Pen&Paper RPG: General Discussion

[Brainpiercing]

My recommendation: Exalted

If you like all the cool moves people can do in anime and HK martial arts cinema you'll love this. Characters start out as godlings with superhuman powers, like supercharged weapons, fists that can splatter a bull to the ground, tiger claws to gouge out your enemies' hearts, jump as high as the treetops, etc. etc. You can carry swords as big as the dragon slayer or shoot arrows to the edge of your view.

I'm also only just starting this, but anyone into anime and RPGs should try this game out.

It's published by White wolf, but you can get a good deal of stuff off the net.

[Eldo]

sounds interesting. Can you supply me a link for more info? Thanks.

[Starnum]

Hm, interesting. I've been a GM for ten years. I created my own RPG called "Ksi". Plus, my other GM friends created their own games. Some of them have completely original systems, like I do. While others just use a variation of a published system. Anyway, creating our own shit is how we prefer to do it. We're really good at it too. One thing that gets me; is that a lot of other RP circles I've visited, have no plot. It's all hack and slash with most RP'ers. That just gets boring. Yeah, I love badass fights. However, I want a good story too. By the way, "Ksi" is just like an anime too. That's why it's my dream to someday turn it into a manga series.

[Arresty]

I agree with you Starnum. I like a good plot in the series. Nothing like badass fight, but some plot is necessary or it just gets really boring really fast. I always like WoD, like Vampire and stuff cause they were setup more story based then combat based. As well as alot of realism. You actually only have 7 health levels, and the lower you get penalyzed.

[Brainpiercing]

Naturally a home-made system and home-made world are the best, and I'd like to play something like that, too. Unfortunately none of my RPing mates have a great interest in that, since there are so many highly-detailed system available. To be honest I'm never entirely satisified with what a lot of those offer, and I like to change rules all the time, but it's nothing I can do on my own, because the other players may not agree.

Be happy if you have your circle which shares your interest.

As to the point of story vs. combat, doesn't that entirely depend on yourself? I mean it's up to the GM to make the story, and if he doesn't do a good one, then he's not a good GM. What bugs me about all the newer systems is that fights usually take AGES, so even if you have a story, one small fight will take half the session. Fights are usually the reason why I don't get to university on time the next morning, because at eleven pm the GM attacks us with some minor enemies (even worse when it's a plot enemy), and by the time we're done with them it's 3am.

Now what's different about Exalted is that while fights may also take long, it at least discourages the classical "I hit enemy A" "enemy B hits you" type of fights, instead it rewards you (with bonus dice) for describing stunts and attacks, so the fight will end up very cinematic instead of just a succession of nondescript blows.

Also, the power level enables truely epic story lines in which the characters actively shape their world. Taking over a small country is not unusual, being attacked by entire armies of the worlds powers that be, playing the power shuffle to prevent that, etc. etc.

For more info look here: http://www.white-wolf.com/

[Arresty]

It does sound like a good game. I might have to check it out later today when i get a chance. In general everything I have seen whitewolf do does add extra neat features. Vampire(also white wolf) is a lot older than exalted is, but even it has certain things that make it better than the hit enemy A and enemy B hits you. I agree with the combat takes a while. I generally unless its serious battle come up with a faster system. I sometimes will skip the rolling all together and just kinda do a stat based type combat. Speed things along a bit. I just do my own odds type fighting. No point slowing up a game for some thugs you meet in the street. Or other times i may cut out alot of the intermediate steps of the combat, and only roll for contact and for damage. Some people liek that some don't, but combat can be a thing that slows the pace of hte game down. Now on bigger important fights its nice to do it the whole way. I need to chekc out exalted though.

[Starnum]

Hm, sounds like you guys would fit nicely in my local group. That’s a refreshing thought. Anyway, most fights in “Ksi” go by fairly quickly. However, most of the time the boss fights are longer. Yet, they don’t drag. They’re just longer, because they’re more epic, and more fun. You know what I mean?

Exalted does sound cool too. This is nice to be able to talk about role-playing. That was something I wasn’t getting from this board. If you’re interested, Brainpiercing, you could change the name of this thread, and just make it about role-playing in general. That’d be cool. If you’re not interested, let me know, and I’ll go start a new thread.

[Arresty]

Yeah boss battles are never a drag. They are like you said epic. They are some of the more fun parts to me. But From what i was reading breafly it seems to actually be based alot off of hte World of Darkness rules, the games liek Vampire, Mage, Werewolf, etc. The character sheets and stuff are very similar. I am assuming since they are both white wolf they woud probably try reuse alot of the good ideas and improve on some of the lower points of the game. It looks good so far from what I have read though. I do like the addins in the combat system that you were talking about. They seem pretty cool.

[Brainpiercing]

The character system uses a system derived from "Storyteller" games, whatever those may be.

The deal however is the special abilities, called charms, every exalted character can do (in addition some can do spell sorcery.)
Charms are like the special manga/martial arts abilities, and have all the stupid names you either love or hate from martial arts stories. Names like "Leaping tiger technique", "Rain of feathered death" are very much in line with classical martial arts.
In addition, there are the special weapons you have to attune to your character to use them. That way you could use a sword like the dragon slayer and swing it about like a normal sword.

The really cool cinematic effect that those charms do aside their result is that each time someone expends essence (the form of mana) when using a charm, they will get a glowing aura, that can get so bright that you can make out a single exalted from miles away in the middle of an epic battle.

The source-books for this game are also very good, because the explanation of rules only takes up a very limited amount of the book, and a lot of the specialised rule books are actually semi-novels describing characters in the exalted universe, their coming about, etc. So you can easily spend hours reading the source books only for their story content, without even worrying too much about the game itself.

P.S.: If this thread does drift away from the game exalted very much I guess it should be renamed.

[Arresty]

By storytelling games I believe they woudl be refering to WoD games such as Vampire. Very simlar basic rules from what I read. I like that style better. Makes it feel more real.

And thats the way White Wolf does there books. Makes them much easier read. You learn history and get a story as you go along. And they have those little side stories, or it will have something written out like someone doing research. Its a really nice way of writing. Plus they tend to leave alot to interpratation. You can make the world to fit what you have in your mind much easier.

[Brainpiercing]

Yes, I agree, that's a very good way to make games.

Ok, it seems that the exalted discussion has died, so I'll rename the thread now.

[Starnum]

Cool...So does anyone else around here GM, and if so, for how long?

[Brainpiercing]

Heh, I'm playing 5 groups and GMing one, plus I used to GM a freeform internet RPG (http://www.mysteryandmagic.com/lattice) where I'm just playing now.

I'm playing 2 circles of a German fantasy RPG called "Das Schwarze Auge", playing two circles of shadowrun and GMing one, and now will probably alternate GMing Exalted with another guy. (all of those alternating bi-weekly).

That's three days a week of RPing, so you could call me a fairly hardcore player or a very avid refugee from reality .

[Starnum]

Awesome stuff my friend! I've been GM'ing for about ten years. I'm currently running a role-fighting guild on Gaia Online. It's called the Esper Guild. I also GM my personal RPG, "Ksi". I do table top stuff, and even have some online players. Online takes a long time though. It's like playing chess through the mail, but it's still fun. Oh, and of course I RP in my friends’ games as well. I too am an avid boycotter of reality. That’s why I created this other RPG called, Reality Anxiety. RA is hard to explain though. It’s not your typical RPG. We don’t just sit down and play it. It’s more like a having a stat sheet and leveling, just by living a certain kind of lifestyle. I told Eldo about it in the Omake thread. Perhaps I’ll go look that stuff up later, and cut and paste it here.

[Brainpiercing]

Wish I could find players for a self-created game, but no luck here.

Well, I can get by adapting other people's rules.

I must say your "Reality Anxiety" raises escapism to a whole new level though .

[Starnum]

Indeed it does *chuckles*.

*Wonders, "Did I post that explanation back at DP?"*

[Starlore]

Cool...So does anyone else around here GM, and if so, for how long?

I've RP'd for about 8 or so years now & I GM'd for a good 4-6 of those years...Although, it wasn't for pen & paper, table top, or LARP, but rather online RP (mostly chat based..some forum posting). I know, what a dork I must be, hah...true enough...But overall, the role remains the same.

I also dabbled in WoD a bit, but not in depth. Overall, I do have to say that White-Wolf has one of the best RPG's around. Their attention to detail & storylines are fantastic. If you're at all interested in Japanese Culture, Kindred of the East is an interesting twist on the good ole WoD (I was actually working on a campaign which was loosely based on KotE...Rooted in the Feudal Era & steeped in the folklore/superstitions of the culture, it had the potential to develop into a large scale, detail intensive RP...however, time became scarce & I didn't get around to finishing the hefty research involved )

[Brainpiercing]

If you want anyone to read that change the colour.

[Starnum]

Her color doesn't bother me any. I assume you're a she, Starlore. If I'm wrong, correct me. You know, I could tell that you're mostly an online RP’er; just by the way you've written your font. However, I wouldn't italicize everything. Besides making your post a little uncomfortable to read, it seems to indicate you're either emphasizing everything you say, which would sound very bizarre is spoken dialogue, or you're just thinking everything. In which case, I have telepathy, so that's no problem.

It's Damien's teal and other neon colors I find hard to read at times. *shrugs*

[psi29a]

Starnum: I don't mind Starlore's font at all in comparison to Damiens. In fact, the purple is a lot more legible when using the Aeolous template which is default. *laughs*

For those interested in a fun SF based RPG, I would recommend Rifts by Palladium. Essentially, it is where my nick and mindwerks and the rest come from. Gist: Earth is shattered, most people don't know how it came about. It took about 3~4 generations for the people left on the planet to start to form civilizations again.

NGR (New German Republic) the last bastion of humanity in eastern Europe trying to fend off Gargoyles coming out of Poland somewhere.

Confederate States of America (which is nothing more than a string of land running from New Quebec to Texas at an angle. About 8 states) are holding of the Xentic threat from mid-west and Canada and fighting the vampires on the border of Texas and what used to be Mexico.

There are rumours of Atlantis of being somewhere on the planet, but to most people are not aware of it's existance..

Russia is locked down hard by a Czarist and at war with China over the rights of Humans inter-breeding with D-bees (Dimensional Beings). Czarist claim that Humans have a right to the planet and D-bees are tresspasers. China has the live & let live, everyone as equals mindset.

There is speculation as to what happen to the world. Theory is that a great war had released so much energy that lines formed all over earth. Called ley lines, these lines of energy intersect to open up holes in space and time called "Rifts". You can quite easily step right through, and be in another world.

It goes on and on. The stories are endless, vast, and interelated. Needless to say, I'm addicted.

[Starlore]

I assume you're a she, Starlore. If I'm wrong, correct me. You know, I could tell that you're mostly an online RP’er; just by the way you've written your font. However, I wouldn't italicize everything. Besides making your post a little uncomfortable to read, it seems to indicate you're either emphasizing everything you say, which would sound very bizarre is spoken dialogue, or you're just thinking everything. In which case, I have telepathy, so that's no problem.

Affirmative...I'm a female But don't give yourself a headache reading too far into my italics...it was a random decision to use them, lol! There really isn't any reason.

[Starnum]

Wow, you are a chick. That's surprising. *Looks around* You may be the only one here, heh.

[Brainpiercing]

Ugh, here we go again. Ok, now will everyone start hitting on her because she's the lone female forum zombie? (no offence intended to YOU, Starlore, err... the other guys can take it)

In fact in an online RPing context you'll probably find more women than men right now, it's just quite unusual to find someone on a message board about berserk.

But let's not forget this is ALSO the mindwerks forum....

[psi29a]

Brainpiercing: aye, mindwerks & EG it tis. ^_^

[Starnum]

No thanks, I'm married.