Pen & Paper/Traditional RPGs

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Arcanaloth

Golden Knight of the Realm
10
0
We had the start of a pnp thread going on morenetz - so let's try again.

Last real active playing I did was 3.5, but I've been interested in giving Pathfinder a try (yeah, I know samedamnthing)

Some folks were discussing virtual tabletop/remote gaming options. I'd be interested in hearing more about that.
 

Tin Man_sl

shitlord
24
0
Long time lurker coming out of the shadows. I've played Pathfinder almost exclusively for the last two years with my regular group, it's a great step up from 3.5 if you liked that (tried 4ed, but none of us really liked it). It's pretty easy to convert 3.5 campaigns to Pathfinder too; we just finished Return to Castle Ravenloft using PF rules and it was a blast.

Also, since we're fairly spread out geographically, we pretty much have to use a virtual tabletop, of which we've used Maptool for 5 years or so.

http://rptools.net

It's a little better for tactical gameplay than some other vtt's I've looked at, since it has a pretty extensive macro system, fog of war and visibility options. Oh and it's free. Highly recommend it.
 

LadyVex_sl

shitlord
868
0
Ohh, this is relevant to my interests. I'm open to 2nd ed and beyond, but I dislike 4th.

Would be very interested in this.
 

lordvanduu_sl

shitlord
213
4
I'm very interested in trying out some virtual table top gaming. I used to play in the 3.5 days, then wife and kid came around and put a stop to that. I've been jonesing for the last 6 or so years for some gaming. Maybe check outhttp://roll20.nettoo.
 

Sulrn

Deuces
2,159
360
So do we have anyone interested in DM'ing? Right now it looks like we have a group with sufficient numbers willing to roll with an online Pathfinder (or anything other than DnD 4e it sounds like) campaign or maybe a One Shot to give everyone a go.
 

Orcus_sl

shitlord
295
3
I think every rule of 1st/2nd edition adnd is still burned into my brain.



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orcmauler

Golden Squire
171
24
I'd be game to give it a whirl. I haven't really played much since 2.0 days though I still collect the books. I get my Warhammer fantasy rp Core set today so will be reading that for the next day or three.
 

Heylel

Trakanon Raider
3,602
428
Online tabletop games are very mediocre. You lose out on the social interaction of having someone at the table to bounce things off (sometimes figuratively, sometimes literally). Y'all go for it if you feel like giving it a whirl, but temper your expectations.
 

Tin Man_sl

shitlord
24
0
It's definitely better to game in person, but it's not that bad vtt'ing with voip. It can go a bit quicker as everyone has easy access to online rules, rather than book flipping (unless everyone has laptops). The biggest problem being it's harder to get people focused, but a good DM can get around that. Don't know if it's been linked yet, but the complete Pathfinder rules are up here:

http://www.d20pfsrd.com/

I'm out as far as playing, but if anyone decides to use Maptool, I have two modules I've run in it with the assets converted over:

Crypt of the Everflame: Good starter dungeon crawl, lighter on rp. Really easy to get into. Wouldn't recommend the followup campaigns as much though.

Rise of the Runelords Chp 1: Has more varied environments, more rp, and is just one of a pretty epic 6 part arc (only on chp 2 so far)

PM me if you want either of the campaign files.
 

Black Sun Wizard

Silver Knight of the Realm
87
0
So I can now register with this board AND have a topic where I contribute effectively? This is my day...

VTT are really the only way I can still play PnP RPG's these days with all my friends living across the states. It's not the best, as nothing I think ever will replace in person, but there are some nice advantages that come with using a computer rather than that usual dry-erase board.

Some of things I enjoy are the ability to handle all the rolling, monster stat tracking (i.e. HP's), sweet looking maps to play on, and with some time spent preparing, you really can plow through a ton of material.

The biggest thing I have a hard time with, is keeping action so quick paced that people stay interested. The thing is that your sitting in front of the same computer that you play super awesome video games with, only now you are using to play a game that is over 25 years old. People always seem to drift off since they expect this magic box to show them pretty things and most VTT don't automate crap (they really just act as a super powerful resource tracker). It just means you need to have a DM that is really prepared with context lines and good maps.

That being said, to keep things short, if you want to look into VTT's that are worth a shit, look at the following ...

1.www.d20pro.com-> Amazing for 3.5 framework, CRAP for anything else. Spent countless hours using this.
2.www.rptools.net-> Since you basically have to program it yourself, it can be great for any rule system...as long as you program it that way. I use this a lot for anything not DnD related.
3.www.roll20.net-> Very lite and easy to use. Not much meat and potato to it but it's still being developed. I"m following this because it shows promise.
4.www.fantasygrounds.com-> Its old, not very easy to use, but it can be great. I used to use this a while back but not any more since the above mentioned.
 

Zhaun_sl

shitlord
2,568
2
It probably sounds a bit silly, but you should try looking around you a bit and you may be suprised the number of gaming shops around you.

I'm a big traditional gamer and earlier this year I got sick of my ussual group, and found out there were two stores that host games and closer to me as well. I've been living here and they have been around for years and I never knew. Sadly it turned out they didn't seem to play anything that interested me.

I am interested in learning more about doing traditional RPGs online though, so I'm looking forward to let you guys work out. I can't say I have any interest in Pathfinder or older D&D stuff though.
 

LadyVex_sl

shitlord
868
0
Well I'm in Cali, let's get this shit rolling!

Also, I find the actual combat to be often tedious. What interests me the most in DND is all of the extra shit; the actual lore, asking questions, rolling random shit like Knowledge(Religion) and changing it completely.

In every DND game I've played, I've always created such elaborate back stories that flowed really well with the content, such that the DMs incorporated my character into the full on story, and that snippet became a major part of the campaign. I guess what I am saying is, it's the players and an extraordinary DM who make the game; "action" such as it is is not a necessity, so long as you are going somewhere in the story.

My friends on the east coast just started a campaign a bit ago; the DM has dabbled in DND but nothing too crazy, but he's a fantastic storyteller. When I was back and forth because of commitments, he asked me to join in, as I was the only vet of our group of friends. My presence changed the way the game was played, and as such we ended up video skyping a few sessions until it just seemed tiresome. (Not that I'm some super amazing player, just that 4th ed is really nothing like the previous, and it tends not to allow for critical or creative thinking. As an example, a lot of skills like sense motive are rolled into a stat called perception, and I don't think it allows you to do as much as the individual skills do - it's also spot, listen, etc which is bollocks. 4th ed tried to make it like wow or magic:tg or something I think, and it eliminated a lot of what made DND for me. Fuck 4th. Thank god our DM was knowledgeable about previous editions and let me incorporate some things.)

I'll also mention I love the campaigns where you encourage people to think through situations; we had a DM that was a master at creating scenarios that seemed really impossible or difficult, but there was always a way with a specific skill or a few of them that you could change the encounter to make it something different or make it easier. Granted, that can sometimes backfire, when you have the entire group asking to make spot checks every 5 feet but yea. The best result was rolling a bunch of natural 20s on an untrained ballista check, to one shot a young white dragon. Best day ever, followed promptly by my cleric dying the next night to two failed fortitude rolls on death magic so I can't be resurrected, what up.
 

Sulrn

Deuces
2,159
360
Sounds like there is an interest, but there still needs to be a setting (DM dependent?)/possible DMs thrown in.
 

Kovaks

Mr. Poopybutthole
2,354
3,142
Been playing around with DnD next playtest, definitely easier to DM, more like earlier editions. If anyone is interested I would recommend the DnD podcasts where they go over the new edition with penny arcade and pvp. I would be down to play maybe as my normal group is falling apart, not sure I would have the time to dm though.
 

Azziane_sl

shitlord
541
1
Been playing around with DnD next playtest, definitely easier to DM, more like earlier editions. If anyone is interested I would recommend the DnD podcasts where they go over the new edition with penny arcade and pvp. I would be down to play maybe as my normal group is falling apart, not sure I would have the time to dm though.
DnD Next podcasts with PA and PvP - there's just the PAX game right? If not, link please.
 

Dioblaire

And now my Watch has ended...
<Donor>
1,841
452
I'd be interested as well, and I think I will also look into the areas around me for a group. Just prefer an in person gaming session rather than online stuff : /