Yet another gaming post.
Oct. 10th, 2010 02:47 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
gridloreMy attempt to create a local gamers filter was a crashing failure. Again, if you are local to Santa Clara, and would like to take part in a monthly game, contact me. I may set up a mailing list on Google to make things easier. Feel free to let anyone who might be interested know.
I think one problem is my intense dislike of the most popular gaming systems. I loathe the current versions of D&D, and the "old school" revolution has little appeal. Here are the game systems I really like. Feel free to give your opinions or ask questions.
I really want to get back into a regular game.
I think one problem is my intense dislike of the most popular gaming systems. I loathe the current versions of D&D, and the "old school" revolution has little appeal. Here are the game systems I really like. Feel free to give your opinions or ask questions.
- Ars Magica
- Dark Heresy
- FUDGE
- GURPS
- Harnmaster
- Hero System
I really want to get back into a regular game.
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no subject
Date: 11 Oct 2010 00:17 (UTC)no subject
Date: 11 Oct 2010 00:36 (UTC)no subject
Date: 11 Oct 2010 02:14 (UTC)Mostly, I'm roughly familiar with all of these systems, and I'm pretty system agnostic -- 'Anything, as long as it plays!' to misquote Good Morning Vietnam. =)
Ars Magica -- Always wanted to play this, it has a fascinating and flexible magic system. What kind of game would you be looking to run with this system?
FUDGE -- Not enamored of this one. The system is decent but I find it a little squirrely -- the results tend to be pretty open to interpretation. But disclaimer: I have't played it extensively.
GURPS -- I'm pretty familiar with it, and like it, it does some things very well. My earlier experience with it is that it tries to cover all bases in the rules; this may have changed with recent versions.
Dark Heresy -- I ran a short Dark Heresy game, and the system is pretty good and solid for what it does and its setting. (The game ended because I usually can't keep well enough alone, and tend to go off the rails with the setting. :( ) The other books -- Deathwatch and Rogue Trader -- are equally pretty solid.
Harnmaster -- No experience at all. Is it based off of Rolemaster?
Hero System -- If it's not 4th Edition, it doesn't exist! =D But seriously, I'm very familiar with the Big Blue Book, not really familiar with 5th+ editions. I especially like how the BBB is more or less self-contained. I have extras, too! =)
(Oh for crying out loud! BAD LJ! I'm sorry :( I didnt know it had logged me out!)
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Date: 11 Oct 2010 02:43 (UTC)HarnMaster is not related to RoleMaster, thank Phos. It's actually one of more realistic games out there in terms of combat. Rather than arbitrary hit points, combat produces realistic wounds. Combat between two well-armored fighters tends to end with both of them too exhausted to fight, which is how such fights really ended up back in the day. Harn is also noted as one of the most obsessively detailed settings ever created.
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Date: 11 Oct 2010 03:19 (UTC)Would you like to join in a [live, tabletop**] roughly 2-3x a month 2nd ed AD&D game [played at Paul Israel's house, Saturdays] - seasonally affected by sf conventiuons and holidays?
Or join a Sunday-at-our-place about twice a month game I call 'Agris'? [It's a homemade system most similar to 'Chivalry and Sorcery' ... that I've been reffing since 1982.]
The Saturday game currently has 7 players; the Sunday game currently has 5 1/2 players [1 only gets to about 1 in 3 games due to ill health .... although 1 of the regular 5 anticipates his 3rd kid's birth in 2-3 weeks - so he may be iffy for a few weeks :)
[**to distinguish them from the 12 online text/response games I referee ^_^]
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Date: 11 Oct 2010 22:33 (UTC)Your game sounds fascinating. I'm an old C&S head from way back. Is there a copy of the rules you could shoot my way?
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Date: 12 Oct 2010 03:20 (UTC)So when '2nd edition' came out, lo and behold, they had rules for things I's been doing for years by then. [Thus the rules compliance went from about 40% to 80-ish%]. I really could ref my Gaea game in my sleep. ^_^ However I don't expect the players to be rules wonks ... although many of them _are_. I'm sure Paul wouldn't mind if you wandered by some Saturday to watch what happens. [He's very much an excellent host.]
Both the Sat & Sun games start at 1pm. [gamer time] At present, the Saturday game is running to about 6-8pm. This is pretty dependent on how washed-out I'm feeling by then. The [bad words] 'post herpetic neuralgia' from shingles half a -year- ago is like some sort of 'END battery' drain and I try to find a break-point in the game before becoming totally exhausted.
The current Saturday campaign has the players on a variation of Chaosium's 'Stormbringer' world. My Gaea world - and the PCs have learned at least 1 other world [Oerth] - have been 'gating' into wild places in Vilmir kingdom and stealing humans for the slave trade. Oerthian and Gaean specific monsters have been dragged along to serve as guardians at the slaver's Gate points. The adventurers are seeking to shut down the Gates going to Gaea. New PC insertion would not be difficult [although would likely be a PC originating from Oerth to explain their ignorance of Gaea/Gaean customs]. Several PCs originally came from offworld [Oerth and Toril]
So you could bring in a PC that you liked from a dead campaign - or just someone you like. [level range rec'd 5-10[ish], single or double classed; can be converted from 1st ed AD&D and would need to be vet'd].
next message is the random rolling infor for a native Gaean PC; THEN will be a description of the Agris game; THEN random rolling data for an Agris PC. I've done random rollers for every game I've reffed [including Harn and even VtM]. It generates a race, description, basic or heirloom equipment & family background that is world consistent [and developed when I had 4 royals in a party of 6 in the 1st year of my refereeing].
the story so far, Agris
Date: 12 Oct 2010 03:53 (UTC)Agris uses a mostly fixed hit point amount [which starts at between 20-36, depending on class and stats; gaining +2hp per level for fighter classes, +1hp/level for non-fighter classes. Figured as: class mod + 1/2 CON + 1/3 STR + frame mod + CON bonus [and any specials]
The setting is a more gritty & realistic medieval setting than most frpg's. Most non-humans are of the older, Scandinavian mold (in which elves & creatures of Faerie are soul-less beings.) Combat is percentile-based (& critical hits are rolled for after a 'hit' is made).
The current campaign is set on the continent of Anglia. The majority of this land has been settled, with a 'new' religion having swept through it in the last thousand years. Think medieval Europe circa 1000. In this case, rather than send an offspring, Havala [a Jehova analog] enfleshed himself and began preaching His own worship. He did miracles, recruited followers and let himself be slain - since he played by the 'rules' and was in a mortal body. He created the metal iron, which cuts through magic and does great harm to creatures of faerie or magical beasts.
Havala's followers have been taming the land by plowing it with iron. This disrupts the land's link to Faerie and drops the ambient magic a lot. The wild areas of the continent, and several outlying provinces have not yet been quelled. The -other- countries - and their pantheons - are very hostile toward this upstart deity and seek to slay missionaries and keep that iron stuff off their shores.
Reiva is to Anglia's north [think vikings]; Gaeland is to the east [gaels]; Siam is to the south [a combination of Araby*, Jiva** & Siam*** - each parted from the other by a lengthy plateau] & Helena to the west [greek] - and has been wracked by land shattering magical mishaps within the past year [wherein about 1/3 of its land mass sunk].
* Araby is akin to Egypt
** Jiva is much like India, with Hindi deities
*** Siam is akin to China during a non-decadent dynastic period
.... and there are Mongols on the plateau
Events are happening in Mirage - the extreme east point of Anglia where mages retreated and then decided to stop. Roughly 500 years ago they actually cooperated with each other and caused a ring of sheer mountains to ring their 'claimed' land, filled the mountains with monsters and made the only way to get to them a long magical bridge that anyone wearing iron will fall through and plummet into thousand foot ravines below.
There are 2 cities in Mirage. One, by the bridge, is Fancery - an illicit trading town that does business with the outside world. The inner city is Dell - largely populated by alchemists, plus a lot of folks who do house or workshop repair. Then there are a lot of mages, mostly off, isolated from one another - working on their own affairs and highly competitive with one another.
changed order of 4 posts
Date: 12 Oct 2010 03:55 (UTC)OERTH = can handle higher level, more multiversal PCs. Will vet PCs [to 12th single class, 8th double class; just send - and be prepared for some items &/or abilities to languish in 'Customs'].
WARREN GAMES: QUESTS, WILDERLANDS, OERTH & GAEA:
To roll a character for these games, follow the sequence given exactly -- record the numbers in order & dice sized and send them in a message back
to me ASAP. [As separate figures, do not add them up ^_^]
Please state what sex of character you would like to play (male or female). If you neglect to do so, the default sex of the character is male.
Note - there is a random roll for character race. You can choose to be a human or halfling but world demographics prevent _choice_ of any other Gaean race.
Roll percentiles (3 times): ; ; ;
percentiles (4 times): ; ; ; ;
percentiles (8 times): ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;
percentiles (2 times): ; ;
a D20 (2 times): ; ;
percentiles (2 times): ; ;
a D20 (4 times): ; ; ; ;
a D6
percentiles
percentiles (2 times): ; ;
a D20 (2 times): ; ;
a D20 (2 times): ; ;
a D4
a D8
a D12 & a D6: ;
percentiles (2 times): ; ;
percentiles (2 times): ; ;
& percentiles (10 times: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;
Now roll 24 D6, throw out the lowest 3 dice of the 24. Arrange the remaining 21 dice into 7 sets of statistics (Str, Int, Wis, Dex, Con, Char, Comliness). This should allow you to qualify for whatever class you desire. The ref reserves the right to laugh at outrageously high statistics (or rerolling the total 24 if it seems necessary).
Choose sex, class & alignment. Humans may double-class with 16+ in the prime reqs of the class(s) desired. (non-humans also need 16+ to qualify for double-classing.)
then agris rolls
Date: 12 Oct 2010 03:56 (UTC)Roll 8 percentile numbers-- , , , , , , , , ;
Roll 8 percentile numbers-- , , , , , , , , ;
Roll 4 D20 numbers-- , , , ;
Roll 2 D30 numbers-- ;
Roll 2 D6 numbers-- , ;
Roll a D12 & a D6-- , ;
Roll 3 percentile numbers-- , , ;
Roll 2 percentile numbers-- , ;
roll another % number-- ;
Roll 2 D20s-- , ;
roll 3 % numbers-- , , ;
roll 3 D20 numbers-- , , ;
roll 4 more % numbers-- , , , ;
roll 2 more % numbers-- , ;
roll 10 % numbers-- , , , , , , , , , ;
roll 10 % numbers-- , , , , , , , , , ;
Generate 8 Stat numbers. Roll 28 d6 and drop the lowest 4 dice -- then assemble the remaining 24 dice into 8 sets of stats (3 dice in each group). The stats are: Strength, Intelligence, Piety, Dexterity, Constitution, Voice, Willforce & Comliness
(Charisma is a figured statistic, all stats except STR & CON summed and divided, .5 rounds up; modifiers for class and exceptionally high or low stats).
Classes are:
Fighter (Str=main req);
Cleric (Piety=main req);
Thief (Dex=main req);
Assassin (Str, Dex--mins 13+);
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Roll 8 percentile numbers-- , , , , , , , , ;
Roll 8 percentile numbers-- , , , , , , , , ;
Roll 4 D20 numbers-- , , , ;
Roll 2 D30 numbers-- ;
Roll 2 D6 numbers-- , ;
Roll a D12 & a D6-- , ;
Roll 3 percentile numbers-- , , ;
Roll 2 percentile numbers-- , ;
roll another % number-- ;
Roll 2 D20s-- , ;
roll 3 % numbers-- , , ;
roll 3 D20 numbers-- , , ;
roll 4 more % numbers-- , , , ;
roll 2 more % numbers-- , ;
roll 10 % numbers-- , , , , , , , , , ;
roll 10 % numbers-- , , , , , , , , , ;
Generate 8 Stat numbers. Roll 28 d6 and drop the lowest 4 dice -- then assemble the remaining 24 dice into 8 sets of stats (3 dice in each group). The stats are: Strength, Intelligence, Piety, Dexterity, Constitution, Voice, Willforce & Comliness
(Charisma is a figured statistic, all stats except STR & CON summed and divided, .5 rounds up; modifiers for class and exceptionally high or low stats).
Classes are:
Fighter (Str=main req);
Cleric (Piety=main req);
Thief (Dex=main req);
Assassin (Str, Dex--mins 13+);
<<sub-class ninja (Str & Dex 13+, Int, Con, Will 15)>>
Bard (Voice, Dex, Con--mins 13+);
Paladin (Str, Piety, Charisma--mins of 15+);
Ranger (Str, Dex, Const--mins 15+);
Mage (Int, Const, Willforce--mins 16+)
Mages use spell points, figured from the sum of their prime reqs/4 for 1st level - and start as very, very weak characters
Clerics use dialog-based prayer [with bonuses given for witty prayers/optional sacrifices offered]; prayers cost a varying percentage-amount from a small pool of clerical favor that resets each day.
other note
Date: 12 Oct 2010 03:59 (UTC)standard email = melchar [at] gmail.com
phone = 408/371-5962
I have a lot of files entered in for Agris - but not enough to be a real'players handbook'; I can send you a 'houserules' for Gaea [thru email, since it's quite a few pages]. Will do that next.
no subject
Date: 11 Oct 2010 02:15 (UTC)no subject
Date: 11 Oct 2010 02:44 (UTC)no subject
Date: 11 Oct 2010 02:58 (UTC)Currently I play mostly D&D3e (not 4e, which I don't consider to be D&D at all) and an AMBER-derived mostly-diceless system-without-much-system. The latter is what I'm running my Harry Potter campaign in. I'm being a bit more systematic with my Star Wars game.
no subject
Date: 11 Oct 2010 03:09 (UTC)no subject
Date: 11 Oct 2010 11:44 (UTC)no subject
Date: 11 Oct 2010 12:24 (UTC)GURPS is really best suited to more "exceptional human" level games. I could easily see doing a good Lensman game under Hero.
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Date: 11 Oct 2010 10:01 (UTC)I did like the idea that D20 would let me intersect Traveller, B5 & Conan and even Starship Troopers.
However, now, I'm resurrecting my old Chivalry and Sorcery books to frame an infrastructure for some stories I'm writing.
Sadly, I'm too far away (by several states) to participate in a regular game and the locals seem to have divided up based on family requirements.