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Ian Absentia last won the day on August 27 2023
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RPG Biography
Ages of playing BRP games, several years of writing for at least one of them, taking it all in a new direction.
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Current games
Mythras, HQ, and something odd called White Rabbit Green
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Location
Seattle
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Audentes Fortuna Iuvat
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Another recommendation for Destined for a Street-level / Agent-based game. Tinker with the basic stats a bit, and have a look at the Pulp/Paragon rules in Mythras Imperative for additional ideas and inspiration for tweaking. I used Destined for a low-powered game with aging, "unpowered" versions of Captain America, Spider-Man, and the Hulk -- a group of suit-and-tie heroes -- with great success. !i!
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...or a new adaptation of the James Clavell novel. I haven't gotten far into the new series, but I'm counting on it to stand on its own and hoping it steers away from a lot of the exoticism of the '80s adaptation. !I!
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How common are murders in CoC scenarios?
Ian Absentia replied to BRP Investigator's topic in Call of Cthulhu
A couple of common scenarios from books, TV, film: Upon responding to an invitation to a home/office/event regarding an important matter, the Investigators are informed that their contact hasn't been seen in several days or weeks. No one seems to be able to provide helpful leads. Suspicious, but no explicit evidence of foul play. Same invitation, only the Investigators are informed that the person has recently died prior to their arrival. Circumstances may be suspicious or mundane, but oddly coincidental given the recent invitation. Same invitation, only upon arrival the Investigators are informed that the person doesn't exist. A fake invitation? An elaborate ruse? !i! -
How common are murders in CoC scenarios?
Ian Absentia replied to BRP Investigator's topic in Call of Cthulhu
"Missing Person: Unresolved" has figured highly in my experience. It's generally spared the Investigators (and the Keeper) the legal entanglements of custody and questioning involved with finding an actual corpse, and sometimes motivated them out of frustration that there's no evidence of an actual crime for the authorities to investigate. So, implied murder. !i! -
Because it's not very good? A "trash fire" actually. Other, more generous voices can fill you in on the details. I'm sorry, I get really mean about this book. As I've stated several times elsewhere, it's the only Chaosium product that's ever made me truly angry. The shipping would surely be exorbitant, but I'd gladly donate my like-new copy to someone who might enjoy it more than me. !i!
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You're confusing (or conflating) your Saturday morning musical cartoons. That was The Osmonds. !i!
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Ah, that makes sense, though I haven't seen any of the White Bull actual play. I think it's a similar, but earlier well. !i!
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Emphasis mine. Notably missing is the other intangible characteristic, Intelligence. What you've been doing is remarkably similar to an unrelated project I've been working on. CHA, POW, passions, and magic are all sort of potential energy, poised to act upon the world, but without a conscious identity (INT) to direct them. In Gloranthan terms, maybe this is the archetype or godform that occupies the timelessness of the Godtime, a script waiting for someone/thing to assume its mantle and play it out. !i!
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See Scotty's comments above. You're right, encounters with packs/swarms can be incredibly frustrating -- the mechanics demonstrate that admirably. The solution is to find another way through or around based on options available to the current adventuring group. Some of those options don't even require specific mechanics. I haven't read the scenario in question, so perhaps the frustration is that other options aren't suggested to the GM, such as the point at which the rat packs will be demoralised and run away. !i!
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Several (now non-canon) Gloranthan sources have confused the matter, depicting or describing demi-birds variously as something like the lizard-ish dinosaur troodon, the distinctly-birdish "terror bird", or something akin to the extinct moa of New Zealand. This has been confused further by variable descriptions and depictions of the avian steeds ridden by the Rinliddi avilry, which I understand to be different from the demi-bird. So, what makes a demi-bird "demi-" relative to proper birds? "Half-" or "lesser-" bird? So something more lizard-like, akin to the dragonewts themselves? Or something not-quite-birdlike because it's lost the ability of flight even though it's still quite visibly a bird? Page 109 of the Gloranthan Bestiary settles matter with a bit of both. Whatever the case, it certainly makes sense for dragonewts to use spears, lances, or axes when mounted.
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Typographical question on BRP:UGE book
Ian Absentia replied to essere74's topic in Basic Roleplaying
As a member of the Grognard Brigade, I think it may ultimately be a matter of contrast, though size is certainly a factor. Artistic, evocative backdrop shading and design, and font color often render layout difficult to read. It's like those bot-foiling security codes. !i! -
Unofficial and Unauthorized sourcebooks... for feedback
Ian Absentia replied to sladethesniper's topic in Basic Roleplaying
Not necessarily. I think people here appreciate what you're trying to do, but it runs up against the common issue (and joy!) of RPGs -- playing in someone else's sandbox. I could point you to a number of my favorite commercial RPGs and minis games that make reference to "alien xenomorphs" or "genestealers" that are clearly well-intentioned stand-ins for a more widely known intellectual property. It can be done, but it has to be circumspect when presenting it to the public. Once it's in the hands of the players, they can call it whatever they want and proceed at will. Now, art is another matter. I still have a copy of the fan-produced Interstellar Colonial Space Marines sourcebook for a far-future Call of Cthulhu project that used all sorts of unauthorised still art from Aliens and Halo. It was chased off the Internet by the owners of those licenses with extreme prejudice. If you have a good game that provides players with the tools to slot in their favorite IP in a way that isn't served by other commercial resources, find a way to make a broadly applicable game that's recognisable, but avoids borrowing direct likenesses. I realise that it may be frustrating, but have faith in your game that belongs to you, not art that belongs to someone else. !i! -
It reminds me a lot of an episode from the original Kung Fu. Some crazy old miner hi-jacks a gold stagecoach to transport his native wife's corpse to her tribal burial ground. Nobody is happy with his plan, including the tribe at the end of the line. And -- wait for it -- there's a twist at the end. It really was an excellent episode. !i!
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At first I thought you were thinking of yuca (one "c") root -- manioc or cassava. But, no, apparently yucca root can be eaten, though not commonly. I've dug some up around the yard, and I haven't been impressed with their root mass, though Gloranthan species might differ. By the way, I'll bear witness that yucca plants are absolute sons of bitches to handle. !i!
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About theology students? Buncha nerds. But that's hardly news. Yeah, in my advancing decrepitude, I periodically descend to the basement and try to figure out if I've just misplaced my old wine-stained copy, or if I left it at someone's house and they conveniently neglected to tell me. Bring it back. !i!