Tabletop RPGs/story-building games - beyond D&D

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You could listen to some actual play podcasts to check that your assumptions mesh with the reality of the thing. I don't know if starting with ~~collaborative storytelling~~ for your first game to DM is more or less in the deep end than starting with the-party-is-in-a-tavern, though, I'm also in the 'I know too much about this stuff for someone with no actual experience' camp.

the ghost of tom, choad (thomp), Tuesday, 30 August 2016 00:18 (eight years ago) link

I am thinking about looking for a group myself.

the ghost of tom, choad (thomp), Tuesday, 30 August 2016 00:20 (eight years ago) link

So this went pretty well, I think. I probably could have forced more decision rolls as people still had most of their cards left to play by the time the candles started going out on their own, but the players were all getting into their characters so it seemed better to not interrupt. The darkness and the pre-recordings worked great for mood-building. I was completely and utterly drunk off my face by the end of the game, but so was everyone else and I think I managed to keep it together and running smoothly.

emil.y, Tuesday, 6 September 2016 16:51 (eight years ago) link

Also for some reason I kind of figured people would just choose 'standard' characters, but loved that we ended up with a very strange group trying to fight the darkness together.

emil.y, Tuesday, 6 September 2016 16:54 (eight years ago) link

is Delta Green to trad for this thread? I've been reading up on it/listening to some live plays

los blue jeans, Saturday, 10 September 2016 02:37 (eight years ago) link

eight months pass...

This sounds amazing, I realize it's a bit of a puff piece in support of a kickstarter thing that isn't finished yet, but wow:

https://www.polygon.com/2017/5/9/15589492/divinity-original-sin-2-game-master-mode-gameplay-video-dungeons-and-dragons

The lizard — confusingly, he went by the name Walrus — looked at the wares on offer in this shop and was not satisfied. He demanded that the shopkeeper procure his finest magic wand, something he kept hidden away from the regular rabble that come to the shop.

To determine how the shopkeeper would respond, Walrus had to complete a dice roll. With a click of a button, the game master created a pop-up on Walrus’ screen that had him roll a 20-sided die. The GM also noted that since that character had an intelligence higher than 12, he got a bonus of plus one to the roll. The roll was successful; the dwarven shopkeep begrudgingly trudged to the back of the store and returned with a powerful fire wand that was not originally part of his stock.
Larian Studios

It’s important to note that none of this was scripted. There was no dialogue option in the game to confront the shopkeep, and the wand that Walrus purchased was not actually hidden in back in the initial version of the map as it existed when we loaded in. Rather, as in classic pen-and-paper role-playing games, the GM went along with the flow of the storytelling as it happened, adapting the world of the game, taking control of NPCs and spawning in items to meet the needs of the party.

key quote of course

“The game master mode was a Kickstarter stretch goal,” Wincke explained. “It’s grown a little bit out of hand. It’s become its own thing. But we’re really happy with it.”

your cognitive privilege (El Tomboto), Wednesday, 10 May 2017 19:11 (seven years ago) link

five months pass...

anyone play starfinder yet? gearing up to gm a campaign and it's a lot to get my head around having only played 5e but i'm pretty excited about parts of it, the ship combat rules in particular have me itching to build some cool encounters. not sure about the heavy magic presence and why it couldn't be handwaved away as telepathy/alien powers instead of explicitly integrating the fantasy and sci-fi settings but that's quite a minor nitpick.

oiocha, Thursday, 12 October 2017 03:50 (seven years ago) link

welp, to each their own

when was the last rpg to successfully inhabit the space opera, uh, space

the ghost of tom, choad (thomp), Thursday, 12 October 2017 10:21 (seven years ago) link

Has there been one that isn't Traveller?

Thomas Gabriel Fischer does not endorse (aldo), Thursday, 12 October 2017 13:56 (seven years ago) link

Star Frontiers was the bomb.

EZ Snappin, Thursday, 12 October 2017 14:18 (seven years ago) link

Big co-sign on WFRP and The Enemy Within. Sadly we never got to finish the campaign.

Hey Bob (Scik Mouthy), Saturday, 14 October 2017 09:47 (seven years ago) link

Star Frontiers was the bomb.


cosign

El Tomboto, Saturday, 14 October 2017 13:14 (seven years ago) link

four weeks pass...

i played my first game of Burning Wheel on saturday & have signed up for a campaign with the same DM, so we'll see how that goes

the ghost of tom, choad (thomp), Monday, 13 November 2017 13:10 (six years ago) link

one year passes...

i'm looking to run a RP intensive game (or games) around themes of counterinsurgency, civilian urban survival during war, occupation, and small unit combat and i'm looking for a fairly light system that would be easy to run such a thing in -- any suggestions please? (it actually turns out there was a This War of Mine style RPG made but it seems basically impossible to find.)

Mordy, Tuesday, 22 January 2019 17:31 (five years ago) link

Haven't played it but: would you dig Night Witches? http://bullypulpitgames.com/games/night-witches/

I have measured out my life in coffee shop loyalty cards (silby), Tuesday, 22 January 2019 17:33 (five years ago) link

And from the same designer, Grey Ranks http://bullypulpitgames.com/games/grey-ranks/

I have measured out my life in coffee shop loyalty cards (silby), Tuesday, 22 January 2019 17:34 (five years ago) link

it looks extremely interesting and i'd love to play it but i don't think it'll let me simulate what i have in mind from the description... altho maybe. i do like the idea of having separate cycles for interpersonal drama and then mission/conflict.

Mordy, Tuesday, 22 January 2019 17:35 (five years ago) link

oh that looks good too. i'll have to watch the gameplay vids after work to see if there's enough of a framework there that i can alter it to take place today.

Mordy, Tuesday, 22 January 2019 17:36 (five years ago) link

any ilxors interested in maybe trying a rotating RPG club online through maybe roll20 or fb chat or something? there are a bunch of systems and settings i'm interested in trying and my weekly group is pretty much committed to the current dnd campaign.

Mordy, Tuesday, 29 January 2019 16:34 (five years ago) link

already doing one. we use roll20 for the map and character sheets and dice and we use google chat for talking to each other, works pretty good.

the late great, Tuesday, 29 January 2019 18:46 (five years ago) link

plz can i get in?

Mordy, Tuesday, 29 January 2019 18:47 (five years ago) link

sure. i'm the GM, we're playing the 1982 edition of TSR's star frontiers, about halfway through the volturnus campaign.

the late great, Tuesday, 29 January 2019 18:50 (five years ago) link

how do u want to connect? i'm on facebook at facebook.com/mordy if u want to talk through there or you can just email me @ mms531 *A*T* nyu *D*O*T* e;d;u;

Mordy, Tuesday, 29 January 2019 18:59 (five years ago) link

one year passes...

i&I wanna be playing some call of cthulhu tbh

ian, Sunday, 19 April 2020 19:06 (four years ago) link

started a delta green campaign with four friends yesterday. it went pretty well.

the ghost of tom, choad (thomp), Monday, 20 April 2020 04:29 (four years ago) link

i think i'm about to be part of a cyberpunk 2020 group

pretty pumped

let me be your friend on the other end! (Karl Malone), Monday, 20 April 2020 05:22 (four years ago) link

I've been having fun running the newer WFRP 4e version of The Enemy Within, just in a discord server with a dice-rolling bot added.

The WFRP 4e rules are a bit of a messy patchwork but the fluff, its so crunchy

Dadjokke (Sgt. Biscuits), Monday, 20 April 2020 09:55 (four years ago) link

only ever played first edition but it's def my fav, both arcane and endlessly strange and grotty, squalid and real

ogmor, Monday, 20 April 2020 12:43 (four years ago) link

i think i'm about to be part of a cyberpunk 2020 group

pretty pumped

Jelly.

Triceratops Vowell (Leee), Monday, 20 April 2020 17:20 (four years ago) link

yeah me too. cyberpunk 2020 is one of my favorite tabletop systems i'd love to play it again

Mordy, Monday, 20 April 2020 17:23 (four years ago) link

lol

Leee i'm going to need you to expand on that, but i like where this is going

let me be your friend on the other end! (Karl Malone), Monday, 20 April 2020 17:24 (four years ago) link

the system mechanics are only so-so iirc but the lore material is so good

Mordy, Monday, 20 April 2020 17:24 (four years ago) link

one of the best card games ever (netrunner) is set in its world

Mordy, Monday, 20 April 2020 17:26 (four years ago) link

the GM has never really ran a tabletop game of any sort before - are we doomed?

let me be your friend on the other end! (Karl Malone), Monday, 20 April 2020 17:26 (four years ago) link

he is also incredibly bad at basic math. i guess part of the "are we doomed?" equation depends on how much i can chill out

let me be your friend on the other end! (Karl Malone), Monday, 20 April 2020 17:27 (four years ago) link

no -- what's more important is the storytelling than the mechanics. as long as the GM feels comfortable learning as they go / fudging murky mechanics when they're too confusing and are slowing down the game i think you'll be fine. i suspect you're playing it more as a roleplaying game than a rollplaying game.

Mordy, Monday, 20 April 2020 17:27 (four years ago) link

iirc and you should google for more current + specific ideas, some of the rulesets are not super fun/functional particularly netrunning but maybe rigging too? ppl have workarounds including just using skill checks/storytelling as opposed to fully implementing all the details.

Mordy, Monday, 20 April 2020 17:29 (four years ago) link

Karl, one of my favorite gaming YT channels did a (hilarious) mini Cyberpunk 2020 campaign and basically hooked me into TT RPGs, at least as a viewer, I've been looking for my own game to join since then but have only managed to find some D&D/Pathfinder groups, which have been fun but I really rilly want to dive into the a sci-fi world at the moment.

Triceratops Vowell (Leee), Monday, 20 April 2020 17:51 (four years ago) link

anyone got recommendations for good channels/streams/whatever for non dnd content?

ogmor, Monday, 20 April 2020 17:57 (four years ago) link

I just realized that maybe you were asking what "Jelly" means? It's jealous in kool kid talk, I'm surprised you don't know it!

Judd Apatowsaurus (Leee), Tuesday, 21 April 2020 19:06 (four years ago) link

Leee, was that Playstation Access?

Pinche Cumbion Bien Loco (stevie), Tuesday, 21 April 2020 19:22 (four years ago) link

Yes it was!

Judd Apatowsaurus (Leee), Tuesday, 21 April 2020 21:16 (four years ago) link

Awesome! I went in search of the videos you were describing and that was the one I found - they're really entertaining!

Pinche Cumbion Bien Loco (stevie), Wednesday, 22 April 2020 09:17 (four years ago) link

i've been thinking about starting up a DnD type game with my kids.. i've never really been a DM before though. any tips?

Li'l Brexit (Tracer Hand), Wednesday, 22 April 2020 09:19 (four years ago) link

my strategy, if i were to start it right now, would be to find a game, read the..... manual (??), get them to make characters, and roll percentile dice for everything

Li'l Brexit (Tracer Hand), Wednesday, 22 April 2020 09:31 (four years ago) link

Dungeon World would work, though the guy wrote it turned out to be a creep, so avoid buying it with money

the ghost of tom, choad (thomp), Wednesday, 22 April 2020 09:59 (four years ago) link

idk how old are your kids? are they the type to get into ~~system mastery~~ or ~~character-driven storytelling~~ or both? are you looking for swords and sorcery in particular or other genres? do you want to make up the world and have them be characters in the world, or do you want it to be more directly collaborative?

the ghost of tom, choad (thomp), Wednesday, 22 April 2020 10:01 (four years ago) link

i'm... not sure!

they're 11 and 8 - they want to be silly and have fun

Li'l Brexit (Tracer Hand), Wednesday, 22 April 2020 10:08 (four years ago) link

i've been thinking about starting up a DnD type game with my kids

I've been running a VERRRRY simple d'n'd type game I came up with for my 5yo daughter, where she's a witch at witch school, and I come up with stories and adventures she helps tell, with dice rolls, and puzzles and riddles to solve, and if she wants to use a spell, she has to come up with a rhyme to make it work. She loves it, and it's ever-so-vaguely educational, and I've found myself putting huge amounts of time and effort into coming up with scenarios and puzzles.

Pinche Cumbion Bien Loco (stevie), Wednesday, 22 April 2020 10:33 (four years ago) link

the main focus is communal story-telling, which was an angle I missed when I was a kid playing RPGs who thought it was all about rolling the dice and winning.

Pinche Cumbion Bien Loco (stevie), Wednesday, 22 April 2020 10:33 (four years ago) link

Scik Mouthy, which edition of WFRP are you using?

Carlos Santana & Mahavishnu Rob Thomas (PBKR), Friday, 9 July 2021 11:57 (three years ago) link

We’re playing 4e.

Hey Bob (Scik Mouthy), Saturday, 10 July 2021 20:59 (three years ago) link

Always was a Tzeentch man, myself.

Carlos Santana & Mahavishnu Rob Thomas (PBKR), Saturday, 10 July 2021 21:19 (three years ago) link

4e's combat is such a weird mess, one of my group was so determined to aggressively optimise their build I kind of gave up on ever trying to balance the fights and just make it more that they had social consequences if you did it in public

The worst injury anyone got in our playthrough of Enemy Within was actually the halfling losing an ear to a cloud of explosive methane in the sewers

hiroyoshi tins in (Sgt. Biscuits), Sunday, 11 July 2021 15:01 (three years ago) link

I'm playing Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay too! But just as a player - I read a lot of Games Workshop guff as a kid and now it's really difficult to remember what still applies and also what my character would be aware of.

Daniel_Rf, Monday, 12 July 2021 09:59 (three years ago) link

three months pass...

13 months and 45 sessions in. Our group has one more child now than when we started, which feels epic.

Hey Bob (Scik Mouthy), Tuesday, 19 October 2021 21:53 (two years ago) link

wow!

Tracer Hand, Tuesday, 19 October 2021 22:00 (two years ago) link

irl child = +1 bonus to everyone's key stat imo

John Stockton buying a used car from (Karl Malone), Tuesday, 19 October 2021 22:50 (two years ago) link

three months pass...

I've started playing a ttrpg that is more of a "new school" storytelling rpg. There is still a GM (me), but players have way more agency than in "old school" rpgs. Action resolution (rolls) does not determine player success or failure but who narrates the outcome. If the player makes a certain roll, the player narrates the outcome including adding facts that are true and which the GM cannot contradict. The better the roll, the more facts a player can add. If the player does not make their roll, the GM narrates the outcome.

The game is highly collaborative - the GM can't really determine a plot (meaning a beginning, middle, and end) because the players will likely just go in a different direction at any time. Instead, I just introduce a starting problem/hook, then keep in mind a few potential complications and NPCs that I might introduce. The rest is improvised at the table.

This is a big change for me coming from a long history of traditional rpgs and requires me to unlearn some habits. It also goes against my personal bias toward over-planning. But the nice thing is I don't feel the same responsibility for everyone's enjoyment. There is more of an equal share of the storytelling responsibility. It's early, but I like it.

removing bookmarks never felt so good (PBKR), Monday, 14 February 2022 14:20 (two years ago) link

What’s it called?

Hey Bob (Scik Mouthy), Thursday, 17 February 2022 06:35 (two years ago) link

Bl00d & Hon0r - A Game of Samurai Tragedy. A name with terrible other uses. The .pdf is on drivethrurpg:

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/85815/Blood--Honor

The players make up a samurai clan then their characters who are members of the clan.

There is also a related game called World of Dew which expands beyond samurai and their clans to a later period, such as the Meije Restoration, with noir investigators, merchants, westerners, etc.

removing bookmarks never felt so good (PBKR), Thursday, 17 February 2022 12:14 (two years ago) link

It uses particular elements of the FATE game though it is a bit different.

removing bookmarks never felt so good (PBKR), Thursday, 17 February 2022 12:15 (two years ago) link

Also, would really love to give Mörk Börg a spin - it's a rules-light death metal fantasy rpg about the end of the world. Imagine an art-punk WFRP with the alienation, darkness, and gore cranked so far up you have to laugh. The doom of Call of Cthulhu with the character survival rate of Paranoia (albeit without clones). Geared for one-shots I would think.

removing bookmarks never felt so good (PBKR), Monday, 21 February 2022 15:29 (two years ago) link

one month passes...

I'm imagining a Tinder for rpgs. It's hard.

move over GAPDY, now there's BIG THIEF! (PBKR), Tuesday, 22 March 2022 22:45 (two years ago) link

what do you mean?

Kompakt Total Landscaping (Will M.), Wednesday, 23 March 2022 20:28 (two years ago) link

When you’re not in junior high, life makes it hard to find and maintain an rpg group for an extended period. I was just fantasizing (and joking) about an app that would make it easier to find a game.

move over GAPDY, now there's BIG THIEF! (PBKR), Wednesday, 23 March 2022 20:54 (two years ago) link

that makes so much more sense than what i was imagining, which was swiping left and right on rulesets

Kompakt Total Landscaping (Will M.), Wednesday, 23 March 2022 21:49 (two years ago) link

five months pass...

For a couple of months, I've been playing a GM-less version of The Pool, an early story game. It's been fun and a really interesting demolition of some of my conceptions about rpgs. It's one of the oldest new school games - your character is just a 50 word short story from which you assign dice from your pool as traits (i.e "lost his family +1"). Every few sessions you add 15-30 words to your story and can introduce new traits or change existing ones. If one of your traits applies to an action, you get extra dice in the roll. If you make your roll, you get to narrate the results - if not, the other players narrate the result. Everyone can introduce NPCs and play them at various times.

The biggest change is trying to play this game GM-less, which has really pulled back the curtain and exposed what it is a GM actually needs to do or not do. The game is so rules-lite that the only structure, the only game part that isn't pure imagination, is when you roll dice. The hardest part is trying to introduce new plot points without a GM - once things get going the improvisation takes over and things flow pretty well, but it can be difficult to get the ball rolling when there is no leader (GM) to tell you when to roll. Still, it's been great.

Still want to give Mörk Börg a try sometime.

i need to put some clouds behind the reaper (PBKR), Wednesday, 21 September 2022 11:53 (two years ago) link

Still going with our WFRP campaign. About to hit our two year anniversary and session 65.

Hey Bob (Scik Mouthy), Tuesday, 27 September 2022 05:23 (two years ago) link

eleven months pass...

I've never been interested in PBP rpgs, but I've been playing in one (actually we finished one and are on the second) on Discord for the more than three months. It's maybe the most fun I've had playing an rpg in a long while.

Right now it feels like we have a long way to go in this one and it's going to be a perfect winter activity as it's set in a sort of 1930's alpine setting with some Balkan flourishes, fantasy elements (spells), and pseudo-dungeons with ancient technology. The vibe is alternating between cozy and brutal.

il lavoro mi rovina la giornata (PBKR), Friday, 22 September 2023 22:26 (one year ago) link

that should say, "fantasy elements (spells and undead)"

il lavoro mi rovina la giornata (PBKR), Friday, 22 September 2023 22:27 (one year ago) link

six months pass...

Still playing the alpine/Balkan PBP game. What a journey.

I have really enjoyed running Trophy Gold, which is sort of an OSR-ish story game. It feels like an early D&D game where death is around every corner, but it is zero prep and no stress. It turns out I am much better as a high-improv GM than I ever was as a high-prep GM.

We had a lot of rolls last night - maybe 8 in three hours - but I have also had sessions with a single roll. Every roll is high stakes and can change the story dramatically.

The highest complement I can give is that it's the closest I've felt to what gaming was like as a young kid since that time.

il lavoro mi rovina la giornata (PBKR), Wednesday, 27 March 2024 23:17 (six months ago) link

two months pass...

Free RPG Day happening this Saturday, June 24th

https://freerpgday.com

Happening a lot of places on the globe, check your FLGS

Glower, Disruption & Pies (kingfish), Friday, 21 June 2024 20:37 (three months ago) link

three months pass...

Anyone played any of the ttrpgs in this bundle?

https://itch.io/b/2295/ttrpgs-for-palestine

reggae mike love (polyphonic), Tuesday, 24 September 2024 01:46 (two weeks ago) link

Wanderhome is supposed to be good.

il lavoro mi rovina la giornata (PBKR), Tuesday, 24 September 2024 16:31 (two weeks ago) link


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