Jump to content

LochaberAxe

Member
  • Posts

    21
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Everything posted by LochaberAxe

  1. <edit> Character Points are used for Gadgets not Resources but my question stands. Should characters with a really powerful Gadget (even one with the obligatory 'catch') have some penalty on their stats? Otherwise everyone will want to have a Gadget. My initial thought is that Character Points spent on Gadgets could be deducted from the characteristic points used (optionally) in character gen (perhaps on a 2CP to -1CharacteristicPoint basis) <edit> Re-read this and found you can only have one resource and only if you don't have Powers or Gadgets
  2. Question: Are the Character Points which are mentioned in AA Resources in any way connected with any of the character gen methods in the BGB? If I use the points based character gen option should I deduct for points spent on AA Resources? Powers always have a catch. Is there a balance for AA characters who take lots of resources?
  3. If you want to know how much work it is to construct a measure of 'monster threat' you could look at the very early editions of White Dwarf where Don Turnbull spent three articles outlining the 'Monster Mark' system for D&D. I remember using it when I was a young GM. When we moved to other systems I never felt motivated to do the same for them. Perhaps for me the need had passed. Maybe some young mathematician will volunteer to do something for BRP.
  4. Agreed. If they live to fight another day there is always some other stategy that can be tried. In my games it isn't always player combat or magic. Consequences, yes. And one of the possible consequences in my games is tpk. If you frontally assault a brood of dragons after being warned that better dragonslayers' bones litter the floor and the dragons have heard/smelled/seen you coming a long way off then DEATH will be the probable outcome. (personally I don't resurrect much and almost never when the players are reckless). My reasoning for sometimes (very rarely) having something deadly is however more to do with making them think before rushing in. There may be a way of dealing with it using wits or tech or whatever. If the possibility of something that is beyond them doesn't exist then sudden violence becomes the easy choice. Agreed. I like to try anyway. There is always a way of defeating an enemy. It might even involve killing. I never make an NPC/monster invulnerable but sometimes I make it 'better left for later'
  5. I am definitely NOT telling anybody how they MUST play! I am suggesting that a 'system' that gives encounters based on the party stats will have consequences to gameplay if your players know about it. If a 'system' for sizing encounters helps you I'm fine. I prefer leaving the door open for encounters that break the 'system'
  6. You might look at The Magic Book. Some elements of Divine Magic and Spirit Magic might be adapted to work for your setting.
  7. While I appreciate the guidelines various people have given - very useful in knowing how hard an encounter might be from a combat pov - I have to agree with rust on the general point. You can't only give PCs encounters that they can beat! Sometimes they MUST have things that scream RUN AWAY! otherwise they don't need to think and will get into 'combat autopilot mode'. Whatever sums you use surely you must from time to time, give something outrageous to the party (with suitable prompts/hints beforehand and options to get away). I also agree with Chaot. You can always add one or two 'latecomers' to a fight to add a bit of pressure to the situation. My players groan when they see figures they have killed being fed back in as 'another three guards have heard the clamour and rushed to help their comrades'. As long as they still have the option to run it's still good. I quite like skirmishes that turn into full on battles by degrees. It has happened countless times in real life.
  8. I have the basis of an API script which takes chat messages which are dice rolls of type 1d100<n and works out whether the roll was critical/special/success/fail/fumble and sends the appropriate message to the chat window. I still have some work to do to make it work reliably. Obviously this will only be useful for games where the GM is a Mentor level Roll20 user.
  9. The API has now gone live across Roll20 so Mentors can now add API scripts to any games they run. A number of really good scripts are appearing on the Mentor forums which should provide additional help with running games on Roll20. BRP games can work well on Roll20 without API scripts - I have been running one weekly for the last couple of months and have not used any API scripts in-game yet.
  10. I have used the rollable tables for Hit Locations and it works well. Simple macros can be setup for Skills using Roll20 Abilities (useful if you use their 'chat' system to log what's said/done in game) Opposed rolls and secret rolls are also possible with simple macros. The new API system will allow more complex scripts but I will have to learn more javascript before I can do any BRP specific ones.
  11. Just to say that I have started running BRP on Roll20 with a few of my players. Their reaction was also very positive and we are going to follow up with a few more sessions. I still plan to run joint face-to-face and online sessions but that is probably several weeks off.
  12. Not sure if the last sentence was intentional sarcasm? I think you miss the point. When running games with VTT AND face-to-face players it does make sense to show both groups the same info. BTW If you want to compare Roll20 and MapTool or any other VTT perhaps you should open a separate thread. I think you are off-topic on this one.
  13. Thanks for the feedback. I have lined up some of my usual group for a try-out. They are all techie and most have played BRP so I am hoping it will get a similar reaction to your group. I might try gridless movement. We are used to hex grids. Presumably you aren't using Strike Ranks etc? There are some of my group who will always be face-to-face players but if I can use Roll20 to reconnect with the ones who can't be present it will be worth the effort. I may even run side adventures/ split parties as Roll20 only. I too had thought of using a projector but mine will probably need to be transportable to allow me to use it at our wargames club. If you do get one please post. I am interested in how the Roll20 maps look when projected, especially with general background lighting present.
  14. Good to hear that BRP has a bridgehead on Roll20. Did you get any player reaction? I haven't yet started and I will try it with one or two players who have more tech background in the next week or so. I would like to be able to combine VTT and FTF play in the same session but not till I am ready.
  15. Perhaps if it was a clear improvement on things like Roll20 and if it isn't tied to particular hardware/os platforms and if it isn't tied to one game system. If they make a really convincing case on Kickstarter. If would rather see them do something radical with Fantasy Grounds especially for BRP
  16. Support for doing different macros/abilities/rollable tables depending on whether an initial test gives '0 Successes' or '1 Successes' would be a good. Rollable tables are useful but still at an early stage First I am going to ask them for the option to sort the turn tracker by ascending numerical order as per 'Dex rank order' in BRP rather than just descending numerical as per 'highest dex first' But that is just because I use fudge dice to mix up the initiative order each turn.
  17. Does this count? Having resisted the urge to chuckle when half of the party decided to 'escape' from the Old Imperial Hunting Lodge, I let them discover that there horses picketed 'safely' outside had been attacked by wild animals and driven off forcing them to carry all of the party gear. Since they were in the Karbath Mtns and it was just after mid-winter they began to get tired quickly (there had been a fight or two inside the lodge) Thy decided to look for shelter and encountered two dwarves. An insight roll (successful) gave them some hint that all was not well but not as much of a clue as would have been given had the party's dwarf been present. If you want to read what happened next here is the blog post: Tales from the Realm of St.Kosz of Astergow: In Hospitable Territory The result was two clerics and a barbarian left bound and without any belongings in a hole in a cave in the mountains in winter. After they freed themselves from the pit they found that ALL of their weapons and equipment had been stolen. No fire-making equipment, no bows or snares, and two days walk from the nearest town. How they complained when I asked the barbarian how he was going to light a campfire without their normal flint&steel. It seems that they had forgotten to teach him that knowledge in 'tribesman school' I must admit I was more than a little amused. In my defence I did let them encounter a very inquisitive goat which they killed with a rock. And I didn't roll for wolves drawn to the goat carcass in the night. Quite friendly GMing really! I guess I could provide a few more examples like this. Well a GM needs to provide a little 'character forming' adversity for his/her PCs. It's not sadism. It's an opportunity for character development!
  18. Has anyone tried to tell them? Are they changing things for new product today?
  19. Good. Table rolls will be really useful for Hit Location. I still think macros will be useful but I haven't much experience in GMing on a VTT. Plenty of IT background including various macro languages.
  20. LochaberAxe

    BRP on Roll20

    I have just started to look into the possibility of running BRP on Roll20 as one of my long term players can't make most of our FTF play. Has anyone documented the macros and player abilities in Roll20 needed to run BRP. If so are you prepared to make them available or even provide a system specific guide on Roll20 based on practical experience of using BRP on this VTT? I know that the GM can run Roll20 without this but I feel that anything which shortens the VTT 'learning curve' is probably worth doing. I might give it a go once I have organised some actual games on this. BTW If anyone currently runs BRP on Roll20 and would like to offer an old-timer the chance to view it as a player for a session or two then please let me know. I have found nothing so far using Roll20 LfG
×
×
  • Create New...