tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78177104321107122702024-03-18T20:57:12.182-04:00Dungeon FantasticOld School informed GURPS Dungeon Fantasy gaming. Basically killing owlbears and taking their stuff, but with 3d6.Peter Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14246000382321978462noreply@blogger.comBlogger4253125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7817710432110712270.post-57486761771666286812024-03-18T20:56:00.003-04:002024-03-18T20:56:24.077-04:00The frustrations of spells vs. effects in Pathfinder: KingmakerOne real frustration I have with Pathfinder: Kingmaker is when descriptions and effects don't really match.<br>
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Many, many debuffs have very specific counters. You can get stats drained, paralyzed, petrified, frightened, stunned, level drained, blinded, sickened, exhausted . . . all good. But then how do you fix it? It depends. You have spells like Lesser Restoration, Restoration, Greater Restoration, Remove Curse, Inspiring Recovery, Heal . . . which one fixes what? It's not always clear.<br>
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It's not always clear what effects are countered by what countermeasure. I've had plenty of my companions made to flee by a fae's Frightful Moan . . . despite being accompanied by a Paladin who cast a spell to render them immune to fear effects. Cast Delay Poison, Communal to be immune to spider's venom . . . but not the stat-drain poison of other monsters or the save-or-die poison effect from a Prismatic Spray.<br>
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Countermeasures seem very idiosyncratic, specific, and arbitrary. From a person versed in the game Pathfinder only from the video game, it's tough. I often struggle to figure out what exactly would help me counter foes who spam Slay Living or Prismatic Spray. I have to dig, dig, and dig in the rules to figure out what does what.<br>
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It's really annoying. Mostly I deal with my issues with Mass Heal, rest, and lots of healing spells. But even several playthroughs through the game, and late in the game, I just have a vague idea of how to deal with certain issues. It's not really ideal.<br>
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When it comes to magic, I really like when effect-based counters just work based on the effect. If you are immune to fire, fire damage should just fail. Poison immunity? Then "save vs. poison or die" should just be something that garners a chuckle from you. And so on. It's useful food for thought as I continually revise my version of GURPS Magic for Felltower . . . I want it to seem clear why something works or does not work; strange exceptions should be rare and should allow for an "ah-hah!" moment as you figure out why. I'm not getting it from this game, but it is making me think about how not to do things the way Pathfinder seems to do them.Peter Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14246000382321978462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7817710432110712270.post-85983798444925790772024-03-17T13:10:00.002-04:002024-03-17T13:10:08.886-04:00No Felltower todayNothing for Felltower today - we're pretty much unable to schedule a game at least until April. Admittedly that's only 3 weeks away . . . but we don't anything like a firm commitment from anyone, just a few firm "no"s from players.<br>
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I'm more than a bit disappointed . . . I like to run the game, I write more and better when I play more, and I also rent the server so it's painful to rent it for nothing.<br>
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But here we are - no game until April at least. Let's hope we get a game in then!Peter Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14246000382321978462noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7817710432110712270.post-12298178697768366872024-03-15T19:33:00.002-04:002024-03-15T19:34:43.020-04:00Friday 3/15/24 RoundupFriday means links and thoughts!<br>
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- Still no sign of game. Some of the core players are busy and I haven't heard from the rest. I may just have to put the whole thing on hold so I can open up my Sundays for something else until I see some light at the end of the tunnel.<br>
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- Very old Blackmoor memories - thanks <a href="https://blackmoormystara.blogspot.com/2024/03/blackmoor-player-bill-hoyt-shares.html" target="_blank">Havard's Blackmoor Blog</a>.<br>
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- <a href="https://zenopusarchives.blogspot.com/2024/03/erol-otus-cover-illustration-for.html" target="_blank">Erol Otus book cover</a> for Playing at the World 2.<br>
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- Still messing around with my Paladin playthrough of Pathfinder: Kingmaker. As always, it's the puzzle-like endgame that is slowing me down.<br>
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- I don't know that I ever explicitly connected <a href="https://waynesbooks.games/2021/03/04/traveller-2300-three-centuries-after-a-global-nuclear-war-humanity-reaches-for-the-stars-1986/" target="_blank">Traveller: 2300 with Twilight: 2000</a>. It fits, but I didn't really think of them as a sequel and a prequel. But there it is.Peter Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14246000382321978462noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7817710432110712270.post-81946195440336490002024-03-14T21:30:00.002-04:002024-03-14T21:32:42.699-04:00Another shot at Saethor's Bane for DFRPGDoug is beginning the "smoke test" of surveys for DFRPG . . . and is accepting <a href="https://saethors-bane.backerkit.com/survey_stores" target="_blank">late pledges</a>. If you want to play some solo DFRPG this is for you.<br>
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<a href="https://www.backerkit.com/c/projects/douglas-h-cole/saethor-s-bane-a-dungeon-fantasy-rpg-solo-adventure/updates/4233?ref=bk-noti-project-update-4233" target="_blank">Saethor's Bane Update</a>Peter Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14246000382321978462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7817710432110712270.post-43720172861623527792024-03-11T21:31:00.003-04:002024-03-11T21:31:50.831-04:00Felltower: Fun Should Drive the GameI mentioned yesterday that Felltower is just a dumb game designed to give the players a chance to have fun.<br>
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But the XP system doesn't reward meta-fun, but in-game loot. Treasure, followed by exploration (which largely is intended to lead to treasure) drive XP. XP drives PC improvement. But PC improvement is not intended to drive the game.<br>
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PC improvement is just there to provide an in-game reward for in-game actions. It's meant to drive what decisions people generally make in game. The players know they need loot to gain XP, so they tend to aim for loot. But if we have a session where people laughed, and chatted about stupid non-game things during break, and made silly jokes and had fun comments . . . I'm sure I don't care if their was a lot of looting and experience.<br>
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The actual doing of the thing is the fun part. The rules just drive what thing we generally do. I don't care if success or failure <I>in the game</I> occurs so long as we enjoy ourselves. Generally it's more fun to succeed, but not always. And we've had sessions where PCs got lots of loot but it wasn't an especially fun session. Still good, but not, "THIS is why I game!" fun.<br>
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It's all subjective, which is fine with me. I only want objective measures for in-game objective rewards. But they're not why I game.Peter Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14246000382321978462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7817710432110712270.post-43175413816345256222024-03-10T17:59:00.003-04:002024-03-10T17:59:52.206-04:00What it takes to live & thrive in Felltower, Part II: PlayersThis is part II of my series on what it takes - from the ref's point of view - to succeed in Felltower.<br>
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Here is <a href="https://dungeonfantastic.blogspot.com/2024/03/what-it-takes-to-live-thrive-in.html" target="_blank">Part I</a>.<br>
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What does it take to be a successful <I>player</I> in Felltower?<br>
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This is what I think, looking from the GM's side of the screen. I think two things are critical for success, and one, for enjoying the game.<br>
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<b>Creative Thinking</b><br>
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Felltower rewards flexibility and creative thinking. It's a simple framework - monsters in rooms with treasure. But it's not a simple game. You need to be able to look past the easy answers. If you solve your problems by looking at your character sheet to see what you character can roll against, you're likely limiting your own options. You really need to look at the situation in the totality of what a being could do in that situation, and then narrow it down from there by what you can accomplish given your tools and skills. Too often people get hypnotised by the stats and skills on their streets. And this isn't a GURPS thing. Any time you have things to use or roll against, you look to use them or roll against them. If you have a hammer, every problem starts to look like a nail. In Felltower, this can sometimes be, "If I didn't bring the tool or the spell or the skill, it can't be done until next time when we do." It's a self-imposed creativity constraint.*<br>
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You need the ability to simplify. A lot of the problems of Felltower - puzzles, monster issues, factional conflicts, character limitations, whatever - seem complex. Some of them actual are. Most are not. Felltower rewards players who can identify a way to get simply to the heart of the matter. What is your goal, and how can you get to that goal?<br>
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This isn't to say you have to play a simple game. You can't just, say, exterminate everything you face and expect it to go well. But overthinking can lead to issues - wether it is causing yourself a long, drawn out journey to avoid facing a problem head on, to talking yourself into truly bizarre solution attempts - like <I>throwing a key at a door</I> to try to open it.<br>
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You do have to think . . . and be clever . . . but avoid overthinking. You have to avoid the dangerous either extreme of oversimplifying and overthinking. Keep in mind here that when I write for Felltower, I really don't put a lot of thought into how a problem will be solved. I put them out there and see what happens. There might be a key for that door, or not. There might be a clever way around a situation, or not. I often don't know . . . some trying to discern the solution isn't helpful; trying to create a solution is. Sometimes that solution is very simple - break down the door, kill the monster, disarm the trap, grab the treasure. Other times, it is not.<br>
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<i>An aside on engineering:</i> All of that said, it's a dungeon exploration game, not a construction game - I've seen a lot of "creative solutions" that were just using magic and brute force to dig through obstacles. The game is designed to make that difficult and to generally punish the attempt; if Felltower is like a video game, it's Diablo, not Dig Dug.<br>
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<B>Boldness</B><br>
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Caution is certainly important. But there are huge opportunity costs to not taking risks in Felltower. All success in Felltower comes from taking risks, not from playing it safe. Let me put it another way - in the long run, anyone who delves in Felltower eventually dies, unless the player just quits or retires the character.<br>
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Given this, it's understandable that players might play with great caution - this is a <I>very</I> risky environment. But it's a false choice, really. If your paper man is going to die eventually, no matter how cautiously you play, you aren't gaining your desired end - longevity of your paper man - by being maximally cautious. You might even be shortening it, by playing a succession of sessions that each pull in very little XP, very little treasure, and don't pave the way for future gains. Starved of XP, the PC doesn't improve. Starved of funds, equipment can't be easily replaced or upgraded. And starved of success in the dungeon, it's less and less likely you'll want to play.<br>
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You have to be willing to bet the "life" of your paper man. I've long argued that from my side of the screen, I see a lot of strategic caution and a lot of tactical risk. Felltower is built to reward strategic boldness and tactical caution. That's not just fighting in hallways and bottlenecking foes into doorways. My players over the years have turned to tactical caution, but strategic caution + tactical caution doesn't work any better. It's what leads to resting in the dungeon in a dead end so no one can sneak up on you, when neither resting nor cornering yourself lead anywhere good.<br>
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Being unwilling to fully commit is a related issue. You have to be willing to push your chips in when it matters. You can't wait for the perfect time because it's never the perfect time. There are bad times to do things, but no perfect times to do things. A delve or two from now, you'll wish you did the thing this time.<br>
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Felltower is designed as a pick-up game, lethal, on "hard mode," and generally a erring on the less-serious side of the serious-silly spectrum. It's not above being meta, having the world designed to support the play style, and otherwise being a construct for a style of play. It's not a long term, serious fantasy campaign with long-lasting characters. You can try to play it that way, but ultimately, it's going to fail. There is way too much baked in to the premise to undo with roleplaying and heroic characters intended for long-term play. The adventure in Felltower - the <I>intended source of fun</I> - is the experience of the good and bad happening to PCs. It's a meta kind of fun. You, the player, should enjoy the discoveries, the riches, the wins, and the losses. The PC is a tool to do that job. You don't have to play it that way . . . but the game will revert to form.<br>
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Finally, you need a <B>Sense of Humor</B>. It's a dumb game, deliberately. You have to be willing to have you, or the dice, or your friend, do something mind-bogglingly frustratingly stupid to your guy . . . and laugh. Straight-up enjoy it. If you can't, this isn't the game for you. It's just a way for those of us who are already friends to do some activity together that's entertaining for a few hours. It's satisfying when you win. It's annoying when you lose. But it better be fun the whole time. Taking it all too seriously is a bad idea.<br>
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* I'm a big believer in the ability of <a href="https://amzn.to/3V7bogP" target="_blank">constraints to help teach physical skills</a>, though - but that's not the same thing as you get in a TTRPG.Peter Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14246000382321978462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7817710432110712270.post-42083831970835762572024-03-09T19:32:00.001-05:002024-03-09T19:32:01.532-05:00Last Hours for Doug's Backerkit DFRPG Solo AdventureLast chance everyone - two hours left.<br>
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<a href="https://www.backerkit.com/c/projects/douglas-h-cole/saethor-s-bane-a-dungeon-fantasy-rpg-solo-adventure" target="_blank">Saethor's Bane</a>Peter Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14246000382321978462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7817710432110712270.post-45277008587206757662024-03-08T15:21:00.007-05:002024-03-09T15:47:32.239-05:00Random links for 3/8/2024- I played a bit of Pathfinder: Kingmaker with my paladin. Probably because I've done it before, my kingdom management was more efficient this time . . . I basically completed everything of worth to me with time to spare, and now I'm waiting on endgame stuff. That's trickier because so much of it is multi-phased locations you have to, essentially, clear multiple times in a proper sequence. Cool, but I rarely feel motivated to do puzzles.<br>
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I get how my players feel about them, which is why I make mine simple (and no, the orichalcum door isn't a puzzle) and infrequent.<br>
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- One of the Felltower regulars guest hosted Sandwiches of History today:<br>
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<a href="https://youtu.be/Z7rjEz791Tg?si=AasnwiH4Hk3UYtXw" target="_blank">Vic LaPira on Sandwiches of History</a><br>
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- ~30 hours left in <a href="https://www.backerkit.com/c/projects/douglas-h-cole/saethor-s-bane-a-dungeon-fantasy-rpg-solo-adventure" target="_blank">Saethor's Bane.</a><br>
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- And not much else this week. Busy work week = slow gaming week.Peter Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14246000382321978462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7817710432110712270.post-64918271438253186102024-03-07T20:13:00.002-05:002024-03-07T20:13:39.572-05:00Last Day for Saethor's Bane DFRPG Solo Adventure<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://bk-prod.imgix.net/active_storage/backerkit_production/blob/dju428eydirqumg1b6qdpnur3623?ixlib=rails-4.3.1&ar=16%3A9&fit=crop&w=1024&cs=srgb&q=80&lossless=true&auto=compress%2C%20format" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="320" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" src="https://bk-prod.imgix.net/active_storage/backerkit_production/blob/dju428eydirqumg1b6qdpnur3623?ixlib=rails-4.3.1&ar=16%3A9&fit=crop&w=1024&cs=srgb&q=80&lossless=true&auto=compress%2C%20format"/></a></div><br>
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The campaign link is <a href="https://www.backerkit.com/c/projects/douglas-h-cole/saethor-s-bane-a-dungeon-fantasy-rpg-solo-adventure#top" target="_blank">here</a>.<br>
It's about $500 from being full color . . . I am posting this in the hopes that more people see the project and decide to jump in. $10 will get you the PDF for an already-funded book . . . nothing really to wait on or guess about.Peter Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14246000382321978462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7817710432110712270.post-26928036037471796262024-03-05T21:09:00.001-05:002024-03-05T21:09:34.278-05:00What I Got on SaleHere is what I picked up on sale - well, two thing at 10% off and one at full price.<br>
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<a href="https://warehouse23.com/products/gurps-dungeon-fantasy-encounters-2-the-room" target="_blank">GURPS Dungeon Fantasy Encounters 2: The Room</a><br>
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<a href="https://warehouse23.com/collections/new/products/dungeon-fantasy-the-devil-s-workshop" target="_blank">Dungeon Fantasy: The Devil's Workshop</a><br>
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<a href="<a href="https://warehouse23.com/products/gurps-locations-hellsgate" target="_blank">https://www.sjgames.com/gurps/books/locations/hellsgate/</a>" target="_blank">GURPS Locations: Hellsgate</a><br>
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I think those should give me some value I can turn into Felltower goodness, don't you?Peter Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14246000382321978462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7817710432110712270.post-65478695031183461402024-03-04T12:52:00.000-05:002024-03-04T12:52:27.120-05:00SJG GM's Day SaleSJG is having an GM's Day sale from 3/4 to 3/7.<br>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://warehouse23.com/cdn/shop/files/gm_day_sale_2024_banner.png?v=1709072980&width=1080" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="320" data-original-height="222" data-original-width="800" src="https://warehouse23.com/cdn/shop/files/gm_day_sale_2024_banner.png?v=1709072980&width=1080"/></a></div>
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It's 15% off on select items, and as far as I can tell 10% off on pretty much all the rest of the GURPS and DF books I've written, such as <a href="https://warehouse23.com/products/gurps-martial-arts?_pos=1&_sid=58c751c2f&_ss=r" target="_blank">GURPS Martial Arts</a>, <a href="https://warehouse23.com/products/gurps-dungeon-fantasy-monsters-3-born-of-myth-and-magic?_pos=11&_sid=de4a9652b&_ss=r" target="_blank">DF Monsters 3</a>, and so on.<br>
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A full list of my books and Pyramid issues on sale is here:<br>
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<a href="https://warehouse23.com/search?q=dell%27orto&options%5Bprefix%5D=last" target="_blank">Peter Dell'Orto's books</a><br>
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I'm taking advantage to pick up a few items I just never got around to getting. Hey, 10% off is 10% off, to paragraph Geddy Lee. Enjoy!Peter Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14246000382321978462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7817710432110712270.post-49059638858700436942024-03-03T17:57:00.007-05:002024-03-18T06:49:37.403-04:00What it takes to live & thrive in Felltower, Part I: CharactersFelltower is a tough, tough place. It has a graveyard list that dwarfs the pool of available, current PCs. The only real-world Felltower swag I know of is a I Died in Felltower sweatshirt someone had made. Eventually, everyone seems to end up on the graveyard list at least once . . . and the lucky few don't end their careers as an entry on it. Most do.<br>
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The environment is proudly DF on <a href="https://dungeonfantastic.blogspot.com/2019/01/my-game-is-df-on-hard-mode.html" target="_blank">hard mode</a>. It's old school in some of the worst ways. A neutral referee, a hostile environment, and cruel rulings. It plays fair in the sense that the rules aren't broken for the environment, but it's set to harsh.<br>
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But what would help you gain success in Felltower, besides quitting while you're ahead or just not entering the place at all?<br>
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For characters, here is the referee's view of the situation.<br>
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<B><U>Statistics</B></U><br>
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Really, any level of stats are fine . . . as long as they are at least a 10+. That said:<br>
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<B>ST</B> is really helpful. High ST delivers damage. Importantly, it also helps open doors (see <B>Forced Entry</B> in skills, below) and carry your dead friends and your loot.<br>
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<B>HT</B> is a double-edged sword. It's mostly good, but the longer you stay standing in a fight going bad for you, the more you get shredded down towards instant death. Still, you're better off with it, and it's worth the 10/level it costs you. Templates don't come with HT under 12, and <a href="https://dungeonfantastic.blogspot.com/2014/01/gurps-101-ht-and-fp.html" target="_blank">you shouldn't, either.</a><br>
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<B><U>Secondary Characteristics</B></U><br>
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<B>Perception</B> is key. Noticing danger is critical, and finding hidden loot isn't always as simple as just casting <B>See Secrets</B>. You want 10+, preferably 12+, and 14+ is necessary for a group. <B>Combat Reflexes</B> will negate some of the issues with getting attacked by surprise, but won't help you spot an attack coming out of the darkness or from a blind spot. And there are some amusing treasures people have literally walked past since 2012 without noticing because they're dependent on insufficiently high <B>Perception</B> and magical support that doesn't always work.<br>
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<B>Will</B> is vital. There aren't a huge amount of Will-affecting abilities and spells deployed against your paper man in Felltower, but they're all save-or-suck. You can coast on your Knight's 10 for a while, but in the end it will limit where you can go and how much your friends have to plan to do to you when the bad guys make you change sides. You won't get out of mental domination by evil with <B>Sense of Duty</B> as a get out of jail free card. It's not that kind of game.<br>
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<B>Hit Points</B> aren't as critical as you think. From a breakpoint perspective, you want 20+ for any fighter type for the doubling of healing effects . . . although this <I>does</I> double your damage from falls (see <I>The Bigger They Are . . ., <B>Exploits</B></I>, p. 67)<br>
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That said, while being fragile doesn't help any, you'll find a lot of high-HP guys in the graveyard alongside low-HP guys. It provides a buffer but errors that cost HP will get you even with 40+ HP. IIRC Bruce was closing in on 50 HP and he's dead . . . he would have died if he'd had 100 HP in that situation. High HP, like high DR or HT, can fool you into thinking you're invulnerable. Bring all the HP you can but they're not enough on their own.<br>
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<B>Move</B> is critical. Oh, I mean <b>Speed</b>, right? Or <b>Basic Move</b>? No, <b>Move</b>. Your actual Move will determine your ability to exploit tactical advantages, or escape fights you don't want, or don't want anymore. It's a combination of encumbrance (see, ST) and <B>Speed</B>. Being slow will always be a liability. The PCs with the most mobility tend to last the longest and have the most impact.<br>
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<B><U>Skills</B></U><br>
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PCs will get further with everyone having all - or at least most - of these skills. Magic can sometimes substitute, but you really need:<br>
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<B>Climbing</B> comes up so often that it has halted play as people try to magic their way around poor or lacking <B>Climbing</B> skill. This leads to less actual time spent killing and looting, has forced extra rest times in the dungeon because of FP expended to make up for the poor or lacking skill, and fights with treasure-free wandering monsters that occured because of extra time in the dungeon. We've made <a href="https://dungeonfantastic.blogspot.com/2018/01/revised-gurps-magic-levitation-costed.html" target="_blank">Levitation</a> much easier to do but it's not always the answer.<br>
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<B>Swimming</B> - PCs have died without it, and arguments that it's not worth it are really funny when your paper man dies because you wouldn't spend 1 point out of the 305 you start with.<br>
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<B>Forced Entry</B> is important for a party. At least one person will need a solid skill, here. It's effectively ST-based, and until you put enough points to be ST+1 it's the same as just rolling ST . . . but it's cheaper than extra ST for a few bonus points on those rolls and a lot of extra damage when breaking things. I've had players disagree with me, here, and agree but not spend the points . . . but I've seen plenty of doors hacked or plans changed because they couldn't force the door. That works, too, but again, Wandering Monsters bring damage but not treasure.<br>
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<B>Search</B> is more useful than most people suspect; you can't depend on pure <B>Perception</B> to find hidden things. And "real quick we check the bodies" is a gaming and video gaming thing; it takes a while to find pea-sized gems or hidden coins or other small bits and doodads on a person.<br>
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<B>Fast-Draw (Potion)</B> will literally save your life. You need this if you expect to get hit while carrying healing potions. Do that and have this skill.<br>
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<B>Diplomacy</B> isn't critical unless you want to negotiate; since most players seem to default this it's not helpful if your PC does, too. Don't <a href="https://dungeonfantastic.blogspot.com/2016/02/negotiating-with-monsters-common-pc.html" target="_blank">make these mistakes</a>, especially without any skill to back it up. <B>Intimidation</B> won't always get you what you want.<br>
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Those aren't the only skills you need, but they're standout ones that don't get enough attention in my experience, and which aren't always required on the templates.<br>
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Hopefully this will help my players, any readers who in the future become players (okay, that basically only happened with Doug and Vic), or spark your own ideas and comments for your own games.<br>
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Part II will be next week, on the next Felltower Sunday.Peter Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14246000382321978462noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7817710432110712270.post-66038684209083186362024-03-01T20:07:00.003-05:002024-03-01T20:07:41.310-05:00Weekly Roundup for 3/1/24It's Friday, so my work week is almost over!<br>
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- Real-world issues derailed a lot of posting . . . and what little time I had to game I spent on my latest playthrough of <B>Pathfinder: Kingmaker</B>. My LG Paladin is pretty good, but the heavy lifting of everything except Persuasion rolls are carried by the rest of the team.<br>
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- <a href="https://ongoingcampaign.blogspot.com/2024/02/obscure-games-dragonquest.html" target="_blank">A look at DragonQuest</a>, one of those games I only ever saw in ads, never with my own eyes that I can recall.<br>
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- Thanks to <a href="https://3toadstools.blogspot.com/2024/02/repost-this-isnt-dnd-anymore.html" target="_blank">3 Toadstools</a> for reposting this - it's an interesting take on what D&D isn't anymore:
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<a href="https://www.realmbuilderguy.com/2024/02/this-isnt-d-anymore.html" target="_blank">This isn't D&D Anymore</a><br>
<br>
- Possibly accurate facts about <a href="https://gothridgemanor.blogspot.com/2024/02/fun-facts-about-medieval-stairways.html" target="_blank">medieval stairs from Gothridge Manor</a>.
Peter Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14246000382321978462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7817710432110712270.post-84272098144877273792024-02-29T20:03:00.001-05:002024-02-29T20:03:05.209-05:00Barrier Peaks!Over on Wayne's Books there is the first post on a playthrough of <a href="https://waynesbooks.games/2024/02/29/barrier-peaks-expedition-prelude-the-tower-of-mourning-1/" target="_blank">S3 Expedition to the Barrier Peaks</a>.<br>
<br>
I played it, in parts, in elementary school . . . and I want to see how someone gives it justice in a modern playthrough. We certainly didn't back then, although I did a pretty good job coloring in some of the black and white pictures in the module on my original copy. Heh.Peter Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14246000382321978462noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7817710432110712270.post-42530778401098261632024-02-28T22:45:00.005-05:002024-02-28T22:45:52.281-05:00How is Saethor's Bane doing?Doug's Kickstarter for a DFRPG solo play adventure is going well. At the moment, it's at $18,169. It's stretch goal is $21,000 for full color. I don't think that will be a real obstacle - even at $10 for a basic pledge, adding another $2900 doesn't seem out of line.<br>
<br>
Doug can probably speak better to how the curve of funding goes. But I'm thinking I'll be getting a full color PDF when it comes out.<br>
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I am debating upgrading to print . . . but I have 10 days to consider that. Maybe if a little more funding is needed at the end - I'm just trying to avoid shipping costs these days, as beautiful as the book that Doug releases are in physical form.<br>
<br>
Please take a look at the <a href="https://www.backerkit.com/c/projects/douglas-h-cole/saethor-s-bane-a-dungeon-fantasy-rpg-solo-adventure" target="_blank">Saethor's Bane campaign</a> and consider backing it.Peter Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14246000382321978462noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7817710432110712270.post-26992752219054285632024-02-25T20:14:00.001-05:002024-02-25T20:14:06.621-05:00Available Henchmen for Felltower?For a while, the PCs hired a lot of henchmen. A good number have been killed. But some are still around . . . given that we've had some sessions get nixed because people lacked the firepower and players to want to risk their paper men, I figured I'd take a roll call.<br>
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Still around for hire, so many years on:<br>
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Basher the Thug (who is 11 years older than he was his last delve!)<br>
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Larry the Crossbowman (who won't lightly trust a wizard again, let me tell you.)<br>
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Norman the Axe (who won't accept a contract without some written guarantees for replacement of losses)<br>
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Deadeye Slim<br>
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And not many others . . . Lew McTorchy and Marc Strawngmussel are still alive as far as I can determine.<br>
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Red Raggi is the big one, of course, but after two consecutive maulings (in other words, deaths) and the PCs selling his prized axe, he basically hung up his armor and went back to his law practice. Ragnarson and Sons Legal Services still has an office in Stericksburg, run by a partner, but he's not making a lot of delves.<br>
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I do need to generate some more henchmen when I get a chance . . . they might provide some help when hired. The players do tend to want them to stay around forever and ever, though, which tends to grind them down and kill them eventually. A few more volunteers might show, too, if the PCs start bringing home some real loot . . . Peter Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14246000382321978462noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7817710432110712270.post-7497322102130814512024-02-23T18:16:00.000-05:002024-02-23T18:16:22.005-05:00Friday thoughts & linksLinks and thoughts for today.<br>
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- Still no time to write this week. Lots of prep work for work, basically. I enjoy my job but when I'm working and not gaming, I write less about gaming.<br>
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- Starting HP in D&D-based games is always a thing. We rolled when I first played back in the day. We may have re-rolled 1s, because I don't ever remember anyone with a 1. We switched to max HP at 1st level somewhere along the line. I've similar ideas to <a href="" target="_blank">this one from Aeons & Augauris</a> before,but instead of on your Prime Requisite it's usually based on CON, but that just makes a good CON score critical for all classes. I prefer to play a game with fixed HP per level, or peferably, no levels and just fixed or purchased HP.<br>
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This approach might really work for someone reading so I wanted to make sure it was seen.<br>
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- Doug's <a href="https://www.backerkit.com/c/projects/douglas-h-cole/saethor-s-bane-a-dungeon-fantasy-rpg-solo-adventure" target="_blank">crowdfunded DFRPG solo adventure</a> continues to fund.<br>
<br>
Back in the day, we only used the term "solo adventure" for one player with one PC, actually. It wasn't even considered totally solo if you were bringing henchmen (which didn't see much use, honestly, until we were older). But that said, "one player, multiple characters solo" was a thing - <b><i>UK5 Eye of the Serpent</i></b> was one of those. Just an aside . . . so when people would brag that they "solo'd" some module - S1, S2, T1-4, etc. I'd always stick a mental caveat that, well, if "solo" was one PC but a pile of leveled NPCs and fodder you could expend . . . it was much like how the <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107977/quotes/" target="_blank">Sheriff of Rottingham fights a duel</a>. "So, it's come down to this, has it? A fight to the death. Mano a mano, man to man. Just you and me and my GUARDS!"<br>
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- <a href="https://towerofthearchmage.blogspot.com/2024/02/stonehell-lost-level-rust-monster-or.html" target="_blank">This is amusing.</a> Rust monster pets are a thing waiting to happen.Peter Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14246000382321978462noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7817710432110712270.post-39890525519696593842024-02-20T20:11:00.003-05:002024-02-27T18:10:42.722-05:00DFRPG Solo Adventure on BackerKit - Funded!Doug's <a href="https://www.backerkit.com/c/projects/douglas-h-cole/saethor-s-bane-a-dungeon-fantasy-rpg-solo-adventure#top" target="_blank">new DFRPG item</a>, written by David Pulver, has funded on BackerKit:<br>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://bk-prod.imgix.net/active_storage/backerkit_production/blob/dju428eydirqumg1b6qdpnur3623?ixlib=rails-4.3.1&ar=16%3A9&fit=crop&w=1024&cs=srgb&q=80&lossless=true&auto=compress%2C%20format" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="320" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" src="https://bk-prod.imgix.net/active_storage/backerkit_production/blob/dju428eydirqumg1b6qdpnur3623?ixlib=rails-4.3.1&ar=16%3A9&fit=crop&w=1024&cs=srgb&q=80&lossless=true&auto=compress%2C%20format"/></a></div><br>
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The campaign link is <a href="https://www.backerkit.com/c/projects/douglas-h-cole/saethor-s-bane-a-dungeon-fantasy-rpg-solo-adventure#top" target="_blank">here</a>.<br>
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It's $10 PDF only, $20 (+ S&H) for PDF + Print, and $15 for PDF + VTT pack for Forge. I'm going for that last pack, because WTH I like Forge VTT.<br>
Peter Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14246000382321978462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7817710432110712270.post-76405327663689754742024-02-18T18:12:00.004-05:002024-02-18T20:09:41.107-05:00No Felltower TodayNo Felltower today - we had two players, and two maybes, and it dropped to one yes and two maybes. We did not play.<br>
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2024 has not been good for gaming for me so far! We've played only <a href="https://dungeonfantastic.blogspot.com/2024/01/df-session-190-felltower-128-exploring.html" target="_blank">one game session</a> in the first two months . . . and our next one might not be until sometime in mid-March unless we get lucky on the next weekend I'm open to play.Peter Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14246000382321978462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7817710432110712270.post-27088283976475530112024-02-16T19:49:00.004-05:002024-02-16T19:49:48.690-05:00Friday RoundupSome posts I enjoyed this week, and other things.<br>
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- <a href="https://oldschoolfrp.tumblr.com/post/742231389895819264/doors-our-greatest-nemesis-dungeon-46" target="_blank">Doors, Our Greatest Nemesis</a>? My players would probably agree.<br>
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- So <a href="https://zenopusarchives.blogspot.com/2024/02/how-dungeons-dragons-started-video.html" target="_blank">an expensive book is on the way containing very early D&D stuff</a>? Hmm.<br>
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- <a href="https://www.tenkarstavern.com/2024/02/free-rpg-classic-traveller-facsimile.html" target="_blank">Free Traveller?</a> Tenkar says there is. I think I have those books already, but free is free.<br>
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- Not a lot otherwise this week . . . in theory, game is on Sunday! Let's hope so.
Peter Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14246000382321978462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7817710432110712270.post-90082656078963547722024-02-15T21:12:00.002-05:002024-02-15T21:12:45.995-05:00What kind of GURPS posts would you like to see from me?I haven't been posting as frequently, because we haven't been playing very frequently. That cuts down on my Felltower posts and I end up doing other things - like playing video games - or non-gaming things, which don't get posts here.<br>
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I do have an idea for a series of posts, but before I get started, I figured I'd ask the people who read my blog - what kind of GURPS posts do you want to see from me? More Melee Academy style posts? Rules discussions? Potential house rules? Spell modifications? NPCs? Something else?<br>
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I feel like I need a theme of material I know is of value to get posting about while I wait for our next session.<br>
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So what do you GURPS fans want to see from me here?Peter Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14246000382321978462noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7817710432110712270.post-15978409336223065842024-02-12T21:24:00.000-05:002024-02-12T21:24:11.970-05:00Pathfinder: Kingmaker video game sillinessI spent a little time yesterday and today goofing off with Pathfinder: Kingmaker, with my LG Paladin (Holgar Carlson, of course.)<br>
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It's a fun game, but it has a few really amusing things that come along with being a video game.<br>
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- One NPC gives you a quest to help track down some poachers. You see, he needs evidence that someone is poaching . . . and proof to give to the guards. So you know, I, the BARON, go find the proof for him to give to the guards. Okay, I'm Lawful Good, so it vaguely makes sense . . . although I'm empowered as Baron to pass judgment without "the guards" helping. It was even funnier when Molly, my LE Monk, was my PC. Why would a Lawful Evil Baron not just exercise her right to believe this guy and execute the criminal if I wanted to?<br>
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- We stumbled across a few bandits while travelling. I wanted to try using a Fireball scroll with a character who needed a skill check to use it. We stood in plain sight of them, a short distance away, as she read the scroll over and over until finally it worked. We somehow achieved surprise and got a surprise round on them.<br>
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No, I'm not kidding.<br>
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- there are all sorts of cool magic items with cool powers. I have to look them up in an online guide, because in-game I can't find out what they do. So I Alt-Tab to my browser and look them up. It's just annoying. And it means you can't just stay fully immersed in the game.<br>
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- We fought a really nasty group of organized foes, and one of my characters got mauled. We needed to rest up before the final fight. So I left, rested, did a side quest, and then came back . . . and the organized foes ignored the fact that someone had massacred their gate guards and half their garrison and just waited for us to come back days later to finish them off.<br>
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They clearly hadn't read <a href="https://dungeonfantastic.blogspot.com/2023/01/review-how-to-defend-your-lair.html" target="_blank">How to Defend Your Lair</a>.<br>
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Still fun. But video games aren't TTRPGs.Peter Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14246000382321978462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7817710432110712270.post-37612116991436742012024-02-11T18:33:00.002-05:002024-02-11T18:33:19.482-05:00Felltower & the Rules for MonstersWhen I run Felltower, I generally play using the DFRPG rules set, with some additions from GURPS Magic, GURPS Martial Arts, and GURPS Basic Set.<br>
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But I don't strictly follow the rules, even when I have not house ruled a particular rule to work differently.<br>
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Monsters are a great example.<br>
<br>I do monster writeups for myself first, and basically note whatever I think in important and useful in case I can publish it. In actual play, I'm bound by my intentions for what the monster does and what makes sense, rather than the letter of the abilities I put down on paper. If they clash, my intentions win. I'll edit the stats later to reflect what I think should actually better reflect how they play. Ultimately, it's about how I intend them to work.<br>
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It's not like the players get to read the monster writeups I use, so they won't be led astray. They <I>will</I> if they depend on a letter-of-the-rules interpretation to make something work, though, and meta-knowledge of the system to base it on. If they use in-game experience and some real-world guessing they'll likely be better off.<br>
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Rest assured the ones I wrote up for publication are supposed to work as written. But in my games, they're not always finished writeups . . . and I'm reluctant to share my notes until I know how they should work.<br>
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Peter Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14246000382321978462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7817710432110712270.post-20814986532152676482024-02-09T18:36:00.002-05:002024-02-09T18:36:14.175-05:00Links for 2/9/2024Here a few things you might not want to miss this week:<br>
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- Trollsmyth is thinking about <a href="https://trollsmyth.blogspot.com/2024/02/mad-mashup-one-roll-combat.html" target="_blank">one-roll combat</a>. Not one-roll attacks, but one-roll combat. Like a wargame, in a way, where you settle an enagement for both sides with one roll.<br>
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- A review of <a href="https://theotherside.timsbrannan.com/2024/02/review-module-n4-treasure-hunt.html" target="_blank">N4 Treasure Hunt</a>, which features 0-level characters who achieve 1st level as they adventure. I enjoyed this one a lot, and we used it for AD&D and for GURPS a few times.<br>
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I stole one of the idea from it - the twisted wish - in Felltower.<br>
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- Here is <a href="https://ongoingcampaign.blogspot.com/2024/02/mass-combat-in-ad-1st-edition-new.html" target="_blank">a look about an alternative to Battlesystem for 1st edition AD&D mass combat</a>. The article he mentions, "One Roll, To Go" was extremely helpful in semi-mass combat in my campaign back in the day.
Peter Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14246000382321978462noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7817710432110712270.post-84661671129204267662024-02-08T21:02:00.001-05:002024-02-08T21:02:08.361-05:00Assorted GURPS Magic / DFRPG Spells questions and answersI'll use this post to track all of the weird spell rulings I make that don't otherwise have a home.<br>
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<I>Does <B>Wizard Eye</B> have 360 degree vision?</I><br>
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No. It has a facing just like any other character would; if you want 360 degree vision cast the appropriate spells on someone.<br>
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<I>How much concealment does <B>See Secrets</B> eliminate?</I><br>
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I cap concealment penalties at -10, so it cancels -10. As always, you must be able to <I>see</I> to take advantage of this spell; a secret door will stand out clearly, but if it's behind a curtain it will not, because the curtain breaks your line of sight.<br>
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<I>What temperature do <B>Fireball</B> spells burn at?</I><br>
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It doesn't matter - we resolve it all by HP of damage vs. DR/HP of the targets, and the usual rules for setting things on fire (Exploits, p. 68)<br>
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Peter Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14246000382321978462noreply@blogger.com0