OOC Discussion

[Q.Q Elf]

I'm going to stick with I pass, sorry.

No worries. I'm not actually trying to recruit.

Explaining the game, yes. Recruiting, no.

I'm pretty sure we won't get enough people to make it work any time soon... which should make it all easier on me

[sulldawga]

Can someone tell me what the Campaign ID is so I can link my rolls to the campaign?

EDIT: I've got a post queued up and ready to go but I need to link my dummy Marodin character sheet in the dice roller to the campaign first. Unless you don't care, QQ?

[Q.Q Elf]

Don't care about rolls being in any one place. You could even use actual real dice and tell me what's up.

Busy morning at work over here...

[Q.Q Elf]

Hopefully the rules discussion isn't took boring. Figuring out this system and how it differs from other Burning Wheel setups is helpful to me, at least. It gives me a better idea of how Burning Empires would have to push through things anyway.

[Keehnelf]

If you look through the first play thread of my game you'll see lots of the same stuff, and I think half of us at least had played it once or twice before

[Simon]

Its a dense set of mechanics to be sure. But, for me at least, a large part of the fun of BW games is working out the finer points and understanding how they influence play.

[Q.Q Elf]

I like the rules more as we move through them. Hopefully the next Conflict will go easier.

If anyone doesn't have the PDF, I highly recommend it. I'm finding it easier to work with than the paper book because the index lets me jump between references really quickly. And this is on my nexus 7 tablet, not a full computer or larger tablet like an iPad. I wish they could do a Burning Wheel PDF... Maybe I'll pick up the Mouse Guard PDF next.

(I use the FoxIt PDF reader both on my nexus and my computer. I just prefer it over Adobe)

It is one of the nicest books in my collection, though. Such an homage to the 1e AD&D books. It's absolutely one of my favorite RPG books. The cover art, the foil letting, the type face on the inside, the interior art. It's clearly out of some kind of respect for the old school.

[Keehnelf]

Its a dense set of mechanics to be sure. But, for me at least, a large part of the fun of BW games is working out the finer points and understanding how they influence play.

Agreed. The best part of BW for me was seeing the "aha!" Moment on my players' faces as they figured out some new piece of the puzzle...and more importantly, the realization that these weren't"exploits" or loopholes they were discovering but the results of conscious design choices.

[Q.Q Elf]

Nudge. Nudge.

Bottom half of Volley 3 is up. I've got my goblins all set.

[Q.Q Elf]

Sorry for the delay. Just got back from a business trip.

Checked out some of the Xmas boxes that arrived at the house when I got home.

For my son... a Model 1938 Red Ryder Lever-Action Carbine BB gun (no compass in the stock, nor a thing which tells time). It was ~$25 on Amazon... I'd link directly, but I'm not advertising for them. I have a Bricemount on the way from the Daisy museum, and I still have to order some optics for the mount. I'll probably just do a standard scope, but I might spring for a fancier red dot instead. He wants a "sniper" gun, though, so the regular telescopic sight is probably what I'll have to get. A basic telescopic sight is cheaper, anyway.

For me, I got a Crosman MK-177 air rifle (modeled after the FN SCAR)... like $43 on Amazon for the black/tan version. It just has iron sights. I might get a red dot for it, or a laser, but I don't want the thing to look cooler than a scoped out Red Ryder. Not yet, anyway.

Still have to order my daughter's thing & already got my wife's gift.

[Keehnelf]

I apologize for being the delay in the main thread. I left my TB book in the office and my home computer has been on the fritz so I don't feel comfortable suggesting scripting just yet. I excitedly will Monday morning, though!

[Q.Q Elf]

No worries

Another reason to switch to PDF! I don't have to lug my books around, and some of these new books are bigger than the old stuff. Monte Cook's Numenara is gigantic!

Now, on my tablet, I have Torchbearer, Burning Empires, Numenara, Mouse Guard, and a couple other books. Going to add Apocalypse World & Dogs in the Vineyard soon.

And the Legend of Korra game is out on Steam?!
*sigh* Well, at least I'm getting bonus pay for travel...

[Keehnelf]

I do use PDF as well but don't have it on my phone

[Q.Q Elf]

OMG... I have been reading Monsterhearts, which is a hack of the Apocalypse World engine. The premise is Buffy the Vampire Slayer (the angsty high school crazy shit, not just the monster part), Twilight, True Blood... that kind of drama.

I am both disgusted and thoroughly intrigued by the idea. The whole concept makes me want to run away and cry like a little girl. That means there's got to be some scary good roleplaying stuff in there!

I bet I could hack it into the world of Avatar/Legend of Korra real easily...

The thing is, I don't think I could run any of it here. Neither Apocalypse World nor Monsterhearts is going to fly since it's NSFW bait, and I don't want to get myself in trouble. Definite NSFW in there unless you gut it of that stuff, and then the squee/squirm factor goes away (and the scary).

Just check out the playbooks for Monsterhearts. As cringe-worthy as it is, I can see how & why it fits into the Buffy or True Blood spheres so much more than a d20-kill-them-and-take-their-stuff environment.

Horrified & intrigued/inspired. I think that's a good way to approach a game.

[Q.Q Elf]

After reading the extended play descriptions, I understand how to fit it within the SFW sphere... both AW and Monsterhearts.

When they say it is the game that Vampire the Masquerade should have been, I can see why.

[sulldawga]

I am both disgusted and thoroughly intrigued by the idea.

"When you have sex, heal all of your wounds, and cure all of your Conditions. If they disgust you, give them a String. If you disgust yourself, give them a String."

Let's just say that I don't think I'd want to be playing this game with the kids down at the FLGS. In fact, I'm not quite sure who I would play this game with. Maybe a couple of my old college girlfriends...

[Q.Q Elf]

Yeah, seeing people talk about the game is fascinating. The fact that you can cringe at it means you're possibly the right audience, unlike the guy who was asking online if it would be a good idea to play the game with actual teenagers (though one hopes that it was a joke thread). You really need to segregate player from character when you do that game.

If anything, being revolted by the idea makes it more "real", to fumble and be awkward like some stupid kid. It's brilliant and shocking, as a RPGer.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer was a good show because of the awkward differences between being and becoming. I think that is also why Rick Grimes, Lori Grimes, and Shane Walsh in The Walking Dead are so brilliant. It's adult, it's messed up, it will end in tears. The Monsterhearts game is about awful, awkward transitions in life.

It sure isn't for all gamers, though. It scares the crap out of me as a GM.

[Q.Q Elf]

Well, that Conflict was a bit unfair. I guess I didn't appreciate how strong Monsters Help Monsters is as a rule.

Also, the party having no way to Help... kind of a difficult Conflict for you, even if it made perfect sense, story/situation-wise.

Also, the reward discussion...
So, your advancement thingy is based on your first action in a Conflict?

• Erinas (Keehnelf) - Tested Nature (Success!)
• Marodin (sulldawga) - Tested Orator (Success!)
• Ahmad (Simon) - Beginner's Luck... so Ahmad gets a check for learning the skill, but does he also get a test (FAIL) of Will?

[Q.Q Elf]

*RAGE*

My antivirus (Avast) spazzed out because I am at a hotel again, and it didn't like something, so none of my browsers worked. My Android tablet connected just fine... but my Win8 tablet (which is my primary internet tool) just gave me all sorts of useless "page not accessible" screens when I tried to do any browsing.

Time to test out a new free AV app. I liked Avast's features, but blocking my web browsing when I am not at home is bullshit.

[Q.Q Elf]

Okay. So I think we might stumble a bit here, so I'll come up with a demand from the Goblin Chief, and then hopefully it will clarify the next steps.

I'll need to peruse your character sheets and descriptions, and then I'll make something up. I'll even give you some options to pick from. Hopefully it makes sense and gets us back on track.