Post: #51

I have the feeling a lot of miniature figure-based RPG's are fading. A friend of mine went to GenCon (huge Indianapolis Gamer convention) and claimed most of the games are headed in the direction of cards and boards. What is the general feeling? I would have thought 3D printing would keep this end of it robust.

Post: #52

I was going around to a lot of different game stores trying to find someone who was doing pen and paper RPGs during the past year and it was a hell of a time to finally locate a group. The vast majority of people at these stores are mostly playing Magic The Gathering, Pokemon, and other TCGs. Warhammer and the like doesn't seem that popular either. A lot of these stores would have tables with battlefields set up yet they were consistently empty while the tables with the card players never were.

Post: #53

It was basically just a house rules rolemaster game from what I understood. Lots of random rolls to determine what kind of had acted you got to play and how many different types of magic at which strengths.

As for finding a group, It can be tough as there is Huge regional variation. I have kicked out and always been able to find new groups through my circle of friends.


As for inventing RPGs... A lot of it boils down to amazing evocative art, a good premise and setting, combined with a relatively playable rules that do some of what it is supposed to do. There is little money in the hobby outside of the big leagues like Wizards of the Coast who own D&D, Paizo with Pathfinder or Fantasy Flight Games with their Star Wars and Games Workshop licenses. There a few middling players who make some kind of money, but not many.

One story I read was about a guy writing a 200k word supplement on the side of his desk for two years for one of those bit publishers. After finishing the book and getting paid, he got a gig guy writing a 1500 word pamphlet for Real Estate agent doing a weekend seminar. That gig paid 4x what he made for writing the book.

Post: #54

First installment of the half RVF D&D adventure.

The three characters that made it in today are Sevroc Blackskull, a black dragon born monk, Wulf, a drow ranger specializing in hunting devils, and Sven, a tiefling sorcerer who is always looking to make a quick coin.

The three met up in the village of Wellsouth along the Asher river, where they were recruited by a paladin named Sir Titus the Radiant to join the Solar Crusade. Wulf had been in town for a while, hunting any monsters the locals put bounties on, while Sevroc just left the ruined swamp temple he'd spent his life in since being cast out by his clan for having the ugly face of a black dragon. Sven had to hide out because he was targeted by the Grand Temple for his infernal origins. He set up a small casino business in the tavern.

Sir Titus took them on a recon mission to prove their worth, where they encountered a party of demons and devils, a barlgura, five imps, and three quasits. After they tracked the fiends back to the village, Titus and Sven battled the barlgura, whilst Sevroc annihilated the quasits and Wulf got to work on the imps. After these monsters had been slain, the three were inducted into the Solar Crusade, which Titus informed them had been called because the Temple of the Sun God, far to the west, had been overrun by creatures of the hells. The three then set about using the rubble of the village to build a wall along the river to defend against further attacks, then Wulf set snares in the woods, Sven located the portal from whence the fiends came, and Sevroc trained the locals in martial arts. Then the party set off to find the portal. The three snuck up on a shadow demon, trying to claw its way from hell to the material world. Sven and Wulf shot it to oblivion, and Sevroc tripped into the portal, then clawed his way up the demon and beat it in the head. It finally died, sealing the portal. The party returned to the village, where they saw the aftermath of a fiendish assault, which the villagers repelled, and were celebrating. After Wulf pulled a few pranks, Sevroc donated to the rebuilding of Wellsouth, and Sven bought himself out of his share of the casino, the three then set off to the west to join the main army of the Solar Crusade.

Tune in next week!

Post: #55

Warhammer and 40k are much more fun to play online than they ever were on the table. I've been playing Total War: Warhammer all day. Besides, I'm pretty sure the official forum response to SJW nonsense should be...

Post: #56

Old 40K and Warhammer player here only. Now all of my models are basically diorama's with a low chance of seeing a table top any time soon. It just got too pricy to keep up and the company fucked it up with shitty rules. I would play an old edition with the right folks, however. RPG's were never my thing, but I tend to think them as different hobbies anyways.

In my experience most of my opponents could be classified as normal, with families, regular jobs and lives outside of the game. There was weird folks out there and those folks were the ones who's life revolved around the game, or were just weird to begin with. Think of the dip-shits on "The League" but with 40K instead of fantasy football. There was the occasional SJW playing, back when we had no idea what a SJW was, but that should not be too surprising how few SJW's were. Who is going to quit war protesting early so that they can get down to the hobby store in time for their game of Warhammer? I would say that there was a high amount of current or ex military playing as well, go figure.

Ironic gaming story: While using an airbrush to paint up some 40K models at my local store a few years back before I started reading gaming books, there was myself and another group playing a card game(don't know nor do I care) in the whole store. In the group of card gamers was a hot Asian girl (7 in my estimate) who appeared to be one of the participants girlfriend who was dragged to the store for the afternoon. She approached me and started up a conversation me. Her open line is "Now your hobby is actually cool." I got the impression from the conversation that as I was actually doing something artistic in painting models, which appealed to her. I did not game her as I really could not think that fast at the time nor had a strategy, but I tend to think that I had a better shot than usual. I am not usually into Asians, but this girl is one that I would bang.

Post: #57

Bluto, I noticed the high representation of ex military in the wargaming hobby as well. And it just Games Workshop, but all tabletop war games. I would imagine that they are drawn by the strategy involved with the games. At the time, I chalked it up to nature of living in the D.C. area.

Post: #58

Week 2

The trio got lost in a dark wood on their way to join the Solar Crusade. They found a mysterious tavern in the woods run by a miserable family with a washed up monster hunter and a dancing girl inside. Two other patrons stuck out, a human paladin-in-training and a high elf bardess. After the High elf bard woman drank Wulf and the paladin under the table, the trio learned of a mysterious force that controlled this part of the woods, while the tavern was protected by magic to keep the evil at bay. This force turned out to be a Spirit Naga, a vengeful beast that desires domination over all beings. The trio allowed the paladin and bard to join them, learning the paladin was called Thorvale Smittywerbenjagermanjensen and the bard was called Justina (as an aside, she has huge tits.)

The party, now numbering five, snuck off into the woods, dodging around zombies enslaved to the Naga, and Sven and Wulf distracted them with illusory magics. The party reached the lair of the Naga, thanks to Wulf's skillful tracking, but Justina accidentally alerted the Naga to their presence. Thankfully the now even stronger party beat the beast, taking from its ruinous home many tomes and scrolls. The adventurers returned to the tavern with no triumphant return, learning the naga was a beast whose hatred was so great it would return to the realm of the material to take vengeance. Only a wish spell could destroy it. Justina had thankfully retrieved a spellsong from the naga's lair called "A Child's Wish," and the crew took the tavern keep's daughter back to the lair, where they discovered the naga was already reforming. Justina and the little girl used up the wish spell, singing the naga back to hell.

With that, the group returned to the tavern at dawn, having fought through the night. The credit was taken by Sven, and given duly to the honorable cause of the Solar Crusade. Justina then played J-Kwon's "Tipsy" on trombone whilst drinking with Thorvale and Wulf, while Sven and Sevroc perused their newly gained books to learn something about their pasts.

Tune in next week.

Post: #59

Smittywerbenjagermanjensen is dead.

But in life, he was number one!

Post: #60

(01-07-2017 09:36 PM)Leonard D Neubache Wrote:  Smittywerbenjagermanjensen is dead.

But in life, he was number one!

The noble house of Smittywerbenjagermanjensen actually has that as their motto. "We Are Number ONE!"

Post: #61

The Solar Crusaders continued west after the Forest of the Lost Kid adventure (Thorvale stayed behind to endlessly repeat his tale of heroism to the bar's owners). Sevroc learned of the land called Zipangu, south of the Emerald Sea. Sven learned of an ancient ancestor who was a cambrion, blue-skinned and greedy. His name is blotted out. As the company moved west, they discovered they were being followed. The followers are black dragonborn from Sevroc’s clan. They consist of five cultists and two cult leaders. One of them turned on the others to aid the party. This is the chief’s son Entum, the prince of Sevroc’s clan. He explains that the tales of the Solar Crusade reached the clan, and the description of Sevroc is unmistakable. The shaman Amteros, angry that his loose ends were not tied up, demands that Sevroc be sacrificed for turning away from the spirits. He sent the chief’s son and his own, Kägar, to deal with Sevroc. The party chose to aid Entum in overturning the shaman's despotic rule. The stronghold was in a rainy part of the forest near the swamps of Amalo, built around a massive cypress tree. The clan was unenthusiastic about killing Sevroc, but they do not question the will of the spirits. Sevroc did, however, have allies. The chief’s family has been in a power struggle with the shaman’s since before Sevroc was hatched, and he is simply a piece of the game. The sympathy of the chieftain Elentoc and his daughter Slystra was used as a point of contention by the shaman, and thus the political struggle came to a head. The shaman thought he had secured his position with Sevroc’s death, but failed. The chieftain now saw his opportunity to regain his power. Wulf hid in the village to set a distraction which he did not disclose to the rest of the party. Entum returned to the village to act as though he had never left, so when guards discovered Kägar's body, he was not suspected. The other three snuck into the village to attack Amteros during the funeral. Wulf attempted to set fire to sveral buildings, but failed, as it was a swamp. Justina, as Amteros invoked the spirits of the swamp, summoned an earth tremor from her trombone, knocking the shaman down. Entum revealed Sevroc's presence as a sign of Amteros' treachery, and Sevroc ripped the shaman's tongue out. The shaman had a backup plan, however: bathing in the blood of a black dragon, transforming himself into a half-dragon. The party then attacked, with Entum's aid, and Wulf dealt the killing blow with an arrow. The party gained a swamp draconic staff, the robes of the draconarch, and the loyalty of Sevroc’s clan, who will support the Solar Crusade.

Post: #62

(01-29-2017 06:30 PM)YoungBlade Wrote:  Amteros invoked the spirits of the swamp,
The party gained a swamp draconic staff,

So basically, you're high-energy and trying to drain the swamp... Godspeed!

Post: #63

^^^^^^
Exactly

Post: #64

Cloud God Elrod
The party moved westward once more after restoring the chiefdom of Sevroc’s clan (Justina stayed behind to market her mixtape to Sevroc's clan). They rejoined the crusade after finding an army of peasants who, overcome with religious fervor, took up arms to go to the Grand Temple of Asher. They sang
“Devils, demons, fiends, and tieflings too
We beat them all black and blue
Asher is our lord, our power is the sun
Before us, hell runs!”
Given this song, the party decided it was bet to wait until nightfall to have Sven enter the camp. The Temple itself is in a poor state. The large domed basilica, formerly of gold, is now being slowly corrupted and turned to obsidian. The waterfalls flow from the wounds of the great statues of Asher, pierced by the sun’s rays on the solar cross. Sir Titus looks a bit worse for wear, with a demon’s claws having left a scar across his face. He paid the party their 500 gold for the month, and then commissioned them for their first mission. A village to the north had been asked to supply aid, but has not answered. The party must investigate. They discovered that the village is run by a hill giant named Sherriff, who insists on collecting taxes for his lord in the Great Mountains, Cloud God Elrod. Wulf attempted to sleep with the local barmaid, then discovered that as a crusader, he is under a magical oath to not spill seed until the temple is retaken. After a brief discussion with Sherriff, he took the party to his lord. They were escorted by a cohort of stone giants to a castle sitting on a solid cloud attached to the mountain peaks. The massive mansion had huge gardens with grapes the size of apples, apples the size of pumpkins, and pumpkins the size of carts. Inside were beautiful works of art, with images of bygone days. A cloud giant greeted them, introducing himself as Cloud God Elrod, though his real name is Count Nephelo. After the party presented their request, he presented them with three challenges. The first was a test of strength. He recently acquired a mastiff/worg hybrid with patches of bare skin, appropriately named Patches. He must be broken in as a steed. If the party succeeds, then they may leave alive. Sven put it to sleep, then put a bridle on it, while Sevroc put a saddle on it and rode it until it tired itself out. The next test was a test of mind. Nephelo took them to his library, full of massive books, and a tapestry with what appears to be himself and a tarrasque in the sea. The question is “Why is the tranquil sea tranquil?” Sevroc discovered the answer is because Nephelo removed the winds to stop a tarrasque from destroying Solaris. As they answered within an hour, they have the village’s aid for the crusade. The final test was one of spirit. The party had a day to answer the question, “If Asher is a god, why is his temple overrun by hell?” Sevroc realized there is no correct answer, but the success lies in not losing faith. Having succeeded, they will have an army of giants to aid them.

Post: #65

I'm so glad my sessions don't go like this.

Post: #66

Post: #67

^^^^

If you've built your fucking 3.5 bard right the party won't get killed. Not when you're there pumping out +7 or so to people's attack rolls.

God save us from people who mean well. -storm

Post: #68

Since AB mentioned Tomb of Horrors:

Currently, as I'm typing, playing the new 5th edition Tomb of Horrors with a level 10 character I made for this session.

He's an earth genasi (half earth genie half human) monk who wrestles everything to death. His name is The Rock.

I love this game.

Post: #69

Many would be familiar with D&D & Warhammer et al.

Yet how many of you ever played this one as a kid? :

Post: #70

I chuckled along to this probably a tad too much.

Post: #71

Currently playing Warmachine. I'm currently protectorate since I love the play and look crusader inspired knights swarming the board.

Post: #72

Just ran Tomb of Horrors as the DM. Lots of fun, but definitely something you do for an all-day session. And build characters specifically for it.

After a while, my players just quit caring if they died or not. "FUCK IT! I GO THROUGH THE DOOR!"

Post: #73

My DnD group is about to finish up the Storm King's Giant campaign. We started around November of last year so it's been nearly a year. That campaign was pretty well written with lots of open ended exploration and with a good DM the world gets pretty fleshed out.

Post: #74

(09-17-2017 07:07 PM)CynicalContrarian Wrote:  I chuckled along to this probably a tad too much.

I remember my dad evicting some asshole who left a bunch of junk behind including a full hero quest set. Getting double all the furniture and miniatures was quite the haul as a kid.

Post: #75

Shadowrun got me a blowjob and a few years of phonesex from some high-libido married French-Canadian bitch once.

That's all I got.

(01-07-2017 09:15 PM)YoungBlade Wrote:  This force turned out to be a Spirit Naga, a vengeful beast that desires domination over all beings....the crew took the tavern keep's daughter back to the lair, where they discovered the naga was already reforming. Justina and the little girl used up the wish spell, singing the naga back to hell.

Wait, is taking the tavern keeper's daughter to 'sing' the evil serpent away some kind of a euphemism?