Search results

  1. P

    Alternatives to map-and-key

    A lot of thinking and discussion about the play of RPGs seems to default to an assumption of map-and-key play. Here is what I mean by map-and-key: * The GM prepares a map; * The GM keys the map - that is, there are notes about what is to be found, or what is happening, at various...
  2. P

    D&D General [rant]The conservatism of D&D fans is exhausting.

    Yes, I know. That was my point.
  3. P

    D&D General [rant]The conservatism of D&D fans is exhausting.

    What you call a "mental map" some of us just call memory. But suppose that he had never travelled in Moria, but had read a description (much like the one found in the novel). Then by learning what chamber he was in, he learned a way out. Furthermore, you seem to contradict yourself: "He didn't...
  4. P

    D&D General [rant]The conservatism of D&D fans is exhausting.

    But is your assertion that this action declaration can't be resolved in MHRP. Why not? What are the character's Milestones? What is the effect die that is intended to flow from the action declaration you're imagining?
  5. P

    D&D General [rant]The conservatism of D&D fans is exhausting.

    Because I don't know what RPG you have in mind, I don't really know how to respond. But in MHRP, for instance, if Character A conjectures X and Character B conjectures the conflicting Y then the upshot is an opposed roll. Obviously the experts conjecture is more likely to be true: the epistemic...
  6. P

    D&D General [rant]The conservatism of D&D fans is exhausting.

    Because? I've only read a bit of the early Hulk comics, but neither Bruce Banner nor Hulk is particularly passive as a character. Both have pretty strong (though conflicting) drives.
  7. P

    D&D General [rant]The conservatism of D&D fans is exhausting.

    I posted the PC sheet upthread. Here it is again: Even for someone not familiar with the details of the MHRP system, I would think that its fairly easy to work out what this PC is about!
  8. 1754147962576.png

    1754147962576.png

  9. P

    D&D General [rant]The conservatism of D&D fans is exhausting.

    OK? Depending on further details, I'm not sure what is stopping you playing that character. Or maybe with those further details, it will turn out that the character is too passive to be a good fit for a MHRP or variant game.
  10. P

    D&D General [rant]The conservatism of D&D fans is exhausting.

    This is getting increasingly bizarre. I told you what the Cunning specialty covers: I don't remember anyone at my trouble finding this hard to grasp.
  11. P

    D&D General [rant]The conservatism of D&D fans is exhausting.

    Here's an example of author stance play in MHRP/Cortex+ Fantasy Hack: The player of the berserker wants to earn XP, and so declares the impulsive action (thus earning 1 XP) and thus prompts an ally to rebuke him for his violence (thus earning 3 XP). The player was not inhabiting his character...
  12. P

    D&D General [rant]The conservatism of D&D fans is exhausting.

    I still don't know what you mean by "author stance" or "actor stance" as you are not using them in the only sense I'm familiar with. "Trad" RPGing is replete with author stance play - the players know the GM has placed obstacles and opportunities into the fiction, and so motivate their PCs to...
  13. P

    D&D General [rant]The conservatism of D&D fans is exhausting.

    In any RPG, the fiction is likely to contain interesting and salient things. Otherwise play would be very boring! As I've already posted, the accuracy of knowledge, conjectures etc is not independent of a person's expertise. Any player with half a brain can see that dice model correlations which...
  14. P

    D&D General [rant]The conservatism of D&D fans is exhausting.

    My "counter argument" is that your description of an "incentive structure" is not borne out in play. If your play is yielding degenerate incentive structures, I infer that your GM is not very good at framing scenes and establishing consequences.
  15. P

    D&D General [rant]The conservatism of D&D fans is exhausting.

    OK. My post wasn't addressed to you.
  16. P

    D&D General [rant]The conservatism of D&D fans is exhausting.

    I don't think BitD has much in common with any of the three RPGs I mentioned. It uses a different way of establishing opposition; a different resolution system; a different PC advancement system. What do you think is similar? Have you read the rules for Burning Wheel, Torchbearer 2e or Marvel...
  17. P

    D&D General [rant]The conservatism of D&D fans is exhausting.

    @TwoSix knows these things because I posted them on these threads, and I am able to provide accurate and reliable accounts of my own play experiences. I don't know what you mean by "tricky". It's clear that a player in MHRP, in declaring an action, has to state what effect they are attempting to...
  18. P

    D&D General [rant]The conservatism of D&D fans is exhausting.

    How much first hand experience do you have of MHRP? Burning Wheel? Torchbearer 2e? As I said, I am confident in my knowledge of the incentive structures of those games. They do not work like you say. Perhaps there are elements of those games you're ignorant of? I don't know.
  19. P

    D&D General [rant]The conservatism of D&D fans is exhausting.

    So if I want to know whether I should take the left road or the right road, Guidance will tell me? Like Augury but for free?
Top