Pineapple Express: Someone Is Wrong on the Internet?

[prabe]

"I have a copy of Forge of Foes and I'm not afraid to beat you to death with it use it."

I have a copy of Forge of Foes, too, but I've never used it when prepping a session. Or any of Shea's other books that I have, to be honest. I'm not backing his new thing because I won't use it, not because I think it's likely to be a bad product overall for every user.

 

[Willie the Duck]

Champions got min-maxing players early. It has always been exclusively point-buy (as that is the way to make exact superhero homages, like how 99% of Champions players start), and designed to be extremely modular. Which meant we got extremely good at figuring out how to get the most "bang for the buck." And giving Champions GMs a lot of practice in reining in player exuberance...

As someone who got his start with Champions but has engaged with--well, let's just say a lot--of other superhero games over the years, outside the narrative-centric ones, the more detailed and versitile a superhero game (or its close kin) gets, its intrinsic that there will end up being potential exploitation spots, because to avoid those also avoids things you want to be doable.

Oh, for sure. Not, of course, like other systems don't have opportunities for abuse. What I was commenting on, though, was the part of RealAlHazred's story where the two guys kinda proudly strode forward and presented their munchkin-y characters for public review (outside of a 'look at this munchkin build I came up with while messing around' context). Especially in a situation where contextually (since they each just broke the game world in some way) it would be clear that they weren't going to get to play them.

 

[overgeeked]

You guys are reminding me of the time that I got tired of making characters with depth and flavour in Rifts, when playing with a bunch of munchkins, and out-munchkined them with a Demigod Apok. you think that a Paladin in a D&D party is a buzzkill? Try an Apok.

As terrible as the Rifts system is they sure have some flavorful sourcebooks. Loved Wormwood back in the day.

 

[Thierry-Advent]

I had some fun with FL for the short run I had with it. I was a player. I enjoyed it, the setting had some unsavory elements but my GM wisely ignored them.

What were the elements you consider unsavory?

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I have a copy of Forge of Foes, too, but I've never used it when prepping a session. Or any of Shea's other books that I have, to be honest. I'm not backing his new thing because I won't use it, not because I think it's likely to be a bad product overall for every user.

I found the core Lazy GM book worth reading, although if you listen to his podcast or watch him on YouTube, you probably know what it's going to say. The workbooks, etc., look good but I never used them and ended up selling them to someone I hope will get more use out of them.

Forge of Foes, though, I have been using to make custom monsters and my players can 100% tell when I'm not using a stock WotC monster. No one has complained yet, but the book definitely makes players sweat more than the Monster Manual does.

 

[prabe]

I found the core Lazy GM book worth reading, although if you listen to his podcast or watch him on YouTube, you probably know what it's going to say. The workbooks, etc., look good but I never used them and ended up selling them to someone I hope will get more use out of them.

Forge of Foes, though, I have been using to make custom monsters and my players can 100% tell when I'm not using a stock WotC monster. No one has complained yet, but the book definitely makes players sweat more than the Monster Manual does.

I have really a lot of monster books, and I've always done a lot of reskinning. These days I tend to do that reskinning in my head--such as looking at a statblock for a wendigo and running it as a creature of desert heat and thirst.

I've also never really had problems making the players sweat with monsters from any source--though stuff from the 2014 MM does tend to punch below its weight class.

 

[gnarlygninja]

Sometimes I see a post that makes me wonder if the poster is aware they're living in the 21st century now.

 

[billd91]

Well, that doesn't sound shady at all! I'm sure it's on the up and up.

 

[el-remmen]

I have a copy of Forge of Foes, too,

I have this book but really wanted it to have a substantial section listing just monster abilities to mix and match and build monsters. But Shea is a little too much into reskinning and I am more into making up different versions of powers that have different outcomes (the opposite of “lazy” )

Still, I do admire Mike Shea’s game advocacy and effort to make GMing accessible for everyone.

 

[DrunkonDuty]

Fortunately, I am like the Bodhisatva of RPGs, generously willing to delay my ascension to Nirvana to assist the lesser beings in attaining a similar state of satori.

Thank you. Anyone who delays their own satori for the sake of others is worthy of great reverence.