tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638993969706011706.post5996606540623453431..comments2024-03-19T16:24:23.777-07:00Comments on Playing D&D With Porn Stars: Another One Of Those DIsorganized Thought DaysZak Sabbathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08812410680077034917noreply@blogger.comBlogger37125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638993969706011706.post-86998924040291854952012-04-14T15:55:43.808-07:002012-04-14T15:55:43.808-07:00I've been following this blog for...maybe a ye...I've been following this blog for...maybe a year and a half now. It's been my portal into the OSR in general and has been a definite factor in getting me back into role playing after years away. The scanned flowchart in this post finally convinced me to start my own blog! Come by sometime! http://bittersedge.blogspot.com/Crawenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09311158169488921312noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638993969706011706.post-36915069851951753352012-04-12T11:46:55.281-07:002012-04-12T11:46:55.281-07:00ThanksThanksAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638993969706011706.post-45655201961142890432012-04-12T09:25:24.614-07:002012-04-12T09:25:24.614-07:00I think you should reread the thing, i think you m...I think you should reread the thing, i think you missed the important point:<br /><br />" player chooses option A (here comes the important part) doesn't see why you wouldn't"Zak Sabbathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08812410680077034917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638993969706011706.post-32179415837324420112012-04-12T04:23:44.517-07:002012-04-12T04:23:44.517-07:00Well, you may not be "optimising" w.r.t....Well, you may not be "optimising" w.r.t. mechanics, but with respect to some other criterion. Which has an higher utility for YOU, but that's not the point.<br />In fact, why give false option A if you clearly want the player to choose B? Is this hypothetical player supposed to be reading your mind? You could be simply upfront and say "in MY campaign you are supposed to go with option B. Are you game?" <br />You know, you may not be stupid, but people is ADAPTABLE once you clearly state the options.Antoniohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17258180992723371727noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638993969706011706.post-47141005175951944512012-04-12T04:10:31.308-07:002012-04-12T04:10:31.308-07:00This comment has been removed by the author.Antoniohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17258180992723371727noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638993969706011706.post-80715005124317981122012-04-11T15:48:09.473-07:002012-04-11T15:48:09.473-07:00Here here! The ability to hack/tweak a system has ...Here here! The ability to hack/tweak a system has always been a selling point for me. This gets me especially excited about the design process going into Type V D&D.<br /><br />Random question Zak...what are the average dimensions of the map/paintings you post? If they were the right size, they'd make killer battle-mats!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638993969706011706.post-12221835220467755182012-04-11T12:27:46.267-07:002012-04-11T12:27:46.267-07:00Hah! Yes, that sounds very familiar.
But seriousl...Hah! Yes, that sounds very familiar.<br /><br />But seriously, I'd thought it was all about "here's this dude and here's what the world is doing to them", it's pretty much the only way I've done it/seen it done, and now there's this telling-people-how-to-play-their-dude business that's come from somewhere?Vonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12583821960347555993noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638993969706011706.post-61178215831365785762012-04-11T09:53:37.831-07:002012-04-11T09:53:37.831-07:00Always remember:
I am not stupid.
I understand th...Always remember:<br />I am not stupid.<br /><br />I understand that a person who optimizes is playing a game. <br /><br />However: a person who plays Sticky Cookie is also playing a game.<br /><br />They simply happen to be playing a game I do not want to play and they happen to be the kind of person whose idea of fun is incompatible with mine.<br /><br />They can go play that way with other people and keep away from me and my taste.Zak Sabbathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08812410680077034917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638993969706011706.post-51579690002716912892012-04-11T03:36:13.537-07:002012-04-11T03:36:13.537-07:00Your definitions of "litmus test" and &q...Your definitions of "litmus test" and "lame" do not seem to take into account the other word you have used plenty of time: GAME. You either have to redefine what a GAME is or your definition of "litmus test." <br />By definition (and I am assuming the theoretical definition of Wittgenstein amongst others)there is always a strategy in a game, and you are always supposed to maximise an utility of some kind. <br />You are implying that the utility associated to option B should dominate the one associated to option A, but it's not clear WHY. Without further information, one would assume that A's utility is higher than B's. Hence the one who chooses B is LAME.<br /><br />Otherwise, interesting observations. :)Antoniohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17258180992723371727noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638993969706011706.post-17206774818264371732012-04-10T18:04:19.230-07:002012-04-10T18:04:19.230-07:00i wonder if it doesn't save trouble to just at...i wonder if it doesn't save trouble to just at some point declare 'beardstache gaming is a different hobby altogether from D&D, please adjust your twitter feeds' and just<br /><br /> split the party<br /><br /><br />but then i also wonder why dudes get amped up about the Mythical D&D Endgame when there's already a copy of Diplomacy sitting on my shelf. with the original wooden pieces and everything, and the DIY approach would of course be to collapse the map to a graph then make a topologically equivalent second map from that one,<br /><br />except greyhawk or whatever the fuckWhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12215651059418273961noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638993969706011706.post-5280478685587446102012-04-10T17:57:40.305-07:002012-04-10T17:57:40.305-07:00I dunno, man. That could be a crap campaign too. O...I dunno, man. That could be a crap campaign too. Of course coming up with your own goal is one way to route around a substellar game.Jeff Rientshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17493878980535235896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638993969706011706.post-75947189972305206662012-04-10T17:44:28.359-07:002012-04-10T17:44:28.359-07:00didnt think i would like it
tried it
didnt like ...didnt think i would like it<br /><br />tried it<br /><br />didnt like it<br /><br />as a design goal it attempts to put a thing into a game which is already there the way i am going to play the game plus it makes it harder for people who don't want that thing int he game (many of my favorite players to play with me)Zak Sabbathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08812410680077034917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638993969706011706.post-78425772924942346212012-04-10T17:41:11.219-07:002012-04-10T17:41:11.219-07:00fuck dude your typing
it varies
"I don't...fuck dude your typing<br />it varies<br /><br />"I don't want anything about [my PC's quirks] either way to be built into the expectations of the game. (Taste.)"<br /><br />fair enough.<br /><br />did that preference come out of particular RPG experiences, like have you played with those expectations before and found it constraining? or is this like some other general life preference specified for RPGs?Whttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12215651059418273961noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638993969706011706.post-8510691380699205662012-04-10T17:20:35.525-07:002012-04-10T17:20:35.525-07:00I guess I want the GM free to play off my PC's...I guess I want the GM free to play off my PC's quirks or not play off them. I don't want anything about them either way to be built into the expectations of the game. (Taste.)<br /><br />I listen to the players but they generally are pretty casual and are just like "you set em, up, we'll knock 'em down". If I see the options narrowing I'll usually make sure it's ok with people overall, but more as a quality control measure.<br /><br />No complaints so far.Zak Sabbathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08812410680077034917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638993969706011706.post-82594075885090191402012-04-10T17:15:55.100-07:002012-04-10T17:15:55.100-07:00i take your point. though it seems like some recen...i take your point. though it seems like some recent games are successful that treat PC traits as premises, and trying to find conflicts where those traits can play interestingly. (e.g. trail of cthulhu or FATE systems.)<br /><br />leaving personal taste aside, that doesn't seem to impinge upon freedom-at-the-table very much.<br /><br />by analogy (and because i learn a bunch from hearing about this stuff), as GM, do you explicitly solicit suggestions from your players as to what kind of stuff they'd like to do in the game? (if so, does the explicitness vary from system to system? group to group?)Whttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12215651059418273961noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638993969706011706.post-69001290379094000542012-04-10T17:04:03.286-07:002012-04-10T17:04:03.286-07:00Add me on G+ and send me an email zakzsmith at haw...Add me on G+ and send me an email zakzsmith at hawtmayle and tell me you did and you want to hear about game stuff <br />with a link to yr G+ page's addressZak Sabbathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08812410680077034917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638993969706011706.post-22482800032030352992012-04-10T17:00:54.249-07:002012-04-10T17:00:54.249-07:00Thanks for pointing out "Neoclassical Geek Re...Thanks for pointing out "Neoclassical Geek Revival". Looks pretty neat.<br /><br />As for the "alcoholism" thing, I tend to buy stuff like that not so I have to confront and/or overcome it, but to have it be important in whatever comes up in some fashion. It's part of that whole "secret language of character sheets" thing.<br /><br />Also, I like the flowchart; is there a "game hackers" circle or something? 'Cause I'd be all about that.Sean Dhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00448732332193499680noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638993969706011706.post-74784375901065444112012-04-10T16:38:30.221-07:002012-04-10T16:38:30.221-07:00I don't want to play a game where I have to d...I don't want to play a game where I have to decide my PCs important personality conflicts in advance. Period. Seems dull.<br /><br />Jus as i;d like the gameworld todevelop in play (as a GM), i'd like the PC personality to do so.Zak Sabbathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08812410680077034917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638993969706011706.post-4766703378327157102012-04-10T16:37:20.372-07:002012-04-10T16:37:20.372-07:00By defend I merely mean, "explain where they ...By defend I merely mean, "explain where they came from".<br /><br />Poor language choice on my part! I didn't feel like they were under attack on any level.koboldstylehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07664185537586798934noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638993969706011706.post-38256671404467863052012-04-10T16:31:31.363-07:002012-04-10T16:31:31.363-07:00is this useful?
---
in 'confront your alcohol...is this useful?<br />---<br /><br />in 'confront your alcoholism now' games (and stories), character is the dungeon. alcoholism is a wandering monster. probably it has a lair somewhere and if you stumble into it the GM better deliver something suitable.<br /><br />sometimes you just wanna run a dungeon! even a DIY dungeon is just a dungeon.<br /><br />and/but in 'you are an alcoholic, go be in the world' games, character is the sandbox. alcoholism is a dungeon you can decide to visit. i am told that sandbox gaming is super deluxe but the can't hexes contain brain instead of swamps.<br />?<br /><br /><br />that's only a metaphor though. and nonideal.<br /><br /><br />plus anyway if a GM can't surprise you despite leading with 'you will have to confront your alcoholism' then isn't it HER/HIS problem? just like even if you've read lovecraft and the session leads with 'you will have to confront squiddy things and a sense of humankind's absolute irrelevance, also possibly some miscegenation metaphors,' a CoC keeper goddamn well better be able to bring some fire.Whttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12215651059418273961noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638993969706011706.post-7128079381759074512012-04-10T16:18:18.420-07:002012-04-10T16:18:18.420-07:00I don't understand why you feel the need to &q...I don't understand why you feel the need to "defend" awesome points.<br /><br />That's how you want to run your game, that's fine.Zak Sabbathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08812410680077034917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638993969706011706.post-11744432544943507402012-04-10T16:12:41.558-07:002012-04-10T16:12:41.558-07:00If I can defend Awesome Points (hard for me to do ...If I can defend Awesome Points (hard for me to do since I agree with most everything you're throwing out here except possibly "lame player" casual dismissing) they were very much born out of convention one-shot playtesting, where most everyone's looking to push the wahoo to memorable levels, as opposed to campaign play where grit and long-term intensity are the much more valuable game components.<br /><br />Old School Hack's current biggest problem is it's low sustainability for campaigns and the AP mechanics are a big part of that in my opinion. But I'm focusing new Old School Hack playtesting towards campaign play, maybe it'll work, maybe I'll resign myself to the game being just a highly effective one-shot engine, I dunno.<br /><br />Also, Scalloped Potatoes and Belle and Sebastian.koboldstylehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07664185537586798934noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638993969706011706.post-27107754218217452832012-04-10T13:14:10.126-07:002012-04-10T13:14:10.126-07:00I have no idea how people play Vampire except that...I have no idea how people play Vampire except that apparently a lot of them do it when they're young to meet goth chicks, then feel guilty about it then become extremely PC and write about it on the internetZak Sabbathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08812410680077034917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638993969706011706.post-46690670924897759442012-04-10T13:09:33.227-07:002012-04-10T13:09:33.227-07:00"I don't mean I want to be told how to pl..."I don't mean I want to be told how to play, I want to start out as however I wanna play my guy and then, over the sessions, find out what the setting does to my guy."<br /><br />Wait... there are people out there not running Vampire (or whatever) in such a way that that is how you play it? So how <i>are</i> they running it?<br /><br />I'm helplessly confused now.Vonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12583821960347555993noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638993969706011706.post-40867186534583146472012-04-10T11:02:50.892-07:002012-04-10T11:02:50.892-07:00The "rocket fuel" metaphor is a super-he...The "rocket fuel" metaphor is a super-helpful attitude adjustment for someone who has a tendency to overplan. Someone like, uh, that guy over there.Rodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10976139843020550189noreply@blogger.com