Search results

Recently, I play mostly Fate- and Apocalypse World-based games. I also like Cortex+, Strike and the newest iteration of World of Darkness. In general, I like games that: - Focus strongly on the PCs, with rules that reflect their dramatic importance - Use rules to facilitate conversation between...

1. Pay attention to PCs' aspects and scene aspects you introduce. Look for opportunities and compel often. The compels should introduce complications, but shouldn't be too painful - you want the players to accept them. 2. Remember that it's not D&D and it's not mostly about combat. On the other...

I'd just be brutally honest with the players here. "I don't want to run separate campaigns for each of you. I'll put you together, but staying together is your job. Creating characters together and making sure they have enough in common is the easiest way to do it. Making characters...

1. Problems you describe may come from natural group dynamics (introverted vs. extroverted players, more or less of system and setting mastery etc.) or from intentional harmful behavior. In the second case, a honest out-of-game conversation is necessary to straighten things. In the first case...

1) Yes, you can have a campaign in Mouse Guard. The change of seasons works much better in a longer game than in a one-shot. The characters grow and change in several different ways: - Skills increase through usage. It's not rapid, though, very far from D&D's zero-to-hero. - Nature goes up or...

I have few deal breakers - it's rather that we don't have enough time to play they good games we want to try, so there is no point in playing poor games or boring settings. But there are a few things that will make me walk away - probably after asking to make sure that it's really what the...

There are many kinds of immersion. Some are crucial for me, some I don't care for and some I see as problematic. I can't imagine having fun playing without emotional engagement. If I don't care about the characters and what they do, I'd be better off playing a board game. It is possible to pull...

For me, metagaming is "taking actions motivated mainly by factors external to the fictional world". It is very wide spectrum; some of it positive (even necessary), some neutral and some detrimental to the game. A simple rule of not being a dick to other players requires metagame thinking - one...

An approach that saves a lot of work and frustration: prepare situations, not stories. If you prepare a specific story, a sequence of events, and you are not very proficient in subtly guiding players along it, they will go in another direction. Then either you railroad and force them back, or...

Wasn't this thread intended to give a player-side perspective on fudging? It seems that it now repeats the same discussion that was in "To fudge or not to fudge" thread, with GMs arguing for and against fudging for pages after pages. I'd really be interested on more arguments from players -...

Yes, I don't want the GM to hide any rolls, unless the system itself dictates that some rolls are hidden. I trust people I play with, so I won't demand rolls in the open if they are technically hard to make (eg. we play in a train, with no table, so the GM uses a roller in her laptop, where she...

The Create Advantage action gives you one (or two, on success with style) free invokes of the created/discovered aspect. You may pass them to an ally. In other words, you don't have to pay fate points for the first use or two (or, you can stack the free invoke with paid invoke). That's what...

I agree. Nearly all problems people ask here about are problems that need out-of-game solution. This is not equivalent to "problem player" problems. Sometimes, it's a matter of miscommunication or mismatched play styles. Sometimes, it'a a matter of someone unable to verbalize their...

Characters like the one described in the OP are perfectly valid concepts. They just aren't good D&D character concepts. Each game makes assumptions about the play style and typical activities in play. Some communicate them clearly, some don't. And a character who violates the assumptions just...

I suggest pausing the current campaign - that is, leaving the decision if you want to get back to it or to discard it for later. But give yourself a few month's break before this. And in the meantime, play something completely different. No D&D. One-shots instead of a campaign. Maybe with...

As most things in RPGs, it works the best when handled openly and honestly. In a Fate game, I can have a campaign aspect "Villains escape to fight another time" and compel it - give each player a fate point - to have the baddie escape. If the players wanted a campaign in a genre where such...

What is a multifaith theocracy? I can see a multifaith city (that is, with several different religions active in it) and I can see a polytheistic theocracy (that is, ruled by the priestly caste of a polytheistic religion). But it's hard to imagine a theocracy (rule by priests / divine agents)...

I, both as a player and as a GM, prefer high creative input from players and a lot of player-authored content. But that does not mean I don't like campaign worlds build by the GM. If the world is well thought out, encouraging exploration instead of blocking it, and presented in a way that gives...

Have you tried either finding a different group with less scheduling problems, or playing online? Playing with different people isn't a betrayal. And it can help you become a better player as a side benefit, due to a wider spectrum of styles experienced.

I really like the Wall of the Faithless. It is something that sets Forgotten Realms apart from other settings and shows how it works. It is very non-generic and flavorful. On the other hand, I'm not sure how munch non-canonical is the way I see it. I have never considered it a punishment, just...