OSR Pirate Borg - Math Thoughts

[Retreater]

I mean I dont think OSR is for you @Retreater at all. I dont know why you keep subjecting yourself to it honestly and thats not a slight or insult, you do not seem to enjoy it at all from concept to application to experience.

This was for a different group of players than my usual. We needed something quick and that could be taught and played in a few hours. Also, Pirate Borg had received different reviews than many of the traditional OSR games. And in actuality it fixes a few of my issues, which makes when it doesn't work that much more frustrating.

So why do I keep trying OSR?
-I'm nearly 50 and have the same nostalgia for the old days as many fans of the OSR.
-I like low prep and rules lite games (at least in theory)
-In many cases they are the new hotness in the RPG community (especially Shadowdark), and I don't want to experience FOMO.
-I like the scrappy, indie attitude of many of the designers.

Retreat is always option, or as we used to say in MtG 'Scoop?'

I think the players were about there, but I think there was a sunk cost going on. Also, we were playing under the assumption of a one-shot experience. If they retreated, there'd be nothing to come back to. Not like we're going to play a second night of it where they hire out a mercenary company and lay siege to the fortress.
This was for fun, high adventure, laughs, and taking risks. A loopy one-shot. Pirates of the Caribbean - not fantasy Vietnam.

 

[Scribe]

This was for fun, high adventure, laughs, and taking risks. A loopy one-shot. Pirates of the Caribbean - not fantasy Vietnam.

Fair enough, in that case I would definitely have an escalation mechanic in your back pocket for next time.

 

[conankeep]

I like low prep and rules lite games (at least in theory)

can you give examples of some of rules lite games you do enjoy running/playing?

 

[Nikosandros]

I have briefly looked at the adventure. I've noticed that the hitting that opponent is DR 10. I don't think it changes too much, but it is easier to hit him. In the hooks section it also states that taking him out is very hard and that the characters should resort to guerrilla tactics, making an assassination attempt or hiring more pirates to tackle the mission. As I said, I just briefly skimmed it, so I don't know how those things work in practice, but the hints about attempting an all-out assault are there.

 

[Retreater]

I have briefly looked at the adventure. I've noticed that the hitting that opponent is DR 10.

Minor correction. His weapon is Slow and requires a DR 10 (instead of a 12) for a character to avoid damage. (This was part of the reason why the party was able to drag out the fight.) The enemy still requires a typical 12 to hit.

In the hooks section it also states that taking him out is very hard and that the characters should resort to guerrilla tactics, making an assassination attempt or hiring more pirates to tackle the mission.

So that was suggested by their NPC quest giver. The players, being pirates, didn't want to share the reward with others, and wanted to charge ahead. Maybe not the brightest decision, but they were playing a light-hearted pirate game. Same with an assassination attempt - they didn't want to make the mission take even longer.
From a technical standpoint, the adventure didn't provide stats for anyone other than the quest giver, and a few undead baddies. Having a commoner or generic pirate stat would've been useful since the adventure suggested bringing them along.
If the intent was just to roll up additional pirate NPCs and use them in combat, that wouldn't have addressed my combat length issue. It might've made it worse.

can you give examples of some of rules lite games you do enjoy running/playing?

Probably my favorite current rules lite game is Dragonbane.

 

[Scribe]

Probably my favorite current rules lite game is Dragonbane.

I havent played it, I didnt realize it was a rules-lite. I thought it was closer to 5e, than it is to Shadowdark.

 

[Retreater]

I havent played it, I didnt realize it was a rules-lite. I thought it was closer to 5e, than it is to Shadowdark.

I mean, I don't know where it would go on a spectrum. It feels closer to a Shadowdark to me than 5e. The rulebook - which includes everything for players and GMs (including monsters) - is 116 pages. 5e can't do that

 

[conankeep]

You know the way the "game report" unfolds as reactions to replies with new details that were never mentioned before, sometime directly contradicting what was said before makes me think there was never a game.

Like how do complains about the rules/adventure not giving new players hints that the boss shouldn't be met head on, specifically

you need to put in something like "here are some options to defeat the bad guy"

from the second page, turn into

actually an NPC did advise that the players should use other options to defeat the bad guy but the players ignored it

exactly after it was noted that the adventure in fact does list "some options to defeat the bad guy" explicitly?

And even if the game did happen as reported (assuming benefit of the doubt ), how is this not a "my players specifically ignored all the explicit and implicit cues and later suffered the consequences [of boredom because I didn't allow for a proper TPK to happen]" situation?
And why doesn't it start with that point then?

 

[Retreater]

And even if the game did happen as reported (assuming benefit of the doubt ), how is this not a "my players specifically ignored all the explicit and implicit cues and later suffered the consequences [of boredom because I didn't allow for a proper TPK to happen]" situation?
And why doesn't it start with that point then?

Because that information was unnecessary for the point I'm making: that the math of Pirate Borg and system design doesn't fit the stated and implied design goals.
Even if my players took the advice, that doesn't change that it takes over 30 rounds to whittle through the bloated hit points.

 

[liteberer]

It sounds to me like that adversary should have been treated like a sort of puzzle. And the adventure tried to warn you of that but you (and your players) promptly ignored all that. Like the point was to whittle down the enemy and then have the remaining players administer the coup de grace. That sounds like it would have been fun.