| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
do
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
a
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
fawlt
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
post
blitz
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
while
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
naked!
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Woot!!Tl
Quick pile on even more messages for him to read!
I realized while watching this that it is this model - the whole "break point"-thing - that is one of the many reasons I prefer many of the older d20 system games to Pathfinder, 4E, and 5E.
See, the older d20 systems were smooth math curves that left sudden shifts in both power and experiential play due to these break points - and I loved it. When the math is smooth, clean, and linear, and allowed to flow its own way, and it's allowed to mean something in-game, you have a natural internal progression that the world actually feels and reacts to. This feels significant. It feels right. And it feels mythical.
On the other hand, it feels like the history of development in PF and 4E and 5E is misguided attempt to inhibit the existence break points by arbitrarily shifting the math - it's one of my major issues with much of modern game design, that arbitrary shift for "balance" that seems to so captivate the modern design. One of the reasons why I adore the 4E (fan-made) "monster manual on a business card" is because it exactly eschews much of the fluff and simply displays a clean mathematical curve that indicates, "This is how the world is - work with it." - and presents a rules system that I found exciting and worth applying to player characters as well as monsters.
Breakpoints can definitely cause problems - and the 3.X paradigm has many "breakpoints" (in fact an incredibly high number of them) for casters - but the basic theory is sound, and, frankly, the balance felt right.
In any event, it's one of many thoughts I had, and the only one I could capture at the time.
Man, I gotta watch more Extra Credit vids. Good stuff! Break points and power spikes are things that I've had in the back of my head, but I didn't have words for them until now. :)
I'm definitely a fan of smooth progressions -- I actually wrote a more detailed form of Monster Manual on a Business Card, before MMoaBC, but hey I'm not bitter or anything -- and I have a tendency to downplay power spike and break point concerns when I'm game-writing.
With power spikes, on the one hand yeah, they create something for players to look forward to. But on the other, a game can only handle so many before you end up with the D&D caster issue where high level casters easily dominate the game.
With break points, I'm not sure what to look for in the context of a ttrpg. I mean yeah, there comes a point where most PCs can reliably one-shot those orc goons, but having two random factors (damage and to-hit rolls) make it fuzzy. But hey, like the vid says, playtest, playtest, PLAYTEST!
What did you like about older d20 systems and their break points?
Did I answer this? I feel like I've answered this. Hrm. Can't find it.
OH WELL.
So, to make it short, 'cause daggum 5k+ posts, it's simply hitting those plateaus wherein you actually feel like you've "made it." You just kind of hit a point where you might as well become a leader of people because you can defeat them all, and, while you might not be the most well-loved, you can lead an army by showing them how it's done. Or change reality simply by willing it. Or whatever.
Each break point is different, but it's that smooth progression that naturally allows you to acquire the "I've done it!" feeling of actually being on top. But also, it's not a given. If you use your stuff poorly, you're never going to have that feeling - and that's cool, too, because it allows for character variation without forcing the themes or designs on you; that is optimizing and not-optimizing can make very different, but still-viable characters (and intentionally failing can be interesting, even if it's not for everyone).
But that's just me, and it's more the sense of accomplishment in an even field than having it handed to you at arbitrary moments. Like the video says, feeling like you did something well and were rewarded. Also, I like the sudden erasure of difficulty.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Man, I don't even know if that's true or not. I feel like I'm leaving important details out of that post. OH WELL.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
No time to think! only time to read!
Pg 3769: oh deer.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Skim! Skim like your life depends on it!
Red Lion Hotel
Sounds legit!
Of course I can say those things having a strong marriage to a woman I love.
Huzzah!
Scint, Ebon, and I just had a copper dragonkin challenge the party to a battle of puns.
Awesome!
insomnia
Sucky.
How ya doin'?
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Freehold and Nobody! Its like an awesome comic strip!
This could really only have been better if NH had posted at the same time and the posts kept switching places. Way to drop the ball, guys!
(Heh. I said, "ball.")
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Cats! proof that you can both be a mass murderer and cute as a button!
Hey! Just because I started a war with the soul purpose of harvesting souls of those killed doesn't mean... oh... oh, wait... oooohhhh...
#FFT-4-lyyyyyfe
Brother troubles
How are things?
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Cats! proof that you can both be a mass murderer and cute as a button!Hey! Just because I started a war with the soul purpose of harvesting souls of those killed doesn't mean... oh... oh, wait... oooohhhh...
#FFT-4-lyyyyyfe
This has to be some kind of inception right?
I tried, TL.
I... what? I missed it. Sorry!
This has to be some kind of inception right?Cats! proof that you can both be a mass murderer and cute as a button!Hey! Just because I started a war with the soul purpose of harvesting souls of those killed doesn't mean... oh... oh, wait... oooohhhh...
#FFT-4-lyyyyyfe
It's part of the plot of FFT, and one of the places from which I derive my online handle.
Welp, got here, and it's 2AM and I've a broken hand and a belt test tomorrow, so... good night!
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Welp, got here, and it's 2AM and I've a broken hand and a belt test tomorrow, so... good night!
Better quit pickin fights!
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Next time he touches my hoard, then it will be worse.
j/k!
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Next time he touches my hoard, then it will be worse.
j/k!
*Touches horde*
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Oh no what have I done I don't have a slightly frozen vidmaster alias!
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Re criticism, (and to a lesser degree censorship):
Too complex a topic to give any quick or adequately covering answers to. I'll just reiterate my plea of "why can't we all just get along?"
Do we really have to be so fixated on policing the behaviour's of others?
Can't we just accept that "always" actually tend to mean "often" or "mostly" most of the time?
Don't know...
I just tend to live and let live. Unless you're an active threat to me, friends or my surroundings, I'm perfectly fine with letting you and your's be.Re Races played:
Tend to play a bit of everything, with a slight slant towards Humans, depend on system, setting and so on of cause. Though I tend to also avoid small characters, especially if I'm playing martial characters. Don't really think there much of a reason why, other then the weird mind aesthetics of having difficulty seeing a fierce "smallish" warrior type, though the have been exceptions - Halfling climbing allover his enemies, and such.
*grins impishly at cover turtle*
*eats a bowl of turtle soup in front of him*
Yeah my food habits are...controversial. I'm pretty much known to eat nearly everything.
Useful feat I'd say, at least when I go travelling I don't
t turn my nose up at local food or can't find stuff to eat.
*Peeks over the lips of Kitty soup bowl and sniffs the content, before licking the sides to get a taste*
On the other hand it means I could probably get away with plying you with cheap stuff like blood-sausage, white-beer and "Øllebrød" ^^
( "Danish cuisine - (slight eyeroll) - if your interested"
*Nuzzles Mort, before retreating back into his shell*
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
It would be weird if people stood outside and constantly yelled "Anyone want to f+&!!!!", but birds do it constantly and nobody cares.
It works for me.. maybe your doing it wrong? are you displaying your plumage fully?
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
How about "Mildly Frostbitten Vidmaster7"?
*Holds up sign*
"Sever shrinkage affected Vidmaster7?"
*Thinks a bit, presents a new sign*
"Glass cuttingly cold Vidmaster7"
*Snickers, before burying himself in his covers*
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
The most common thing we learn from studying history is that we tend not to learn anything from studying history.
(Meaning that humanity tends to keep making the same mistakes over and over again.)
Yeah no I got that. Its pretty sad especially since history does such a good job repeating itself.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
How about "Mildly Frostbitten Vidmaster7"?*Holds up sign*
"Sever shrinkage affected Vidmaster7?"
*Thinks a bit, presents a new sign*
"Glass cuttingly cold Vidmaster7"
*Snickers, before burying himself in his covers*
Yeah you just go back in those covers turtle >.>
How different would people act if there was a website/app where businesses rated the customers?
I personally really appreciate the website that lets me rate my job (glass door) I'll probably wait till I quit to give my full opinion.