Watched the two new episodes and while I thought the first one was great the second left me feeling like WTF! I don't know about everyone else but I’ve always thought of Futurama as clever not crude so that second episode had me wondering if Fururama was really back at all. The other people I watched it with felt the same way but I would like to know what other fans of the original series though of the new episodes.
P.S. Please use spoilers when appropriate. I do not have cable so I won’t get to watch the next couple episodes until my friends send them down to me.
I always thought of Futurama as being the best combination of clever and crude, actually. I haven't seen the new episodes yet, but I'm glad to hear they're good.
Rifts has fantastic potential, anchored down by a really s@~%ty system. A system that heavily depends on combat shouldn't make it such a huge investment for the characters. What I mean by that is this: Given a party of 1st level characters vs a small group of mooks, in D&D, you've got better than average odds that the players will make it through, gain a little loot, gain a little XP, and carry on. In Rifts, assuming everyone makes it through combat, half of the party will need new armor that they can't afford, repairs they can't afford, and ammo they can't replace. And this is against enemies with only basic equipment and no attribute bonuses - because even the worst skilled person on the planet has a 75% chance of hitting (5 or better, with bonuses, on d20).
Exactly, and not only that but if you want to try to play some of the interesting, but not high powered classes, you had better hope your GM will accomodate you and not toss in the more ridiculous monsters/enemies. Rifts Atlantis is still one of my favorite source books ever, but man you would be wailing away at most of those creatures forever...
I definitely agree with you on this... aside from the constant OCC one-upsmanship as new source books came out, Rifts would be an amazing setting to play in using Pathfinder or some other rules that don't slow down game play when you have more then one PC playing...
Actually a lot of Palladium games have great concepts/backstory to them, but everytime I think of playing in one, the thought of playing through the damned system of theirs makes me shudder. I even liked their dndish Palladium rpg line, it had a really nice, gritty feel about it. It's probably too late to completely change his system :(
I wouldn't be surprised if they ceased production of the Core books. We have to remember that Wizards is now owned by Hasbro, and Hasbro's focus isn't on us, the gamers, it's on their shareholders and their bottom line. If the core books don't sell, Hasbro will kill them.
One trend I do see from Hasbro is, any long standing properties they acquire eventually get permanently changed to make the games easier or more "Public-friendly". Look at Risk, it's been around forever, and most people would say it takes forever to play. Now, Hasbro has permanently changed the game with "missions" to make the game play faster and therefore more appealing. They changed Clue entirely, and they're even slowly changing Monopoly. Hell, they were going to break Scrabble until people flipped out about it.
The same thing can be seen in Dungeons and Dragons. The difference between AD&D and 3.X wasn't that huge. From 3.X to 4e is was enormous and made the game easier to play. Now, they're making it even MORE 'noob friendly'. It's not necessarily a bad thing. It was Fourth Edition that got my young cousins to play RPGs, and now we regularly play Pathfinder together because the PF rules offer us more freedom and choice than 4e does.
Overall, I think it's win-win, either way.
I would agree with you on the win-win. In regards to making games easier or more public friendly, I would say that to me, that is a good thing. I love a lot of those games you mentioned...well except for monopoly. Throw in Axis and Allies and then you've got a collection of games that I have been able to start with someone...but never finish due to time being at a premium in my "adult" life. What I like about 4e is the cutting of so much prep time, so if "noobing it up" contributed to that, then I definitely like the end result, although there are some things that have been "noobed up" that I didn't like. But yes, I would definitely say win-win.
I wouldn't say obsolete, but they have less bearing on the importance of play. You can get by without it at times, but to reference something or see how a certain combat move/status/whatever works,its definitely something to have. Eventually it might not be necessary, but for now I still see the need for at least one PHB and DMG at the table.
But I'd definitely have to agree that online does look like the way it will go.
Trees in the Mist,
You've got your work cut out for you, I'm afraid, but its a good thing too. Since you've never done any GMing before, I would advise you to keep your first adventure very simple, or better yet find a good friend to play test one with you so that you can see how it plays out.
Linear is better in this case, as it is more important that you grasp the fundimentals of the game before you add more complexity, and when it comes to non-linear games, they get pretty "seat of your pants" sometimes.
Definitely read the adventure, maybe several times, although not all the way through, brush up on certain parts that you dont feel sure about. Take notes if you need to, as anything that will help you remember things will always be good.
Keep in mind you're somewhat of an entertainer when you GM, so keeping things moving is probably one of the most important aspects of the game. Its common to have an issue with a rule or how something would play out. Don't be afraid to make a call on the spot, but reserve the right to change or discuss the ruling after the adventure session to make sure that everyone feels that the ruling is fair.
Don't be afraid to make mistakes. It can be stressful, but your players should know that the GM's seat is the toughest seat at the table, so hopefully they'll show you respect and accept that you're new to the game.
GMing is like any other skill, it comes in stages. Take the time to hone your craft. This does take extra effort on your part, but its well worth it.
Hope this helps, post when you've run the adventure, I'm curious to hear how it turned out. Good luck :)
lol for some reason when I saw the labeling "Inner Sea Region" I thought it meant the area around Absalom and other areas surrounding that body of water, but I later noticed the top of the map was labeled "Inner Sea Region" as well...and well you know the rest :)
Tell me your problem and I'm ready to send wave after wave of young men at it.
Alain as Zapp Brannigan. Frightening... and yet somehow starting to sound right to me.
They call him the Velour Cockatrice riding his brave charger, Felicity, sending in wave after wave of his men to overwhelm the Chelexian Kill-Golems until they reached their preset kill-limit, because when Alain's in charge, EVERY mission is a suicide mission. Its Alain's Law.
thanks guys, I hate this piece of filth even more now....
For some reason, I still don't see anything that points to Alain being "lawful" in any shape or form. I do agree with neutral in respect to the good vs evil axis.
Law vs Chaos:
Spoiler:
Law implies honor, trustworthiness, obedience to authority, and reliability. On the downside, lawfulness can include closed-mindedness, reactionary adherence to tradition, judgmentalness, and a lack of adaptability. Those who consciously promote lawfulness say that only lawful behavior creates a society in which people can depend on each other and make the right decisions in full confidence that others will act as they should.
Chaos implies freedom, adaptability, and flexibility. On the downside, chaos can include recklessness, resentment toward legitimate authority, arbitrary actions, and irresponsibility. Those who promote chaotic behavior say that only unfettered personal freedom allows people to express themselves fully and lets society benefit from the potential that its individuals have within them.
Someone who is neutral with respect to law and chaos has a normal respect for authority and feels neither a compulsion to obey nor a compulsion to rebel. They are honest but can be tempted into lying or deceiving others.
Alain strikes me as an 'old school' Noble, with viewpoints that (I hope!) are alien to most of us.
My take on Alain.
** spoiler omitted **...
He does remind me in some ways of old school nobles, but upon looking at the LN alignment, it involves a respect for order and tradition. The thing that keeps me from thinking LN is that he pretty much went against what his family would wish of him and instead go his own way. It just doesn't seem like he really has anything but his own personal code to follow, but I would never call him evil based on what I read of him. Another thing it mentions is that more then money, love, or lust, Alain care most about his reputation whether as scoundrel or saint. Another thing that makes me think chaos is that he was trying to get his brothers into a sustained blood feud for the sake of Alain fulfilling his fantasy of having a long, bloody war. To me that sounds pretty unlawful as that could destabilize certain things, since it would be a petty and unjust war imo.
I have to say though, I like him, he's definitely an interesting character that could end up having a very cool history as he developes.
Tell me your problem and I'm ready to send wave after wave of young men at it.
Alain as Zapp Brannigan. Frightening... and yet somehow starting to sound right to me.
They call him the Velour Cockatrice riding his brave charger, Felicity, sending in wave after wave of his men to overwhelm the Chelexian Kill-Golems until they reached their preset kill-limit, because when Alain's in charge, EVERY mission is a suicide mission. Its Alain's Law.
Mr. Frost,
I just had a few questions on an idea I was working, as I just stumbled onto the "Write for Pathfinder Society" section. I've read through the requirements, what to do/not do, and I just had a few quick questions in regards to the setting. You wrote that you are looking for scenarios in the Inner Sea region, but are there any exceptions to this? For example, I really want to do something in a remote area in The Lands of the Linnorn Kings. I'm not inventing any new rivers, but it does involve an isolated settlement, and for the most part is pretty self contained. I just would like some feed back if this would be possible. If not then I can easily change the setting, but it's mostly the flavor of the area that draws me to it. If this isn't the best avenue for this kind of discussion I could email you from now on, but I wasn't entirely sure what would be proper.
Yea, everyone's list has had games that I was like "Oh yea, that one too", which would make my "favorite games" list wayyyyy too long :)
The Sierra games were so hilarious, I miss those games :(
Wasn't the Cavalier in the old D&D Cartoon a bit of a jerk? Maybe it's an homage to him?
heh heh I was thinking that too. I have the DnD cartoons and theres an interesting commentary as to why they "had" to make the Cavalier that way. Had something to do with interest groups requiring a certain moral message about the group being always right, and the complainer/antisocial person being "wrong". Gotta love good intentions...
I'm a 4e/Pathfinder player, and while I love both systems, I have to say I was never very satisfied with a lot of the settings for 3rd edition, with the exception of maybe Greyhawk and Planescape, but I have to say I really love what you all did with Golarion and how a lot of it is influenced by our real world history/legends/ etc. Golarion is definitely a very well made setting, and the adventure paths/icons are second to none in my opinion. Please do not ever stop making adventure paths :)
Amael did you ever look at the Sword and Sorcery 3.0 & 3.5 Scarred Lands? By Necromancer Games? After our discussion about movies you seem to have simuliar tastes they were pretty good. I was also a fan of Greyhawk.
I have been very happy with what Pazio has done been a subscriber since 1994 and have nothing but love for them. I am not like everything they have put out but I would I enjoy reading it all. It is great to know that they have kept up such a solid product over this time. The adventure paths are a great contribution to the gaming world and I for one am happy to spend the money on such a superior product.
Oh yea! Sword and Sorcery Scarred Lands was one of those settings I always wanted to play, but never could convince my friends to try. We first got their monster books and I was really impressed with the fluff they had there about the gods and titans, plus the illustrations were really sweet. That would be one setting I would love to learn more about...that and Iron Kingdoms. But yea, Paizo's products are always solid from what I've seen, with their writing, art direction/layouts, and themes probably my favorite aspect.
If they make a 4.5 big deal, don't purchase it if you don't like it.
If the "grognards" don't want to accept something, they can deal with it.
These "ah ha! We got you WoTC" things are really tiring. They're a company, they need to uphold their objectives for making money/selling games. I personally never felt them to be anything "evil" like people like to portray them. Oh well banter on :)
I don't think of alignment linking to insanity, although a lawful good would view a chaotic evil or neutral as insane or worse, while a chaotic evil might view lawfuls as insane for adhering to a strict code or law. Insanity is independent of alignment IMO, as you've shown in your character, he can be lawful good and insane as long as he uphholds the definitions of that alignment. Lots of crazies uphold the law! :)
I do like the concept though, its very different.
Ooooo, I just remembered a few more games I loved...
Ogre Battle for the Snes, I loved that game, and Vagrant Story for the PS1; never really caught on but that one was one of the more interesting ones for me.
I say yes to 13th Warrior, anachronism and all, and remove King Arthur. I would love to have Stardust on there, because like Gruumash says, it is very much like the Princess Bride; Errol Flynn beats everyone at Robin Hood, green tights and all; although I do have a massive soft spot for Legend :), Tom Cruise is flat as hell in there, but man I love that movie even then...
I don't think he's a tool or a jock really, he's really a mercenary, so he looks out for himself and other peoples needs or feeling don't really register to him. He's not a great person to know, but to me he's more interesting that way. I'm just glad he's not the "tough, brooding, anti-hero with a heart of gold". Character variety is good; he sounds like a lot of medieval/ancient world heroes to me, especially the ancient worlds definition of "hero".
Alain is a mercenary (a freelance to be exact), but he is also a tool. He is more interested in money and reputation. He strikes me as the kind of guy that is willing to sacrifice his men to accomplish his mission. He has the charisma to sway men into following him, but he has no problem throwing those men to the meat grinder if he needs to. That does not mean he won't be there beside them, only that he puts the job before those he fights beside (lawful neutral).
heh heh I don't think that still qualifies as a tool. The part that I thought makes him more chaotic is the fact how he only cares for himself more then anything else, and tends to do as he pleases when it comes to things, like in taking a contract or doing things to suit his fancy, or using his "nobility" to get ladies. Chaotics tend to favor their individuality more then anything else. If he was really Lawful neutral, he probably would have done what his family expected of him, what his noble house expected of him and obeyed, but his lack of regard for being ordered about would in my eyes make him something else. He's definitely not a nice person, but many great heroes and leaders were definitely not nice people, and now they're "admired" for their deeds. He strikes me as someone with that kind of potential.
I'm a 4e/Pathfinder player, and while I love both systems, I have to say I was never very satisfied with a lot of the settings for 3rd edition, with the exception of maybe Greyhawk and Planescape, but I have to say I really love what you all did with Golarion and how a lot of it is influenced by our real world history/legends/ etc. Golarion is definitely a very well made setting, and the adventure paths/icons are second to none in my opinion. Please do not ever stop making adventure paths :)
I don't think he's a tool or a jock really, he's really a mercenary, so he looks out for himself and other peoples needs or feeling don't really register to him. He's not a great person to know, but to me he's more interesting that way. I'm just glad he's not the "tough, brooding, anti-hero with a heart of gold". Character variety is good; he sounds like a lot of medieval/ancient world heroes to me, especially the ancient worlds definition of "hero".
I like the list either way, but in regards to robin hood, I would say neither. I thought the new one was pretty bad, even though I saw it for a 1.50, and the kevin costner one was a bit too light for me, plus kevin coster with his cali accent in medieval england just makes me wince.
Clash of the Titans- I say original, curly hair and all...the remake, while visually appealling, I heard was pretty bad, although I can't say for sure since I didn't see it. I would rather see Jason and the Argonauts instead.
Actually I like his personality, it definitely fits him well, and its good to see a cavalier that isn't a lancelot/arthur wanna-be. Seems more of a Pathfinder Achillies, which is always nice. He seems more chaotic to me, like as in chaotic neutral or maybe good...its hard to say though. For some reason he doesn't strike me as lawful, since he doesn't even like taking orders and ran off to do his own thing. He doesn't seem to have any consistent way of doing things, whatever strikes his fancy.
I'm definitely liking the new breed of iconics, looking forward to seeing more.
Yeah, Lodoss War definitely is a must watch - if I recall, the setting was actually pitched to TSR, who turned it down...they they went on to make a whole new game based on the setting (not TSR, the creators), which is now, I believe, one of the biggest games in Japan.
Stardust is really good, too, or at least I liked it.
And don't forget the best Robin Hood movie...Robin Hood: Men In Tights! ^_-
Oh yea, Stardust! I love that movie. For some reason, it always felt like a spiritual successor to the Princess Bride...just got a feeling from it like that. Also, this probably might be more out there, but I love the Mirrormask movie a lot. It is too bad no animated movies...Lodoss War or the Heroic Legend of Arslan would be a good add.
Odd how the vast majority of these stories are from 1st or 2nd edition. A function of gamer age? Just plain old nostalgia? A sign of the current times? Who knows, but I would not have guessed this to be the case on these boards especially.
Resume remembering days of old...
Well I do have some excellent 3e and 4e stories as well, but I didn't wanna post them all :)
In 4e I had a really fun situation during Shadowfell Keep (I know, horrible adventure, but we made it fun) where at the fight just before the Kalariel, our dragonborn fighter was knocked into the hole in the middle of the room, landed in a pool of blood, and was seized by his guards. Being a paladin (surprise surprise) I decided to lead a charge into the hole with two other companions to rescue him. We fought of his minions, rescued our friend, and scurried back up the chains to rest and recoup. Like I said, horrible adventure, but we made it fun :)
I can't imagine why no one else has listed Hawk the Slayer. That movie was great and yes, I do own it on DVD. It was certainly a better D&D movie than Dungeons and Dragons the Movie was.
Very true about it being better than the D&D movie. I was mulling over suggesting it (I have it on DVD) but this is supposed to be about good movies and not so bad, it's awesome movies.
Well, it does have an future Oscar winner: Jack Palance.
That makes it good doesn't it?
Well, maybe not. However, I don't think that it was any worse than The Beastmaster.
Anything with Jack Palance is automatically good...
Aside from looking at a very young Angelina Jolie, that's the only reason why I watch Cyborg 2, just to hear his line "If you're gonna dine with the devil, you better use a looooooong spoon."
lol ok ok, I failed at math, but what did math ever do?
Joana wrote:
I find Paizo's design and artwork much better than Wizards. Witness the Demonomicon whose cover was in the store blog a few days ago; I assume it was a vrock. It was too cartoony -- looked like Toucan Sam. Then compare with Paizo's Book of the Damned, Part 1, which I didn't even want. (We never do much with outsiders in my games.) The cover was just so dang gorgeous I had to buy it anyway. So ... beautiful.... Must .. own....
I would say that I like the art direction that Paizo has taken with the art that they have in their books. In comparison to 4e's books, design-wise I would say Pathfinder hands down when it comes to the presentation, and in general I like their interior art more. As far as the interior art goes, their influnences are more along things I like.
Some people are extraordinarily sensitive to any discussion comparing the relative merits of the two game systems. If someone says, "Pathfinder is better than 4e in X ways", there are people who are going to get into crying hysterics over it.
I keep forgetting that and I keep trying to have a rational argument about the relative merits of the two game systems. That can't be done in these boards, because, as I said, some people are going to go into crying hysterics over it. So, the best choice of action really is not to just avoid edition warring, but to stay as far away from even a rational discussion of the comparative merits of the game systems.
Unfortunate, because I think the subject certainly has content worth considering.
I think what makes people from both parties upset is that when people say "X is better then X" and then go on to say something that either oversimplifies the aspect or even sounds insulting to those who play X. It sometimes seems like people say those things to start something or they have a chip on their shoulder for not liking the particular system, and then you get irrational arguements. This is nothing really new, as people will always be rooting for their "team" and as you say some people are overly sensitive. Its very difficult to have a discussion like that in the first place on message boards, which is sad, but there's not that much you can do about it. To have a discussion like that, you have to risk a massive flame war...maybe its worth it or maybe not.
In 2nd edition, I was battling the minions of a wizard in a burning inn, and as I looked out one of the hallway windows, I noticed the wizard outside. A brief conversation took place and then I jumped out the window and tackled the wizard (who was 9th level and I was 4th) and proceeded to grapple and punch into submission. Well the DM tried a few spells and some magic items to try to beat me or escape my grapple, but I managed to save against the effects and ended up pounding him into the dirt. After that I hog tied, blind-folded, and gagged him, tying him to a spare horse and brought him back to town to face justice...but he escaped... (conveniently)
He didn't really expect me to fight him, so he wasn't really prepared I think, mentally, to handle that situation.
Then there was a time playing 3e when my party fought a massive water elemental attacking a village. It was a running battle throughout the area, with my paladin charging it on his warhorse and chasing it up to a cliffside. As the thing was starting to die, it killed my horse and knocked me into the water, wearing fullplate, so I sank like a rock. Using the getting out of armor rules and holding my breath, I managed to free myself from the armor and swim to saftey, with only my magical sword and only the items I wore remaining in my posession. It felt very old school in that even though I lost pretty much everything, I had survived, and that for me was a reward.
Yea Flesh and Blood was a pretty gritty movie and I was surprised at how pretty brutal it was in regards to the treatment of their soldiers/mercenaries and all the double crossing; I need to get that movie...
*Picks up stone, looks at it, puts it down, finds cream puff, lobs*
With FF X, to defend my all-time favorite, things are linear till you finally get your airship and can move around to work on sidequests without having to walk back to previous areas. The fact that you couldn't physically move it around the world was a let-down, I admit. I barely remember IX, I thought it had some ability to let you explore. Much as I hate to admit it, X-2 was better in the free-exploration aspect than X. XII has some opportunities for exploration, too bad they generally get you killed.
Mac, thanks for the info, but it already sounds a bit like X in those regards. What'll matter is the story and the characters, which are what keeps me playing FF games, as well as the sense of wonder.
*Wipes the cream puff from face*
Strangely enough that isn't the first time that's happened...
Ok for FF X, I didn't get that far into it, but I did feel really restricted. Now I am a big fan of the series, I feel what they get right is story and characters...I just wish they'd open it up for more exploration, but I guess you have to sacrifice something to do that. Still wanna play XII badly :)
Heh heh I still shout BEOWULF!!!
For some reason I love that movie, but as for Dragonslayer vs Dragonheart, I would say 100% Dragonslayer, that movie is still awesome; I've been watching it on my netflicks like crazy. I love the dialogue for Ulrich, his lines when talking to Valerian are so goooood.
The new movie has a very cool look/feel to it, and being a very big fan of Ridley Scott, I liked that part. As to what happens in it, it has one foot in history and the other in fantasy...but I have to say, I didn't really enjoy it that much. Some of the things that happened in the movie made me shake my head and the story didn't really hold my interest.
If you're gonna put Kingdom of Heaven, make sure its the directors cut, because that version is priceless IMO. The movie version was...uhhmmm kinda garbage compared to the Directors cut.
You're not the 1st to say that. Why will it do that?
1) The game is too linear for a FF game.
2) You don't have much control over what or who your party is until 80% of the game is over.
3) All you really do is push buttons for 10 chapters of the game.
I will admit now that I'm in chapter 11, it has become a bit more fun. But you'll enjoy Fallout 3 more.
Now don't go throwing stones at me an stuff, but I've felt that the Final Fantasy series of games have been very linear since...oh I don't know, after 7 or 8. I haven't played XII, which I want to badly, but seeing FF IX and X...they were very linear games from what I remember, but then again I could be wrong. In regards to gameplay I feel that the series has been pretty uninspired with the options available to you during combat. I think they need to spice it up some, at least according to my tastes. The Jrpg market is pretty into its staples though.
These lists made me realize I've forgotten about a lot of my favorite games, which seem to be too numerous to list...or I have a serious addiction...
Same with the rest of us. It's really more a list of what games have managed to stick in your head through the years. I love a lot of these other games too and I'd gladly replay them if I didn't have FF13, Fallout 3, and Oblivion waiting for me....
Are you playing Oblivion on PC or console? If you're playing on console, but have a PC, I can't stress enough how amazing it is on PC with mods...it probably extended the game for me for years and years...so awesome.
Another thing was that classes leveled at different rates, so you would have had some people with the same experience, but different levels. Fighters were very good overall throughout their advancement, but spellcasters, wizards (or magic users) in particular were slower to gain power but once they reached a certain level, were paid back for their earlier difficulties by becoming the most versatile and possibly more powerful. It made sense, but I'm glad its not that extreme in Pathfinder or 3e anymore and non-existant in 4e.
Nop, it is still thier number 1 game, and one of the highest players for an MMO besides WoW. They just did so well with the format on DDO, they are brining it to LotR MMO.
People with subscription still get benefits, they don't have to buy new things as they come out.
It is a Mixed Subsciption/Free Format. Subscribers get all new content with subscription, Free players have to buy, but they can pick and choose based on what they want. Much of the game will still be free, but not all.
Thats good to hear, I really liked that game a lot actually, flaws and all, but I would be really disappointed if they didn't get to flesh out all the lands of middle earth. I have a lot of good memories wandering around there in groups or alone :)
Herzog Zwei
Final Fantasy II (in America)
Phantasy Star I
Mass Effect (and probably 2, haven't played it yet :( )
Return to Castlewolfenstein: Enemy Territory
Space Hulk: Vengence of the Blood Angels
Medieval II
Baldurs Gate
Final Fantasy XI (my first mmo, what a grind fest, but I love that game even today...sigh.)
Contra (NES) I will always have time for contra...
Is it possible for people to contribute art or articles to this? Not sure if its on the message boards, but it sounds pretty cool.
Yes, submissions for #4 will probably open up in September. Keep an eye out.
Awesome. What section of the site would I look in? And do they have guidelines for submitting? I write and do artwork, so I'm not sure how they take submissions.
Is it possible for people to contribute art or articles to this? Not sure if its on the message boards, but it sounds pretty cool.
Yes, submissions for #4 will probably open up in September. Keep an eye out.
Awesome. What section of the site would I look in? And do they have guidelines for submitting? I write and do artwork, so I'm not sure how they take submissions.
