird neo-Pagan types into the hobby, created a glut of systems with versatile character design options and high concept settings that forgot the part where you needed to do something with your character after you created them and directly or indirectly spawned Otherkin, but I definitely agree the industry would be in a much worse place today if that hadn't happened.

# ? Dec 13, 2021 01:10

Dawgstar: Jul 15, 2017

Coolness Averted posted:

And you know white wolf and wod wasn't strictly him, right?
Also White Wolf's games were infinitely more appealing as RPGs to folks who were less served by the RPG market at the time. There were a lot of gross and dumb things, but WoD games were a place for women, queer, and non-white folk long before the rest of the industry chased those market segments.

Yeah, it's my understanding Rein*Hagen had increasingly little to do with WoD even in the first edition wave of games.

# ? Dec 13, 2021 01:13

Splicer: Oct 16, 2006; from hell's heart I cast at thee
🧙🐀🧹🌙🪄🐸

Plutonis posted:

RIP Anne Rice, VTM and by extension the world of darkness would not exist without you

She's watching bisexual vampires kiss in...

Hmm

What afterlife has bisexual vampires kissing in it?

# ? Dec 13, 2021 01:32

Arivia: Mar 17, 2011

Splicer posted:

She's watching bisexual vampires kiss in...

Hmm

What afterlife has bisexual vampires kissing in it?

tumblr?

# ? Dec 13, 2021 01:40

Vox Valentine: May 31, 2013; Solving all of life's problems through enhanced casting of Occam's Razor. Reward yourself with an imaginary chalice.

Splicer posted:

She's watching bisexual vampires kiss in...

Hmm

What afterlife has bisexual vampires kissing in it?

The best ones and hopefully one I'm going to.

# ? Dec 13, 2021 01:50

My Lovely Horse: Aug 21, 2010

Splicer posted:

What afterlife has bisexual vampires kissing in it?

I think by definition of vampires that's just regular life

# ? Dec 13, 2021 08:11

Captain Walker: Apr 7, 2009; Mother knows best
Listen to your mother
It's a scary world out there

Quick, you have ten minutes to make a character concept for a fantasy RPG. Where do you go to find a portrait? Is there a repository people around here use?

# ? Dec 14, 2021 07:40

Siivola: Dec 23, 2012

There�s that AI portrait generator that produces really good stuff, but I can't remember its name for the life of me.

# ? Dec 14, 2021 07:45

Tuxedo Catfish: Mar 17, 2007; You've got guts! Come to my village, I'll buy you lunch.

ten minutes and i have to think of the concept from the start too? i'd probably just google a cartoon character or a famous actor

i've also got some old commercial sprite assets that i bought for this exact purpose but that's not really a universal solution

# ? Dec 14, 2021 07:46

Nemo2342: Nov 26, 2007; Have A Day; Nap Ghost

Captain Walker posted:

Quick, you have ten minutes to make a character concept for a fantasy RPG. Where do you go to find a portrait? Is there a repository people around here use?

I�d look for a portrait pack for a CRPG like Kingmaker or Baldur�s Gate. Someone will have gone out and stolen a bunch of different fantasy / anime pieces to make those so there will be plenty to use for inspiration.

# ? Dec 14, 2021 08:22

My Lovely Horse: Aug 21, 2010

Captain Walker posted:

Quick, you have ten minutes to make a character concept for a fantasy RPG. Where do you go to find a portrait? Is there a repository people around here use?

Google image search with race & class and hope to hell something halfway appropriate is in the first 2-3 pages, with ten minutes I'll already be in a mindset where it doesn't have to be absolutely perfect and I'll get used to anything that isn't quite how I imagine. When you DM and you have to make tokens in bulk and come up with eight different distinguishable "Orc Warrior"s, you kinda get used to that.

That's "halfway appropriate" both as in "doesn't obviously run contrary to my imagination" and as in "I have looked through seven pages of dryads and every single one is overtly sexy"

# ? Dec 14, 2021 09:26

Xiahou Dun: Jul 16, 2009; We shall dive down through black abysses... and in that lair of the Deep Ones we shall dwell amidst wonder and glory forever.

My Lovely Horse posted:

Google image search with race & class and hope to hell something halfway appropriate is in the first 2-3 pages, with ten minutes I'll already be in a mindset where it doesn't have to be absolutely perfect and I'll get used to anything that isn't quite how I imagine. When you DM and you have to make tokens in bulk and come up with eight different distinguishable "Orc Warrior"s, you kinda get used to that.

That's "halfway appropriate" both as in "doesn't obviously run contrary to my imagination" and as in "I have looked through seven pages of dryads and every single one is overtly sexy"

Pictures of sensibly dressed plant women are some of the rarest things in the world. Sadly applies to most portrayals of women, of course, but with dryads it�s just egregious. Why do so many people want to gently caress trees?!

# ? Dec 14, 2021 09:36

Nessus: Dec 22, 2003; After a Speaker vote, you may be entitled to a valuable coupon or voucher!

Trees give you wood, it's a fact.

# ? Dec 14, 2021 09:38

My Lovely Horse: Aug 21, 2010

One time there was an encounter with what the adventure explicitly named "nymphs"

I wouldn't say it was a bad image search as such but no result was remotely fit for the RPG table

# ? Dec 14, 2021 09:45

DigitalRaven: Oct 9, 2012

The crossover I never knew I needed. Craig the disinterested tour guide takes a break from Scottish landmarks to tour Castle Ravenloft.

https://twitter.com/EleanorMorton/status/1470714306723565572

# ? Dec 14, 2021 12:44

Plutonis: Mar 25, 2011

Captain Walker posted:

Quick, you have ten minutes to make a character concept for a fantasy RPG. Where do you go to find a portrait? Is there a repository people around here use?

Gelbooru

# ? Dec 14, 2021 13:30

Andrast: Apr 21, 2010

Captain Walker posted:

Quick, you have ten minutes to make a character concept for a fantasy RPG. Where do you go to find a portrait? Is there a repository people around here use?

google

# ? Dec 14, 2021 13:32

Colonel Cool: Dec 24, 2006

Pinterest.

# ? Dec 14, 2021 14:21

Tulip: Jun 3, 2008; yeah thats pretty good

Hot Modrons Thread.

# ? Dec 14, 2021 14:26

BrainParasite: Jan 24, 2003

Artflow.ai ?

# ? Dec 14, 2021 14:28

My Lovely Horse: Aug 21, 2010

Colonel Cool posted:

Pinterest.

I've found using Google basically amounts to that unless you specifically exclude it.

# ? Dec 14, 2021 14:32

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# ? Apr 28, 2024 20:53

change my name: Aug 27, 2007; Legends die but anime is forever.

RIP The Lost Otakus.

Captain Walker posted:

Quick, you have ten minutes to make a character concept for a fantasy RPG. Where do you go to find a portrait? Is there a repository people around here use?

I open my overflowing "D&D" folder in dropbox and just crop something cool

Real answer is Pinterest

# ? Dec 14, 2021 15:47

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Traditional Games > Trad Games Chat: squabbled over drafts, forked, and disbanded

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