CONAN LIVES! Info on the new Conan RPG

[Water Bob]

Every game, no matter how broken or poorly implemented, has its fans. Even Traveller 5.

Even, this game, too.

 

[CoreyHaim8myDog]

Every game, no matter how broken or poorly implemented, has its fans. Even Traveller 5.

Even, this game, too.

It's not even out yet, though, WaterBob. You're judging it without seeing the final product.

 

[Water Bob]

It's not even out yet, though, WaterBob. You're judging it without seeing the final product.

Yes. I'll give you that. But, I'm also pretty sure that the Threat Mechanic is here to stay. Which isn't a good thing, in my book.



The Threat Mechanic could work if the results were applied to the character who generated the Threat immediately when it happens. That way, there'd be no meta-gaming. But, that's not how the game is designed.

 

[Water Bob]

The Threat Mechanic really isn't a tool to support and provide narrative and drama. It's really a tool to limit the GM's actions in a game.

The GM can activate whatever NPCs he thinks makes for a good game. He doesn't need Threat Points to do that. The GM can impose obstacles--that's really a major part of his job. He's there to run the game world and all its creatures, enemies, and obstacles, as the characters explore and interact with the game world.

As was said, Why are Threat Points needed for him to do what he's supposed to do in the first place?




Second, besides being a meta-game tool (which is usually a bad thing in most roleplayers' eyes), it is also a mechanic that punishes the entire group for players running their characters so that they are heroic.

How are Threat Points created? A player "pays" for them when he buys extra dice in order to push his luck and do something spectacular in the game.

And, later, those Threat Points, generated by the character's heroics, are used to apply more obstacles in the path of the players.


Why anybody would want to play that way beats me.

 

[pollico]

Bla bla bla. Water Bob, you haven't changed your speech in all your post, just spamming the same inconsistent crap.
"In most roleplayers eyes", yes... Because you have met everybody around the world...

Let me ask a question to you: how can a pj know how many hit points he has, or the level of a creature? That's, strictly talking, meta-game stuff, you know...
The bad meta-gaming is the one which is used to take advantaje of a knoledge that ha chararter should't have, and he uses it to its advantaje. This ISN'T meta-game.

By the way, this doesn't penalize anybody for being heroic, you can charge to the front and strike with might without it. But maybe your enemies are stronger than you, you lack certain skill or simply you need to make certain things faster. Your'e not penalized for nothing, its a pulp trope build into the system: when something good (for the protagonist) happens, then its going to get worse.... Until the " bad luck" ends and he save the day. Its always an up\down narrative.

If you think for a moment, its the same system of Luck Points presents in a lot of games.

The GM don't need this system at all, is a drama device that he has for creating opposition, dramatic scenes and so on (Conan is knocked down by a pety guard, how? Its "impossible"... But the GM had TP. Perfect, isn't it,? In the stories, it happen's all the time)

It a shame that not only you are unable to think of this TP system without prejudges, but you can't stop to spit crap and nonsense witout hesitation.

 

[Porcupine]

A
EXAMPLE OF WHY THREAT STINKS....

Conan ventures into Thulsa Doom's mountain alone. He fights the guards at the mouth of the cave, and buys some Threat. But, his heroics pay off, and he enters the cavern complex.

Inside, Conan runs into a squad of more guards. Again, Conan pushes his luck, buys some more threat, and takes 'em all out.

Now, Conan players sees the Threat Pool. It's too high for the player's taste. All of a sudden, bold, risky Conan is now backing off from those heroics, becoming more conservative.

So Conan becomes....cautious.

So, the GM sees the total, spends the Threat Points on bringing out Thorgrim and Rexor, Doom's right hand men, who proceed to capture Conan.

If Conan hadn't been so heroic earlier, the GM would not have the points to activate these two, strong NPCs together. But, because Conan was risky and heroic, he pays for that heroism now by having to face two of the strongest NPCs in this scenario, shay of Thulsa Doom himself.

Time passes, and Valeria and Subotai are worried. They go after Conan, even though they said that they'd stay behind.

So, as Valeria and Subotai approach the mouth of the cave in search of their missing comrade--when they should be concerned about the situation at their utmost--the players are actually pretty calm and lackadaisical about their entrance into Thulsa Doom's fortress--the place that swallowed up their friend.

This sounds pretty good, and very much in the vein of the original pulps. Conan is forever catching something on the wind or feeling something in his bones that makes him suddenly wary. And the nonchalant rescue is a genre staple.

 

[RoguesPanda]

Sounds pretty cool actually. What do they mean a system is too crunchy? I've only played a few RPGs, I know I'm a noob. What is up with the crunch? I hate single dice systems, kinda boring.

 

[CoreyHaim8myDog]

Sounds pretty cool actually. What do they mean a system is too crunchy? I've only played a few RPGs, I know I'm a noob. What is up with the crunch? I hate single dice systems, kinda boring.

Crunchy means a game is rules heavy. Rules lite is the opposite. The Conan 2D20 is designed to be a rules lite version of the Mutant Chronicles 3rd Edition 2D20 system. So, MC3 has more crunch versus Conan (and John Carter) which are "lighter."

 

[Water Bob]

Let me ask a question to you: how can a pj know how many hit points he has, or the level of a creature? That's, strictly talking, meta-game stuff, you know...
The bad meta-gaming is the one which is used to take advantaje of a knoledge that ha chararter should't have, and he uses it to its advantaje. This ISN'T meta-game.

You obviously don't understand the term "meta-game" as it is applied and used in RPGs.

From This Link:

Metagaming is any strategy, action or method used in a game which transcends a prescribed ruleset, uses external factors to affect the game, or goes beyond the supposed limits or environment set by the game. Another definition refers to the game universe outside of the game itself. Metagaming differs from strategy in that metagaming is making decisions based upon out of game knowledge, whereas strategies are decisions made based upon in-game actions and knowledge.

In simple terms, it is the use of out-of-game information or resources to affect one's in-game decisions.

And, looking at all the new, low level posters, why do I feel as if Modiphius is trying to get people in there to support their meta-game mechanic?

 

[pollico]

It is not my first languaje, and on top of that I'm using a cell-phone.

I understand what Meta-game is, better than you, I have to say: using your own link, "every action, strategy or method used in a game that trascends a prescribed ruleset, uses external factors to affect the game or goes beyond the supposed limits or environments set by the game".
So, if a game USES a certain rule as the TP system, despite using tokens or something, as it is related to the rules and don't trascends the suppossed limits of the game nor uses external factors, it is NOT meta-game.

I have only used " wrong" meta-game elements as examples of your own meta-game concept usage being flawed, but anyway. You have your answer.

I am not related in any way with Modiphus, I just have just created an account for the forums. But it seems quite paranoid coming from you:"oh. I seem to have found some pesky free-thinkers, they must be spies and traitors...

By the way, I apologize in advance for any wrong usage of the languaje. But you have to think that the majority of the people on the internet are not english or has it as a mother-tongue.