Pens and Papers

[TheRaySays]

Anyone messed around with/interested in the World Wide Wrestling RPG? Site. I'm not totally sold on the Second Edition, but I did run a game using the First Edition and no one died. As a "Powered by the Apocalypse" (PbtA) game, it has a totally different feel than most people are used to with D&D. Much more collaborative and driven by player creation/interaction than the usual "Declare Action - Roll Dice - Apply Results - Repeat," but this can be daunting to more passive folks who prefer the GM just tell them a story where they're the star.

Anywho, despite being pretty noob-friendly, the genre does seem to get in the way for tabletop gamers who don't care about wrestling as it uses terms like "kayfabe" and "face/heel." I would argue that shit like the World of Darkness and its super-specific lingo (Celerity? WTF?) is hella more arcane and goofy, but I'm admittedly a near-lifelong fan of both wrestling and RPGs. I'm curious to see if it plays better with wrestling fans who are less familiar with RPGs since it at least starts in a familiar genre/setting.

If I were to attempt such an endeavor, would there be any interest? My track record is less than spectacular for sticking with stuff, but Roll20 makes setting up an online game super simple. The cat wrangling required to get people on the same timeframe is much more challenging, but that's always been the nature of the beast.

[Ruki]

On 11/11/2022 at 08:52, Ruki said:

It's been a hot second, but I killed a character again. It was the same player of the first character I killed....on the same campaign (different story branch), on the same map, 10 feet from where they died last time. It's a cursed location for them. 

 

This time, they were fighting drow gunslingers, who have been barely able to land a hit... one gets a lucky critical and does 40 damage, killing him outright. The party gunslinger decided to take advantage of my "anime level up" rule... snorted some gunpowder, flew down. Two attacks, action surge for two more. Was basically Goku going Super Sayian after Freiza kills Krillin. It was great.

I killed the person again. Two characters in two sessions. They made the silly decision to storm the home base of the villain. It did not go well. 

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

I have World Wide Wrestling but haven't been able to get it to the table yet. I do like a lot about it though.

[TheGrandAvatar]

20 hours ago, Ruki said:

I killed the person again. Two characters in two sessions. They made the silly decision to storm the home base of the villain. It did not go well. 

Is said person Sean Bean?! It would explain how their characters keep being killed. Play with Ruki. A 70% chance that the character will die. 

[Ruki]

In total, I've killed his characters... 6 times through 2.5 campaigns. Another player I've killed probably 3-4 times through 2. Everyone else is at like.... 0 or 1. 

[TheGrandAvatar]

8 minutes ago, Ruki said:

In total, I've killed his characters... 6 times through 2.5 campaigns. Another player I've killed probably 3-4 times through 2. Everyone else is at like.... 0 or 1. 

"Can't wait to play a game of D&D Tonight. Oh the DM is Ruki.."

Ruki: 

I'm convinced you are JigSaw of the D&D World.

Although why does that sound like a fun kind of game to play in the style of D&D, or at least a Jigsaw style DM. 

[TheRaySays]

I had a player whose low level mage dove into a pool to fetch a glowing rod. The rest of the party just immediately walked away. They didn't even stick around to watch him inevitably get eaten by one of those Ixitwhatsit vampiric devil ray things. I don't think of my games as "stupid," per se, but there do seem to be a lot of stupid prizes.

For those seeking enjoyable "meat-grinder" experiences, I cannot recommend the Dungeon Crawl Classics 0-level funnel adventures enough. Who doesn't want to play a halfling baker armed only with a rolling pin? Everyone starts with 4x 0-level nobodies. Those who survive level up and become bonafide adventurers. Those who don't, don't.

Edited November 22, 2022 by TheRaySays

[TheGrandAvatar]

2 minutes ago, TheRaySays said:

I had a player whose low level mage dove into a pool to fetch a glowing rod. The rest of the party just immediately walked away. They didn't even stick around to watch him inevitably get eaten by one of those Ixitwhatsit vampiric devil ray things. I don't think of my games as "stupid," per se, but there do seem to be a lot of stupid prizes.

Ah. The classic 'Kenny' death translates well it seems into the D&D World.

You should have given them the option to come back to life to join the game. But the bad luck of the choice would be every week they will somehow die again in an even more silly way. 

[TheRaySays]

Just now, TheGrandAvatar said:

Ah. The classic 'Kenny' death translates well it seems into the D&D World.

You should have given them the option to come back to life to join the game. But the bad luck of the choice would be every week they will somehow die again in an even more silly way. 

He was fun to play with, but he was the type of guy who explained everything in great detail to his fiancee and burned through eight characters in a year. Meanwhile, she played the same kick-ass barbarian the whole time while smiling and nodding, "Yes, dear. Of course, dear. Yep, you almost got him. I'm gonna take the magic scimitar off your dead fighter, though." All snark aside, I miss them both and hope they're well.

[GhostMachine]

22 hours ago, Ruki said:

I killed the person again. Two characters in two sessions. They made the silly decision to storm the home base of the villain. It did not go well. 

Was his alignment "Chaotic Suicidal" or "Neutral Shit For Brains"?

 

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

If any of you fancy a day or weekend of roleplaying in Kent next Spring then tickets for our convention on March 18th and 19th are now available.

Each day there will be up to 10 tables running three sessions a day (10-1, 2-5, 6.30-9.30) for six sessions in total with a mix of D&D, Traveller, indie games and more. There will also be pre-drinking Fri night and a chance for an end of weekend brunch on Monday morning.

There are also opportunities if anyone wants to GM a session or more (let me know). Hot and cold drinks and snacks available as part of the price. There will be a merch table. There will be GMs coming down to run sessions. The venue is a 2 minute walk from the station and within a few minutes of numerous Shepherd Neame pubs, two micropubs, a Spoons, another chain pub, multiple Indians, cafes and other eateries. There is a Premier Inn about 15mins walk from the venue.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/rpgaming-faversham-2023-tickets-472241295427?fbclid=IwAR1OrslvZd-HUEpysO0oq6k5iIvjEVZbUcsY8AEu4Eov20AYh0oGF0l6_AU

[Ruki]

In everyones mind, how would the following work mechanically in D&D?

-A noir style investigation

-gang war

-bounty hunting

-smuggling

-heists

 

They all sound cool. But I struggle with getting my head around the logistics/mechanics to make them different/standout.

[Krabby]

On 01/12/2022 at 02:12, Ruki said:

In everyones mind, how would the following work mechanically in D&D?

-A noir style investigation

-gang war

-bounty hunting

-smuggling

-heists

 

They all sound cool. But I struggle with getting my head around the logistics/mechanics to make them different/standout.

A gang war I feel like would include a bunch of missions (like some of those you listed) - you could sort of handle it like This is the Police handles it, 1 point for every successful mission (or 1 point for the opposition for every failed mission - and depending on the size of the war, you can also do some random rolls to add points to either side to illustrate how things are going overall) and then let the progress of the scoreboard inform the story.

For example, if the PCs are supposed to steal a bunch of the enemy gang's contraband:

• If they fail, that puts their gang behind so then perhaps their next mission is to find a new source of contraband and smuggle it in past the authorities to even things up. 
• If they succeed, that puts them in the lead but the rival gang is looking to get even and destroy one of the PC Gang's warehouses, so they have to defend it against an attack.

[Hajjhowe]

On 01/12/2022 at 03:12, Rukon Cornelius said:

In everyones mind, how would the following work mechanically in D&D?

-A noir style investigation

-gang war

-bounty hunting

-smuggling

-heists

 

They all sound cool. But I struggle with getting my head around the logistics/mechanics to make them different/standout.

- Noir is tricky, but I'd say you just need to really think out the mystery. Much heavy RP and Charisma based gameplay seems a must. Getting players to make sure they bump Investigation/perception/insight, NPC's who are good at lying. Mechanically it's pretty straight forward to just change arrows for bullets for any sort of combat as well.

- Having each party member as leader of a different gang which they can sort of 'draft' their NPC minions is fun, but if you are going to do the more sane thing and have them together I'd say the key is theming opposing gangs well. You could maybe have control of 'territories' based on wiping out/chasing away opposing gangs, maybe get passive gold or items. Of course an overarching villain against all gangs (A police force/government) that unites them can also be a fun finish to that game.

- Bounty boards and or just have the party as a part of a guild. Have them get contracts and basically run each game as one shots hunting down different targets to either capture/kill. Give the party a cache of different equipment at their based maybe for whatever the job entails.

- Smuggling seems really NPCish to me, but as a player it'd have to requires planning out the cons, deception/stealth checks, some sort of customs officers with good perceptions if not magic to challenge the party as they try to smuggles in weapons/animals/drugs.

- Build out a dungeon with whatever the party is after, give them a very basic idea of it, have them run their own session without you there to plan. After that, run the game.

On 20/11/2022 at 16:16, TheRaySays said:

Anyone messed around with/interested in the World Wide Wrestling RPG? Site. I'm not totally sold on the Second Edition, but I did run a game using the First Edition and no one died. As a "Powered by the Apocalypse" (PbtA) game, it has a totally different feel than most people are used to with D&D. Much more collaborative and driven by player creation/interaction than the usual "Declare Action - Roll Dice - Apply Results - Repeat," but this can be daunting to more passive folks who prefer the GM just tell them a story where they're the star.

Anywho, despite being pretty noob-friendly, the genre does seem to get in the way for tabletop gamers who don't care about wrestling as it uses terms like "kayfabe" and "face/heel." I would argue that shit like the World of Darkness and its super-specific lingo (Celerity? WTF?) is hella more arcane and goofy, but I'm admittedly a near-lifelong fan of both wrestling and RPGs. I'm curious to see if it plays better with wrestling fans who are less familiar with RPGs since it at least starts in a familiar genre/setting.

If I were to attempt such an endeavor, would there be any interest? My track record is less than spectacular for sticking with stuff, but Roll20 makes setting up an online game super simple. The cat wrangling required to get people on the same timeframe is much more challenging, but that's always been the nature of the beast.

I'd absolutely be down to at least try whatever this is. Mixing wrestling and RPG's seems right down my alley.

[TheRaySays]

On 01/12/2022 at 00:12, Rukon Cornelius said:

In everyones mind, how would the following work mechanically in D&D?

-A noir style investigation

-gang war

-bounty hunting

-smuggling

-heists

 

They all sound cool. But I struggle with getting my head around the logistics/mechanics to make them different/standout.

I have very specific and often iconoclastic thoughts when it comes to D&D (and other TTRPGs), but here they are, for whatever they're worth.

There's been a trend, exacerbated by the desire for Wizards et al. to sell overwrought adventure paths rather than simple, concise adventures (or, Gruumsh-forbid, a damn sandbox), and online actual plays (which are most often performances, and not "actual" play at all) to sell "stories," which is really NOT what TTRPGs are for. The story comes as a RESULT of play, not as an ingredient.

So, for all of these concepts, I would start with a quick review of three classic examples (let's say, Casablanca, The Maltese Falcon, and L.A. Confidential) and then just make a quick list of the ingredients for each, maybe 12 NPCs, 12 locations, and 12 items. Any more than that is overkill, and you don't need to have exhaustive detail for most. The street urchin informant, for example, doesn't need combat stats, he just dies if you're a jerk and you hit him with something sharp and/or heavy. His value is in providing information, perhaps repeatedly over time.

After that, all you need is a compelling opening to bait the hook. Drop the PCs in the middle of something interesting. The important part to remember is it is NOT the DM's job to determine potential outcomes. That's what the dice are for.

The DM's job is like that of a theme park designer. You want some things off in the distance where the players can hear screaming and maybe see a loop, but they're not sure what it is or how to get there. Other attractions are right up front. Keep them moving through the setting. There should always be something interesting in their face, on the horizon, and off in the distance. Everything else is just playing to see what happens.

Don't hold your NPCs as precious. You have an unlimited supply of characters, some stock, some significant, but let the chips fall where they may. If the party kills the King of Turan, let them reap both the rewards and the risks of that endeavor. They're NON-player characters. That includes you. If you want to "play" a character rather than present them as part of a living, breathing setting, let someone else DM.

But, what do I know? Just doing a thing for 40+ years doesn't make one an expert.

To be more specific to the actual request:

-A noir style investigation = A macguffin and at least 3 interested parties at cross purposes to obtain and/or destroy it. Think of obvious motivations for each (the wizard wants to research it, the cleric wants to destroy it, etc.) and then shuffle them (the cleric wants it to use it as bait, the wizard wants to destroy it because it could thwart an undisclosed scheme, etc.). For each piece of crucial information, identify at least 3 ways the PCs can discover it. Have them hired by one (or more) of the interested parties who provide incomplete information (either purposefully or just because they don't have all the facts themselves).

-gang war = Well, obviously, you need gangs. Four should be enough plus the PCs. Give them varied motivations. Make at least one of them memorably unusual (led by an intelligant Undead, from an alternate reality/plane, Dopplegangers who've replaced the original gang, etc.).

-bounty hunting = A patron organization providing/paying the bounties, a variety of wanted criminals (four or five should be plenty to start), rival bounty hunters, interesting settings (box canyon, urban hellscape, abandoned industrial area, etc.).

-smuggling = Most smuggling is boring as it revolves around tax evasion. You could always make it unusual contraband, like Myconids who are ground into a psychotropic drug by ruthless alchemists. Who wants/needs the contraband, who doesn't want it smuggled (authorities? dominant gang?), where does it come from, and what are the obstacles in between (a treacherous river, a fallen kingdom in the Underdark, airships traversing a veil of storms, etc.).

-heists = One of the most difficult genres to capture at the table. Basically, just create an impossible fortress/vault/etc. and let the players figure out how to deal with it. As stated earlier, the DM is NOT responsible for outcomes. You do need to be careful to scale it to PC abilities. 1st Level characters have zero chance of liberating an Efreeti Crown from a vault in the heart of the City of Brass. This is basically a "Treasure on a Pole Match." Make them climb for it.

TL;DR. Hope that helps.

[Ruki]

I have to wait 3 weeks before my next Netherdeep campaign, which sucks, because next one is likely the final session before going into custom posy game content. 

[Toe]

On 18/12/2022 at 01:21, Rukon Cornelius said:

I have to wait 3 weeks before my next Netherdeep campaign, which sucks, because next one is likely the final session before going into custom posy game content. 

I know the feeling - my game is on hold until the new year because everyone is super busy around the holidays. The party is just about to...

Spoiler

...enter Berez and fight Baba Lysaga, which could be the most interesting and challenging encounter of the campaign.

...so I am really excited to play again. 

[Ruki]

That is going to be the most challenging encounter? CoS is all challenging! I only survived Death House by the mercy of our DM, same with a TPK by the night hag at the windmill. Sadly after that the game fell apart not long after that. 

[Toe]

10 minutes ago, Rukon Cornelius said:

That is going to be the most challenging encounter? CoS is all challenging! I only survived Death House by the mercy of our DM, same with a TPK by the night hag at the windmill. Sadly after that the game fell apart not long after that. 

They've definitely had some challenging encounters so far. I'm actually a little surprised that no one has died yet! 

[TheGrandAvatar]

1 hour ago, Toe said:

They've definitely had some challenging encounters so far. I'm actually a little surprised that no one has died yet! 

I think you only die if @Rukon Corneliusis the DM!! He does love to kill off character's. He's is known as the George R.R Martin of D&D.