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To the core question: 1) When a players choices in combat are equal to, or more important, than PC creation and items. Classic example of a non-tactical TTRPG: D&D 5e. There, inexplicable Talents, feats, spells, and items do all the heavy lifting. 2) When injury equals impairment, and a...

You're right, it is 5e. HM 5e was built off of A&8, with a few tweaks. As for union-busting, I"m looking at the unique customs the Chinese workers had; for one thing, they had burial societies to ensure their remains got shipped home, an important feature when 3-4 men died per mile of rail...

Here it is. Kenzer has a free package to use the overlays on Roll20, which really helps. Kenzer also has Hackmaster 5e, which has the A&8 system without the shotclocks, and with the count being by seconds. I have not used it yet, but plan to.

This campaign won't start for a couple weeks, but I've used it in the past for extended campaigns. The presentation of the rules is awkward, but with the creation of a cheat sheet, I've found it easy to play, and very flexible. The action system takes a bit of a mental adjustment for players...

I ran a group that interpreted Druid's alignment to mean that in a fight, the Druid would change sides based on who was winning, in order to maintain the balance. They had been taught this by a previous GM.

OK, I reversed course, and instead of plot, I worked on infrastructure, tracking the movement of opium of girls via the Triad down to local Tongs. I also laid out the base camp in Roll20 and in written details. Hell on Wheels spent a lot of screen time laying out the infrastructure, so I went...

Try online. It forever changed gaming for me. I was ready to chuck the hobby a few years ago, after gaming since 1979, and then I tried online as a last, desperate act, and I will never go back again. Good players are plentiful.

I tend to stick to somewhat obscure settings, but ones that are very easy to sum up. For instance, right now we're finishing up a Fading Suns campaign. The setting can easily be described as 'feudalism in space, with a simplified 40k Chaos' enemy. Blam. One sentence as a foundation. Haven't...

Yeah, I enjoyed it. It was a much kinder, gentler setting than historical, but I tagged a few ideas from it. Its handling of the Chinese involvement was very inaccurate, however.

Motivation is never a problem. Tie XP, at least in part, to job performance, and it works perfectly. In non-fantasy games, I always use employment as the party rationale. I only run historical, rather than idealized. Much better fodder for scenarios by drawing from history. My players have...

Not completely, but yes. They will be rail detectives for the Union Pacific. This creates a wide variety of missions for them within the Old West genre. And the last thing the UP wants is their work force getting organized. But it presents an interesting problem for the PCs: with substantial...

I like that. Or perhaps the UP staggers shifts to accommodate this, which could provide some leeway for other aspects. Since the Chinese aren't Christians, the traditional Sunday off would not apply; by working double crews six days a week with offset days off and offset paydays, even after a...

I have got the material for a scenario I plan to run in an upcoming campaign, but I can't pull it together for the life of me. The campaign is set in 1889, using Aces & Eights rules, very historical. The PCs are rail detectives for the Union Pacific. The UP is ramming the rails forward, using...

My philosophy is that if players only roll when it is important, they will figure that out. I have them roll whether its important or not, so they are never sure.

I find that my players get a sense of involvement when extra rolls are called for. But I also run skill-build games, so extra rolls helps justify player choices and builds.

That was really quick. Feels like a cash grab.

Never heard of it.

Tribe 8 is sent in Canada. Really increases the horror quotient.

What I need is AI players.

This is a prop I used to set the mood for an abandoned starship the PCs found adrift and searched. Two two tries, maybe 5 minutes total.