Riddle me this /tg/.
Why is the image of the average warhammer/tabletop gamer some fat smelly neckbeard the world over?
>live in UK
>play comp scene for WH fantasy for a few years
>be around people from all walks of life playing warhammer for many years
>never once play against a fat smelly neckbeard who is obnoxious
>get one out of those three things sometimes but never the holy trinity
is it literally just America that pushes this image? Is this true even in America?
>is it literally just America that pushes this image?
Maybe.
>Is this true even in America?
That's at least 2/3rds of the player-base here.
>>47992230
>murrica
I'd say no, though those types are overrepresented in the hobby compared to the general population. I've know maybe 2 people that fit all three of those.
I will say that most of them are socially maladjusted /somehow/. I'm an introvert and socially awkward at times, another guy I knew had a pretty severe temper, another was lazy as fuck as never took care of himself or washed his clothes, a few were overweight, a few just had those senses of humor that never evolved past the age of 11. Every one of these people had more things good than bad about them, but the things wrong with them you didn't see much outside the FLGS (I assume since those types usually stay inside like me)
>>47992230
In all /tg/ surveys that have been done, our median build is skinny scraggly vaguely-metalhead.
The god of theater is furious that your adventure is lacking in depth and emotional meaning. How do you convince him that your party has artistic depth?
Man that is a really cool mask, I want that mask
>>47992218
I don't, he can join if he wants to add it, but I'm not doing it.
We know that we're unable to do that, so we make it a farce instead.
I feel like there's a lot of weird anachronisms in D&D from a design standpoint. And how the game has progressed and changed has left a lot of people confused and bitter over what's different and why some things are the way they are. But I think I can sum up the MAJOR factor that goes into "old school" D&D and the primary rule/playstyle that defines it and explains a lot of the arguments that occur in D&D because of it.
Simply put: in old school D&D you were not meant to roll. What I mean by that isn't that rolling was IMPOSSIBLE (because it wasn't obviously) but that rolling was meant to be something entirely optional for your character. You didn't have skills or abilities for things like "diplomacy" or "spot" or "disabling traps" (well theifs did but it was like 25% chance at best and it was more of a last resort kind of thing). You were mostly expected to just freeform for the majoirty of the game and get through dungeons and obstacles via thorough roleplaying.
If you assumed a room had a secret door/passageway you needed to ask the DM questions and inspect everything. If you needed to convince the guard you weren't a bunch of theives and criminals you had to actually present an argument. Combat was incredibly light and had nothing like "maneuvers" or "actions" because combat was something you got into when you fucked up and accidentally stumbled into a goblin ambush or had no other option but to just barge in and kill everything.
Rolling wasn't only a completely optional thing in old school D&D it was also usually not the best option. Because the d20 has flat probability curves and most proficiencies or quirks offered you a +1 or +2 bonus at most (a +4 bonus to an action would be considered phenominal) they mostly existed to give you a very slight edge when you were doing something risky and dangerous. In a game where you only roll 2-4 times a session (ideally) then a +2 can feel like a godsend.
This is also where Stormwind Fallacy most likely reared its head because in a game that emphasizes freeforming and making narrative decisions to overcome in-game obstacles, rolling skills or dice was meant to be a risky but straightforward affair. If you failed, you failed hard, but if you succeeded, you'd just succeed without much description. Considering how TSR began releasing more and more broken content as they attempted to stay alive via shotgunning books out again and again it's easy to see how a generation of players could see these increasingly bonkers rules that give them 50-70% success on a skill and, rather than stopping to describe their search for the secret passageway as DM's were accustomed to: they'd just roll dice and be done with it. Hence: "Roll Player". Now whether or not the act of spending 5 minutes discussing whether or not this room has a secret passageway is fun and interesting for all players is a different tale but lets not get into that now.
Instead lets get into how D&D has changed. Because 3.X changed D&D in some major ways and probably the most major way was: rolling. Again in older D&D's rolling was a risky affair and only one class had 'skills' and they were mostly for dungeoneering. But now 3.X is here and... suddenly there's a lot more rolling now. You roll diplomacy to convince people of your argument. You roll bluff to fool people. You roll spot to notice traps. You roll search to find hidden passageways. The only classes in the game that DON'T rely on rolling is spellcasters and... it shows. And it's particularly aggrivating in 3.X because before where you may have only been rolling 2 or 3 times a session, the flat probability curve and low bonuses felt like you were really pressing your luck. But in 3.X with the game expecting you to be rolling much more consistently the flat probability curve and low bonuses just feel... annoying. Like you're not being the hero you designed yourself to be.
But again in older editions: everyone had roughly equivolent "skills". Or at least, abilities they could use to interact with people and things. Since it all relied on freeforming until someone messed up or did something really risky it somewhat helped in making fighters and rogues feeling like they had more to contribute.
Then we get to 4th edition and now rolling is more prioritized than ever! With it practically being a combat-focused minature skirmish game. Although at the very least it can be argued it did that well. And (again arguably) the emphasis on combat and lack of overt utility features and spotty skill-challenge system seemed to open up for more old school style "freeform until something happens then just roll" style of play.
And I haven't played 5e so I can't comment on that. But what I can comment on is simply this: if you want to play an Old School D&D game? Like a REALLY OLD SCHOOL D&D GAME? Simple: just don't roll! Kill that little niggling part of your brain that wants to see how this event progresses. Just... freeform really! And if a player does something that is undenyably risky? Then roll, and emphasize the chancey nature of it all. Restraint in the mechanics and when you implement them is the most important factor that goes into old school D&D.
And if you find yourself or your players getting bored or annoyed at this style of play? Well hey, it's not for everyone. And it shouldn't BE for everyone.
Continuation of a thread from a few days prior, which had some awesome writefagging based on two pretty cool concepts:
1) Since dinosaurs are supposed to be part of most tabletop worlds like D&D, why aren't there more weird mutated creatures in the same vein as blink dogs, displacer beasts, and owlbears?
and 2) What would 'prehistoric' equivalents to typical tabletop monsters be like?
Previous thread:
http://archive.4plebs.org/tg/thread/47931657
Pic related: it's a unique mutant T-rex from Eberron that fits with point A. Another good example from the same setting is the horrid Tyrannosaurus.
Pic not unique but awesome nonetheless.
- Phase Raptors
- Ankylosaurus with a Chromatic Orb tail
- Dracodous
- Triceratops with a burrow speed
- Fire breathing dilo
>>47994334
>Dracodocus
Ooh, what would that be like?
>Burrowing Triceratops
This could definitely be worked with; maybe it could be combined with the tentatops from the previous thread.
>Fire breathing dilo
What if it breathed napalm instead of the blinding spit we see in Jurassic Park?
>Chromatic Orb
At the risk of sounding like an idiot, what is that and what does it do?
>Phase raptors
Jesuschristhowhorrifying.jpg
Orcoids
Do you think people would eat at a restaurant with LARP gladiator fights?
UFC meets LOTR
Maybe even tie the Roleplay into the menu
You mean like Medieval Times?
Could be pretty cringeworthy Aniki.
>>47991671
Make ligers come out of the floor
>>47991710
Like that but with elves and dwarves and goblins and trolls.
And sponge weapons so giving a decent womping to each other.
Best Jojo edition
For a quick Stand, use:
>http://www.pages.drexel.edu/~dft29/Stand_Generator/Stand-Generation-Overdrive.html
(make sure you make a connection between the name and the ability!)
OR
>Go the organic route and make a Stand based off the feel and lyrics of a song or album
>http://jjba.wikia.com/wiki/Stand
Everything you ever wanted to know about Stands, but were too afraid to ask.
Thread Question: Why does /sss/ keep dieing?
>>47991145
Whoops forgot to put fucking super stand sunday in the title. Well the threads prolly gonna die anyone so no one gives a shit.
Not enough stand users desu...
Tfw your stand is completely broken
Does /tg/ like Cyberpunk?
Also how easy is it to break?
>how easy is it to break
Very
REF is pretty much the godstat, sticking buckets of points into it and INT gives you lots of free skill points.
It's a bad system. Good for its time, but it has definitely not aged well.
>>47991003
I like it but it is very easy to break. You kinda have to play it with the right people who know how easy it is to break and agree not to break it.
>>47991003
Maxout REF and INT, get skinweave and nanosurgeons pronto.
Sup /tg/, redpill me on Magical Burst.Sort of new to RPGs (FATE & Apoc world only so far) but two of the girls wanted to try it.
MB is pretty good but the rules are a WIP. I've had three good games in it, but in previous editions.
Women are whores, chairs are hard penguins sluts.
Underaged penguin prostitution should be legalized because they're asking for it anyway.
>>47990782
Most of the betas are terribly broken when it comes to combat, the 4th especially so.
GMing a beta 5 campaign right now, although it lacks material for advancing PCs, it's pretty good so far and you have enough to create your monsters for a short-to-mid-term campaign.
Only things lacking are mechanical ways to distribute Trauma and Hope, so I usually dish it out when appropriate. It still flows slower than Overcharge.
Skirmishes are nice and especially useful when you don't want to spend time in full battle, I usually use them when not all the PCs are involved.
Specializations are very potent compared to the other advancement perk, so I recommend that you give them to every PC at the same time or make it a plot thing.
Otherwise, pretty fun.
What went wrong, /tg/??
Lack of playtesting? Meme all you want about anal circumferences and magical realms, but F.A.T.A.L.'s biggest flaw is its stupidly complicated system that makes actually playing a game nearly impossible.
>>47990779
Even without all the weird fetish shit, the game is awful mechanically.
Abilities are averages of various sub abilities, each of which are determined using stupid dice rolls (I think 1d400 or something like that). This wouldn't be that bad, if it weren't for the fact that, with each effect that changes your sub abilities, you have to recalculate each of your main abilities, and the statistics derived from those abilities.
To make matters even worse, there's a whole bunch of weird random table rules that make no sense. Most surprising of all is that Anal Circumference is NOT the weirdest table in the book. For example, pregnancy is calculated with quadratic equations and a roll of 1d10,000,000. You know, just because.
This, by the way, is just scratching the surface of FATAL. I don't intend to go any deeper.
>>47990779
I think the single best example of what went wrong is the rules for what happens if you get a hit to the anus. You must roll for how many chunks of shit fall out.
It's not just the tasteless gore and sexual crap. It's that the system has confused "more detailed" with "more realistic/immersive", which if you read the statements by the authors, are what they were allegedly going for.
I've never designed a game from scratch, but I'm part of a small team that helps revise and make improvements to a number of ADG games. And one of the things we get drilled into us constantly is
>At best, complexity is a necessary evil. By allowing for a more complicated system, you can create more opportunities for strategic choice. But the complexity itself is bad. We want as much choice for as little complexity as possible, so when making suggestions, balance what it adds with how much in the way of complications you get.
FATAL's designers have obviously never thought along these lines. More details, more complexity, is good for its own sake, nevermind what it adds, or even subtracts from the game. It's not really meant to be played, it's meant to impress someone with how smart you are for playing it.
A wizard has turned your party into adorable little bunnies, with miniature outfits and equipment. What do you do?
>>47990657
Kill the wizard.
>>47990697
The wizard chuckles at your little thrusts and swings, and gives you a carrot.
>>47990775
Go on a size-appropriate quest. Possibly for the mayor of Rabbiton, or perhaps Lord Guinea of the Piggleshires.
What exactly constitutes a Muscle Wizard?
A wizard that uses magics to enhance their body in a way that makes them better at smashing things.
I actually made a decent build in 3.5, basically made a multi class martial/wizard that had school specialization in transmutation, and all of her spells were stat and AC buffs. With a couple of metamagic feats, her strength and AC could jump 10-20 points in just a couple of rounds.
>>47990795
Look at this sorcerer, he thinks a Muscle Wizard uses magic for gainz.
>>47992130
Muscle wizard uses his gains for magic
How do we make humans interesting again?
You can't. Humans were a mistake.
>>47990364
Ban them for a few games.
>>47990658
this.
Khorne the god of blood, skulls and overall slaughter... But who has the highest body count? The Emperor. Tzeentch the god of trickery, sorcery and overall confusion, greatest psyker in the galaxy? The Emperor. Nurgle, god of stagnancy, undeath and decay. Who's been a rotting corpse for ten thousand years? The Emperor. Slaanesh godes- go- uh... The thing of excess, who goes to the absurd extremes in so many aspects you might think he's addicted to gold like it's cocaine? The Emperor.
The God Emperor of Mankind is not only the embodiment of all chaos, it's ultimate champion... But the Emperor of Mankind IS Chaos Undivided! He is all of the chaos gods
The Imperial Aquila is the symbol under which billions, trillions, sextillions of guardsmen have been sent to die for. It bears striking similarity with the mark of the god of blood and slaughter... Khorne.
Grade AAA heresy
Dark Angels symbol. The wings have 8 points.
Naysayers get rekt edition. Legacy is alive and well, and DDFT just made top 8 at the SCG Dallas Classic. Anyone who thinks the deck isn't a viable storm option pls die.
I don't know much about ddft but maindeck deck seems like it would stretch the manabase a lot. And there were so many dnt decks in the top 16...
>>47988534
it's viable but it's extremely mind bogglingly difficult in exchange for a small amount of resilience against decks that ANT is already good against
>>47989316
OP here, it's not really that hard. There's a handful of basic piles that get you out of most situations. The unusual piles can be tough but you learn to think of pile building in terms of costs, and it gets easier.
I bought a ton of old school metal figurines from an estate sale yesterday. We're talking 70s and 80s grenadier stuff. A good number of the pieces are broken but I've been able to piece them back together.
Except for this one. It kinda looks siege related? I do have some siege engines but it doesn't look like it fits any. Any old school dnd nerds recognize it?
A few more of the miniatures I bought just because they're awesome. I spent like 30 bucks for over a hundred of these.
>>47988516
It looks like a counterweighted arm for a medieval crane, or for a well, where the counterweight is for making it easier to haul up a bucket of water, but that doesn't really seem like the thing you'd get in a pile of wargames miniatures.
The obvious answer would be that it's for a trebuchet or other counterweight warmachine but it looks very wrong for that because of the attachment point of the arm, and the very dinky counterweight, but that might just be shitty sculptors being shitty.
Do you have any other parts that might fit with it?
>>47988691
Also, as with most miniatures that old, there's probably a loooot of lead in that lot.
Not that you're gonna eat them or anything, but it never hurts to be careful.
