Pual's page

Sorry Richard, Bill and all but unfortunately, after having to spend 400 quid on a fridge freezer as apparently ice cream is more important than Dungeons and dragons, I'm going to have to sit this Kickstarter out.

A Ladder from pretty much any game

Plenty of games have combat as a secondary focus (fate, gumshoe, call of Cthulhu, ads magica...). As a general rule they seem to be stat-lite (except CoC)

I was told we had to get plants and furniture for the garden so couldnt afford the $80 shipping costs

Another old TSR product: emirates of ylarum

In addition to the above:
Many 3pp companies do free samples so it's worth having a look at those before buying something from them.

Also, check the 3pp authors, they may have written something you liked for Paizo, WoC etc.

If you can wait til next month, then the D&D starter set might be a good bet.

Alternatively, there are various old versions or copies of dungeons and dragons that are a lot simpler than pathfinder. You can roll up a character in a few minutes and start playing. I like the swords and wizardry rules which you can get as a free PDF. Alternatively you could buy PDFs of the D&D basic set and keep on the borderlands on dndclassics.

The level limits on Demi-humans were a hold over from the earlier editions where they were more powerful than humans. You could argue that this difference had been lessened by 2e. However, as noted in the swords and wizardry rule book, the level limits are part of a package that genuinely distinguish between human and Demi-human characters.

One of the problems with 2e was that it was essentially just an official home brew version of 1e so there wasn't a great reason to "upgrade " for some. And then people who were willing to upgrade probably upgraded to 3e so 2e probably doesn't have the same numbers of enthusiasts that the older versions of D&D have.

Stefan Hill wrote:

Sunderstone wrote:

despite the fact that I miss 1e/2e dearly.

Given you can buy both these core products new (or really cheap 2nd hand - and in some case in better nick than any 4e/PF book) why don't you just get a group together and play either 1e/2e?

I do not understand the idea that if it isn't current it isn't playable?*

I give everyone my word that the CIA or FBI will not (at the urging of Hasbro of course) arrest you for playing an out of print game. And you can quote me.

*I am assuming that games are face to face. Perhaps wrongly.

A few reasons...

1) Finding players and a message board to host my pbp might be difficult, I don't normally roam outside of Paizo and Goodman forums. Probably the most fixable example though.
2) I like playing something current with robust module support.
3) Prep time in general, mapping specifically, maptools, creating tokens for maptools etc. My time is limited, i'd rather spend most of it in the game.
4) Availability of previous edition Core rulebooks on PDF. I want legal copies, I cant find any. WotC apparently is hell bent on selling dead tree copies.

1) You might want to check out dragonsfoot... They seem to have pbp for 1st edition.

I note that some necromancer books are available as print on demand on drivethrurpg. Is there any likelihood that others (I'm guessing not necropolis) may be available by this means in the future?

I suggest that the rogue class should be renamed to something that is easier to spell, such as "skill monkey".

Stone

it's better that some people are playing 4e rather than not playing roleplaying games at all

Byzantium. It gets left out of History generally and its very cool. Choose your timeframe anywhere from late antiquity to late Middle Ages.

Plenty of scope for politics, religion etc.

The basic D&D world (Mystara) had a Byzantium inspired empire (Thyatis)

I seem to vaguely recall some kind of game or story setting that was sort of Wild West Steampunk, would love to see more of that. Or something akin to steampunk, but actually based around 18th century clockworks (which could get amazingly advanced even IRL) and set in an 18th century-esque world.

Clockwork and Chivalry has clockworks in the English Civil War

I'm in the UK and have a print copy of The Tome of Horrors Complete (pathfinder edition) that I don't really need. It's in good condition - some of the corners are a bit bent.
If you're in the UK and are interested in it (for $75 in Paizo gift vouchers) PM me.

swords and wizardry both the core and simpler white box versions are free

if you can work from pdf then the 1981 basic D&D rules are a good option that you can actually buy.

I also like the swords and wizardry rules but have never run it.

i reckon he never actually existed - he was just a gnome stood on another gnome's shoulders in a long coat

I always thought the old D&D module "Night's Dark Terror" was an excellent low level campaign

Although I've not actually played it, the Kingdom and Commonwealth campaign for Clockwork & Chivalry also seems to be pretty good.

Added the following update:

**UPDATE: August 17th**
All of our standard shipments that did not have any issues have gone out!

Thank you

Lets see, anyone remember any of the adventuring women in Conan the Barbarian or Conan the Destroyer? Or for that matter any of oh...a hundred movies of the sword and sorcery genre? Scantily clad warrior women is nothing new. Honestly, who cares? She is far more clothed than many of those women.

- Gauss

The problem with comments like this is, to people who find this image sexist, you are basically saying "this sexism is ok because it is less sexist than other things"

Havelock Vetinari

I'd suggest that if you wanted to keep playing with these people then the DM probably has to "man up" and change the adventures - move some of the secret doors, treasures, monsters etc. around and change them to kee[ the "cheaters" on their toes..

These threads always make me laugh - everybody says they want an AP in space (or Numeria) but nobody says what the AP should be about - Kingmaker... in space? A mystery... in space? A quest for artifacts... in space? A big dungeon full of goblins.... in space?

Isn't there also the issue (alluded to by James Jacobs elsewhere) that producing the hardback version of RotRL has drawn resources away from producing new APs.

LW: Lawful Wood

not that any initiative rules ever make much sense - if you're so much quicker than fatty why don't you get more attacks?

Snorter wrote:

+ The very idea that anyone would even consider the possibility of 'group initiative' makes my head spin. If I'm playing a Dex 19 elf, I fail to see why I should go last in the round, simply because I chose to befriend Fatty McPieFace(Dex 3), prior to travelling into the dungeon.

Or, conversely, why Fatty and his friends should ignore their rotundness and lack of agility, due to having made friends with me.

Jerry Wright 307 wrote:

I do want to point out that you can roll a 1 on the d20 in the same round Fatty rolls a 20... :)

True, but that reflects that individual failing, at that one moment, to be aware of their surroundings, rather than being forever slowed down by association with Fatty (who, if he rolled a 20 for initiative, probably just happened to be looking in the right direction, thinking he could smell a pie...).

You have to remember that in 1st edition each round lasted 1 minute and was meant to include lots of ripostes, parries etc. and 1 (or however many multiple attacks) actual chance of hitting so going before Fatty because you're quicker doesn't really make a lot of sense..

Would be a better idea if they also made the pdf's of old versions available again...

PF 2e is a stupid idea now. In fact, PF 2e will probably be a stupid idea if it ever happens, unless it's just an updated version with some rules explained better.

We have different definitions of "bizarre" then. It doesn't mean "how the very first role playing game was" to me at all.

Just because it always used to be done that way doesn't make it not bizarre

Pual wrote:

Keltoi wrote:

Pual wrote:

I, personally, would love to see something simpler than 3rd edition - something more like the old basic D&D - but I just don't think that the hobby can support 3 different editions (PF/3rd, 4th and 4th) of one game

I was actually wondering this, I started playing D&D from 2nd edition and never played the original game.

When I first saw this announcement I was thinking that they might go back to the beginning.

I have no idea what the original game was like, so I don't know how realistic a choice it would be.

See Swords and Wizardry for a "clone" of the original D&D and Labyrinth Lord for a "clone" of Basic D&D. I believe they both have free PDFs of the rules. Some of the rules are a bit bizarre (Armor class and races as classes)and the classes weren't balanced. However, they were less rules heavy than 3rd edition.

"Bizarre"? Or how the game was until AD&D was released? And AC worked that way until 3rd Edition. i.e. most of the existence of D&D to date.

yeah - better AC is a lower number - bizarre. same as hitpoints are bizarre. same as alignment is bizarre.

Pual wrote:

I, personally, would love to see something simpler than 3rd edition - something more like the old basic D&D - but I just don't think that the hobby can support 3 different editions (PF/3rd, 4th and 4th) of one game

I was actually wondering this, I started playing D&D from 2nd edition and never played the original game.

When I first saw this announcement I was thinking that they might go back to the beginning.

I have no idea what the original game was like, so I don't know how realistic a choice it would be.

See Swords and Wizardry for a "clone" of the original D&D and Labyrinth Lord for a "clone" of Basic D&D. I believe they both have free PDFs of the rules. Some of the rules are a bit bizarre (Armor class and races as classes)and the classes weren't balanced. However, they were less rules heavy than 3rd edition.

Pual wrote:

Whilst I am interested to see what 5e turns out like and I wish them well with it, do we really need yet another version of D&D?

Since I am unhappy with 3rd Edition (about things so fundamental that Pathfinder doesn't change it a bit) and never wanted to play 4th Edition, I very much welcome abandoning 4th Edition so quickly and giving it a new try with a 5th.

For people like me, who would like to see a new attempt in making 3rd Edition easier to play, it is a very nice thing.

I, personally, would love to see something simpler than 3rd edition - something more like the old basic D&D - but I just don't think that the hobby can support 3 different editions (PF/3rd, 4th and 4th) of one game

Whilst I am interested to see what 5e turns out like and I wish them well with it, do we really need yet another version of D&D?

better yet, as you are a rogue, steal the cage.

and shoot his bat

How about building a 30foot diameter adamantium cage and standing in the middle of it (out of range of his lance) and then shooting him with arrows until he dies or gets bored and goes away?

I have resolved that this year I will not to spend any of my money on sequels to or remakes of anything.

Sissyl wrote:

This will be controversial... I really think A Song of Ice and Fire has gotten its death toll on characters overhyped.

Maybe, but

** spoiler omitted **

There are other kind of shocker moments, of course, but that one I think remains the biggest gut punch because you just don't see it coming.

You say that but I can't really remember being that surprised by it at all. I think I had always

Recommending books where everybody dies at the end is a little bit like recommending films where the woman is actually a man (i.e. it rather spoils it) but... the following authors may be of interest:

HP Lovecraft
Alan Moore
Iain Banks

TOZ wrote:

I'm Evil Good.

I'm neutrally neutral.

I'm good-bad but i'm not evil

"One golfer a year is hit by lightning. This may be the only evidence we have of God's existence." - Steve Aylett

"In America fundamentalist Christians believe the world was created 6,000 years ago - in England people drink in bars that are older than that." - Steve Aylett

"You know how I define the economic and social classes in this country? The upper class keeps all of the money, pays none of the taxes. The middle class pays all of the taxes, does all of the work. The poor are there... just to scare the s+$! out of the middle class. Keep 'em showing up at those jobs." -- George Carlin

TBH You could fill an entire thread just of Carlin quotes, e.g.

"The very existence of flame-throwers proves that some time, somewhere, someone said to themselves, You know, I want to set those people over there on fire, but I'm just not close enough to get the job done. "

I'll have a Blue Smurf-mas without you
I'll be so blue thinking about you
Decorations of red on a blue Smurf-mastree
Won't be the same dear, if you're not here with me

I'll have a Blue Smurf-mas that's certain
And when that blue heartache starts hurtin'
You'll be doin' all right, with your Smurf-mas of white,
But I'll have a blue, blue Smurf-mas

No

As you know Sturgeon's law states that 90% of everything is crap? Well, in my opinion, the problem with Fantasy fiction is that 90% of the other 10% is also crap as well..

My sister-in-law aquired a large number of fantasy books for me to read when I was sick last year and they were all dreadful (except for one by Guy Gavriel Kay)

While I would generally recommend The Deed of Paksenarrion, that might not be what you're looking for—while the main character is a very strong woman,

** spoiler omitted **
So that might not be what you're looking for (though Elizabeth Moon at least treats her characters with empathy, treating rape as abuse of power, and as real violence, instead of treating it as a magical source of inner strength or a cheap way to motivate the menfolk).

If you're looking for fantasy books with strong female characters where sexual violence is simply off the table, Emma Bull's War for the Oaks might fit the bill—the story of a guitarist who gets sucked into a battle between opposing fey courts.

I never read the original series but i did read the a recent sequel to it where nothing noteworthy actually happened in the entire book.