Ok. I have a GPIA thread up.

Where?

You didn't give a name or link.

GPIA is Game Proposals, Input, and Advice.

In other news: link to a message in another game

I hate acronyms. That's a personal pet peeve of mine. Looking at it now, I'm not sure I'm as up for it as I previously thought. But thanks for the link. Looks like others are showing interest already. Good luck.
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:43, Mon 09 May 2016.

So I'm working on a gurps campaign right now. I was wondering if anyone has any ideas on how I would make an initiative system that allows an extremely fast character multiple turns in the same sequence. Similar to Shadowrun. I was thinking I could multiply 3d by their basic speed and then each turn subtract 10 and do new turns.

Does that make sense?

Been a while since I posted here. Actually I've been stewing around with the idea of getting off RPoL for a while now, but hadn't really gotten around to it. I started up a discord when the UESRPG went that route and I signed on to their server. Pretty much all of my RP projects are on there (one is horror, a second is visual novels, a third is criminal sandboxes), and also talk about stuff that isn't mine. The only thing I don't really care to go into on my server (mainly because they're a dime a dozen, but also because I have nothing constructive to add) is d20. I recognize that this is a bit of a turn off for a number of you, but if you're interested, you can either PM or rMail me.

Yes ArgamenPhish, that does make sense.

Does anyone here have experience designing board games?

In reply to chupabob (msg # 177):

I have not had any of my designs published yet, but I have been designing board games for several years now.

What are you wondering? (you can PM me if necessary)

In reply to mofo99 (msg # 178):
I don't have a specific question, but I am interested in your general take on board game design. Yeah, I know this is a big topic with lots and lots and theory involved. I'm not asking for a college course. I'm just interested in your basic opinion or any advice for a rank amateur.

The story is this. I've been writing my Alien Fiction novella and posting a chapter at a time as I get a chance. I've been working on the RPG simultaneously. I might post a chapter of the narrative and then switch it up with a chapter of the RPG. I actually have more experience as a game designer than as a writer. Another writer and I have been trading comments on each others books. He planted the idea of a board game in my head. In one of his comments, he wrote that he would be more interested in seeing my story turned into a board game than a RPG. Now, I'm pondering various game mechanics and layouts in my head. I haven't gotten as far as even writing notes on a napkin yet.

In reply to chupabob (msg # 179):

Ah, I see. Well it definitely sounds like you've got a great theme and that you've got the work ethic to see a project like this through. Here is a (very) brief outline of how I would suggest you proceed:

1. Begin with the End in Mind - It sounds silly, but it's true. Understanding the purpose of your project will help guide your workflow. So I ask, why are you creating this game? What do you hope to achieve with it? Creating a game for personal use is one thing; creating with the intent to publish is another. Who is your target audience? Who will play your board game?
   
   
2. Play a lot of Board Games (especially newer ones) - Understanding what works and what doesn't work, where the industry has been and where it's going, conventions (perhaps so that you can buck them?), trends (so that you can follow/avoid them), etc. In other words, know the world you're getting into. This counts as research.
   
   
3. Do your Research - Similar to #2 above, here I'm talking about learning the craft itself. It's about this time that you should be marrying your awesome Theme with some solid Mechanics. There is a wealth of information on Board Game Design in books and on the internet. If you need some specific links or something, I can create a list. You can also find so much info from the general board game community.
   
   
4. Get Involved with the Board Game Community - Both IRL and online, there are lots of folks who love talking about Board Game Design and who are very willing to help. Seek out these like-minded people wherever you find them. Don't be afraid to ask questions and build relationships. This will be especially useful later when you start playtesting.
   
   
5. Don't Get Bogged Down - This advice is meant to temper #2, #3 and #4 above. It's easy to get lost in all that preparation and research that you burn yourself out and don't actually do anything. The research stuff mentioned above should be in moderation and consistently sprinkled in throughout the process. Which segways into perhaps the most important step...
   
   
6. Just Do It - Start writing things down right now; on whatever you have handy. Never stop writing things down. Ideas are worthless (and easily forgotten), but when you commit words to paper you're actually making a thing, you're finally designing. As soon as you can, get all those stray notes centralized into what will become your Rule Book. The most basic step here is just write down a list of components that your game will need and step-by-step instructions for how to play. Of course, it will be super rough at this point, but you'll continue to refine it throughout the process. The important part this early is that this is getting you organized for when you make your prototype.
   
   
7. Make a Prototype - Even if it's just hand-written on slips of paper or borrowed pieces from an old Risk box, get your idea in physical form as quickly as possible. Don't spend money on your first few prototypes, because things will change (a lot). Once you turn it from an idea into a physical entity that takes up space in your closet, then and only then can you begin to learn if your idea is actually even fun by actually playing it.
   
   
8. Play Your Game - Start with just yourself until the you can definitely find the element of fun in the game. Finding other people to playtest with you can be difficult (see #4 above) but it's absolutely necessary to playtest your game as much as humanly possible. There are some best practices to playtesting (of course), but in the early stages you just want to make sure it's fun in every iteration.
   
   
9. Iterate - Continue doing all of the steps above and don't stop. Keep improving your rulebook and your components, keep expanding your playtesting groups. Keep 'Just Doing It'. Always improve, but never lose focus of what makes your game fun. The amount of time and energy you put into it relates to #1 above, but in general you're less likely to see the project through to finish if you take breaks.
   
   
10. Take Breaks - Seemingly in contrast with #9 above, it is important to take care of yourself, your family, etc. Clearing your headspace to make room for new ideas is valuable to. Breaks are probably necessary - but again moderation. Breaks are fine as long as you never give up.
    
    
11. Give Up (if you have to) - With any project, when it stops serving its purpose it's time to cut your losses and call it quits. As long as you really want/need to finish the project you should keep on trucking. But if/when life circumstances change, know when to mercifully pull the plug. But never delete/throw out anything. There may be a day (even if it's years down the road) when you'll want to come back to your project. It can be fun, refreshing, and enlightening to pick up an old project and begin it again with fresh perspective.

So yeah, that's what I got off the top of my head right now. Of course, there's always more where that came from and I'm always happy to help.
This message was last edited by the player at 12:35, Mon 19 Feb 2018.

That's actually a lot more than I thought I would get as an answer. The acts of digesting and implementing all this advice will take some time, probably months. I might come back with specific questions then. This is more than enough information to keep me busy for a long time. Thanks!

In reply to chupabob (msg # 181):

No problem and best of luck.

Has anyone taken a look at Pathfinder 2E yet? http://paizo.com/pathfinderplaytest

I'm interested to see how this new ruleset plays out.

Not sure how I feel about the proficiency and gradual ancestry feats but I love the new equipment. Any other thoughts on this?

No, I knew nothing about it until your post.

In reply to chupabob (msg # 184):

It's still in beta. I'm intrigued by it.

I watched the video, but I still haven't seen much in the way reviews nor even reaction vids. Do you have a take on it?

In reply to chupabob (msg # 186):

I like the new items and races and the fact that combat feats are now fighter feats instead of anyone being able to take them. Not everyone can take wizard spells or druid spells willy nilly. Seems fair.

Not such a fan of the proficiency. +1 is expert but +3 is legendary? Doesn't seem very good to put "interpretation" of a roll so heavily on a GM when the whole point is that the roll is supposed to take that burden off the storyteller.

Huh, I guess the system is moving further away from its D&D 3rd roots thrn.

HELLOOOOO! Long time no see. To pick up where we left off...

So I've been playing the Pathfinder 2e official release for the past couple of months now.

I have to say, I think it's well-balanced but faces a lot of the same flavor issues that D&D4e had. Not as many, but still some. Like, why am I attacking a target's Fortitude DC to grapple them? Why was UMD, Spellcraft, and Knowledge (Arcana) rolled up into one skill but Nature and Survival are separate skills?

They improved the proficiency tiers to +2, which is a step in the right direction but still. Trained +2, Expert +4, Master +6, and Legendary +8 is almost meaningless when you still have to take skill feats in order to actually DO anything with that proficiency. I feel like some stuff should just "come with" you know?

Anyone else play it or run it?

Ok, I’ll bite.  Played through the first adventure of doomsday dawn with the family.  (I was the GM) and the kids liked it in general.  My daughter enjoyed making her character, and I think actually got her more interested in making characters in general.  (Not just 2nd ed)

I converted the doomsday dawn adventure to go with the new published 2nd edition rules and we ran through it again.  They had forgotten several parts, and had actually skipped a few rooms in the first run through that they explored this time through.  We used the APG playtest classes and everyone seemed to enjoy playing it.  The NPC was a hobgoblin witch, and my daughter played a leshy oracle of fire.

Not going to say there aren’t things that I’d have thought I’d have done different, but in general I also really enjoyed it.  I’ve mostly converted the Black Fang dungeon as well and the plan is to have them go through it as well since the have really fond memories of it and the Steel Talon Starfinder Beginner box adventures, as they were their first forays into the games.

One of the biggest things I sort of miss is masterwork weapons and armor, that level between magic and normal weapons.  That and to a degree, their changes to wands make them permanent magic items leaving a bit of a treasure gap between scrolls/talismans and permanent magic items that used to be filled by mostly spent wands.

At first the Ancestries seemed a bit shortchanged, but there is an optional rule in the GMG to have them get more ancestry feats.  I think that might almost be a necessity if you are trying to convert an existing story over, and some may simply prefer that play style, and use the optional rule as a standard.  But I think I eventually got to feel like even without it the game can be fulfilling as per core rules if you aren’t stuck thinking about what some ancestry used to get by baseline.

Some might find HP healing without magic kind of hmmm gamey if they are used to a more gritty setting, but you could houserule some limitations on healing, but it would impact play style. (But that would presumably be the intent if you did it). As it is it reminds me a bit of default play style of 5th edition, with respect to healing back up quickly without necessarily using magic.  Really it plays pretty good though in my opinion.

It seems easier to adjust things with less unintended consequences which should help people make their own house rules on their own to make the game play their way.  I think that is a big plus for it.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

With the formalities out the way, I been thinking, has anyone played EZD6? They replaced hp with strikes. Which looks simplier. But i haven't tried it. Any thoughts?

No I never tried it. Haven't even looked at it. Does it have a free srd somewhere?

No, I suppose the rules are so simple a SRD would destroy the book sales.