Recent content by Retreater

It's not like a more defined rules set can't have "fiction." And it's not like a more streamlined game like Dragonbane (which I DO like, honestly) does anything to encourage interaction with the fiction. That is 100% under the discretion of the GM. A lousy GM will make a game like Dragonbane...

Agreed. But it does give one something to read when not playing. There is a difference between "fun" and "interesting." I could have fun with a character that rolled a d6 and on an even number succeeded and on an odd failed. That doesn't mean the game rewards interaction with the mechanics...

Re: Pleasure reading I wouldn't say that Paizo produces books that are only technical manuals. In addition to the Lost Omens world books, you have adventures & bestiaries. Even their more player-centric books (Guns and Gears, Dark Archive) have flavor text and interesting options to pour over...

But in my experience, having a rule for "everything (which is likely to come up in the course of a session)" does attribute to length. If you don't have a rule there - you have to make a ruling (or search "X formerly Twitter" to see if Chris Perkins has written about it) - that ruling will...

They work different parts of my brain. A robust, well-detailed system such as Pathfinder 2e or D&D 4E doesn't leave much to DM or player fiat. You know your abilities. You know what is required for certain actions. As someone creating the game, you should have a good handle on awarding treasure...

Well, I'm not getting excited about spending $50 for a pandering nod to a classic setting. Let me see the contents of what's covered - see new encounter building rules, magic item economy, etc. That's stuff that I can get excited about.

I can understand the that kind of treatment for a small fishing village. But we're talking about an entire campaign setting, a world with 40+ years of gaming history. I can't imagine it being anything other than a disappointment - a crumb of what we've been wanting for 20 years.

Why are we getting excited about something that's likely going to be around 10 pages? This isn't like a full Greyhawk campaign setting. It's going to be a section of what's traditionally the most anemic book in the line - put in largely to pander to old-timers who wouldn't have purchased the...

True. And that is the only Savage Worlds setting that doesn't also need an accompanying $40 rulebook - which is pretty much required for each player.

I've run short campaigns (10 sessions) in both systems. Savage Worlds is swingy ... swingy-mc-swingerson. Want to have a PC die to a mook? Want to have the arch-villain killed in a single attack? Do you like adding a bunch of numbers together, then subtracting from a Damage Resistance number...

I haven't seen ToV yet, but would want to try A5e first since I already own the books.

That's a city guide for an existing system, not an entirely new system, right? I'd add Tales of the Valiant as an upcoming system vying for attention.

This is like arguing that a parkway should be called a driveway because people drive on it, and a driveway should be called a parkway because people park on it. Maybe "Kickstarter" isn't to "kickstart" a company, but to reduce the risk of a new product? It does take a lot of capital to produce...

Well, we can also point fingers at EN Publishing, Goodman Games, Pinnacle (creators of Savage Worlds), Chaosium (makers of Call of Cthulhu), Troll Lord Games (Castles and Crusades), Steve Jackson Games (the Fantasy Trip, Munchkin), established fantasy author Brandon Sanderson, numerous board...

If we're talking about the "only the DM buys them," let's add to adventures: campaign settings, monster books, splatbooks, miniatures, 3D terrain, extra dice, spare copies of the PHB, as well as most snacks and refreshments, pencils, gaming tables, DM screens, subscriptions to VTTs and services...