Kind of copying and pasting myself from an older thread.
People of good alignments can easily make bad decisions in times of extreme fear and stress that end up haunting them for the rest of their lives. If you've ever listened to stories from WWII vets about what they did in the war, you'll get what I mean. I've seen interviews where old men break down in tears recounting events where they killed enemy soldiers who have surrendered because they were afraid that person would kill them or their buddies later of if he was cut loose. They deeply regret that their actions, but saw no other alliterative. It doesn't make them evil so much as mark them as human beings that reacted to some of the most extreme circumstances a person can experience.
The situation in this thread isn't the same thing, but similar. Killing like this is something that will usually catch up to a person with a conscience.
Instead of an alignment change, something like having a character make a will save, adding in a sliding difficulty based on stress factors from the day, before they go to sleep would be an interesting mechanic. If they fail, they have a regret fueled nightmare that leaves them fatigued the next day.

I heard Paul Hogan say this once. I paraphrased it.
Americans and Australians are partners in crime. The ones quick enough to get away went to America. The ones who got caught were sent to Australia.

An low charisma character from a prankster race? Try watching clips from The Tom Green show from the late 90s. Following it too closely might make your fellow players and DM really hate you though.

I was pretty much already interested in things like mythology, other cultures, science, and especially history when I started playing RPGs. What RPGS add to that mix was inspiring me to ask "Why?" a helluva lot more about all things.

Instead of doing a, "That never happened," sort of thing. You could turn it into an adventure. Maybe an angry sea god or goddess was angered over his greed and desire to rob their ghost ship that happened to be carrying one of the deity's most cherished artifacts. Now, the other PCs have to go to the bottom of the sea and help Frank escape.

My two bits.
First. No one will know a character better than the person who created it and plays it. That said Icyshadow, whatever alignment you feel she should have is most likely the alignment she should have. You don't necessarily have to dismiss all the above advice, but you still know best. Trust your gut. This especially applies for characters, like yours, with a complex psychology the alignment mechanic wasn't really made to deal with.
Second. Make sure your GM agrees with your reasoning. While you feel that she's NG, your GM may see your character's reveling in the suffering of others as a ZIP code square in the middle of Evilsburg. But if he or she agrees with your line of thinking, go for it.

The incarnation of CoC I played a decade ago was pretty easy to learn, but I don't know about the newer editions. The quickstart PDF would probably answer that though. Back then, the skills were a little clunky and character creation was very random, as in the dice pretty much decided what you got to play.
If you wanted to go more hero than horror, you could just keep it fantasy using Pathfinder and the d20 Call of Cthuluhu game from a few years ago.
My best advice is to learn what you can, follow your instincts, and see what your players want to do.

Thanks, Malag. I hope you find it useful.

I think that people of good alignments can easily make bad decisions in times of extreme fear and stress that end up haunting them for the rest of their lives. If you've ever listened to stories from WWII vets about what they did in the war, you'll get what I mean. I've seen interviews where old men break down in tears recounting events where they killed enemy soldiers who have surrendered because they were afraid that person would kill them or their buddies later of if he was cut loose. They deeply regret that their actions, but saw no other alliterative. It doesn't make them evil so much as mark them as human beings that reacted to some of the most extreme circumstances a person can experience.
I think something like having a character make a will save, sliding difficulty based on stress factors from the day, before they go to sleep would be an interesting mechanic. If they fail, they have a regret fueled nightmare that leaves them fatigued the next day.

I'm currently hammering out my own RPG system that focuses on giving GMs and players a lot of leeway for creating the stories and characters they envision with as little intrusion as possible from the rules. The basic concept is that story and character creation is handled the same way a writer approaches story and character creation. They create what is needed to have a vivid and compelling story populated by interesting and memorable characters. It's something I've wanted for a while, so I figured I'd go ahead and make it myself instead for waiting for someone else to do it. I've found an artist, and will finally have the beta finished before too long. Fathering a little baby girl, school, and work has really stretched out my original timeline.

A friend of mine and I had a similar discussion about the price of video games recently. I pointed out that video game prices have pretty much remained the same, if adjusted for inflation. A 30 dollar AD&D DMG from 1980 would be around 80 dollars today. So really, a 50 dollar Core Rule Book is a bargain in today's market.

I read somewhere on the forums that it's only going to be around $5, which is great for my lack of a budget. PC players already have better tools in the Creation Kit, but for us console players, this is pretty darn cool

I've been using Bing Rewards to score free Microsoft points. You should check it out. So far, I've gotten around $30 in MS points over the last year or so. I'm essentially getting Hearthfire for free. Some of the related searches have taken me to strange places though.

Game balance also depends a great deal on the players,and how they play the game. If a player really understands the ins and outs of the rules system, and is just as knowledgeable about any given class, that player can pretty much have run of the table compared to a player who is playing a class they just think is neat.

Have you looked at parchment printing paper? It gives that parchment look, and is easier on the ink. I haven't seen the parchment handouts for Kingmaker, so I don't know if this would work.

64. There's nothing more relaxing after a long day than kicking back, and poppin' a cold one.

The character I played the most was a mutant t-rex, samurai named Liz. Other than that, I made a lot of cat and dog mutants based on my pets. Then there's all the random characters and npcs I made just for the fun of it.
One thing I liked about TMNT&oS was that almost anything could be lifted from the movies, and it would fit with little to no modification. C.H.U.D., The Terminator, Lionheart, Split Second, Big Trouble in Little China, or Predator 1&2, could fit in a TMNT game with no problem.

Thank you Chuck for the linky thing.

I hope posting a self-promoting link doesn't violate any decorum for the Paizo boards. Aren't I supposed to sacrifice a goat to Lisa Stevens or something like that first?
Anyway, I have an alpha version of some RPG rules I've been working on on my website complete with typos and editing errors. Part of my early inspiration was to see if I could create a storytelling rules set for something like TMNT&oS. It has rules for ninjas and a couple of anthropomorphic animals, plus a lot of other things. I would be honored if some of you want to check it out.

Sorry, I don't know how to do the link thingy.
http://skwervogames.com/

They could give us everything that we desire; our every whim and want at the touch of a button. The human race, by and large, would be utterly beholden to our alien benefactors in no time.

I wonder if she was as upset when Peter's Uncle Ben was killed off. Would that be an old man in a refrigerator?

Looks awesome.

I don't really buy the indoctrination theory. I've seen lots on it, and a fairly good argument is made, but just because random facts can be linked doesn't mean they're actually pieces of a bigger puzzle. Carl Macek was able to combine three completely separate animes into one singular universe;Robotech. When things don't make sense, like the ME3 ending, the human mind works very hard to fill in gaps and find patterns so things will become clear.
That said, if the indoctrination theory is true, then BioWare deserves some sort of marketing/PR equivalent of a Darwin Award for the way they handled things. Also, if they rip the indoctrination theory to create a new ending that makes sense, I would be fine with that.

TMNT And Other Strangeness was the first RPG I ever played. One of the first play-tests I did for the game system I'm working on was a TMNT:aOS style campaign. It was games with a great concept powered by screwy systems that was one of my inspirations.

At one job I worked at, there was a trailer that was padlocked, and the key was lost. The best wire cutters available from Lowes broke, barely leaving a nick in the u-bolt. A thick re-bar was placed through the bolt, and it took a burly construction worker five or six whacks with a sledgehammer to pop it. Granted, this was a modern lock, but I'm guessing locks from a thousand years ago wouldn't have been all that easy to break.

Back when I was a noob to RPGs during the early 90s, rules hardliners are the ones that kept me away D&D. They made it sound like the game was so locked down with ultra-specific rules that any sort of deviation of those rules was impossible. It was kind of ironic actually. It was the mystique of D&D that got me interested in role playing, but rules junkies that kept me away from that source of inspiration. D&D ended up being 5th in the lines of RPGs I've played.

The speculation and eventual emerging of details will make for an interesting read. For now, this is not an auspicious omen for 5th ed.

One more for Planescape
I liked it better because the universe felt more immersive. Planescape also had more of a gritty, noir feel to a lot of it. Also, the Planescape setting was a little more cohesive, from what I saw. Spell Jammer always seemed to jump from serious to in-game pun. Don't get me wrong, SJ was a cool setting and I enjoyed the games I played in it, but it just wasn't to my particular taste.

Good advice from blackbloodtroll. It's a case of something that would have been totally fine in a real world situation, but generally not cool within the group dynamic of an RPG. Pretty much every group I've played with has a communal group mentality, meaning that they all do what they can to help each other, at no cost/profit, in order to give the group an edge, and have a better chance of success in their adventuring. It's an unwritten rule, but most groups seem to abide by it via gamer autopilot. I wouldn't say that you're "that guy", but you did skirt that little unwritten rule.

I really don't pay much attention to what critics, pro or otherwise, think bout a game. I form my own opinions, and whatever some game journalist might have to say doesn't have any bearing on that. Just because a bunch of random strangers write articles telling me a game is good doesn't make it so in my eyes.
Mass Effect 3 is a great game overall, but for me and a large number of other players, the ending is a huge caveat. What we wanted out of the game just wasn't there, and we want those concerns addressed. The video game medium allows for us that want a better ending to potentially get one, while leaving those who like the original ending to keep it. It's a win/win.

I don't get it. I hear/read things all the time where people will say, "If you don't like what a company does, don't buy their product." But when people finally decide to no longer support a company, in this case BioWare/EA, all of the sudden they're whiners that have taken things too far. Must be a timing thing.
As for the 90+/100 ratings the game got, I see it like going to the best restaurant in town, and enjoying one of the best meals ever only to have the manager say, "I hope you choke to death on your spoon a--hole." while you take your last bites of desert. That's how the ending to ME3 felt to a lot of people.
Trust comes into play in all corners of the consumer/producer dynamic. If a company builds a reputation within an industry of making a quality, solid product, the customers expect the company to keep dong that. Most companies strive to achieve and maintain that level of trust with consumers. That way it's easier to introduce new products and keep more money flowing in. Paizo and Pathfinder are good examples of this dynamic being done right.

For the end, I'd like to see is a flash forward of a few hundred years where the consequences the player caused by his or her paragon or renegade choices. The only rainbow unicorn concession I'd want would be to see something like Urdnot Shepard become the first Krogan on the council.

I have to agree with magnuskn about a good fix smoothing things over, or at least being a good start.

Audrin_Noreys wrote:

Here's something to chew on.

I see a lot of talk about artistic integrity and Mass Effect 3's ending, and how changing the end would ruin that integrity. What about the artistic integrity of pen and paper RPGs? I've changed something in every published product I've ever used. That goes for every gamer I've ever known as well. Does that destroy the artistic integrity of RPGs? Am I and my fellow gamers somehow insulting the people who put in a lot of time, hard work, and effort into a published game/supplement by dismissing some of what they have done?
The answer is no. And adding an alternate ending to ME3 won't destroy its artistic integrity either.
The beauty of electronic, interactive media is that any new ending to ME3 will ultimately be optional. If you're happy with the original ending, just don't download the new one. Everyone can be happy, or at least have their concerns addressed, and in no direct material way step on the toes of people with a differing opinion.

I don't buy the artistic integrity argument either, but nor do I buy the argument that games ought to be subject to the whims of their most vocal "fans". It should be up to the game's designers how they want to handle such a response, and that decision should be based on a balanced look from the perspective of both the business and the product.

As a writer who hopes to have fans someday, I have to disagree to a point. Good, sane fans keep artists in check and those fan's concerns should be taken seriously. If enough of those good, sane fans say you screwed up, chances are you screwed up. If you have a chance to fix the mistake, you should. Just like with any profession.

Here's something to chew on.
I see a lot of talk about artistic integrity and Mass Effect 3's ending, and how changing the end would ruin that integrity. What about the artistic integrity of pen and paper RPGs? I've changed something in every published product I've ever used. That goes for every gamer I've ever known as well. Does that destroy the artistic integrity of RPGs? Am I and my fellow gamers somehow insulting the people who put in a lot of time, hard work, and effort into a published game/supplement by dismissing some of what they have done?
The answer is no. And adding an alternate ending to ME3 won't destroy its artistic integrity either.
The beauty of electronic, interactive media is that any new ending to ME3 will ultimately be optional. If you're happy with the original ending, just don't download the new one. Everyone can be happy, or at least have their concerns addressed, and in no direct material way step on the toes of people with a differing opinion.

After having had a couple of weeks to digest everything, I think I'm done with BioWare and EA. The day one DLC that was partially on the disc, and somewhat essential to the story,(Best case scenario it was handled VERY poorly. Worst case, shenanigans on BioWare's part), and the botched ending is a double dose of crap.
I could have accepted a terribly written ending from a well meaning company that respects its customers, or an awesomely executed ending from a company that sees its customers as nothing more than objects from which to bled as much money as possible, but not both. Too bad we're getting the worst of both worlds.

This article perfectly explains why so many people don't like the ending to Mass Effect 3.

http://www.gamefront.com/mass-effect-3-ending-hatred-5-reasons-the-fans-are -right/

Apologies: I don't quite get the BBCode Tags.

Stereotypes are earned, not learned.

I once rolled a character for Call of Cthuluhu that started with a sanity of 20. My back story was that he was WWI vet that was horribly traumatized by the war. He lived in the fringes of a small town, and made a living brewing bathtub gin that didn't make people go blind. Unfortunately, The GM was terrible and my character made it through the adventure. I was denied the wonderfully terrible fate a character with a SAN of 20 has coming in a Call of Cthuluhu game.

I got bored and decided to fool around with the ME3 demo again today, and I found out something interesting. I changed the Kinect settings to the English (as in Great Britain)dialect and it seemed to understand me a little better. I do have a very, very slight southern accent, and the acoustics of my house is different than most because of the ten foot ceilings, so that might explain it.
The "Better with Kinect" part of the demo has been neat from the little bit I've used it. It's a great concept, and would be great for managing powers and switching weapons.

I think there's a used copy at the local game store where I live. It's called the Game Depot. Here's the number (931) 372-0190. If it's there, maybe you and the owner can work out a way to ship it.
I have all the LUG Star Trek products. I thought the rules were a little wonky, but the fluff and presentation was top notch.

At the bottom of the article is a related article entitled, "Why Mass Effect is the Most Important Science Fiction Universe of Our Generation"
Video games have been doing excellent and gritty sci-fi for a good while now.
I may be a weird minority, but I prefer interactive media like pen and paper RPGs, or video games to TV or movies. I'd rather run around as Commander Sheppard, Issac Clarke, The Lone Wanderer form Vault 101, or any of the plethora of other characters than watch the vast majority of shows.
Another thing the article doesn't mention is how gritty sci-fi, in addition to being fairly popular, is monstrously expensive to produce. Often the cost to make a show is more than the revenue generated by the show.

The concept sounds really intriguing. It has a lot of potential, and at the very least it would be something different than the usual medieval fantasy/oriental settings that have been so much a part of D&D over the years. It would be interesting to see what a Benjamin Franklin type of fellow would have invented if he had had access to magic.

Try not to be so self-loathing. We all have our flaws. That's what makes us individuals. Changing who you are to make random strangers on a message board like you better isn't going to make you happy. Think what you want to think, feel how you want to feel, and if someone doesn't like it let them deal with it. Just be polite and treat others with respect. That's all you really need to do, and if that isn't enough for them, nothing else you do will be either.

I don't exactly read through every post in every thread on here, but I've never seen you do anything to garner hostility like the anti-Kelsey MacAlibert thread that was on here a while back. You have a lot of exuberance, but that's not really a bad thing.
Thomas has some good advice there. You can't get too caught up in what others think about you.

From the way the demo looks, Wrex is going to be back in the party. Mordin is also in the demo, but it's unclear whether he would be a party member or not. It could go either way.
And Femshep rules! The higher quality voice acting sold me.

I have a friend that made a character that, at 3rd level, could do 3d8 + 15 damage in melee. I can't remember all the feats and splat books he used, but I remember Monkey Grip was one thing and so was something from Races of Stone. It wasn't anything he ever intended to play; only something he did to see how cheesy and broken he could make a character in the latter days of 3.5.

I think reviving another setting like Mystara would be awesome. The Realms has done very well for D&D for more than a couple of decades now. I think it's time to give it a rest. The realms is a good setting, but it's kind of like one of those TV shows that have been on for two seasons too many.
Personally, I'd like to see the revival of Planescape. It's dynamic, different, and oddly a little more modern fantasy that still has a strong vein of the standard D&D tropes. It would also be easier to integrate new ideas due to the nature of that game universe; definitely better than how Dragonborn were introduced in the Realms.

Part of it could also just be burn-out on the part of the author instead of any real sort of degradation of ability. Writing is hard work. The hours a writer puts into formulating an idea, doing the needed research, pre-writing, writing, re-writing, editing, and re-re-writing a novel is more time than a person would put in working at a normal job. I would surmise that a serious writer puts in more work hours in a decade than most people would in a 30+ year career. Add to that the stress of deadlines taunted by writer's block, snarky fans, overly dedicated fans/stalkers, critics, the fact that the writer may be doing well financially but far from true fame and fortune, and the politics of publishing and it's no wonder that a writer has a small window of when they do their best work. After a decade in the writing biz, if most writers did to do to their word processors what they really wanted to do, it would be classified as a hate crime.

Very tired and near delirious here, so if I'm stating redundancies I apologize.
One thing I would strongly consider is making the science level consistent, and well defined. What would the planet Venus be like if seen through the Nebula Project filter? Would it still be the inhospitable furnace of a planet, or would it be a steamy jungle hundreds of millions of years old? Would space be a cold, silent vacuum where people can't hear an audience scream from having seen Alien: Resurrection, or would it be filled with "ether" allowing beings to be outside their vessels between planets?

Here's an example of what I was talking about from my last post. The article is about halfway down. It's a Star Trek fan site, but they put a good deal of stories about scientific research.

http://trekmovie.com/2011/11/05/science-saturday-mars-500-asteroid-flyby-ne w-element-names-new-et-search-more/

In my years of gaming, I've found a lot of things really don't need special rules. You can just use the catchall that it's magic/necromancy to account for the undead nature, and use the rules for the mundane counterparts.
Ghost ships tend to be cursed, along with their crews. For an undead crew of skeletons and zombies, just use the Bestiary stats for those things, keep them unintelligent, but say the nature of the curse won't allow them to rest so they continue to sail for eternity. Anything sailing related allows them to act intelligent, living beings, but don't expect to hold deep conversations with them about that night in Port Royale.
A ship could be handled the same way, if the ghost ship is a galleon, then use the stats for a galleon. Whatever cursed the ghost ship may refuse to let the vessel die a dignified death, and sink to the bottom of the sea. No matter how rotten the deck, no matter how many cannonballs punch through the hull, and no matter how much the ship is burned, it just wont sink.