This isn't just bad decision making on the players part, this is a pretty poor call on the DMs part. However, it's his call and his campaign. I'm going to disagree on this. It's poor decision-making from your point of view. From the other players it made perfect sense and I could probably (it's too early and pre-coffee to be making guarantees - lol!) justify it under most of the good and neutral alignment spectrums.
I am sorry you are not enjoying your game. I am running two games of 5 players each, but my experience running both groups is only anecdotal. Out of 10 players, only 1 "hyper-specialized" his character during my lead-in introduction to the game, and actually toned his ysoki operative down for the actual AP. DC check 20's are regularly attainable. Consider reviewing page 133, specifically Aid Another. Having 8-ish in skill mods (Trained is +1, Class Skill is additional +3, a reasonable 16 in stat for +3 more, +1 for operative's edge or other class bonuses), coupled with +2 aid puts you in the 50-50 range to hit that target number. I don't think that unreasonable at all. Your laser trap is run wrong. It's 3d6 damage, not 6d6, found on a Perception of 21, not 24, and disabled on an Engineering 15 (pg 28 in the AP). Again, somewhere in the 50% chance of finding it from average characters; not that hard. Real bad day if the GM rolls trip-sixes, but average damage barely gets through Stamina. The DC 20 information is reasonably easy to get and rewards the group with the larger XP reward. The DC 30 information is much more difficult, but rewards phenominal success with more "story information" than "necessary information" for player success, and rewards a modest XP gain. Loss of that exceptional but modest XP gain does not inhibit the players being able to make Level 2 and 3 in the areas they should (I did extensive XP mapping due to running 5 instead of 4 in order to make sure the larger parties leveled in the same areas). Combat has run an average of 5 rounds. I keep track of rounds because we have a solarian and I'm tracking his charges. My players are generally hitting EACs fairly easy. KACs are only modestly upgraded (12 instead of 10). PC damage tends to be small until someone gets a crit or a really good damage roll. Enemy do not have Stamina, so pew-pewing through 13 HP at 1d4 at a time isn't really that big of a deal. Standing here and not sitting at your table, I have a hard time seeing exactly where the problem is. My experience has been quite different from yours. Starting character stats put the players as accomplished, and numbers seem fair. When players fail it hasn't been catastrophic, and the AP seems well thought out and reasonably balanced. Again, I am sorry you are not enjoying your game.
This is perfectly amazing. We RPG nuts tend to take stances on things because they make sense to us and never realize there are others out there that play differently. For me, 4.0 was the easiest edition to plan, stat and run out of every version of D&D from 1979 forward. But that's just for me, and is based upon my tastes and experiences, the way I run games and my players have responded, and how much time and effort I have available/want to put into design. As for me, character doesn't come from the stats. It comes from how I play the npc, and no amount of numbers on a page are going to help me achieve that.
Okay!! I *think* I have things set up correctly. On my Google Drive you will find the rough-but-ready adventure preview in Word format, and I have the tickets I printed out on cardstock to give to the players (I like to do little game artifacts like that). If you have any problems accessing it let me know. Enjoy!
I'm specifically referencing computers in this because of my IRL experience, but the concepts remain the same across all types of equipment, regardless. Long story short: I was a frothy computer nerd in the era where home computers just became a thing. The stuff we had access to was sold through Sears and the like (VIC 20s, etc.) Found my first actual computer store. I started looking at the fancy computers. The dealer looked me over a couple times, grabbed me by the shoulder and pushed me over to an Apple II playing a crap version of Centipede in a corner by itself. In other words, he didn’t even entertain the notion of selling me a high level machine because I looked like a kid. It’s just an anecdote, but “You’re not old enough to have it” has been an actual thing in our own society. For an in-game reason, sure. You want to spend your cash on a Level 4 machine, I will up-sell your <colorful euphemism> all day long. The fact that you don’t have the relevant experience to work it (be it through professional training, OJT or “I just tinkered until it worked”) means that I won’t let it operate higher than your level +1. Might even force a penalty on you because you don’t know what you’re doing and just deleted the root directory, etc. Just because you bought a router doesn’t mean you earned your Cisco networking certificate and have optimized your home network. In other words, your character level represents you as the whole person, not just you the techno-wizard. So much of that is abstraction and includes your knowledge and skills beyond what’s directly portrayed in the game. Level 1 gets you the right to work on Computer 1 and 2 systems, just enough knowledge to log in and accidentally delete the file structure. It’s not a perfect paradigm, but it’s good enough. If arguments persist then it’s not really about the system and you will have to look more at the motivation behind the argument. After all, we're demanding extreme logic and structure from "Wizards and Warp Drives". I'm not sure that can reasonably be found.
^^ What Ventnor said. Kasatha have the option of having multiple weapons drawn continually, then select which arm(s) to attack with. Game changer? No. Game impact? Yes. So in this case I'd say you could have 4 arms, but I wouldn't allow you to have the 4 Arms racial feat.
I don't have the experience you guys do and I think we might be running a bit fast. We started the 27th of August with an intro event, and I think chances are high we will finish book 1 this weekend. We're playing weekly 4 hour sessions. I think we are starting to slow down a bit. I am embellishing more, and they are investigating more, so I think a lot of speed through the adventure depends on the character of your players.
Hey guys, I just wanted to share with you how I introduced my teams (I'm running two groups) to the Adventure Path! First, I wanted this to act as an introduction. Our group hasn’t collectively played 3.5, and none of us have played Pathfinder, so I thought it a good idea to go through a couple of things. This included tactical combat, skills checks, vehicle chases and starship combat. Also, Starfinder has a lot of depth to it. You can’t just throw characters together without some forethought. I wanted an opportunity for the group to work out roles and the like, not just for ground but also for space. I thought the clever way to handle this was for players to do a “virtual reality interview”. They would create bare-bones characters and take note of skills and such as they went through the fight. What ones did they find REALLY important, etc. Or, did they discover the race/class combo they selected ended up being something they had no real ownership to? They would then have the week until the official game start to create fully fleshed out characters. So Tiger, why the focus on something sexual? Well … this was a complete (and I mean COMPLETE) rip-off of the opening to Raiders of the Lost Ark. The golden idol is of the Incan fertility goddess Pachamama. Starfinder-up Pachamama to Ashrea, add in telepathy and a jungle and we’re looking for the Lashuntan Kama Sutra. The only real write-up I did was for the intro. After that we’re in virtual fast-forward so I ran all that off the cuff, outside of the encounter specifics. If anyone is interested in the full write-up let me know and I will get it to you. INTRODUCTION:
Welcome to the Starfinder Society! We appreciate your interest and look forward to future collaboration.
Your application will be conducted through a virtual reality exercise conducted at a local ABADARCORP facility, where you will be randomly grouped with other aspirants throughout the Pact Worlds. Successful applicants who have demonstrated resourcefulness, ingenuity, and team building under grueling conditions will be invited to the Lorespire Complex on Absalom Station, where you will have the opportunity to be inducted into the Starfinder Society! The Starfinder Society is proud to be associated with ABADARCORP, your partner in financial and data security throughout the Pact Worlds. Today – Tomorrow – Eternity. ABADARCORP. Mission Brief: The Chachapoyan Manuscript, also known as the Lashuntan Golden Rule Manuscript, is an important artifact from Lashuntan history. It has been called the ‘Golden Rule’ manuscript based upon a precept of this telepathic society: Reveal unto others as you would have revealed unto you. This document is a collection of analogies, teachings, precepts and prophesies that are attributed to P’Chamam, a prophet to Arshea, the androgynous god of sexuality and physical pleasure. Its’ importance to a telepathic society cannot be overly stressed. Learning how to handle sexual desire and romantic feelings in yourself is difficult enough; throw that into a society that communicates without barriers and this aspect of life can quickly become overwhelming. Recent archaeological and historical documents raise the possibility that the Chachapoyan Manuscript is located in an ancient complex on the planet of Castrovel. Much of the planet has been given over to nature, so the area is heavily overgrown. Your ship will arrive in the clearing marked on the map. You will then travel by air sled to the temple site, enter the temple, and retrieve the manuscript. Appropriate landing permits have been secured, so you will have no problems from the government. It is important that we have an opportunity to complete an in-depth analysis and scan of the manuscript before turning it over to Lady Morana Kesh and the Threefold House. While they are extremely supportive of the Starfinder Society, modern-day conceptions and controversies surrounding the manuscript could prevent its availability for independant study for over a century. Please insert your individualized Avatar key and personal identa-chip at this time; your simulation will begin shortly. ENCOUNTER ONE: Quill hound/Combat:
Discuss that there is a starship and two crew waiting for you. They’ve also unloaded an Exploration Buggy (modified to fit 4). Fast-forward the scenario as a ride through the jungle to the base of an Inca-like pyramid in a clearing. Lurking there is a Quill Hound. Use stats for the Akata, save convert it to an animal and lose all the aberration stuff. Instead, the Quill Hound has a spiny mane it can shoot, or players might prick themselves on the mane if they make a successful attack.
Melee bite +8 (1d6+2 P)
Special Ability: Neck Quills (Ex) Quill Hounds have a porcupine-like fringe around their head and neck. These quills have a range of 15 feet, and can inflict a deadly neurotoxin. Successful melee attacks must roll save vs. Reflect DC 12 to avoid accidentally hitting the quills themselves. QUILL HOUND NEUROTOXIN
ENCOUNTER TWO: Pit Trap/Skills:
See the Starfinder Rules for the pit trap. Any players that fall into the pit will reappear in ENCOUNTER FOUR. ENCOUNTER THREE: Manuscript/Skills:
Just play this up. I had a manuscript, closed on a podium. Cables enter the spine, so they can do computer and engineering checks. The book, when opened, will stun anyone within 30 feet, Save vs. Reflex DC 14, for 1-4 rounds. When the players disconnect the book, I had it trigger a laser web trap that encouraged them to run out the temple. They will have to leap across the pit trap, and interestingly, I had people from TWO groups to fall into the pit! Both groups thought Athletics was a good skill to invest in. ENCOUNTER FOUR: Enercycle Chase/Vehicle Chase:
The players run out of the temple, where they are greeted by B’qual (Use Clara-247 from the AP), 3x Ysoki (use 3 Gang members from the AP) and 2x Quill Hounds on a leash. Any players that fell are seated (not tied) at B’Qual’s feet. Encourage the players to give up the book! B’Qual will open the book, and >poof< get stunned. Players should be thinking “Grab the book and go!”. Encourage them to do this.
The players jump into the Exploration Buggy, and are chased by 2 of the Ysoki on Enercycles (rules book). Run the chase and have them make it to the starship and take off. ENCOUNTER FIVE: Flee the Planet/Starship Combat:
I ran this similar to the fight between the Hippocampus and the Necroglider in the AP. ENDING
I think you are perfectly fine choosing what you are doing. My experience as a GM and dealing with players doesn't mirror yours. I never had a player concerned that the NPC wasn't a "8th Level Fighter". They usually want it dead, looted up, and granting double XP. Pathfinder RPG players will notice differences in rules and terminology used in Starfinder monster stat blocks. Most dramatically, monsters in Starfinder aren’t built using the same rules as player characters. Instead, they’re created using a system of benchmarks similar to those found in Pathfinder RPG Pathfinder Unchained, which allows even relatively new Game Masters to create interesting, balanced monsters to throw against their groups. The choice to stat the NPCs as such was deliberate and the game is balanced around that. I also agree strongly with AnimatedPaper. Out of 4th's problems, the way it handled NPCs was not one of them. However, I totally support your effort. I'll take a look <shhh, I'm at work right now> and will do my best to provide good ideas! My first would be, if you're going this route, why stick to three soldiers? You could add some panic of one of the gang members was an operative, and then one from the other side was a mystic. What happens if you make one of them an envoy? Could be interesting ...
Well. Wasn't what I expected to happen, but I played the goblins from C7a too well. One got killed by the laser trap, but the second got invited to be part of the crew. Even after rigging the soldier's spear with a stickybomb grenade ... then prematurely pulling the pin and webbing most of the group. Even after he happily dropped a live frag grenade at everyone's feet. Even after he just started firing down the hall ... missing everyone and doing the killing shot of an Akata. So, meet 'Humphrey', Goblin 'Junk-geneer' ... *sigh*
I have to weigh in on the "love it!" side myself. I'd not watched it until a friend recently showed me one of the episodes and I was instantly struck. In this day and age, people are offended by a peanut-butter and jelly sandwich; afraid it no longer registers on my give-a-#### meter.
some bigotry to brainwash the kids with Out of curiosity - what bigotry is that? While I certainly did see people of Asian descent, I also saw caucasians, African-Americans, Hispanics ... All my favorite people all in the movie. I love how we feel the necessity to sling more hatred under the assumption that everything (PB&J - white privilege my ass) is racist or bigoted. In fact, I'm more likely to label the mud-slinger as the person who has problems with racism.
...stuff... I think we could fill a room with 100 people, and get 100 definitions on "lawful good" actions. It's why I leave it to the individual player and their DM to work out. This is a game. Not everyone is going to come to the identical concensus on exactly how it is supposed to be played. In fact, most RPGs even state up front that the rules are more like guidelines ... <in my best Pirate jargon>
I'm wondering how killing of sentient life, "in the name of good" is regarded in traditional SRD alignment. I personally think the only good way to deal with this question is to ask yourself "To which moral authority does the character answer to?" Those with religious affiliations are going to evaluate morality based upon their faith. You, in your role of DM, are going to have to present deviations from sanctioned morality out to the players. For example, Supreme Matriarch Anisse may come to question how the players are able to collect such lucrative tithes, and then balk at the concept that this is all blood money. Or, perhaps, Supreme Matriarch Anisse is actively sanctioning the killing and is even going so far as to providing active support to the group. The chaotics are going to enact morality based most likely on their own personal moral compass. The deaths may weigh heavy on the players, even though they felt their actions both justified and necessary (the very basis of many forms of PTSD) or merely the first in a string of long and bloody events that will eventually culminate in some sort of personal reward. As a DM, I think if I were in this situation, I'd even throw it back into the players' laps and make them justify it out for themselves. It's good role play and will make the players think. One thing I would never do is railroad my players because of some sort of personal DM agenda. If the characters want to play paladins, then let them. Give them story lines where they have to consider which paths to take - the expedient ones or the moralistic "high roads".
"It has become a crusade of mine to demonstrate that TV need not be violent to be exciting." - Gene Roddenberry The Cage/The Menangerie Where No One Has Gone BeforeShore Leave Arena A Piece of the Action Bread and Circuses Day of the Dove "I wanted to send a message to the television industry that excitement is not made of car chases."- Gene Roddenberry Balance of Terror The Doomsday Machine"We stress humanity, and this is done at considerable cost. We can't have a lot of dramatics that other shows get away with - promiscuity, greed, jealousy. None of those have a place in Star Trek." - Gene Roddenberry Mudd's Women Amok TimeWho Mourns for Adonais Turnabout Intruder And now we have a movie using nothing but explosions to advertise his work. Please pardon me while I drop the "b***s*** flag". I've been watching Star Trek since it had it's original, non-syndicated run (yes, I am old) and I can tell you, just about every episode had plenty of violence, 'car chases', promiscuity, greed, jealousy, etc. You can wave your Federation flag of peace all you want, but to pretend that the series didn't use the exact same features because "Gene Roddenberry said so!" is delusional. As a matter of fact, the 2009 movie isn't even the only one to show Kirk getting dressed in the bedroom of a woman (although I must admit, he wasn't quite that far undressed in the original series). I can't obviously speak for the pure Trekkers (I'm just a Trekkie - I only have plates, models, coins, precious-metal uniform badges, posters, books, toys, attend conferences, and one outstandingly awesome TCG collection) but I found the movie to be OUTSTANDING, and I am anxiously awaiting the new one. EDIT: I think the alternate universe needed to be done. No matter who did a new Trek, we're all going to sit down and praise/nit pick it to death instead of enjoying what it is, so might as well unshackle it from the dream. Also, I was under considerable impression that the second movie was NOT Khan, but there's plenty of footage that says it most likely is (not just the hand-action piece at the end - the leaping about, the black uniform, the Final Fantasy-sized gun, the ship rising out of the water having the nacelles but no saucer, etc.) So right now I can't say if that is red herring, or that several sources were saying it wouldn't be Khan was the crimson fish.
Everyone claims that the game was making money with absolutely no evidence to back them up. They tried to sell the game, no one took them up on it. There's very little indication that the game was making money the fact that it went Free To Play, is a very good indication that subscribers were bailing out of the game en masse and going FTP was a last ditch effort to get it out of the red. Have to disagree with you here. The financial statements were released in regards to NCSoft, and if I can find them again I will post links here but in the end CoH was indeed making a profit (found it - will let you enjoy rummaging through the values - note how small the NA market is overall, not just CoH). I think the truth is that the profit margin from the game was so small in light of all their other games that it made sense to them to go ahead and drop the game and refocus their energies elsewhere. In other words, while the game may be making (random value) $100,000 of pure profit annually, in light of their $6,000,000 quarterly loss, it is not a significant part of their portfolio. Free to Play isn't always the last resort of a doomed game. What producers are starting to realize is that players can't continue to afford monthly subscriptions to multiple titles, so they're going for the "buy some bling instead" route. Most publishers are admitting that this is bringing in good numbers. I'd specifically take a look to Sony's comments on when they went FTP in regards to their titles. Love you having your opinion, but your anecdotes were no more factual than the way you've regarded others' opinions.
It happens. Nothing game-wise, and not really taken out of context, but the story has to be told. I'm pulling CQ duty in Berlin--you answer military phones, and in case of issues handle it or in case of emergencies call the chain of command. Basically, it is 24 hour secretary-type work with a little night security guard thrown in for good measure. Phone rings. Lady asks, "Can I speak with so-and so?" "One minute please!" I answer. I then go looking for said individual, whom I cannot find. "I'm sorry, ma'am ... <click>." The <click> that I heard ended up not being the receiver of the caller, but a linked phone in an office. Someone had picked up the line to make a call, heard the line was active, and hung up. I, in my infinite stupidity, while hanging up the phone, neglected to use my inside-head voice and instead muttered, "Huh. B**** hung up on me." Approximately 30 seconds later the phone rings again. Lady, "Yes, I just called to let you know I am NOT a 'b****'." <Insert tap-dancing here>
It has nothing to do with her being a woman. My knee-jerk recoil has to do with the marketing ploy of adding the silent "h" to her name. Yeah, I realize that that's a dumb, unthinking way to decide not to read an author, but I also think that adding an "h" to the end of your name to try to sell more books is a dumb thing to do. I'm happy to displace this reaction, though, and read some of her stuff. I actually tend to like feminine authors more than masculine ones. It's easy to stand here in lovely 2009 and have this sort of opinion. In the 1960s and 75s, even though it's barely more than 30 years ago, things were MUCH different. During early years many women hid behind names just to disguise themselves from being women (check out Andre Norton specifically, and there are examples of plenty of others). To want to be seen as something other than a "soft porn" writer is completely understandable--during that period in time it was still perceived that only men wrote technical books and novels; women were writers of children's books, romance novels, and some young reader books (Nancy Drew, Trixie Beldon, etc.) Please try to understand it from her point of view during the times in which she did her actions. |
